Chapter 126

With the protection of his teammates, he can unleash tremendous firepower.

In conclusion, although soloing A-Class dungeon is very dangerous for S-Class, it's not impossible for S-Class like Castorice, who is holding a scythe and looks like a warrior. Besides, she's not soloing now; she has her teammates who can do some work.

Sun Qijun was worried about... whether Castorice could adapt to the underground city.

Hunters who are fighting in dungeons for the first time are easily frightened by the bloody scenes they have never encountered before, and it is not impossible for them to develop psychological barriers. Being strong does not mean being strong in mind.

Sun Qijun knew that although his words were meant to be caring, they also implied a slight towards him, but someone had to say it anyway.

"Please don't worry, Your Excellency, I will lead you all away safely."

Castorice's smile remained unchanged, and her tone was still unhurried. At first glance, it sounded somewhat distant, but one could also vaguely sense a hint of gentleness.

"Sorry, I was too talkative."

Seeing that the other party did not take his words to heart, Sun Qijun honestly apologized.

The appearance of Castorice, an S-Class character, noticeably eased everyone's mood.

After all, they are all veteran hunters, and they know their own level. Hunters always enter portals that are one level lower than themselves, or, if a hunter of higher level is leading the group, they enter portals that are the same level as themselves or one level higher.

Once it was confirmed that this was A-Class portal, Sun Qijun, being A-Class individual, could no longer provide them with any sense of security.

Only now that they saw the main DPS Patriot, did their tense nerves finally relax.

"Let's go, but... please keep five steps away from me."

Castorice said.

"Huh?"

Her words startled everyone for a moment, but they quickly realized that it must be related to the other party's abilities.

Han Songyi also realized this.

I used to think that Castorice didn't like to interact with other people, but now it seems that's not the case. Rather, it's that bad things happen when she interacts with people.

She instinctively wanted to ask, but then held back. If Castorice was willing to tell her, she would find out sooner or later. It was better not to ask in this situation.

Thinking about this, she secretly felt proud of her high emotional intelligence.

However, the healer spoke with a straightforward curiosity, "Miss Castorice just healed us, and she seems to be very good at head-on combat. Plus, we have to keep our distance. We have no idea what Miss Castorice's abilities are."

Chapter Eleven Polykeus: Are you good at yelling?

"..."

Upon hearing this question, Castorice lowered her eyelids.

"Well..."

As the atmosphere grew tense, the healer realized that her question had crossed a line. After all, she also had her own guild, and it was somewhat impolite for a guild hunter to ask another hunter about their abilities when they were not familiar with each other.

"Well, instead of focusing on these things, wouldn't it be better to concentrate on the dungeon first?"

Han Songyi realized what was happening and immediately tried to smooth things over.

Although she was more inclined to side with Castorice, after all, Castorice had just saved her and was a friend she had just met, the other side could also be considered her savior, and she felt caught in a dilemma.

However, her comments, which bypassed the question itself, still leaned towards considering Castorice's feelings.

"It's alright, Song Yi."

Castorice let out a breath and reassured her, "Now that we're in the dungeon, it's only natural to be honest about your strength. I just... don't know how to put it, but this matter will be made public sooner or later."

"Sister Castorice..."

Han Songyi could see the complexity in Castorice's expression. It seemed... Sister Castorice didn't like her ability...?

Smiling and nodding to her, Castorice looked at the attack team again. "My ability is to bring death to others. Anyone who touches me, or even gets too close, may die because of my ability."

"This...?"

Sun Qijun's eyes widened. He had never heard of such an ability before. Even he, an A-Class hunter, didn't know about it, so the others around him must be even less aware of it.

Contact, or even getting close, could lead to death? What kind of ability is this?

Han Songyi also looked at Castorice in astonishment. The series of strange actions the two had taken together before finally had an answer at this moment.

"Although it is said to be the power to bring death, a more accurate description would be the power to connect to the River Styx, which is the resting place of the dead."

Castorice added, "So... even if it can be used for healing, its greater purpose is to guide the living to the Pure Land."

She didn't fully explain her strength, after all, some facts are not something everyone can understand or accept.

The members of the attacking team exchanged glances.

This... although it's getting a bit more and more mysterious, even bringing up the River Styx and the afterlife, they can still tell from the clothing style and appearance that the other party is not a hunter from Country H. Perhaps foreign hunters are like this.

As for the Underworld, it's not that hard to accept. After all, dungeons have undead and the undead, and there are also spirit-type enemies. Not to mention, there are summoners who can summon skeleton soldiers.

Since the appearance of the dungeon, the afterlife has been analyzed by many scholars and enthusiasts to see if it really exists. In most people's eyes, it does exist, but not in reality, but in the world of the dungeon.

At this moment, the existence of the Castorice completely affirmed the existence of the Underworld.

"This is truly... amazing, Miss Castorice."

After taking a deep breath, Sun Qijun exhaled heavily. "I never thought there would be a hunter with this kind of ability."

It was practically a walking embodiment of death; touching it or getting too close would mean certain death. He couldn't imagine how to resist such power.

Han Songyi's expression showed no joy whatsoever, but rather an incredibly complicated one.

Because she remembered their first meeting, Castorice's reaction when she called her a friend, and her reactions on the bus and at the celebration party... No wonder Castorice Die reacted that way. They couldn't ride together, eat together, or go shopping in crowded places together. They couldn't even touch each other.

Despite living this kind of life, Sister Castorice was incredibly gentle and always restrained herself, avoiding excessive contact with others...

Thinking of this, Han Songyi felt as if a stone was pressing on her heart, and she even felt a little breathless.

It wasn't that she was unwilling to interact with others; she simply... didn't want to put others in danger because of her.

"Gentlemen, let's set off as soon as possible."

Castorice isn't good at giving orders, but she's currently the most qualified person here, so she naturally won't shirk her responsibility as leader.

"I understand... Everyone, keep your distance from Miss Castorice."

As the second strongest person, Sun Qijun immediately made a judgment after learning that Castorice's ability was an extremely specialized ability to act alone.

Although it may be somewhat unethical to say this, Castorice's abilities are more like those of an older brother than Da C's. They have no choice but to keep their distance from her because they can't cooperate with her.

As a result, the scene immediately split into two teams.

Ahead, a group of Castorice moved in their own right, while behind them, a vigilant attack team kept watch for their surroundings. (Hunter teams that conquer dungeons are called attack teams.)

The entire underground cavern is interconnected, and to close the Red Portal, one must defeat the BOSS. For others, finding the BOSS would inevitably waste a lot of time. Those who are sensitive to Magic Resistance might be able to sense magic without being taught and identify the location of the strongest magic, but most people in this world cannot do so.

But for Castorice and those involved in True Magic from the previous world, this was just basic procedure.

After walking for more than ten minutes, the group encountered countless cave passages but did not meet any enemies. The attack team was somewhat surprised by this situation and even wondered if they had taken the wrong path. However, after learning that Castorice could sense the location of the BOSS, they did not say anything more but became more vigilant.

After all... if you don't encounter any enemies along the way, it can't be that you just happened to be lucky and missed each other. If the other side has a leader, it can only mean that they are waiting for a big wave.

Thinking of this, they couldn't help but recall the desperate situation of being surrounded, and their expressions became solemn.

The aura of magic drew ever closer. Led by Castorice, even the attacking team, who couldn't sense the magic, heard the roars rising and falling. With each footstep, the noise grew louder and louder, and the bright firelight in the distance illuminated their path.

It was a vast underground plaza, or perhaps a throne room, where the orc chieftain, whose height far surpassed that of ordinary orcs, stood on the only high point in the plaza, holding a massive bone club that was as tall as two people.

More than two hundred orc warriors roared and vented their anger beneath the throne, but as they watched Castorice slowly walk into the square through the passage, their venting roar took on a hysterical and cowardly warning tone.

"Please wait here."

Castorice raised her right hand, which was holding a scythe, and held it horizontally in front of everyone. She turned her head and said, "The battle will be over soon."

Sun Qijun didn't say much, but nodded solemnly.

The orc chieftain could also feel the overwhelming aura of death emanating from him; the mere sight of it was enough to instill fear in him, it was almost like... Lord.

However, no matter how similar they are, they are still just similar. When faced with an enemy who shows hostility, even if they know they are no match, the orcs will never back down!

"Roar!"

The orc chieftain suddenly stood up from his seat, grabbed the bone club beside him, and roared as he jumped to the ground.

Encouraged by him, the beastmen, who were initially afraid, immediately turned ferocious and charged towards Castorice without fear of death.

"Hooohoo!!"

Even Castorice would be impressed by her courage in facing death, but... as she just said, the battle would soon be over, and a painless death was the only tenderness she could give them.

A suffocating sense of oppression enveloped the area. As the scythe of the Castorice was wielded, a death rift tens of meters long opened up. There was no need to reveal the entire body of the butterfly. A huge dragon head emerged from the rift, carrying death and high temperature. Its red and black breath swallowed the entire square in the blink of an eye.

"Roar!!"

Polykeus: Why are you yelling so loudly! Let's see who can yell the loudest!

Chapter Twelve: The Vanished Soul.

The already sweltering underground cavern felt even hotter to the attacking team, who felt as if they had entered a sauna. The dry yet scorching air felt like it was setting their entire bodies ablaze.

Fortunately, this situation only lasted for a few seconds, and with the disappearance of the dragon, the attacking team finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Really...?"

The C-Class warriors stared in disbelief at the scene before them. The once vast and wide plaza had now turned into a bottomless pit, and not even the corpses of the orc warriors or their leaders remained.

"This is S-Class...?"

Another B-rank hunter swallowed hard. He wasn't a member of a major guild, nor had he ever teamed up with S-Class hunter.

This attack, which nearly altered the terrain in such a short time, not only broadened his horizons but also gave him the feeling that 'are the two of them really from the same world?'

Han Songyi, who was being protected by the therapist, was also seeing this scene for the first time. As an E-Class hunter, she had to use all her strength just to pierce through the steel plate with a knife, but Sister Castorice had achieved this level with just a casual strike.

That's... that's incredible! And so handsome!

Compared to them, Sun Qijun's expression was the most stiff.

He knew from the beginning that S-Class could beat A-Class dungeons, and even solo them, but... was the current situation really something S-Class could do? Even though the Orc Lord and orcs were relatively weak in A-Class dungeons, this was still... far too easy.

Moreover, this was her first battle...

This phenomenon, this strength, made him think of Goto Ryuji from Country R. Both were S-Class hunters, Goto Ryuji had a visible difference in strength compared to other S-Class hunters, although he had only heard about it and had never actually seen him.

As for higher-level hunters, such as Liu Zhikang from Country Z and Thomas Andre from the U.S., who National Power Level Hunter, Sun Qijun did not even think about it.

Goto Ryuji was already the strongest S-Class in his mind, but he had heard that Chairman Gao Jianli had once also won the title of the strongest S-Class, but he was too old, so he retired to the second line not long after.

Castorice was unaware of the thoughts of the attacking team.

These orcs were the first lives she had ever killed in this world. As their lives faded away, her Underworld gained a new batch of inhabitants. In fact, the Underworld was constantly filled with the souls of the dead, monsters, and animals. Although the Underworld was the size of the world, it was not perfect.

Or rather, this is the Underworld of Polyxia, and because of her own willfulness Polyxia, no dead person can enter that resting place, so she has always used that Pure Land to grow flowers.

But things can't be like this now. Of course, the Flower Sea Castorice will continue to exist, but other laws need to be added to the Underworld. Otherwise, those aimless souls will neither be redeemed nor punished, and humans and monsters cannot be managed together.

While pondering whether she should return to the Underworld to make some plans, Castorice said to the people behind her, "There are no other monsters here anymore. The door is at the entrance. Let's leave."

"Yes!" X9.

They gained almost nothing from entering the dungeon, but they were prepared for little reward when they came in, since none of them were miners and the portal on the bridge wouldn't allow them to spend too much time mining.

Therefore, they all planned to collect a little and leave, and also let Han Songyi, the only E-Class hunter who was still a high school student, eat some resources. After all, it is very difficult for an E-Class hunter to make money or even survive.

The Red Portal is typically a place with rare and powerful minerals, and the rewards from A-Class portal are not necessarily much higher than those from D-Class portal.

As for the dragon from before, the group decided not to ask any more questions. They would leave it to the Hunter Association to inquire about. Having escaped death, they just wanted to rest as soon as possible.

"They're out!"

"It's that new S-Class hunter!"

"Make way! I'm a reporter! Let me stand in front!"

As soon as she stepped out of the portal, a wave of shouts erupted around her, making Han Songyi somewhat uncomfortable.

Then a group of people gathered outside the cordon, craning their necks to look in this direction, or more precisely, at Castorice.

The sight of such a huge crowd made Castorice frown. The members of the attacking team quickly ran around Castorice and moved to the front, fearing that they might accidentally get too close to Castorice and die.

"Sister Castorice! You should leave now!"

Han Songyi spoke loudly while helping the association's staff to fend off the crowd.