The Quiet Underground

The carnage is spreading forward in the darkness.

Wherever Linsey went, bonfires were lit in the Underground World, and the temperature in the Pitch-Black World seemed to rise, making it difficult to breathe.

A full hour passed.

Linsey continues to operate alone in the Underground World.

Thanks to the effect of the [Eternal Imprint], even as he fought recklessly, the surrounding earth continuously supplied him with stamina. As a result, Linsey was full of energy, like a child who had just woken up early on New Year's Day.

In contrast, the situation is quite different for those who Mutated Ones.

Just a few hours ago, they had driven Vivian to the brink of despair, even raising humans in the underground.

At this moment, in front of Linsey...

They were less like enemies and more like a bunch of building blocks that would collapse at the slightest push.

In just a short while.

There have been over a hundred Mutated Ones who have been dragged out of the ground by Linsey and killed on the spot.

Linsey, besides killing these abhorrent things.

Based on his own route and the information he gathered from Map Scouting, he also summarized the activity patterns of these Mutated Ones.

"There are still about 4 kilometers to go."

"If we keep fighting our way through, even if he manages to react, I'll definitely catch up with him!"

Linsey made a cold judgment.

Although these Mutated Ones were numerous and unevenly distributed, it did not prevent him from determining the location of the mastermind behind it all.

The reason is very simple.

The closer these Mutated Ones are to their manipulator, the more agile and human-like their reactions become. Linsey, having fought his way through, has already developed the corresponding formula.

At this moment, he deduced the location of the mastermind behind the scenes.

With just a little calculation, the route was pinpointed to the due east direction.

Meanwhile, amidst the carnage, Linsey also remembered her other skills.

During a break in his journey, he opened his "Hunting Notes".

With over a hundred kills, he had already achieved the first and second level of achievement titles.

Linsey casually claimed the achievement reward.

[Rare Item: Withered Claw Amulet]

[This amulet carries a strong aura of corruption. When worn, it will prevent mindless Mutated Ones from recognizing your identity, causing them to assume you are an allied unit.]

[Achievement items with limited functionality have low value.]

[Miraculous Seed: Withered Overlord Flower]

[A magical flower that grows by absorbing toxins and corrupting forces. The Withered Overlord Flower normally takes 140 years to produce one fruit, but with ample nutrients, its growth and fruiting speed will be greatly accelerated.]

[Miraculous Seed with unique properties, of moderate value.]

"..."

Linsey raised an eyebrow; both of the reward items were quite interesting.

Especially the latter.

"Absorbing toxins and corrupting forces as nutrients for growth?"

"So if we put this thing in the Insectoid Canyon, can the Corruption Gold retire early? And considering the scale of these Mutated Ones, this thing will also be of great use later."

As Linsey pondered, she immediately put on the [Withered Claw Amulet].

The result was the same as described in the equipment description.

The next time they encountered Mutated Ones, these corrupted creatures didn't recognize Linsey's human identity. Instead, they deployed forces around the area as usual, seemingly intending to intercept the enemy right next to them.

"..."

Linsey shrugged, paused the killing, and crouched down to enter stealth mode.

During the break while infiltrating, he organized the materials he had collected while killing the Mutated Ones.

"Corrupting Venom - can only be used to make poisons; Rotten Tumor - provides a short-term strength boost upon use, but increases the risk of complete infection by the Corruption Poison; Ulcerated Eyeball - used to make a potent Aberration Potion that can instantly transform a living person into Mutated Ones..."

"What is all this nonsense?"

Linsey's face was full of disgust.

Especially after witnessing these monsters raising humans, he became 100% averse to such things, and even if they could bring great power, Linsey would absolutely not use them.

I scrolled through the composition list of these materials over and over again.

Linsey finally found a decent crafting recipe for a piece of equipment.

[1 Rotten Skin + 3 Leather + 1 High-Grade Silk Thread = Anti-Poison Cloak]

Linsey has all of these materials.

But just as he was about to attempt the synthesis, his crouching steps slowed down once again.

Just ahead, Linsey sensed a very obvious fluctuation of Essence.

Corruption, malice, erosion...

With Linsey's current perception, she can already discern the malice in it.

"It's just ahead."

Linsey realized that the culprit who was directing these Mutated Ones was right behind them.

After his massacre of the underground Mutated Ones was interrupted, the commander realized something.

So he stopped controlling these monsters.

Instead, they focused on themselves, remained vigilant about their surroundings, and prepared to face the enemy to come.

Linsey continued forward, and at the end of the tunnel was a fairly large underground cavern.

Snap—

As he walked through it, he stepped into the puddles and sensed that the water source below was also infected by the Corruption Poison.

Because of this step, Linsey's stealth state instantly became invalid.

"Um?"

"Are these Corruption Poison helping him monitor his environment?"

Linsey looked up.

In the center of the cave, there is a milky yellow rock platform.

A tall, even somewhat handsome man sat in the darkness. He possessed none of the characteristics of Mutated Ones, yet the corrupted Essence seemed to emanate a foul stench, naturally inspiring disgust.

The enemy calmly watched the direction Linsey had appeared in:

"They've come, just as expected."

The man was speaking in Ancient Language, and in a very soft voice, basically just muttering to himself.

Linsey's keen hearing still managed to pick up on the tiny sound.

He also spoke in Ancient Language:

"I came here to confirm one thing first."

"Those humans who were kept in captivity, were you the one who ordered the Mutated Ones to do that?"

"..."

"Um?"

The man on the rock seemed somewhat surprised by Linsey's Ancient Language.

He looked at Linsey suspiciously, and at the same time stood up, detaching himself from the surrounding corrupting water:

"You actually speak the Common Language?"

Linsey replied with a cold laugh:

"Unfortunately, the Common Language you mentioned is no longer used by anyone in Ancient Language."

The man scrutinized Linsey, his expression serious.

"This Essence... life, but what is your skill? Why can't I sense the power of war or law? If you knew history, you would know how presumptuous it is to oppose us. Outsiders should just stand by and watch quietly!"

That kind of tone.

This allowed Linsey to confirm the other party's identity directly.

He watched the other person stand up, and at this moment he was not worried about the enemy launching an attack, but rather afraid that the other person would escape in advance.

"I think I know where you come from. Now—I'll tell you some good news."

As Linsey pondered, he drew his longsword.

The man opposite her was also fearless, simply looking at Linsey:

"Good news?"

Linsey gave a smug and dangerous smile:

"Your beloved Extinction Crown was successfully revived several years ago."

"It's a pity, I had to forcibly take it back again!"