Evil Beast

The two of them ventured deeper into the cave.

At first, they looked relaxed, but both remained alert. After about ten minutes, their expressions grew serious, and they slipped into combat stances in perfect sync.

Yet neither of them had spotted an enemy!

It was as though nothing lived in the cave. That only made it more frightening.

Ordinarily, even a cave with no openings would harbor life, sometimes developing an even stranger ecosystem of its own.

But this cave held no living creatures at all.

"Wait. We can't go any farther. If we run into danger with just the two of us, I might not be able to save you in time. I'll call two teammates over," Tapir told Martin.

As players gained levels, they gradually parted ways with their teammates and began fighting on their own.

But they still reunited now and then to tackle harder challenges. Splitting up and coming back together was simply how players lived.

Martin did not object to Tapir's decision. He could tell there was something seriously wrong with this cave too.

Earlier, he had suspected there might be treasure inside. Now he thought there might be no treasure at all, but there was certainly danger.

The Looting Emperor and his people might even be plotting something in secret, and this cave could be a passage they had prepared behind everyone's backs.

There were too many possibilities. They had to be careful.

After contacting his two teammates, Tapir glanced at Martin. "This could be dangerous. Are you sure you want to continue?"

"Of course," Martin answered at once.

Opportunity often lay beyond danger. Hawkins had sent him New Year's and birthday gifts every year for the past few years, and when Hawkins could not be bothered to think of a present, he gave