The Unexpected Intruders

Ah, this feels so good. Sleeping is truly the most comfortable thing in the world.

Consciousness plunged into darkness, but Hervey still couldn't help but utter these heartfelt words in his sleep.

Nothing is more therapeutic than a long, deep sleep after being overworked.

No!

I've heard that hypnosis and deep sleep experience centers Dream Eater have sprung up in the Arnor Kingdom, and the business is booming among adventurers. Adventurers pay to be hypnotized by these creatures from the Zane Dungeon to get a good night's sleep, replenish their Spirit Power, and then enter the Zane Dungeon for adventures. After they come out, they pay again to be hypnotized.

Could this be considered a form of paid employment?

Just like how oxen and horses, when working, pay for their own coffee to improve work efficiency.

Gong Qiying didn't care how the outsiders made money; he simply lowered the capture rate of the Dream Eater a bit to keep those merchants in the dungeon a little longer.

At first, he didn't feel anything, but the longer he remained unconscious, the more Hervey felt his consciousness rising and falling in a dark sea, with strange and terrifying creatures roaming around him.

He tried with all his might to open his eyes to see the faces of those creatures. The grotesque beings gathered around him in ever-increasing numbers, and the sea itself became restless.

He finally opened his eyes and, with the help of the dim light, could finally see the creatures surrounding him!

"The Hero Appears!"

A strange fish with Galio's face roared at him like that.

"Ahhhhh--"

Hervey woke up screaming.

A ray of sunlight streamed through the window, casting a warm glow on his body, which was wrapped in bandages.

"It was just a dream. It must be because I've been obsessed with fighting Gargoyle lately that I dreamt about those strange things."

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, propped himself up to stand, and found that his previously weak body had recovered to about 70-80%, and he felt that he could once again enter the dungeon to explore.

Wait, why is the first thing I thought of when I woke up going to go into the dungeon?!

Hervey frantically slapped himself twice, determined to stop this diligent mindset from taking over. He knew that if you wanted to suffer, there would be endless suffering, and he didn't want that.

What's wrong with my brain? Has Sion taken over it?

He sighed deeply.

The room in front of me looked familiar; it was inside the Sparkfire Church's camp. The mages had used the available materials to transform the houses in Hypha Town into temporary clinics for the wounded.

That being said, almost all of the current wounded are from the Zane Dungeon.

"How long have I been asleep?"

He tore off the various bandages wrapped around his body, revealing a completely new appearance with almost no visible wounds. His strength had also been largely restored, allowing him to move normally.

Compared to my physical condition when I first left the Zane Dungeon, it's like heaven and earth.

Memories of their adventures in the Zane Dungeon kept flashing through Hervey's mind, so many that they couldn't count them all. It was only then that he realized they had spent several times longer in the dungeon than expected, so long that people outside probably thought they had encountered some kind of accident and were trapped inside.

"I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the dungeons."

It was so incredibly fun, so much so that he's now tired of dungeons.

Even the most delicious food shouldn't be eaten for such a long time at once, especially in a place like the Zane Dungeon where "eating" needs to be replaced with "red."

Fortunately, the trip was quite fruitful.

Wyvern Sword, Gargoyle series weapons, Galio's Weapon Skill, location of blacksmith Andre, ringing the bell, directions to the Darkroot Garden and the Sain Ancient City.

In summary, the only word to describe it is "abundant," and if it were displayed, it would definitely give Bishop Vinsmoke a big surprise.

Not only did they reap abundant material rewards, but the Starfire Knight's strength also increased under the high-pressure environment of the Zane Dungeon. The dungeon and the battlefield are completely different environments, and changing environments is very beneficial to a person's growth.

He was even thinking of using the Zane Dungeon as a training base for the Sparkfire Church. By making good use of the campfire upgrade mechanism, they could produce super soldiers in batches. Even if their skills were average, they would at least be stat monsters.

There are so many things he can do with the Zane Dungeon that he can't even lie still in bed right now, all he wants to do is put these ideas into practice as soon as possible.

"Go out and see if there are any new changes at the camp."

Although he said he wanted to check if there were any new changes at the camp, he actually felt that no matter how long he slept, nothing much could possibly change here.

Unless the Holy Light Church attacks, it won't work; we shouldn't jinx it.

Just then, as soon as he pushed open the door, he suddenly heard a faint commotion coming from outside.

What are you doing, making such a racket?

Habitually donning a full suit of impressive armor, Hervey pushed open the door to the outside world with a rather authoritative gesture.

"I already said we didn't do it on purpose. It was really just because you were all sleeping. I couldn't very well disturb your sleep!"

"Um, everyone, let's talk this out. We can discuss this. How about we put away our weapons first?"

"Ta Mi, why are you being such a coward? Let's just fight our way out!"

With the gate no longer an obstacle, the faint noise from before grew a thousand times louder, directly assaulting Hervey's face.

It's so noisy.

There were guards outside the door, and as soon as Hervey came out, they quickly said, "Hervey, someone's come over and causing trouble, and they seem pretty strong. You'd better hurry and take action!"

"A troublemaker? Let me check first."

Hervey frowned and looked toward the source of the noise, which was not far from the portal to the Zane Dungeon.

People from various churches formed a large circle, surrounding something in a dense, tense atmosphere, as if an explosion was imminent.

He heard the voices of those surrounded, and from what he heard, they didn't seem to be members of the churches present. No wonder they were being surrounded as suspicious individuals.

But the only problem is

Hervey's expression grew even stranger, because a few of the voices sounded so familiar.

He strode forward, and the commotion behind him made the surrounding men turn around. Seeing Hervey approaching, one of them immediately smiled and said smugly, "You're finished!"

What puzzled Hervey was why some people inside the Wild Forest Church were smiling at him.

That smile was eerie; what did it mean?

"This group of people suddenly appeared in the camp, claiming to be adventurers. Are you kidding me? What kind of adventurers would come here?"

"They might be spies sent by the Holy Light Church. Adventurers wouldn't dare come here even if they heard there was a dungeon, especially since there's a war going on right now."

The people from the Sparkfire Church provided him with more details.

Claiming to be an adventurer? Did they come here after hearing about the Zane Dungeon?

That's pretty bold.

Hervey couldn't help but feel curious about this group of audacious people.

"We're doomed? You're the ones who're doomed, you bastards!"

"Mi La Mi La, calm down!"

Mi La?

Upon hearing the name, Hervey's expression turned strange and never returned. He pushed aside the crowd blocking his way and finally saw the scene inside the encirclement.

Inside were several men and women dressed in a completely different manner than those in Scamellon.

Judging from this style, it seems like he's from the country he grew up in, the Arnor Kingdom!?

He had a strong sense of the strength of living beings, and immediately looked at the strongest person in the group, a woman dressed entirely in black. At that moment, she also looked at him.

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

Both of them gasped in surprise when their eyes met.

Hervey ripped off his mask, revealing a face so surprised it gaped open, and pointed at the person opposite him.

The woman opposite him pulled her hand out of her cloak and pointed at him, inadvertently revealing her figure, which was covered by a tight-fitting bodysuit, beneath the wide cloak.

"Hervey!?"

"A funny Batgirl!?"

Hervey and Lu Lu Wo called out each other's names at the same time.

"Hey, does the captain know anyone?" Ta Mi asked in surprise.

"I think I've seen him before, somewhere in Anor Londo." Bei Er Tuo pushed up his glasses.

"Then we don't need to fight?" Mi La put away her fighting stance and looked at her companions around her with a puzzled expression.

"Probably?" Aisi and Aimu remained vigilant and did not cancel the magic in their hands.

The group of adventurers currently appearing near the portal to the Zane Dungeon is none other than the Skyrim Strategy Team from both the Arnor Kingdom and the Warrior Country!

It's that super popular Strategy Team that claims to be able to provide a complete guide within a week no matter what new area appears!

"."

After hearing how Hervey addressed her, Lu Lu Wo paused for a second, then expressionlessly drew her weapon and coldly said:

"No, I've mistaken you for someone else. This inherently evil monster is impersonating someone I know. I'll punish you right now!"

"Wait, wait, wait! I was too surprised and misspoke. Don't rush to do anything." Hervey waved his hands repeatedly.

The tense atmosphere around them immediately dissipated after this commotion, and nothing serious could be maintained anymore.

People looked at each other, not quite understanding what Hervey's relationship was with these people, but they all understood one thing.

That means a fight is definitely not going to happen, and everyone can go their separate ways.

Not long after, at the Sparkfire Church's camp.

"Please make do with this place. The camp has only been set up recently, so everything is still quite basic."

Hervey brought out a few chairs in front of the fireplace in the largest room of the camp and gestured for the Skyrim Strategy Team to sit down. After everyone was seated, he asked, "How did you get here?"

As he asked this, he exclaimed, "As expected of you! The news that the portal to the Zane Dungeon opened here has only just spread, and you guys have already arrived so quickly. You truly are the Skyrim Strategy Team."

"Well"

The youngest, Ta Mi, scratched his head, looking like he wanted to say something but hesitated. There was some black mud of unknown material stuck to his clothes.

"In fact, we haven't heard anything from Scamellon."

Bei Er Tuo sighed as he spoke, his gaze falling on Lu Lu Wo, who was holding a cup of tea.

"Finally, I got some water! I was almost dying of thirst."

Lu Lu Wo put down the cup that had been licked dry, then looked at Hervey, her expression turning mournful in an instant.

"We've been tricked by the Zane Dungeon!"

Her tone was plaintive and sorrowful, so much so that anyone who didn't know better would think she had suffered a tremendous injustice.

"Hmm? Tell me more about it."

Hervey immediately became interested.

He once mentioned that he participated in the Eldridge campaign, which included Elsa. Although he was only a small fry in the group at that time, he knew some of the members.

For example, he had spoken to Lu Lu Wo and Fingel, and because they were both very approachable, they got along quite well.

When he introduced himself to Lu Lu Wo as Sun Warrior, Luluwo exclaimed "Oh ho!" and said, "I might have invaded your territory somewhere before."

However, after the Eldridge campaign ended, Hervey set off for Scamellon, and gradually lost contact with the adventurers after that.

But fate was so strange that he reunited with the Skyrim Strategy Team today.

But how exactly did they get here?

"We accepted a commission; a certain elven archmage wanted to extract some body tissue from Eldridge, so I personally went into the Zane Dungeon."

Lu Lu Wo's voice was full of sorrow and grievance as she said, "Everything was going smoothly at first. We were on our way back when we suddenly thought that since we were already here, we might as well pick up some local specialties from Anor Londo on the way back, so we wandered around there."

"Unexpectedly, as I walked, the scenery gradually became unfamiliar. I swear I had never seen it before. I had explored all of Anor Londo and had never seen anything like it. It was as if a new road had emerged."

"At first we thought it was a new map and we were quite happy, but as we walked, our consciousness gradually faded," Lu Lu Wo's expression gradually turned to gritted teeth, "And when we came to our senses, we were locked in a dungeon!"

The "prison" she was referring to was probably the Northern Undead Asylum.

"This is truly a peculiar experience."

Can Hervey say he didn't understand?

From these words, it's clear that Lu Lu Wo doesn't know how she got here.

"It is indeed very peculiar. Alright, I won't say any more. The elves are waiting for me to deliver the goods." She stood up and asked, "How do I get back?"

Hervey hesitated for a moment before saying with an expression of condolence:

"Sorry, it seems you can't go back."

". What?"

Lu Lu Wo turned to stone.