Underground World

Several days later.

In a complex network of underground passages, within a dim pit.

Suren kept his breathing as quiet as possible, his gaze fixed solemnly several hundred meters away.

There, a humanoid monster was wandering aimlessly through the cavern, hunting for food.

It still wore scraps of human clothing and equipment, but its body had swollen into something like a grotesquely bloated corpse.

Suren watched the monster, his finger already resting on the trigger of his firearm loaded with Alchemical Bullets.

The moment it came closer, he would blow its head apart with one shot.

Mutated Human

Details: A demonic beast formed when a human mutates after being unable to withstand the erosion of cursed power. They possess extremely sharp hearing. They have little intelligence, driven only by instincts to hunt and kill.

Fortunately, before long, the monster wandered off in another direction without approaching Suren's hiding place.

Suren also breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew... Just how many bizarre creatures are there underground?"

This was not the first time he had encountered such a monster.

Three days earlier, when he had emerged from that secret passage, he had run into one.

At the time, he had known nothing of the dangers lurking in the Underground World. He had not realized that even the faint crunch of stepping on stones could attract creatures with such acute hearing.

Fortunately, his enhanced vision had allowed him to spot it in time.

That thing had charged at him like a mountain of flesh, nearly killing him on the spot.

Mutated Monsters absolutely could not be approached. Even a small wound could splatter his face with revolting rotten flesh and sludge.

It was incredibly corrosive, and it stank horribly.

Ordinary bullets were almost useless. Shooting it felt like firing into a puddle of mud.

"Pop." A bubble rose, with no effect at all.

Fortunately, Suren had come prepared and used several of those "high-explosive" Alchemical Bullets.

Only by firing accurately and blasting it apart like artillery shells had he managed to turn the monster into mush.

But he did not have many Alchemical Bullets left, and that was far from the only kind of monster lurking in these caverns.

If he had not awakened the All-Seeing Eye and greatly improved his night vision, he would have died many times over on this journey with only those crude Alchemical Night Vision Goggles.

Suren had initially thought the Underground World was a massive mine or perhaps a system of natural caverns.

But the underground space was unbelievably vast. Not only were there ruins of human cities, but there was also a complete ecosystem belowground, with all kinds of animals, plants, and monsters hiding in every dark corner.

Ever seen a fluorescent mushroom forest dozens of meters tall?

Ever seen lizards the size of dinosaurs?

Ever seen red-eyed rats swarming past like a locust plague?

Ever seen a centipede over ten meters long, with a genuine thousand legs?

Or a massive tentacled monster whose entire body was a rock wall covered in fleshy tumors and densely packed eyeballs?

Suren certainly had not seen any of those in his previous life. Yet in just a few days, his mind had been filled with all kinds of strange knowledge. Through the All-Seeing Eye's identification, he had also come to recognize many bizarre creatures.

Most of these underground creatures were grotesque and disgusting, like malformed organisms after nuclear radiation.

This environment was simply unimaginably harsh for humans!

Afraid that the monster had not gone far, Suren stayed in the pit a while longer and replenished his food and water.

"Judging from the map I found in Bald Ivan's Storage Ring, I should be nearing a Class B area with frequent human activity. Maybe I'll run into another Wilderness Hunter Group. It would be best to find someone and ask about the situation first."

Suren looked at the marked map, then checked his food and water supplies. He estimated that his rations would not last until the human settlement marked at the end of the map.

Alone, he had remained cautious the entire time and did not dare casually hunt the underground creatures with gunfire, fearing he might attract even greater trouble.

The experiences of the past few days had also gradually given him a more accurate understanding of this mysterious world filled with extraordinary powers.

The existence of such a massive ruined city underground suggested that large numbers of humans had once lived here hundreds or thousands of years ago.

Moreover, Bald Ivan and the others had not been miners at all. That group seemed to be a Wilderness Hunter Group specializing in exploring the Underground World and searching for supplies.

Their pale complexions were not merely a matter of bloodline, but the pallor of people who had gone without sunlight for a long time.

Suren suspected that even his destination might not be the surface, but somewhere underground.

Still, all of that was merely speculation.

In a few more days, if he could reach the "destination" alive, he would probably learn the truth.

Before long, the fullness from his meal made Suren feel his energy stores replenish, and he was ready to continue onward.

Then, he suddenly remembered something and took out Pestoya's Brooch from the Storage Ring.

Over the past few days, Suren had been pondering what the unknown information marked "???" on the brooch could be.

The mystery of Pestoya being burned alive had continued to trouble him.

An abandoned manor deserted for a thousand years, a Phantom Species, and a story with obvious inconsistencies.

It was as though a puzzle lacked its crucial final piece.

Suren had always had a feeling that there was something wrong with the brooch.

And this world contained countless strange supernatural forces. For all he knew, it could bring enormous trouble.

If he did not know about it, then remaining ignorant was one thing.

But since he was already suspicious, Suren had no intention of keeping something that might explode in his face by his side.

He was now far enough from Storm Manor that he no longer worried about triggering anything unpleasant.

Without much hesitation, Suren dug a hole in the stone pit, buried the brooch inside, and marked the spot.

He thought that if nothing happened, he could come back for it once his knowledge was sufficient to identify the hidden information on it.

What he did not know was that not long after he buried it, a certain consciousness within the brooch awakened. It trembled faintly as whispers seemingly from the abyss echoed out.

Suren did not know that, just days after he left Storm Manor through that secret route, a group of people in black quietly arrived.

Within the ruined manor, a blond young man in a pink suit leisurely drank coffee. The grim and terrifying atmosphere before him seemed so familiar that it did not affect his mood in the slightest.

Before long, the blond youth's subordinates forcibly broke open the Cursed Space filled with eerie dolls.

A burly man in a black suit approached carrying a box and reported, "Young Master Evan, there was a Phantom Species in the manor's Cursed Space. We have already dealt with it."

The burly man spoke casually, as though he had extensive experience handling such matters.

After a pause, he opened the box to display the spoils and added, "This is the Cursed Object we found after killing that strange creature. It should be the source sustaining the Cursed Space. Master Nick has already appraised it. The Cursed Object is of very high quality and its effects are quite good."

The blond youth glanced at the black Butterfly Brooch in the box. Seeing that it appeared to be a woman's accessory, he showed little interest and waved his hand. "Miss Teresa likes collecting such ornaments. Send it to her residence when we return."

The burly man in the suit replied respectfully, "Yes, Young Master."

This group apparently possessed the same Treasure Map as Suren. They soon found the underground passage, passed through the maze, and reached the shattered altar.

The blond youth had been eagerly anticipating the legendary ruins connected to the Twilight Cross Society, the most mysterious and powerful alchemy organization of the Previous Era—something that had even shocked the family elders. He fantasized that if the altar truly existed as described in the decoded contents of the manuscript, he might awaken a legendary, extraordinary talent.

But soon afterward, he received dreadful news.

The captain of the suited guards approached with a somewhat ugly expression and reported, "Young Master, we have finished investigating the underground chamber. It indeed matches the decoded contents of Isaac's Alchemy Manuscript. However, the ancient altar in the Secret Chamber has already been destroyed. It is completely impossible to conduct the sacrificial ritual again. And..."

The blond youth vaguely sensed that he was about to hear something unpleasant. "And what?"

The burly man in the suit said, "And after careful investigation, we discovered signs of recent human activity in the underground chamber. Therefore, we believe that altar may already have been activated by someone."

Hearing this, the blond youth snapped, "How is that possible? We are the only ones who know this information!"

After the enormous disappointment of missing out on such a treasure, he suddenly thought of something and said angrily, "Damn it! It must have been that old bastard meddling!"

"What about the ancient city ruins over there?"

"We sent people to investigate, but no one returned alive. Our preliminary assessment places the danger level at least at 'red.'"

Meanwhile, after walking for several more days, Suren finally encountered living people.