Chapter 9 The Toll of Death

Just as Jan had anticipated, Verna's mercenaries swept through the entire tomb but found nothing. Apart from some broken pots and bloodstains, there wasn't even a single dwarf corpse to be found, which completely contradicted the dwarves' tales of heavy casualties.

However, the more this was the case, the more nervous Verna became. Jan had noticed more than once the glances she threw his way. Clearly, the dark elf also felt that something was amiss, but even so, Verna had no intention of retreating. She was like a gambler who had bet all her chips on the last hand, either to win big or lose everything.

Since Verna did not actively seek to withdraw, Jan naturally would not force her to leave. To him, these mercenaries were merely cannon fodder meant to serve as targets for him; their presence or absence mattered little. As for Verna's life or death, it was of no concern to him.

Verna grew increasingly angry as her mercenaries returned empty-handed time after time. She incessantly whipped the ground with her leather whip, the crisp "snap snap snap" sounds expressing her dissatisfaction. The mercenaries didn't dare to take a breath as they turned over the skeletal remains in the graveyard, but unfortunately, even after smashing and sweeping through the bones, they found nothing of value.

Jan had no interest in this farce. He simply stood quietly beside Ennoia, carefully observing the hall before him. This was the most spacious part of the entire tomb and its central area. But even here, apart from the stone coffins placed around, there was nothing else.

However, with the help of a banshee's reconnaissance, Jan had discovered a passage leading downwards. He had observed the traces left by the dwarves, clearly showing that they had opened Pandora's box here at some point, and then released something they absolutely did not wish to see.

And now, that box had been closed again.

But not in a way that it could never be opened again.

The noise around him grew louder, the half-orcs and bear goblins who had found nothing began to angrily wave their weapons, smashing everything they could see into pieces. They knocked over stone coffins and roared as they brought down their weapons, turning everything inside to ruins. The pain from the ambush they had suffered earlier and the anger from finding nothing had made these creatures lose their reason, once again displaying their ferocious and violent nature.

Neither Verna nor Jan stopped these mercenaries. The desecration of corpses was not considered wrong in the underworld; to the creatures of the underworld, corpses were just objects, no different from rotten furniture, old swords, and armor.

What's more, once you've smashed these things, you wouldn't have to worry about encountering enemies you absolutely didn't want to meet on your way back.

"Rumble rumble rumble..."

Just as another bear goblin vented its frustration by pushing a standing stone coffin to the ground, suddenly, the entire hall emitted a muffled rumbling sound. Hearing this, the previously rampaging mercenaries were taken aback. They quickly gathered around Jan and Verna, warily looking around.

However, this time, there were no traps or attacks. Amidst the rumbling sound, the walls that seemed tightly sealed began to rise slowly. Soon, a pitch-black cave, appearing to be naturally formed, emerged before everyone. Seeing this, a slight smile appeared on Jan's lips.

Pandora's box had been opened.

The howling cold wind blew from the depths of the cave, causing many to shiver slightly. But for those with keen senses, it meant even more.

"There's a smell of blood!"

A bear goblin rubbed its nose and loudly said to Verna.

"There was a battle inside, corpses, lots of them!"

"Ow ow ow ow ow!"

And at the same time, suddenly, a strange howling sound echoed, followed by the sight of dozens of low figures emerging from the darkness of the cave, with points of crimson light flickering among them.

"It's the dwarves!"

Upon recognizing the figures, everyone was taken aback. The dwarves emerging from the cave had blood-red eyes, and they seemed to have gone mad, raising their battle axes and charging at the mercenaries like whirlwinds.

Facing the dwarves' ambush, the mercenaries also roared as they raised their weapons to meet the enemy.

Soon, blades and axes clashed.

As the most ferocious fighting race of the underworld, the strength of the bear goblins and half-orcs was not to be underestimated. The completely berserk orcs roared as they swung their greatswords, cutting the dwarves and their raised battle axes in half along with their bodies. Bear goblins swung their flails, howling as they swept through the air, knocking the attacking dwarves away one by one.

But these dwarves were not easy to deal with either. Their small stature allowed them to dodge most attacks, and once they got close to an enemy, a single axe blow could sever their legs. The mercenaries who fell to the ground had no chance to resist and were completely smashed to pieces.

The two sides were locked in a fierce battle.

"I knew it... there would be trouble."

Watching a dwarf raising his battle axe and charging at him, Jan even had the leisure to sigh. He certainly saw how troublesome the dwarves before him were, and their bloodshot, almost dazzlingly red eyes also proved the true identity of these dwarves. It was clear that they had become puppets of someone else.

"It looks like this time, I need to use some strong medicine."

Muttering to himself, Jan stretched out his hands, and soon, two bizarre symbols appeared on the back of his hands. Then, leaping lightning suddenly erupted, howling forward and striking the dwarves' bodies heavily. In the blink of an eye, countless arcs of electricity sprayed out, binding the dwarves' bodies like ropes. Then, flames suddenly rose from the ground, completely engulfing the dwarves.

After hitting the target, the leaping thunder did not stop for a moment but flew towards the side. In the blink of an eye, Jan's front had turned into a sea of thunder and flames. All the dwarves were struck down by the lightning and then burned to ashes by the flames.

However, this did not cause the other attackers to retreat in the slightest. The dwarves, now transformed into undead creatures, rushed forward without fear. Seeing this, Jan frowned slightly and then stepped back a few steps.

Unlike the magic of this world, Jan's magic came from the dungeon system. Although it had the advantages of being powerful and having a wide range, it was not without flaws. As a mage with only two spells, Jan had to endure the cooldown restriction. The cooldown time for a spell was ten seconds CD, which meant that during this period, Jan himself had no combat power to speak of.

Fortunately, he was not fighting alone.

As Jan stepped back, Ennoia had already appeared in front of him, her thunder whip transforming into an indestructible electric net, firmly blocking the further advance of the dwarves.

Elsewhere, the battle continued. The already dead dwarves naturally did not fear death. But for the strong bear goblins and half-orcs, this was not too difficult a task. They swung their heavy weapons mercilessly, smashing everything they saw into pieces. For a time, various sounds of impact, roars, and screams filled the hall, turning everything into chaos. Almost no one noticed that at this moment, the shadow in the originally opened cave began to twist and deform.

"Hmm?"

After once again releasing fire to eliminate the dwarves in front of him, Jan suddenly caught a glimpse of a strange shadow out of the corner of his eye. He quickly turned his head towards the direction of the shadow, then was suddenly startled.

At the same time, in the heavy shadow of the cave, suddenly, four or five thin tentacles stretched out. They quickly rushed towards a half-orc. The half-orc mercenary, who was fighting the dwarves, did not notice the attack coming from above. As he swung his greatsword to fend off the enemy's attack again, the dark tentacles had already flown down from behind and tightly wrapped around his neck.

Realizing this sudden attack, the half-orc mercenary was taken aback. However, before he could struggle, he went limp as if anesthetized. Then, the dark tentacles lifted him up. In the next moment, the half-orc mercenary was silently grabbed and quickly flew towards the depths of the cave.

Want to run?!

Seeing this, Jan's eyes lit up, and he quickly extended his hand forward and waved. In the next moment, dazzlingly hot white lightning howled through the air, striking heavily on the dark tentacles above. Accompanied by a strange and miserable cry, the dark tentacles contracted and retreated under the explosion of lightning. It then dropped the unfortunate half-orc mercenary and quickly disappeared into the depths of the cave.

"Master? What was that?"

As Jan launched his attack, Ennoia also saw the creature. However, because she had to protect Jan, she couldn't go after it. Seeing the dark tentacle escape, she asked with some concern.

"I don't know."

Facing Ennoia's question, Jan shook his head.

"But, I believe, it is the core of this adventure."

As he spoke, Jan once again looked at his system interface, where a system prompt quietly floated.

[In the darkness, there are always countless wonders and mysteries. Since you have embarked on this road of no return, don't expect to live a peaceful life. Do you want treasure? The monster has hidden it where the sun can never touch. Become an adventurer and embark on this sacred road of death——Mission: Eliminate the dark monster, obtain the reward you "rightfully" deserve]

The daily quest had finally been triggered.