Chapter 13: The Subterranean World

Several days later.

In a dark pit within the complex cave passageways.

Su Lun tried to keep his breathing as quiet as possible while his gaze was intensely fixed a few hundred meters away.

There, a humanoid monster roamed aimlessly through the cave, hunting for food.

It still wore some human clothes and gear, but its form had swollen monstrously, resembling a giant ogre.

Su Lun watched the creature, his finger already resting on the trigger of his gun, armed with alchemical bullets.

The moment it drew closer, he would blow its head off with a single shot.

[Mutated Human]

Explanation: Beings that had mutated into monsters after they couldn't bear the erosion of cursed powers, possessing strong auditory perception. They had little intelligence, guided only by instincts for hunting and killing.

Fortunately, before long, the monster wandered off in another direction and didn't approach the spot where Su Lun was hiding.

Su Lun let out a sigh of relief, "Phew... How many more bizarre creatures are there under the ground..."

This wasn't the first time he had encountered such a monster.

He had met one three days ago when he emerged from that secret passage.

Back then, unaware of the cave's perils and not knowing that even the slight sounds of walking on stones could attract these creatures with an acute sense of hearing.

Luckily after his vision was enhanced, he noticed it just in time.

The beast charged at him like a mountain of flesh, nearly killing him on the spot.

You mustn't let these mutated monsters get close; even a minor wound could splatter your face with a disgusting mix of rotten flesh and mud.

Their corrosiveness was incredibly strong and foul-smelling.

Regular bullets did little to stop them, sinking into their bodies like into a pile of mud.

"Plop~" It made a bubble, but was utterly ineffective.

It was also fortunate that Su Lun was prepared, using several of those "high-explosive" alchemical bullets.

His precise shooting, like an artillery explosion, managed to blow the monster into pieces.

However, he didn't have many alchemical bullets left, and these caves housed more than just this type of monster.

If it weren't for his awakened "All-knowing Eye" which significantly enhanced his night vision, relying solely on the crude alchemical night-vision device would have gotten him killed many times over on this journey.

Su Lun had previously thought this cave world was a large mine or perhaps a cavern system.

But the subterranean space was unbelievably vast, not only filled with human city ruins but also a complete ecosystem underground with various animals, plants, and monsters... hiding in every dark corner.

Ever seen a glowing mushroom forest fifty meters tall?

Or lizards the size of dinosaurs?

Or red-eyed rats swarming like locusts?

Or a centipede over ten meters long, truly possessing a thousand legs?

Or those huge tentacle monsters with walls of flesh tumors and dense eyeballs?

Su Lun certainly hadn't seen them in his past life, and in just these few days, his mind had been filled with much strange knowledge. Under the "All-knowing Eye's" identification, he also recognized many bizarre creatures.

Most of these cavern creatures were grotesque and disgusting, feeling like mutants after nuclear radiation...

Such a living environment was extremely harsh for humans!

...

Fearing that the monster hadn't gone too far, Su Lun decided to stay in the pit a little longer to replenish his food and water.

"According to the map found in the Bald Storage Ring, I should be reaching the Class-B area where human activities are more frequent. Perhaps I'll encounter another expedition team, it'd be best to find someone to ask about the situation first..."

Su Lun looked at the map marked with symbols and checked the stock of his food and water, estimating that his rations wouldn't last him to the endpoint city where humans gather.

Alone, he had always been cautious and hadn't dared to recklessly shoot and hunt the cavern creatures, fearing it would attract even bigger troubles.

These past few days had gradually given him a more accurate understanding of this mysterious world with supernatural powers.

That there was such a massive city ruin underground showed that thousands of years ago, a large population of humans lived here.

Moreover, Bald Ivan and his team were not miners; it seemed their group was specifically an "expedition team" adventuring in the caves to search for supplies.

The paleness of their skin was not solely due to their lineage but rather a consequence of prolonged absence from sunlight.

Su Lun began to suspect that his destination was not above ground, but rather underground.

However, all these were mere speculations.

He reckoned that if he lived to see the "destination" in a few more days, things would become clear.

....

Before long, the feeling of satiation from the meal had provided Su Lun with enough glycogen to continue his journey.

At that moment, he recalled something and took out the [Pestoya's Brooch]that he had previously placed in the storage ring.

For days, Su Lun had been trying to decipher the unknown information labeled "???" on the brooch.

The mystery of Pestoya's burning had been confusing him.

An abandoned manor that had been deserted for a thousand years, a spirit species, a story riddled with suspicions...

It was as if a piece of the puzzle was missing "the key link".

Su Lun always had an intuition that there was something wrong with this brooch.

And with so many bizarre supernatural forces in this world, who knows, it could spell big trouble.

If he didn't know, it would have been better to remain ignorant.

But since he had suspicions, Su Lun did not intend to keep this potentially explosive item near him.

Now far enough from the manor, he was no longer worried about triggering anything untoward.

Without hesitation, Su Lun dug a hole in the pit and buried the brooch, making a mark on the spot.

He thought that if there was no issue, he could come back and dig it up once his knowledge was able to identify the hidden information on it.

He didn't know that just moments after it was buried, some will within the brooch awakened, muttering whispers from the abyss, trembling slightly.

....

Su Lun was unaware that just a few days after he left the "Storm Manor" through that secret route, a team of black-clothed men quietly arrived.

In the dilapidated manor, a blonde young man in a pink suit leisurely sipped his coffee. The eerie and terrifying atmosphere seemed all too familiar to him and did not affect his mood in the slightest.

Soon, the young man's subordinates had violently broken into the "Cursed Space" filled with bizarre dolls.

A brawny man in a black suit came over with a box and reported, "Young Master Ewen, we've exterminated the 'ghost species' in the manor's cursed space."

The brawny man's tone was easygoing, as if he had ample experience in dealing with such matters.

After a pause, he opened the box to show the spoils of war and continued, "This is the 'cursed object' found after killing the apparition. It's the foundation of the cursed space. Master Nick has already appraised it—its quality is very high, and it's extremely useful..."

The blonde young man glanced at the black butterfly brooch in the box, a women's accessory, and showed little interest, waving his hand and saying, "Miss Teresa likes to collect these ornaments. Send it to her estate when we return."

The brawny man in the suit replied respectfully, "Yes, young master."

....

This group seemed to have the same "treasure map" as Su Lun; they quickly found the underground tunnel and through the maze found the already shattered altar.

The blonde young man was still looking forward to the relics related to the most mysterious and powerful alchemical organization of the last era, the Twilight Cross Society, which the elders of his clan were astounded by. He fantasized that if the altar really existed as stated in the manuscript, he might awaken a legendary super talent.

However, he soon received "bad news."

The captain of the security in a suit approached with a slightly grim face and reported, "Young master, we've thoroughly explored the basement, and it indeed matches the content decoded in Isaac's Alchemy Manuscript. However, the ancient altar in the secret chamber has been destroyed; it's absolutely impossible to carry out any sacrificial rituals now. And..."

The blonde young man had a premonition of the bad news, "And what?"

The security captain said, "And upon careful examination, we found traces of recent human activity in the basement. Therefore, we assume that someone might have already triggered that altar..."

Hearing this, the blonde young man angrily said, "How is that possible! We are the only ones who knew this intel!"

Faced with the huge disappointment of missing the great treasure, he suddenly thought of something and furiously said, "Damn! That old man must be behind this!"

"What about the ancient city ruins on the other side?"

"We've sent people to investigate, but no one came back alive... The initial assessment, the danger level is at least 'red'."

...

Meanwhile, several days later, Su Lun finally encountered some living people again.