Who Designed This Underworld Dungeon?
Chapter 148 - 139 Preliminary Application of the Meat Pigeon System

Chapter 148: Chapter 139 Preliminary Application of the Meat Pigeon System

Soul-sucking Ghost, the iconic Monster of the Abyss.

Given the previous introduction by the Gravekeeper, it’s not surprising that a Soul-sucking Ghost would appear in the depths of the tomb, a domain eroded by the Abyss.

Confronted with the ghastly and terrifying Soul-sucking Ghost, Gapar simply waved his hand and said, "You guys go ahead."

As a senior, of course, he needed to give the juniors some opportunities to train, and he savored this feeling.

In the secluded mountains where he lived, the only youngster he saw every day was his daughter, who held neither awe nor respect for her old dad, rebelling and quarreling day in and day out.

If he wanted the respect of the younger generation, he only had to come down from the mountain, but Gapar didn’t need such praise from strangers.

What he wanted was the respect from outstanding juniors like Leon, whom he recognized.

Even at his age, he was quite selective.

The Soul-sucking Ghosts were close at hand, and Leon instinctively reached for the Reverse Sword at his waist.

No, that’s not right!

He quickly retracted his hand and took out an unremarkable Straight Sword from his back, coated with War Ash: Great Calia.

Swift Slash was just too convenient; those with weak willpower would quickly degenerate into heartless Swift Slash launchers, thus losing all virtues that a human should possess.

After realizing this, Leon vowed to only use Swift Slash sparingly.

And Ring Capture, even more alluring than Swift Slash, was sealed in the secret chamber of his house; anyone who experienced it would find it hard to let go. It was only with the aid of Calming Magic that Leon managed to give it up.

"Let’s go, everyone," Leon said through gritted teeth, like someone who had overused Blood Healing Potions and was trying to kick the habit.

This was the Strategy Group’s first official battle since their reunion, and they were all eager, even though the enemy was the dreadful Soul-sucking Ghost.

Of course, their confidence seemed to come more from Gapar behind them; if they couldn’t win, they had him to fall back on.

The battle was about to erupt, and Gapar was quite pleased with the fighting figures of the group; they had all undergone his special training and were much more skilled than before.

It seemed they had all applied his teachings well in actual combat, good, very good.

Gapar felt a pride similar to a teacher seeing his well-taught students shine.

Suddenly, he longed to teach more exceptional young people.

During the Strategy Group’s combat, he would occasionally provide verbal guidance, correcting their force exertion, stance, move linkage, among other aspects.

Soon, the battle ended.

"Eh?"

Maru couldn’t believe it. How did it end so quickly?

Besides the Sword Saint’s guidance, it was also because the Soul-sucking Ghosts here were weaker than those in Fran Fort.

She noticed this but couldn’t understand why the Soul-sucking Ghosts in the tomb were weaker?

It couldn’t be because there were no souls to suck in the tomb, thus making them weaker, could it?

At that moment, all who participated in the battle received an item, even Gapar who had only provided verbal guidance.

It was palm-sized, resembling a cone, pitch-black with a ring of white light around it.

[Humanity]

Humanity felt peculiar to touch, as light as holding a clump of air, but it felt like rubber when touched, and if it could be melted, it should turn into a sticky, damp substance.

Leon, not having a Hunting Manual, could only look to Maru who turned to the page about Humanity, only to find—

No introduction at all!

There was only a name, and this object was categorized as an item.

Since its use was unclear, everyone temporarily stored it away.

Defeating the Soul-sucking Ghosts, they continued onward, unimpeded along the way, but they could see corpses sprawled along the roadside.

Perhaps they were the unlucky ones sucked dry by the Soul-sucking Ghosts.

From this point, it was evident that Sain Dungeon had begun to include elements that helped narrate the story, whether through items, scenery, or corpses, all in some way to enhance the realism of the narrative.

Gong Qiying and Sain were both making slow progress.

"Is there no way through?"

The Strategy Group’s march suddenly halted because a rugged rock wall lay ahead, leaving no further path to proceed.

After walking for half a day, it turned out to be a dead end!

Gapar clenched his fist; surely, he wasn’t planning to break through the mountain with his bare hands?

Leon quickly stopped the overly energetic old man and pointed to the ground, saying, "Wait a moment, Teacher, look there."

Under the disguise of overgrown grass, there sat a chest.

Not only that, but right in front of the chest was a white mark. Touching it would display the following message:

[There’s a teleportation trap ahead, but also a reward.]

"..."

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

Maru asked, "Do we open it?"

Leon glanced at Gapar and, with decision, said, "Open it!"

Regardless of whether this was a new trick by Sain Dungeon, the adventurer’s nature was to explore the unknown, to satisfy curiosity.

Who would go at the sight of something new if not them, scrambling to be first?

Besides, they were the Strategy Group, and the Strategy Group would not flee in the face of battle!

The chest was flung open, and a thick fog billowed out, completely engulfing them, followed by the disorienting sensation of teleportation.

When everything returned to normal, they found themselves transported to a perfectly square room.

The room was indeed very square, a sight that would satisfy even those with obsessive-compulsive disorder. The room was quite spacious, easily the size of a football field on Earth.

The lighting was inadequate; scattered torches only illuminated limited areas, leaving other places ominously dark.

"No monsters?" Leon quickly surveyed the surroundings and gripped his straight sword tightly, but there was not even a trace of a monster’s presence.

Across from them, at the end of the room, there was a treasure chest identical to the one they had seen before, but it was now ensnared in a circle of red magic, seemingly impossible to open.

And in front of the chest stood a... vast tombstone?

"There might be monsters appearing from below, be cautious," Gapar advised, drawing on his experience, "Bombard it with magic."

Leon was not about to heed his counsel and mess with the tombstone again; he proceeded cautiously until he reached the giant tombstone, with no monsters emerging.

He gave a hand signal to his companions behind him, indicating that the alert was over.

"What purpose does this tombstone serve?"

Leon looked up at the tombstone, unable to decipher the inscriptions that were perhaps from a lost ancient language.

But as he drew closer to the tombstone, something unusual started to form in his mind.

[This is the tombstone of those who served the Tomb King.]

[When the dark Abyss encroaches upon this tranquil grave, the Tomb King’s loyal servants fought to their death here, the laws of time and space disrupted by chaotic forces. Monsters tainted by the Abyss appeared in the mix. Successor, whether you believe in the Tomb King or not, if you wish to battle against the Abyss and achieve sweet victory, then offer your Humanity in front of the tombstone.]

[Exchange the Humanity obtained from defeating monsters for the Tomb King’s blessing, even if the blessing is only effective in this slice of spacetime.]

[Will you offer your Humanity?]

Leon blinked, not immediately understanding.

Offer his Humanity? That must refer to the item he had just received.

The Tomb King’s blessing... Could it be referring to Tomb King Nite?

That was a great being from the same era as the Sunlight King Gwyn, also a sovereign who obtained the Primordial Flame!

To be blessed by such a king would be an immense honor.

But what does it mean for it to only be effective in this slice of spacetime? Would it vanish upon leaving the Dungeon?

What would be the point of that?

Upon Leon’s invitation, everyone came over to see the message on the tombstone, and there was hesitation about whether or not to offer their Humanity.

A blessing, in this world, is a term exclusive to the gods; only a Deity is capable of bestowing blessings upon others.

If they accepted the Tomb King’s blessing, would they form some kind of connection with this ancient god?

Forming a connection with a god can sometimes be a very troublesome matter.

What Leon was considering was, does obtaining the blessing count as a pact with the Tomb King?

If so, he wouldn’t offer his Humanity. Although he currently had no pacts, his heart still aspired to become a Sun Warrior.

It’s just that he’s been too busy lately, not having any spare time to make the trip to the Sun Altar.

Everyone had their reservations, but one individual did not.

"Let’s see what kind of blessing it is,"

Gapar tossed a piece of Humanity in front of the tombstone, and everyone held their breath at his action.

Is this the composure of the strong, to be so casual with unfamiliar things?

[You have received three blessings from the Tomb King, please choose one:]

[Hard Bone: The bones buried within your body will be strengthened, such that not even brute force will shatter them.]

[Eye of the Dead: Possess the eyes of the dead, which will quiver gently when the Undead are near.]

[Tomb King’s Sword Envoy: Acquire knowledge about "swords" from the dead, attaining unparalleled power when wielding a sword, with the drawback that the body will be as fragile as rotten bones.]

"That’s interesting,"

Having lived for so many years, Gapar had never encountered such a novelty before. This was an utter original creation of Sain! Not to be plagiarized!

He pondered briefly and chose the "Tomb King’s Sword Envoy."

A fragile body? No matter, just don’t get hit.

After making his choice, streaks of black light flashed across his body.

"Teacher," Leon asked anxiously, "do you feel any different?"

"..."

Gapar closed his eyes. He grasped the hilt of the sword and a mysterious aura surfaced upon him, then—

He abruptly opened his eyes, murmuring to himself:

"This is truly interesting,"

Leon stared at him, sensing some indescribable transformation within the other, as if he had stepped into a higher realm.

Yet as his realm seemed to ascend, a decaying presence also began to emerge from Gapar, his body appeared as if it would crumble at the slightest touch.

This change made it even harder for the rest to decide.

After an internal struggle, Leon stepped forward and placed his Humanity in front of the tombstone.

[You have received three blessings from the Tomb King, please choose one:]

[Miasma Fog: Obtain a black fog capable of obscuring an enemy’s vision. When you dodge an enemy’s attack, the fog will appear automatically. The item has slight toxicity and may harm the user as well.]

[Favor of the Dead: When fighting against Undead, the enemy will show mercy in their attack.]

[Negative Harvest: When you inflict a negative state upon an enemy, your spirit and combat power will be inspired.]

Hmm?

As he saw the last blessing, Leon instinctively touched his waist.

The Feces Pot hung there.