Who Designed This Underworld Dungeon?
Chapter 173 - 160 Our Family Has Declined

Chapter 173: Chapter 160 Our Family Has Declined

"Drip"

The sound of water droplets foreshadowed the division between two worlds.

Before Luluwo’s eyes, the scene suddenly changed, revealing a forest under the setting sun, a small path running through it, and a wrecked carriage beside the path.

Though this was her first encounter with this path, its name inexplicably surfaced in her mind, seeming to be called...

"Old Road?"

As she pondered in confusion, a memory that shouldn’t exist suddenly appeared in her mind.

Her eyes sparkled with a dark pink hue, recognizable by any Magician present as high-quality Hypnosis Magic.

Do not associate it with something filthy; the primary use of hypnosis magic is to cleanse the soul and alter people’s cognitions.

Combined with the rules of Sain Dungeon, the brainwashing effect would shine even more brilliantly, more potent than an ultra skilled athlete known for his fast dodges.

"Our family has fallen into decline..."

Muttered Luluwo, she turned to look behind her, her four companions, Berto, Mila, Asam, and Em, were all here, but their expressions seemed vacant.

"Right, I was supposed to inherit the family estate with everyone, but the carriage is broken."

"So we have to walk there, luckily it’s not a far journey."

"My ancestors were truly great, leaving me an estate sufficient to live comfortably; I can live a superior life."

A voice in her head claimed, and she believed it to be true. She walked towards the small town with her family’s estate, her demeanor almost that of a true noble.

The letter from her ancestor mentioned countless assets in the town, including a large manor, an exciting prospect.

She planned to fill the manor with blossoms, hiring Magicians to keep the flowers vibrant all year round, and mobilize farmers to cultivate more crops, ensuring plenty of food and drink forever.

Reportedly, the town was near the sea. She pictured herself fishing leisurely and bonding with the townspeople, becoming a Lord beloved as a parent.

Once she accumulated immense wealth and reputation, she wanted to rename the town to something more elegant. If it were up to her to choose a name...

How about Stardew Valley?

Bro thought she was playing a management simulation game, but unfortunately—

"What is ’Dark Dungeon’?"

Not long after, when Luluwo and her companions finally settled in the manor, they received a report from the butler.

"What do you mean there’s evil lurking beneath the town, and monsters are approaching my domain?"

When she and her friends first encountered the deformed Fishmen crawling out of the sea, her mind trembled.

Wasn’t I here to manage a manor? Why am I fighting monsters?

When she snapped back to reality, she found herself entering the dungeon with her friends and the recruited warriors, engaging in a fierce battle against various twisted monsters.

What the hell is going on?

These monsters are not only revolting in appearance but also carry intense mental contamination; the slightest lapse in attention could expose one to unspeakable sights or sounds.

One must constantly maintain a light source; the moment a torch goes out, all sorts of eerie events start occurring.

She witnessed how Berto, after spending too long in the dark, succumbed to depression and committed suicide.

She saw Mila develop a weird habit during a fight with a monster; not only did she self-harm but also refused the Priest’s healing, eventually bleeding to death.

She watched as Ais developed a peculiar need to seek women to relieve stress but soon after, he acquired a perversion known as Heavy Taste, getting rejected by all women which eventually crushed him under the pressure, rendering him useless.

Merely days upon arriving at this small town, her companions either died or were devastated, leaving her a lone survivor.

What the hell is this situation?

An innate sixth sense made her feel uneasy about everything around her; why doesn’t anyone resurrect after dying? We clearly brought Teleportation Water—

A pink light flashed across her eyes, and she muttered to herself: "What is a Teleportation Crystal? Such a strange term."

People can’t come back to life once they die; that’s the real truth.

The monsters in the Dungeon are beyond imagination; sentient skeletons, mutated flesh, madmen worshipping the Evil God, and all sorts of bizarre entities.

One must not dwell on the past, it leads to madness.

She always manages to turn the tides in her favor during Dungeon explorations, escaping alone even when all her teammates perish.

Luluwo’s surname is "Chris," a fortune teller told her it was a lucky surname, perhaps her ancestors are really protecting her.

She alone cannot stand against the dark creatures in the Dungeon, but luckily, every day various warriors continuously arrive at this small town in carts, becoming new fodder.

Her supply of warriors is inexhaustible!

Sometimes Luluwo wonders what is so good about this dilapidated, monster-infested town that so many rush to come here?

But usually, a flash of pink crosses her vision, and then she happily goes off to battle the Dungeon.

Time passes, and she has been in town so long that she has grown accustomed to its filthiness and stench.

She feels almost fused with this bleak town.

She seems to have developed a peculiarity herself; every dead warrior appears in her mind, and conversing with them reminds her of their manner of death, driving her towards a mental breakdown.

Yet, even so, under her leadership, a strong and capable team slowly forms.

It includes reformed bandits, knights who follow the Holy Light, leprosy-stricken swordsmen, and all sorts of eccentric individuals.

Today was supposed to be a routine exploration, but the moment they entered the Dungeon, she suddenly felt a chill, as if this exploration would not be an ordinary one.

They prepared ample torches, potions, and food, and wore ancient amulets; under the glow of the torches, the darkness could hide nothing, and they were invincible.

Luluwo was counting the supplies in her backpack, constantly feeling as if she was mysteriously losing items recently; she already suspected someone, that guy named Leonard.

She definitely needs to confront him once this is over!

However, the exploration did not go smoothly; the torches burned out quickly, the wounded warriors buckled under pressure, and the monsters in the darkness grew stronger.

Could this end in another total wipeout?

Just as she was thinking this, she suddenly saw something appear ahead on the road... Could it be called an altar?

["Limp Walker" Altar]

[The sacrifice of fire is the beginning of destruction! If you crave the power of the void, offer a torch!]

The altar flickered with a crimson color, looking quite sinister and ominous, something a normal person would know not to touch haphazardly.

But...

Luluwo glanced back at the warriors behind her, now weak and feeble, and decided to take a gamble.

What if they could gain power? Perhaps it could solve their predicament!

This might also count as a shortcut!

With only a handful of torches left in the group, she offered one to the altar and silently prayed for a miracle to occur.

[A terrifying figure emerged from the darkness!]

[Behold, the endless malice among the stars!]

"Ugh!"

It was another twisted monster, its dark purple body covered with thorny tentacles, emitting a foul stench, and its body structure making it more suitable for crawling.

[Limp Walker], that was the name of the monster.

As it appeared, the pressure on everyone drastically increased. Luluwo once again made the wrong choice, and her companions paid the price.

Huh, why say "once again"?

Maybe the Hypnosis Magic was gradually wearing off, or perhaps her diminishing spiritual power suddenly spiked, but she began to recall some things.

The Limp Walker summoned derivatives that pounced towards her, yet she was still immersed in her echoes.

Wasn’t I... exploring the Sain Dungeon with my companions?

Why am I fighting in the Dark Dungeon now?

The moment she realized this issue, the world in front of her shattered like a mirror!

Right now would be a perfect transition to Dragon Rider’s OP!

An endless fatigue invaded her mind, her spiritual power instantly drained to near depletion, teetering on the brink of danger.

The place where Luluwo was now... was indeed on a small path behind the Death Knight BOSS room.

What about the Old Road? The town? The Dungeon? Could all that have been an illusion?

She hurriedly looked behind her, only to see Berto and the others standing dazed as if caught in an illusion.

Each person had entered their own Illusion Realm.

"Quick, wake up, this is a trap!"

Just as Luluwo was about to shake everyone awake, a bizarre sound came from behind.

"No way..."

She twisted her head in disbelief, only to see at the end of the road, a huge figure slowly crawling towards them.

It was the Limp Walker!

At the sight of this monster, Luluwo’s mind went blank, and she muttered to herself, "Wasn’t what I just saw supposed to be an illusion?"

Her experiences living in the town might have been illusions, but the Limp Walker was indeed a real entity!

The rules of this hidden path:

Hold the torch upright, and nothing will happen. This path is a shortcut to the Death Ritual Bird.

But if you ignore the advice and neither hold up a torch nor create a fire in another way, those not illuminated by firelight will be sent into a real illusion, experiencing something akin to the "Dark Dungeon" plot.

The hints were so clear, no one would actually ignore them, right?

Gong Qiying planned to implement something similar in a certain level of the Val Underworld, but was unsure how to design it, so they used the form of an illusion to see how adventurers would react.

Of course, the implementation would be about gameplay, not directly copying the plot, as otherworld considerations apply.

Those in the illusion will continuously have their spiritual power drained until it nearly runs out, at which point they will encounter the Limp Walker altar.

Whether they sacrifice or ignore it, afterwards they will return to reality, but if they did sacrifice a torch...

A real Limp Walker would actually be spawned in the real world.

This is a pure trap, with no benefits at all, just the designer’s malevolence.

"Good thing there’s only one."

Although her head was killing her, Luluwo still decided to fight. Adventurers can’t flee from a battle.

The Limp Walker roared, iron chains extending from beneath Luluwo’s cloak, the battle about to commence.

"Ugh!"

Another roar, and to Luluwo’s shocked expression, a second Limp Walker appeared out of nowhere.

Two...

Just two, I can still fight them!

Then came the third, the fourth, the fifth.

A total of five Limp Walkers surrounded Luluwo in a ghastly circle, emitting eerie roars.

This meant every single member of the New Strategy Group had chosen to offer a torch!

"...Heh."

Luluwo let out a dry laugh, her smile crumbling.

Why do we always have to be so foolish?