Who Designed This Underworld Dungeon?
Chapter 455 - 317: The Leader of the Deep Church Emerges

Chapter 455: Chapter 317: The Leader of the Deep Church Emerges

"Kicked around like a ball, tainted by mud, chased by strange weapons like a rat, vomited on by maggots."

"Let me ask you."

"Do you still like the Sain Dungeon now?"

"I, I..."

Fingery, in a daze, heard indistinct voices and couldn’t tell if someone was actually asking him or if he was hallucinating.

No one can be kindly to things that torment them, and those who refrain from giving the Sain Dungeon the finger after a series of torments are considered morally high; expecting them to give a thumbs up?

Yet, Fingery hesitated, unsure what kind of evaluation to give.

Mainly because these encounters were all due to his voluntary entry, and he had encountered worse things before, especially after being removed from the team.

The torments brought by the Sain Dungeon, instead, evoked a peculiar sense of nostalgia.

As he hesitated, he woke up.

"Where am I?"

Fingery rubbed his eyes and saw a strange ceiling; he was still inside the Deep Church, lying on a bed made of cotton for peaceful sleep.

It didn’t need much thought to know it was Aleya’s work. As soon as he sat up, he heard someone shout, "Mr. Fingery is awake!"

Tusi and the others ran over, expressing genuine concern, and Fingery responded a few times before looking at Matilda, asking, "What happened afterward?"

He had fainted after being kicked in the air for double-digit rounds like a badminton shuttlecock and knew nothing of what happened next.

Honestly, he felt if Matilda had let go of him, he wouldn’t necessarily die from falling, but instead, she held onto him tightly, causing herself to become a shuttlecock as well.

But he couldn’t say that; she was trying to save him, and saying so might harm team relations!

Through the chaotic retelling, he finally understood what had happened.

The impact of the Mountain Monster’s roar weakened during flight, leaving only the force when hitting them, so he and Matilda were actually just dazed.

Aleya led a surprise attack on the giant in the rear, breaking two giants’ attack rhythm to rescue them.

Matilda had fainted, but woke up when she fell, filled only with rage after being toyed with, and led everyone to completely wipe out the two giant slaves.

Then, resolute, she led everyone across the second gate with Flying Skill; if she couldn’t bring everyone to skip class in the end, wouldn’t her efforts be wasted?

"So now we’re at..."

"We’ve crossed all gates; now we’re resting temporarily on the first floor."

Matilda pointed beside them, where the passage entering their room was blocked by Aleya’s plants, preventing the monsters outside from coming in.

"Everyone’s waiting for you to wake up so we can go up and have a look, Mr. Fingery," said Tusi, naturally referring to the platform everyone was eager to see.

Aleya made a clock out of a lot of straw, telling them the dungeon would close in less than an hour.

"Alright," Fingery stood up, tired, "we’ve gotten this far, we must go up and take a look!"

With the plants blocking the door released, maggot men and slaves rushed in, but everyone was prepared, and Fingery stood alone at the door wildly enough to deal with small monsters.

After the giant slave guarding the staircase leading to the platform died and vanished, it was replaced by maggot men, who cast spells upon seeing adventurers approach, but they posed no real threat.

Walking through the mud, they found never-before-seen items—[Charming Branch].

[Consumes magic power, charms the enemy pricked, making them temporarily an ally]

[Divine Man Michaela is adored by all things, thus can compel others to favor him]

"Who is Michaela?"

Unable to figure it out, they dropped it. When adventurers ascended the platform, successfully using the Charming Branch to turn a Church Knight into an ally, they marveled at its magical effect while regretting using it too hastily.

What if they used it to enchant even stronger enemies, like Overlord Vonier?

The thought alone excited them.

The Bone Stick Team decided they would return tomorrow, pick up a Charming Branch, and experiment on Overlord Vonier.

Fingery, having worked hard for the platform, wasn’t disappointed by its view.

Excluding the groups of Church Knights and bishops, the scenery itself suggested it must be the center of the Deep Church, from which one could overlook the entire church.

The massive structure, whether a pulpit or altar, was enshrined above, with rows upon rows of chairs before it. Candlelight flickered eerily. Fingery could nearly imagine the church’s archbishop preaching here, the most noble church personnel seated on the chairs below listening, and thousands of believers prostrated below listening to the divine commands.

At this thought, Fingery suddenly wondered.

"We’ve been wandering here for half a day, and yet we haven’t figured out which god this church worships?"

Gwyn? But the title of Sunlight King seems at odds with the atmosphere of the Deep Church, which feels as sinister as if it were worshiping an Evil God.

"Forget it, let the Strategy Group decipher it."

I thought there was nothing but a pulpit-like thing on the high platform, but unexpectedly, there was a road behind it that seemed to lead to deeper places. The further down, the more severe the chilling aura became.

The statues on both sides of the road exuded an eerie feeling, neither man nor beast, almost causing the uncanny valley effect.

As we stepped onto this road, an invisible atmosphere suddenly spread, silencing the previously cheerful crowd inexplicably. People exchanged glances, asking:

"Why did you suddenly stop talking?"

"I was just about to ask you."

The atmosphere is such an unpredictable thing; when it turns strange, everyone can sense the ominous foreboding.

The air slowly writhes like viscous slime, imposing a mental pressure on those immersed, indescribable except...

Oppression and horror are the most fitting words.

Previously, the scene where Fingerley and his group were used as balls by giants was somewhat amusing, making people forget the essential tone of the Deep Church.

The Path of Living Sacrifice, full of cannibalistic lunatics, the Punishment Forest rampant with mutated werewolves, and the cemetery haunted by animated corpses half-human, half-maggot; all along the way, the feelings of horror and eeriness advanced in stages. People might not have noticed at first, but when they finally came to realize....

"Buzz—"

A piercing humming noise rang out unexpectedly, even causing Fingerley to wrinkle his brows and cover his ears.

The humming lasted a long time, until people grimaced in agony from the headache, and then gradually weakened, giving way to orchestral music from unknown sources.

The music seemed distant and unclear, typical church music embodying solemnity, dignity, elegance, and filled with faith in God.

Even though it’s more pleasing to hear than the humming, the orchestral music seemed to slowly stir the hidden fears within people, filling their hearts with deep unease.

Suddenly, a black fog appeared before Fingerley, and turning back, he saw the road he came from enveloped in mist, signaling no return.

The abnormality occurring matched his suspicions—behind the high platform lies the head of the Deep Church.

But... who is this head? That Ember King, "Deep Saint" Aldrich?

"Don’t be afraid, I’m here, we’ll be safe."

Fingerley simply encouraged the crowd, taking the lead.

Hard stone bricks echoed their footsteps, each step felt like treading on a heartbeat.

White non-human statues poked their heads out of the black fog, necks twisting stiffly, their heads following the shadows of the people.

The closer they approached the bottom scene, the clearer the orchestral music became—an undeniable masterpiece that would drive artists mad.

However, when the adventurers truly entered the darkened large area, the music mixed with strange sounds—like the sound of tearing, sounds familiar to the adventurers from the Path of Living Sacrifice.

That was the sound of ripping human flesh.

Just as the magician contemplated using the Flash Technique for illumination—

"Boom!"

Small candlelights ignited out of thin air, drawing everyone’s gaze instinctively.

Under the candlelight, a richly adorned, short plump bishop emerged from the darkness, his eyes glowing red with undisguised hunger for flesh, drooling from his torn mouth.

"Just one? That’s too....."

Before they could finish speaking, another candlelight appeared, revealing a tall thin bishop with a gaunt face.

"I have a bad feeling," Fingerley’s intuition was always precise.

The third, the fourth...

Candlelights appeared one after another, each one causing their hearts to pound fiercely.

At last, the candlelights weren’t satisfied to appear just in front of them, they surrounded them, and they realized they’ve been encircled by Deep Bishops from the sides and behind.

The light fully illuminated the place, surrounding the adventurers were Deep Bishops, numbering surprisingly over three digits!

"It’s getting real..."

Fingerley had countless words ready to spill forth but ultimately, when he saw the colossal figure before him, all words choked in his throat.

What the Deep Bishops were gathered around was not a pulpit, nor a precious treasure, nor a Holy Scripture, but...

A colossal coffin, oozing black sludge.

The orchestral music reached its climax, as the head of the Deep Church—the "Deacons of the Deep" descended.

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