Chapter 48: Monarch Class

Seeing the names Luo Si and Meizer on the list.

Lu Cang paused.

He walked into the Adventurers' Guild.

"Shili."

"Little Lu Cang..."

"I want the disappearance information regarding Luo Si and the others," Lu Cang said calmly.

Shili met Lu Cang's gaze.

She found that there wasn't a trace of sadness or confusion in his eyes.

Shili set aside her words of comfort.

She immediately retrieved the commission forms.

"Lu Cang... these are the commission forms their party took and the information regarding their disappearance."

Lu Cang took the information and scanned it.

The report confirmed they were indeed missing.

Disappearance information

While in a Tier 3 dungeon, they encountered a Monarch-class monster and made the decision to flee for their lives.

They escaped, but Luo Si and Meizer were separated from the group during the flight; their whereabouts are unknown.

That was all the intelligence provided.

The time of the incident was half an hour ago.

It wasn't long ago.

Lu Cang simply nodded slightly.

He turned and walked briskly toward the door.

This time, however.

Lu Cang did not go to find a mount.

Instead, frost surged beneath his feet.

*Ding—*

A massive ice shuttle condensed under Lu Cang's feet.

*Bang!*

Almost instantaneously, Lu Cang vanished from his original position, leaving a trail of cold air in his wake.

...

The ice shuttle flew at extreme speeds.

Even with Lu Cang standing upon it, he had already surpassed the speed of sound on Earth.

However, in this world, the speed of sound did not seem to be that slow.

In less than five minutes.

Lu Cang had already arrived at the dungeon they had been exploring today.

"Whew..."

This was his first time heading into a dungeon alone.

Nevertheless, Lu Cang did not delay.

[Heart-Sight Eternal Lamp (LV: 201) — Selfish Radiance]

After its latest evolution, the Eternal Lamp no longer emitted actual light; instead, Lu Cang could distribute its effects to his teammates.

Where an enemy saw darkness, Lu Cang and his teammates would see everything illuminated.

The light brightened every corner of the cavern.

This was the [Cave of Blood Sacrifice].

A Tier 3 dungeon.

The walls of the cavern were covered in bloody, gory traces.

Lu Cang kept the ice shuttle circling his body, and [Life-Breath Wind Swarm] completely enveloped him.

Simultaneously, [Protective Barrier (LV: 201)] formed a sphere, fully encasing Lu Cang.

"Luo Si!"

"Meizer!"

"Answer me if you can hear me!"

Ahead was a corner.

[Repelling Wind Blast (LV: 201)]

As Lu Cang called out, he unleashed a Repelling Wind Blast!

Only after confirming there were no traps or ambushes did he round the corner.

Past the turn.

An open space could be seen in the distance.

In the center of the wide cavern sat a blood pool. Surrounding the pool, four faceless humanoid monsters composed of condensed blood were prowling.

*Bang!*

The ice shuttle struck almost instantly!

In a flash, it pierced through the four [Blood Puppets], turning them into sculptures of frozen blood.

The path ahead was wide and open.

Lu Cang released [Shifting Shadow Marsh]; the shadow marsh acted like a vast expanse of shadow demons, drifting along the cavern walls.

Passing the blood pool, the area was littered with signs of combat.

Lu Cang glanced into the massive blood pool.

It was a boiling pool of blood.

There was nothing inside but blood, bubbling rhythmically.

He didn't know if Luo Si and the others were inside, but if they were, there would likely be no point in searching.

Lu Cang did not intend to waste effort on a search.

Instead, he continued moving forward at a brisk pace.

*Thump—*

Suddenly, a heavy, muffled sound echoed from the ground.

The surrounding elements began to grow restless.

This dungeon contained a King-class monster...

"Wasn't this already known before I arrived?"

Lu Cang sighed softly and continued his exploration into the depths.

Cave-type dungeons were nothing more than tunnels and open chambers.

There was little distinction in terrain.

Aside from the rock walls, there was nothing but blood.

In this dungeon, however, the blood grew thicker the deeper one went.

Fortunately, this wasn't Lu Cang's first day exploring dungeons; he had developed some resistance to these somewhat horrific scenes.

He encountered quite a few monsters along the way, similar to the ones the previous party had failed to clear when exploring the side paths.

Generally, when exploring a dungeon, one didn't need to clear every single monster.

Once the dungeon guardian was slain, these small mobs would eventually disappear on their own.

Still, when Lu Cang encountered these small monsters, he took them out in passing.

Along the way, he also encountered three traps, all of which he neutralized.

"Luo Si!"

"Meizer!"

"Answer me if you can hear me!"

Lu Cang was beginning to understand the frustration depicted in movies when characters try to rescue people.

Why come to save them?

Because they were considered his friends?

Because... he felt they could still be saved?

Doing things that put oneself in danger was incredibly annoying.

He felt a slight urge to give up the search.

Adventure, by its very nature, required one to be responsible for their own actions.

Lu Cang gripped the pendant on his chest.

It was an amulet he had purchased from a magic tool shop owner for 1,500 gold.

It contained a sealed Tier 4 Life Protection spell.

Upon receiving unavoidable damage, it would activate immediately, providing an effect equivalent to a Tier 4 Defender's full-strength resistance.

The effect of another ring was a Tier 4 Moment of Healing.

It could restore injuries sustained within a certain timeframe.

In total, he had spent approximately 3,000 gold on life-saving equipment, which also included various antidotes and potions to purify abnormal statuses.

He even had a Tier 4 Random Teleportation Scroll.

It could utilize random teleportation magic.

As for where in the world one would be teleported... that was unknown.

Unless it was a last resort, Lu Cang would not use it.

"Forget it. At least I won't die just by looking at a King-class monster."

If one died just by looking at it, then this party's fate would have been total annihilation, rather than having survivors escape.

*Thump—*

The cavern trembled again.

At another corner, Lu Cang skillfully used magic to clear the area.

*Boom!*

However, this time, after the wind blast was unleashed, he felt the feedback of a hit.

But the feedback came from far away, not from right in front of him!

*Rumble—*

Lu Cang immediately raised a heavy wall to block the corner.

There was a gap in the center of the heavy wall.

A barrier formed in front of the gap, allowing Lu Cang to observe the situation in the distance through the opening.

Before him stood a blood-colored altar where countless streams of blood converged.

Luo Si and Meizer were suspended high in the air by blood-red chains, hanging directly above the altar.

Beneath the altar were hundreds of faceless humanoids composed entirely of blood.

They were worshipping the altar.

In the furthest distance sat a blood-colored throne. Upon the throne was a humanoid creature composed entirely of blood.

It differed from the countless [Blood Puppets] kneeling below in that its size was much larger, and it wore crimson armor, with a bright red greatsword resting by its side.

The moment Lu Cang saw it, it also opened its eyes—voids of blackness.

Its gaze collided with Lu Cang's.

"It seems... a new guest has arrived."

(End of Chapter)