CHAPTER 633

【 FULL WIPED OUT 】

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The underground passages of the Titan Ruins twisted and tangled like a labyrinth, with many of its sections having already collapsed over the centuries. As a result, the way forward was blocked, slowing the party’s pace considerably.

Fortunately, the veteran players had saved the exit coordinates on their minimaps during their last run. So even though the layout of the sewers was completely different from the surface, their general direction hadn’t changed much. As long as they stayed true to the direction, they would eventually reach their destination.

Unfortunately, after cutting down a group of goblins, their party ran into a handful of sluggish, venomous worms. Worse, their levels weren’t even as high as the mutated goblins from earlier.

This ruined FacetheWind’s plan to power-level the two newbies into Iron-rank ahead of schedule.

“This is strange…” the veteran warrior muttered, scratching his messy hair with a frown. “Other exploration parties have reported running into plenty of mobs down here. Why are there so few in this area?”

He turned toward the cloaked hunter at the front.

“Hapsburg, see anything?”

The veteran scout looked around with a grim expression. He paused for a moment, then spoke in a hoarse voice:

“This area is goblin territory. There are no traps here, and there are plenty of spots for them to hide. So there’s no way their numbers should be this low… unless something weird is going on.”

The Archer in the party interjected, “Hmm, goblins may be cowards, but their instincts for danger are quite sharp. You mean… something scared them off? Or worse, wiped them out?”

Hapsburg hesitated before replying, “So far, I’ve seen no signs of battle since we entered this area. Which means… they probably sensed something dangerous.”

The tension in the air thickened.

FacetheWind narrowed his eyes, scanning the dimmed corridor before finally resting his gaze on the stagnant, foul-smelling water canal running beside them.

“Stay away from the drainage canal.”

“If the goblins had indeed fled, then it could only mean a more powerful monster have entered their territory. The walkway along the sewer drainage wasn’t wide, nor did it offer much cover. If anything was hiding, the only place left was the water itself.”

Everyone in the party exchanged glances, then shifted closer to the wall.

“Of course,” Hapsburg suddenly added, his tone unnervingly casual, “there’s also another possibility.”

All eyes turned toward him again.

His expression remained severe.

“The goblins might have been wiped out before they even had the chance to resist.”

FacetheWind’s eyelid twitched.

“You’re saying… a Silver-ranked beast killed all the goblins in this area?”

The two newbies stiffened at these words.

Silver rank!

Hapsburg chuckled dryly.

“Relax. There would’ve been traces left behind if something had slaughtered them. Not even a Silver-ranker could erase every trace. My skills sharpen my sense of smell, so I would’ve already caught the scent of blood if that were the case. Besides, this place produces echoes like crazy. Drop a needle and it’ll ring in your ears. If something really were lurking in the vicinity, my enhanced hearing would’ve picked it up already.”

The party: “…”

FacetheWind shot him a pointed look before waving to the others.

“Move out. Stay sharp.”

The group pressed on.

But no matter how far they walked, no more monsters appeared on their way.

The silence of the underground passage was suffocating, broken only by the rhythm of their boots and strained breathing. Even the faint, distant roars they had heard earlier had completely vanished.

By now, even the slowest among them could feel something was wrong.

“Everyone, keep your eyes open and your pace steady. Don’t ever make a sound.”

FacetheWind’s gaze hardened. This time, instead of speaking aloud, he typed his warning into the party chat.

Then, after a glance at the two wide-eyed newbies still curiously looking around, he checked their map distance and typed again:

“Coconut, Nana. Where we’re headed to is a location our party discovered in secret. To keep it from leaking, we’ll need to blindfold you both and seal your magic. I hope you’ll understand.”

“Blindfold us… and seal our magic?”

Coconut froze, frowning slightly.

The demand made him uncomfortable. But when he caught the earnest, almost apologetic look in the others’ eyes and after exchanging a glance with the girl beside him, Yeye reluctantly nodded.

The older man exhaled in relief and typed with a grin:

“Don’t worry. We’ll undo it once we arrive. We’ll protect you on the way. And if we find something valuable, you two will also get a share too.”

Another teammate chimed in with a laugh.

“Yeah, don’t underestimate this trip. We might even stumble upon an artifact!”

Artifact!

Yeye’s eyes lit up instantly.

Artifacts were the most prized treasures in Elven Kingdom. It is rare, powerful, and more coveted than anything else.

With the newbies’ consent, the elven mage Donut stepped forward, gently blindfolding the two with strips of cloth. She then sealed their magic and martial energy with a spell.

After it was done, the party continued deeper into the ruins.

About twenty minutes later, they finally came to a stop.

“We’re here,” FacetheWind typed into the chat.

Then, he released the restraints on the two newbies.

When Yeye’s vision returned, the first thing he saw was a massive spiral staircase descending into the depths.

The steps were enormous, with each level at least two or three meters high stretching endlessly downward, linking together what had to be a colossal underground structure.

The veterans’ faces eased at once, their tension replaced with barely concealed joy.

“As expected! The First Legion’s strategy was right. By searching the sewers for the Mausoleum of Titans’ entrance, we can slip straight inside!” Donut, the mage, exclaimed, his eyes shining with excitement.

“Mausoleum of Titans…?” Yeye blinked, caught off guard.

Seeing the bewilderment on both his and Nana’s faces, FacetheWind chuckled and explained:

“That’s right. This is the Titans’ Mausoleum—our true target.”

“This whole Titan Ruin was first uncovered last week when Dengdeng from Heart of Nature triggered a hidden quest. After receiving the goddess’s oracle, he discovered that this wasn’t just a lost Titan ruined city, but also their burial grounds. Dozens of Titan tombs lie hidden within it.”

“Heh. According to the quest description, those giant brutes loved building their Mausoleums right inside their cities, especially the strongest among them!”

“Sure, these ruins on the surface are full of treasures, but the real prizes are locked inside these Mausoleum. They’re crammed with traps, puzzles, and guardians. Just a while back, the First Legion even unearthed an artifact from one of them!”

FacetheWind’s eyes gleamed as he spread his hands wide.

“And this one? This is a Mausoleum our squad found on our own. Completely untouched. No one’s ever explored it before. We’re the first ones in!”

Hearing it, Yeye’s pulse quickened.

But then the older warrior’s expression sobered.

“Coconut, Nana. Stick close to us inside. A Guardian beast is protecting its entrance. Our party found a way around it, but it’s still dangerous.”

His voice dropped, heavy with memory.

“Last time… we ran into it, and our whole party suffered a full wiped out.”

“Full wiped out…”

Yeye’s body stiffened.

“Senior Wind, what kind of beast did you guys run into?”

FacetheWind raised two fingers, his face grim.

“Two gargantuan gargoyles. Each one has the strength of an intermediate Silver-rank magical beast. They’re far more terrifying than ghouls… the kind of strength we can’t hope to face head-on. If you see one, don’t fight—just run.”

After warning the newbies, he rubbed his eyes, only to yawn and frown.

“…Strange. Why do I suddenly feel so sleepy?”

“I feel it too. Maybe I didn’t rest enough last night?” Donut murmured, her tone weary.

FacetheWind’s expression suddenly darkened as his eyes swept the whole ground.

Everyone looked sluggish, their movements heavy. His face hardened further as his gaze shifted up to the top-left corner of his interface.

And then, his expression twisted.

“Sleep Debuff! Damn it—we’ve been poisoned!”

Startled, Yeye instinctively glanced at his own status screen.

Beneath the glowing icons of blue, gold, and green buffs, a new one had appeared without him noticing:

A black-violet sigil shaped like a worm.

When he focused on it, text surfaced in his vision:

【???’s Sleep Venom】

“It’s the venom of a toxic worm… the Sleep Poison. We’ve run into the Worm King!” Hapsburg’s voice was grave.

The Worm King. A Silver-ranked beast.

While it wasn’t the strongest in terms of raw combat power, but its invisible, odorless, gaseous toxin could put victims to sleep without warning then devour them alive in silence.

If left untreated, the poison would drag the victim deeper into slumber while slowly sealing off their mana entirely.

FacetheWind’s jaw clenched. Then, without hesitation, he drew his dagger and, before Yeye’s startled eyes, plunged it into his own thigh.

Pain contorted the older man’s face, but his voice came out sharp and commanding:

“Stay away from the water canal! Crank up your pain threshold on the settings! Hurt yourselves if you have to, but don’t pass out! Move! Get up the stairs—we need to reach the Mausoleum!”

With that, he spun on his heel and leapt onto the towering steps.

The other veterans followed immediately, stabbing or striking themselves to stay awake as they scrambled upward.

Seeing their decisiveness, the two newbies quickly followed suit.

Yeye grit his teeth, raised his pain threshold, and jabbed his thigh. A searing jolt ripped through him, tearing the sleepiness from his mind.

Ahead, the two-meter-high steps loomed like a wall. He crouched low, then sprang. To his astonishment, his body soared easily up and over the ledge. For a brief second, he marveled at the strength of his avatar—then excitement replaced wonder.

“Hurry! we’ll be safe once we reach the Mausoleum!” FacetheWind shouted, turning back.

But no sooner had the words left his mouth, his eyes bulged wide. His gaze froze on something behind the group.

“…Oh, fucking hell.”

The curse sent a chill down Yeye’s spine.

An icy draft slithered past his skin.

Shivering, he turned his head.

And then he saw it—

A monstrous worm hauled itself out from the foul black water canal less than ten meters away.

Standing around seven or eight meters tall, its bloated body bristled with clusters of twitching eyes. Its grotesque head split open to reveal a gaping, blood-red maw lined with jagged, spike-like fangs.

It was the stuff of nightmares.

The creature’s entire body oozed with blackish-purple slime, seven or eight writhing tentacles sprouting from beneath it, lashing about like the arms of a nightmare.

“Ahhhhhh!”

Standing beside Yeye, Nana let out a shriek and clutched his arm tightly.

The grotesque sight was enough to send fear surging through the girl’s heart.

“It’s a Silver-ranked Worm King! We can’t fight this thing—run! I’ll hold it off!” FacetheWind roared.

The others didn’t hesitate. They scrambled upward, half-climbing, half-leaping toward the safety of the Mausoleum’s interior.

Meanwhile, FacetheWind alone stayed at the rear. Drawing his massive greatsword, his body flared with radiant light. He was the strongest in the party, as well as their primary tank and aggro.

At this moment, he had no choice but to stand his ground.

The Worm King lunged.

Its mucus-slick body twisted with uncanny speed, slithering forward as it hurled its tentacles straight toward him.

“Good! Come at me!”

With a savage grin, FacetheWind swung his blade. Power surged down the weapon, cloaking him in silver-blue light. A sickening slash rang out as his strike severed the incoming tentacle clean through.

A spray of purple ichor burst forth, splattering across the ground with a sizzling hiss. The Worm King screeched, its massive body convulsing as it reeled back in pain, the walls of the cavern trembling from the sound.

Seizing the chance, FacetheWind sheathed his sword and turned to run, desperate to catch up with his fleeing comrades. But his legs faltered almost immediately, the strength draining from them as though the earth itself was pulling him down. His breaths grew ragged, vision swimming at the edges.

The poison was taking hold.

“Senior Wind! Behind you!”

Yeye’s shout rang through the air.

FacetheWind’s heart lurched. Alas, it was already too late. Something slick coiled around his ankle as a tentacle yanked his legs viciously.

“Damn it—!”

FacetheWind’s world spun violently, his vision lurching backward as his body was yanked into the air. A crushing force coiled around him, dragging him higher before slamming him into a suffocating wall of slime.

Darkness swallowed him whole.

Seeing it, Nana’s eyes went wide, horror freezing her in place.

“He… he got eaten?”

For the first time, she truly felt it—this game was too real.

Too terrifying!

She forgot, even for a moment, that this was only just a game.

“Don’t look! Run!”

Yeye grabbed her arm and yanked it hard, forcing her legs to move.

But the Worm King wasn’t finished yet.

The monstrosity hauled its grotesque bulk fully out of the sewage, mucus streaming as it slithered after them. Right then, another set of tentacles shot forth but this time, not at the two newbies, but at Hapsburg leading the way.

With terrifying ease, the appendages wrapped around the hunter. His struggles were useless as he was dragged screaming back into the beast’s maw.

In the party channel, his icon dimmed just as FacetheWind’s had moments ago.

Dimmed meant dead.

“He’s gone? Just like that?”

Yeye’s pupils shrank. His legs burned as he pulled Nana, forcing himself not to look back.

Another tentacle lashed out—this one snaring Donut, the female mage. Unfortunately, her power was still on cool down, thus she could do nothing. With a final cry, she too was dragged to her doom.

“Run! We’re almost there at the Mausoleum!” shouted the archer.

But the words had barely left his lips before two more tentacles lashed out, binding both him and the druid at his side.

Their icons went dark almost instantly.

In less than three minutes, the entire party was almost annihilated.

Only Yeye and Nana remained…

The two newbies the Worm King had barely bothered with until now.

Panting, they staggered up the final steps, reaching the looming entrance of the Titan Mausoleum.

However, it was already too late.

The Worm King surged after them, gaping maw lined with jagged teeth. Its tentacles shot forward, aimed directly at the two terrified newbies.

Seeing this scene, Yeye’s heart went cold.

I guess this is the end…

But just as he was bracing for the inevitable, suddenly, a sharp, melodious hum cut through the air.

From behind them, emerald-green vines suddenly lashed forward, snapping out to intercept the Worm King’s fatal strike.

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