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    Bred’s efficiency was high.

    The next day, the investigation results were presented to Kei.

    According to the investigation, the attack on the village was most likely carried out by a pack of beasts. Several animal hides, incomplete claws, and fangs were found at the scene.

    After confirming this, Bred immediately dispersed his search party from the village outwards, looking for traces of the beast pack.

    He quickly found a chaotic set of footprints and later, bloodstains.

    Finally, following these traces, he located a cave deep within the forest.

    However, while investigating the cave interior, they were attacked by monsters and had to retreat temporarily.

    After leaving some men to seal the cave, Bred rushed back to report the investigation results.

    “These are the monsters Bred and his men encountered in the cave.”

    Kei pointed to several paintings on the table.

    Su Nan picked up the topmost painting and raised his eyebrows.

    Wasn’t this a Savage Rat?

    Savage Rats belonged to the Savage Beast category, a mutated species. They were extremely ferocious during attacks, very fast, and adept at using their sharp teeth to bite and chew their opponents.

    However, in reality, the Savage Rat’s strength was similar to that of an ordinary person. If careful, an average adult male could handle one.

    A single Savage Rat wasn’t a problem. The key was that Savage Rats usually roamed in packs, appearing in groups of hundreds.

    Moreover, they carried various diseases and there was a chance of contracting conditions like Fever and Plague.

    Therefore, even Knights encountering a Savage Rat pack would often choose to avoid them.

    The second painting depicted a monster with a toad head and thick limbs.

    “Underground Toad Monster!”

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    Su Nan was genuinely surprised.

    If it were just Savage Rats, he wouldn’t have been sure. After all, Savage Rats could appear in many places. However, Underground Toad Monsters were only found in the Underworld. Could it be that this cave was connected to the Underworld?

    Su Nan couldn’t help but be stunned.

    Not long ago, he was thinking about where to find an entrance to the Underworld. Now, before he could act, the target was delivered right before him.

    Was this good luck or bad luck?

    “You know this monster?” Kei asked.

    Su Nan nodded: “This is an Underground Toad Monster. It lives in the Underworld. I suspect that the depths of that cave might be connected to the Underworld.”

    “The Underworld?” Kei became even more puzzled.

    “A vast and boundless place, but extremely dangerous. Many powerful and terrifying monsters live there.”

    Upon hearing this, Kei’s expression immediately became serious.

    “Will it threaten Shining Light City?”

    Su Nan pondered for a moment and shook his head: “It shouldn’t.”

    “Creatures from the Underworld live in the dark depths year-round and can’t adapt to the surface environment. At most, they might come to the surface occasionally to raid, but they wouldn’t attack towns.”

    Kei’s expression relaxed a bit, but he still frowned: “So, those monsters might continue to attack other villages?”

    “There’s a possibility.”

    “What should we do? Block off the cave?”

    “No, I’ll handle this.” Su Nan waved his hand.

    He wouldn’t give up this opportunity to find an entrance to the Underworld just like that.

    He had to explore it first.

    “You send someone to seal off the forest and the cave, preventing the monsters inside from coming out to harm anyone. Don’t let unrelated people go inside either. As for the cave, leave it to me.”

    Seeing that Su Nan had spoken so definitively, Kei agreed.

    Half an hour later.

    Shining Light City’s army was deployed, sealing off the northern forest and preventing anyone from entering or leaving.

    Su Nan also arrived at the forest with the army.

    “Sir, this is the cave where the monsters appeared.”

    Deep in the forest, Bred pointed to the dark entrance at the bottom of the mountain wall.

    “Keep an eye on the outside. If any monsters come out, kill them immediately.”

    Leaving this instruction behind, Su Nan entered the cave alone.

    Torches were hung on both sides of the cave, left by the soldiers who had explored earlier.

    However, the torches only extended to the entrance. The rest was shrouded in darkness.

    Su Nan picked up a stone and cast a [Light Spell]. The dusty stone emitted a torch-like light, dispelling the surrounding darkness.

    As he moved forward, Su Nan observed the traces around him.

    It was clear that the cave wasn’t naturally formed, but artificially excavated.

    Unless there was something unexpected, it was likely created by Underworld residents.

    Savage Rats and Underground Toad Monsters clearly wouldn’t have the ability to do this. It must have been some kind of humanoid creature, like a Dogman, a Grey Dwarf, or a Fungus Man.

    Going further, Su Nan soon discovered a silver mine.

    This solidified the suspicion that the cave connected to the Underworld.

    “Can we eat them?”

    Dogmen had very low intelligence. Often, they were driven by instinct.

    Seeing the Blackrock Beasts attack, their first reaction was to rush forward and try to kill these suddenly appearing monsters to see if they could eat them.

    It wasn’t until the Blackrock Beasts charged and killed a dozen of their comrades that they felt fear and scattered in a panicked frenzy.

    “Don’t run!”

    “Kill the intruders!”

    A Dogman leader with a larger build and dark brown scales stepped forward. He whipped the fleeing Dogmen, forcing them to fight back.

    But he was immediately tackled and torn to shreds by the Blackrock Beasts that charged forward.

    Dogmen were much weaker than Underground Toad Monsters in combat.

    Even the Dogman leader was only at the level of a Probationary Knight.

    They were simply no match for the Blackrock Beasts.

    Hundreds of Dogmen were quickly wiped out, with only a few left.

    Just then, a thunderous roar erupted.

    It sounded like countless people roaring in unison.

    Immediately, a monstrous and terrifying creature suddenly burst out of the cave deep in the basin.

    The creature looked like a large tree with many protruding branches, like a long-legged centipede, and was extremely large. It stood over 10 meters tall and was covered in countless arms and heads.

    Each of its arms grasped a sword or a heavy hammer. Its lower half, or should it be said, its torso, was clad in half-body armor.

    Judging by the enchanted runes on the surface of the armor, it was a magical artifact.

    “What kind of monster is this?”

    In the shadow behind the entrance, Su Nan stared in shock.

    He had never seen a monster like this before!

    “Hundred-Armed Giant? No, no, Hundred-Armed Giants are at least humanoid, but this monster has many arms but no legs, just roots.”

    While Su Nan was still in doubt, the monster had already stepped on its numerous root-like legs and swiftly charged towards a Blackrock Beast. Countless giant swords and heavy hammers struck simultaneously, shattering the Blackrock Beast into pieces.

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    The Hundred-Armed Monster’s strength was clearly far beyond that of Blackrock Beasts. It could one-shot them effortlessly.

    In the blink of an eye, a dozen Blackrock Beasts were smashed into rubble.

    Su Nan couldn’t help but gasp.

    “What terrifying power!”

    A real Hundred-Armed Giant was about the strength of a two-ring legendary Knight.

    This monster’s physical strength wasn’t inferior to that of a Hundred-Armed Giant, and it had even more arms. Crucially, it could also use weapons and wear armor, making it potentially even stronger than a Hundred-Armed Giant.

    Even if it wasn’t a three-ring legendary Knight, it was probably not far off.

    A monster comparable to a three-ring legendary Knight!

    Su Nan never imagined that such a terrifying creature was hidden in the cave near Shining Light City.

    If this monster were to rampage on the surface, the consequences would be unimaginable.

    Su Nan suddenly realized that he was very wise to not reveal himself rashly, but instead, send the Blackrock Beasts to test it first.

    Otherwise, he would be fleeing for his life now.

    Even with five high-level rune gems, he couldn’t guarantee victory over this Hundred-Armed Monster.

    Taking a deep breath, Su Nan silently backed away, heading back the way he came.

    Fortunately, after the Hundred-Armed Monster dealt with the Blackrock Beasts, it looked left and right, but didn’t notice anyone. It then grabbed a few Dogman bodies and went back to its original cave, eating them as it went. It didn’t notice anyone else nearby.

    After a moment, Su Nan exited the cave unscathed.

    “Sir.”

    Bred, who was guarding outside, immediately came forward.

    Su Nan said solemnly: “Seal the cave. Don’t let anyone in. If anything comes out, tell me immediately!”

    “Yes, sir.”

    Bred didn’t ask any questions and immediately agreed.

    Back in Shining Light City, Su Nan found Kei and briefly explained the situation in the cave.

    Hearing that there was a monster inside comparable to a three-ring legendary Knight, Kei’s face immediately became very serious. He immediately decided to deploy the army to enter the cave and kill the monster.

    After all, leaving such a powerful monster beside Shining Light City meant that he couldn’t sleep peacefully.

    But Su Nan immediately stopped him: “That monster has hundreds of arms. It’s not afraid of human wave tactics. Moreover, the cave space is limited. The army wouldn’t be able to maneuver in there.”

    “Then what should we do?” Kei was worried.

    “We’ll have to think about it carefully.”

    Su Nan also wanted to kill the Hundred-Armed Monster, so he could develop the silver and gold mines inside.

    Finding the entrance to the Underworld was the same. He couldn’t go deeper without first dealing with the Hundred-Armed Monster blocking the way.

    But acting rashly was not advisable.

    After discussing for a while, they finally decided to first increase the number of troops stationed near the forest, absolutely preventing the monster from getting close to Shining Light City.

    As for what to do next, they would figure it out later.

    (End of Chapter)