【Race: Pale Pilgrimage】

【Level: LV58】

This strange little tree moved in a manner similar to a “Migratory Tree,” relying on countless root tendrils writhing in coordination like tentacles to propel its body forward.

But unlike the Migratory Tree, which bulldozed everything in its path with raw force, this one moved with an unusual gentleness, almost as if it were gliding.

However, in terms of lethal power, it was in no way inferior to the Migratory Tree.

Its trunk naturally radiated a hazy, soft pale glow. The nearly transparent, juice-filled fruits hanging from its branches refracted the light into dreamy prisms, dazzlingly bright in the darkness, naturally drawing swarms of frenzied monsters to it.

Yet the vast majority of the frenzied monsters collapsed before they even reached it, their limbs going limp as they toppled to the ground, forced to silently await death as the neurotoxin corroded their bodies.

Its lethality did not only come from the high-level [Neurotoxin LV10]; more crucially, it also possessed the [Epidermal Penetration LV7] trait.

The toxins that naturally seeped from the surface of its fruits would begin to act rapidly the very instant they touched the monsters’ skin.

Only when encountering treants, monsters innately immune to poison, would it be forced to halt its movement and reluctantly fight back with its powerful roots.

This Pale Pilgrimage was not infected with [Madness]; it was simply passing through this chaotic battlefield and, in the process, poisoned dozens of judgment-lost monsters to death.

It continued on at its steady pace. Judging from its direction, it seemed to be heading for deeper layers.

Above its path hung a seemingly ordinary white thread of spider silk. It failed to notice that at the end of the silk clung an invisible Pujis.

Just as the little tree passed by, the Pujis swiftly extended its mycelium tendrils, wrapping around two of the plumpest fruits hanging from the branches!

The strange sensation immediately triggered the Pale Pilgrimage’s reaction. Several roots lashed out violently like whips, striking toward where the Pujis was!

But in the very instant the Pujis secured the fruits, the silk yanked upward sharply, pulling it away at great speed. The roots only managed to strike its own branches in vain.

The Pujis landed back on the high branches of the giant tree, while the half-demon Bastaldos, who had reeled it up, leapt twice more in quick succession, widening the distance.

By now, the Pujis’ surface was covered in traces of toxic mist, and Bastaldos did not dare assume he could withstand it.

Stuffing the fruits into the Pujis’ body, Lin Jun praised him: “Not bad at all, half-demon! Do you have spider blood in your ancestry?”

“Half-arachnid,” Bastaldos explained briefly, biting off the remaining silk thread in his mouth.

“I thought your spider silk would shoot out from… hmm… the back of your body, like spider monsters.” Lin Jun’s tone carried curiosity.

“Some half-demon variants do,” Bastaldos replied flatly.

“That would be miserable.”

After firing two arrows to kill frenzied monsters trying to ambush them, and waiting until most of the toxin clinging to the Pujis had dissipated, Bastaldos carefully slung it back over his back and quickly began retreating along their original path.

Perhaps because the glowing Pale Pilgrimage had drawn most of the battlefield’s attention, their retreat went surprisingly smoothly.

Until they reached the tenth layer.

“Number Two, change direction, head to the front-left!” Lin Jun suddenly ordered.

Bastaldos didn’t ask why. He immediately altered course and dashed in the indicated direction.

The boss had already demonstrated countless times the terrifying accuracy of his scouting ability. Following his lead was never wrong.

But this time, things seemed different.

“Hm?”

“What is it, boss?” Bastaldos asked between leaps, weaving swiftly among thick branches.

“We’ve been discovered.”

“Discovered? By who?”

“A group of elves… Faster, they want to cut you off ahead!”

At the words, though he hadn’t seen them yet, Bastaldos’ eyes blazed with purple flames, like ghostly fire.

【Bloodline Enhancement】

A skill that temporarily stimulates the mixed powers of half-demon bloodlines, its effect varies depending on ancestry.

For a half-demon like Bastaldos, with a tangled heritage, it functioned as a generalized boost, enhancing overall physical performance at the cost of some strain.

In truth, from the moment that elven team had entered the scouting range of the Pujis inside his pack, their every move had been laid bare to Lin Jun’s perception.

When he saw them suddenly change course and accelerate to encircle, Lin Jun instantly realized they must have some method of detecting Bastaldos’ presence.

But their detection was clearly not real-time.

They had no idea their tactics had already been read, or that their quarry had already begun sprinting full tilt well in advance.

When the swiftest of the elven rangers reached the interception point, Bastaldos was already little more than a shadow far off in the dimness.

“Damn it!” the ranger cursed, though his reaction was lightning quick.

Realizing the interception had failed, he immediately drew, nocked, and loosed in one fluid motion!

【Precision LV9】

【Arrow Acceleration LV6】

【Blessing of the Wind LV7】

The enchanted arrow screeched through the air the instant it left the bowstring!

But the distance was too great, and Bastaldos had been on guard. At the first hint of sound, he kicked hard to the side, diving downward!

The arrow, charged with terrifying force, ripped into the trunk of a massive tree just beside his afterimage, exploding a spray of splintered wood!

“What happened?” the elven captain, slower to arrive, called up from below.

Though stronger in level, his bulkier frame had cost him agility.

“Captain, the target escaped!” The ranger put away his bow, his tone heavy with unwillingness. “It was a demon!”

…

…

…

A few days later.

Salian pushed open the fragrant, flower-scented door of the Healing Hall, heading straight to where the returned elf squad was resting.

Inside the ward, the squad’s golden-ranked druid lay quietly on the white bed.

Beneath his bare skin, faint dark-red lines pulsed visibly.

A healer stood at his side, both hands suspended over his body, continuously casting “Purification.” Soft light trickled into him like a stream, slowly eroding the [Madness] within him, drop by drop.

When Salian entered, the elven captain who had been keeping vigil immediately rose and saluted respectfully. “Lord Salian.”

“What happened?” Salian’s gaze swept the bed as he asked.

The captain recounted their exploration in full detail: the abnormal ecology of each layer, being evaded by a high-speed demon, and finally the unprecedented, utterly frenzied monster tide they encountered on the fourteenth floor.

It was in that chaotic battle that one teammate had been infected, forcing their retreat to the surface.

“Demons…” Salian repeated under his breath.

Would the demons have motive to provoke elves at such a delicate time?

The answer was clear—of course they did.

On the frontlines, the Empire, despite surpassing the United Human Kingdom in military and resources, had fallen into a stalemate.

Not because the Empire lacked strength, but because it could not—and dared not—go all in.

On the eastern front, the Dwarf Kingdom had carried out several large-scale mobilizations in response to human pleas for aid.

Though not officially at war, the Empire could not ignore such a force and had to keep elite troops in constant readiness.

The elves, meanwhile, maintained an ambiguous stance.

They wished for the Empire to push humanity to the brink, forcing the Hero to appear and be slain, erasing that threat forever.

But they also feared that if humans collapsed too quickly, the Empire would reign supreme, leaving the elves’ fate uncertain.

In such circumstances, if a bizarre dungeon catastrophe erupted in elf and dwarf territory, their attention would be firmly diverted.

That would free the Empire from restraint, allowing them to unleash their full might and crush humanity in one decisive blow!

With that thought, Salian no longer hesitated. He turned and strode quickly out of the Healing Hall.

This matter had to be reported immediately to his teacher and the Elf King.

Its urgency outweighed even the issue of the “radicals” within the city.