“The basement?” Meng Yinyin frowned. “Is it dangerous in there?”
Isolde fell silent.
As if recalling some terrifying scene, her fingers trembled slightly as they gripped her hem.
“...It is dangerous.”
“But I have no other choice.”
With that, she lowered her head, tears clinging to her eyelashes. She looked even more pitiable than if she were actually crying.
Luo Qi rolled his eyes. “A classic rescue quest. Enter the dungeon first, go down to the basement, and finally open the treasure chest. They didn't even bother to change the template.”
Isolde looked up at him.
Her eyes were still misty, humiliation buried deep within them, which she forced herself to hold back.
“If you're not willing, it's alright,” she managed a faint smile. “I can wait a bit longer. Perhaps... other heroes will pass by.”
The implication was clear: if you won't go, leave the opportunity for someone else.
Sure enough, as soon as she said this, the expressions of the three shifted.
Zheng Chuan, who had been sizing up the castle gates, tightened his grip on his iron axe the moment he heard the words “other heroes.”
A hidden quest was right in front of them. If they didn't take it, were they supposed to just let someone else snatch it up?
Meng Yinyin remained silent as well, her gaze moving from Isolde's pale face to the depths of the castle, before quickly shifting back.
It wasn't that she didn't have any suspicions at all.
But with an unknown reward, a unique location, and an NPC actively asking for help, the combination of these elements made it look like anything but an ordinary side quest.
Moreover, this game wasn't like those old, lifeless programs where you could only click a mouse.
The more dangerous it was, the more likely there was good loot.
Luo Qi hated when others took advantage, especially when it was a blatant opportunity right in front of him.
“Wait for the next one? No way,” Zheng Chuan suddenly sneered. “The quest is practically shoved in our faces. How could we let someone else have it?”
Meng Yinyin glanced at him but didn't object. Instead, she lowered her voice and said, “Let's enter the castle first and take a look. If something really feels off, we can pull back.”
Luo Qi scoffed, “As if you'd actually be willing to pull back.”
Meng Yinyin's face darkened. “Still better than someone who stares at trash the moment they walk through the door.”
“Enough,” Zheng Chuan interrupted them impatiently. His gaze fell back onto Isolde, his tone carrying an authoritative edge.
“You, lead the way.”
Isolde looked as if she had finally grasped a lifesaving straw, her eyes lighting up slightly.
“You're willing to save me?”
Zheng Chuan waved his hand impatiently. “Cut the crap, let's go.”
Meng Yinyin also softened her voice, putting on a comforting facade.
“Don't be afraid. As long as what you said is true, we will help you.”
Isolde nodded gently, her eyes filled with gratitude.
“Thank you.”
She turned and walked toward the castle gates. Out of the three's line of sight, her lips curved into an extremely faint smirk.
In her past life, they had used a bowl of hot soup and the phrase “follow us from now on” to trick her into the mine.
In this life, she used a fragile face and the word “heroes” to invite them into their graves.
Greedy people indeed—as long as they caught the scent of some benefit, they wouldn't hesitate to reach out and touch it, regardless of whether a mountain of blades or a sea of fire lay behind the door.
The inside of the castle was even colder and gloomier than it appeared from the outside.
The high vaulted ceiling was hidden in the darkness. The candle flames on the walls had been burning for who knew how many years; their light was dim, casting a blurry haze over the faces of the surrounding portraits.
The moment Luo Qi entered, his eyes became glued to a silver candelabra on the wall.
The candelabra was covered in dust, yet its edges still glinted with a cold light.
Even without appraisal skills, anyone could tell this thing wasn't just ordinary scrap metal.
“Can we take this thing?”
Even as he asked, his hand had already reached out.
Luo Qi yanked hard, and the silver candelabra broke off the wall, bringing down a small shower of dust.
The next second, the dark red runes on the wall suddenly lit up, and the castle gates behind them slammed shut with a resounding crash.
Startled, Meng Yinyin took a step back. “Why did the door close?”
Zheng Chuan whirled around instantly, his eyes glaring fiercely at Isolde.
“What's going on? Is this your doing?”
Standing on the edge of the shadows, Isolde said softly:
“I-I'm sorry... I forgot to warn you, heroes. You mustn't touch things in the castle randomly...”
Zheng Chuan's face darkened. “Why didn't you say so earlier?”
“I thought... the esteemed heroes wouldn't just take things from here on a whim.”
Luo Qi choked. The words sounded soft, but on closer inspection, they felt like a slap to the face.
Meng Yinyin frowned. Although she knew it was her teammate's itchy fingers, she still offered comforting words:
“Forget it. Many NPCs are like this; they won't prompt you until the trigger conditions are met. If you're really annoyed...”
She glanced at Isolde, then drew closer to Luo Qi, lowering her voice. “Once we get the loot, there will still be plenty of time to deal with her.”
Luo Qi understood instantly and thought she made sense.
Once they cleared the “dungeon” and took the rewards, wouldn't this NPC be entirely at their mercy?
At this thought, his expression softened slightly, and he even harbored some other expectations.
Annoyed at being shut down, Zheng Chuan turned and took out his frustration on Isolde, giving her a rough shove.
“Hurry up and lead the way.”
Stumbling half a step from the push, Isolde braced herself against the wall, lowered her head, and walked at the very front.
The three didn't notice that the moment they stepped into the main hall, a dark red mark appeared beneath each of their feet.
【Castle Blood Banquet—Marked】
【Current Prey Count: 3】
Isolde caught the dark red glow from the corner of her eye. Valen's banquet mechanic was triggering even faster than she had anticipated; this must be the dungeon mechanic the players talked about.
The master of the castle could use the skill 【Castle Blood Banquet】 to mark prey, triggering buff runes.
As long as the prey shed blood in fear, a small portion of that blood would feed back to the master of the castle through the runes. It was essentially Valen's health-regeneration mechanic.
In her past life, to prevent his health from stacking higher and higher, players had stocked up on high-grade healing potions just to prevent him from triggering the buff effects.
She didn't know how many rounds of attacks these three pieces of trash could withstand from Valen.
If they luckily managed to wear Valen down, she could use her prepared methods to deliver the finishing blow.
If they unfortunately died anyway, it was nothing more than a cost-free trial and error for her. Plus, she would get her revenge. A win-win scenario.
Led by Isolde, the group ventured deeper and deeper.
The portraits on the wall seemed to follow them as they moved, like a group of dead people hidden inside the walls, pressing against the frames to peer out.
Uncomfortable under their gaze, Meng Yinyin instinctively drew closer to Zheng Chuan and called out to Isolde ahead:
“Hey! Is there anywhere around here to get good loot? I mean... we need decent gear to save you, right?”
“Yes, there is,” Isolde replied.
Meng Yinyin immediately asked, “Where?”
Isolde seemed to recall with effort for a moment before speaking:
“The Duke used to have a storeroom where the knights' swords and shields were kept.”
Upon hearing this, Luo Qi's eyes lit up.
“Weapons?”
This was exactly what Meng Yinyin wanted. Their current gear wasn't very good; although they had plundered quite a bit on the way, it was still far from impressive.
Especially since they had just entered this godforsaken place, and no one knew what they would face next. If they could secure a batch of weapons first, it would at least give them some peace of mind.
Zheng Chuan looked at Isolde. “Where is it? Take us there.”
“But... that storeroom hasn't been entered in a very long time,” Isolde said. “I don't know what it has become now.”
Zheng Chuan scoffed. “Here we go again. Aren't you an NPC? Just lead the way and stop talking so much.”
Isolde shuddered as if frightened by his harshness, nodding gently. “I understand. I will take you there, heroes.”
Of course, she knew exactly what that place was like now.
Although the original host of this body had been a psychopath, her memory was extraordinarily sharp.
Every corridor, every door, and every array rune that could trigger a trap in the castle had been meticulously checked and logged in her mind like a checklist.
If they wanted weapons, she would naturally deliver them.
As for whether they could actually hold onto them, that would depend on their own capabilities.
Rate on N.U.
