Cen Yao glanced at the bloodstains all over the floor and the broken incubation pods.
Her heart instantly sank halfway.
According to the usual style of the Horror Dungeon, the more one hoped to avoid something, the more precisely they would encounter it.
Not to mention, this was an A-rank dungeon.
“Sigh.”
Cen Yao sighed in her heart. “So there is a high probability it's the latter two.”
The orb comforted her in a low voice, “Host, please don't be too pessimistic.”
Cen Yao replied expressionlessly, “I'm not being pessimistic.”
“I am respecting the dungeon's professional ethics.”
The bullet chat was thoroughly amused by her words, filling the screen with laughter.
【Respecting the dungeon's professional ethics, that's hilarious.】
【A-rank dungeon: Thank you, you understand me so well.】
【Lady Witch really has an incredibly strong mindset.】
【Stop laughing, she's designated S-019, and those previous test subjects have clearly already spiraled out of control!】
【What on earth does “They are hungry” mean?】
【I have a very bad feeling about this.】
【She should find the Nuo God and Siren first. Three people together is always safer than going solo.】
Just then, a faint rustling sound suddenly came from outside the door.
“Sliiiide...”
It was very quiet, sounding like something's body was being dragged across the rough floor.
“Sliiiide... sliiiide...”
The sound stopped right outside the door, and Cen Yao froze.
She instinctively moved closer to the door, pressing her side against the wall and doing her best to quiet her breathing.
Inside, the lights flickered. Outside, there was only a slow, sticky dragging sound.
It was as if something was using its body to rub against the floor, inch by inch.
Cen Yao reached her hand toward her waist, but froze halfway through the movement.
There was no wand.
That spot was originally the small storage space that came with the Witch's Robe, where her wand always rested when she wasn't using it.
Cen Yao's fingers froze in place.
She slowly looked down. The hospital gown had no pockets, let alone any place that could conceal a wand.
Cen Yao's face gradually went blank.
“...”
She was doomed.
Her wand had been confiscated too.
To Cen Yao, the wand was completely different from the Witch's Robe.
The Witch's Robe was defense, a disguise, a protective shell she was used to wearing in dungeons.
But the wand was the medium through which she cast magic.
It was her most familiar, stable, and important extension of power.
Fine beads of sweat slowly broke out on Cen Yao's forehead, and her heart beat rapidly.
It beat so fast that she even worried if the thing outside the door would hear it.
Without magic, what was she supposed to rely on to get through the dungeon?
Rely on her amateurish martial arts that couldn't even beat Pei Tinglan?
Or rely on her Medium Talent, which had practically no offensive capabilities?
Cen Yao bit her lip. “Orb.”
She lowered her voice and spoke rapidly, “Quick, open the System Mall. Help me see if there are any handy wands.”
The orb's voice rang out immediately.
“There are, Host.” It had already been filtering wands after realizing the Witch's Robe had been stored.
Cen Yao was stunned for a moment.
“You're moving that fast?”
The orb sounded a little proud.
“Of course.”
“The Host's safety is the most important.”
The next second, it brought up a projection of a silver-black wand.
The shaft was slender, with a deep blue crystal embedded at the tip, and the overall flow of magic power looked very stable.
【Moonstone Wand】
【Scope of Application: Casting low-to-mid-tier magic, assisting with space-type spells, and stabilizing magic power.】
【Price: 8,000,000 shock points.】
Cen Yao stared at the string of numbers.
“Eight million?”
The orb said cautiously, “Yes.”
“It's currently the most suitable one for the Host, and it offers the best value for your points.”
Cen Yao sucked in a breath.
“Hiss—”
She had just spent twenty million to buy Xiaobai for her parents not long ago.
The materials to make a protective robe were too expensive, so she hadn't been willing to buy them either.
Now, having just entered the dungeon, she actually had to spend another eight million to buy a wand.
Was the mall targeting her just because she had some shock points in her pocket, shearing her like a single sheep?
But as much as it pained her...
Cen Yao glanced at the heavy iron door.
The dragging sound outside had still not disappeared.
If she didn't buy a wand, she could only hide here and gamble on her luck.
Or gamble on Zhu Lingxi and Pei Tinglan finding her first.
But the dungeon map was unknown, and team positioning was restricted. She didn't even know where those two were.
She knew even less who was in more danger at this moment.
She couldn't wait.
Cen Yao gritted her teeth.
“Buy—”
“Host.”
The orb suddenly interrupted her.
Cen Yao was taken aback.
“What is it?”
“I don't recommend you buy it right now.”
“?” Cen Yao asked in confusion. “Why?”
“The wand is only a medium,” the orb said.
“The true foundation for the Host to cast magic is the magic power within you and your understanding of magic.”
“Last time in the Cat Cafe, the Host was only able to perform a silent door-opening spell. This time, I believe that under a life-or-death crisis, the Host will be able to quickly master silent casting.”
Cen Yao: “...”
So her little heart was just that worthless?
“Orb, why do you always want me to learn silent casting?” Without her wand in hand, Cen Yao's greatest source of security was reduced by eighty percent, and her tone couldn't help but carry some anxiety.
“Consider it laying a foundation. Silent, wandless casting is an extremely important basic ability of the Witch system. Once you master it, not only will it reduce your reliance on a wand, but it will also make learning higher-tier magic twice as effective with half the effort in the future.”
Suddenly, a soft thud came from outside the door.
“Thud!”
It sounded like something had bumped against the door, and her heart skipped a violent beat along with it.
The thing outside the door seemed to move slightly.
The sticky dragging sound slowly passed by the front of the door, then stopped.
Cen Yao closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
She knew the orb was right.
Besides, she didn't want to forever be someone who became completely helpless the moment she lost her wand.
It was just...
“Alright then,” Cen Yao said softly. “I'll try my best.”
“I hope my heart can be as strong as possible too.”
The orb immediately said, “Rest assured, Host.”
“If it really comes to a critical moment and the Host still cannot perform silent, wandless magic, I will pay out of my own pocket to buy a suitable wand for the Host.”
Cen Yao was originally quite touched.
But hearing the words “cannot perform,” she instantly became indignant.
“What do you mean I can't do it?” Big girls absolutely could not fail!
Cen Yao took a deep breath. “Orb.”
“I will absolutely achieve silent, wandless casting.”
The orb immediately chimed in.
“I believe in you, Host. You can do it!”
Cen Yao didn't reply further.
Her gaze landed on the iron door.
—Outside the door
The dragging sound stopped for a long time.
So long that Cen Yao even wondered if the other party had already left.
But the next second.
The layer of dried, dark red blood on the viewing window was suddenly slowly wiped away by something from the outside.
An eye glowing with a turbid yellow light pressed against the glass.
That eye had no sclera.
The pupil was narrow and slit-like, resembling a snake's, or some monster that had been sliced open and sewn back together.
It stared unblinkingly at Cen Yao.
Cen Yao's breathing nearly stopped.
And after staring at her for two seconds, that eye slowly curved up.
As if it were smiling.
Rate on N.U.
