Chapter 100: Successor Quest #3
After everyone passed through the hidden entrance, the system message appeared before their eyes.
[You have entered the hidden shelter.]
Behind them, a loud bang rang out.
The hidden passage leading through this place had been closed. No more sun permeated the area, making things harder for Alex, Remia, and the two wolfs.
Celia was the only one unaffected by that darkness. Her dullahan side allowed her to see through the darkness.
She wasn't worried about the entrance closing or darkness.
"This place looks boring!" Celia said.
Even though Alex didn't move further to see more of the hidden shelter, her excitement slowly diminished as the corridor was too plain.
It was a simple wall without any cool design.
In her castle, the vast corridors had some decorations. Flowers, paintings, or even incredible sculptures. Of course, not every hall had been decorated yet.
Celia's fun significantly plummeted.
Alex ignored that for a second. He turned around and checked the entrance. If he couldn't leave this place, then his heart would grow worried at a fast pace. He wasn't here alone as a player, but with Remia and Celia.
'It doesn't even budge,' Alex whispered worriedly.
Behind him, a small source of light spread. Using simple techniques, Remia summoned a projection of a firefly, which had lightened the area.
She and Alex saw the passage in a better view. Similarly, Alex and Remia noticed each other's worries.
'So Remia also didn't expect it to close… Her skills shouldn't work on the entrance,' Alex inferred before giving a reassuring smile.
He approached her with Celia in his arms. Of course, the little dullahan was with Alex, so her heart never felt any fear.
"There should be meaning to this. Now, let's check the whole shelter," Alex said, kindling Celia's adventurous senses.
The little girl lifted her hand and acted like a leader, "Lead the way, Alex!"
Remia silently smiled and followed them from behind.
They spent roughly five minutes on a slow walk forward. Exactly after a short time, the narrow passage ended, revealing the vast shelter where many people could hide if need be.
There were countless small rooms scattered around. From afar, Alex also saw frozen food reserves that would be enough for months of hiding. There were also magic stones that would provide water and other necessities for a living.
The whole place was cold, but Alex and others could warm each other with just one stone.
However, in the middle of this peculiar shelter, Alex and others spotted the source of an immense coldness.
Their hearts jumped, and everyone immediately grew warier. In Alex's arms, Celia's eyes widened and trembled. Her little hands went for his ear and hair, pulling those as she clutched tightly.
For the first time in her life, Celia felt genuine killing intent. Her heart grew in dismay, and she couldn't stop shivering.
[Ghoul Lv. 45 HP: 15 000/15 000 MP: -]
An existence with rotten flesh and at least five faces. He was a giant monster, at least five meters tall. Four arms protruded from his back. He had two normal pairs of arms, then the other two pairs coming from his waist.
Besides one head in a 'proper spot', Ghoul had two heads on his chest, one on his stomach, and one on his back.
He was silent, seemingly sleeping.
"Ghoul… It's said that the Ghoul is an amalgam of zombies. They are the existence with the least five souls…" Remia whispered, using the knowledge she had from her royal education.
Alas, Remia lacked knowledge about those undead as those peculiar monsters had never been on her continent.
Nonetheless, Remia was not wrong, but also not right.
The Ghouls weren't just an union of zombies. They had more undead within themselves; this particular ghoul had also the ghost undead hidden within his heart.
And there was one individual who could create them.
No one else could make those ghouls, and they couldn't be born naturally.
Alex would soon learn about that existence.
"Alex…" Celia whispered to Alex's ear; her voice was too frightened, making Alex feel genuine pain.
He patted her hair, "I am here… We are here," Alex spoke softly, "We will get rid of that monster. We don't want any strange creatures in our home, do we?"
Celia nodded a few times, letting out soft noises of agreement.
Alex smiled back, then put her on Bo's back. His battle spirit was big enough to carry Celia, so his job was to run fast and protect the little dullahan.
Alex made sure that Bo understood his job, "Don't even think of joining the fight. You must run, run and run. Use everything in this shelter to hide your presence. You too, Ubo."
Two wolves nodded gravely.
At last, the system message appeared.
[Elias Deathwill's Successor Quest #3]
[Protect Sara's daughter.]
[Reward: Sword Mana(S)]
[By killing the Ghoul, the legendary class system will analyze the shelter's outline and find the gaps in the Deathwill Castle's grounds. If there's none, you should be wary of the third party's dangers.]
Alex clenched his hands, 'Is there really a gap? But on the second thought… Elias Deathwill needed people to keep the castle and its facilities prospering. Some gaps might appear over time…'
Unlocking facilities within the castle would help Alex, and his beloved grow in strength. But if those facilities had gaps, then unlocking them meant bringing new dangers to Deathwill Castle.
What would happen if Alex and Remia left the shelter alone? Would that Ghoul continue sleeping here, or maybe something worse would happen?
'If we left him alone and he woke up during Remia's absence, then it would take some time for others to notice him… He potentially could silently leave the shelter and plot something from within…' Alex thought.
And the more he thought, the deeper his killing intent became.
He opened his system, the inventory, then donned himself in his new and powerful Wolfgang Set.
He took out the Ice Breath, the only weapon lacking in stats, "We must kill him, Remia."
Remia heard the importance behind those words. Just protecting Celia wouldn't be enough, but her safety was still of the utmost importance.
Alex softly asked, "There's no forest around. Is that a problem?"
"If there's no forest, then I have to make one," Remia whispered sweetly to Alex, then uttered the words he had never expected to hear so soon, "Ultimate Skill."
[Remia has used her Ultimate Skill.]
