Chapter Forty-Seven: The Wings of the Butterfly

Several people had already been killed; even Zuo Panglong was dead, and the enmity between both sides was probably deeper than that of a cuckold’s hatred. Even if one surrendered, there was no guarantee that the other wouldn’t turn on them the next moment. The only unique hidden class was indeed formidable—having two such classes would be overwhelmingly powerful. Yet, even a blind fist can sometimes fell a master.

Zhao Nan touched his nose, gazing at the person peeking out from behind the tree trunk. His face was blackened with soot, the result of smoke. His eyes were filled with fear, longing, and a hint of hope; after all, Zhao Nan’s staff, used to strike him, was still suspended in midair.

Before the man could speak, the poised staff crashed down with even greater ferocity, like a club smashing a watermelon. His head, however, did not burst open like a watermelon, spilling red and green everywhere; he merely saw stars and fell limply beneath the tree.

Zhao Nan sighed, setting his staff across the entrance. All his skills’ cooldowns had long since ended, and a new round of relentless skill bombardment began, as if he were firing at gigantic targets right before him.

Their screams were unsettling; Finina furrowed her brows, hid behind Zhao Nan, and covered his ears with her hands, keeping them there until all sound ceased. The place where the staff had struck was now a block of charcoal. Zhao Nan tapped it, knocking off the black residue, then began to listen intently.

Wind of Listening.

Within the cave, only one faint breathing could be heard. After three minutes, it persisted, growing stronger. Ten minutes later, the breathing was normal, and Zhao Nan could hear the sound of difficult, dragging movements.

“Let’s go down,” Zhao Nan said, turning his head. The two descended gently. The corpses before them were cold and lifeless, the thick smoke lingering on the rocks, staining everything in a blackened layer. The cave’s temperature was oppressive, almost unbearable.

Amid the many corpses, one man sat motionless, eyes vacant as he watched the pair approach. He stared in terror, scrambling backward with twisted legs and frantic movements, like he’d seen the devil. “Stay away! Don’t come any closer!”

Corrosive Vines!

The man had lost all will to resist, wrapped tightly like a rice dumpling. The constricting vines made it hard for him to breathe. Zhao Nan crouched before him, not bothering to scrutinize, and after a brief silence, asked, “Why isn’t Liang Sihao the president of the ‘Blood Shadow’ guild?”

His terror intensified; he gasped desperately. Perhaps, to him, every minute of silence meant another minute of life, and time had become precious.

“I can freeze your legs into blocks of ice and then shatter them piece by piece. Don’t worry, since they’re frozen, your blood won’t flow, so you won’t lose too much. Even if you grow weak, I still have healing potions, don’t I? I need to try every interrogation method I know to see if you’re loyal enough to face your lost companions.”

Zhao Nan stood, his staff pointing between the man’s legs, a chilling smile on his face. “So, should I shatter here first? This spot?”

The staff slowly moved upward along the man’s legs.

“I’ll talk!” he cried.

Zhao Nan pulled back his staff slightly, crouching before the man’s eyes, serious and attentive. “I’m listening.”

“Captain Liang Sihao was killed by Chief Zuo Panglong!”

His eyes darted wildly, searching for escape. Zhao Nan cared little for these signs; his only concern was his next question. “Why?”

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“Chief and Captain argued about founding the guild. The Captain opposed using all their funds to buy the guild token. The situation escalated, they fought, and Chief accidentally killed Captain.”

“Accidentally, huh?” Zhao Nan sneered coldly.

Even he couldn’t believe such an explanation. The man looked embarrassed, but Zhao Nan continued, “You’ve already sent news of this back to the guild, haven’t you? Through the guild channel?”

“Since you know, why not let me go?” Sensing a chance for survival, his tone shifted strangely. “My brothers are already on their way! The guild channel is in chaos! Let me go, I can help you escape—how about it?”

“Where are they now?”

“In the Sharp Mantis region, they’ll be here soon.”

Zhao Nan nodded. The vines’ effect ended, vanishing into thin air. The man rejoiced, scrambling to his feet, only to find a staff pressed against him as he looked up.

He didn’t even have time to react; his pupils widened in horror, and flames engulfed his head.

“Pick up everything you can salvage. Don’t waste anything,” Zhao Nan said to Finina.

…

Here was a lush hill, from which the distant city of Dongyuan could barely be seen, though the actual distance was vast.

The ‘Blood Shadow’ members were probably still searching the original area, unaware that the two had moved to the outskirts of Dongyuan’s map, amid swarms of level 10 monsters.

Zhao Nan tapped his bracelet; this dungeon’s experience had lasted about ten days, yet only an hour had passed in Dongyuan City. Apparently, time in the fantasy dungeon flowed at a ratio of one to one year.

Calculating in his mind, Zhao Nan curiously opened his quest panel.

His base stats—constitution, strength, spirit, agility—had each increased by five points. Meanwhile, his defense now included several immunity effects.

“Toxin Immunity: reduces poison damage by fifty percent.”

“Sleep Immunity: …”

“Stun Immunity: …”

…

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A string of immunities dazzled Zhao Nan; this essentially shielded him from all manner of status effects. Next was regeneration—tripled in strength.

Currently, Zhao Nan’s state allowed him to automatically recover 50 health and 50 mana every ten seconds. Now, the numbers soared to 150 each. Moreover, this regeneration wasn’t fixed; it would increase as his level rose.

Finina was in exactly the same condition.

Zhao Nan chuckled; this dungeon trip had been more than worthwhile. Though he hadn’t gained true immortality, the immunities alone justified the effort. Not to mention the triple recovery speed—he was perpetually regenerating health and mana.

He then remembered that in the recent battle, neither he nor Finina had used healing or mana potions much. Even though Finina had suffered many skill attacks, she hadn’t been significantly weakened.

With ‘Rock Armor’ alone, such resilience was impossible. Clearly, these immunity effects were at work.

Still, the rewards had not ended. The dungeon quest’s reward itself hadn’t been claimed yet. Unfortunately, the full moon was two days away, so the reward had to wait.

“By the way, Nan, do you actually know the ‘Blood Shadow’ people? That Liang Sihao?” Finina asked curiously.

Zhao Nan nodded, sighing, “I’ve met him before. He’s a warm-hearted man. If not for the guild token, he’d still be alive.”

I’ve changed some history, Zhao Nan thought to himself.

At this moment, aside from a sense of guilt, he only felt regret. After all, Dongyuan City’s future would lose a champion for peace because of Liang Sihao’s death.

But true peace never existed in this world. Zhao Nan’s gaze lingered on the wandering monsters; as long as they remained, so would chaos.

Suddenly—

“Ding! Congratulations to player Simon Yu for founding the ‘Purgatory’ guild, becoming Dongyuan City’s third guild…”

The system prompt sounded abruptly. Before Zhao Nan could process the news, another system message followed.

“Ding! Congratulations to player Nanyang Sheng for founding the ‘Guardian Knights’ guild, becoming Dongyuan City’s fourth guild…”

But—what was the second guild?

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