Chương 45: Bloodfrost Bear

Adolin leaned against the illusory wall. A wind spell lingered around his nostrils, constantly purifying the air. The room smelled of rot and sweat. After getting used to fresh air in the new world, he no longer enjoyed the smells that followed him in the Demon Continent. In front of him, the others were already deep in discussion about what to do next. They had found themselves in a terrible situation. For most of them, aside from Edrin, this place meant certain death.

And two members of their party were still missing.

"One of them left the room we were in," William said, his hand resting on his chin.

"They entered the dungeon just like us." Edrin leaned against the opposite wall, only a few steps away from the corrupted's corpse. His armor had already been cleaned of blood, and he had changed into a fresh set of clothes from his inventory.

"They're trying to corrupt the dungeon," he said.

"Or it's already corrupted, and they're waiting for something." Steel rang softly against stone as Edrin tapped his armored leg.

"What should we do, my Lord?" one of the soldiers asked. Edrin stayed silent for a moment.

"I'm not sure," he admitted.

"What about the others?" Clay asked.

"If they were separated and ended up alone, they'll stay in the first room they entered through," William said, pointing toward an entrance in the distance.

"We should be able to find at least one of them through there. But if they both ended up together, they probably already left the starting room. Finding them would come down to luck." The room had four entrances. One was the path Adolin had come through, another was where Revel and Edrin had entered from, and two more remained. One led deeper into the dungeon, while the last connected to another room that led to the exit of the dungeon.

"How can we be sure they aren't part of the dungeon?" Revel asked. Edrin stopped tapping his leg, "We can wait another two hours. Less now, probably. If they aren't part of the dungeon, the creatures should respawn by then. That would prove the theory." He glanced toward the corpse of the corrupted commander.

"But based on how afraid they were of death, I'd say their deaths are permanent."

"That can't be a good sign." She fidgeted slightly.

"Nothing good ever comes when the corrupted are involved."

"Do we head deeper into the dungeon?" Clay asked.

"No." Edrin shook his head.

"You'd just be walking to your deaths. If the pattern continues, a corrupted general will be waiting in the next room. You'll be lucky if you can even take a step." Revel paced around the group.

"What are they trying to do? I can't find a reason for this." She stopped suddenly.

"If this is some kind of attack on the Capital, then even if they succeed, all it would do is send more reinforcements to the front lines. Every noble in the Empire would send soldiers." Her expression darkened.

"The North would receive enough strength to launch a counterattack against them." Edrin crossed his arms.

"I should've captured it and questioned it." He frowned.

"But I got lost in the thrill of the fight."

"Why would the corrupted go so far behind the front lines just to enter a dungeon?" Edrin asked.

"Nothing good, that's certain," Revel said.

"But whatever they're planning, I don't think we can allow them to finish it. If they do…" She frowned slightly.

"I just know it won't be good for anyone near the Capital. If they're willing to risk the empire sending even more troops to the front lines…" She stopped at that. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. William stepped forward.

"I will come with you, my Lord." Edrin didn't even look at him.

"No," he said, shaking his head.

"I agree. They can't be allowed to finish whatever they started. There are too many people in and around the Capital." No one said anything after that. The mood only worsened as more time passed. Everyone was worried about the two missing men. If they had gone deeper into the dungeon, rescuing them would be nearly impossible. But leaving the corrupted free to continue whatever they had started wasn't a good option either. And realistically, only Edrin and Adolin could move deeper into the dungeon.

The others would only slow them down. Still, it wasn't his decision. If Edrin chose to go deeper, Adolin would follow. He already knew what Edrin's choice would be. He just wasn't sure how to volunteer yet. He would figure something out when the time came. Adolin could feel the tension growing around him. Everyone kept glancing toward Edrin, as if waiting for him to announce that he would be going deeper into the dungeon alone. William tried to speak several times, but stopped himself every time.

Adolin agreed with Revel. Whatever the corrupted were doing inside the dungeon, it couldn't be anything good. The monster attacks on the village alone were enough reason for him to want to deal with them. Time passed slowly as everyone kept watching the entrance leading deeper into the dungeon. Adolin wasn't that interested in scouting it. He already knew a powerful enemy was waiting ahead, so scouting it out wouldn't change anything. Well, maybe it would, but he would have enough time to do so before they entered.

In the center of the room, a creature appeared. Everyone immediately turned toward it, while Edrin stepped forward and drew his blade. It was massive, covered in white fur with a crimson stripe running down the middle of its back. Long razor-sharp claws glinted beneath the dungeon's artificial light. The creature rose onto its hind legs and roared at them.

"Bloodfrost Bear," William muttered, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Adolin didn't feel much danger from the creature. If anything, the Spider Queen he and Clay had faced earlier was several times stronger. Had they accidentally entered the hardest section of the dungeon first? Everything else he had seen so far felt far weaker. Aside from the corrupted. But they weren't part of the dungeon, something the creature in front of him only confirmed further.

The murder rabbits from the first room were also much deadlier than the creatures the soldiers had faced in the swamp. Not individually, but as a swarm. He could be wrong about that. The only dungeon creatures he had seen so far were the ones in front of him and the ones in the swamp. He shrugged. It didn't really matter. William stepped beside Edrin.

"You need to rest for the next room, my Lord." He glanced at him.

"Leave this one to me." Edrin nodded and sheathed his blade. The creature was already charging toward them when William moved. Killing intent erupted inside the room, though it wasn't even close to what Edrin and the corrupted commander had released earlier. It still affected everyone present, but they could move through it if they wanted to. The fight ended in less than two minutes. William won with overwhelming strength. Taking the creature's head had ended the battle. He was left without a scratch.

They returned to the corner they had been standing in earlier.

"I will move deeper into the dungeon," Edrin said. Adolin noticed that almost everyone wanted to object. Except William. His expression never changed. Edrin raised his hand, quieting everyone before they could speak.

"If I feel there is no chance for me to win, I will retreat. You have my word." That seemed to calm them slightly.

"What about us?" Clay asked.

"You'll go through the third entrance and look for the rest of my men," Edrin said.

"If you find them, leave the dungeon immediately and wait for reinforcements to arrive." His expression hardened slightly.

"And if you don't find them, leave anyway. Don't stay inside the dungeon longer than necessary."

"That's an order," Edrin added firmly. Adolin agreed with him. It was the best plan Edrin could come up with, considering their circumstances. Maybe if they had more information about what the corrupted were doing inside the dungeon, there would've been more options. But they didn't. And every corrupted they had encountered was already dead. Now, how was he supposed to volunteer? Would Edrin even allow him to come? He wasn't sure, but he had to go with him.

Pulling Edrin aside and speaking privately was probably the easiest option. Otherwise, the others would panic the moment he mentioned it. That was probably the best approach.

"Dareth," Edrin said, gesturing for him to come over. Adolin tilted his head. That was easy. He didn't even need to do anything. He walked over to Edrin, and the two moved away from the others. Edrin got straight to the point.

"You're coming with me, aren't you?"