—Creak!
Opening the wooden door, Adrian and Leticia stepped out of the dimly lit room and began to ascend the winding stone staircase.
As they climbed, the sound of their footsteps echoed off the walls, creating an eerie atmosphere.
After a few minutes, Adrian paused and motioned for Leticia to stop.
He peered cautiously around the corner, checking to see if anyone was nearby.
When he saw that the coast was clear, he motioned for Leticia to follow him and they continued up the stairs.
The moment the sound of approaching footsteps reached their ears, Adrian seized Leticia's hand and pulled her to the left, down a narrow corridor.
They stopped around the corner and Adrian peeked behind the rough stone wall.
There, his cerulean eyes spotted a group of children following a black-robed man in the distance.
Since they were coming from different directions than his previous cell, it seemed many children were being held captive in this dungeon.
Adrian turned to the girl beside him and asked.
"Did you see those children there?"
Leticia peeked over before eventually nodding her head.
"We will join them."
"What?"
Leticia was perplexed.
Adrian took out his handkerchief and tied it around his head, hiding his distinctive white hair.
Since Annelise—the upper organization had visited him, he concluded that the resident of this dungeon must have known about him.
Soon, Adrian continued.
"It's too risky to keep wandering around this dungeon without knowing where we're going."
It would be ridiculous if they were caught after attempting to run away, wouldn't it?
Leticia looked at him skeptically, but after a moment's hesitation, she nodded in agreement.
"I understand."
Adrian stared at the sword in his grasp, its weight and size making it impossible to hide.
With a heavy heart, he decided to leave it behind.
As they approached a fork in the corridor, Adrian and Leticia swiftly turned right and made their way toward a group of children.
They attempted to blend in by acting as inconspicuous as possible.
Joining the group, Adrian struck up a conversation with a brunette boy next to him.
"Where are we going?"
The boy turned to him, his face adorned with a wide grin, and answered with an excited tone.
"How could you forget? We're going to meet our parents!"
"I see."
Adrian nodded in acknowledgment, realizing that the black-robed man was using the same deceitful tactic to mislead the children.
As they approached a door, the guide stopped and looked at the group of children.
He frowned and muttered to himself.
"Huh? Are there twelve of you? Did I miscount?"
After a brief silence, he shrugged indifferently.
"Whatever."
He opened the door for them and gestured inside.
"Please, proceed."
They entered and the thick scent of herbs filled Adrian's nostrils.
The space was cluttered with an array of research devices, reminiscent of the ones he had seen in the Tower.
Ten iron chairs were neatly arranged in a row, each with its own 2x2m space and separated by cubicle curtains on either side.
"I miscounted, so there are actually 12 of them."
The guide said apologetically.
The man behind the desk, who was dressed in a white robe like a doctor, responded calmly.
"Oh, I see. Not a problem, we can simply bring in some extra chairs."
He was an old man with glasses and his age was estimated around the seventies.
"I understand."
The black-robed man nodded and left the room.
The old man stood up and addressed the group, gesturing towards the chairs.
"Please, have a seat."
The children started moving around, jostling for the best seats, leaving Adrian and Leticia standing awkwardly at the back of the room.
The old man turned to them and smiled warmly.
"Please wait a moment, my assistant will be right back."
"I understand."
Adrian answered nonchalantly and the old man turned away to attend to something on a nearby shelf.
Nevertheless, he couldn't shake the nagging sensation that something was amiss.
Upon feeling a tight squeeze on his sleeve, Adrian turned and saw Leticia staring at him with a worried expression.
She leaned in and whispered urgently.
"Ian, I don't like this. Something doesn't feel right."
Well, it would be a lie if he didn't feel the same way.
He had assumed that the children would be isolated for quarantine, allowing him to search for a map of the dungeon.
However, it became apparent that this was not the case—his plan had backfired; he had miscalculated.
"Ian…"
Leticia called for him and her grip on his sleeve only tightened, indicating her growing unease.
Adrian glanced over at the old man, who was busy looking at something on a shelf.
Without wasting any more time, he grabbed Leticia's hand and rushed toward the door, however—
—Bang!
The door swung open, revealing a black-robed man holding two chairs in his hands.
The man's eyes fell on them and let out a snort of disdain.
"No wonder there are extra kids. It turns out, you're bugs."
Upon hearing his sharp comment, the doctor turned around and after assessing the situation, he asked in a calm tone.
"Can you take care of them?"
"They're just a bug, it won't take long."
"Alright."
It was evident that, in their eyes, Adrian was nothing but an insignificant nuisance.
—Click! —Click! —Click!
The room was filled with the sound of clicking, like the whirring of a machine.
The children's voices trembled as they spoke, their fear palpable in the air.
"W–what is this?!"
"No!! Get me out of here!"
Leticia darted at the commotion and saw the children's hands were bound by thick metal cuffs that originated from the chairs they were sitting on.
—Swish!
The cubicle curtains slid closed as the doctor entered one of the rooms.
—Thud! —Thud!
The man in front of Adrian dropped his chair and unsheathed his sword.
"Since I'm feeling a bit bored, I thought we could play together for a while."
The man in the black robe tilted his head from side to side, and the sound of cracking bones was heard.
"Quick, go and hide."
With a stern tone, Adrian ordered Leticia.
"Be careful."
She warned before scurrying across the room and took cover behind a sturdy wooden desk in the far corner.
Adrian and the black-robed man exchanged serious stares as they circled each other, each waiting for the other to strike.
Suddenly, an ear-piercing wail echoed throughout the room, causing both of them to turn toward the source of the sound.
"Aaarrgghh!! AaarrRRGGHH!!"
—Splat!
Splashes of crimson blood speckled the curtain and the boy screamed out in agony, the sound of desperation and panic echoing throughout the room.
Leticia's heart pounded in her chest, and she could feel the sweat on her palms as her eyes fixated on the silhouette of the boy behind the curtain.
A sickening gurgling noise pierced the air when the boy's bones began to twist and contort, the sound of snapping and crunching filling the air.
"AARRGGHHH!!"
With each passing moment, the boy's body gradually grew in size until it suddenly stopped with a deafening screech.
"Kiieeeekkk!!"
Leticia fell on her backside, her eyes stretched wide in horror.
What in the world had she just witnessed!
Soon, the frightened voices of the children filled the room.
"W-what is that sound?"
"Help!! There are monsters here!!"
"Huuaaa!!"
Amidst the chaos, the old man's calm voice pricked her ears.
"Hmmm… this one failed."
Shortly after, a loud thud was heard and the curtain slid open.
The old man exited the room, but the kid was nowhere to be found.
Upon noticing a thin line in the floor, Leticia assumed it was a switch that could directly dump the kids below.
The old man entered a new room and the kid immediately shouted the moment he saw him.
"No!! Don't come near me!! Aarrrghhh!!!"
"Pfftt."
Adrian turned around as he heard a chuckle, only to find the black-robed man laughing.
"Quite an amusing sight, isn't it?"
He asked with a wry smirk on his face.
Ignoring him, Adrian peeked at his status window. **
Fortunately, the gap in their strength was not too significant.
Although the Mana around here was jumbled, Adrian thought he had a chance.
"Tsk."
The black-robed man clicked his tongue in annoyance and spat his mind.
"When someone is speaking to you, it's important to respond!"
Without warning, he lunged forward and swung his sword toward the white-haired boy.
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