This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 234, Section 233: The Heroes
Oath City, Council Hall.

Inside the magnificent council hall, the light of dawn illuminated the entire space through the high windows.

Archbishop Ditas of Light was dressed in a plain white robe, with a golden holy emblem faintly shining on his chest. Duke Brunus was in full military attire, his knuckles unconsciously tapping the map on the table. Grand Duke Lorenzo, the master of Oath City, sat in the main seat, but his brows were deeply furrowed.

“I just received an urgent report,” Grand Duke Lorenzo’s voice was low and tense. “Angus Harbor has fallen. The Serpent People led the attack, followed by eight Imperial warships storming the port. Count Angus… seeing that all was lost, sent out a final message and abandoned the city.”

"So after all that espionage, it's finally time for the main course," Duke Brunus scoffed, then asked with a hint of doubt, "Snake people? Is there such a race in the Empire?"

"But it exists in the far north."

"What are they plotting by taking Angus Port?" Brunus pressed.

"They probably want to bypass the formidable Redridge Mountains and join forces with the Empire's main force to attack Alama's High Fortress, creating a pincer movement." Lorenzo's finger traced a dangerous arc on the map. "Unfortunately, it's clear the Empire hasn't experienced a real war in too long; they haven't even mastered interfering with magic crystal communications. The intelligence reached us immediately."

Lorenzo continued, "Brennus, the crucial task of intercepting them is entrusted to you. If the opportunity arises, seize the port while they are still establishing themselves!"

“I don’t mind going,” Brunus nodded, then changed the subject, “but what about the food? Elwayne, how are things on your end?”

All eyes turned to a communication crystal floating in the center of the hall. The crystal flashed, and the voice of Sword Saint Elwin, who had just woken up, came from inside: "On my end? The demons really did send people to intercept the delegation. It's a pity I was too good at killing them. I wonder if there are any guys with titles among them."

"Who asked you that!" Brunus interrupted irritably. "I asked about the food! When will the elves' food arrive!"

"This hasn't gone so smoothly," the Sword Saint's voice betrayed his frustration. "The elves keep using the excuse that 'the Ancestral Tree cannot be easily awakened,' and they're only willing to provide one-third of the share!"

"What are those long-eared people thinking?!" Brunus slammed his fist on the table. "If we fall, will they really be able to escape unscathed?"

"Could it be..." Grand Duke Lorenzo's gaze slowly shifted to Archbishop Ditas, a hint of doubt in his eyes, "...that the matter of the Hero Summoning Ritual...has been leaked?"

Upon hearing this, Brunus also turned his gaze to the Archbishop of Light, who was in charge of the matter.

"Absolutely impossible!" Archbishop Ditas didn't even blink, his voice resolute!

That's really strange.

“Elvion,” Lorenzo said to the crystal, “inform the elves in detail about the fall of Angus Port and the formal invasion by the demons. This is no longer a small-scale conflict, but a full-scale war! According to the alliance, they should also contribute! Urge them to send supplies at all costs, and at the same time request their military support.”

He then looked at Brunus: "You go first, and I will prioritize supplying you with provisions! I will also immediately send envoys to the Dwarf Kingdom to persuade them to launch an offensive on the eastern border of the Empire to contain those vampires."

Brunus nodded: "That's the only way."

Grand Duke Lorenzo gave the Archbishop one last look. The fewer people who knew the details of the hero's affairs, the better. Now that he had entrusted everything to the Archbishop, he could only trust that the other party had not made any mistakes.
-
Silver Sand Bay.

The sun was already high in the sky when the garrison commander, Tanaka, leisurely strolled out of his residence and headed towards the garrison post.

This was his unchanging daily routine: taking a few followers to patrol around, skimming some money from various places, and finally ending this "hard-working" day in a tavern.

Not far away, a young mother held her child and watched as Tanaka's lazy figure disappeared around the street corner.

She tightened her grip on the infant in her arms, her voice extremely low: "How much longer do we have to keep watch like this? We already made several copies of the identification results for the advanced reconnaissance scroll using the recording crystal and sent them back... When will the higher-ups send someone to take over? Even if the level isn't high, this is a genuine hero! It's very dangerous to guard him like this every day!"

The child in her arms blinked her innocent big eyes, cautiously glancing around to make sure no one was there, before responding in a sharp, shrewd voice that was completely at odds with her small appearance: "What are you complaining about, Mengya! This is an incredible achievement, something many people would beg for! To deal with a hero, naturally we need a duke-level figure to personally take action, and we certainly can't know the whereabouts of someone of that level! Besides, before you set off, shouldn't you at least scout things out first? What if we fall into a human trap again, like last time?"

The fact that a demon duke was "lured" away by humans using a fake summoning ritual is arguably the most humiliating defeat for the demon race in nearly a century.

It's just that no one dares to hold anyone accountable for this.

On the other side, Tanaka, who was already level 24, walked out of a restaurant while shaving his teeth. He had just checked the food safety here and was quite satisfied with the results.

"Where to go next?"

Tanaka is satisfied with his current life and is also clear about what he is doing—abandoning his duty as a hero and becoming a security captain under a major slave owner.

He felt no burden about it.

In the past, he had too many responsibilities that he couldn't let go of, which led him to experience such a miserable life.

Now that I've come to this strange world, with no ties to me, what do the lives and deaths of others matter to me?

As for the great cause of defeating the demons and saving humanity... isn't there another beautiful heroine taking on that responsibility?
He'd rather leave the chance to be a hero to the younger generation; he just wants to live a comfortable life.

Unfortunately, this wish seems unlikely to be fulfilled.

In the middle of the night, Tanaka returned to his residence. He pushed open the bedroom door, and the cool moonlight illuminated the room through the open window.

A pale-faced yet exceptionally beautiful woman leaned against the door, a faint smile playing on her lips: "Welcome back, hero."

[Name: Eleanor de Knox]

Race: Vampire

【Level: 72】

Tanaka's pupils suddenly contracted. After a brief moment of astonishment, almost instinctively, he raised his finger with lightning speed!
However, that hand was instantly grasped by Eleanor's icy hand. A faint glimmer of light had just gathered at her fingertips, but before it could even emerge, it was forcibly suppressed in her palm.

click-

That was the sound of a finger being broken. The huge difference in their levels meant that Tanaka couldn't even put up a fight, but his expression didn't change much, which made Eleanor raise her eyebrows slightly.

Eleanor's voice carried a hint of lazy mockery as her red lips parted slightly, "What are you planning to do with my sister's memories? That's not very polite."

"If you're not going to kill me directly, what are you planning to do?" Tanaka asked.

“Go back with your sister, and you’ll find out everything.” Eleanor’s smile deepened, carrying an undeniable air.

Knowing the other person didn't want to talk about it, Tanaka stopped asking and just continued to complain to himself, "Don't you think it's weird to keep calling a middle-aged man 'older sister'? And while I like fair skin, you're way too fair..."

The next second, Tanaka's figure began to become illusory and transparent without warning!

"What?!" Eleanor's smile froze instantly, replaced by astonishment. She reached out to grab it, but her fingers seemed to penetrate nothingness, passing straight through the rapidly dissipating figure!

Without a sound, without a burst of light or shadow, Tanaka's entire existence was like a drop of ink falling into clear water, silently spreading, fading, and finally dissolving completely into the silent air, leaving no trace.

A deathly silence enveloped the room.

Eleanor's outstretched hand froze in mid-air. The mocking smile vanished from her pale face, replaced by an incredulous astonishment, which was then consumed by a raging fire of anger.

"Gone...gone?" Her whispered voice trembled slightly, then was replaced by a sharp, rising tone, "How could this be?!"

She wasn't a naive newbie, but she still couldn't figure out how the other person disappeared. Even a clone spell couldn't be so seamless!

Not to mention that the opponent is only a level 24 guy, whose only special ability is [Memory Erasure]. How can he possibly cast a high-level spell that can fool her?
But the truth is, this level 24 guy ran away right under her nose, looking completely nonchalant!
What a shame!
A crimson energy suddenly exploded from her body, destroying the entire house in a short instant!

"Hero! I will remember the scent of your blood!"

The deafening roar instantly roused the sleeping Silver Sand Bay. The guards, disheveled and carrying torches, rushed over, staring in disbelief at the garrison commander's residence that had been almost completely razed to the ground.

They looked at each other, completely at a loss.

The next day, the island owner's imposing castle overlooking the bay quietly had its guard posts increased several times over...

Meanwhile, far away in the vast sea of ​​Yinsha Bay, a large ship was bobbing on the waves. "Ouch—!"

A suppressed wail of immense pain erupted from one of the ship's cabins!
Tanaka was like a boiled shrimp, clutching his right hand, curled up on the cold floor, his teeth grinding together, large beads of cold sweat soaking his forehead.

"Ouch... If I had known it would hurt this much, I wouldn't have pretended!" He was in so much pain that his vision blurred, and he squeezed out a broken complaint through his teeth.

After a long while, Tanaka finally let go, exhausted. He wiped the sweat-drenched oil from his face with trembling hands, climbed back onto the hard bed, and collapsed on it, panting heavily.

[Sloth, one of the Seven Deadly Sins (Unique Title): Creates an identical clone except for this title. Can be canceled at any time.]

He suddenly acquired this title a month ago. He didn't understand the specific conditions for obtaining it, but he figured out how to use it.

Tanaka was well aware that there were demons in Silver Sand Bay. They were business partners tacitly approved by the island lord, and he had no objection to it; it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

But recently, those two demons have been doing all sorts of different things around him, which means something completely different!
The demons seemed unaware that they could view the panel, and their disguise abilities couldn't fool them at all.

Considering his identity as a hero, he naturally thought of the potential dangers. He used his clone to attract attention early on, while his main body boarded a ship that no one recognized and made a quick getaway.

He wanted to live a peaceful, carefree life, but that's a bit difficult in this world...

Gazing at the undulating, dark blue waves outside the porthole, Tanaka rubbed his still slightly aching right wrist, a hint of confusion in his eyes: "Where... should we go next?"
-
Not far from Tanaka's drifting cargo ship, another girl, known as a "hero," is experiencing a completely different predicament.

The Tide Sanctuary, though located on the seabed, is not entirely filled with water. Instead, it is separated by enormous magical bubbles or dried-up halls, making it barely accessible for land-dwelling races to explore.

This is how it should be...

It was a closed room with the only exit being the pool of water in the center.

Several ugly fish-man corpses floated on the water, their dark red blood spreading in the water and emitting a strong fishy smell.

On the shore, several guards held up shields and watched the water warily.

"Is it possible to retreat the way we came in?" the hero Sophia asked with a glimmer of hope.

Priest Samuel shook his head: "That passage... has been completely sealed off by the merman spellcaster using reinforced mud. Forcibly clearing it isn't impossible, but it will take a considerable amount of time, and during that time, we won't have the resources to defend against that merman."

Sofia frowned.

The passages to the Tide Sanctuary are not simple straight lines, but rather a complex maze-like system. If one path is blocked, there are theoretically other options.

The problem is that the other side is clearly more familiar with the terrain than they are.

That fishman, despite not being of a high level, used the various traps and mechanisms within the sanctuary with unparalleled skill, and his fishmen were fearless in the face of death!

The sudden rise in water level forced the group to retreat to the enclosed room, creating a stalemate.

But this isn't a solution either. With the equipment they can buy in Silver Sand Bay, they can create magic bubbles that allow them to move in water, but these aren't suitable for high-intensity combat.

But once they went outside, they were forced to face attacks from the merfolk...

“Lady Sophia, the current situation is no longer suitable for training. I suggest that you return to the ship via the transfer array first,” Samuel advised.

"But that magic circle can only teleport one person at a time, and it will drain your magic power!" Sophia immediately retorted, her gaze sweeping over each of the guards around her. "What about you?"

“We will fight our way through and meet you on the ship,” the captain of the guards replied in a deep voice.

“Instead of letting you risk your lives…” Sofia pulled out an inconspicuous wooden handle from her bosom, one that looked as if it had been soaked in seawater and rotted away. “Why don’t we give this to them?! Isn’t this what they attacked us for?!”

[Artifact: Ocean Scepter (Fragment)]

If it weren't for the flashing information on the panel, anyone would have ignored this piece of wood as trash.

It's said to be a magical artifact, but its current purpose is unknown.

The merman also spoke in words: "Return the sacred object!"

Samuel's lips moved, as if he wanted to dissuade this near-surrender.

Bella, who had been staring intently at the damp ceiling with her silvery-white eyes, suddenly spoke up, uncertainly saying, "Lady Sophia, there might be a secret passage up there... some traces end there."

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze turned to the ceiling. Samuel waved his hand, and the captain of the guard felt a gentle force lift his body, making him cling to the ceiling like a gecko.

He quickly explored the area and soon made a discovery: "There is indeed a secret passage, but it's probably water behind it!"

"As long as there are no fishmen, there won't be a problem." Sophia's spirits lifted, and she decisively ordered, "Everyone, prepare the magic bubbles!"

Samuel could only nod in agreement.

Once everyone was enveloped in a faintly glowing transparent bubble, the captain of the guard took a deep breath and unleashed a fierce slash at the stone slab above!

The rubble mixed with the surging seawater poured down like a waterfall, but Samuel was prepared. His staff burst forth with light, lifting everyone up and struggling against the violent current to rush upwards!
"It's the outer courtyard!" As soon as she emerged from the breach, Sophia immediately recognized this relatively open area!

However, once the room was filled with water, the fish-men swam up through the breach.

The captain of the guard exchanged a glance with one of his guards, who understood immediately. He left the unit, swam back to the breach, and stopped the fishmen...

……

……

……

Climbing back onto the deck along the damp, cold ropes, Sofia finally felt the embrace of the scorching sun overhead. She took a deep breath: "I made it out!"

However, this brief moment of elation vanished as quickly as a bubble.

As she habitually scanned the returning group on the deck, her gaze sweeping over the tired yet familiar faces, she suddenly realized that one person was missing!
Where is Ron?

After a brief silence, the captain of the guard said in a flat, emotionless voice: "Ron... he carried out the rearguard mission."

"You're letting him cover our retreat?!" Sophia turned around abruptly, her voice rising as she looked at the captain of the guard in disbelief.

"Ensuring your safety is the highest priority." The captain's words were cold and resolute. "We will spare no effort, no matter the cost."

"At all costs?" Sophia repeated the four words, feeling almost breathless.

While she rationally understood the significance of doing so, this was also the first time since she came into this world that someone had died for her.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

After a long while, Sofia suddenly turned around, no longer looking at anyone, and silently walked towards the cabin.

The heavy cabin door closed behind her, cutting off the sunlight and sea breeze.

Bella's gaze lingered on the captain of the guard for a moment before she quickly followed Sophia and slipped into the cabin.

(End of this chapter)