Wasteland Lord: Starting from Thirty Days to Live

"Did any of the ghost stories your mother told you tell you how to avoid constantly returning to the same spot?"

Vittorio paused, then turned to Will, a hint of interest curving his lips.

Will thought for a moment.

"My mom told me that the witch would stir up a fog when she stirred the well water, but the fog only existed in people's minds, which meant that you could just close your eyes."

The group exclaimed in surprise.

"Are you kidding me? Closing your eyes in a place like this? Do you want us to fall to our deaths?"

While everyone else voiced their opposition, only Vittorio smiled with interest.

"An interesting theory."

Vittorio patted Will on the shoulder.

"Closing your eyes to dispel the fog in your mind? Sounds plausible. We're practically blind anyway. Let's try what he says; we can't just stay trapped here forever."

The group exchanged glances, seemingly somewhat disbelieving, but ultimately decided to heed Vittorio's advice.

Vittorio made a joking remark before closing his eyes.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, let the blindfolded adventure game begin."

He struck a pose, trying to appear relaxed.

"You'd better stay close, but don't get too close, or I might mistake you for that old hag who loves to stir up the well and chop you up—my swordsmanship isn't very good, so don't blame me if I accidentally hit the wrong person."

The crowd chuckled softly, easing the tense atmosphere slightly.

This time, Vittorio closed his eyes and began to feel his way forward, touching the wall as he went.

This time, because he had no view and was moving forward like a blind man, and because the ground was very slippery, he walked very, very slowly.

However, because he closed his eyes, his other senses became extremely sharp.

For example, his nose; you could smell a faint, fishy odor at the tip of his nose.

He could also hear something hovering around him.

But most importantly, he has a sixth sense.

He could feel something surround him the instant he closed his eyes, keeping face-to-face with him and staring intently at him.

Vittorio chuckled softly and gripped his sword tighter.

He deliberately used a volume that was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for everyone to hear, and spoke in a conversational tone.

"I mean, could it be that the old hag actually enjoys playing this kind of game? While we fools close our eyes, she secretly stands next to us, and even... mimics my footsteps and breathing?"

Upon hearing this, he felt the gaze seem to freeze for a moment.

Excellent, it seems "it" is listening.

Everyone got goosebumps.

Will begged for mercy repeatedly.

"My lord, my lord, please stop talking, my legs are a little weak."

Vittorio walked around with his eyes closed for a while, but the feeling of being watched never dissipated.

But the sound of flowing water gradually disappeared, and he wondered if he had broken out of the cycle. Just then, he heard cries for help again.

He suddenly opened his eyes, and this time, the scenery before him changed again. The flowing water beside him was gone, and a young man holding a torch and sitting on the ground appeared not far in front of him.

"You're finally back! Come help me up!"

"It's Tom!"

Vittorio heard the four men say excitedly.

They went over and helped Tom up. Although Tom was covered in dirt, he had only twisted his ankle and it wasn't a big problem.

Tom recounted that he also got lost here and was attacked by an unknown creature, twisting his ankle while trying to escape.

Only Vittorio stood outside the crowd, observing the newly arrived Tom.

"Is all of this a bit too coincidental?" he thought.

"This is terrible, let's get back to the cave entrance quickly," Will said.

Others agreed.

So they turned back, and this time they didn't encounter anything strange. They hadn't gone far when they saw a faint light ahead, which seemed to be the light of the exit.

And not far away stood a person holding a torch.

Could they be the people who were supposed to meet them?

Everyone got excited and walked forward with their heads down.

However, as they approached the man holding the torch, they heard a sound that terrified them.

"Help me! Help!"

The group exchanged glances, their brows furrowed, and cautiously approached the person who had called for help.

However, when they saw the person, they were dumbfounded.

The man was holding a torch, covered in soot, and twisting one leg.

Another Tom!

Everyone looked at the "new" Tom, then back at the "old" Tom, their gazes shifting back and forth between the two.

They look exactly alike, have exactly the same hair, are equipped with exactly the same gear, and even have the same blank expression.

But the usually laughable blank expression suddenly became extremely strange when two of them appeared in the dim underground cave!

"How can there be two Toms..." Will asked incredulously, then instinctively drew his sword.

"It must be the witch in disguise! Which one of you is the imposter? Tell me!"

The atmosphere instantly became tense.

Suddenly, "Old" Tom gave a strange laugh, his face splitting open as if shattered, revealing a lamprey-like mouthpart, which he shrieked at the crowd.

In an instant, all the torches went out.

In the darkness, Vittorio felt a gust of wind rushing towards him, but he had already gripped his sword, ready to fight at any moment.

The markings on his left arm glowed, and he swung his sword heavily.

"Perfect timing!"

His voice even carried a hint of excitement.

"I was just thinking it wasn't exciting enough!"

For a moment, Vittorio could only hear the sound of flesh colliding with iron. Naturally, flesh was no match for steel, and it was cut in half with a "whoosh".

"Holy Light".

Behind him, Eileen summoned a light source in time, illuminating the scene before her.

A giant, lamprey-like maw burst open before Vittorio's eyes, but Vittorio, relying on the markings on his left arm, held his sword horizontally in front of him, managing to withstand the monster's attack, and then counter-attacked!

The monster was slashed in the arm and collapsed at the slightest touch.

It hesitated for a second, then turned and fled into the depths of the cave, leaving a pool of blood on the ground and a severed finger.

Everyone was filled with doubt and surprise, but Vittorio calmly bent down and picked up the severed finger from the ground.

He held the fingertip with two fingers, brought it close to his eyes to examine it closely, and even smelled it before showing a look of disgust.

"Smells like chicken poop."

An ugly, green finger of an unidentified creature, resembling dry, old tree bark.

Someone swallowed hard.

"What exactly is that thing?"

"That's a witch, that's definitely a witch..."

Will kept repeating an incredulous expression.

"Whatever it is, it's that thing causing trouble; its ability is disguise."

Vittorio carefully wrapped the severed finger in cloth and tucked it into his pocket.

"It shouldn't be a witch. I guess it's probably some kind of... demon with a talent for acting, who likes to add drama to its own story."

The group was already quite unsettled by the series of shocks, and Louis was even trembling slightly.

"I feel a bit cold. Let's go up first, and we can come down and kill it once we've gathered enough people."

Vittorio's expression didn't change; he simply pointed to the wall.

"There's no going back. Look at that!"

Everyone looked in the direction he pointed, and there was a huge triangle on the wall, which was the mark they had just made.

There was no exit above, just a dark, damp stone ceiling.

They're still going around in circles!

Kai, who had been silent all along, was on the verge of a breakdown and angrily slashed his sword at the wall.

"It's no use, save your energy, we still have a long way to go."

"Go? What's the point? We can't get out of here. It'll be the same even if we go for another ten thousand years!" Kai said, somewhat devastated.

"no the same."

Vittorio's voice was calm and resolute. He looked around at everyone, and finally his gaze fell on the front of the deep cave, where it seemed as if an invisible giant mouth was gaping open.

"We have another option besides continuing on."

"What choice?"

Amid the skepticism, Vittorio slowly drew his sword, its blade reflecting holy light and flashing with a cold glint.

His signature sly and calculating smile reappeared on his lips.

"We can kill that thing too; I think it's the culprit."

Vittorio pointed to the deepest part, where the monster had disappeared.

Everyone fell silent.

"There aren't any other options now, are there?" Eileen concluded.

Vittorio nodded approvingly.

"Smart, Eileen."

His tone was light and cheerful, as if he were not going to explore a cave fraught with danger, but rather to participate in a fun treasure hunt.

"Now it's not the other way around; I'm the one going to it. I hope it can come up with something new this time... otherwise, I'll give it a bad review."

And so everyone embarked on their exploration once again.

The difference this time is that they did not distinguish between before and after.

Or rather, the past and future are meaningless; they don't know whether they are going deeper or returning to the entrance.

However, this time, the road ahead has changed again.

A fork in the road appeared before everyone's eyes.