Eldritch Horror Theatre

What enviable competitiveness. She truly lived up to her title as the Giant Serpent Maiden handpicked by the Dean.

Seeing Professor Lisa hesitate briefly before readily admitting she would rather endure a bit more of the withering to win back some face, Fu Qian marveled at her vitality.

In truth, all the way down to this Depth, he had never stopped sensing the withering she had spoken of.

It was a peculiar power, and her description of it had been remarkably accurate.

It was freezing, but not like actual frost; rather, it felt like life itself was losing its warmth.

This silent place was assimilating every living creature that entered it, bypassing the traditional process to inject an abstract concept of Death directly into the body.

Its Rank was exceptionally high, and it seemed to be an essential attribute of this realm, making it impossible to escape. Fortunately, the effect was very weak.

This was likely why previous explorers had described it as "hard to withstand."

If it had been any stronger, their assessment would have been "fatal."

But for Lisa, who hadn't even reached the Demigod Realm, it clearly wasn't so easy.

"Is it just me?"

Hearing that she was suffering from the withering, Fu Qian smiled and crossed the bridge to venture deeper, respecting her resilience through his actions as he casually threw the question back at her.

...

For Professor Lisa, who was already gritting her teeth to endure the environment, the sheer malice of his behavior washed over her.

Fortunately, she hadn't held high expectations for his character to begin with. She followed him without hesitation.

Instead, it was his question that stirred a wave of emotion within her.

"What do you mean?"

Reacting subconsciously, her normally hazy, slender eyes flickered with a brilliance far exceeding their usual state, like a burning fire of life.

"Corpses in the Underworld are indeed a somewhat paradoxical concept."

Fu Qian pointed at her eyes.

"But the feeling you're resisting right now—I believe it inevitably makes you think of the dead."

"So what is it you want to see? My confident self failing to explain it when the time comes, or actually having an answer?"

"...I originally thought there might be another explanation."

Fu Qian's words brought about a long silence. By the time Lisa spoke again, their surroundings were gradually brightening.

It wasn't because they had stumbled upon some hidden settlement deep in the yellow earth. Fu Qian knew very well that the extra light filtering in came from the direction of the giant pit.

Following this winding passage, they had smoothly descended to a lower level and arrived at the edge of the giant pit once more.

"Unfortunately, not long after entering this place, I realized this contradiction might be unavoidable."

It was hard to say if Lisa had also maintained her sense of direction, but she at least reacted calmly to the "dawn" before them. Her voice was low, like a murmur.

"If the Underworld truly exists, I believe this is exactly what it would feel like... But in that case, unless we fail to find the corpses mentioned in the Linghui Courtyard's records, it just doesn't make sense."

...

"It truly is peculiar."

They had encountered no obstacles along the way. Their pace seemed slow but was actually quite fast. As Fu Qian gave a slight nod, they found themselves standing right at the edge of the pit.

Looking out from here, they could confirm they had descended quite a distance.

Although they were still far from the bottom, the density and scale of the Bone Spirit constructs swimming through the mist at this level were far greater.

Fu Qian watched as a "crocodile"—more than ten times larger than the giant bat from earlier—tore a spiked sphere to pieces.

However, standing inside this "netherworld" was clearly less conspicuous than jumping straight down.

The torn-off Spikes converged onto the "crocodile," rapidly altering its form as if unlocking new biological components. Neither it nor the other Bone Spirits around it even glanced in their direction.

Observing this scene, Fu Qian expressed his understanding of Lisa's confusion.

Cass's indulgence toward her was not without reason.

The fundamental reason behind her seemingly willful act, driven by competitiveness just moments ago, was precisely her professionalism as an academic.

Before the operation, Professor Lisa had clearly studied Linghui's exploration report thoroughly, possessing ample theoretical knowledge.

Yet, because of this, the sensation brought on by the withering only made her realize more clearly that the paradox seemed inescapable.

What she had done earlier was merely convey this feeling to him, letting him share a portion of the burden.

"This thing should still be manageable."

Now having earned Fu Qian's approval, she noticed him stop to gaze outside. Clearly not forgetting the original purpose of their trip, she indicated that the creature would make good material.

"Indeed, its Rank is quite a bit higher than that bat's."

Fu Qian gave a slight nod, refraining from raising boring doubts like, "Can you handle it?"

In truth, he wasn't worried at all about her ability to handle it.

Although the creature before them was far stronger than the giant bat, he couldn't sense any divinity from it. It wouldn't impose any conceptual suppression on a Tier 4.

Not to mention, given Cass's high regard for her, it wouldn't be surprising if she was armed to the teeth with transcendent items. However—

"Aren't we going to check on the corpses first?"

Smiling, Fu Qian gestured in another direction.

It was a jagged, rocky cave, faintly visible as it sloped downward, proving it led to a deeper level.

...

'I knew it!'

Although her proposal had been rejected, Lisa instead felt a unique sense of relief in that moment, as if this was exactly how their guest should behave.

"Linghui's report mentioned this place, advising against venturing any deeper."

Still, a moment later, she gave a noncommittal response, fulfilling her duty to warn him.

"But they went deeper anyway?"

And sure enough, Expert Fu was entirely unmoved.

"Yes..."

"My Apocalypse Lineage is second to none."

Wearing a look of arrogance, Fu Qian immediately let out a cold snort.

Unfortunately, Professor Lisa didn't humor him. Not only did her blood not boil with excitement, but she silently walked straight into the cave.

Clearly, Linghui's warning was not without basis. After simply turning a corner, the sudden spike in discomfort almost made her want to tear off the restraint around her neck.

Naturally, she ultimately managed to forcefully suppress that thought.

'This...'

The very next moment, Lisa's footsteps faltered as she looked back in disbelief at Fu Qian, who had followed her.

In the blink of an eye, the immense pressure of the withering corrosion was being rapidly driven away.

It was hard to tell if it was just an illusion, but the interim spokesperson of the Apocalypse—who owed her a favor—seemed to exude a "reality" distinct from their surroundings.

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