The sudden commotion didn’t just catch Xiaoquan’s attention. Sean, the investigation team captain, and Trigonometric Function and Yichen, who were discussing the Treant Lord with him, also heard the violent coughing.
Sean’s expression shifted, and he quickly turned to the grassy area nearby.
There, a young man was coughing in agony, his once-handsome face now marred with terrifying black veins, looking utterly ghastly.
The other members of the investigation team, ignoring their own wounds, gathered around him with worried expressions.
Even more anxious was the young priestess tasked with healing, her hands trembling as she gripped her cross, repeatedly casting healing spells on the youth.
But the holy light, usually capable of dispelling all evil, seemed powerless now, barely making a difference.
“What’s going on? Why is Vika like this?” Sean hurried over.
“Captain… Captain, please save Vika! He’s in so much pain, and I… I don’t know what to do…” Hearing Sean’s voice, the priestess, Rosa, looked to him desperately, as if he were her lifeline.
“Calm down, Rosa. Don’t stop the healing spells. We’ll figure something out.” Though equally worried, Sean kept his composure, placing a hand on Rosa’s shoulder to steady her.
At that moment, a mature-looking warrior from the team spoke in a low voice. “Captain, remember when Vika was hit by a Twisted Flower Demon while covering our retreat? I suspect he’s been poisoned by it.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve seen the symptoms of that poison before. It’s likely.”
Sean slammed his fist against a tree. “Damn it.”
Unlike the two, the other team members seemed relieved. A female mage spoke up. “I recall the antidote for the Twisted Flower Demon’s poison can be made from Corrupted Vine roots. The Black Prison Forest has those plants, and the other ingredients are common enough…”
Before she could finish, Sean cut her off. “The Corrupted Vines in the Black Prison Forest are nearly extinct due to the anomaly. They’re not that easy to find.”
“No, there’s one place…” another young warrior piped up, as if recalling something.
“Right, that place definitely has Corrupted Vines,” others chimed in, catching on.
Sean’s face darkened. “Are you all insane? You know how dangerous the Shadow Swamp is. I won’t risk your lives.”
“But we have to save Vika, Captain!”
“Captain, take me there. I’ve mostly recovered.”
“We won’t abandon a comrade. Count me in.”
The team’s pleas made Sean’s eyes flicker with conflict, clearly torn.
Trigonometric Function, who’d been observing, saw his chance. He’d been chatting with Sean since accepting the “Investigate the Treant Lord’s Domain” task, ostensibly to gather intel but really waiting for this moment.
“Captain Sean, why not let us handle finding the Corrupted Vines?”
“No, honored adventurers, you’ve already done enough. The Treant Lord is dangerous enough—I can’t let you walk into even greater peril,” Sean said, a glint in his eyes, but he shook his head, his faith preventing him from agreeing. “Besides, Soma Town is still in danger. We can’t delay you. We’ll handle it ourselves.”
“A single life is still a life. The Goddess of Light wouldn’t abandon any follower,” Trigonometric Function said, knowing exactly how to persuade him. “Your team is already injured. In this state, facing strong monsters could lead to disaster. Do you want your comrades to suffer because of your decision?”
Finally, he added a reassuring push. “Don’t worry. Adventurers are far more resilient than you think. We’re your best bet.”
Sean closed his eyes, silent for a moment, before relenting.
“I understand. Follow the path to the Treant Lord’s domain. When you see purple cedar trees, head northwest, and you’ll find a misty black swamp—that’s the Shadow Swamp.”
“The Corrupted Vines are deep in the Shadow Swamp. Here are some Mistshadow Lamps to dispel the fog,” Sean said, preparing his team. “Time’s short. I’ll take my team to gather the other antidote materials. We’ll meet at the end of the Shadow Swamp. Rosa, Machika, take Vika back to town.”
System: Dungeon Side Quest [Search for Corrupted Vines] activated.
“Got it. We’ll handle the Shadow Swamp.”
“Be extremely careful, and thank you sincerely for your help!”
“No need for thanks. All for the Goddess of Light.”
As they prepared to part ways, Sean added solemnly, “Oh, I’ve never been there myself, but I’ve heard rumors. Be cautious when using magic in the Shadow Swamp.”
Though puzzled, Trigonometric Function didn’t dwell on it, nodding and leading the team in the direction indicated.
“We got the side quest. We should be able to clear it this time,” Trigonometric Function said, checking the task panel with newfound confidence.
But catching Yichen’s signature glasses-pushing gesture out of the corner of his eye, he knew he couldn’t escape. With a wry smile, he raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, what do you want to ask?”
“Pretty self-aware, huh?” Yichen said. “I just want to know why, after only one run, you seem so familiar with this dungeon’s flow.”
From the conversation with Sean to waiting for the side quest instead of rushing off, everything felt too smooth—like they weren’t blindly exploring a new dungeon.
“We just wanted to try it out. Didn’t expect that post to be… well, so far, it’s all true.”
“Post?” Yichen caught the key word.
Trigonometric Function didn’t hide anything. He opened the forum in-game, pulling up a recently bookmarked post to show Yichen while explaining.
“This dungeon opened at midnight today. We were in the second batch. I checked the forum for any guides or tips, and I actually found this strategy post.”
‘Irresponsible Guide Team’ Alwyn Empire Guide – Black Prison Forest Dungeon Basic Strategy (Progress: Normal)
Seeing the post’s title, Yichen’s eyelid twitched. If Trigonometric Function hadn’t pointed it out, he’d have dismissed it as a prank.
Noticing Yichen’s reaction, Trigonometric Function understood. “I thought it was fishy too at first. But after wiping on easy mode and feeling frustrated, I remembered this post. I checked it out, and the first few points matched the dungeon almost perfectly. It didn’t seem like random nonsense.”
“Could be a trap guide by some veteran troll,” Yichen said, skimming the post. The early parts aligned closely with their experience, even detailing how to complete the side quest and its rewards.
Having played plenty of MMOs, Yichen knew about deceptive guides that seemed legit to lure newbies, only to throw in a fatal misstep at a critical moment to cause a wipe.
“You can trust this one. Check the comments,” Trigonometric Function said.
Yichen scrolled to the bottom. Despite only a thousand views, the post had dozens of comments, most of them normal—unlike the toxic mess typical of troll guides.
“The poster also wrote a Soma Town guide before, with hidden quest clues and chest locations. People tested it, and it matched, so they’re probably not a troll,” Trigonometric Function added.
“Sounds like a dedicated studio,” Yichen mused, noting the 30-credit-point paywall for further details. “They’re likely using this dungeon to build their studio’s rep for future growth.”
“Makes sense,” Trigonometric Function agreed. “But this guide is a godsend for casual players.”
Major guilds had dedicated pioneering teams, and top-tier ones even employed analysts and number-crunchers. Casual players, meanwhile, had to fumble through dungeons blindly. This guide, with its reasonable price, bridged that gap significantly—a rare gem.
If they knew the true intentions of a certain someone, they might not be so quick to sing praises.
…
“Achoo!”
“Feels like someone’s praising me behind my back?” I sneezed out of nowhere, glancing around. Then a thought struck me. “But why did I sneeze?”
“…”
“…Maybe I did something too shady?”
It made sense, so I added a few more traps to the dungeon.