Chapter 66: Amy’s Underlying Code

So, Lucoco spoke again, her featureless face turning towards the prostrated slaves, her voice icy.

“I dislike filthy blood. From now on, do not let me smell this lowly human blood again!”

As soon as the words fell, “As you command, my Lord!”

The monsters chorused, bowing their heads in reverence and fear.

The slaves couldn’t understand her words, but they clearly saw Lucoco’s expression of disgust.

The faint light in their eyes dimmed, their heads hung low, a resigned and deathly silence settling over them.

“However… hehehe…”

Lucoco suddenly let out a strange laugh, her voice low with a hint of eerie pleasure.

“This fear… I quite like it. Don’t let them die. Keep them well.”

“As you will, my Lord…”

A hunched figure with a BOSS identifier—a Dark Priest—lifted his head, his gaze devout and fervent.

This one must be the rumored minor boss of the dungeon…

Lucoco stared at him, her voice calm, yet the oppressive weight of her authority already pressing down.

“Where did these people come from?”

She finally voiced the question in her heart.

“My Lord, they were all ‘guided’ here from the [Exile Zone], sent into the dungeon to mine Magic Crystals.”

The priest answered truthfully, placing heavy emphasis on the word ‘guided’.

“You… are cooperating with humans?”

Lucoco keenly grasped the key point and pressed further.

“Yes, my Lord! Your awakening was also orchestrated by us and that… great one!”

The fervor in the priest’s eyes was hard to suppress, his voice gradually turning manic, finally erupting into a shout:

“Soon! You will surely reshape your body and return once more! Our King!”

“Who?”

Lucoco forcefully suppressed the turmoil in her heart, keeping her voice as calm as possible, uttering only a single word.

“This lowly one does not know… Only a few of the Lords know the true identity of that great one who has embraced the darkness…”

The priest lowered his head, his voice filled with self-reproach.

“What is your name?”

Lucoco’s form drifted forward, looking down upon this priest.

“In reply, my Lord, I am Zac!”

The priest lowered his head even deeper, his voice growing hoarse with excitement.

“Good, Zac.”

Lucoco deliberately infused a hint of pleasure into her voice.

A tentacle extended, and a scroll of Instant Teleportation (one of the ten given by the kingdom before departure) landed before Zac.

“The Players have gathered. This can save your life… Remember, spread my words from earlier.”

“As you command! Ha—my Lord—ha…”

Zac’s breathing became heavy.

With trembling hands, he picked up the scroll from the ground, clutching it to his chest.

His fanaticism transformed into clumps of faith, flowing towards Lucoco.

Lucoco took one last glance at the slaves who dared not look up and the piles of bones beneath the vines.

‘At least, this might allow more people to survive. There must be many similar things happening elsewhere. Directly releasing them would likely arouse their suspicion.’

She withdrew her gaze, directly dispersed her form, and hid within the lake, continuing to observe Zac.

…

Only after Lucoco’s projection had completely vanished did Zac slowly raise his head.

He caressed the scroll in his arms obsessively, muttering to himself, “We will indeed keep the livestock well~ Next time… we will surely offer you the purest sacrifice…”

At this point, a gleam suddenly flashed in his eyes, and his voice rose sharply.

“Ah~ yes, yes, yes! Those Players! The blood of Players! You will surely like it, hahahahaha…”

Finally, only cruelty and mad laughter remained on his face.

“Perfectly, there are many Players here right now… Ahahahaha~”

Laughing maniacally, he roused the monsters, and another round of whipping and [Siphon] began…

Lucoco remained hidden in the water, watching it all.

‘I’m sorry. But for now, you can at least survive… I will come to save you as soon as I can.’

She stopped watching and chose to leave with her consciousness.

The information in her mind was tangled like a mess; Lucoco needed to calm down and sort through it carefully.

Perhaps she could find an opportunity to use her projection to get more truth from those tight-lipped residents?

♢♦♢♦♢

That night, Lucoco slept straight through until noon.

Last night’s projection was a bit strange.

After her consciousness returned to her body, she directly lost the ability to think and fell into a deep sleep.

Rubbing her aching head, she stored the large box of potions into her backpack before slowly pushing open her door.

When she went downstairs, the tavern owner warmly greeted her, handing over a cup of water.

“Sir Knight, you’re awake~ Those three have already left ahead. Miss Are asked me to tell you she will wait for you outside the town.”

“Thank you~”

Lucoco nodded, took the water, and drank it in one gulp before turning to leave.

The owner saw her to the door, stopped, and said respectfully, “Take care, Sir~”

Then, he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He had just seen it—the magical glow that lit up on Lucoco’s hand after she took the cup.

It was definitely a spell to detect poison.

…

After leaving the tavern, Lucoco first went to the square.

After handing the box of potions to Adrian, she added a line to the quest:

[Players who follow the commands of Judgment Knight Ed can receive up to five chances at the prize wheel, with a chance to obtain a Level 50 Boss Treasure Chest and a Lord Treasure Chest.]

She didn’t say how many boss and lord chests were inside, nor the probability, nor what else was inside.

Let the players anticipate it themselves!

Just the allure of a Lord-level Treasure Chest was enough to make players die a dozen times over for it!

A slight smile curled her lips as Lucoco strode towards the town gate.

But she hadn’t taken two steps before the hem of her clothes was pulled.

Looking back, she saw Amy had caught up to her.

“Morning Light… aren’t you afraid?”

Amy’s voice was low as she looked up at Lucoco.

“What, is Sister Amy worried about me?”

Lucoco turned with a smile, reaching out to lift Amy’s mask.

“You’re so annoying!”

Amy pushed her hand away, crossed her arms, and turned her face away, raising her voice.

“I… I’m not worried about you! You’re so strong! You’ll definitely… definitely be fine!”

Unfortunately, her trembling voice and heaving chest had already betrayed her.

“Mhm, Sister Amy doesn’t need to worry.”

Lucoco’s eyes were full of amusement.

She turned sideways, waved her hand lightly, and called out softly, “I’m off~”

Leaving behind a gentle, slightly doting smile, she turned to leave.

Unexpectedly, this action seemed to trigger some underlying code in Amy.

The little girl instantly pounced, wrapping her arms tightly around Lucoco’s waist.

“Don’t go! You’re not allowed to go!”

Her voice carried a sob, her arms squeezing tightly.

“Let those Players go! They aren’t afraid to die! I’ll pay them! A hundred, no! A thousand! No… I’ll give them Crystal Coins! Just don’t you go!”

The players who were accepting quests nearby turned their heads in unison, staring intently at the two.

What had they just heard?

Crystal Coins?

‘Oh my~ willing to pay in Crystal Coins? What kind of shock did this girl get?’

Being held tightly, Lucoco could clearly feel Amy’s body trembling uncontrollably.

Full of confusion, she could only soften her voice.

“Sister Amy, what’s wrong?”

“I won’t let you go! Are you deaf! Waaah~”

Amy cried out loudly, holding on even tighter.

…

Adrian finally emerged from the crowd of players and stood behind Amy, patting her shoulder.

“Amy…”

But Amy completely ignored him, just holding on tighter!

…

Lucoco didn’t dare speak, casting a pleading look towards Adrian.

Shaking his head, Adrian pushed open the visor of his helmet and silently mouthed to Lucoco: “Amy’s mother.”

Then, he quickly closed the visor again.

Lucoco was utterly baffled!

What did that mean?

Adrian saw her as a substitute for her sister, and Amy saw her as a substitute for her mother?

Her lips parted several times, but in the end, Lucoco didn’t utter a word…

Finally, she could only turn and gently embrace Amy, softly stroking her head.

A gentle magical glow appeared in her palm.

Gradually, Amy’s sobs stopped, and she went limp in Lucoco’s arms.

With a complex expression, Lucoco handed the unconscious Amy over to Adrian.

Without lingering, she quickly left.

She left behind only a group of players sighing and lamenting their lost Crystal Coins.

But Lucoco didn’t notice that Amy, who should have been hypnotized by the sleep magic, had unknowingly opened her eyes, staring fixedly at Lucoco’s retreating back.

♢♦♢♦♢

A hundred meters outside the town, under a very conspicuous large tree, Are was conversing with two players.

One was a Level 40 tank player, with the ID “Iron Shield” above his head.

He wore heavy plate armor, wielded a massive shield and a great axe, and his build was over two meters tall.

The other was a Level 40 mage, with the ID “Fire Branch” above her head.

She wore a deep red mage robe and a characteristically large wizard’s hat.

She was a tall, pretty girl with slightly pointed ears.

‘Are these the two?’

Lucoco observed them curiously and quickened her pace.

Seeing Lucoco arrive, the mage girl named Fire Branch immediately stepped forward, giving a slight bow.

“Hello! Morning Light, I am Fire Branch · Elite. A-rank Magical Engraving [Eternal Flame], C-rank Magical Engraving [Earth Mastery].”

The player named Iron Shield also quickly stepped up, pushing aside the heavy helmet visor to reveal a wild-looking woman’s face.

“Yo~ Good afternoon, little cutie. Iron Shield · Elite, nice to meet you! A+ Warrior Marking [Four-Sided Fortress], B-rank Warrior Marking [Axe Warrior].”

“Uh… warrior… I mean! Hello, you two.”

Lucoco was shocked.

Who would have thought this massive tank player was actually a girl!?

“See! I told you she’d be surprised~ Twenty silver, hand it over!”

Fire Branch laughed, extending her hand towards Iron Shield.

“Ah, really~ lost again.”

Iron Shield reluctantly tossed her twenty silver coins.

Are walked over, smiling as she looked at the three.

“Since everyone’s here, let’s start discussing the plan.”

… The four of them sat on the grass in a circle and began their discussion.

The two players had previously ventured deep into this dungeon, though they hadn’t reached the very bottom.

But they were quite familiar with the terrain inside.

They had even drawn several layered maps, which were a great help.

Are, based on the terrain and her experience from hundreds of [Mana Tide] responses, proposed several flexible plans that could be adjusted on the fly.

As for Lucoco…

She had no room to interject at all.

A player who had been disconnected for who-knows-how-many years?

Of course, she should just listen obediently.

When she saw the map for the third level, she recognized a familiar cave formation.

She had intended to suggest going there during the third-level discussion.

But Fire Branch preemptively explained the cave’s situation, clearly stating that slaves were definitely held there and that they could go to rescue them after sealing the dungeon core.

Not only that, but she also marked several treasure locations, said to contain goblin and orc hoards.

She mentioned there might even be some well-kept handsome men and pretty girls inside.

In the end, by the time the planning discussion was over, Lucoco hadn’t managed to get a single word in.

The sky had already turned dusky.

Dark clouds were gradually gathering in the sky towards the dungeon direction—a rather cliché setting.

Whenever a [Mana Tide] formed, the sky was bound to be overcast!

And after victory, sunlight was sure to break through the clouds and shine upon the land, leaving behind some suitably epic photos?

Shouts were already coming from the forest direction, as if defenses were being set up.

The town gates slowly closed.

The central magic tower lit up, ready to deploy a barrier enveloping the entire town at any moment.

…

“It’s starting, Morning Light.”

Are stood up, the smile fading from her face as she gazed calmly at the dark clouds in the sky.

“Mhm…”

Lucoco also stood up, lightly waving her slender hand.

“[Perception Block]“

In the next second, a [Invisible] buff appeared in the buff bars of all four, and their figures completely vanished from the sight of others.

“Hiss! An S-rank legendary skill!”

Iron Shield exclaimed in surprise.

“You actually know this?”

Fire Branch also looked at Lucoco incredulously.

Lucoco didn’t elaborate, just made a ‘shh’ gesture.

The two immediately fell silent.

The four, with their forms concealed, quickly moved towards the forest side.

Their goal was to seize the gap between waves after the [Mana Tide] erupted, rush into the dungeon, reach the third level as fast as possible, and drive the [Holy Wedge] into the core to cut off the [Mana Tide] transmission.

Why choose this time?

Because all the adventurer teams previously sent by the kingdom had failed!

As for how they failed…

Usually, almost no players came to this town, and the townsfolk either knew nothing or refused to answer, leaving no clues…

In short, they went in and never came out.