Closer to nightfall.
On one of the stretches of the Shensi Forest stood a group of four people dressed in black garments and masks, led by Lin Tian. Among them stood out a muscular, tall youth named Lin Demin, who had previously accompanied him to the medical shop.
Beside him was Lin Jian — a slender young man with short hair and cold, piercing eyes capable of catching even the slightest movement around them.
And hand-in-hand with Lin Tian was Lin Yue — a short, slender girl wearing a featureless white mask that gave her an aura of mystery and enigma. Around them lay the bodies of ten people dressed in the clothing of the Lin Family.
Among them, Lin Yan stood out, his frozen face expressing the utmost indignation and despair.
— Did something happen?—putting away her sword, the only girl in the group asked Lin Tian, noticing that he was staring motionlessly ahead.
— No, Yue'er, everything is fine,—he replied a moment later, then shifted his gaze to the items collected by the members of his group.
With a wave of his hand, all the objects before him vanished without a trace. None of his people looked surprised by the scene.
— RRRRAAAAUUUUU—GHHHH!!
Ready to move on, they suddenly stopped, hearing a deep muffled rumble that grew into a thunderous roar reminiscent of the heavens splitting apart. For a moment, it seemed all other sounds disappeared, as if the entire forest froze.
Lin Tian sharply turned toward the source of the sound.
— Let's go,— he said curtly, heading in its direction.
They moved westward, silent and swift as shadows, and after ten minutes reached their destination. Before their eyes unfolded a scene of battle. Hundreds of people surrounded a single creature.
It was a massive, coal-black lizard, about five meters tall and over ten meters long. Along its spine grew pairs of plates resembling milky-white quartz crystals, glowing brightly from time to time. Its tail, tipped with two-meter bone spikes, posed a deadly threat to its enemies — the fresh blood coating them was proof enough.
The most terrifying aspect of the beast was the powerful aura characteristic of Earth-Rank creatures. It pressed down on everyone present, instilling fear even in seasoned fighters.
Yet despite this, the number of people around it did not decrease — only grew. Greed consumed them all. Every part of the Black Scincus' body was highly valuable.
Having lost several people and lacking anyone of the Earth Rank among them, the humans made the only sensible decision: they fought from afar, never allowing the monster to close the distance, hoping to exhaust it.
And they succeeded: despite its incredible might, the Scincus managed to kill no more than twenty people before falling under a rain of arrows and spears.
«Uuuu-rrr-oooh…»
The creature's final sorrowful cry echoed before it collapsed lifelessly onto the ground.
Its death became a signal for numerous groups nearby, who immediately rushed toward the fallen beast. Despite its enormous size, a conflict among the hundreds of people erupted almost instantly.
First came shouting and threats, then weapons were drawn, and bloodshed followed. In a short time, the number of wounded and dead surpassed even the Scincus' casualties.
Lin Tian watched the chaos indifferently. When most were wounded and weakened, he noticed the Three Clans stepping forward alongside the people who had earlier stayed aside. Those who had been fighting warily ceased combat and returned to their respective groups.
— Listen to me… —began Wang Lei, pleased with their reaction.
His voice was full of confidence and authority. He prepared to impose his plan on the crowd, when suddenly a low rumble resounded.
«HUUUUUUM…»
«TRAAAASK!»
A sharp cracking noise followed. The ground trembled beneath their feet, shifting as if slipping away from under them. First, a fissure appeared beneath the lizard's body, but it expanded and lengthened with every passing second.
— Run! —someone shouted, but it was too late.
The Scincus' gigantic body, together with several hundred people, collapsed into the widening rift, vanishing into its dark depths.
The earthquake, sudden in its arrival, stopped just as abruptly. The rupture, now several hundred meters wide and stretching for a couple of kilometers, ceased growing.
Once everything calmed, the people—who had scattered in terror—began cautiously approaching the rift, though keeping their distance.
— What do we do? — a hesitant voice rose from the crowd.
— Don't know about you, but I'm going down. My friend fell in there, and I'm pulling him out,— one warrior declared resolutely.
— The lizard fell in there too, — someone reminded him, rekindling greed in many hearts. Fear was replaced by the desire to seize at least a portion of the priceless trophy.
Despite the risk of another quake, people began searching for a way down. Eventually, in a narrow section of the rift, a passage downward was found.
Descending through it proved relatively safe, so fewer and fewer people remained on the surface.
But not everyone took the risk: a small number decided to return to the city for help. Among those who had fallen into the rift were members of the Three Great Clans.
For ordinary people, gaining favor from these powerful factions was a considerable opportunity. Of course, a few acted purely out of good intentions — but they were rare.
Lin Tian, fortunate enough not to fall, suddenly heard a familiar bell chime in his ears. It was a signal indicating the appearance of a new mission. Opening the system window, he saw:
[System: Great Sovereign
Name: Lin Tian
Cultivation: Mortal Rank, Level 8
Experience: 82452/110000
Bonus Points: 120
Main Objective:Seize power in the Lin Clan (In Progress)Description +
Reward: 15000 experience, 500 bonus points
Side Quests:Forest Turmoil (In Progress)
Description: The earthquake during the tournament… or was it not a natural disaster? Find out who or what caused it.
Reward: 1000 experience, 80 bonus points
Skills + (hidden)]
"This wasn't just an earthquake. Interesting… Looks like a chain quest" — Lin Tian thought, closing the window.
He then led his team down a path that looked as if it had existed long before the catastrophe. Walking unhurriedly, he estimated they had descended roughly three hundred meters. The sun had slipped behind the horizon, and the rift fell into darkness.
Looking further down the path, he saw people lighting torches or using various tools for illumination — but as time passed, the number of lights dwindled.
Approaching closer, Lin Tian's group discovered the entrance to a cavern the earlier groups had entered. Inside, they found three enormous tunnels leading in different directions.
— These tunnels were clearly carved by someone, — Lin Yue observed, then added:—and judging by the marks on the walls, a very long time ago.
— The walls look like they were cut by something sharp,— Lin Jian noted, bringing a torch closer.
— Could it have been some kind of animal? A serpent? Rats? — Demin suggested uncertainly.
— Neither a serpent nor rats would leave marks like these,—Lin Tian frowned.—This looks more like the work of large insects. We're in an old hive, and it seems long abandoned. The path we entered through… must have been its entrance once.
— And what makes you think it's abandoned? — Lin Yue asked, doubt in her voice.
— If it weren't, we would've already run into its guards. But it's empty. Maybe the inhabitants left it… or were wiped out,— Lin Tian replied.
— What now? — Lin Jian asked quietly.
— This hive may contain something valuable, — Lin Tian said. — Besides, this incident actually simplified our task by gathering everyone in one place.
— You're right. Where do we go? — Lin Yue asked. — Lin Jian, you go right. Demin — left. Yue and I will go to the center, where most people likely went.
Without unnecessary words, they obeyed.
While people dispersed through the tunnels, each following their chosen path, a new force appeared on the surface of the rift.
From behind the trees emerged fifteen people clad in shining silver armor with a raised spider emblem on the chestplate.
Among them, three stood out the most. From them emanated an oppressive aura comparable to that of the Black Scincus. Their armor was more intricate, adorned with ornate patterns, and inspired awe.
Behind them fluttered crimson cloaks bearing a golden moon and a silver sword — a symbol easily recognized by anyone who had encountered it before.
— First, those who tried returning to the city have been dealt with, but that clearly wasn't part of the plan,—reported one of the knights.
— That doesn't matter. Our goal hasn't changed. Second, Third — what about the observing experts? — First asked coldly.
— They've been eliminated, — Second replied curtly.
— Then we may proceed to the next part of the plan, — Third added.
With a confirming nod, First led them down the path. Reaching the cavern, they split into three groups, each led by one of the leaders.
When silence once again enveloped the place of their separation, a new figure appeared in the darkness. Dressed in tight white clothing covering the entire body — leaving neither hair nor facial features visible — the person stood motionless.
From the figure's build, one could tell it was a man.
He stood perfectly still, merging with the shadows. His hidden eyes seemed focused on something unseen. He glanced over the three tunnels, then slowly raised his head toward the sky, as if observing the stars.
— Yes… let the curtain fall, — he whispered toward the cavern roof, and as if obeying his words, a dark veil descended over the rift.
The grim abyss lost its final trace of light.