Chapter 57-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
Ever since Sykes also went missing in the Demonic Domain, not many people were willing to enter the ever-consuming and expanding crimson Demonic Domain. It was widely believed that this Demonic Domain was not just A+-rank, but at least S+-rank.
The frantic Royal Family kept sending people in while also trying to encourage powerful individuals from the private sector to enter the Demonic Domain with astronomical rewards. Percy didn't need the astronomical reward; he told the Lord of the lower district that as long as they followed the competition rules, he was willing to lead his team in.
City Lord Chen Xue advised him not to be impulsive, her gaze like one consoling a naive child. When she found the young man before her to be unusually insistent, the City Lord had no choice but to promise the brave youth that if a team from this competition could truly destroy that Demonic Domain, their team would receive a substantial amount of points.
When Percy approached the crimson Demonic Domain again, his heart tightened. He found that things were even trickier than he had imagined.
Compared to his last visit, the blood-red Demonic Domain was like an insatiably greedy maw, having swallowed another large swath of land. Its area was so vast that one couldn't see its end. If no one could stop it, perhaps the entire Empire would be devoured by it.
Just like the Super S-rank Demonic Domain from five hundred years ago, which, according to legend, occupied half the Empire until the sudden appearance of the God of Hope ended the disaster.
The black-haired, blue-eyed youth clenched his fists, an unspeakable guilt welling up in his heart. He was not only doing this for the points but also for a currently confidential... mission.
Percy had a feeling that he would no longer be able to hide his second ability during this operation.
He silently stopped before the red curtain of light, took a deep breath, and turned to remind his teammates, "Everyone, make sure to stick close to each other and stay vigilant."
The youths nodded, their firm conviction and trust in their friends overcoming their fear of the unknown.
Roy patted the large bag on Caleb's back, his tone as tsundere and awkward as ever, "Especially you, Caleb. You're carrying our rations. And Lucy, don't fall behind with all that strange stuff you're carrying..."
Lucy clutched her backpack straps. "This isn't strange stuff. It all looks very useful."
Although she didn't know exactly what they were for, Zhao Mei looked smart, so the things he suggested must be useful.
Percy chuckled. Roy and Lucy always liked to bicker, and everyone was used to it. The sound of their squabbling diluted the heavy, tense atmosphere a little.
He turned to look at Zhao Mei. Among his teammates, he was actually most worried about him. Zhao Mei always liked to walk at the very back of the team, like a traceless, gentle breeze that could vanish at any moment.
The black-haired, green-eyed youth noticed his teammate's gaze, tilted his head, and suddenly suggested, "Is Caleb carrying all the food? I think everyone should carry some on them."
Ye Zheng kindly said that in such a complex environment, it was extremely easy to get separated from the team. It was best if they all carried their own food; otherwise, if they got separated, they could only gnaw on red mushrooms.
Percy thought for a moment and nodded. "Zhao Mei has a point. Everyone, take some food to keep on you."
Caleb was the strongest person on their team, which was why he had entrusted the miscellaneous items to him.
The tall, sturdy boy took off his backpack and distributed some of the food into his teammates' bags.
Before Zhao Mei had sent them his suggestions, Percy had already made arrangements. He had always been the most meticulous person on the team and had naturally considered the issue of food and water. After all, this Demonic Domain was different from the previous ones; they might be trapped inside for some time.
He was grateful for Zhao Mei's suggestions, but as the captain, he also had to make choices. Some of the items Zhao Mei listed didn't make sense to him. Would they really need those things? Too many miscellaneous items would only slow the team down.
Thinking this, Percy looked at Lucy again. He felt bad letting a girl carry so many things. He offered, "Lucy, why don't you let me carry some of that for you?"
Before Lucy could speak, a slightly hoarse voice answered for her, laced with a helpless laugh. "I don't think we need to worry about Lucy's strength. I still haven't recovered from when she bumped into me."
The girl with the high ponytail jumped up and bumped the youth again, causing the black-haired, green-eyed boy to stagger once more. Only then did she reply to Percy, "No need, it's not heavy at all!"
"Alright, then let's go in."
Percy turned to face the blindingly red curtain of light and was the first to step into the Demonic Domain that had thrown the entire Empire into a state of panic.
His vision suddenly went black. When Percy opened his eyes again, he was so stunned by the scenery before him that he was momentarily speechless.
Percy subconsciously took a few steps and was nearly tripped by the slippery moss under his feet. He suddenly remembered his teammates and turned to warn them, "Watch your step..."
His voice trailed off. He looked around, but there were no familiar figures. He could only hear the high and low symphony of birds and insects.
Percy gave a wry smile, feeling fortunate that he had just listened to Zhao Mei and distributed some of the food.
This place seemed rich in natural resources, but he had a bad feeling that to the native species of this Demonic Domain, he was the natural bounty to be enjoyed.
The youth moved with agile, vigilant steps. He had to find everyone quickly.
When Ye Zheng raised her head and opened her eyes, refreshing green light and spots of light filtering through the tree canopy were reflected in her green irises. She blinked, as if stirring up a pool of green water.
Towering trees obscured the sky, making a person feel trapped in a boundless green cage. Ye Zheng looked around. The overly lush vegetation made her presence seem particularly frail and small, no different from the red ladybug at her feet.
"They're all gone."
Ye Zheng was a little surprised. She had heard that some Demonic Domains had spatiotemporal dislocations, but this was her first time encountering such a situation.
She hadn't even come face to face with a monster yet, but she already understood why this place had claimed so many lives. The unfathomable power of nature alone was enough to inspire fear.
"System, do you have any suggestions on which direction to go?"
The youth moved slowly, walking aimlessly. She took out her phone and tried to send a message, which failed as expected.
[It's fine. According to the plot, you just need to walk around, and you'll run into danger. Then, Percy and Roy, who have already met up, will save you.]
"So I just need to wander around now and wait for the plot to trigger?"
[Perhaps you might encounter other things. After all, the plot never specified what happened to you before you met Percy and the others.]
Ye Zheng curiously observed the surrounding trees, flowers, and small animals. The lower district always had an unpleasant smell in the air due to the numerous factories. The air here, however, was incredibly fresh, with a kind of beauty untouched by human pollution.
At the same time, it was extremely inhospitable to human survival.
The excessive mosquitoes in the forest made Ye Zheng silently pull out sleeve covers and a hat with a mesh veil from her bag, arming herself completely and barely avoiding the harassment of the insects.
"I remember in the original plot, I was still wearing that white dress."
Ye Zheng tried to imagine herself wandering around here in a clean white dress, and the corner of her mouth couldn't help but twitch. The face under the black mesh veil showed a complicated expression.
[The creator completely failed to consider the suitability of the clothing. Percy is still wearing a short-sleeved shirt. I wonder if he listened to your advice and brought a hat, sleeve covers, insect repellent spray, and the like...]
Ye Zheng felt that apart from Lucy, whose backpack was bulging, the other three were probably not in an optimistic situation. However, with their plot armor, the most they would suffer were some superficial injuries; they wouldn't be seriously harmed by these small details.
But an ordinary person without plot armor could very well lose their life because of such details.
"These mosquitoes might carry some unknown virus. They alone are enough to pose a fatal threat to anyone who enters."
Her expression grew more solemn. This place was more dangerous than she had anticipated.
The black-haired, green-eyed youth's gaze fell on a corner, and her eyes darkened slightly. She suddenly crouched down and picked up a scrap of red cloth from the ground with her fingers.
"The material of this cloth... it belongs to the Royal Knight Order."
It didn't look too worn. It was likely from one of the Royal Knights who entered the Demonic Domain with Sykes.
Under what circumstances would only this piece of cloth be left?
Perhaps it was accidentally snagged on a branch, or maybe it was a leftover scrap that some creature didn't feel like eating after swallowing its owner whole.
The soil underfoot was extremely damp. The youth gently pressed her fingers on the ground and closed her eyes.
Having appreciated the scenery enough, Ye Zheng had grown tired of aimless wandering. She needed to find a destination for herself.
Abundant water flowed both above and below the ground. [Stream] silently merged into it, as insignificant as a small fish leaping into a great river. However, before long, the "ocean" itself changed its course, swimming through the damp earth according to the little fish's will, like a swift bolt of white lightning.
The stench of rotting bones, the messages of the tides, the foul smell of large animals... Suddenly, Ye Zheng sensed an extremely strong energy fluctuation through the water currents.
The youth closed her eyes, her brow furrowed. Was it Sykes? No, an energy source covering such a vast area...
Ye Zheng stood up. Her footsteps crunched on the fallen leaves on the ground. Her ears, covered by the mesh veil, twitched sensitively. She heard other untimely, scattered sounds of crunching leaves, followed by an invisible sense of pressure.
"Divine Domain, expand."
The person behind her spoke coldly. White points of light drifted down, melting quickly like snowflakes upon hitting the ground. After hearing the voice, a look of astonishment flashed across the black-haired, green-eyed youth's face, followed by a helpless smile.
"There's no danger nearby for now. Don't waste your power."
Ye Zheng turned around and took off the black hat with the mesh veil, revealing a fair and delicate face.
Then, as if remembering something, she couldn't help but let out a laugh and put the hat back on—Bai Muqing was born blind; she doesn't rely on her eyes to recognize people.
As expected, Bai Muqing remained expressionless after Ye Zheng turned and revealed her face. Only after hearing Ye Zheng's words did her lips press together slightly.
"Ye Zheng, you..."
The black-haired, green-eyed youth pressed a finger to her lips and shook her head dramatically.
"Alright, Ye Zhao, you..."
"My name is Zhao Mei."
Ye Zheng said helplessly, thankful that the members of the Cloud-Soaring Squad weren't here.
"The Cloud-Soaring Squad came in for the competition points."
Ye Zheng knew what Bai Muqing wanted to ask. After answering Bai Muqing's question, she asked curiously, "Why are you here? Did that guy Yin Kong trick you into coming?"
Bai Muqing shook her head sullenly. Ye Zheng noticed that her vacant white pupils seemed to be driftingly fixed on a certain spot.
Ye Zheng looked down. It seemed she was looking at her feet... at that scrap of red cloth.
Author's Note: For the next few days, I'll be wrestling with the teacher's certification exams that I haven't studied for at all, so updates will be sparse...
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