The terrified crowd scattered in all directions, plunging the area into chaos. At the sa ti, spells flew wildly through the air, worsening an already out-of-control situation.
Caught in the middle of it all, Clayton could only do his best to protect himself. But with so many people cramd into one place, the scene quickly turned tragic.
As the chaos deepened, a sense of unease crept into Clayton’s chest. If this continued, the chances of getting out alive would be slim.
"If I had known this would happen, I would’ve shown up late... or not at all."
Just as he was silently cursing himself, a rogue earth-elent spell suddenly shot toward him at high speed. Reacting quickly, Clayton summoned a water do.
Bang!
Rock and water collided, the impact muffled but forceful. Shards of stone and sprays of water scattered in every direction.
"Huff... That was too close," Clayton muttered, relieved to be unhard.
Barely escaping danger, he was just about to retreat from the area when several people nearby suddenly exploded—blood spraying everywhere.
Clayton and those around him were stunned. There had been no warning. The people who exploded had seed completely normal monts before. Clayton hadn’t noticed anything strange about them, which made it all the more terrifying.
Then, before he could make sense of it, the blood splattered on the ground began to rise into the air.
Seeing this, Clayton imdiately went on alert.
Snap! Snap!
As he feared—needles made of blood ford midair and shot out in every direction, including straight toward him.
Panicking, Clayton quickly summoned another water do to shield himself.
Plop!
The blood needles struck the barrier and dissolved harmlessly. Clayton let out a sigh of relief—but others weren’t as lucky. Several were hit.
The wounds didn’t appear fatal, and a few victims even began treating themselves, visibly relieved.
But their hope was short-lived.
Boom!
More bodies exploded into pools of blood. Clayton recoiled in horror. He realized the ones who had just detonated were all victims of the blood needles.
Now, Clayton and the few who remained alert began backing away from the blood puddles. But the blood wasn’t done. It began to rise again—this ti in even greater volu.
Clayton’s skin crawled.
"If only I had my skeletons here..." he thought.
Unfortunately, they were still sealed inside his dinsional space. He had purposely left them behind, worried they’d attract too much attention at a semi-formal gathering like this. He also didn’t want to cause trouble for carrying such a large storage artifact.
The blood ford new projectiles—perfectly shaped needles—and fired again.
Clayton did the only thing he could: he summoned the water do once more.
The do held. The needles were blocked, and Clayton exhaled in relief.
But as soon as he deactivated the barrier, another needle ca flying—one he hadn’t seen.
He panicked. The attack ca too fast—there was no ti to react.
The blood needle was nearly at his head. Clayton tried to dodge, but he wasn’t quick enough.
Just as he braced for the worst, an imnse and violent aura suddenly descended over the entire area. Clayton collapsed instantly, the needle losing its power midair.
"Did soone... just save ?"
Even though he had survived, Clayton was struggling to breathe. The crushing aura made it feel like his lungs were about to give out. If it lasted much longer, he wouldn’t die from blood magic—but from suffocation.
Fortunately, the pressure lifted after only a few monts, and he could finally breathe again. He remained lying down, gathering his strength while staying alert.
"Everyone stay still! If anyone moves, it will be considered rebellion and dealt with on the spot!"
The deep, commanding voice echoed across the area.
Clayton turned and saw the sa middle-aged man who had delivered the announcent earlier. Now, the man looked battered and bruised—but sohow, that only amplified his aura of authority.
Silence fell across the field. All eyes turned to the man.
After making sure things had cald down, he spoke again.
"Record the nas of the survivors and get them treated imdiately. After that, we’ll decide who enters the dungeon—and when."
Several uniford officials nodded and began moving to carry out the orders.
"And don’t even think about causing more trouble," the man added coldly. "If anyone steps out of line again, I’ll make an example of you—just like this!"
He raised a severed head high in the air—its aura unmistakably that of a nine-star apprentice mage.
Everyone froze in horror.
Clayton stared too, his resolve to stay quiet only deepening.
With that brutal warning, the atmosphere beca much more orderly.
Once it seed safe again, Clayton slowly sat up. Not long after, a few officers approached to collect his information.
"What’s your na?"
"Clayton..."
But because he had no desire to enter the dungeon, his answer ca out flat and unenthusiastic. The officer frowned, clearly annoyed.
As the man prepared to scold him, Clayton gave an awkward cough and forced a smile.
"Officer... actually, I’m a pretty sickly guy. Just a poor farr with no family... My father passed away a few years ago..."
"I’m not trying to avoid my duty or anything, but my body’s in terrible shape. I hope you understand..."
The officer looked ready to lash out, but paused as he caught a glimpse of Clayton’s hand.
Curious, he looked down—and saw several glowing magic crystals being discreetly offered.
His eyes lit up. He snatched the crystals with practiced ease.
"Yeah... you do look pitiful," he muttered. "I’ll see what I can do to keep your na off the dungeon list. But I’m warning you—no promises."
Clayton nodded quickly.
"Yes, Officer! I know you’re the fairest person here! I trust you completely! And if I really do get out of this dungeon thing, I swear—you’ll be well rewarded..."
The officer brightened at that and walked off in high spirits.
Clayton’s smile vanished the mont the man turned his back.
He had no idea if the bribe would work. But right now, it was the only move he had.
He recalled Arthur’s warning from a few days ago—that the governnt was preparing to crack down hard on all the chaos.
Who would’ve guessed that a simple farr like him would get caught up in it?
It felt unfair.
What bothered Clayton even more was that the Blood Raiders were becoming bolder than ever. He suspected they were putting so grand plan into motion.
Could this be connected to the dungeon?
After thinking it over, he could only sigh.
He knew that holding onto anger and resentnt would only make things worse. For now, the best thing he could do was stay positive and hope for the best.
"Let’s just hope that officer really helps . Otherwise... I have no idea how I’ll get out of being dragged into that dungeon," he muttered, face heavy with worry.
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