45: Chapter 35: Lurker_1 45: Chapter 35: Lurker_1 (Um, tomorrow is Monday, the last chance, everyone should strive to help climb further up on the leaderboard)
“I’ll go take a look, you guys stay put.” Pannis also lowered his voice and quietly told Catherine, “Have Vivian set the Concealnt Array quickly, so they won’t detect you unless they get close.”
“It’s already been set up imdiately after the lights were switched off.” Catherine said, “But we can’t be certain they didn’t spot us before the lights went off.”
“It’s alright, you guys just stay alert, and I’ll go check it out.” While saying that, Pannis crouched down, not making any noise with his feet, and headed towards the entrance Catherine had ntioned.
For an Upper Rank adventurer, the darkness is an enemy to others, but an ally to them.
Desperate darkness in the eyes of others is not a problem at all for an Upper Rank adventurer.
By relying on the sound of the wind, slls, echoes, and even the air flow sensed by the skin, they can draw a complete dynamic map of the environnt in their mind, sotis even clearer and more accurate than what others see with their eyes.
Pannis was using this skill, along with the silent movent of thieves and assassins, advancing quietly and calmly.
“There is a living creature, I hear breathing and the temperature doesn’t seem right.” Pannis, who had already destroyed the fire-attribute crystal underwater and was completely exposed to the cold environnt, managed to resist the cold invasion with his superior physique while clearly detecting the change in air temperature.
“They are indeed in the direction of the entrance and there’s only one heat source, implying there’s only one or one kind of creature.
But they’re not moving in the darkness, it’s not like a predator’s style, maybe it’s a lone adventurer?
Or perhaps an explorer from another adventure team?
If it’s another explorer, then he’s really amateurish, has a heavy breathing like a bellows, practically screaming to hundreds of ters away, I am here, I am here.”
His mind was filled with a jumble of thoughts, but his feet did not hesitate and he was heading in a straight line closer to the percieved lurking creature.
“That’s not right.” Just as he was about to get close to the other person, Pannis silently rolled a few tis to the side, hiding a few ters away.
At the sa ti, a bright light appeared in front of him, illuminating the person at the entrance.
Clearly, Pannis’s tily evasion left the other party completely unaware of the lurker at their side.
The other person freshly stitched the newly activated light-attribute crystal to his helt and groped his way into the cave of Frozen Hell.
Upon only a few steps into the cave, he quickly retreated and murmured to himself, “Why is it so cold here, what the hell is this place?”
“He doesn’t understand this place.” Pannis watched as the other party hurriedly flipped through his fire-attribute crystals and made a judgnt against him, “Then how did he get here?
Did he follow us all the way here?
If so, then things are about to get interesting.”
After activating the fire-attribute crystal, the newcor shrunk into a ball and stepped into the range of the Frozen Hell again, looked around, and out of nowhere shouted, “Rachel, Rachel are you here?
Rachel, respond if you hear .”
“Bastard.” The sudden shout in the quiet environnt startled Pannis.
Suppressing his urge to teach him a lesson, Pannis crouched down and followed the newcor who was constantly probing and moving forward into the cave center, “Looking for Rachel?
Is he her team mber?
They aren’t dead?
Or is it just a nasake?”
“Rachel, I know you’re here, answer , it’s Gaston.” The newcor continued to move forward and call out, “I know I let you down, give a chance to apologize.”
“It’s him.” Pannis, hanging several ters behind Gaston who was unaware of his presence, mused, “with this level of vigilance, how did he survive till here?
Moreover, he must have followed us all the way, otherwise, he wouldn’t have known straightaway that Rachel is here.
No, I have to figure out what’s going on.”
With his mind made up, Pannis stopped following Gaston’s footsteps.
He nimbly sidestepped a few steps away from the dazzling glow of Gaston’s crystal, and slipped back into the camp the girls had set up.
“It’s .” Once he entered the radius of the Array, Pannis seemingly vanished into thin air from the outside world, leaving no trace behind, but everything inside the Array remained normal.
Since the Concealnt Array had a certain degree of one-way sound insulation, Pannis didn’t have to keep his voice especially low, therefore he gave a prompt as soon as he entered.
“Waiting for your return.” Lina was the first one to speak, “We were discussing what to do next.”
“There’s a problem.” Pannis blurted out his confusion, “There’s definitely sothing wrong with that man.”
“So, Gaston ca back for with ill intentions?” Rachel spoke, her voice filled with a sense of calm that she should not have had, “He wanted to harm again?”
“We can’t be sure about that right now.” Catherine comforted Rachel sowhat reluctantly, “It might just be a coincidence.”
Rachel surprisingly chuckled softly, “No need to console , I am prepared.
What should I do now?”
“What’s your opinion?” Catherine asked.
Rachel let out a sigh that carried a hint of lancholy, “I wants to go out and hear what he has to say.”
“Then go, it’s fine.” Pannis said, “There’s nobody else around, just him, even if he has ill intentions, it won’t pose too much of a threat.”
“Right, our adventure team will not fear any plots or challenges.” Catherine said resolutely, “If you want to listen then directly confront him.”
“Thank you guys.”
In the darkness where nothing could be seen clearly, Pannis noticed from the rustling of clothes that Rachel was about to step out of the Array’s range.
Quickly, he stopped her, “Wait, since it’s like this, it would be safer to just remove the Array, turn on the light, and illuminate the surroundings.
This way, we can prevent any unseen traps lurking in the darkness.”
“Sounds good.” Catherine decisively ordered, “Vivian, remove the Array.”
“Rachel, where are you?” Gaston persisted in calling out.
“Stop yelling, I’m right here.” The mont Rachel’s words fell, the Crystal lamp’s glow illuminated their surroundings.
The five of them, who had prepared in advance, were not affected by the sudden illumination, and they openly scrutinized Gaston under this light.
With his dark hair, Gaston’s figure seed rather weak, but his appearance was rather handso.
However, under the stimulation of the light, he was very uncomfortable, covering his eyes and groaning in pain.
“Didn’t you escape?” Rachel faced Gaston, but found that she didn’t possess the sa affection for him as she did in the past.
She was as calm as if she were facing a total stranger, “Why are you here?”
“I regret it.” Gaston, whose eyes had adjusted, was teary.
It wasn’t clear whether it was because of the light or his regret, “Not long after I left, I regretted it.
But when I turned back to find you, you were already gone.
I wanted to apologize to you face-to-face, so I followed your trail all the way to here.”
“Oh?
Is that so?” Rachel said thoughtfully, “You followed my trail here, huh?
For so many years now, I didn’t know you had such a strong tracking ability.
It must’ve been tough, considering the many dangerous places along the way.
It’s troubled you too much.”
“Yes, it was very dangerous.” Gaston wiped his sweat as though he was still in fear, “But in the end, I was able to catch up, so even if it was dangerous, it was worth it.”
Rachel’s lips twitched into a faint smile, “Such a dangerous trailing skill and you didn’t even lose track, we should’ve made you our scout in our adventure team.
Maybe then, they might not have died here.”
“I, I, my potential just exploded under the pressure,” Gaston hastily explained, “Even thinking back on it now, my legs are still weak.”
“Alright.” Rachel didn’t mind his explanation, asked aloofly, “Now you’ve finally seen , what do you want to say?”
Gaston glanced at Pannis and the three girls who stood beside Rachel, “Who are they?”
“My saviors.
I am currently traveling with them until we leave the underground cave.” Rachel sounded slightly discontent, “What, does this have sothing to do with what you wanted to say?”
Gaston didn’t dwell on the matter and fell to his knees with a thud, crawling a few steps closer to Rachel, “I’m sorry, dear.
I know I was wrong.
I got too scared back then and made a stupid mistake.
Please forgive and give another chance.”
“Give you a chance?” Tilting her head, Rachel asked curiously, “A chance to do what?
To break my leg again?”
“No, not that.” Gaston was crying, “Give a chance to make it up to you.
I know you’re still mad, but please forgive for my montary confusion.”
“Haha, you beg ?” It seems like Rachel heard sothing funny, she laughed out loud, “What about a few days ago when I was on the ground, begging you.
Did you agree then?”
“I…”
“Well, it doesn’t matter.” Rachel waved it off, “it’s all retribution.
Nicole and Kidd also pleaded with us just like I pleaded with you, but none of us turned back.
So, no matter how excessive you are towards , it’s all a deserved punishnt.
Alright, I’ll forgive you now.
You can get up.
And then?”
Gaston stood up with joy, eagerly saying, “Let’s go back together then, back to the surface.
Forgetting the painful past, let’s start over, alright?”
Rachel looked at Gaston in disappointnt.
After a long silence, she shook her head slightly, her voice filled with a final hint of anticipation, “I’m sorry, I made them a promise to accompany them on this adventure, so I can’t agree to your request.
However, you can go to the surface first and wait for .
I’ll be out in a few days, then we can discuss it.”
“I…” Gaston seed a little at a loss and stuttered at Pannis, “Can…
Can I follow you guys too?”
“Sorry.” Catherine ca forward, “We’re on a secret mission.
It’s not really convenient for outsiders to tag along.”
“I’m a pretty skilled archer.” Gaston pointed to himself, “Let join the mission too, so that I wouldn’t be considered an outsider.”
Catherine was about to harshly refuse him when Pannis whispered sothing her ear that made her unknit her brows, “Alright, you can follow us, but once we’re out, you must keep our mission a secret.”
“No problem, no problem,” Gaston breathed a sigh of relief and agreed readily.
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