Deep inside the dungeon…
The forest had become eerily silent.
Princess and Amelia walked cautiously with their teams.
Around them were dozens of monster corpses scattered across the ground.
One of Amelia's teammates whispered nervously,
…Who could have killed all these beasts?
Another student replied,
These monsters aren't weak.
Even our groups would struggle fighting so many.
The Princess frowned slightly.
…Something is wrong.
At that moment—
Another group suddenly arrived from the other side of the forest.
It was Ketlos, along with his sisters and Louisa.
Ketlos looked surprised when he saw them.
Princess? Amelia?
What are you doing here?
Amelia crossed her arms.
We were moving deeper inside the dungeon.
But we kept seeing monsters already dead.
The Princess nodded.
We're trying to find out who's doing this.
Ketlos looked around seriously.
…Then we should investigate together.
Soon, both groups began moving deeper into the forest.
But as they walked further…
The sky slowly turned dark.
Night was approaching.
The deeper they went…
The more terrifying the atmosphere became.
Finally—
They reached a clearing deep inside the jungle.
But suddenly—
A figure appeared ahead of them.
A tall man wearing a black hoodie.
His face hidden under the shadow of the hood.
No one could see who he was.
But the moment Ketlos saw him…
His entire body froze.
His face turned pale.
N-no…
His legs suddenly gave up.
He fell backward onto the ground.
Everyone looked at him in shock.
What happened?
Ketlos pointed forward with a trembling hand.
That… that's him…
The evil cultivator…
The group instantly became terrified.
Even Amelia and the Princess felt their hearts tighten.
Daren clenched his fists and stepped forward bravely.
You!
We won't let someone like you roam freely!
As cultivators, it's our duty to stop you!
But the hooded figure didn't move.
He simply raised one hand slightly.
The next moment—
A dark aura exploded.
WHOOOSH—
Daren's body suddenly froze.
His spiritual energy began draining violently.
W-what…?!
Within seconds…
90% of his energy was absorbed.
Daren collapsed to the ground.
Everyone's eyes widened in horror.
At that exact moment…
Across the entire kingdom...
Multiple organizations sensed the same thing.
Inside the Royal Palace.
A royal guard rushed into the hall.
Your Majesty!
The evil cultivator has appeared again!
Inside several guild headquarters.
Alarm bells started ringing.
Energy absorption detected!
And inside the secret cultivator organization.
An elder slowly opened his eyes.
…So it begins.
Teams of powerful cultivators immediately rushed toward the dungeon.
Meanwhile…
Inside the forest clearing…
The hooded figure continued absorbing energy.
One by one—
Students fell to their knees.
The Princess.
Amelia.
Louisa.
Ketlos' three sisters.
Even Ketlos himself.
Their energy was forcefully drained.
Their bodies became weak and powerless.
The scene looked terrifying.
Everyone looked like they had been brutally tortured.
But suddenly—
Multiple powerful auras appeared in the distance.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
Cultivators from different factions arrived.
Royal guards.
Guild warriors.
Organization members.
When they saw the scene in front of them…
They froze.
Students from powerful families were lying on the ground.
Almost lifeless.
Their cultivation energy brutally drained.
Rage instantly exploded among the newcomers.
That bastard dared to attack the Princess!
And Amelia!
And the daughters of the royal families!
Even Ketlos!
Their blood boiled with fury.
Slowly…
All their eyes turned toward the hooded
figure standing in the center.
The Evil Cultivator.
The atmosphere became suffocating.
A massive battle was about to begin.
But no one knew…
The real nightmare had only just started.
To be continued…