There were quite a few Xenos imprisoned here, and many different types as well.
Some were humanoid—like goblin Xenos and kobold Xenos.
Others retained beast forms—horned rabbits, silverback apes, giant boars, and more.
All of them were watching the exchange between Shara and Cao Ye.
"That… isn't guaranteed."
"A single failure isn't what I want."
"If it fails, I might simply pick the next 'lucky volunteer.'"
Cao Ye said with a smile.
But his words instantly ignited the anger of the Xenos.
ROAR—!
HISS—!
CLANG—!
Some of them roared at Cao Ye.
Others slammed their claws violently against the iron cages.
It was clear that Cao Ye had touched their bottom line.
But Cao Ye completely ignored their fury.
He wasn't Bell, the protagonist who sympathized with monsters.
Cao Ye didn't possess that kind of kindness.
To him, the creatures before him weren't much different from other monsters.
Kill them, and they would still produce magic stones.
Whether they had intelligence or not didn't matter much.
The only reason he proposed this deal to Shara, the half-snake Xenos, was because of a hypothesis.
And curiosity.
In the Dungeon, if a monster's magic stone came into contact with the Black Mud, the monster would instantly collapse.
It was like forcing two incompatible systems into one computer.
The result—
A crash.
But Xenos were different.
They weren't normal monsters.
Cao Ye wanted to know what would happen.
Would they collapse like ordinary monsters?
Or would something interesting occur?
That question fascinated him.
Shara stared at Cao Ye.
She now clearly understood something.
This human in front of her might not harbor hostility toward the Xenos.
But he was still fundamentally different.
No hostility did not mean kindness.
She understood that now.
"So…"
"Will you gamble?"
"Bet on whether you can survive."
"If you succeed, you'll save all your companions."
Cao Ye's words sounded like a demon whispering beside her ear.
Chun Ji watched everything quietly from the side.
Her gaze toward Cao Ye became somewhat strange.
The man she had always seen as a hero…
Apparently also had a rather twisted side.
But surprisingly—
This didn't reduce Cao Ye's image in her heart.
Instead, it made him feel more real.
He wasn't a good person.
Yet he had saved her, when she was drowning in despair.
To her, he was still a hero.
But to others—
He was completely different.
Did that mean…
He was a hero belonging only to her?
For a woman, it was natural to hope that the man she cared about would only care about her alone.
Even though Chun Ji had never truly placed herself in the position of his lover—
Those emotions still appeared unconsciously.
"I accept."
After a long inner struggle, Shara finally looked straight at Cao Ye and made her decision.
If she succeeded—
One life could save all her companions.
That was worth it.
ROAR—!
HOWL—!
CLANG—!
The other Xenos erupted in chaos.
They slammed their cages and roared loudly.
To Cao Ye, these were meaningless noises.
But to Shara—
They were the desperate voices of her companions.
They were begging her not to trust this cruel, deceitful human.
In the eyes of Xenos, humans had long been synonymous with hypocrisy and brutality.
"I admire someone willing to sacrifice herself for her companions."
"If you survive…"
"You might become my right-hand."
"Let's begin."
Shara ignored everything Cao Ye said.
Because right now, survival itself was uncertain.
Cao Ye smiled.
He stretched out one hand.
The next moment—
The thing known as "All the World's Evils" began to stir.
Instantly, the roars of all the Xenos fell silent.
They were intelligent beasts.
And beasts had extremely sharp instincts for danger.
Right now, in their eyes—
Cao Ye looked like a demonic god.
SHHH—
The Black Mud surged forward and swallowed Shara completely.
The scene looked eerie and grotesque.
Chun Ji stared in shock.
She didn't even know how to describe what she was seeing.
"All the World's Evils."
"This is the thing I carry within me."
"All the World's Evils?"
Chun Ji looked confused.
She didn't fully understand what that meant.
"In simple terms…"
"It means the sins of the entire world."
"And now, I carry them all alone."
"I'm a man burdened with evil, Chun Ji."
"I'm not some hero."
But Chun Ji shook her head firmly.
"No matter what kind of person Lord Cao Ye is…"
"He is still my hero."
"My hero, huh?"
Cao Ye smiled.
"Then I'll be a hero—"
"Just for you."
Those simple words struck Chun Ji directly in the heart.
As a fox girl with a slightly mischievous nature, her imagination immediately began running wild.
"A hero… only for Chun Ji…"
Her eyes grew misty with emotion.
"AAAAAAHHHH—!!!"
Suddenly—
A scream erupted from inside the Black Mud.
It was Shara.
At that moment, the corner of Cao Ye's mouth lifted.
Normally, when monsters touched the Black Mud, their magic stones would instantly collapse.
But Shara hadn't collapsed.
Instead—
She was absorbing it.
Cao Ye could clearly feel it.
The Black Mud was being slowly taken into her body.
Which meant—
His hypothesis was correct.
The Black Mud could touch the soul.
And all monster souls belonged to the Dungeon.
Anyone who tried to interfere would be rejected.
That rejection manifested as the monster being forced to self-destruct.
But the Xenos were different.
They were like a bug in the system.
They weren't fully controlled by the Dungeon.
That was why they could think, speak, and even be attacked by monsters.
BOOM—
Suddenly, a terrifying surge of magic erupted.
The iron cage imprisoning Shara shattered instantly.
Moments later, the violent energy settled.
Standing there—
Was a figure with the upper body of a woman and the tail of a purple serpent.
But now—
Her entire body was wrapped in a dark, ominous magical aura.
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