Looking at the half-human, half-serpent figure before him, Cao Ye smiled brightly.
His guess had been correct.
For thousands of years, the Dungeon had been suppressed beneath Orario, yet monsters continued to be born endlessly.
Every day, adventurers slaughtered countless monsters.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the entire magic-stone technology of Orario was supported by the Dungeon.
Now Cao Ye had found the answer.
Where there is giving, there must also be taking.
When mortals in the lower world die, their souls reincarnate. That is the rule of the world.
But if someone dies inside the Dungeon, their soul has a certain chance of being captured by the Dungeon.
In the original story, it was already confirmed that monsters killed in the Dungeon can reincarnate.
For example—
The Minotaur that had once been trained by Ottar to help Bell grow stronger.
After Bell defeated it, it reincarnated into the black enhanced Minotaur known as Asterius, one of the Xenos.
Many Xenos were born with intelligence from the very beginning, and fragments of memories from their previous lives.
Cao Ye made a bold guess:
The reason these Xenos possessed wisdom might be because, long ago, they were human.
After death, their souls were captured by the Dungeon and reincarnated as monsters.
"How do you feel?"
Cao Ye looked at the half-serpent woman in front of him.
"It feels wonderful… Master."
After being baptized by the Black Mud, her body was no longer a monster born from the Dungeon.
Instead, it had been reborn from the mud itself.
A contract-like bond now connected her to Cao Ye.
The Black Mud—All the World's Evils—had granted her a new life.
Naturally, Cao Ye could also devour her instantly if he wished.
The reborn Shara was no longer a Dungeon-born Lamian monster.
She was closer to a creature from mythology—
A serpent woman, almost like Medusa.
A purple serpent tail.
A seductive female body.
A faintly enchanting face.
The purple scales that once covered her body had mostly disappeared.
She now resembled the Lamia race often seen in monster-girl legends.
Originally her strength had been between Level 2 and Level 3.
After the transformation—
She was now comparable to Level 4.
BOOM!
Shara's tail whipped out violently.
Every iron cage shattered instantly, yet none of the Xenos inside were harmed.
"Everyone…"
"You're free now."
She looked at Cao Ye.
That had been their agreement.
But if Cao Ye went back on his word now, she could do nothing about it.
The initiative had always been in his hands.
"I keep my promises."
"You succeeded, so the others are worthless to me."
"Thank you…"
Shara quietly said.
"But you shouldn't run around yet."
"The Artificial Dungeon is currently being purged."
"If you wander out now, you might be killed instantly."
After all, the Gulliver brothers were currently rampaging through the labyrinth.
Those four wouldn't care whether someone was a Xenos or not.
If they saw them—
They would simply kill them.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Suddenly, an angry roar echoed through the chamber.
Everyone turned toward the entrance.
A man wearing goggles, a leather jacket, and wielding a magic spear stood there.
Blood stained his clothes.
His left arm was already soaked red.
The moment he saw Cao Ye—
His face twisted with rage.
"Human!"
The Xenos erupted instantly.
Shara's eyes burned with murderous hatred.
From their reactions and the man's appearance, Cao Ye immediately understood who it was.
Dix Perdix.
Descendant of Daedalus.
Leader of the Ikelos Familia.
And the mastermind behind the tragedy of these Xenos.
"It's you."
Dix frowned when he saw Shara.
She had been specially requested by a noble buyer.
That was why he hadn't personally tortured her.
Damaging merchandise would lower its value.
Instead—
He discovered a more enjoyable method.
He tortured her fellow Xenos in front of her.
Their screams.
Their hatred.
Their helpless rage.
All of it thrilled him.
He had discovered a new kind of pleasure.
You didn't need to torture someone directly.
Watching their companions suffer and die slowly was far more satisfying.
"Human!"
"I swore I would kill you and avenge my people!"
Shara roared.
"Kill me?"
"You?"
"I caught you once. I can catch you again."
Dix swung his magic spear.
This weapon was no ordinary armament.
It carried a curse.
Anyone wounded by it could not heal the injury with healing magic or potions.
It had been forged by another Daedalus descendant, purely to satisfy Dix's twisted tastes.
CLANG!
Shara's eyes flashed with murderous fury.
Her delicate hand transformed into sharp claws.
She caught the spear strike bare-handed.
Dix's eyes widened.
"How?!"
A Lamia shouldn't possess this kind of power.
Even an enhanced variant shouldn't reach this level.
What exactly had happened to her?!
CRACK!
Shara's tail slammed into Dix's injured left arm.
The sound of bone snapping echoed loudly.
Dix was launched backward.
His arm was already pierced earlier.
Now it was completely shattered.
"That arm is finished," Cao Ye thought calmly.
"DAMN IT!"
Dix struggled to his feet.
His eyes burned with murderous fury.
If not for the interference of Freya Familia, he would never have been reduced to this state.
And now he was being suppressed by a mere half-serpent monster.
ROAR!
A giant boar Xenos charged toward him.
Most of the Xenos here had been tortured by Dix.
Many had watched their companions die countless times.
SPLASH!
Dix's spear pierced straight through the boar's skull.
The creature died instantly.
"NOOO!"
Shara screamed.
Seeing another companion die before her eyes pushed her into complete fury.
The evil magic within her body surged violently.
Cao Ye noticed something surprising.
Shara had begun drawing upon the Black Mud power inside her.
Even his own magic power was slowly flowing into her body.
Their relationship resembled that of Master and Servant.
A contract bound them.
Their connection was like a thread linking their bodies.
And when necessary—
Shara could borrow Cao Ye's magic power.
Just like now.
Consumed by rage, she instinctively began absorbing his mana.
Cao Ye could cut it off—
But he didn't.
He wanted to see how strong she could become.
As magic poured into her body, Shara's aura began rising rapidly.
Her body began changing.
Her human features faded.
Her body grew larger and more feral.
Scales covered her skin again.
She resembled her original Lamia form, but far more monstrous.
"Interesting…"
Dix stared in shock.
He had never heard of Lamias possessing such a transformation.
"DIE, HUMAN!"
Shara exploded forward.
The ground cracked beneath her power.
Despite having a serpent tail, her speed was terrifying.
Even seasoned adventurers would struggle to match it.
Especially Dix—
who was already badly wounded.
CLANG!
Spear and claw collided.
But Dix had only one usable arm.
Shara had two.
RIP!
Her claw tore a bloody chunk from his chest.
"Damn monster!"
Dix forced her back and retreated.
Looking at the bleeding wound on his chest, his heart sank.
He knew it.
He was going to die here.
But after enduring the Daedalus blood curse for years—
He had long since become half-mad.
If he was going to die—
He would drag as many others down with him as possible.
"Lost in Endless Illusions—"
"Phobetor Daedalus!"
Dark crimson light exploded outward.
Dix's face twisted into a crazed grin.
A terrible curse spread through the chamber.
Every Xenos was caught within it.
ROAR—!!
HOWL—!!
SCREECH—!!
All the Xenos clutched their heads and screamed.
Moments later—
Their eyes glowed purple.
A goblin Xenos smashed another's skull.
A silverback ape ripped apart its companions.
The beasts slaughtered one another.
The entire room turned into a massacre.
From a human perspective, it looked like the monsters had simply reverted to their true nature.
"What happened to everyone?!"
Shara shouted.
Because her body was born from Black Mud, ordinary curses had no effect on her.
Watching her companions slaughter one another broke her heart.
Dix laughed hysterically.
"This is what monsters are supposed to be!"
"Savage!"
"Bloodthirsty!"
"Destroying every life they see!"
"That is your true nature!"
"SHUT UP!"
Shara's tail whipped again.
Dix flew across the room.
His body was already collapsing from the curse's recoil.
But he was satisfied.
Even if he died—
He had dragged them into madness.
"Everyone, stop fighting!"
"We're companions!"
But her words meant nothing.
A goat-headed Xenos attacked her.
She dodged without fighting back.
She couldn't bear to hurt them.
Cao Ye finally spoke.
"It's a curse."
"Kill the caster, and it will end."
Shara froze.
Then her eyes locked onto Dix.
"Monster…"
Dix laughed madly.
"If you had killed me earlier…"
"None of them would have died."
"This is all your fault."
"SHUT UP!"
SPLAT!
Shara crushed his head instantly.
Brain matter exploded across the floor.
The moment Dix died—
The curse vanished.
The surviving Xenos slowly regained their senses.
But the ground was already filled with corpses.
Many had killed their own companions.
They stood there in shock.
Shara trembled.
Dix's final words echoed in her mind.
A poisonous sentence—
A blade aimed straight at her heart.
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