Nierstan - The Dark Nest

Behind a rock, a silver-haired girl held a bow and arrow, aiming at a nearby enchanted zombie.

The engravings on the enchanted hunting crossbow lit up with a faint red glow.

"Through the heart."

Boom!

A sonic boom resounded as the arrow broke through the sound barrier and towards the monster.

With a distance of only three hundred meters between them, it took no time at all for the arrow to reach its target. The enchanted zombie didn't even realize what had happened - the arrow had pierced through its heart and exploded a part of its body.

"Hmm... the thirteenth monster," murmured the silver-haired girl, "It's strange to encounter so many in one place."

"Waaah..."

From behind another rock, a little head timidly peeked out, speaking with a teary voice, "M-Miyu, can we please go back..."

Seeing the golden-haired girl so scared, the silver-haired girl couldn't help but feel both amused and exasperated. She walked over and patted her head, saying, "Don't worry, I'm here. What are you afraid of? Besides, you're a fourth-level mage, can't you show a little courage?"

"It's, it's fake!" The golden-haired girl's eyes welled up with tears, "And this place is really scary..."

According to the usual situation, I should be enjoying delicious desserts under the warm and comfortable sunlight in Nierstan, having a deep conversation about life with Miyu. But why... has it turned into this now...?

Morning, Nierstan.

The golden-haired girl sat at her desk, diligently writing. Suddenly, the door was flung open, hitting the wall with a loud noise. The golden-haired girl trembled, swiftly picking up her pen, avoiding any stains on the paper that could ruin what she had written.

"Juice Squeezer, there's something to do!... What are you writing?"

"'On the Compatibility between Tentacles and Magical Girls'... It's nothing," I closed my book and turned around, "Is there any news about the undead on the third level of the mine?"

"No. It's something strange happening in the Dark Nest."

"The Dark Nest?" I was a bit confused. I had no business with the Dark Nest, why were they involving me?

"Well... recently, adventurers have claimed to have seen humans attacking other adventurers in the Dark Nest. Some people have even gotten injured because of it."

"Are they being targeted by enemies?"

"That was my initial thought, but... yesterday, a victim of these attacks claimed that Tianfan is the one who attacked him."

?!

"But Tianfan was with us the whole time and didn't go to the Dark Nest, so it's impossible for him to be the attacker."

I felt a chill creeping up from behind. I speculated, "Could he have mistaken someone else? Or... is it a setup? Oh wait, that's my cup..."

Miyu took a sip of water, ignoring me, and continued, "That's unlikely. Tianfan doesn't know the victim well, they have no grudges against each other. And this isn't the first incident. Several other victims who were attacked before have also accused adventurers who never went to the Dark Nest."

"Supernatural events...," I muttered.

"That's why the Adventurer's Guild has issued a mission to uncover the truth behind all this! We've accepted the mission."

"Hmm, good luck."

Miyu's gaze seemed to change oddly... I quietly took a step back.

"Juice Squeezer, accompany me on this mission."

"No," I took another step back.

Come on, someone like me going to the Dark Nest is just leaving a corpse for other adventurers to loot.

"There's a handsome reward for this mission, you know?"

"No," I shook my head, even with more rewards, I need to have a life to enjoy them.

"The Dark Nest has rare equipment chests, you know?"

"The third level of the mine has them too." I continued shaking my head.

"The Dark Nest also has rare skills, you know?"

"The third level of the mine has them too," I resolutely shook my head, "Why do you want me to come? I'm not strong enough."

"With me by your side, there won't be any problems. Besides, you're my wife, who else would accompany me?"

Thump.

Oh no, I just had the sensation of venous blood flowing through the right atrium, passing through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle, shooting into the pulmonary artery, circulating through the lungs, filtering through the pulmonary veins, flowing back into the left atrium, passing through the mitral valve into the left ventricle, and finally shooting into the great artery.My face turned red, but I still shook my head.

Seeing that I still refused, Meng Xueyu sat on the bed and lowered her head.

"Dream... Dream sauce?" Seeing Meng Xueyu like this, I regretted it a bit. Should I have agreed? With Meng Xueyu around, I wouldn't be in danger, but if I slowed her down...

Meng Xueyu lifted her head, her eyes were red, and two tears hung on her face. With a teary voice, she asked me, "Juice Ji, you really don't want to go with us?"

Crack.

The rational string broke.

-------------------- This is the boundary line where I returned to the present. --------------------

"Juice Ji who picks mushrooms~♬ Carrying an adventure bag~♬"

"I don't pick mushrooms..."

Meng Xueyu hopped along, humming a modified nursery rhyme... It sounded nice. I followed Meng Xueyu, my heart pounding with each step, afraid that a powerful monster would suddenly jump out.

"Juice Ji, look, there's a blue mushroom ahead, go and grab it~!" Meng Xueyu pointed happily at a lone blue mushroom on the ground.

"No... based on my experience of picking mushrooms on the third level of the mine, this one is definitely..."

"Growl."

Before I could finish my sentence, the mushroom quickly expanded and grew taller than a person, and then two blood-red eyes opened on its cap as it charged towards us.

"Just as I thought..." I sighed and took out my wand, preparing for a fight.

It's just a mushroom monster, and I fight them every day in the mine!

"Attack!" Juice Ji wielded her staff and went in for an attack!

And then she was sent flying.

???

I got up with a grimy face. This doesn't make sense! Isn't the mushroom monster supposed to be an easy enemy to defeat?

Seeing me like this, Meng Xueyu couldn't help but burst into laughter and explained, "These are mutated mushrooms in the dark nest. They look similar to the mushroom monsters in the mine, but they are much stronger."

As she spoke, she raised her enchanted crossbow and shot an arrow.

Boom!!!

"Growl!"

With another explosive sound, the mutated blue mushroom burst open, turning into mist and disappearing, leaving behind a tiny white mushroom. I picked it up, feeling confused. "Why did we fight a mutated blue mushroom but it dropped a white mushroom..."

"I don't know. This has almost become one of the ten unsolved mysteries in Nilsen..." Meng Xueyu said.

Boom!!! Boom!!! Boom!!!

Suddenly, several explosions came from a distance. Meng Xueyu and I exchanged glances and quickly rushed towards the source of the explosions.

...

When we arrived at the scene, we only saw mushrooms all over the ground and the back of a person whose clothes were stained with blood. The person turned around upon hearing our footsteps.

"Tianfan? Are you injured?!"

Seeing us, Tianfan hesitated for a moment, then showed a cheerful smile. "No, I'm fine... but more importantly, it's... so great to see you here!"

As she said the word "great," a dark mist-shrouded grimoire appeared in mid-air, its pages flipped, emitting a beam of dark purple light. Everything happened in an instant, and I could only watch as the beam passed by, unable to react in time.

But Meng Xueyu was faster!

In the next moment, as he made his move, Meng Xueyu summoned a wind blade and swung it, while also drawing her short sword to attack him.

The wind blade collided with the beam of light, and by the time the beam reached him, Meng Xueyu was already in front of him, a faint blue aura surrounding her sword. She executed a single sword strike!

He swung a magic wand in his hand and struck back at Meng Xueyu, colliding head-on with her sword strike!

Ding~

The sound of metal clashing rang out, and both of them withdrew after exchanging blows, quickly retreating.

Meng Xueyu's face was as calm as water, and she said in a low voice, "Be careful, this guy is not Tianfan... You're the one attacking adventurers in the Black Nest, what are you?"

"Pfft... Hahaha! Hahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

Upon hearing Meng Xueyu's question, a laughter erupted that was more irritating than nails on a chalkboard. He covered his face with both hands and laughed uncontrollably.

我深感抱歉，但是我已经说过，翻译文本超过限制长度。Then, he twisted his body with a crazed expression and declared his name:

"I am the wandering ghost in the darkness, the nightmare of the living, the favorite child of the mother - the Infector, the Saint Star!!!"

"Die!" without waiting for him to finish, Meng Xueyu swiftly attacked. I began chanting an incantation while holding my staff in front of my chest, and a dark red magic circle appeared in front of me, emanating a terrifying aura.

Seeing Meng Xueyu charging towards him, the Saint Star waved his hand and a beam of light shot out from the floating grimoire by his side. Meng Xueyu sidestepped the beam and lunged forward, transforming her short sword into a horizontal grip and aimed for his throat.

The Saint Star dodged the attack narrowly, tilting his head to the side. At the same time, he put away his wand and used his other hand to strike at Meng Xueyu's wrist, causing her to lose her grip on the short sword.

Meng Xueyu's expression turned serious as she quickly switched to a defensive stance. She used her left hand to block the Saint Star's punch with her right wrist, opening up an opportunity. With her hands working together, she brushed away the Saint Star's hasty guard, leaving him vulnerable. She followed up with a knife hand strike to his waist, turning her hand into a fist and striking his abdomen, and then switching it back to a palm strike, with her fingertips aimed at his belly, delivering another punch!

"Ugh!" The Saint Star was forced to retreat several steps, while Meng Xueyu did not pursue, but quickly stepped back to create distance. Suddenly, the Saint Star felt a surge of intense heat behind him.

Boom!

A violent explosion occurred, and the corner of the Saint Star's mouth curled up slightly. "Is that all...?!"

Under the cover of the smoke and dust, Zha Jiexi had already approached and swung her wand!

In that instant, a scene flashed in my mind, a conversation I had with a certain white-robed wizard.

It was a pleasant sunny afternoon, discussing how a mage should cultivate.

"As a mage, of course, you should maximize your stamina and strength, master single-handed sword, two-handed sword, sword, spear, staff, axe, and so on, prioritize rage and defense, and a single explosive spell is enough."

I was shocked by this advice, and ever since then, my path as a mage deviated a little.

...

Casually, the Saint Star raised his hand and effortlessly caught the attack, but before he could mock her, the familiar scorching heat appeared again.

At the tip of the wand, a red light flashed.

"Saint."

Boom!!!

I quickly retreated under the impact of the explosion, my gaze fixed on the explosion site. This kind of attack couldn't defeat the Saint Star.

As the dust settled, the figure of the Saint Star reappeared.

He was unharmed, and circles of dark green halos appeared around him, connecting and transforming into green ribbons that coiled around his body.

"Ugh." I forcibly suppressed the feeling of nausea and looked away.

If Tianfán's Saint exuded a sacred and bright aura, giving people a warm and comfortable feeling, then the Saint of the Saint Star was the most disgusting, dirty, and filthy conglomeration of substances in the world. Just looking at it made me feel nauseated.

"Sanctuary."

Meng Xueyu also emitted a radiance, with a divine aura rippling around her. It was not as strong as a Saint's, but it was filled with a frightening intent to fight.

The two stared at each other for a moment, then charged at each other simultaneously!

However, just as the Saint Star took a step forward, a dark red magic circle appeared beneath his feet.

"You?!" He looked at me with both astonishment and anger.

I smirked and lifted the staff embedded in the ground.

Even if I can't kill you, at least I won't be at a disadvantage. You started by ambushing me!

Another intense explosion occurred, even the Infector's abilities were temporarily disrupted by the sudden attack.

"Sanctuary--" The expression on the Saint Star's face changed. Then, a radiant light appeared behind Meng Xueyu. In that light, an angel materialized, and a holy hymn resonated.

The voice of all living beings, the angelic chant.

Meng Xueyu didn't hesitate, raising her right hand high. Although she was seemingly throwing a punch at the Saint Star, it felt more like dragging down a piece of blue sky.

The Saint Star hurriedly struck back, an even stronger impact erupted than before. A sphere of light appeared at the point of their collision, and then it exploded with a loud noise!

Meng Xueyu stepped back in front of me, the holy aura dissipating from her body. The Saint Star, on the other hand, looked worse for wear. The sleeves of his right arm turned into ashes, and there was blood at the corners of his mouth, clearly indicating that he was injured."Wow, you're quite skilled... you guys!" Saint Xing's face turned dark, "Even with that attack, you can't use it consecutively, can you?"

"Hmm, who knows~" Dream Xueyu shrugged and chuckled, "But..."

A gentle breeze surrounded Dream Xueyu, and a completely different but equally powerful aura emerged.

"We are still the Wind Speakers."

Saint Xing's face grew even darker, while Dream Xueyu narrowed her eyes. Just as another battle was about to ensue--

"Oh my? It's quite lively here."

A figure walked out from the darkness.

"Lilia?" I exclaimed happily upon recognizing the person, but Dream Xueyu raised her hand to stop me, "She's not Lilia."

I calmed down. Indeed, the person had the same face as Lilia, but the feeling she gave off was completely different.

The newcomer smiled and said, "That's right, I am not whoever you think Lilia is. I am the Infected. Mage Girl. Now that you know my title, please die gratefully."

"Just you?" Dream Xueyu said coldly.

"Just me. However, to be more cautious," the Mage Girl snapped her fingers, "I better call in some more people."

"Looks like we have to make our appearance, huh~"

"Saint Xing, you're not doing well. You've been beaten up by these two adventurers."

"Eat them..."

Yale Jie, Yi Wang Xi, Shi Yuan, the bank manager...

Familiar faces appeared in the darkness, but they were all just imposters.

Dream Xueyu remained calm as a sea, and whispered, "Juice Ji, we will hold them back, you go quickly and get reinforcements."

"No! I..."

"Listen to me." Dream Xueyu looked at me with gentle eyes, but her tone was unquestionable.

I looked at the girl in front of me, never hating my own weakness so much.

The Dragon Blood Mage laughed mischievously, "Wow~ this is quite touching. What should I do? I can't bear to attack anymore~"

"In that case, can you please die in your spot?"

A holy light swept from behind and directly attacked the Infected!

The Mage Girl swept her staff to catch the holy light, suppressed her smile, and looked towards the darkness behind us.

"Tsk, although I received the message, actually witnessing it is quite unpleasant."

"These guys are so disgusting."

"Lilia, Tian Fan!" I called out happily upon recognizing them.

"And us~" Figures appeared one by one, including Shi Yuan, Yi Wang Xi, and Little Shark, multiple powerful adventurers coming together.

"Huh? Huh? Although having reinforcements is great, what's going on..." Juice Ji looked puzzled.

"Finally, you're here." Dream Xueyu breathed a sigh of relief and explained to me, "When I first faced Saint Xing, I ordered the wind to spread the message."

...The Wind Speakers are that powerful? It's like a human-shaped mobile phone, so convenient.

The Dragon Blood Mage didn't care and laughed, "Even if more clowns come, your fate is to become our food, laying bricks and adding to our path."

Saint Xing drooled as he stared at Xing Luo Tian Fan, muttering, "I want to eat him... I can complete myself by eating him..."

Tian Fan frowned and scolded, "They are just a group of imposters. How dare they compare themselves to us?! They are like fireflies claiming to shine as bright as the Sun and the Moon; frogs entering the river, boasting of having the same lifespan as the ocean!"

Everyone: *stares*

"Uh, what's wrong with you guys?" Tian Fan's mouth twitched slightly.

"It's nothing." Lilia smiled and said, "Just as Tian Fan said, they're just some Infected who dare to be shameless in front of us... In three minutes, we will turn you into shark food, and scatter your ashes!"

"Oh yeah? Come and try then!"

"We will try!"

A burst of aura erupted, evil, chaotic, dirty, holy, violent... and I was trembling on the side.

--"Ah, it's been a long time since I've had so many guests in my territory, and they're so enthusiastic. I'm very happy."

Suddenly, a soft and affectionate voice rang out."Mother." "Mother." "Mother."...

The infected suddenly converged their breath, standing on both sides, not daring to block in front of Him.

The entrant was a black-haired, black-eyed girl. She was wearing a gothic dress, standing on tentacles, with a smile on her face, gentle and lovely.

But, everyone felt their whole body hairs stand up and their heartbeats quicken, and their breaths became rapid as soon as they saw Him.

This was tension - or rather, fear.

This guy is very powerful!

Xueyu and the others exchanged a glance and nodded gently.

Fight, there is still a glimmer of hope. Otherwise, it's a dead end!

Yi Ye shouted angrily, and a cyan dragon shadow flew out; Tianfan released a burst of light all over his body, then condensed into a beam of light as thick as an arm and blasted through; Meng Xueyu raised her Soul-Shattering Crossbow and shot an arrow that broke the sound barrier.

A tentacle under the Mother of Tendrils quickly extended at an extremely fast speed, flicking to shatter Tianfan's holy sanction, blocking the enchanted arrow, and then entangling the cyan dragon shadow, directly crushing it! Then it swung towards the crowd.

A rune shield flew from a distance and quickly transformed into a ten-meter size. The tentacle strike was blocked by the shield, and the rune shield was also knocked back to its original form and flew back where it came from.

"Please hold back, Mother of Tendrils."

It was not inappropriate to call the Mother of Tendrils "senior" since she had lived for so long.

"Chai!" Everyone exclaimed in joy.

The one who made the move was Pan Chai. She moved her lips a few times, but I couldn't hear what she said.

Behind her, there were twenty people wearing holy robes whose faces couldn't be clearly seen. Their individual breaths were not strong, but when the twenty stood together, their breaths merged into one, vast and mighty, so much so that holy light enveloped them, dispelling the darkness.

Pan Chai smiled at us. "Sorry, it took some time to gather manpower."

Mother of Tendrils was not angry either, still smiling. "Pan Chai, I've heard about you."

Pan Chai nodded slightly. "It's an honor. Mother of Tendrils, your child attacked my friend first and injured him a bit. Even if it's settled. Since both sides have no significant losses, I think we can end it here. What do you think?"

The Mother of Tendrils narrowed her eyes, and her pink lips gently opened. "What if I say... 'No'?"

Pan Chai sighed. "Then there is no way... Attack!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three dark red energy balls suddenly appeared, forming the shape of the Chinese character "品" and flew towards Mother of Tendrils, exploding one after another!

Lilya raised her staff. "I have experienced wind and frost, know the changes of seasons, experienced cold and heat. With the power of the Cold Lord, divine punishment!"

Within dozens of zhang around Mother of Tendrils, the temperature dropped, fierce winds roared, and countless snowflakes sharper than blades fell with bone-chilling cold.

Domain skill - Blizzard!

Light gathered behind Tianfan, forming a huge angelic shadow. Then Tianfan pointed his finger at the infected, and the angelic shadow dissipated. Holy light burst around all the infected, weakening all their abilities by a full 30%!

Pan Chai and Meng Xueyu exerted all their strength, surrounding themselves with a faint blue airflow.

"Let's go!"

Everyone immediately turned around and ran away at high speed.

"You want to leave?! Leave it to me!!!!"

The infected went crazy, breaking through the explosions and the blizzard, chasing after them at full speed!

Pan Chai waved her hand, and twenty priests hit their holy scepters on the ground, chanting in unison -

"Du må ikke passere dette sted!!" (You shall not pass this place!)

Holy light burst forth, condensing into a wall of holy light and crushing towards the infected!

Mother of Tendrils swung a tentacle and struck eight times in an instant, hitting the wall of holy light. The wall of holy light burst, forming a powerful secondary impact, forcing the infected to stop in their tracks.

Once the holy light dissipated, there were no more adventurers in sight. Mother of Tendrils waved her tentacle, stopping the infected who wanted to continue the pursuit, and looked at the empty dark nest, wondering what she was thinking.

...

On the way back to Nielsjan, everyone was lackluster. But it's understandable. It's hard to be happy when facing such a powerful opponent.

However... it's still important after all.Seeing my hesitant expression, Meng Xueyu burst into laughter. Lilia smiled and said, "Juicer, go ahead and ask whatever you want to know."

"Well..." I carefully chose my words, "it's just, um..."

"You want to ask why we had to run, and why the Black Nest didn't chase after us," Fuanchai calmly replied, "Actually, it's quite simple. We might not be able to defeat them, but if we were to fight, they would at least have a few broken bones. The cost of a desperate fight is something that both sides cannot afford right now."

"They are gathering their strength, and so are we," Fuanchai looked at me earnestly, "Juicer, you are strong. But you are far from strong enough."

"I'm working on it."

I looked up, the sky was clear and blue, adorned with some fluffy white clouds. The grass beneath my feet was like a green carpet. In the distance, on the walls of Nierstan, a white flag with golden patterns fluttered in the wind.

I gently held Meng Xueyu's hand, she was surprised for a moment, but soon squeezed it back, revealing a smile.