Chapter 87: Narrow Paths of Enmity

Carefully avoiding the sneak attacks from the dark archers, I stumbled to my target—a three-story building, the largest in the castle, standing several dozen meters tall. The wide avenue and square outside, the elaborately decorated magical lamps, and the exquisite and expensive stones used in its construction all testified to the building's special status. This was the main building of the castle, with a grand hall for receiving distinguished guests on the ground floor, and the second and third floors reserved for high-end guest rooms and the bedrooms of the lord's family.

Gently pushing open the rotten wooden door, a spacious hall unfolded before me. Intricate carvings, expensive murals, and soft carpets all spoke of its former beauty. However, all of this had been destroyed. The hall, once used for dining and dancing, had become a playground for monsters. Now, it was occupied by a group of the Night Clan, led by an elite monster.

I led the Venomous Flower Vines forward, having already put Xiao Xue away, as adventurers often appeared here, and I didn't want her to be discovered. As for why adventurers frequented this place, it was either because they had designs on the Countess or because the second floor of this building housed the Black Wasteland's teleportation station...

When I saw the place Cain pointed to in the book, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. I never imagined that the people of this world had long understood that the most dangerous places were often the safest. Indeed, compared to the open Black Wasteland, the rooms inside the castle were undoubtedly more hidden.

Even without Xiao Xue, our combat strength remained formidable. In no time, we cleared out all the Night Clan members, and the elite monster dropped a relatively high-level shield.

Large Shield: Defense 12, Healing 24-24, Strength Required 30, Socket (3).

OMG, it was a top-tier gray shield with three sockets. In similar equipment, if gemstones were embedded, the sockets on a shield were undoubtedly the most valuable, as they increased resistance (except for purple gems and skulls). If three green gems, even the lowest-grade shattered green gems, were embedded, the resistance to poison would increase by 36%. Such a high single resistance was unattainable even with gold equipment, highlighting its value.

I carefully kept the shield, reserving the sockets for future use when needed.

After clearing the battlefield, I followed the spiral staircase to the second floor. In the corridor, I encountered a few waves of small demons. These yellow demons were a high-level variety of the Fallen Ones, only slightly inferior to the top-tier Dark Demons. They had evolved through countless battles, but their cowardly and selfish nature remained unchanged. When faced with a powerful enemy, they would scatter, disregarding the safety of their companions.

On both sides of the circular corridor on the second floor were large doors. If you thought the teleportation station was in one of these rooms and tried to open them, you would be gravely mistaken, as you might be greeted by a group of monsters.

I carefully examined the walls, finally stopping in front of a large mural. I knocked on it, and soon the mural disappeared, revealing a door. It turned out that the mural was just a magical illusion. The door opened, and a Rogue Archer welcomed me inside.

Inside was a large bedroom with white-painted walls, exquisite magical chandeliers, beautiful wall hangings, and even a fireplace. OMG, guarding the teleportation station was truly a pleasant duty.

After the mage registered my name, I didn't rush to leave. It was already dusk, so I decided to stay the night, saving me the trouble of setting up a tent. Moreover, such a beautiful room was something I had never experienced, whether in my original world or in the current Dark Continent. Wahahaha...

However, as the saying goes, extreme joy often leads to sorrow. As I gazed at the room's decorations with the wide-eyed wonder of a country bumpkin, the teleportation station suddenly glowed white. Damn, how could this be so coincidental? At this time, other adventurers actually arrived?

Even more coincidentally, when I saw the faces of these people, I almost buried my face in the ground. There were three people in the teleportation station: a Paladin, an Assassin, and a female Druid. They were the unfortunate team whose corpse I had stolen in the Evil Cave, causing them to lose their temper. Was this what they called "narrow paths of enmity"? Or was it "self-inflicted suffering"? How could such a low-probability event happen to me?

Seeing them look over, I quickly pulled down the hood of my cloak, burying my face in the shadows. Anyone who didn't know better might have thought I was an Assassin.

I hoped they wouldn't recognize me. I bitterly smiled to myself. Reflecting on the situation, what I thought was a flawless plan to steal the monster was actually full of flaws. If they immediately returned to the Rogue Camp and asked the soldiers guarding the teleportation array, they could probably guess who had stolen their monster. I didn't think they would fail to recognize me if they saw my face. At this moment, I could only pray to that damned God, asking Him to make them leave immediately.

When they arrived and saw another Transmigrant here, they were also surprised. However, their next actions filled me with despair. After exchanging pleasantries with the guard, they each took out their animal skin blankets, laid them out opposite me, and sat down. They then took out some dried meat, clearly planning to stay the night. Well... well, you guys are tough. If you're not leaving, I'll leave. I was about to stand up, but the Paladin walked over and extended his hand to me.

"My name is Druv, a 16th-level Paladin. Do you mind making a friend?"

His voice was steady and friendly, easily making one feel good. However, hearing his sincere voice, my sense of guilt only grew heavier. Forget it, I'll ignore him and be a bad guy again. I stood up, intending to turn and leave, but the mage guarding the teleportation portal spoke, nearly making me fall over.

"This is the Druid Wu Fan, who has been training alone until now. He will surely become a great hero, not inferior to the pride of our Rogue Camp, Lady Shalana."

The mage had just registered me, so he naturally knew my name. Although his tone was full of admiration, I couldn't feel happy. Weren't mages supposed to be silent and taciturn? What kind of mage are you, introducing people for no reason? Go back to the camp and study for a few more years.

I looked at the damned mage with tears in my eyes, then turned around. Sure enough, the Paladin Druv's extended hand had stiffened, and the Assassin's face was filled with anger. Even the gentle female Druid's expression darkened. This was retribution!

Just as I was preparing to face the impending storm, the Paladin suddenly laughed heartily and did not retract his hand as I had expected.

"Ah, it's the Druid Wu Fan. I think we've met before, haven't we? How about we become friends?"

I was taken aback and involuntarily extended my hand to shake his. Having read countless novels and seen countless plots, my first thought was: there's a conspiracy. This guy must be a deep and cunning person, planning to take me out when I'm not paying attention.

However, looking at his steady and solid demeanor, it was hard to imagine he would cause me trouble. Of course, I didn't think all Paladins were as good-natured as Lar, but he didn't seem like a petty person. Even if he had deep thoughts, he wouldn't hold a grudge over the corpse incident. With this in mind, I relaxed and took off my hood—since I couldn't hide, why bother?

"Druid Wu Fan, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Druv." I gave Druv a big smile.

However, the Assassin was not pleased. He stood up and shouted at Druv, "Druv, what are you doing? Don't you remember? It was this kid..."

"Shut up." Druv turned and glared at him. "I've already said we retreated first, so no one is to blame."

In theory, that was true, but in this war-torn world, Transmigrants, who were in a weaker position, should support each other. This was an unwritten rule. My behavior of stealing monsters, while justifiable, was morally questionable and clearly not very decent. The Assassin's and the female Druid's continued resentment was evident.

"No, he's right, it was my fault. I apologize to all of you. Can you forgive me?" I bowed deeply to the three of them and then looked up with an apologetic smile.

The three of them clearly did not expect this reaction. After a moment, the female Druid and the Paladin's expressions improved, while the Assassin still grumbled, "Hmph, what's the point of an apology..." but stopped under the Paladin's glare.

"Forget it, that's all in the past. Why bring it up again?"

Druv suddenly patted my shoulder. Although his tone and actions seemed less polite and courteous than before, I felt a sense of closeness. I hadn't expected to gain their forgiveness so easily. More friends mean fewer enemies, and everyone must have thought the same.

Then, Druv introduced me to his other two teammates. His good brother, the Assassin Marton, who was still a bit unhappy but shook my hand. And his wife, the Druid Eihana, a beautiful and gentle woman who was very approachable. Upon learning I was only 23 years old, she even patted my head, her gentle aura making me feel like I was with a kind older sister. Together with Druv's steady demeanor, they made a truly enviable couple.

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End of Chapter 87