Chapter 385: System is being weird

The first thought that crossed Luke’s mind when he saw the red screen was that it concerned his own health. The system had only ever reacted with such urgency when his life was in immediate danger. Even so, the intensity of the warning felt excessive.

It was only after he realized that the system was warning him about the dungeon that his thoughts began racing through every possible assumption. What could have suddenly happened in that world for the system to issue a warning of this magnitude? Was it something related to Synthia? Perhaps Grella?

No. Something told Luke that the matter went far beyond either of them.

And since it was exceedingly rare for the system to impose a time limit on a task, he did not waste any more time speculating. Without further hesitation, Luke vanished into the dungeon.

’Hopefully, I won’t have to stay here for long.’

The difference in the flow of time between the two worlds was significant enough that he wasn’t particularly concerned. He could spend several hours here, doing whatever was necessary to complete the quest, while only a matter of minutes would pass for them.

"Nothing appears to be out of place here, except for this deathly silence," Luke muttered as he surveyed his surroundings.

It was the same forest where he usually arrived, a familiar stretch of woodland that should have offered him at least some sense of comfort. Yet something about the stillness felt wrong. There wasn’t even the faintest rustle of leaves or distant cry of a creature.

[Host, the final stage of the first floor is located here.]

[Due to the special circumstances of the dungeon, the restriction prohibiting the host from using the System Shop has been lifted. Additionally, the host may take points or items loans from the system if required.]

"..."

Under normal circumstances, such information would have been enough to make Luke grin.

Instead, his unease only deepened.

Exactly what kind of threat had forced the system to make so many exceptions?

The restriction on the System Shop had been lifted, something that had never happened before. And now the system was even permitting him to borrow Gamma Points and shop items?

Luke had never heard of anything like that.

A moment later, Luke asked, "What do I need to do here?"

He had been given fifteen minutes of preparation time, and he didn’t complain. Whatever the situation was, the system clearly considered it urgent enough to demand his immediate attention.

[The quest will be divided into several smaller quests. Rewards will be granted accordingly.]

[First Task: Reach the marked location on the map.]

Luke frowned as a map unfolded before his eyes, a single red dot glowing prominently against the terrain.

’If I’m reading this correctly... this blue section is the ocean, and if we’re moving east, then...’

His eyes narrowed as he traced the route in his mind.

There was no doubt about it. The system wanted him to visit Grella’s hometown. Or, more accurately, it wanted him to travel to the only known place in this world where he could find humans.

That realization immediately made Luke more cautious.

He didn’t waste any more time and began preparing for the journey.

A quick check of his inventory confirmed that he had enough potions, his weapons were all in place, and he had several traps available should the need arise.

For now, there was no reason to make any hasty purchases. Until he understood what awaited him at the marked location, wasting his resources would only be foolish.

With that in mind, Luke decided to complete the first task before making any further preparations.

"System, take down the resting zone."

Luke gave the command, and after a faint buzzing sound, the barrier surrounding the resting zone vanished, leaving him completely exposed to the jungle beyond.

Yet even after stepping into the wilderness, the strange silence persisted.

If anything, it was more unsettling than having a third-tier beast suddenly lunge at him.

At least a beast charging toward him was something Luke could understand. This unnatural stillness offered no such certainty.

Luke didn’t linger for long and immediately began his journey.

Since the sun was already high in the sky, he invested some points into his speed before setting off. His figure blurred as he dashed through the jungle, quickly covering the distance beyond the tree line. Within two minutes, he reached the beach.

The sight that greeted him was hardly pleasant.

The vast ocean stretched endlessly before him, waves of hot air rolled across the shore, and the glaring sunlight beat down relentlessly from above. It was hardly an ideal welcome, but Luke had no intention of standing around to complain.

He continued toward his destination.

’Hmm? Surprising.’

One thing Luke remembered clearly was the strange rock Grella had shown him the last time he visited this world.

It was the same rock the tribal people used to locate their village. Without it, even standing directly near the village wouldn’t help anyone find it.

Luke still didn’t know whether it was some form of ancient sorcery or something else entirely. Perhaps there was an explanation behind it that he simply hadn’t discovered yet.

Regardless of what it was, the rule remained the same. Without that rock, the village was effectively impossible to locate...unless someone had a map on them with a glaring red mark indicating where those people reside.

He kept checking the map, using the distance to gauge how close he was to his destination.

Somewhere in the distance, he could hear the surface of the water being disturbed. It wasn’t the rhythmic movement of waves, however. The sound was too deliberate and quite linear.

’I am being watched.’

The realization didn’t surprise him. Grella had already told him about the mermen and their role as guardians, keeping the savages known as humans in check.

Luke paid them no attention. As long as they continued watching without interfering, he had no reason to acknowledge their presence.

He simply continued advancing until the red mark on the map finally came within reach.

Fortunately, the large wooden door he had seen during his previous visit was still there.

’What the fuck...’

But soon, his eyes caught something that caused his steps to come to a halt.

Something was hanging from the door.

A dead body.

The corpse had been completely drained of blood, its flesh dried and shriveled until little remained but a withered husk. Its head was missing from its body, yet it hadn’t been taken far.

It hung beside the rest of the corpse, suspended grotesquely from the wooden door.

Luke took a deep breath and cautiously advanced toward the door.

There were no guards stationed around it. No one challenged his approach, nor did anyone emerge from within the village. After one final glance at the corpse hanging from the entrance, Luke reached out and pushed the doors open.

Kreak

The heavy wooden doors groaned as they parted from the middle, slowly revealing the sight beyond.

Just then, a notification appeared before Luke’s eyes.

[Quest Achieved]

[Reward: 300 GP]

"...."

Luke froze.

He had barely taken his first step into the village, yet the system had already rewarded him.

The first task had essentially been to travel a few miles and reach this location, yet the reward amounted to three hundred Gamma Points.

The system was definitely onto something.

Not that Luke was complaining about receiving the reward. Far from it. However, the unusually generous compensation only served to heighten his unease.

If merely reaching this place was worth so much, then what exactly was waiting for him inside?

Pushing those thoughts aside, Luke focused on the long trail ahead, its path flanked on either side by rows of thick wooden logs.

As he walked deeper into the settlement, the sounds of people gradually reached his ears. There were far more of them than he had expected. Their voices overlapped in a chaotic murmur, filled with urgency and fear.

Another notification suddenly flashed before him.

[New Quest]

[Task: Blend into the crowd and find out the reason for the panic.]

The moment the task registered, Luke realized that the system had been right about the panic.

Because what the hell was going on in this jungle?

People were rushing through the settlement in every direction, shoving past one another as though reaching some unknown destination would grant them the essence of life itself. Children were being hurriedly shushed, with some even having their mouths covered by trembling hands. Women wept openly as they gathered into frightened circles, their expressions filled with worry and despair.

The entire tribe appeared to be on the verge of collapsing into chaos.

No one paid any attention to Luke. The guards were presumably too occupied with trying to calm the situation and maintain some semblance of order.

Taking advantage of the confusion, Luke approached a nearby group without drawing attention to himself. He lowered himself and listened.

"We won’t survive this... all because of one worm!"

"This is the end for us. They needed a reason, and that pig gave them one!"

"I don’t want to die... I don’t want to die..."

Luke’s expression grew serious.

From the little information he had managed to gather, it seemed that someone, presumably the person whose corpse now hung outside the entrance, had caused some kind of disastrous incident.

And now, the entire tribe was in an uproar because of it.

He was about to listen further when a familiar voice suddenly reached his ears.

"Luke?"

Luke paused.

Turning around, he found a familiar woman standing there, staring at him with an expression of surprise.

Finally, someone who could give him some reliable information.

"Long time, Grella."