In his confusion, Leo Ray looked solemnly at the old wandering poet, who was still trembling all over, and said, "Nicholas, I know this is a terrifying memory you are unwilling to revisit, but it is extremely important to me and even to the whole human clan. Please make sure not to leave anything out."

Having said that, Leo Ray expressed his doubts and quietly waited for the other's response.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, although I am nobody important, I am not a coward either. Besides, Your Majesty has treated me well, giving a home to a wanderer like me. No matter how terrifying the memories are, I will face them fearlessly!"

Old Nick nodded heavily, then gathered his thoughts while gripping the armrest tightly to steady himself, allowing his gaze to become unfocused again.

"After that sudden surge of deep fear swallowed me, my consciousness blurred, my body wouldn't move, and everything around me became elusive as if the entire world had vanished except for those strange watching eyes, cold and filled with disdain."

"As I was about to collapse, my mind suddenly became incredibly noisy, as if I'd been placed on a bustling unfamiliar street with countless people talking beside my ears."

"The voices were either sharp or hoarse, every one of them speaking rapidly and in an obscure manner, yet all of them cold and full of aggression, like a chaotic, unstructured melody, reminiscent of demonic mutterings and whispers, causing my head to throb painfully."

Old Nick's breathing became labored, highlighting how vividly he still remembered the fear.

"I don't know how much time passed until, amidst the confusion, I vaguely caught three phrases from those voices: "Great Catastrophe," "Announcement Messenger," and "Spreading Fear," but most frequently heard was "Great Catastrophe."

Old Nick's unfocused eyes began to refocus as he concluded, "And the few fragments I recall after that are scattered pieces."

"Such as why those strange eyes spared me, allowing me to merge back into the underground river. I fled madly from the teleportation gate, escaping the cave, and finally collapsed in the snow at the Viennas City gate...Beyond that, I remember nothing until now when I regained consciousness."

After listening to Old Nick's description, the entire room fell silent as everyone pondered his final words carefully.

Undoubtedly, Old Nick's words conveyed a vast amount of information, especially with the presence of "Corrosion," making it difficult to digest immediately.

"No wonder the investigation found nothing back then; it was due to the teleportation gate."

After a while, Gael broke the silence, speaking solemnly to Leo Ray, "Lord, upon discovering Old Nick, I was also invited by Viennas City's Mercenary Guild to investigate the magic beast cave where the incident happened alongside a team of elite mercenaries."

"I still remember clearly that although we found that ancient magic array carved into the ground deep within the nest, the accompanying mage attempted to infuse mana but to no avail."

"Hence, I merely imprinted the ancient magic array and didn't pursue further investigation, not realizing it was an ancient teleportation formation."

"This explains why we couldn't obtain any useful information, as the incident location wasn't in the magic beast cave but rather in front of an underground ancient relic."

After Gael finished speaking, Grey Elder thoughtfully nodded and supplemented, "I also saw the imprinted ancient magic array when reading the investigation report, but despite extensive verification, no useful information was obtained."

"It seems Old Nick escaped the ancient ruins via the teleportation gate, causing the gate to fall back into a dormant state and become even more damaged, unable to activate again."

Carefully listening to both men's words, Kelsey's eyes widened, blurting out, "So near Viennas City, beneath a magic beast cave, exists a large amount of "Corrosion," if they emerge completely, wouldn't it be extremely dangerous?"

With Kelsey's words, the room's atmosphere grew even heavier.

Especially for those who experienced the Dragon Nest battle firsthand, like Leo Ray and Grey Elder, they understood.

Ordinary attacks hardly affect "Corrosion," even Tier 6 experts are the same, and our only effective counter is using the power of the [God Stone].

Moreover, only those recognized by the [God Stone] can wield its power, and including Leo Ray, there are only a scant few dozen holders of the [God Stone].

This undoubtedly means that if masses of "Corrosion" emerge from the abyss-like subterranean depths, these invincible entities capable of parasitic attachment and insanity-inducing forces will undoubtedly trigger an unprecedented disaster.

No, to be more precise, if the numbers of "Corrosion" are vast enough, we stand no chance, and everything will be utterly obliterated.

After all, the [God Stone]'s power against "Corrosion" is not unlimited and requires time to replenish once depleted.

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