Driven by curiosity, Ethan and Nuwa decided to cross the hanging bridge to reach the black castle.

Ethan wasn't scared at all—his three skills had returned, after all.

Nuwa, however, felt uneasy. She couldn't shake off her worries about possible traps or curses waiting ahead.

Learning from what happened earlier in the black savanna, Nuwa feared the terrifying debuffs more than the monsters themselves, especially after hearing the screams of pain coming from other players inside the castle.

"Be careful, Nuwa."

Nuwa nodded, obedient to Ethan's words. After all, he was the one who saved her from the undead.

Without him, she would've died and failed this event.

After crossing the hanging bridge, they stopped in front of a huge castle gate, about four meters tall.

Ethan didn't need to use much strength to open it—just a simple push was enough.

Nuwa stayed close behind Ethan, carefully watching their surroundings. Ethan halted as soon as he saw the inside of the black castle.

Rotten old furniture, dust all over the floor, and small spider webs decorating every corner of the walls.

At a glance, it felt like stepping into a haunted castle.

"Stay alert and don't touch anything," Ethan said. Nuwa nodded.

A staircase stood in the center of the room, leading upward. Judging by the height of the castle, Ethan guessed there were about four or five floors.

Still, he couldn't tell where the girl was or where those earlier screams came from.

The first floor seemed safe enough, so Ethan decided to head to the second floor.

Nuwa followed closely behind, unwilling to be separated.

When they reached the second floor, both of them were shocked—not by the dusty furniture, but by the sight of several medium-sized eggs neatly lined up in rows.

White eggs with black patterns made Nuwa's heart jump in fear. Ethan stayed cautious, stepping lightly to avoid touching them.

"Could these be the spider's eggs?" Nuwa asked.

"Most likely. We already know this castle is where that monster lives," Ethan replied.

"If we stay careful, we'll be fine."

"I understand."

Moving slowly, Ethan managed to pass through the fragile-looking eggs safely.

Nuwa, on the other hand, struggled. Fear made her clumsy, and she kept worrying that she might accidentally touch one.

After a while, she finally crossed the area and reached Ethan safely.

He could clearly hear her long exhale—relief mixed with exhaustion.

"Are you okay?" Ethan asked.

Nuwa nodded. She had conquered her fear and was ready to move on.

Seeing that, Ethan nodded back and started climbing to the next floor.

As they went higher, faint sounds of sword clashes and magic explosions echoed from the third floor.

Nuwa whispered, guessing the sounds came from another team doing the same side quest. Ethan thought so too.

When they reached the third floor, they saw a guild team of four fighting enemies—a warrior, an archer, a mage, and a priest.

Their archer was injured and being healed by the priest.

Were they fighting red-eyed spiders? Technically yes, but Ethan suspected these were just minions.

There were a lot of them, but not as scary as expected. He figured a boss monster was probably waiting on the fourth floor.

"Should we help them?" Nuwa whispered.

Ethan shook his head. Joining them could drag them into the fight. He preferred to wait until that team finished the monsters.

Once they did, he and Nuwa would move up to the fourth floor.

"When we reach the fourth floor, we'll use the timing to defeat both the monsters and the other team."

"What if the girl is being held on the fourth floor?" Nuwa asked.

Ethan hadn't considered that. Without a map of the castle, he had no clear idea where she was.

That forced him to think fast for another plan.

"What should we do then?" Nuwa asked again.

After a long silence, Ethan finally decided—they'd fight and take the side quest no matter the risk.

"All right. We'll attack them," Ethan said. Nuwa froze, swallowing hard.

It would be her first time attacking other players instead of monsters. Even if this was just an event and players wouldn't really die, fighting fellow players felt wrong.

Ethan was different. He had a PK status and was known for killing other players.

Taking down another guild's team would be as easy as fighting ordinary monsters for him.

"I don't know, Ethan... I'm not used to fighting players."

Ethan saw the doubt in her eyes and sighed softly. He nodded—he couldn't force her into this.

"All right."

"You stay here. I'll handle them."

Without hesitation, Ethan stepped onto the third floor while Nuwa hid near the stairs.

"Are you sure you can handle those monsters?" Ethan asked loudly.

The sudden voice drew everyone's attention. Some turned around, clearly surprised to see Ethan alone.

"You?! Who are you?!" the warrior shouted.

"I came to save the girl," Ethan said calmly. "If you can't handle those monsters, then step aside."

"You're after the side quest too?" the priest asked, squinting. She noticed his PK status right away, and fear spread among her teammates.

"PK status! Are you going to kill us?" she shouted.

"Kill you? That'd be too easy. How about we work together instead?"

Ethan narrowed his eyes, curious about their weapon ranks—maybe some were rare. That could make things easier for him.

"W-Work together? Why should we trust a PK like you?"

"Because with my power, I can take those monsters down," he replied confidently.

He stood there, untouched by the spiders, while all the monsters focused their attacks on the guild team.

"So, what's your answer?" Ethan asked.

"If we let you help, what do you want in return?" the mage asked.

"Hmm… how about your weapons?" Ethan said with a smirk.

"DON'T JOKE AROUND!" the mage shouted angrily.

Ethan grinned. He'd already expected that reaction—no one would hand over their weapons willingly.

Without them, they wouldn't make it off this mountain alive.

There's no rule saying I have to kill all the monsters on each floor. If I can break through to the fourth floor, I can take the side quest first.

He looked to the side and gave Nuwa a small nod. She didn't know what it meant, but she could tell he was about to act.

Ethan drew his Fire-Pillar Sword and leapt forward. The other players froze in shock as he landed among the spider swarm, unleashing devastating damage.

[Passive Skill Activated: Intimidate!]

Not only the monsters, but even the other players were affected by the debuff as long as they were within range.

It felt like strong gravity pressed their bodies down to the castle floor.

Taking advantage of the moment, Ethan dashed past the spiders and sprinted toward the fourth floor, leaving the frustrated guild team behind.

"Ethan!" the warrior shouted angrily.

From the stairs, Nuwa could only watch in awe. It was her first time seeing Ethan's true power—his terrifying passive skill and his unstoppable strength.

Just how strong is he really?

Ethan ran up the stairs, dodging more spider attacks. When he reached the fourth floor, the minions stopped chasing him.

I'll figure out how to take their weapons later.

He stepped into the fourth floor, noticing the same layout but with larger, slimy green webs hanging everywhere.

Then he heard a strange noise from above. Looking up, he saw it—the red-eyed spider boss clinging to the ceiling.

It was much bigger than the minions, with sharp legs and acid dripping from its mouth.

"So this is really the side quest, huh?"

"A crazy one... I better get a reward worthy of saving that girl!"

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