In the Holy Kingdom, many changes occurred in Elizabeth's camp.

First, all the outer walls and traps were dismantled.

The commander noticed that the space was bigger than they needed after many soldiers died. He quickly dismantled everything and shrunk the camp.

With a smaller size, the soldiers could observe more of the camp despite the smaller numbers. That allowed more soldiers to sleep and rest, unlike before.

Of course, they didn't leave the empty space around the camp unused. The second thing they did was dig a dry moat and build four bridges connecting the camp with the end of the hill.

The moat wasn't so deep, but if the giants decided to attack in the same way, they'd face a lot of trouble because of the moat.

Third, they changed the amount of food each person received.

The supporting soldiers, like Elizabeth, saw a significant decrease in their food. The food they were receiving now would barely let them get through their days.

On the other hand, the soldiers assigned to protect the camp and fight the giants seemed to have gained the food that the supporters lost.

It was obvious what the commander was doing. He had prioritized those who were capable of fighting over the soldiers who would stay back.

It was a cold change in the camp, but no one argued. They all knew it was necessary for emergencies.

Elizabeth, as the healer, would only need to move among some wounded soldiers. She didn't need as much energy as the other soldiers. In fact, she might not need to move at all.

As for the fourth change… it was about to happen now.

In the healer tent, the commander stood before Elizabeth, his eyes fixed on the plushie-like shadow she was hugging.

Elizabeth stood up and gave him a respectful salute: "Commander! What are you doing here?"

Instead of responding, he looked at Fafnir in his hollow eyes and calmly said: "If nothing changes in the next month, we might have to take the lead and attack the giants. Either that, or we'll starve to death."

His eyes shifted from him to Elizabeth. He noticed that her face was still beautiful and healthy, unlike the moving skeletons who were receiving less food like her.

Letting out a sigh, he said: "You better be ready for that. Remember that if the other soldiers die, you won't be able to protect her alone. I'm certain you're intelligent enough to understand, judging by how you can sneak outside the camp and get her food."

As he finished his speech, he slowly turned around and left without giving them a second glance.

Elizabeth didn't mutter a word as the weight of their situation. They were so desperate the commander was considering making a full attack.

'Even if we succeed, a lot of us will die!' She thought depressingly, doing her best to dismiss any thoughts about her friends dying.

Her mindset had long been changed. She had forgotten how to think brightly about everything. Her only concern now was her friends instead of going through this with no casualties. She knew that it was impossible.

As for Fafnir, he didn't show any reaction. He knew that Dante now felt a bit concerned, but he couldn't do anything. Dante was already sacrificing so much by not making Fafnir kill himself to help him.

However, just then, a change in Dante's side occurred.

¢¢¢

In the White Abyss, Dante looked with shining eyes at Ruby's Wheel of Luck.

As for Ruby, although she couldn't see it, she felt the change, which made a wide smile spread across her face.

They had just entered a new tunnel a moment ago, which had a good curve leading downward.

And suddenly, Ruby's arrows stopped leading downward.

They were so close!

Hell, they were only a few meters away!!

"Finally, finally, finally!" Dante repeated with joy, barely stopping himself from raising his voice.

They were still in a death zone, one that had monsters capable of sensing even vibrations.

"Let's move silently. Don't make any sound." Ruby whispered, and before she could take the first step, Dante held her shoulder and stopped her.

When she looked at him with a questioning gaze, a shadow suddenly moved from his hand to her legs. Without saying a word, Ruby understood his intent.

Her brain recalled some information about the Shadow Aspect: 'The Shadow Aspect can reduce the weight and remove the sounds. It's perfect for stealth!'

They were probably in their most crucial moment. Dante couldn't afford to save his mana anymore.

Now that they didn't have to use a compass anymore, Dante just followed Ruby through the tunnel until they reached the end.

Of course, he didn't forget to burn the glowing flower. He didn't want to attract any unwanted attention from the light of the flower.

Upon reaching the end of the tunnel, they saw one wide tunnel, wider than anything they had seen so far, leading to the right.

When they carefully glanced at the end of it with their bodies covered in shadows, their eyes widened in shock.

'What the hell?!'

What they saw was four toddler Frostmaw Maggots dragging the corpse of a pig-like creature to a small hill of corpses.

Behind that hill, a large blue crystal that reached to the ceiling illuminated the tunnel with a soft glow that seemed to be singlehandedly decreasing the temperature of the tunnel.

As soon as Dante and Ruby saw them, their gazes immediately fell on the most noticeable thing in this tunnel.

Although it had a few tunnels branching from it everywhere, the end of the tunnel didn't have a single branch.

The end of the tunnel wasn't mud, stone, ice, or snow.

It was metallic and shining, with some figures inscribed on it. Dante and Ruby recognised the design of that metal.

It was a gate!

A giant gate that didn't have a handle or a keyhole, looking as though it was calling for them, as though it wanted them to finally get their treasures and rest.

As for Dante, he recognised the strange inscriptions.

How couldn't he? They were all centipedes! With black exoskeletons and crimson eyes, just like the ones from the first ancient ruins he had seen.

Everything made sense now.

It was indeed related to the Sin of Greed.

But something was… off…

'Why are there dragons as well?' Dante's eyes were showing puzzlement as they scanned the gate seriously.

Alongside the centipedes, there were dragons inscribed, with some of them coiling with the centipedes, giving the gate a mighty and mysterious presence.

'Greed… were you a demonic dragon?' Dante asked internally, but Greed didn't respond.

But when he thought about it, he felt that it was possible. After all, the perfect vessel was a demonic dragon.

'If you were a demonic dragon, why were the ancient ruins related to only your demonic side? Why are you shown as only a centipede? Is this related to your death or the nature of the relics?'

Again, Greed didn't respond.

However, Dante had already expected this. He didn't have any hope of hearing an answer to begin with.

'If he was a demonic dragon, then maybe the dragons' hatred toward the demons had something to do with him?' Dante guessed, remembering that Fafnir's parents were nobles, yet they were executed so easily.

'Was that just because it was the Greed Bloodline? Did it remind them of the Sin of Greed?'

As soon as these thoughts crossed his mind, he immediately dismissed them. There was no time to think about old family drama.

Now, he only had to deal with the Frostmaw Maggots and that giant crystal as fast as possible.

Dante knew what that crystal was so well.

It could be called a cocoon. Inside it, a toddler was about to evolve into a child, turning into something that wasn't a maggot anymore.

What could it turn into? Dante had no idea. As far as he knew, there were five possible evolutions for the maggot.

One of them would reach maturity as an elite Rank 2 beast, the second would become a lord Rank 2, and the next two would be Rank 3.

The fifth one was the rarest and most dangerous of them all. They were considered the kings and the queens of the Frostmaw species, and they were among the reasons why this place was considered a death zone.

Seeing the crystal-like cocoon, Dante noticed something that looked like the skin of a Frostmaw Maggot and confirmed his doubts.

'I can't let that thing turn into a child. It's certainly not the first type of evolution!' Dante thought as he looked at the Frostmaw Maggots offering it food.

That act showed that the cocoon was hiding a beast with the potential to become a lord Rank 2 or even reach Rank 3.

Thankfully, the Potential Luck it had wasn't so intense. That could mean that Dante's misfortune hadn't led him to a potential queen or king.

Dante's eyes sharpened. He quickly looked at Ruby and dragged her back to the middle of the tunnel, where they could talk again without the maggots hearing them.

"I'll fight those things and I need you to stay here until I finish them off." Dante whispered: "Things there might become a bit dangerous."

"Mhm." Ruby nodded and cast a spell, covering herself in a ball of plants.

Without wasting a second, he dashed toward the wide tunnel with his fastest speed.

Crack!

Just then, he heard the sound of something cracking.

He subconsciously looked at his misfortune, which was only 2% of its original size.

At the exact moment he looked at it, the size increased to 3%.

'...You have to be kidding me.'

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