Gamers of the Underworld

When the cold Mana flowed over his body, Lancelot was in the dim Underworld tunnel.

The walls were gray, and numerous glimmering vines twirled with each other, with some even seen moving slowly.

These incandescent plants provided luminance to the dark Underworld.

It was Lancelot’s first time in the Underworld. After Michelangelo was defeated by the Surface World and the Heavenly Kingdom, the Underworld disappeared from view. He hadn’t heard of any entrance to the Underworld being opened.

Lancelot could only hear about the Underworld from legends and books.

“This is... crazy...”

Lancelot looked at the dim Underworld that looked like the Apocalypse, and terrifying BGM rang beside his ears...

“Please don’t blow this kind of whistle, okay! I’m covered in goosebumps!”

“You trash. Haven’t you seen enough on the discussion forum? What’s there to be afraid of?”

“It’s hilarious that you’re such a coward.”

Lancelot looked at a few half-naked Humans who walked past him. They didn’t have any nervousness or fear and looked as though they were having fun on the Surface World.

“Walk briskly and don’t fall behind the contingent. Otherwise, there’s no reward.”

The voice of the Big Boss Hamster was heard from the front of the contingent.

Lancelot inhaled deeply and soothed his nervousness as he rejoined the contingent.

They marched for ten minutes and arrived at a crossroads.

It was there that Lancelot saw the materials that Duchess Lilo talked about.

There were ores, chests, equipment, and other miscellaneous items. Most of them were carcasses and body parts of the Underworld creatures.

Who had the power to mine the ores and kill these Underworld creatures without being discovered?

Lancelot now had a better understanding of Sherlock and Duchess Lilo’s background and capability.

It was time to work. Even if he had questions, he had to restrain himself. Even if he asked, nobody would tell him anything, like what was said in the letter.

Wait, what was that?

Lancelot discovered footprints in the area where the gamers were working hard. Those footprints weren’t from Humans, Fairies, or Elves, as they were too big.

Lancelot walked over and knelt down, examining the footprints that looked like those of huge creatures. Could they be the creatures that transported the materials? He discovered lumps of warm mass and frowned as he sniffed. It had the smell of strawberries, and he used his metal glove to poke it...

“NPC, why are you touching Beetlemon feces?”

“If I hadn’t seen the feces on the discussion forum, I’d touch it too. Don’t you think that the feces looks like wet marshmallows?”

“The feces is an important material for making Bladder Bombs. This is too wasteful.”

“Wait, why is there Beetlemon feces here?”

“Perhaps the Beetlemons were traveling here.”

Nobody reminded Lancelot when he was sniffing the feces. When did they appear behind him? Did they follow him?

The three Hamsters stood akimbo at the side as they supervised the gamers, who were transporting the materials to the Surface World.

“What are you doing? Make haste, Miss Lilo won’t allow her servants to slack!”

The three Hamsters came forward and scolded the gamers, who quickly went back to work.

Lancelot was in deep thought, still thinking about the strawberry smell.

The important point was the small footprints around the huge footprints. Though the small footprints were shallow, Lancelot could recognize that they were made not long ago and that the owners wore standard metal shoes.

These materials were just transported here, but there was only a tunnel...

Lancelot looked at the path that they had taken. This was the first fork of the tunnel, and Lancelot was sure they hadn’t met anyone along the way. The creatures who transported the materials didn’t leave the Underworld. Perhaps they had gone deeper?

Lancelot investigated the footprints that led deep into the Underworld.

He thought about the suspicious Sherlock, as well as the Duchess Lilo, who exhibited Mana Skills. He also thought about the abnormal Humans, Fairies, and Elves, as well as the massive amount of materials, the unknown creatures that transported the materials, and the countless footprints. In an instant, he came to a conclusion with a possibility of 99%.

That was...

Sherlock and Lilo were powerful characters who loved the Human World and fought against the Underworld with their strong faith. They fought for the races of light and peace, obtaining the materials after killing the Underworld creatures. The carcasses proved his point.

The unknown creatures that transported the materials must have returned to the Underworld to continue their fighting.

The Surface World was rife with power struggles, and it was hard to imagine that there were many people who fought for love and world peace!

Lancelot was moved, convinced of his speculation.

What else could it be?

Could Sherlock be an Underworld Devil with his own Dungeon while Lilo was his management puppet? Could these citizens of Victoria City be disguised souls of the evil Goblins? Could Sherlock have used these vile Underworld creatures and the Beetlemons to transport the materials here before leaving?

Impossible!