That's right, that's what adventure is like!

"This..." Torger looked bewildered. The sudden change of topic made his brain freeze for a moment before he finally came to his senses. "They didn't say anything, just that we should do a good job."

Work hard?

Roland smiled, a smile tinged with helplessness and regret: "To whom were you saying that?"

"Of course it's Daphne, why?"

"No, it's nothing... You don't need to worry about it. I'm afraid Daphne has already fallen into the trap."

Thorger stared in disbelief: "What do you mean?"

Roland offered no explanation, but turned and glanced at the spacious area before quickly beginning his search.

Soon, he returned to the front of the row of storage shelves and found a sentence on the wall next to where the astrolabe used to be.

A sentence exactly the same as the one on the stone tablet at the entrance to the dungeon.

"Traps and monsters won't kill you; you need to be careful about every choice you make."

association.

These two words appeared in his mind like a ghost, causing Roland's expression to twist slightly.

That's despicable. Both of these missions were clearly bait. I fell into them unintentionally, while Daphne was lured in.

The Black Ash Dungeon has been developed for so many years, he said, how could there still be spaces that the Association doesn't know about? It's likely that the Association has already been to the laboratory above and made records of the magic array here.

However, there is still one thing the association is unsure about, and that is the missing key fragment.

The rest is quite clear: the association set a trap for the key fragments, and Daphne, or rather the Shadow Assembly behind her, couldn't resist the temptation and decisively stepped in.

And he, was he just unlucky once again...?

After a long silence, Roland suddenly turned around and looked seriously at the bewildered Torg: "I have a very sincere piece of advice for you."

"Huh? What suggestion?"

Roland walked over and patted his muscular arm, sighing, "Go back and read more books and learn more characters. You've been at a huge disadvantage."

"Ah...oh."

After instinctively responding, Torg saw Roland already walking outside and hurriedly followed, then couldn't help but ask, "Where are we going next?"

Roland didn't even turn his head, and said with a sneer, "Of course we're going to collect some interest. The association played us for a fool, so of course we have to get something out of it."

……

……

Daphne is a little anxious now.

Twenty minutes ago, she sensed that the mind control spell she cast on Torger had taken effect, but she still couldn't see him.

Logically speaking, he should have returned with Roland's head and the astrolabe by now.

It's a pity that she's too weak and not very proficient in this kind of magic, otherwise she could have accurately judged Torg's current state and even his location.

Hopefully nothing unexpected has happened; this trip has been extremely risky...

"Hey, how much longer are we going to have to wait?"

An impatient voice came from behind her. Daphne immediately put away her anxiety and turned around with a gentle smile: "Don't worry, wait five more minutes. If your brother hasn't returned by then, we'll set off immediately."

This orc was the one she disliked the most among the three brothers. His name was Gore. He was fine when Tolger was keeping an eye on him, but he would become impatient as soon as his brother left.

In contrast, she preferred the youngest, Yogurt, who was quiet, robust, and perfectly suited to be her first undead.

However, every now and then, she felt that the other person's gaze was a little cold, as if they were hiding something.

But... so what? As the most outstanding unofficial professional in the Shadow Order, she was confident that she could control all the orcs.

Five minutes passed quickly, and seeing that Torger still hadn't appeared at the end of the passage, Daphne decided to wait no longer.

She took out a bone flute, only as thick as a thumb, and gently blew on it.

Invisible ripples spread out, seeping into the surrounding rocks at a specific magical frequency. The thick black ash gradually began to recede, and a faint rustling sound came from the rock wall.

Then, a gap that was almost invisible slowly expanded and deformed, then shrank back, eventually forming a narrow passage that could only accommodate one person at a time.

The passageway was pitch black, exuding an old-fashioned atmosphere that was completely different from its surroundings.

Daphne glanced down at one of the dungeon keys she had stolen from the Dharma Assembly, a hint of regret flashing in her eyes.

This thing is actually very powerful, but unfortunately she is not skilled enough. Otherwise, it would have been easy for her to go directly to the core of the dungeon and take away the star chart. Why would she need to use someone else?

But since things had come to this point, she had no choice but to take the other key from the kobold chieftain first.

"Keep up."

Daphne took the lead, her gentle gaze turning into a cold focus. Gore cursed under his breath, hoisted the huge bone hammer, and followed closely behind. The youngest, Yogur, brought up the rear, her eyes darting between Daphne and the darkness.

The passage wound downwards, but they didn't encounter any monsters. After turning several corners, the three of them successfully reached the end of the passage, where there was a thin stone wall, and they could vaguely hear a noisy sound coming from the other end.

Daphne listened intently for a moment; the voice was somewhat similar to Common Language, but with a unique, hoarse tone that made it impossible to understand.

With a light wave of her staff, a shadow fell over her eyes, allowing her to see through the stone wall and clearly see the outside world.

It was a cave, crudely modified, where dozens of deformed monsters with crimson bodies, horns on their heads, and long tails were roaming.

Unlike common monsters, kobolds possess a considerable degree of intelligence. Daphne even saw some kobolds, who looked like a hunting party, adjusting some disguised tripwires and spring traps.

On a slightly elevated platform in the middle of the cave, a more robust kobold, wielding a jeweled dagger, was hissing and brandishing the dagger, directing his subordinates, like the chief of this small tribe.

There was no black ash around; these low-level monsters, known for their cunning, had long since figured out its purpose in their numerous battles with the adventurers and had cleared it away completely.

But this was just a minor inconvenience for Daphne.

Her eyes flashed with a sharp light. Without hesitation, she raised her hand and unleashed a fireball radiating scorching heat: "Gore, charge! Take down the chief! Yog, hold this position!"

boom--

The thin stone wall was useless against the fireball, and was instantly torn apart, accompanied by violent energy fluctuations, and a crimson fire pillar soared into the air!

As a pawn planted in the association by the Shadow Spells, she is most skilled not only in necromancy but also in conventional spells used for disguise!

The blinding light caused the kobolds, accustomed to darkness, to howl in agony. Gore charged toward the central platform like a cannonball.

Yog stood guard beside Daphne, his double-edged axe flashing in a deadly arc as he reaped the kobold minions that tried to approach her.

Daphne, meanwhile, fired her staff repeatedly, sending eerie green arrows precisely striking several kobold crossbowmen. The powerful arrows pierced their skulls, claiming their lives.

In an instant, the three men advanced with unstoppable momentum, quickly tearing a gap in the kobolds' defenses, with screams and the sound of bones shattering filling the air.

Upon seeing this, the kobold chieftain's eyes flashed with panic. He hissed and ordered the other kobolds to step forward, while he himself retreated rapidly, seemingly wanting to hide in the deeper darkness.

"Trying to run away!?"

Gore, caught up in the thrill of the battle, saw the chief retreat and smashed the last strong guard blocking his way with his mace. The mace, carrying immense force, slammed down on the guard's back!

"Foolish fellow..."

Daphne watched Gore's movements and was about to dissuade him from leaving her spell range when she suddenly slowed down.

Something's not right—

They're advancing too fast. According to the intelligence provided by the association, although these kobolds are individually weak, they are far more than seven or eight ordinary adventurers could handle when they unite.

She turned her head, about to order Yogurt to evacuate, but was shocked to find that the other party had already vanished without a trace, leaving no trace in her senses.

How is that possible?!

Daphne reached into her pocket, about to take out the bone whistle and blow it, when her body suddenly stiffened.

A sharp blade suddenly appeared on his neck, its chilling edge piercing the skin, accompanied by a soft laugh.

"Daphne? I've been waiting for you for ages."