Chapter 75: the fright

When they entered the slaughterhouse, they carried only a single goal from the very beginning, they had risked their lives so as to permanently close the it once and for all and farming points was just the secondary goal.

​After slaying the black SnakeMan, Smith retrieved the dungeon core they had taken from him. Combined with the second dungeon core Lily handed over, Smith held both cores before passing them to Astra. Astra wasted no time. Taking the two cores, she walked directly to the center of the cave.

​Because this chamber was far dimmer and tighter than the vast cavern where they had battled the Snake Men, the rest of the party instinctively stepped back several paces to give her room. Astra placed the two dungeon cores on the ground next to each other and activated them simultaneously.

​Immediately, both cores flared with an ominous, pressure. It was almost as if the two cores possessed a faint instinct, sensing each other’s proximity; they began sliding slowly across the cavern floor toward one another. The moment they touched, they floated gently into mid-air.

​A system interface suddenly materialized directly in front of Smith:

​ Novice-Rank Dungeon Cores Detected

​1. Do you wish to merge and upgrade the current dungeon?

2. Do you wish to neutralize and destroy the current dungeon?

​Seeing the prompt, Smith recognized the exact options Jacob had warned him about earlier.

​If he selected the first option, the cores would instantly fuse together. The slaughterhouse they were currently standing in would immediately upgrade from a Mutated Novice Rank into a Mutated Intermediate Rank. Following the fusion, the core would split again and fly off in a different direction, triggering another desperate struggle to get them from the snakemen.

​Normally, when closing a slaughterhouse exit, the portal in the main timeline does not simply shut on its own; entry is simply restricted. Under standard circumstances, when someone attempts to pass through, the dungeon core will send a signal to those holding it inside the slaughterhouse, who must then manually unlock the portal. The outside portal acts like a door, while the dungeon core acts as the key.

​However,after an upgrade or creation , a slaughterhouse operates like an open loop. The key remains permanently attached right beside the doorway—anyone can simply push the door open, step inside, and find the key right beneath their feet. If the cores merged and flew away to different coordinates, forces from the main timeline could walk straight into the unguarded portal without an operator on the other side. They could pick up the core and then hunt each other down to claim ownership.

​Smith had no interest in leaving such a dangerous loophole open. He chose the second option.

​The moment he made his selection, the touching dungeon cores began to react. Instead of the blinding explosion or theatrical energy burst Smith had anticipated, an eerie, invisible force began acting upon them. Like an unseen eraser, it slowly and methodically wiped away at the point of contact. The two cores shrank, canceling each other out, until the last speck vanished into thin air.

​Where the cores had just been floating, a swirling black portal opened up—the final exit, left behind without a dungeon core.

​Astra cleared the path and stepped through first with Smith and Lily’s group following immediately behind her.

​When they emerged on the outside and looked back, they witnessed something remarkable. The dark, imposing, and oppressive entrance of the slaughterhouse slowly began to fade. Bit by bit, it diluted into nothingness, disappearing without making a sound.

​It was the complete opposite of a standard dungeon clear, which usually shattered into a brilliant fireworks display of glowing light particles. Instead, the slaughterhouse faded quietly, like a stranger vanishing into a dense crowd, carrying its suffocating pressure away with it.

​Leaving the secluded clearing, Smith and the rest of the group made their way toward the exit of the building.

​Waiting right outside the doorway was Jacob. As his eyes scanned the emerging group, he was surprised to see only a single Queen accompanying Smith. Knowing that Smith usually traveled surrounded by his entire group of girls, Jacob was puzzled, but he refrained from asking about the issue.

​Instead, Jacob stepped forward with a respectful nod. "Elder Smith welcome back and From what I can see, I must congratulate you on completing this mission successfully."

​Smith was visibly startled by the address given by Jacob. "Please, don’t flatter me so much, Jacob," he replied modestly. "I’m still in my beginning phase, and I certainly don’t have enough power to back up a title like ’Elder’ just yet."

​"You will have that power soon enough," Jacob said a 77with a warm smile. "Regardless, you must be exhausted after such a long expedition. Let us go rest first, and we can discuss the details afterward."

​As Jacob escorted Smith away, neither realized they had left Lily and her party standing in a total daze behind them.

​Lily’s group was petrified. They knew Jacob’s elevated status within the family, and for someone of his standing to personally come and receive Smith was already a massive deal. Even considering the huge contribution of clearing a slaughterhouse, hearing Jacob address Smith as Elder with such deference put things on an entirely different level.

​Cold sweat broke out as they remembered bantering and casually chatting with Smith over the past week. Smith had carried himself so humbly that they never imagined he held a position equal to—or perhaps even higher than—a prominent figure like Jacob but remembering the terrifying combat power which Smith displayed, it was completely understandable to hold such position.

​A few steps ahead, Jacob glanced back over his shoulder and tilted his head toward the direction they were heading. Lily and her team instantly understood the unspoken command to follow. Snapping out of their shock, they hurriedly gathered their messy thoughts and fell into line behind the escort. Smith saw everything, but he merely shook his head quietly and pretended not to notice their sudden rigidity.

​They soon arrived at a simple two-story stone building near the perimeter. Waiting outside the entrance was Diana, alongside Smith’s personal guards and armored military personnel. Upon seeing Smith, the guards immediately parted to form a clear pathway. Having received Jacob’s message that Smith was returning, Diana joined the group to welcome him inside.

​They proceeded directly into the dining room.

​"I figured you’d be starving," Jacob said, gesturing for Smith to sit. "You couldn’t have had a proper meal inside that place, so I had the cooks prepare a feast before I went out to pick you up. Eat first, then you can rest."

​"Thank you, Jacob. I appreciate it," Smith said.

It was clear that Jacob had sensed that the slaughterhouse portal had disappeared that is why he had prepared early.

​As they waited, they engaged in light, mundane small talk. A few minutes later, servants filed into the room carrying tray after tray of steaming food. Once everything was set, only Jacob, Diana, Smith, and Astra remained at the main dining table. Lily and her team were seated in the adjacent living room, waiting obediently for further instructions while being served their own meals.

​Over dinner, Smith began walking Jacob through the operation. He detailed how they had initially entered the slaughterhouse, recounting their skirmishes against the Snake Men and how they had used narrow choke points to funnel the enemy into lethal kill zones.

​Jacob nodded along, quietly impressed by Smith’s tactical use of the environment. When Smith mentioned how Lily’s group had provided some assistance so as to keep the main force focused, Jacob made a mental note of her name, intending to reward her team for their services.

​Smith then shifted the topic to the final phase: tracking the Snake Men down to their cave hideout after a week of hunting in the slaughterhouse. He described killing the cave guards and getting inside. Hearing that Smith had charged into a high-density zone that was clearly a prepared trap, Jacob was shocked by his bravery, deeply satisfied with Smith’s absolute commitment to the mission.

​However, as Smith began describing the battle inside the main cavern, the tone of the conversation drastically changed.

​Smith recounted the terrifying, suicidal fearlessness of the Snake Men—how they threw their lives away in coordinated waves, executing complex maneuvers without a single word, horn, or signal from their commander.

​As Smith went on, describing how the remaining units returned to their normal mind state after their leader were killed, the color slowly drained from Jacob’s face.

​The calm, encouraging elder was completely gone. In his place sat a man whose expression had transformed into one of pure, unadulterated horror.

​Jacob set his utensil down, his hands trembling slightly as he stared at Smith across the table.

​"Smith," Jacob interrupted, his voice dropping into a heavy, deadly serious tone that chilled the room. "I have to tell you something very important."