Chapter 224: Trailing Behind

The moment the Ghouls stepped within range of the Guardian Arrow trap, the arrows lodged in the stone crevices shot up from the ground, flying toward the Undead Creatures and letting out sharp, explosive cracks.

The sudden noise and attack not only caught the Ghouls by surprise, but it also startled the mining Hill Giant. The Mining Pickaxe he had half-raised in his hand fell to the ground with a loud CLANG.

It was hard to tell if it landed on his foot, but the giant's resulting roar was loud enough to make a deaf man hear again. This turned out to be a good thing, however, as his shout conveniently masked the noise Ron's group had made in response to the sudden alarm.

Caught off guard, the five Ghouls who had arrived as a pack turned tail in perfect sync. Before the giant even had a chance to grab for them, the Undead Creatures vanished into the darkness within seconds.

"They're heading to the lower levels!" Delaford's eyes were shut tight; his senses were now connected to Big White, following the Ghouls who had failed to steal the ore. "Looks like we were right not to show ourselves. They were completely caught by surprise and are bolting straight back to their nest!"

The mine was a complex labyrinth. If the Ghouls had scattered randomly, Ron's party would have easily lost them, not to mention potentially alerting the true masterminds. The Guardian Arrow Magic, however, gave them no time to react. Coupled with Big White's stealthy tracking from the shadows, this allowed Ron and the others to successfully locate the nest of these Ghouls that had "died and been resurrected, only to die and live again."

Anyone could see that Ghouls alone would never engage in such bizarre behavior as stealing ore. Something else had to be pulling the strings.

"My biggest worry is that this is connected to the Endless Abyss," Ron said with a frown. "Both the Ghouls and the Abyssal Silver Ore have ties to it. Not to mention, there's a leak of Abyssal Energy on the fifth and deepest level."

"We've been getting in the demons' way quite a bit recently."

"There are countless more Demon Lords in the Endless Abyss than there are Dukes in the Nine Prisons. We might not even be provoking the same one," Silvia said, offering her "reassurance." "And even if we are, there's no telling how long it'll live. Power changes hands in the Abyss far more often than it does with devils."

"They say that long ago, a demon slaughtered thirteen Demon Lords to gain the power of a True God. Their corpses, floating in the Endless Abyss, even formed a chain of islands," Victoria said, rolling her eyes. "Don't try to apply common sense to these chaotic beings. As long as they aren't trying to kill us right this second, it means things are heading in the right direction."

Victoria's assessment of demons was naturally biased, given that she belonged to the Lawful camp. But the Chaos Camp was inherently unpredictable, so her bias was almost as good as no bias at all.

"But what if I told you there are devils involved, too?"

Delaford, who was still maintaining his sensory link with Big White, suddenly interjected.

"What did you say?" The Goblin Hunter's words were shocking, and everyone's heart skipped a beat. "How is that possible? Ghouls teaming up with devils?!"

"Well... not exactly," Delaford said, his tone hesitant. "The sulfurous smell is a lot like that Duke's, but I don't get it. Is wrapping oneself in chains and having Ghouls flog you with claws and whips some kind of special custom?"

Every now and then, you'd find a few eccentric oddballs among goblins. And during his time in the Delusional Land, Delaford had learned that some believers would self-flagellate to please their Deity. So when he witnessed this scene through Big White's eyes, that was the first thing that came to his mind.

'But... would creatures from the hells really worship Deities in the conventional sense?'

"Oh, right, there are a few demons nearby, too—the kind we saw near that village. They're skin and bones, with skin that looks like a layer of mucus stretched over them. They're all holding wooden clubs with rocks tied to the end with frayed rope."

"Judging by the sheen... Dammit, a rat's vision is all shades of gray. I can't make out a thing."

"You should spend less time in taverns, spinning tall tales and drinking," Aive said, slapping Delaford on the back of the head in frustration. "How could you possibly think this is some kind of custom? It's obviously a devil that's been captured by a pack of Babu Demons!"

"This is probably why they're stealing the Abyssal Silver," Ron said, reaching out to stroke a nearby outcropping of Abyssal Silver Ore. "Rurik said this stuff works wonders against devils. But how did they make it all the way here?"

"There's no point just guessing!" Sera was out of patience. The barbarian hefted the Grip of the Vast Wave onto her shoulder, ready to move. "Delaford, what level are they on? The fourth or the fifth?"

"The unfinished level," Delaford said, releasing his Beast Perception and standing up from his hiding spot. "Don't take the route we used the first time. Remember, the big guy punched that one open. The Ghouls used a different path."

The Hill Giant wanted to go with them, but his size was ill-suited for a surprise attack. Ron could only placate him for the time being, promising he would take care of the ore thieves before heading into the depths of the mine with his companions.

Compared to the unbearable stench of decay from their last visit, the smell underground was a bit more tolerable this time. After all, Seymour's group had cleared the area out after them, and the Dwarf Blacksmiths had later hired people to re-survey the vicinity. Most of the rotting corpses had already been removed.

According to Delaford, only a few new Ghouls had appeared—not nearly enough to match their previous numbers.

"This is the place." After rounding a corridor at the end of the fourth level, Delaford pointed toward an opening ahead, wide enough for about two people to pass through at once. Below the opening was a makeshift foothold of piled rubble. "The demons and Ghouls must have dug this out. You can still see the claw marks."

"Don't just jump down, you'll definitely make a sound. Lean down and lower yourself first, like this..."

Before the Goblin Hunter could finish, he saw Aive hop down in a single step, followed by Sera, Victoria, and Ron...

"That's a 'you' problem," Sera said, grabbing Delaford and lifting him down as if he were a chick. "We don't need to be so careful."

"Put me down! I could've gotten down by myself!" the Goblin Hunter squirmed in Sera's grasp.