"... so many... humans... everywhere..."

The mumbling miners, shrouded in vague murmurs, passed by and entered the main shaft.

"Your Excellency, everyone has arrived." Nunes refrained from mentioning the name to prevent eavesdropping.

There was no time for introductions; the Bloodline Family Alliance could notice the missing half of the miners from the street at any moment.

Carrying an oil lamp, Lu Li led the way into an abandoned shaft far from the miners and Earth Dwellers.

The formation of the team gradually changed, with Heinz Ellis taking up the rear, covering their tracks. Knight Pasha Rivas and his fellow companions from the Knights Order swiftly positioned themselves next to Lu Li, their armor reflecting the oil lamp's glow in a dazzling display.

As they proceeded along the path Will Ken had shown, Lu Li mused, "You know about the Cursed Title of the swamp, don't you?"

"Yes. It stemmed from a coincidence years ago... Some Aliens like Ida passed by not far from the backpack. I almost called out to them but hesitated without knowing why..."

Those students, possibly from the lower academy, seemed to head north, unaware they were hundreds of meters away from the hidden Will Ken buried in the swamp's backpack.

Confidently, they advanced towards the Cursed Title's location until they disappeared. Left in resounding silence, Will Ken regretted his hesitation, waiting for those students to return.

This hope persisted for over a dozen days, gradually fading away.

In the end, it's uncertain whether they returned by another route or never emerged from the swamp.

What is certain is that the swamp was considered a forbidden zone a few years ago, not as it misleadingly seems now.

"What do they call the Cursed Title here?"

"I don't know, only its direction: towards the leaning pillars against each other."

"Where did Nunes find you?"

"In a swamp. To the left was a land undulating like sand dunes, covered with an uncut forest, with ancient, broken pillars standing in the distance."

Lu Li recalled the surroundings of the mining area, finding no landscapes resembling Will Ken's descriptions.

"Nunes, where did you find the Parchment?"

Lu Li's calm words caught the attention of the group, though only Nunes understood their significance.

"Excavating the east side of the mining area."

The place where Nunes appeared was across from Lu Li's excavation site, explaining why Lu Li had no impression of the described landscape.

"I still remember those Aliens who never returned... it's dangerous deep within." Will Ken remarked. He had also seen many figures entering deep into the swamp, most never returned.

Nunes agreed: "Your Excellency Lulian, the swamp is fraught with peril, and the Cursed Title deep inside is hard to obtain. Besides, it might be less rewarding than the Cursed Title from the tournament's prize."

"Are they not the same kind of Cursed Titles?"

"Of course not. Every forbidden zone boasts its own unique Cursed Title."

Lu Li was unaware of the tournament's ranked rewards.

This March, the tournament's rewards were straightforward: the top three scorers received Cursed Titles directly, and the top ten were sent to the Cursed Title trial zone to simply face the trial itself.

The normal process required accumulating enough credits to apply and receive approval, then setting off to cross dangerous forbidden zones to face a trial on the weakened Cursed Title.

The credential was crucial; lacking it meant failing to pass the unfettered trials upon reaching the Cursed Title trial area.

"Although the Cursed Title trial itself isn't a struggle for you, the time wasted might hinder you from ranking in the top ten of the tournament."

Despite nudging Lu Li to join with the allure of a Cursed Title, Nunes didn't want him to abandon the tournament entirely: "So you could win a top ten spot in the tournament and later acquire the Cursed Title from the swamp."

An effort worth more than the sum of its parts.

Lu Li quietly pondered.

The ripple of his thoughts seemed to affect those around him, prompting Ida to reiterate a past vow: "Wherever your blade points, there lies the path."

"If you aim for the top ten, I'll assist you." The sound of metal scraping silenced as Pasha Rivas halted.

"We will too."

More allies at his side echoed in agreement.

Heinz Ellis, at the rear, finally spoke: "Perhaps putting the Exorcist on the throne bears more honor than a tournament rank."

"Then, shall we return and defeat those old nobles?" Bard Lincoln, the new ally from the Noble Council, whispered.

"Attacking from outside would catch them off guard." Nunes cryptically hinted with a glance at Lu Li.

This was also the perfect test for Will Ken.

"To the right, five hundred meters ahead lies an exit to the outside world."

Will Ken's guidance echoed once more at the junction of the abandoned shaft.

Advancing along the right shaft for five hundred meters, a veil of flowing mud blocked their way.

The seemingly solid flowing mud intriguingly did not spill or leak like the surrounding environment.

"Is this the exit you mentioned?"

Yet it still blocked their passage.

"This peculiar mud is like me, extraordinary... It doesn't change nature from weight, as if secluded. I can see... the path lies above."

"This is liquid mud, likely leading to the surface." Pasha Rivas began shedding his heavy armor. "I'll go first, with the observing and guarding forces on me."

Bard Lincoln bestowed a blessing upon Pasha Rivas, and Lu Li handed him a Guardian Potion and a Fish Gill Potion. Tovani split an eyeball, removing the smaller one, handing it to Pasha Rivas, its blood vessels crawling like tendrils penetrating his neck skin.

Swallowing the potions, clad only in his inner lining, Pasha Rivas advanced towards the flowing mud, raising his arm to touch it.

The mud, like overflowing coffee, thickly poured over, consuming his arm and shoulder, then his silhouette.

Amidst the ongoing silent wait, Will Ken suddenly whispered, "He's gone through."

Tovani's voice followed, "Pasha Rivas reached the surface; all is safe around."

Pasha Rivas' companions gathered his armor, took Screen or Fish Gill Potions, and stepped into the mud one after another.

"I'll bring up the rear." Heinz Ellis spoke to Lu Li, still in the shaft.

Lu Li nodded gently, retrieving the potions from his pouch.

Vice-Chancellor Criss provided various wondrous potions. Though unqualified as Sequence Potions, they often performed better in specificity and uniqueness.

Consuming the dessert-flavored Screen Potion and the fruit-flavored Barrier Potion deterring contamination, Lu Li stepped into the mud.

...

Far from the mining area's swamp.

Muddy arms reached out, flowing mud sliding off, revealing one figure after another.

The dirty sludge didn't cling, slipping back into the swamp as they emerged—unless grabbed or swallowed down.

Grasping Ida's outstretched limb, Lu Li stood on the shore, glancing back at the flowing mud merging with the nearby swamp.

Time slowly ticked away, the flowing mud remained calm, unperturbed.

"Where is Ellis?"

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