Rather than sleeping, what Kairos really need now is some food to replenish the Origin Energy he had exhausted. While it may be good to take up on Von Von’s offer to head towards the dungeon and search for clues before the evidence are lost, there is still time to cook. As usual, when he makes a meal, all the students and the five master craftsmen will want to be included.

After a hearty lunch, Von Von received permission to led Kairos to the dungeon. They took a while to receive permission to enter the place, but thanks to connection to the granddaughter of the dwarven king the security detail relented. This is the very first time that Kairos actually explored the place.

The place is soaked in perpetual dimness as if plagued by an ominous fog. With nobody left on this level, the pair’s footsteps resonated throughout forming an eerie company in this darkness. The hollowed buildings seems to stretch on forever as they walked down the street towards the danger zone.

A depressing black metal gate stood as the final barrier of civilisation barring the dwellers from entering. It creaked open loudly mostly from the weight than any rust, like the howl of a wounded beast. Just as they stepped out into the danger zone, Aisa stirred within Kairos’ robes. Through her telepathy, the tiny dragon sent him a disturbed message.

Kai Kai! This place reeks!

Considering that Aisa is a True Holy Dragon, what she feels is stinky is probably something evil rather than physical smell. At least Kairos could smell nothing extraordinary.

His face immediately turned grim. The dragon had warned him a few times before of people with wicked intentions or even smells evil but never using the word ‘reeks’ before.

“Aisa, which direction does the smell come from?”

He looked around the lifeless settlement. The air remained stifling still.

Kai it’s everywhere, ew!

“Wait, you mean this entire town?”

Uhuh~ There is a suffocating stink… Kai Kai did you bring me to a giant lavatory?

“Umm, of course not! Can you tell me where does this place smells worst?”

Ew! I didn’t know Kai Kai has this type of interest.

Although unwilling, Aisa pointed him straight towards the middle of town. The buildings are far from decrepit, yet they felt oddly repugnant. Not knowing why Kairos had turned back, Von Von quietly followed until the two of them came to the only inn in town. At this place, even Kairos could feel the death and madness emanating from everywhere. Of course, this is because he has the holy element affinity, otherwise he would not have felt anything like the other people.

Von Von looked around uncertain about this detour, but because of how dank and creepy this inn felt she instinctively felt it is unwise to speak aloud and continued watching from the side.

They turned on the crystal lights by tapping the shard switch and immediately a warm golden light flooded the room making the inn far more welcoming than before. Yet perhaps because there is no body around, the hall felt creepy instead of welcoming.

Kairos did not explain anything but started looking around. His footsteps became the only sound in the dark. It wasn’t that the floorboards are creaking, but the inn felt haunted all the same. Aisa, at least, seemed repulsed by the place and flew out from his pocket and declared she will wait for him outside of the dungeon town.

As Kairos looked around, he felt something amiss. It is not like he found anything physical, but the temperature is colder than it should. When he turned on his Veritable Sight and used the Heavenly Eyes spell a shocking discovery halted his search. This place is filled with cold spots. A building will normally have the heat dispersed evenly, and even if there are colder areas in certain locations, it has a logical reason behind. But this place is different, there are unreasonable cold spots all around like ice had been thrown about randomly.

The Veritable Sight that sees through all illusions immediately sensed beings that do not belong in this world anymore, but they are all hiding as though fearful of being spotted.

Kairos frowned, “The energy of this place is filled with grievances and resentment.”

Hearing that, the elf’s complexion turned pale with fright. She immediately scuttled to a corner, but Kairos quickly called out to her, “No, don’t walk that way.”

Unfortunately, Von Von moved faster than his words could reach, and she stepped through a cold spot that made her feel chills all over her body. The elf screamed and leapt to the only thing that could give her safety.

A pair of cold hands grabbed Kairos by his neck and violently tried to pull him over. Of course, with his physique – even injured as he is – not many from the lower realm can overpower him. Still, this is a full-grown woman using all her strength, if Kairos had a lesser physique Von Von would be creating ghosts instead. The elf pulled a few times futilely then forgetting their gender differences, she flew into him like a small, frightened animal. She was close enough that he felt her breath on his skin and the womanly softness in her embrace.

Like an ironclad virgin, Kairos pushed the elf back with a palm on her face, “Relax. Senior Von Von, you’re too close.”

The elven pointy ears grew bright red with embarrassment as she jumped away as though repelled by his straight man aura.

The elf had worked in a place without a single lady to accompany her for decades, but she had never allowed any man to touch her, much less hang off from a guy’s neck in an embrace. She conveniently forgets why she had initiated the intimacy and started glaring at Kairos like he is an irresponsible man who had tricked and abandoned her.

Kairos rolled his eyes, not knowing why she is staring daggers at him. His straight man aura refused to understand the girl’s emotional fluxes like any good shounen lead.

“Stay close to me, there are cold spots all over.”

He could tell that there are things that does not belong in this world, leeching the heat around to maintain their anchor to stay here. The unnatural chill is not fixed at a certain place but moves about randomly like trapped phantoms. Though there is no sound, Kairos felt the cries of a hundred ghosts screaming their grievances. Particularly, at him. Rather than seeking vengeance, they called out to Kairos for justice.

The elf, of course, could hear nothing, otherwise she would’ve already fled… or fainted. She stood trembling with her eyes closed, only taking steps whenever Kairos moved.

As they looked around, Kairos started pausing at certain spots longer than others. Visibly there is nothing out of the ordinary, but the vengeful wails grew louder as he walked towards a certain direction. Von Von felt the fine hairs on her body raise with alarm and her complexion turned even paler than before. She bit her lower lips and stuck to Kairos like a glue. Although she did not hug him, her hands gripped his leather shirt tightly. Despite being an elf, her grasp is like an iron clutch that nearly tore off his sleeve. When the noise almost became a roar, Kairos found himself facing a wall in the inn’s kitchen and all at once the commotion went silent.

Sensing that they have finally stopped, Von Von peeked through half-shut eyelids, as though a poor vision makes everything safer. Without asking, Kairos can tell from her reactions that she is not a combatant. Any good fighter will keep their eyes wide open until the last moment because that is the only way they can dodge attacks.

He knocked on the wall with light taps, as his hand moved, a resounding thud delivered the location where the tiles are thin, hiding a secret compartment.

Before he could do anything, a scuffle of feet alerted them that they have company. Guards appeared, stepping into the room in neat rows. No doubt, they have surrounded the building by now. The City Surveillance spell had picked up their presence, but the way these men flooded the place left him without a retreat and so he did not put up any resistance.

A dwarf who looks clearly in charge stepped forward, “Looks like we didn’t clean up enough.”

The soldiers obviously came prepared, so it is unlikely that they arrived to stop him from discovering anything. Rather, it is more likely that they are here to silence any opposition. When these men came into the inn, the silent spirits screamed again, only this time their voices seemed filled with horror.

The noise gave Kairos a bad headache and his eyes flickered between gold and black, as he whispered under his breath, “Quiet, it is not my place for I am not the judge but the executioner.”

The air cleared immediately; the voices ceased.

Kairos did not answer the dwarven officer and broke the wall tiles with his palm. A cold blast of mouldy still air blew on his face through the hole. He looked through it into an unlit passage. The dimness did not stop a cultivator like him from seeing the bloodstains and the lines on the floor where bodies seemed to have been dragged away.

The officer did not seem to mind that he was ignored. A cruel smile appeared on his face, “You are astute to have discovered the inn’s dark secret. Did you feel a sense of achievement? How about, as a reward, we let you join us?”

“Who is ‘us’?” Kairos asked indifferently.

The dwarf is in no hurry to answer, he slowly paced around while eyeing the elf with a bemused expression.

“My, my. It looks like the little lady is close to you indeed. As tradition of joining us, you have to show your commitment to the great Nyarlathotep of a thousand forms. Make your elf friend beg for death and you will be allowed to be one of us.”

The man’s pure delight was childlike and a smile like a radiant sun hung on his lips, but his words made Von Von felt paralysed. To procure her own materials, she had been to the dungeon before and had fought with deadly dwellers, yet she had never been as frightened as today. The supernatural encounters now seemed pale in comparison to what people can do.

“Like I said, who is the ‘us’?” Kairos said with a growl. He is not about to let Von Von in danger when she had came to this dungeon was because of him.

When the dwarf heard the anger under his breath, he grew visibly pleased.

“Now, that is a question that I have already answered. We serve the great Nyarlathotep. Ah, yes, you do not know our god. He is the bringer of madness, servant of the great Azathoth.”

“A godling from the celestial realm?”

“Nay, not those weaklings. What can they do but hang on to their measly domains. Our god is from the beyond, a place unimaginable for the godlings. This is your only chance to become one of us and see the glorious future where the lords of the Other reign over the three realms. All you need to do is to break the will and mind of your elf friend. Let her trust in you become the source of her madness,” the officer said with a smug. It is obvious that he does not know who Kairos and Von Von are with his imperious tone. If he knew that this man is the one who defeated Exterminus Starwalk, he would not have spoken carelessly.

“And if I refuse?”

The officer smiled at Kairos’ words. It was a warm smile, yet it chilled anyone who saw it to their core. He answered with a fist flying towards Kairos diaphragm. At such a close range, not many could react to such a vicious and sudden strike.

Kairos, of course, had been guarding against any sudden movement and reacted swiftly. The officer looked surprised to see someone this young being experienced enough to deal with his attack, but he only added more strength behind his fist in response.

A dwarf’s full strength is nothing to scoff at, even a demon bear will keel over if struck in a bad place.

Because the dwarf had taken a step over to strike Kairos at close quarters, it left him unable to dodge without exposing Von Von behind. The dwarf’s height came up to Kairos’ chest, and this means that the strike had a powerful upwards angle that borrowed strength from the ground. Kairos retaliated with a downwards drive punch that met the fist directly.

A dull thud separated the two, but Kairos skilfully twisted his steps and dispersed the force while avoid crashing backwards into the elf.

When Kairos skidded to a stop, his body were strained with pain and his face turned pale as blood filled his mouth.

A self-depreciating smile and a look of helplessness crossed his eyes.

“Have my wounds become this severe?”