At the end of the sandstorm, a massive castle-like structure made entirely of sand loomed amid the raging winds.
The sand castle was scarred with deep cracks; several of its sections had already collapsed, leaving it tattered and half in ruins.
"Damn it, it’s almost been twenty-four hours since we fired the signal flare, but there’s still no response..." A bald man with the aura of a Level 7 apprentice warrior cursed under his breath as he took a deep drag from his cigarette.
"All the people we brought earlier have already been used up. If they don’t send more, I am afraid that lunatic will start throwing us into that death door next," His companion, a thin man with short black hair, also a Level 7 apprentice warrior added gravely.
The two men sat on the debris of the sand castle’s collapsed entrance, staring uneasily at the sandstorm that had weakened considerably as noon approached.
"Should I fire another flare? The sandstorm will pick up again in about an hour. If they don’t send more people before that, I don’t think we’ll be able to escape that lunatic," Ron, the bald man asked, pulling a small red flare pistol from his storage ring.
The thin man gave a silent nod, and Ron raised the pistol and shot a flare high into the sky. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novel⦿fire.net
"Let’s hope they bring more people before the storm strengthens again," Ron muttered with a heavy sigh, lowering himself back onto the rubble of the collapsed door.
Just as he settled down, a heart-wrenching scream echoed from the deeper reaches of the sand castle, making both men’s hearts tremble.
Though they had heard such screams countless times over the past month, a deep, instinctive fear still seized them whenever the sound reached their ears.
"F*ck it... what kind of twisted place is this?" Ming—the thin man muttered, clutching his head in both hands. "I have been to another ancient ruins before. Sure, that place was dangerous too, but compared to this eerie nightmare, that ruin was practically a paradise."
Ron sighed when he saw the state of his companion’s fraying nerves and tried to comfort him.
"Just endure it a bit longer. That place inside is already on the verge of opening. Just a few more people, once it’s done, we can finally leave this cursed place."
Ming remained silent, his head bowed as he continued to grip it tightly.
A few minutes later, he raised his gaze to Ron, his eyes vacant.
"Are you sure we’ll even be able to leave? Don’t forget, opening that door is only the beginning. We don’t even know what’s inside, or whether we’ll just be used as cannon fodder like all the others."
Ron’s face darkened upon hearing Ming’s words. He scowled and smacked the back of his companion’s head.
"Damn you! Can’t you see I’m trying to stay positive here? Can’t you just keep your mouth shut and let me cling to some sense of security... even if it’s false?"
Ming didn’t react to the rebuke and simply tilted his head back, staring at the fading glow of the flare.
"Tell me," He said at last, his voice low and unsteady, "if they don’t send more people before the sandstorm strengthens again, do you think that lunatic will throw us in there as well?"
Ron took another deep drag on his cigarette and exhaled heavily.
"There are still a few people left inside. Let’s just hope they can hold out long enough for reinforcements to arrive."
Ming’s eyes lingered on the sandstorm, and as he stared into its swirling depths, a strange glint of madness flickered within them.
He suddenly stood and drew a deep breath.
Seeing this, Ron’s face tightened in alarm. He instantly understood what his companion was thinking and grabbed his wrist.
"You’re not planning to run away, are you?"
Ming jerked his hand free and shouted, his voice edged with desperation.
"So what if I am? Do you expect me to just sit here and wait for death?"
Ron’s expression hardened and he spoke in a low, grave tone.
"Ming, don’t be reckless. If we stay here, there’s still a chance we’ll survive. But if we try to leave, with our level of strength, the monsters out there will tear us apart before we even make it through the sandstorm."
"Don’t give me that crap!" Ming snapped, his eyes reddened with fury. "I’d rather be eaten alive by monsters than let that crazy bastard bleed me dry like livestock, just so he can open that damned door!"
"Ming..." Ron reached for him again, but Ming wrenched his arm free and bolted toward the sandstorm.
Ron wanted to stop him, but Ming was way faster than him and soon reached the sand storm.
"Where do you think you’re going?"
Just as Ming was about to step into the storm, a cold, chilling voice echoed across the ruins and his body froze instantly, locked in place.
A look of sheer horror flashed across Ming’s face as he tried to move, only to find himself completely paralyzed.
Ron quickly looked back, panic flooding his eyes, as he saw a man with shoulder-length, unkempt black hair that partly covered his face and the aura of a Level 28 Epic-ranked warrior walking towards them.
"The boss sent me to check if they had sent more people," The man said, his voice laced with amusement as he strolled past Ron and stopped behind Ming. "But I didn’t expect to witness something ."
He raised a hand and laid it casually on Ming’s rigid shoulder.
"Tell me, where were you planning to go?"
"I..." Ming tried to speak, but terror gripped his heart, choking the words in his throat.
The man smiled when Ming couldn’t even utter a sound.
He opened his mouth to speak further, but suddenly, his expression changed.
He tried to turn back, but before he could—
His shadow quivered slightly, and a figure emerged from it, striking him on the side of the face with such force that the sound of bone cracking echoed through the surroundings and he was sent flying as if struck by a speeding truck.