After several twists and turns in the direction of the staircase, which descended at least 10 meters downwards,
— the space suddenly opened up ahead.
Ronald's theory was correct.
Directly beneath the manor, a space of at least one hundred square meters lay.
Compared to the Black Mountain above, shrouded in black fog and choosing its victims,
this place was closer to what Nade had previously called a "Magic Realm."
The entire underground chamber's walls were covered with disgusting tentacles made of a black, viscous liquid entwined with rotting flesh, almost as if stepping into the eerie world described in Lovecraft's writings.
Ronald had no doubts.
Anyone caught by these tentacles would surely suffer a horrible tragedy.
Yet, even so, there was something even more eye-catching in the basement than the squirming, flailing tentacles.
At the very center of the basement,
and a few human figures lying on the ground.
In the center of the room, and also the center spot among these people, lay a man in a red robe, his face indiscernible, holding a black book in his hand.
The probability was at least eighty percent.
Seeing this person, Ronald felt certain of it immediately.
Moreover, around the man in the Red Robe at a distance of one meter, a gray dust circled on the floor forming a perfect ring, completely isolating him from the few outside.
There were four people outside the ring, two adults and two children.
Ronald recognized three of them—
one a 'mother' with strange strength, one a 'daughter' in a white dress, and one, right behind him, the 'boy'!
The remaining one was an adult male he had never encountered before.
Judging by earlier interactions, this must be the 'father,' who had only communicated with Ronald and the others using his voice.
Watching everything before him, Ronald frowned.
Though they wore the same attire as those he had seen on the ground above, there was a major issue with the details; the 'daughter's' pierced shoulder was intact, and the 'mother's' head showed no sign of injury.
This was utterly different from everything they had experienced before.
Not to mention this 'boy' lying on the ground, who was theoretically still following him!
the expression of the boy remained somber, still firmly standing at the edge of the torchlight's reach, his gaze on Ronald unchanged.
Don't tell him there were a few more 'new friends' to meet now!
Carefully avoiding the surrounding writhing tentacles, Ronald quickly crouched down beside these figures to inspect.
Four bodies, all with no heartbeat, no pulse, dilated pupils, cold to the touch...
And they had been dead for a while.
In silence, Ronald cast his gaze towards the last person he hadn't checked yet.
The man lying at the center of the basement, holding the Magic Book, dressed in a red robe.
It seemed that to unravel this mystery, he had to start with this man.
"Hey, the one named Ronald!"
"I have another question!"
Just as Ronald was about to continue his investigation, the 'boy' behind him suddenly called out in an unfriendly tone:
"You haven't told me something."
"Nobody told you about the existence of this basement tonight, how did you figure out that secrets were hidden here?"
"Asking an enemy about their secrets..."
Momentarily stunned, Ronald felt somewhat at a loss for words as he recalled the harsh words the 'boy' had left when they first parted:
"Anyway, you ordinary people can't do much, can you?"
"Just stay here and wait for death?"
"What the hell gave you the confidence to say that when you first left the living room as an apparition?"
"I'm going to kill you!"
— The 'boy' was angry.
Ronald's subtle tone, repeatedly disparaging his intelligence,
Such mockery had clearly exceeded the 'boy's' tolerance limit.
Completely unleashing the suppressed fury within himself, he instantly lunged at Ronald.
The attack started normally.
But before it could succeed, particularly as he neared within a meter of Ronald, right where the torch directly impacted, the 'boy's' skin and flesh began to emit a noise similar to that of fat rapidly sizzling.
From the inside out, the 'boy's' already vanishing form dimmed by at least one fifth more.
Almost as if fleeing for his life, the 'boy' threw himself in the direction away from Ronald.
In the blink of an eye, both his expression and body were thoroughly dispirited.
Apart from his eyes still tightly fixed on Ronald, he had completely lost his earlier ferocious demeanor.
Ronald murmured with a sense of exclamation.
He no longer paid attention to the 'boy' behind him, who was so furious he wished they could die together immediately.
Kneeling in front of the gray circle surrounding Red Robe, he stretched out Nade's dagger and stabbed into it.
The dust showed no reaction; the dagger remained intact, and his hand felt normal.
"No defensive effect on me..."
Muttering to himself, Ronald pulled out the dagger, lifting some of the gray dust up in front of him.
Even after leaving the circle entirely, the dust showed no reaction.
It was as ordinary as ashes from completely burnt paper.
After confirming that there was no chemical reaction between him and this substance, Ronald confidently walked in.
Just as he was about to reach down, Ronald's movements suddenly halted.
A new twist was right before him—
Previously, from a distance, it was hard to see clearly, but now at close range, upon approaching Red Robe, he noticed an almost entirely transparent black hemispherical film encapsulating both him and the Magic Book.
For safety, Ronald shook the dust off the dagger back into his pocket, then carefully pierced with the blade's tip.
In an instant, the dagger in Ronald's hand flew out.
The moment the blade's tip touched the film, an irresistible force appeared on his wrist; he couldn't even hold onto the tightly grasped dagger!
Shocked, he turned around.
Ronald clearly saw the dagger hit the wall and instantly disappear into the writhing black tentacles.
Arrogant laughter came from behind.
Having witnessed everything, the 'boy' still lying on the ground, now completely dispirited, started to laugh wildly.
"This is the mighty power of a top-level Magic Book!"
"Without a text of the same caliber, you can't even break its defense!"
"Ronald, you have only one choice if you want to live!"
"Do what I say now, we still have a chance to survive before the 'Alteration' ends!"
"What should I say...?"
Faced with the incredibly arrogant 'boy', Ronald's face showed a mix of pity and sadness.
He looked down at his wrist, where faint lightning marks were beginning to emerge.
A thought inevitably crossed his mind—
Seeing what I'm about to do next, will this guy die of shame right away?