Out of unconditional trust for the noble one, Gerhard made a choice and chose to revive at the Marika Wedge Stone.

In a flash of light, Gerhard instantly revived at full health, and with him appeared the knights.

Everyone looked at each other, unable to hold back their questions: "Did you also choose to revive at the Marika Wedge Stone?" "You too?" "Me too."

"Having this is really convenient; there’s no need to return to the cabin and waste previous efforts," Gerhard said, looking at the scenery around him, so different from the cabin, and couldn’t help but be filled with emotion.

But that feeling of emotion disappeared in an instant.

"Hey, hey, hey, no way?"

He suddenly saw something familiar, a wooden door, the door leading to the Fallen Star Beast’s challenge arena!

Does this mean that the Fallen Star Beast is right behind this door?

"Hurry up and leave before it notices us!"

But just as they took steps to retreat, people noticed something strange.

Why was the direction of this wooden door opening towards them, as if it was being pulled open? They clearly pushed the door open from the outside...

No, that’s not right!

Cold sweat broke out from the people’s backs in unison.

The wooden door was still the same wooden door, with no changes at all; it was their senses that were wrong!

"Whew..."

A rough exhale came from behind them, as if some colossal figure was staring at them from behind.

Whether Gerhard or the knights, at this moment they were as stiff as straw men in a wheat field, not daring to move, only daring to move their eyeballs to look towards the Marika Wedge Stone.

Finally, now, everyone understood.

They did indeed revive at the Marika Wedge Stone, however...

The stone statue was placed inside the Fallen Star Beast’s battle arena!

Which meant they entered the BOSS room as soon as they revived!

Gerhard swallowed hard, his neck rusty like a machine, twisting one click at a time.

And his eyes met the massive skeleton head of the Fallen Star Beast standing behind them.

The Fallen Star Beast seemed to even stifle a laugh.

"No, no—"

Their screams echoed throughout the entire Celia Crystal Tunnel.

Death descended again, and in the darkness, Gerhard once more opened his eyes and saw the Marika Wedge Stone before him.

[Revive at the Marika Wedge Stone]

As if he had seen the plague, even his eyelids trembled.

Tears rolled down.

"Isn’t there another option?!!!"

Originally there should have been an option like [Revive at the blessing of the last rest].

But under the DEBUFF effect of the teleportation trap, this option had inexplicably been negated.

The reality was tear-inducing.

Meanwhile, at the place of the other contest participant, Tepi.

"Finally out..."

He struck the same pose as the Shawshank Redemption movie poster, spreading his arms to the red sky of Galide, and in that moment, even the air filled with a mysterious stench seemed so fresh and enchanting.

"Finally out!" x9

The adventurers he hired behind him also showed expressions of relief, with some collapsing to the ground.

Today, luck seemed to favor Tepi.

Although he was sent straight into the Celia Crystal Tunnel at the start, facing the problem of having to challenge this wretched map again.

But after waiting for less than an hour, the adventurers he hired were also sent over by the teleportation trap.

Once the parties met, relying on Tepi’s experience in challenging this map, they finally managed to escape before everyone was exhausted.

"It was really good to instruct them about the location of the teleportation trap before entering the dungeon," Tepi remarked.

If he hadn’t prepared in advance, or if the adventurers hadn’t guessed he might be in the Celia Crystal Tunnel, he might still be wandering in the tunnels even now.

While feeling relieved, he couldn’t help but marvel at the adventurers’ intuition, "How did you guess I would be in here?" he couldn’t help but ask.

"Instinct, it’s all instinct," the adventurer said, giving a thumbs-up, "Don’t be fooled by our appearance; we actually spent some time mingling in the Sain Dungeon before. We’re experienced, so that’s why we had that instinct."

"Then why did you return to the Warrior Country?"

"Well..." the adventurer scratched his face awkwardly, not answering the question—distance can create beauty.

They were just one of the many passersby in the Sain Dungeon; whether it was being broken by Monsters, unable to keep up with the dungeon’s evolution, or having a wife back home after a year about to give birth, any reason could eventually lead to "quitting".

"Boss, where are we heading next?" The adventurer changed the subject, glancing at Galide, feeling a twitch in his eyelid, "It feels... like this area is quite ominous."

Tepi glanced at the clock and said, "We still have plenty of time; let’s just wander around here. After all, we’re currently clueless, and it would be great if we could find the way back to Nimgefo."

Although he said to wander around aimlessly, humans need goals. When in Nimgefo, the goal was to go to Stoneveil City and take down Greg; so what should they do in Galide? Who knows.

The group wandered like headless flies, not daring to step into the swamp due to the unknown toxin (Crimson Corruption), and could only walk on the same reddish land.

The ground was no safe haven either, with giant Terrestrial Ascidians that spew toxins and even more fierce and deadly Doll Soldiers emerging. If not careful, one might be taken down by a series of arrows shot from who knows where by Doll Soldiers lying in ambush.

Why were Doll Soldiers from Lake Lienia appearing in Galide? People couldn’t understand at all.

After leaving the Celia Crystal Tunnel, Tepi discovered a dilapidated town nearby. He initially thought of exploring it, but after walking a few steps inside, he was bombarded with intense Luminous Stone magic. After several failed attempts, he realized the entire town was filled with invisible Magicians.

Without a means to dispel their invisibility, this place was not one they could explore, and they had to leave in defeat.

However, as they ventured farther, some good things did happen.

"The swamps are decreasing, the land is increasing, and the sky seems to be clearing up," Tepi observed his surroundings.

"Buzz—"

At that moment, a strange sound suddenly came from behind, and an adventurer suddenly shouted "Danger," pushing him aside.

Almost instantly, a golden ring crashed onto the ground where Tepi had just stood, leaving a deep impression that made one’s skin crawl.

"Ambush!" The adventurer quickly assumed a combat stance, looking towards the direction from which the halo had flown.

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

The crimson swamp constantly bubbled, the water level rising, until finally, an enemy far taller than an ordinary person, with an unnaturally hunched body, broke through the swamp and appeared before the group.

He had brass-colored armor, a crimson cloak, and a crescent scythe, like some sort of knight. It seemed as though pus was oozing from the gaps in his armor, clearly an unnatural posture for a human.

"This guy is strong, everyone be careful!"

The adventurer leader looked serious, feeling strong intimidation from this enemy, just a notch lower than the powerful creature he encountered before in the Sain Dungeon.

This creature once shattered his resolve, making him quit the Sain Dungeon, and it was the Molten Furnace Knight.

The name of this newly encountered enemy was:

Elite, [Venerable Rot Knight]