The air inside the house was suffocating, the darkness oppressive as Ludwig and Alva pressed forward. The eerie silence was occasionally broken by the soul-wrenching wails of the frenzied djinn crashing against walls and tearing through the structure like living infernos. Each impact reverberated through the building, shaking loose dust and bits of plaster.
The sight of one such djinn suddenly bursting through a nearby wall startled Alva, drawing an involuntary yelp from her lips.
Ludwig moved like a shadow, his hand darting up to cover her mouth. His eyes bore into hers, sharp and commanding. “Didn’t I say I’d drop you the moment you became a liability?” he hissed.
“I… I apologize,” Alva whispered, visibly shaken. “It caught me off guard.”
Ludwig sighed, glancing down the corridor to ensure her outburst hadn’t alerted anyone—or anything. Thankfully, the cacophony of the djinn’s rampage drowned out her voice. He moved on, more cautious now.
“Watch where you step,” he warned.
Alva, following close behind, noticed the debris scattered across the floor—broken shards of a decorative vase and a tapestry crumpled in a heap. It was clear she might have stumbled if not for his warning. She marveled at how he navigated the gloom with such ease.
Little did she know, Ludwig’s undead nature made darkness meaningless to him. Where others struggled, his sight remained clear as day.
The corridor stretched on, its dimensions twisting unnaturally. Ludwig realized the house was far larger inside than its exterior suggested. The chains of souls, visible only to him through the Mask of the Blind Witness, wound through the air like ghostly veins, their source pulsing further ahead.
Another rattling echoed, and a chain burst out of the wall just in front of Ludwig. He ducked instinctively, the spectral chain phasing through Alva’s head.
“What’s going on?” Alva asked, confused.
“Nothing,” Ludwig said curtly, unwilling to explain the unsettling sight of a ghostly chain running straight through her skull.
They pressed on until they reached the corridor’s end. The chains led into what appeared to be a dead-end room. A large, ornate carpet covered the floor, but the air inside carried the acrid tang of burning cinders.
“Looks empty,” Alva said, frowning.
‘Seems like the djinns guarding this place had gone into a frenzied state and burnt the carpet. Good for us,’
Ludwig said as he followed with his eyes where the chains were coming from.
He knelt, lifting the edge of the carpet. His instincts proved correct—beneath the charred fabric was a trapdoor.
“The burns,” Ludwig explained, “are from the djinn. They were guarding this spot, and their frenzy burnt the fabric and they probably went rampaging around outside the room, and likely left it unguarded.”
Alva stared at him, her suspicion returning. “How do you know all this? You act like you’ve been here before.”
Ludwig met her gaze evenly. “Observation. I have training. Besides, if I were working with these things, I wouldn’t be showing you this, would I?”
Her expression softened, though she remained wary.
Ludwig was annoyed, not only was she little to no use she was doubting him already, Ludwig pressed his hand against the trapdoor.
***
[Sudden Quest!]
[You have discovered a Den of Djinn!]
By Deus Necro’s Blessing, this Den will be considered a dungeon
All souls obtained from the Den of Djinn will be doubled.
Clear the Den of Djinn and defeat the mastermind behind the ritual currently happening in the city of Rima.
Reward
[Soul Shackles] (Unavailable for Inspection)
Information about the Gluttonous Death will be revealed!
***
‘Wait… this is big…’ Ludwig thought inwardly. The whole place turning to a dungeon is good and all, and the reward is always something to look forward to. But the Gluttonous Death? That’s the name of one of the seven…
‘Well, since the first is called the Wrathful, and this one is Gluttonous I can already guess the names of the other five…’
[You have understood the meaning behind the names!]
Six Names have been added to your Personal Bestiary!
[Gluttonous Death]
[Greedsome Death]
[Lustful Death]
[Envious Death]
[Prideful Death]
[Slothful Death]
No additional information has been added since only the titles have been discovered.
‘I guess I was right… well, that’s some progress in Necro’s Eternal Quest.’
“Guess I was right,” Ludwig muttered. His mind raced. This discovery tied directly into Necro’s Eternal Quest. The implications were immense—and dangerous.
“Are you going to open it, or just stare at it?” Alva’s voice broke his thoughts.
Ludwig gripped the edge of the trapdoor and heaved it open. The smell of incense hit them immediately, pungent and cloying, carrying with it a sense of dread.
[You are being affected by a mind-numbing poison.]
[As an undead, you have negated the poison’s effects.]
Ludwig glanced at Alva, who staggered slightly, her eyes fluttering as if trying to clear a haze. “Poison…” she muttered, taking a step back.
“Careful,” she said after a moment, gathering her focus and enveloping herself in a faint aura of mana. “It dulls the mind.”
“I know,” Ludwig replied simply before descending into the darkened opening.
Alva followed, landing lightly behind him. The basement stretched out before them, its walls made of damp cobblestone that seemed to absorb the flickering torchlight. It felt less like an underground room and more like an ancient dungeon.
Three paths diverged from their position, each leading deeper into the structure. Ludwig glanced down the center path, where the ethereal chains converged.
“This way,” he said, gesturing toward the middle.
Alva raised an eyebrow. “And you know that because…?”
“Dust,” Ludwig lied smoothly. “The other two paths haven’t been disturbed in some time. Plus, the smell of incense is strongest this way.”
Her eyes lingered on him, skepticism evident, but she nodded.
As they moved forward, the chains grew thicker, their twisted forms glowing faintly with an ominous light. No guards or djinn appeared to bar their path, but Ludwig knew better than to trust the apparent stillness.
“They’re still frenzied,” he muttered under his breath, remembering the havoc he’d unleashed earlier. “But that won’t last forever.”
The air grew heavier with each step, the oppressive energy pressing down on them like a physical weight.
