Who Designed This Underworld Dungeon?

Looking for, looking for mom?

Fanen showed a strange expression on his face, waving to call people over, and the little girl behind the window continued:

"My dad went out hunting and didn't come back, then mom got worried and went out to find him, but... now she's gone too."

"I'm very lonely and also really scared..."

Tears welled in the little girl's eyes, and her voice was pitiful, making one irresistibly want to comfort her.

But in such a monster-infested city, suddenly there stands a little girl at home by herself, pitifully asking you to help find her mom...

Fanen and the others exchanged glances, seemingly communicating something with their eyes, thinking they might be suspicious?

Not at all. By the end of their exchange, Bell, the elderly woman whose eyes had grown gentle as though about to shed tears, took the initiative to comfort the little girl, fully promising to help her find her mom.

The little girl's voice sounded joyful from behind the window.

Did they just agree so simply!?

If it were adventurers used to roaming Sain Dungeon frequently, like a certain bat, they would instinctively think to be suspicious, while a certain lion would recall some unwelcome dark history and fall into PTSD. Most adventurers might try refusing the little girl just to see how she reacts.

It's not wrong for adventurers to be cautious, nor is it that the little girl's voice can't arouse sympathy. It's just because everyone has been numb from the long battle with Sain Dungeon.

Just Patch of Fran Fort, where newcomers would likely start, is enough to trigger a trust crisis with Sain Dungeon's residual shadow. Not to mention the myriad residual shadows appearing in the Abyss Reincarnation (Meat Pigeon) incident. Who knows what actions a friendly residual shadow might take the seconds after responding uncomfortably to your choice?

The most classic incident considered by adventurers involving residual shadows is:

[You fell off a cliff and encountered a woman with chestnut curls and different-colored eyes, who introduced herself as Melina, a witch who looked stern but friendly because she just healed your injured body.]

[Melina proposed a deal to journey together to the legendary Royal City Rodel, and your options were:]

[One, accept]

[Two, refuse]

[Three, shout "Let chaos reign over the world!"]

Adventurers based on experience would definitely choose the long option in "two short, one long," and option three seemed intriguingly powerful.

[Melina gave an intolerant glare and left silently.]

Afterward, the adventurer would face relentless pursuit by women resembling Melina but with slightly different hair colors in every battle event today, endlessly!

While there were residual shadows like Solar, entirely positive, adventurers had gotten accustomed to dealing with Sain's residual shadows by doubting, doubting, and doubting again.

However, such behavior would only manifest in adventurers used to dealing with Sain Dungeon.

Before the Bonds Dungeon and Sain Dungeon took over, Reid family had no dungeon, Reid people rarely left their small homeland, and even outsiders visited infrequently. Few were familiar with dungeons here.

Even knowing residual shadows were echoes left by people of the past, who among Fanen and the others can totally see this vividly appearing character as just a residual shadow upon first encounter, especially given Sain's residual shadows deliver quality and portrayal far above average dungeon shadows?

Young people like Fanen might show restraint, but older ones like Bell, who cares little whether it's a residual shadow or not, would let emotions guide them to treat them all alike.

"She must be thinking of her granddaughter." Someone whispered as everyone knew Bell's granddaughter died in this disaster too.

In fact, among the survivors present, who hasn't lost relatives? There are, of course, those who don't believe their relatives died, insisting they're hiding somewhere just like they did in the shelter, persisting in searching.

The little girl's request to find her mom touched their hearts; taking on such a task wasn't much trouble.

"You really mean it? Thank you so much!"

The little girl's voice became energetic, eager to share all the information she knew, speaking somewhat brokenly:

"My mom wears a ruby brooch, that brooch is huge and beautiful, you're sure to see it, very noticeable!"

"Okay, okay, a ruby brooch, right? We'll remember." Bell nodded kindly. If the little girl appeared in person, she would surely pat her head.

"Should we remind Lady Bell that it's only a residual shadow?" Someone looked to Fanen.

Fanen gently shook his head, addressing in a soft tone: "Leave her be, let her remember the past times."

Before the little girl finished speaking, rummaging sounds came from behind the window.

"If you find my mom, please give her this music box."

A peculiar little box was handed out, with Bell taking it and turning it over repeatedly, echoing the unfamiliar term.

"Music... box?"

It was an unfamiliar item, appearing quite intricate, like something crafted proudly by artisans for nobility.

"Winding the box, it will play a song dad loves very much."

"If dad forgets us, we'll play him this song, then he'll remember us."

"Mom always forgets things at home when she goes out, and left this behind."

The little girl's voice sounded hopeful of a family reunion, but what she said seemed odd to the listeners.

"What do you mean your dad will forget you? And he needs to listen to music to remember?"

The more they thought about it, the more it felt eerie, like hearing a horror story.

Fanen, however, keenly sensed something and asked, "Is your dad a hunter, like us?"

The little girl's affirmative voice came through.

As expected, no wonder she said she was familiar with our scent at the start, it's the hunter's scent.

"Do we smell or something?" someone couldn't help lifting an arm to sniff, "Doesn't seem like it, right?"

"Let me smell you, ugh, so stinky! Is this the hunter's scent?"

"Nonsense, that's just body odor! I don't have it!"

Finally, Bell reluctantly bid farewell to the little girl and left with the others to head to the cemetery.

Though they agreed to the little girl's request, finding someone in a huge place like Yarn is extremely difficult. They hadn't even fully explored Yarn yet. Besides the cemetery, there's also a small waterway they haven't explored much, filled with complete beastified citizens of Yarn, their combat power has risen a notch.

"What a pitiful child, I must find her parents. How can they leave such a small child alone at home," Bell muttered non-stop along the way.

The others, however, were more interested in the little music box. They had never seen or heard of anything like it before, and their eyes were full of curiosity at the moment.

[Little Music Box]

[A little music box obtained from a Yarn girl that plays a song of shared memories with her parents when the crank is turned]

[There's a piece of paper stuck on the backside of the lid that looks like a letter from long ago, hard to make out but two names: Viola and Gascoin]

"Is this thing called a crank?"

Fanen tentatively turned the crank, and a muffled mechanical sound came from inside the box.

The next moment, under the gaze of the people, a clear sound came from inside the little music box!

"Whoa oh oh!"

The onlookers let out exclamations, almost making Fanen drop the little music box on the ground.

A piece of music came through, unsure whether to call it cold or lonely, sounding a bit like a lullaby. Paired with the night vibes of Yarn, it gives a unique sensation, instinctively making you want to calm down.

"Why are you all so surprised, haven't you seen a sound stone before, it's a similar thing,"

Bell sighed in relief seeing Fanen firmly grasp the little music box, then complained to the surrounding people.

"But there's no sound stone inside, and it doesn't require magic power, just a turn of the crank to play music," people exclaimed in surprise, "Is it purely reliant on intricate mechanisms to achieve this effect? Such an amazing thing!"

Isha would probably like this little music box, no, she'd likely want to take it apart to see its structure. Fanen thought to himself, considering bringing one back for his sister someday.

The crowd marveled around the little music box for a long time, but it was the beastly howling echoing from within the cemetery that reminded them of their current objective.

They quickly withdrew from the excitement of discovering new gadgets and prepared for battle.

"Creak——"

The closed cemetery gate was slowly pushed open, a piercing cold wind lifting the stench of beasts and carcasses in the air, directly assaulting their senses.

"What is that?"

Following the direction of someone's finger, they heard the sound of flesh being sliced.

"Slash!"

In the dilapidated cemetery, a somewhat hunched figure swung a giant axe, hacking repeatedly at the beast's corpse, fresh blood constantly splattering on him, as if addicted, he wouldn't stop.

It was clear at a glance, this was also a hunter, just dressed slightly different from the survivors.

The sound of the door opening attracted his attention, a deep and magnetic voice entered their ears.

"The streets are filled with beasts..."

He slowly turned around, pale locks floating.

"You all will eventually become one of them."

Beneath the brim of the hat, a mouth slightly altered by hunting addiction exhaled a breath of turbid air.

The crowd immediately sensed a deadly threat!

The hunter before their eyes looked exactly like they did when they were previously addicted to hunting, even more so!

A hunter in this state would attack anything!

There was no shouting or taunting, only silence and frenzy.

[Father Gascoin] rushed toward them!