The Shelter Game: Me, Starting with a Tenfold Drop Rate

As Vicky dropped her blood onto the bottom of the hollow, she, Irving, and Elder Seville simultaneously fell from the wall into the void.

Irving rushed to Vicky's side at the first possible moment.

"I warn you, if you manipulate those parasites to torment us again, I will fight you to the death! This is your final warning," Irving said coldly, ensuring Vicky's safety before glaring at Elder Seville.

Elder Seville's expression twisted slightly, showing a hint of malice. He seemed to be assessing whether Irving was serious or merely bluffing.

After a moment of contemplation, a faint smile appeared on Elder Seville's face.

"We need to cooperate from now on. Given that, I certainly won't use the parasites to torment you anymore. And to be honest, I wasn't intentionally torturing you before. The severe headaches you experienced were simply because you were unwilling to cooperate with me.

If you agree to work with me from now on, I won't target you intentionally," Elder Seville explained, then began walking toward the front of the hollow.

Reaching the front wall of the hollow, Elder Seville tapped it with his fingers. At the moment the wall resonated, his expression changed dramatically. He realized there was something extremely dangerous behind the wall.

Irving moved quicker than Elder Seville. As the latter approached the wall, Irving had already noticed the massive swarm of beetles behind it.

He quickly grabbed Vicky and leapt onto the hollow's wall.

Elder Seville, being too close to the swarm, was instantly engulfed by the beetles.

Irving watched intently, recognizing the beetles as Death Beetles, creatures representing the power of death. Even if they couldn't kill Elder Seville, they would severely injure him.

"Is he dead? These beetles look extremely dangerous. He couldn't have survived that swarm, could he?" Vicky asked, slightly relieved.

Irving slowly shook his head. "He's not that easy to kill, but he's definitely been heavily injured. We need to be even more cautious from now on. There are too many dangers here."

With that, Irving and Vicky stared down at the swarm of Death Beetles below.

The swarm of Death Beetles, although vast in number, moved at an incredibly high speed. In no time, the swarm had exited the hollow.

"If I'm not mistaken, the Death Beetles are heading towards the passage. Does this mean they've already entered the City of Warding?" Vicky's voice trembled slightly.

To Vicky, if events unfolded as she feared, the entire City of Warding would face a catastrophic disaster.

Irving shook his head slowly. "I don't think the Death Beetles can reach the City of Warding. Don't forget, when we passed through the passage, we encountered the memory wash of your ancestors. Even higher beings like us, with complex neural structures, were affected. Those Death Beetles would also face the memory wash, and they wouldn't be able to withstand it."

Once all the Death Beetles had disappeared, Irving and Vicky climbed down from the hollow's wall.

A skeleton lay where Elder Seville had originally stood.

"He must have been completely devoured by the Death Beetles! Let's not go any further. We should escape through the passage," Vicky exclaimed excitedly upon seeing the skeleton. She believed it signified Elder Seville's death. With him dead, there was no need to venture further into more dangerous areas.

Irving did not heed Vicky's advice. He had already discerned that the skeleton was merely a decoy left by Elder Seville. The man was likely hiding in a dark corner.

"Elder Seville, if you're still alive, show yourself. I know you wouldn't be killed by the Death Beetles so easily. If you continue to test us, I will follow Vicky's suggestion," Irving declared.

As soon as he finished speaking, the skeleton on the ground vanished. Laughter echoed from a corner of the hollow.

"As expected of a recognized genius, you figured out so easily that I wasn't killed by the Death Beetles. How did you come to that conclusion? Do you really think I'm that powerful?" Elder Seville asked, stepping into Vicky and Irving's line of sight.

"I'm not in the mood to discuss this. Are we moving forward or not?" Irving retorted. He had no intention of answering Elder Seville's question. If he found an opportunity to kill him, he would do so without hesitation. The only reason he hadn't acted yet was that he wasn't confident he could kill Elder Seville in one strike.

"Of course, we must continue forward. Just like before, Vicky will lead the way," Elder Seville stated firmly.

Irving was about to voice his opposition, but before he could speak, Vicky squeezed his hand.

"I think his point is valid. If I don't lead, you might not find the way forward. After all, only our Smith family ancestors successfully reached that unknown space," Vicky said.

Irving looked at her with a mix of surprise and admiration. He knew Vicky would shoulder her responsibilities when the time came, but her courage in this perilous situation was unexpected. Most people would lose the nerve to lead after encountering the Death Beetles and the dangers of this area.

"Trust me! I won't face danger alone. Even if I do, you'll be there to help," Vicky reassured him before turning to Elder Seville.

"I'll lead, and you follow. But let me remind you, if I encounter danger, you must assist," Vicky said coldly to Elder Seville.

Elder Seville nodded with a smile. "Naturally! After all, we need you to find the Smith family treasure. I won't let you die easily before we find it."

He didn't bother with pleasantries, knowing they wouldn't earn Vicky's trust. Instead, he opted for honesty, believing it would make him more credible.

With Vicky leading, Irving and Elder Seville continued their journey. After passing through the hollow, they entered another passage, which was even more perilous than the previous one. However, this time, both Irving and Elder Seville managed to neutralize the dangers.

They didn't encounter another memory wash from the Smith family ancestors, likely because those memories were intentionally left in the earlier passage.

After a while, Vicky suddenly stopped.

She turned to Elder Seville and Irving. "We can't go any further. There's a locked door here. It seems we need to solve a mechanism to proceed."

Irving and Elder Seville approached her. Sure enough, they saw a complex lock mechanism. Irving studied it for a while but couldn't figure out how to solve it.

Without hesitation, Elder Seville stepped forward and quickly began working on the lock. Within moments, he had it unlocked.

As the door opened, an extremely surreal scene unfolded before them. check-out-MvLeMpYr

The interior beyond the door resembled a town, but it was in a state of utter disarray. Countless buildings and objects floated aimlessly in the sky. The town's structures were bizarre—some tilted at odd angles, while others hung upside down.

Irving initially wanted to ask Elder Seville how he managed to unlock the mechanism so quickly. However, upon seeing the chaotic town, all his attention shifted to the surreal scene before him.

"Could this be the chaotic unknown space our ancestors mentioned? Why are the buildings in this town like this? Is the gravity in this town completely erratic?" Vicky speculated.

Irving wasn't entirely convinced by Vicky's hypothesis. To test it, he picked up a stone from the ground and threw it toward the town. The stone's flight path immediately became erratic, zigzagging up and down. This confirmed Vicky's theory: the town's gravity was indeed chaotic.

"We need to traverse this gravity-distorted town. If I'm not mistaken, there must be powerful creatures lurking here. We haven't faced significant danger yet," Irving said coldly.

Elder Seville's expression darkened upon seeing the town. He remained silent while Irving and Vicky discussed the gravity anomalies. It wasn't until Irving suggested moving forward that Elder Seville spoke up.

"You must be extremely cautious as you proceed. This town harbors a very dangerous ancient entity. If it catches you, you'll become a part of it," Elder Seville warned.

Irving and Vicky were taken aback by Elder Seville's words. Irving was especially surprised that Elder Seville would genuinely offer them advice.

"None of us can defeat this ancient entity alone. Our next steps require close cooperation," Elder Seville finally revealed his true intentions. He hoped to collaborate with Irving and Vicky, which prompted him to offer this crucial warning.

Irving and Vicky exchanged glances, understanding the gravity of the situation. They knew they had no choice but to trust each other and work together to navigate this perilous town.

"Alright, let's move carefully. Vicky, you still lead, but we'll be right behind you," Irving said, his tone firm but supportive.

"Understood. Let's stay close and watch each other's backs," Vicky replied, steeling herself for the challenges ahead.

With Vicky leading the way, the trio cautiously entered the gravity-distorted town, each step more mindful than the last. The eerie silence and floating debris heightened their senses, making every moment tense with anticipation of the unknown dangers that lay ahead.