When the fire broke out on Sacred Wyrm Summit, Dustin received the order to launch the attack. He immediately led a team to infiltrate the Forbidden Ground as planned.
With the Hall of Gods’ large-scale invasion in full swing, the summit was in chaos, with people scrambling to extinguish the fire. This left the Forbidden Ground unprotected, as most regular guards had been reassigned. Only the mountain itself stood alone and was isolated in its stillness.
Still, he didn’t underestimate the Sacred Wyrm Summit’s defenses. Even without guards, the Forbidden Ground wasn’t a place anyone could simply enter. After all, the summit was known for having the most powerful enchantment circle in the martial world.
When Dustin and his team reached the back mountain, they discovered that two other teams had already arrived ahead of them.
These groups, hired by the Hall of Gods, were primarily composed of shady individuals. While their ethics were questionable, their strength was unquestionable.
To keep their identities hidden, everyone on the mission wore masks. Dustin’s team donned red demon masks, while the other two wore black and white masks.
Alongside the masks, each person wore a distinctive emblem representing the Hall of Gods, which was used to distinguish allies from enemies.
The leader of the black-mask team was a burly man with two heavy, thunderous purple-gold hammers strapped to his waist. His fierce gaze and commanding presence left no doubt he was not a pushover.
The leader of the white-mask team was a hunched, elderly man with gray hair and gnarled hands. He coughed occasionally, appearing frail and on the brink of collapse. Yet, the deference shown by his team revealed he was no ordinary figure.
“Mr. Sadrick, another team has arrived. How about we let them go in first?”
Danny Gallagher, the burly man in a black mask, leaned in and whispered to Marcell Sadrick, the hunched elderly man.
The two had met before and shared a bit of camaraderie. Their earlier scouting had revealed that the Forbidden Ground was packed with deadly enchantment circles.
Without an expert to navigate them, entering would be a death sentence. As they hesitated over whether to proceed, Dustin and his team arrived. Danny quickly decided they’d make perfect scouts for the path ahead.
“Good idea. Let the kid lead the way,” Marcell nodded approvingly.
The phrase “better him than me” couldn’t have been more fitting. While they technically shared the same goal and could be called allies in a loose sense, when danger loomed, allies were little more than disposable tools.
“Hey, man! You’re finally here. We’ve been waiting for you.” Danny dropped his cold demeanor and greeted Dustin with a welcoming grin like they were old friends.
“You were waiting for me?” Dustin glanced around before responding calmly.
“Of course!” Danny flashed a wide grin.
“We were sent to back you up for the treasure hunt. No time to waste. Go in, and we’ll cover you from back here.”
“I appreciate all the trouble you’re going through.” Dustin nodded slightly without rejecting their help.
“Not at all. We’re allies. No need to be so formal,” Danny said warmly, though he smirked inwardly.
He had thought it might take some convincing, but he never imagined Dustin would be naive enough to agree without hesitation.
“Stay close, and don’t fall behind,” Dustin ordered as he turned and led the way into the mountains.
With keen eyes, he quickly realized the area was filled with enchantment circles. He knew what Danny was up to -trying to use him as a pawn to clear the way.
But Danny had underestimated him and the Sacred Wrym Summit Forbidden Ground’s enchantment circles.
As they entered the Forbidden Ground, a dense fog suddenly rolled in and appeared out of nowhere. No matter how hard they tried to clear it with palm winds, it would quickly gather again.
The fog completely shrouded their surroundings and erased all sense of direction. Visibility dropped to no more than ten feet, so it was impossible to tell which direction they were heading.
Even more frightening was that the fog seemed to block all sensory perception. Even the loudest shouts barely reached 30 feet, as the sound was muffled to an eerie silence.
“This dense fog is strange. Could it be some kind of enchantment circle?” one of them said.
Another added, “I can’t tell which way we’re going anymore. Are we going to be stuck here?”
Someone else said, “The Forbidden Ground is just as dangerous as a dragon’s den or a tiger’s lair. Stay sharp, and don’t fall behind!”
They had been walking for a while but still couldn’t find a way out of the thick fog. Tension was building among the group.
Anyone with any sense could tell something was wrong. The dense fog was part of a maze. They might be stuck here forever if they didn’t figure out how to escape soon.
Behind Dustin, Danny and Marcell also entered the enchantment circle with their team. At first, they planned to let Dustin lead so they could benefit from his efforts without taking risks.
But as soon as they entered the fog, they were completely disoriented. The fog clouded their vision and disrupted their senses.
They couldn’t even tell which way they were going. Before they knew it, they had fallen behind, and Dustin’s team was nowhere to be seen.
Now, they were stuck, with no clue which direction to take.
