The place ruled by the kings of Little Londo, the culprits who sparked this disaster, is perhaps here?

Could that ugly Dark Great Snake also be in there?

If we jump in, who exactly will we challenge, or will we end up fighting both at once?

The black hole exudes a strong sense of danger, but in the eyes of adventurers, it's akin to a treasure chest continuously emitting alluring scents, making one irresistibly want to dive in and explore the Dark Forest.

As everyone continued to discuss, the black hole at the center of the Little Londo Ruins experienced another change.

The darkness surging at the edge of the black hole spread, clinging to the ground like venom with life, extending in all directions!

It's not the black hole that's expanding; it's those abyss-like things constantly growing, staining the damp ground a sticky black.

"It's as disgusting as the Karen Insect Race laying a Fungal Blanket..." Martin showed a look of disgust, and his companions nodded in agreement.

What kind of monster is the Karen Insect Race? I've never heard of it. Tusi wondered for a moment but eventually chalked it up to his own ignorance.

All land that is tainted by those black stains turns into sticky black mud, a sight familiar to the people.

The Fran Undead Team's fort is full of this stuff.

This is unmistakably the Abyss; almost everyone has been to Fran Fort, so of course, they recognize this disgusting thing.

According to common knowledge, this black mud shouldn't attack people on its own, merely appearing a bit revolting.

However, to be safe, some brave souls cautiously approached the black mud for a little test, and eventually found that it indeed did not react to human touch, which reassured everyone.

Now, two choices lay before everyone.

One is to continue exploring the recently drained area, where dense buildings suggest longer exploration time than the first drained area, and more Soul-sucking Ghosts might be hidden within, perhaps even some formidable foes.

As for the second choice....

Everyone's gaze immediately shifted to the black hole, and without a doubt, the second choice is to rush directly into the black hole and leap down to uncover its secrets! 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Looking from above, it's impossible to see what's lurking inside; it could be countless Abyss Monsters, maybe a mysterious city, or possibly a direct confrontation with a boss. Endless possibilities await exploration.

"How about a vote?" Tusi asked the crowd behind him, "Raise your hand if you want to stay on the surface; don't raise your hand if you want to jump into the black hole."

Quite democratic.

But before everyone could vote and make a decision, a mutation suddenly occurred.

The black mud that had seeped underfoot and become inactive, flowing slowly, suddenly came to life after engulfing most of the Little Londo Ruins, bubbling violently at intervals of every few steps.

It was as if something was surfacing.

"Danger ahead!" The Starfire Knight was the first to notice the aura of danger, shouting loudly, causing everyone to tense up once again.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The bubbling spots suddenly exploded, filling the air with foul-smelling black mud, staining people's clothing with indelible stains, but that wasn't the truly concerning thing.

Beneath the exploding mud emerged one twisted figure after another.

These things appeared to be... enlarged versions of Humanity?

Completely black except for two glowing eyes, these unknown entities only had the outline of heads and torsos, with no legs below the body, looking ghost-like.

This appearance was identical to the Humanity they held, only enlarged to a normal human size!

"Humanity?"

The Starfire Knight struck first, tossing a Chaos Fireball at the nearest Humanity, and upon exploding in flames, the Humanity turned to dust as the fire vanished.

This explosion seemed like the signal for battle as the enlarged Humanitys, swiftly reaching a count close to a hundred, charged towards everyone throughout Little Londo Ruins.

This oppressive feeling of human-like yet non-human entities swarming in groups was actually greater than the Soul-sucking Ghosts!

"Judging by the looks, these are Magic creatures. Everyone, use magic and Fighting Qi!"

Tusi led the group to areas still not overrun by Humanitys, keeping an eye on the retreat route while also attacking the Humanitys.

As he analyzed earlier, these dark entities likely fall under the category of Magic creatures. Ordinary swords could harm them but not enough to stop their charge.

Instead, the one using melee weapons, the Dark Moon Sword, suffered greatly.

He attacked actively and was instantly targeted by an unknown number of Humanitys, swarming onto him, enclosing him in the center. Surrounding him wasn't enough; the Humanitys encircled him, forming a black sphere, constantly compressing towards the center, aiming to crush him alive!

"Rescue him!"

The Starfire Knight threw several Thunder Spears at the black sphere of Humanitys, intending to eliminate the outer Humanitys and save the unlucky Dark Moon Sword, when something unexpected happened.

"Boom!"

Upon contact with the first Thunder Spear, the compressing sphere of Humanitys exploded!

Exploded...

With a "BOOM!" sound, the sphere compressed from pure Humanity exploded into fine dust, along with the Dark Moon Sword within, vanishing without a trace.

Everyone witnessing this stared wide-eyed, what is this, Humanity can self-destruct?

"Uh, sorry..." The previously attacking Starfire Knight's expression was indescribable, "I really didn't mean to..."

"Stop apologizing here; run!"

Tusi pulled the stunned guy, a flicker of fear in his eyes.

Because that explosion seemed to have enlightened the Humanitys, who now switched from aimlessly charging to causing chaos with planned detonation!

Explosions echoed through the Little Londo Ruins as Humanitys, changing speed from fast to slow, deliberately exhausted the adventurers' stamina, attacking with sudden acceleration and culminating in a massive explosive finale.

If touched, they explode, so Tusi and his team dared not engage the Humanitys in close combat. Despite the caution, they still ended up bedraggled.

Even as the Humanitys' numbers continued to rise, more emerged from the black mud of the Abyss, further hunting everyone.

And that's not even the worst of it, for nearby, the Soul-sucking Ghosts had also emerged from the buildings.

With red glowing eyes, looking more aggressive, the Soul-sucking Ghosts charged towards the party as the explosive Humanitys closed in from behind, trapping them in a pincer attack!

"Given the situation..."

Tusi surveyed the surroundings and made a difficult decision.

He turned and charged towards the black hole brimming with the Abyssal black mud, leaping off the edge without hesitation.

"As it stands, this is the only safe route left!"

Tusi's leap startled everyone, but they quickly caught on, following his lead and jumping in!

Once they all jumped in, the previously rioting monsters were momentarily paused.