The Demon Hunting Jade Token nestled in his robe vibrated gently, emitting a warm sensation.

Ian looked down. Next to the line of small characters on the back of the Jade Token, a new message had materialized.

[Sixth Cleaning Team, proceed immediately to the entrance of the Teleportation Area. Coordinates: Teleportation Array Two, east side of the basin. Time limit: fifteen minutes.]

The message was succinct, its tone unquestionable.

Ian looked up toward the eastern side of the basin. Over a dozen towering metal arches stood there, each reaching a height of twenty meters.

The frames were inlaid with a dense array of Space Runes, which now glowed with halos of different colors.

Crimson, ice blue, emerald green, dark violet... each corresponding to a different combat zone number.

The halo of Entrance Two was a deep cyan, matching the color of his Jade Token.

’Time to go, Gaga,’ Ian transmitted telepathically as he started walking east.

Gaga poked its head out from his pocket, its small eyes vigilantly scanning the surroundings.

’So many people... Ga... And a lot of these looks are... off.’

Indeed, the closer one got to the Teleportation Area, the more tense the atmosphere became. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

As High Level Apprentices from different teams passed one another, their gazes were mostly cold, some even holding a veiled hostility and scrutiny.

In the Underworld, anyone could become a rival competing for resources or an enemy who might stab you in the back.

Ian remained silent. He pulled the hood of his gray Apprentice Robe low, obscuring most of his face, and restrained his aura to the level of an average High Level Apprentice.

He wanted to be neither conspicuous enough to attract attention nor so weak as to seem like an easy target.

More than sixty people had already gathered before Teleportation Entrance Two.

Leading them was an Official Wizard. A scar ran down his left cheek from his brow to his jaw, its edges simmering with a dark red Energy, as if it were a mark left by a Curse or some special Power.

He stood with his arms crossed and eyes closed, seemingly resting. The Energy Force Field surrounding him caused the air to distort slightly.

Beside him stood a man and a woman whose auras both brushed against the threshold of Tier One. They wore matching silver-white battle robes with black trim, a Silver Ring insignia pinned to their chests.

The man was tall and lanky, and looked to be in his late twenties.

He was toying with a Blood-Colored Die in his hand. Instead of numbers, its six faces were carved with different expressions of pain.

Weeping, frenzy, despair...

The Witch Apprentice appeared to be around thirty, with well-proportioned features but an expressionless face.

Two Short Staffs hung at her waist. One was wooden, its grain naturally forming Runes. The other was forged from Metal, its surface flickering with arcs of blue, lightning-like light.

Ian silently took his place at the back of the group, his peripheral vision scanning the other High Level Apprentices on his team.

Including him, there were sixty-eight people in total, their auras of varying strengths.

Some looked nervous, constantly checking their gear. Others seemed more seasoned, their sharp gazes observing their surroundings and teammates. A few, who clearly knew one another, were conversing in low voices.

"Quiet."

The scarred Warlock opened his eyes. His voice was not loud, but it possessed a certain Penetration Power that silenced everyone instantly.

"I am the captain of the Sixth Cleaning Team, Kalem, a Level One Wizard."

His gaze, sharp as a blade, swept over the crowd. "These two are the vice-captains, Rod and Kelly."

Rod grinned at the crowd, baring unnaturally white teeth. The Witch, Kelly, merely gave a slight nod.

"Our mission area is the western side of Iron Ridge Canyon," Kalem continued, his tone even. "Remember three things."

"First, the Underworld is not a playground. Its environment, its creatures, and even its Rules are different from the surface. Underestimating the enemy, acting carelessly, or any other foolish behavior will get you killed, and quickly.

Second, you must follow orders during team operations. I have the right to execute anyone on the spot who deserts the group or acts without authorization.

Third, loot distribution. Your Jade Token will automatically record the number and tier of your kills. For materials from Demon carcasses and Abyssal Crystals, the one who lands the killing blow has first claim.

If multiple people contribute to a kill, negotiate among yourselves. If you can’t reach an agreement, you may request arbitration, but I make no guarantee that the outcome will satisfy everyone."

He paused, his gaze lingering for a moment on the faces of a few Apprentices who clearly had schemes of their own.

"Now, check your gear. Prepare to teleport."

Everyone began to move. Ian feigned a check of his Dimension Bag, though he had in fact already confirmed its contents several times over.

’Ga... that die-playing guy... he feels really creepy...’ Gaga muttered in Ian’s mind.

’Stay away from him,’ Ian responded. ’For those two to be vice-captains, their abilities must be close to that of a Level One Wizard.’

About five minutes later, the Runes on Teleportation Arch Two flared to life. The deep cyan halo contracted inward, forming a constantly rotating Light Curtain that rippled like water.

A dense matrix of Space coordinate Runes appeared on the Light Curtain, resonating with the Jade Tokens everyone carried to prevent them from being teleported to the wrong location.

"Line up. Enter one by one." Kalem was the first to step forward, walking into the Light Curtain.

His figure rippled like disturbed water for an instant before vanishing.

Rod and Kelly followed right after.

The High Level Apprentices began to enter in an orderly fashion. When it was Ian’s turn, he took a deep breath and stepped into the rotating Light Curtain.

HUMMM...

It wasn’t a sound, but a tremor that shook his body and Soul simultaneously. It felt as if he were being crammed into a narrow pipe, his body twisting and stretching like a noodle.

He was surrounded by a turbulent, iridescent flow of space. Countless blurred fragments of images flashed past him.

Twisted rock formations, rivers of lava, enormous shadows squirming in the dark, mountains of bleached bones...

The teleportation lasted only a few seconds.

THUD.

He felt solid ground under his feet, and at the same moment, an indescribable miasma washed over him.

Ian immediately opened his eyes, his Spiritual Power spreading out like a spiderweb, vigilantly surveying his surroundings.

’So, this is the Underworld.’

The first thing he felt was a sense of oppression. There was no sky overhead, only a dark, vaulted ceiling so high it was lost in shadow.

Faint, dark red veins snaked across it like blood vessels, pulsing intermittently and casting a sickly glow.

Countless massive stalactites hung from the vault. Viscous, fluorescent liquid dripped from the tips of some, forming small pools on the ground below. Something was writhing slowly within them.

The air was thick with a mixture of sulfur, rotting flesh, mold, and a cloyingly sweet, metallic tang.

The light was dim, sourced mainly from fluorescent moss that grew naturally on the rock walls. It cast an unsettling glow in shades of dark purple, sickly green, and murky yellow, painting the entire cavern in bizarre, grotesque patterns of light and shadow.

In the distance, the rock walls were pocked with countless caves of all sizes, resembling a massive honeycomb.

From the depths of some caves drifted the faint sounds of rustling, gnawing, and unintelligible whispers.

’The "Rules" of this place seem different from the surface, too.’

Ian could feel an unseen resistance as he spread his Spiritual Power, as if it were sinking into a viscous gel.

The flow of Elemental Energy was also chaotic and frenzied. The Fire Element was laced with violence, the Earth Element reeked of decay, the Wind Element carried a piercing shriek, and the Water Element was utterly foul.

Frenzied, twisted, and bleak.

It was as if the entire world had been corroded and contaminated by some morbid Power.