After leaving the team, the adventurer ladies regretted it deeply

The carriage followed a winding path into the deep forest, entering an old castle.

Inside, there was dust everywhere, spider webs, and all the furniture had long since rotted away, looking uninhabited.

Black Crow bound Lin Da and the other two together, dragging them with a rope into a tunnel leading underground.

In front of a steel gate, there were two warriors responsible for guarding.

"The dawn shall guide us."

Black Crow and the two warriors saluted each other with solemn expressions.

Then, the three from Phoenix Tail Flower were brought inside and locked in a small room with white walls on all sides.

Lin Da closed his eyes, listening to the sounds around him:

"These people are S-level Transcendents, Black Crow, are you certain?"

"Yes, the ritual can be conducted now. Please inform Bishop Marshall immediately, we can't afford to wait another year."

"Okay! Black Crow, you've made a great contribution, once this is successful, you'll be promoted at least three ranks."

"Hahahahaha."

The sound of chatter and footsteps gradually faded away.

Lin Da's plan was going smoothly.

About six hours passed, and in the afternoon of the same day, Bishop Marshall couldn't wait to arrive.

Through a clear glass wall, Bishop Marshall's face lit up with joy as he looked at the three Phoenix Tail Flower members bound inside.

Bishop Marshall was a short, bald, white-bearded old man dressed in a white ceremonial robe.

He couldn't help but stroke his beard and laugh loudly, "Black Crow, you have done well. The hearts of these three will make the finest material for the ritual!"

"You flatter me, Bishop," said Black Crow, with a smirk more difficult to press down than a firearm's trigger. Clapping his hands, he summoned two attendants, "Go, dissect the three inside, but remember not to damage their hearts."

"Yes."

The attendants, holding knives, entered the room.

This was a solemn and ceremonial occasion. Apart from the high-ranking members of the Dawn Church, 20 A-level Transcendents and 5 S-level Transcendents also arrived on the scene to ensure the ritual's success without fail.

These Transcendents usually appeared no different from ordinary people, often disguising themselves in various identities and lurking within Dark Night City.

But today, they gathered together in high spirits, waiting for the moment to behold the Dawn Goddess.

Bishop Marshall looked at the Transcendents with a satisfied heart.

It took the church decades to accumulate these elites.

Even if the Inspection Bureau were to intervene today, they would not be able to stop the ritual.

So many Transcendents gathered together could be considered the strongest force in Dark Night City.

The success of the ritual was within reach!

"Bishop, please be careful, those three... seem to have woken up."

S-level Transcendent, 'Steel Shield' Jel, with his towering stature, stepped forward to protect Bishop Marshall.

"They're awake?"

Everyone clicked their tongues in wonder.

The three captives had been injected with a large amount of sedatives.

Even an elephant wouldn't be able to wake up.

Yet they had managed to stand up and even snapped the ropes binding their bodies.

"Physical-type Transcendents, eh? Hehehe, I really want to see what the heart of such a person looks like."

"No matter how strong the flesh, it can't withstand a blade. In front of me, S-level Transcendent 'Claw' Mao, they're as weak as rabbits."

"So young, they could have had the chance to aim for SS-level in the future, what a shame."

The core members of the Dawn Church, some with smiles and some with pity, looked on as if viewing animals in a cage.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The pitiful sacrifices, whether they roared in anger or meowed in protest, could only provide cheap emotional value to them.

Bishop Marshall smiled, "Jel, you're being too cautious. This glass wall is made from Transcendent material; even ten mammoths charging simultaneously couldn't damage it. Once Transcendents are locked inside, they can only wait to die."

"Since these three little ones refuse to comply, we will have to inject poison gas," said Bishop Marshall with regret.

No one cared about the two attendants who walked into the small room; they were destined to accompany Lin Da and the others in death.

However...

Click.

Lin Da took out the Azure Sword from the Space Ring and gently swung it forward.

The glass wall, which had given the members of the Dawn Church endless confidence and was boasted to be indestructible, split in two under Lin Da's single strike.

The shattering of the wall, to the church's people, was like the collapse of their worldview.

"What!"

The wrinkles on Bishop Marshall's old face tensed, his mouth gaping in disbelief as he pointed shakily at Lin Da, "Stop... stop him! Quick!"

"Protect the Bishop!"

Steel Shield Jel shouted as he raised his arm, crushing a white magic gem.

Strength instantly filled his body.

Jel cast the spell 'Steel Armor.'

An exquisite set of armor conformed to Jel's body.

The armor was extraordinarily hard against enemies but soft as cloth to Jel, weightless, not hindering movement in the slightest.

With this layer of armor, Jel could defeat the strongest land beast with his bare hands: the over two-thousand-pound king, the Arctic Berserk Bear!

"Die!"

Jel sneered and pounced towards Lin Da like a giant.

"Get lost."

Lin Da kicked out irritably as though kicking a sandbag.

With a boom, Jel's steel armor burst open, exposing the flesh beneath.

His entire body curled like a shrimp, and the terrifying impact caused his eyeballs to bulge out, covered in bloodshot veins, looking as if they were about to explode.

Jel was sent flying back to where he came from, tumbling away for dozens of meters.

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He finally crashed into the wall cabinet, causing bottles and jars to fall with a clatter, the sound chaotic.

At this, everyone was dumbfounded.

S-class, Steel Shield Jel known for his defense... was taken out in one strike?

"Monster, it's a monster!"

A female Transcendent clad in black tights screamed in panic, the first to flee.

She realized that the man in front of them may look human, but at his core, he was a monster—all Transcendents need magic gems to exert their powers, but that man, he didn't need any gems; he could wield power directly.

"Stop hesitating, just do it; your captain doesn't have any area-of-effect spells, you know." Kafni scratched her belly vigorously, finally relieving the itch she'd been holding in for so long, almost moaning in satisfaction from the comfort.

Monica was muttering to herself: This is all fake, none of this is the real world.

Then, she extended her hands forward, conjuring a Magic Circle that horrified the other Transcendents:

"Earthquake Technique!"

Boom!

The ground collapsed, and spires of earth jutted out like long spears.

Screams were unending.

The Transcendents, regardless of being A-class or S-class, were equal under the Earthquake Technique.

All were gutted, bleeding profusely.

"Help..." Bishop Marshall's face was deathly pale as he trembled in the air.

Lin Da decided to keep this man useful.

Just before Monica activated the Earthquake Technique, he had used the Dark Whip to wrap around Marshall and hold him aloft.

With a snap, he threw Marshall to the ground, slowly dusted off the dirt on his clothes, and joined his team members in surrounding the man.

"Who exactly are you! Only the Goddess... can wield power without the aid of gems!"

"Shar Pei, we are adventurers, my Lord!" Kafni declared proudly, puffing out her chest. "You Transcendents are quite rubbish, really; what's this about S-class? It's about the level of a level 15 Murderous Crab, I'd say."

For the NPCs, these words were undoubtedly a dimensional strike.

Bishop Marshall looked utterly perplexed: "Adventurers? Murderous Crabs? I don't understand at all!"

"You don't need to worry about who we are, just answer the questions."

Lin Da organized his thoughts and started with the most important question: "Transcendent Test Subject Number 73, Tina, and Number 79, Lin Xi, what did they wish for in the ceremony to summon the Dawn Goddess?"

Bishop Marshall showed hesitation.

"Ahhhh!"

At the next moment, Lin Da unleashed the Dark Whip without any mercy, breaking one of Marshall's fingers.

"For every second I count, I will break one finger, then the toes, and lastly, the neck."

By the time the fourth finger was broken, Bishop Marshall, in tears and snot, confessed.

"The experiment logs are in the safe, I'll get them for you!"

"That's more like it."

Lin Da, like escorting a prisoner, followed Marshall deeper into the premises.

Into a grand hall.

Ghostly blue torches were inserted all around, their light dim, the atmosphere eerie.

Inside, it was so quiet that only their footsteps could be heard.

The most conspicuous object in the hall was a clear and transparent pool.

It was circular, surrounded by a complex and dense array, enveloping the pool at its center.

Lin Da glanced around and spotted ritual offerings at various points around the array.

Among them were items mentioned in the Black Crow's notes, including the head of a boy!

Despite the pain from his broken fingers, Bishop Marshall managed to open the safe and retrieve an old, time-worn notebook from within.

The pages inside were yellowed and brittle, as if they would crumble at the slightest touch.

Lin Da took it and carefully opened it:

[Transcendent Test Subject Number 70, Obeka, wished for an epic weapon. Wishing failed, obtained an Epic-level Dragon Scale.]

[Number 71, wished for strength. He became a 'wall' forever, standing to this day on the first floor of the castle.]

[Number 72, wished to resurrect a teammate. Failed, the corpse was devoured by the Dawn Goddess.]

Lin Da turned the pages, and the text that met his eyes made his scalp tingle.

Not a single adventurer who made a wish to the Dawn Goddess had succeeded!

Number 70 was somewhat lucky, acquiring an Epic-level material.

Number 71 became a wall.

Number 72 went straight to hell, reuniting with his teammate.

With these precedents, why did Tina and Lin Xi dare to make a wish?

"Did you... discover anything?"

Kafni looked at Lin Da curiously.

"The contents of the wishes, isn't it strange?"

"Uh... the strange one is you! There's nothing on this!"

Kafni touched her head in confusion, turning to Monica and asking, "Can you see the wishes of these test subjects?"

"I can't," Monica shook her head. "They're just black squares."

Hearing his teammates' words, Lin Da was taken aback.

Could it be that only a real 'player' like himself could see the text in the logs?

"System, open!"

Lin Da silently called out to the system in his mind, and as he looked at the diary with the help of the system's view, a window popped up:

[Name: The Dawn Church's Wish Diary]

[Quality: Legendary]

[Description: Records all the wishes made by adventurers when they triggered this hidden level.]

[Note: This item cannot be damaged by non-players.]

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