"Hush!" Jason whispered urgently, silencing the players.
Yet, even as they stifled their groans and quieted their movements, the noise of something falling from the altar table could not escape the ears of those outside.
"What's going on inside? Are the little ones misbehaving?"
"Go check. We can't afford any mistakes."
Hearing the voices from below, Eric's expression changed. Anxiously, he looked downward, praying Jason and the others would act swiftly—before the NPCs noticed someone was
missing from inside the shrine.
Within the shrine, the group moved with haste. Jason climbed down from the altar, while Kevin helped Samantha up and grabbed hold of Timothy.
"Hurry—cry! We need to cry and embrace each other!" Kevin spoke quickly, his tone urgent.
Samantha and the others immediately understood. Indeed, in the open and unguarded shrine, this was the only way to conceal Eric's absence.
Watching them huddled together in tears, Eric kept his gaze fixed on the door, which creaked open a sliver.
The guard peered in, a flicker of pity in his eyes, then gently closed the door again.
"They're… crying together, embracing each other…"
"Sigh. Let's bring them something to eat later. It'll be their last meal…"
An hour later, the sun dipped toward the western treetops as a group of village women arrived with supper.
They had scraped together what little they could spare from their own meals, unwilling to let the children starve despite the village chief's decree. They opened the door
slightly and pushed the basket through.
Avoiding the children's blank stares, the women quickly averted their eyes. The door shut once more.
One villager returned, and his companion asked, "Still crying in there? It's gone quiet."
"They've stopped… They've been locked up for days. They must be terrified."
"Night is falling. The ritual will begin soon. Retrieve the basket before the chief sees it."
Half an hour before the ritual, just as the guard was about to collect the basket, the village chief and other villagers arrived with reverence, escorting the grandmaster.
The master inspected the stacked wood outside the shrine and nodded in approval.
"Bring forth the offerings. Begin by honoring the Delivering Maiden. Bow three times and kowtow thrice. Once the incense is lit, the sacrifice may proceed." He handed a box
to the village chief.
Inside lay a plaque bearing the title "Delivering Maiden," radiating an eerie solemnity.
"Yes, yes!" The chief obeyed immediately. "Open the doors!"
As the shrine doors swung open, the village chief strode in—and froze, eyes widening in shock. "Where are they?! Where are the children?!"
The guards were equally stunned. "They were just here!"
"How could they vanish? Those kids were obedient. Did you let them go?!"
"No, Chief, we swear we didn't!"
The master's face darkened. "Your village is truly inept! I summoned the Delivering Maiden for you, and you let the offerings escape? Her wrath will not be easily appeased.
Are you courting death?!"
"Find them! At once!" The chief roared, waving his hand.
The villagers scattered in all directions.
They had thought the children feeble and simple-minded—surely a few calls from family would bring them back. But as darkness fell, none were found.
The search widened, leaving the shrine deserted.
From the shadows of the forest, several small figures emerged, disheveled and grim.
"I found matches."
"I got some charcoal."
"I took a kerosene lamp—still has fuel."
"I've got eight candles."
The players reported their findings. Eric added, "I found half a bottle of gasoline." She had also used the chance to glance in a supermarket mirror—and was startled to see
her childhood self with stark white hair and brows. No wonder the others had looked at her strangely. But the reason remained elusive, and she pushed the thought aside to
focus on the current dungeon.
Jason smiled faintly. "That's enough. There's a woodpile outside the shrine—we'll bring it in."
Not far away, the village chief, drenched in sweat, was resting beneath a tree. Suddenly, he saw thick smoke rising from the shrine. Startled, he rushed over.
"My heavens…" He shielded himself from the waves of heat, lips pale with dread.
The newly built shrine, constructed solely for the Delivering Maiden, was now an inferno.
And the Delivering Maiden's plaque was still inside.
"Fire! Someone, help! Put out the fire!"
Back at the chief's home, the grandmaster choked violently on his wine, spat blood, clutched his chest—and collapsed.
From a hidden vantage point, the players watched the burning shrine with a mix of unease and hope, witnessing its destruction with their own eyes.
Eric stared at the flames, her vision swimming in the fiery glow. She blinked, and in the next moment, her perspective shifted—she hovered above the village, an omniscient
witness to its history.
She saw the ritual complete at the shrine entrance. Watched as the eight empty bowls on the altar filled with murky liquid. Saw the villagers bow and kneel before drinking the
Delivering Soup.
She saw the grandmaster depart, pockets full of reward, only to vanish into black smoke with a sinister grin in the forest.
She saw the hopeful villagers watching the women's bellies, praying for healthy, preferably male, offspring.
And soon—far too soon—every villager was pregnant, regardless of gender.
Panic spread. But the horror had just begun: their "pregnancy symptoms" arrived swiftly, heralding blood and death.
Trapped within the village, they could not flee, nor call for help.
They gave birth to one ghost infant after another, each demonic fetus crawling back to the shrine, fusing into its roof. The Delivering Maiden's plaque grew darker and more
sinister. At night, the villagers heard children's laughter from the shrine.
Eventually, they uncovered a pattern: as long as eight or more people bowed before the shrine and drank the Delivering Soup every ten months, mass pregnancies would not recur.
Thus, their numbers dwindled year by year, the village slipping ever deeper into silence and death.
Until, one day, eight strangers arrived…
Eric's eyes flew open—she stood again on the mountain path. Looking down, her stomach had flattened. Behind her, the portal shimmered.
Exhaling deeply, she stepped into the light.
**\[Player Eric has cleared the Paranormal Dungeon: Ghost Infant. Reward: 44 points.]**
Back at the inn, neither Justin nor Sarah had returned. Eric prepared a simple meal, sitting at the dining table as she flipped through the notebook.
Justin had left it for them, saying they should read it when they had time.
Eric was certain the Mingyang Mutual Aid Society had more than just this one notebook. She knew she would have to earn Justin's trust to see the others.
The book recorded many dungeons—some supernatural, others mundane. Eric counted a total of fifty. Of the paranormal ones, only the "Employee of the Month" dungeon matched
her experience. Among the normal ones, she recognized three.
Having just joined yesterday, she had only read ten pages so far, but she pored over them carefully. If she encountered these same dungeons again, she wouldn't simply copy
the solutions—she felt herself evolving, developing a unique strategy of her own. She needed reference, yes—but the true foundation had to be forged by her alone.
After reviewing ten dungeons, she closed the notebook, gently tracing the names on the cover.
Her parents' names.
She never imagined she'd find clues to them here. A surge of complicated emotion welled up in her chest. If her parents were still alive, she had to find them.
But… if they were alive, why had they never returned home?
She had only been with the Mutual Aid Society for two days and dared not reveal her thoughts just yet. She would wait—wait for the right moment to ask Justin about the group
's founders.
A sound came from outside—Sarah had returned.
Weary, she poured herself a glass of lemon tea and sat down to rest. After a moment, she rose to make food, calling out as she worked, "I'm not going into a dungeon this
afternoon. Keep the notebook—you read it first. I'll go after you're done."
Eric nodded with a smile.
Life in the society had not yet changed much.
When Justin didn't return at noon, Eric went to her room to rest. In the afternoon, she headed once more to the mission hall.
Upon entering the new dungeon, Eric found herself in a garden surrounded by NPC tourists out for a stroll. Taking a few steps forward, she approached a wall and swiftly
climbed it, ignoring the startled cries of onlookers. From atop the wall, she surveyed her surroundings.
A sea of green stretched before her, and the mountain wind swept coolly across her face.
This garden stood atop a mountain.
Eric scanned the area, then leapt down.
"Miss, please don't climb the walls—it's very dangerous," a staff member rushed over.
"Sorry, I'm feeling a bit faint. I just wanted to go back and rest."
This place seemed like a resort. Earlier, she'd glimpsed a large complex beyond the garden. Regardless, her priority was to distance herself from the crowds.
"Let me escort you—"
"No need!" she called, breaking into a sprint.
"Ma'am, please—don't climb again!"
She heard the staff's voice behind her. Clearly, the other players were still exploring the dungeon. She wondered how many had been placed here.
As she ran toward the buildings, a cheerful voice reached her—
"I'm so excited for tonight's meteor shower! Have you thought of your wish yet? I wrote mine down!"
Hearing the words "meteor shower," Eric stopped abruptly.
"Excuse me—are you here for the meteor shower too?" she asked, approaching the girls.
They jumped in surprise at first, but seeing Eric's youthful face, one of them relaxed.
"Yes, sister. Why?"
Eric chuckled. "My friend tricked me into coming here—said she had a surprise for me. Then she left without a word, and I've been confused ever since. So there really *is*
a meteor shower tonight?"
The girl, now fully at ease, explained excitedly.
"They say it's a once-in-a-century meteor shower from the XX constellation!…"
A meteor shower. Eric's heart tightened.
She had a lead.