Kapitel 343: Solitary’s Danger Rating
"It's the Banshees. They are coming."
Will's voice made everyone perk up.
Natasha and the others were bothered by Will's declaration. They wanted to know exactly how he knew such a thing, but one look at Lyra, who still had Call of the Forest active, made the others realize that there was merit to his words.
Lyra closed his eyes and revealed an expression of concentration, "I agree with Solitary, I can sense a large concentration of yin energy outside the safe zone. If it wasn't for the Dragon Force being emitted by the poison, I would have a better idea of what is coming. Alas…"
The others were tempted to ask Solitary just how he knew what was happening, but they refrained as that would be rude. He had already displayed his ability to detect the banshees on their way to the riverbank, so there was no doubt about his ability to sense their movements now.
'Sensing banshees that are nearby and sensing banshees over a large region covered in Dragon Force are two different things.'
Natasha raised Solitary's danger rating in her mind once again as she reevaluated his abilities.
"I can at least confirm that this skeleton is the entrance to an underground dungeon. I believe Fafnir's true corpse should be within. What we're seeing right now is a manifestation of the dungeon feeding off the true corpse." Added Lyra.
Lydia crossed her arms over her ample bosom and said, "So we can only run into the dungeon with a swarm of banshees tailing us?"
Palmer furrowed his brows, "There is a chance that the banshees can follow us inside. I would rather not be trapped in a dungeon with a swarm of banshees blocking the way."
"It's not that simple." Natasha took a deep breath and continued, "Even if we enter the dungeon and the banshees follow us, the concentration of yin within the dungeon will affect all the neutral and yang-type cultivators badly. I possess a yin-type constitution so I actually become stronger in such an environment, but the rest of you…"
Gianluigi and the Crescent Moon twins also frowned as well. They were neutral-type fighters and leaned towards neither negative nor positive energy. Lydia and Palmer were positive energy cultivators. Thus the Veritas and Spectralians were at a great disadvantage.
Natasha believed that with her yin-type constitution, she was the only one capable of fighting in such an environment, but she did not want to miss out on Fafnir's remains. Fafnir, just like Natasha, was a yin-type being of the metal and water elements. She did not want to deal with a swarm of minions outside and allow Gianluigi and the others to claim the spoils.
Although all party members were obligated to report their findings and give them to Odysseus for redistribution, no one could complain about rewards claimed on the spot. Many consumable treasures capable of granting one power grew around the corpses of powerful mythical beasts.
In the legends, Siegfried achieved immortality by bathing in the dragon's blood and consuming a part of its heart. Natasha doubted that any such miraculous thing could happen to her, but she still hoped to find something.
She was also not a saint and had no intention of being the hero. Thus she had no qualms about leaving everyone to suffer.
'But to survive the trials in the underground dungeon by myself is unrealistic. I still need help. But no one else can hold back the banshees…'
Gianluigi was the only person there equal in station to Natasha. He knew very well what she was thinking, but he could not ask her to stay outside as well.
'Retreat doesn't seem like an option. The girls above that made that clear. We can only move forward. Natasha has the right to command us, but she knows she can't force us to our deaths either…'
The group was truly stuck between a rock and a hard place. Lydia, Palmer, Natasha, Julius, Titus, and Gianluigi were starting to feel uncomfortable. Even they could now sense the polar nature of the energy around them. A frigid chill started to pervade the surroundings. This chill and the Dragon Force fused well together making everyone feel uncomfortable…well, not everyone.
Natasha and the others noticed that Solitary and his companions seemed relatively comfortable. There wasn't even a hint of panic on their faces. That was when Will took the opportunity to ease everyone's minds.
"You guys are worried about the Yin energy concentration. Have you forgotten who my master is?"
The group immediately remembered an important detail. These two were locals created by Peerless Dao Master!
While not much was known about Peerless, there was no doubt that the man had a powerful yin-type constitution, which was at the very least, comparable to Natasha's own.
Achilles, who had been silent all this time, took a deep breath and said, "Such dense Yin energy accompanied by the metal and water elements. I feel so refreshed here it's ridiculous."
Lyra mimicked him and nodded in satisfaction, "I understand, I don't think I've ever stood in a place more suitable for cultivation than this."
Lyra and Achilles' admittances made everyone more confident in their assumptions. Peerless and all the locals under him and a Yin-type constitution!
To create locals in a Branded Dungeon like Mt Olympus, one had to use their own blood as a catalyst. This meant that all the locals produced by the dungeon would have the master's traits. The more talented the master, the greater these traits expressed themselves.
'Negative energy, mental cultivation, metal element and water element mastery. Peerless managed to pass down these traits to his locals. As expected of a Natural Born Sovereign that caught the All Father's attention. Not bad.'
Natasha and the other's expressions relaxed when they realized this important fact. But the situation was not resolved.
"Lyra, Achilles and I will stay behind to deal with the banshees. They are first gathering and arranging themselves outside before they swarm here so we have a few minutes left. That should be enough for the three of us to return to peak condition. The rest of you can head inside and explore the dungeon."
These were the magic words that the others were waiting for. Gianluigi and Natasha in particular were thrilled as they did not want to miss out on potential rewards. As the strongest among the group, they stood to gain the most. Natasha was happy for a moment, but caution was a hard habit to drop.
'Why is he doing this? There is no way he would agree to guard the entrance for us unless there was a tangible benefit comparable to what the dragon's corpse could have. Is there some sort of reward out here that I have failed to notice? Did Peerless tell them something?'
Natasha did not believe in kindness without benefit. Solitary and his friends also seemed to have no interest in fawning over her.
Many men failed to hold their composure in front of her. The Veritas were infamous for their mental strength while Spectralians had incredibly high standards for beauty, so it was understandable why those from those two factions did not fawn over Frozen Asgard maidens.
'These 3 have shown no lust whatsoever. Could it be that they are into men?' Lydia could not help but also have strange thoughts as well when she looked at the trio during their journey in the dungeon. Now they were sacrificing themselves for others.
'Are they into me or Natasha? Maybe Gianluigi?'
Natasha had no clue that Lydia and she were having parallel thoughts. Unlike Lydia, Natasha was not arrogant enough to believe she held such sway over the trio for one simple reason.
'Solitary Sword Sovereigns are beings of extremity. If they are lustful they are extremely lustful. If they are celibate they won't touch anyone for their whole lives. He neither seems lustful nor does he seem celibate. Could he be a moderate?'
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein