【Binding initiated, progress: 1%…5%…10%…】
A progress bar appeared before Truth’s eyes. At the same time, a simple wooden stockade, hastily built from timber, came into view.
The carriage sped inside and came to a halt at the center.
A large group of bandits immediately surrounded them, their greedy eyes fixed on Truth and the other adventurers.
As a newly rising force, the Mist Gang’s bandits mostly relied on low-level methods like trafficking people to make a profit.
If they happened to catch a member of a prestigious family, they’d squeeze out a hefty ransom.
Truth was exactly the kind of fat sheep they loved.
Eagle-nose invited Truth off the carriage with feigned friendliness, while the other adventurers were roughly shoved into cages in a corner of the stockade.
Soon, a man who looked like the leader swaggered over, hands on his hips, his eyes lighting up as he stared at Truth.
“Ohoho, what’s your name, little priestess? Which family are you from?” he asked in a low voice, forcing a hideous smile.
“Truth, Suho Family.”
“Shh, you have to keep your voice down here, no matter what you’re doing. Otherwise, you might attract those monsters. Let me introduce myself— I’m Filek, the, uh… person in charge here!”
So said the bandit chief Filek. His not-so-clean hand tried to rest on Truth, but she sidestepped him easily.
Tch, another filthy dog…
【Progress: 35%】
Seeing Truth’s wariness, Filek’s lips curled into a playful smile. No rush— everything in due time. As the leader of the Mist Gang, he had first pick of all the “goods.”
He’d thought catching a rare catgirl today was already lucky, but now, a cute little priestess too? This Mist was truly a land of opportunity!
Filek, using clumsy noble etiquette, gestured for Truth to follow him.
Behind her, the bandits gathered, nearly drooling:
“Boss is starting already? Didn’t he say to wait for nightfall?”
“Idiot. With such a heavenly beauty, how could the boss possibly wait? And he’s never tried the petite type before.”
“Nice! Once the boss is done, it’ll be our turn, right?”
The group grew more and more heated, each imagining the pure little priestess being ruined by them all.
It was enough to make their mouths water!
【Progress: 55%】
“Hey, if we do this, won’t it affect the ransom for this priestess?” a newcomer asked, only to get a heavy smack on the back of the head from Eagle-nose, who hissed:
“Idiot! You think those stuck-up nobles would ever admit their precious daughter was defiled by us? Besides, we can use it to squeeze even more ransom!”…
Not far away, Truth followed behind Filek at a leisurely pace. Along the way, they passed the cages holding the rookie adventurers, their hands and feet bound behind them and their mouths tightly gagged.
Filek tried to steer her away, but Truth stepped up to the cages on her own:
“Were all of them caught by you in the Mist?”
【Progress: 70%】
“Uh… not caught, treated. Actually, there’s been a deadly epidemic in the Mist lately. They’ve all been infected, so they need to be locked up for treatment.”
Filek lied through his teeth, while the adventurers inside the cage let out muffled curses, their eyes warning Truth that Filek was absolutely not to be trusted.
Just look at the state of him down there!
Filek went on, wearing a lecherous grin:
“And little priestess, you don’t need to worry. They’ll be just fine in a few days. Right now, I have something much more important that only you can help with. Come, into the room with me.”
Truth nodded with an innocent “Oh,” and followed Filek, leaving the others banging their heads against the bars in desperation, though Filek simply claimed they were suffering from the illness.
It was over. Another innocent girl about to fall into his clutches, and such a pure one too. That Filek— how could he stoop so low, even with someone so young?
【Progress: 85%】
Truth was led into a room that, compared to the other cabins, was almost luxurious.
In the center stood a round dining table covered in leftover food and trash.
Nearby was Filek’s personal weapon rack, and to its left, a wide bed draped with soft beast pelts.
The air was thick with that kind of atmosphere…
Filek happily shut the door, then, in one smooth motion, stripped off his clothes and tossed them onto the weapon rack.
Wearing nothing but red underwear, he got straight to the point:
“Little priestess, I’m suddenly in terrible pain. Could you check me over?”
“But I didn’t bring my staff.”
“No problem. You can use your mouth, too.”
Filek sprawled on the bed, legs open, an obscene look on his face. Truth felt a wave of disgust, but also found it absurd:
“Seriously, you’ve kept up this act, told all these lies—was it just to get with me?”
“Huh?”
Filek was taken aback by her bluntness.
He hadn’t expected the seemingly pure priestess to be so direct. Was this the “unexpected contrast” type?
So much for slowly corrupting an innocent maiden, but a bold girl wasn’t bad either. He beckoned her over:
“Since you’re being so straightforward, I won’t bother with pretense. Come here and use your mouth to make me feel good.”
【Progress: 95%】
“And what if I refuse?”
“Heh, you don’t get a choice. Either you please me now, or you go out and please my men. Your pick!” Filek thrust his hips again.
No one will save you today!
In the next moment, a faint clapping sound echoed.
What’s that noise? Filek looked up and saw Truth slowly clapping. The sound was soft, but could still attract monsters. She gave him a sly smile:
“So, if all your men die and your little toy is gone, I’ll have other options, right?”
【Progress: 100%…Successfully bound Divine Domain: Mist】
In an instant, the core of the Mist stirred. The previously stagnant fog began to drift, as if the Mist itself had begun to breathe.
Something big was happening.
The adventurers in the Mist noticed the phenomenon, but didn’t think much of it— except for Tia, who was busy dealing with corpses.
It’s just a dungeon—changes are normal. It’s only a beginner dungeon; it’s not like a god is going to pop out, right? That’s what everyone thought.
Only Tia, dressed in casual clothes, was overjoyed.
She pressed her palms together and bowed toward the Mist. After waiting so long in Deya City, her prayers had finally been answered:
“Mist Lord, you’ve finally awakened…”
【Authority fusion progress: 10%. All Mist creatures have advanced to Tier 1. Exclusive skill tree expanded. Follower function unlocked… Warning: Insufficient Faith. Unable to expand Divine Domain…】
The monsters in the Mist all turned toward the core, sensing it: their master had finally awakened!
Inside the stockade, Truth felt herself merge with the Mist, as if it had become a part of her body. The sensation was strange, but limited to the core—after all, she’d only fused 10% of the authority.
But that 10% was more than enough to wipe out this bandit den.
Truth rather liked her current appearance, though being too eye-catching wasn’t always a good thing— it attracted fools who thought only with their lower halves.
How many times had this happened now?
Inside Filek’s private cabin, watching Truth clap her hands, he couldn’t help but burst out laughing:
“Hahaha! So you want to attract monsters with noise? You really are naïve—
I like that! But have you considered why I dare to set up camp here…?”
The only reason Filek dared to stay here was his formidable level 25, Tier 2 combat strength.
In the Mist, that was enough to walk anywhere unchallenged. No matter what noise Truth made, he had nothing to fear!
“Let’s play a game, little priestess. For every monster my men kill that you attract, you’ll have to stay another day to serve us, even if your family pays the ransom. How about it?”
Filek’s lips curled in amusement.
Mist monsters were usually below Tier 1; the stronger ones barely reached that level.
Even if Truth attracted a few, Filek’s men could handle them easily.
“Sure.” Truth kept clapping, then asked with feigned worry:
“But what if, just as I said, the monsters kill all your men?”
“Haha, you’re adorably naïve—or is this your way of flirting? If that really happens, I’ll cut off my manhood and turn myself in at Deya City, hahaha!”…
“Listen, there’s noise coming from the boss’s room!”
The Mist was especially quiet, so everyone in the stockade could hear the “clap-clap” sounds and the boss’s wanton laughter from the cabin. It had escalated so quickly? That little priestess sure was enticing.
The adventurers in the cages shook their heads with their eyes closed. Such a pure girl… sigh…
“The boss really has no pity. I hope the priestess still has some energy left for us later. But with all that noise, it’ll probably attract some monsters…”
No sooner had Eagle-nose spoken than the monsters’ shrieks echoed from outside the stockade.
The bandits sneered and drew their weapons:
“Let’s warm up by killing a few monsters before the boss finishes.”
“Save one for me! I want to try my new move!”
Confident and unafraid, the bandits strode out of the stockade. They were all Tier 1, so the Mist’s monsters held no fear for them…
“Wait, something’s wrong with these monsters!”
As soon as they stepped outside, someone shouted, but his voice was too loud— a Soundseeker leapt from the fog and snapped his neck in an instant.
The bandits barely had time to react. Someone had been instantly killed by a monster?!
That had never happened before!
Eagle-nose realized something was off. The Soundseeker before him was faster, larger, and clearly more intelligent than any they’d seen before!
“Form up!”
Sensing the danger, the bandits quickly formed a circle, backs together.
All around them, more Soundseekers appeared, along with Mimic Spiders, Mist Sprites, Red-eyed Mist Wolves— every kind of Mist creature.
What was going on today? How did a little noise attract so many monsters? And these monsters were all… different.
Every single one of them had Tier 1 strength!
Cold sweat poured down Eagle-nose’s back. Each monster matched their own Tier 1 level — what was happening?!
Normally, Tier 1 monsters were no threat. Some of the bandits were even level thirteen or fourteen.
But the sheer number of monsters now was… overwhelming!
They rushed back toward the stockade, but the monsters pounced.
Screams echoed through the Mist, reaching Filek’s ears inside the cabin.
“Hm?”
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