Just as Ed's hand was about to touch the green flute in Piper's grasp, he suddenly seemed to remember something. He spoke up:

"Wait, I have one more question. Let me ask you again, who are you?"

Piper gave a wry smile and replied, "As you can see, I'm just a guy who plays the flute, able to turn ordinary people into giant rats. I was simply deceived by Vil; I never meant to go against you."

Ed sneered. If it hadn't been for him noticing the massive rock above and using it to catch them off guard, those giant rats with sharp teeth and claws would have been on top of him, tearing at his flesh by now.

The ability to turn ordinary humans into giant rats explained why the villagers had disappeared without leaving any footprints, only the traces of rats crawling across the ground.

Ed suddenly recalled the mission he saw at the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association's task hall, and what Vice-Captain Reve had said.

Sloka City, which had become a ghost town overnight, with all the residents and Hunters gone, disappeared without a trace. Could it have been caused by a presence similar to Piper?

Back when the battle first started, Ed had seen the enemy release these giant rats from a small cloth bag they carried.

So, Ed asked about the cloth bag.

Pinned under the rocks, unable to move and on the verge of death, Piper helplessly explained further.

It turned out the bag was a special tool, similar to a storage pouch, but it could only hold living creatures and they couldn't be too powerful.

After struggling to explain, Piper's breath began to grow weaker, his breathing slow and labored, as though he was on the verge of death, about to pass away at any second.

His hand, still holding the green flute, trembled slightly as he spoke with great difficulty: "Remember, you must help me... kill that bastard Vil."

The next moment, Piper's hand fell limply, and his breathing stopped.

With the last enemy dead, Toronto let out a sigh of relief. He was about to sit down when he noticed Ed was still holding his steel sword, pointing it at Piper's corpse.

Toronto, confused, asked, "What's wrong, Captain Ed?"

Ed didn't answer Toronto's question. Instead, he spoke to Piper's body, which seemed lifeless, as though it had truly died:

"At first, you didn't think I would refuse to take the flute from your hand, did you? Now, that's caused a problem."

"Those giant rats... they're still alive and well."

As soon as Ed finished speaking, Piper's eyes suddenly snapped open. His rat-like eyes were filled with malice and resentment.

So close, just a little more!

If their hands had only touched the flute at the same time, he could have drained the Hunter's life force and used it to heal his injuries!

At first, in order to make the Hunter relax and lower his guard, everything he said had been true.

He hadn't expected that just as the Hunter was about to touch the flute, he would stop.

Piper was certain he couldn't hold on much longer. If this continued, he would truly die!

As he felt his life force slowly slipping away, Piper, unwilling to give up, tried to struggle one last time. But before he could even bring the flute to his lips, the steel sword that had been pointed at him plunged downward with force.

In an instant, blood spurted out, splattering chaotically onto the stones.

Ed saw that Piper had stopped moving, but still, he wasn't convinced. He stepped forward and stabbed the sword directly into Piper's heart to make sure.

Then, Ed turned his attention to the giant rats nearby. This time, they were truly dead.

Throughout the entire process, Toronto's eyes were wide open, filled with surprise and admiration. He slowly spoke, "Captain Ed, how did you know this guy had bad intentions?"

Ed raised his steel sword once more, decapitating Piper as he replied, "I didn't know what he planned to do, but he was knocked down by the rock I dropped on him, and his acting was terrible."

Recalling what Piper had said earlier about the Parasitic Serpent Monster, Vil, that only fire could completely destroy him by turning him to ashes, Ed immediately had Toronto go outside to call for Ford and the old village chief.

He also told Toronto to look around for any dry branches or anything else that could be used to start a fire.

Soon, Ford and the old village chief arrived. The first thing they did upon seeing the scene was bend over and vomit.

Ford seemed to handle it better, but the old village chief, while vomiting, cried uncontrollably, breaking down in despair.

Ed didn't know how to comfort him. For the old village chief, he had only been away for a short time, but when he returned, everyone in the village was dead. Not only had they died, but their skin, flesh, and bones had been mutilated.

While Toronto was gathering dry branches, Ed carefully pulled out the mithril sword and used it to dislodge the cloth bag from Piper's body.

The green flute was also carefully retrieved by Ed, slowly pulling it out with the mithril sword.

These monsters' methods were too bizarre, and Ed had to be extra cautious. The mithril sword could combat vampires and other dark creatures, so even if Piper's items had some strange properties, they should be fine.

When Toronto brought over the dry branches, Ed didn't hesitate for a second and began burning Piper's corpse beneath the stones into ash.

The reflection of the blazing fire flickered in Ed's eyes.

In his ears was the old village chief's agonizing wail, and not far behind him was Alice's small, cold body.

Ed felt a tightness in his chest, an uncomfortable heaviness.

After a moment, he quietly asked Toronto and Ford, "In the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association, is there a way to learn a Seal that uses fire?"

Ford nodded, answering, "There seems to be, but it requires a high contribution. Each time we complete a mission, we don't just get gold, but also contribution points."

"Once the contribution points accumulate to a certain amount, you can use the points to buy Seals, weapons, or other things that can enhance your strength."

Ed took a deep breath. Regardless of anything else, he had to get a Seal that could use fire!

There was still much to be done, but Ed decided to first look for the stone tablet Piper had mentioned. He wanted to know what was inside the bronze door that Vil had entered.

What was all of this for?

After spending about half an hour searching, Ed finally found the stone tablet Piper had spoken of.

The stone tablet stood about three meters tall and more than two meters wide. It looked exceptionally ancient, still intact despite the ravages of time.

The writing on it was strange—each individual character looked like a blooming flower, completely indecipherable.

Unable to make any progress, Ed returned to the village, gathered some paper and other tools, and took a rubbing of the text on the stone tablet. He planned to look for a scholar specializing in ancient languages when he returned to Dorey City.

His instincts told him that the text must contain important information.

Once everything was prepared, Ed stood before the bronze door and pushed with all his strength.

The heavy bronze door didn't budge, leaving only a scratch on the ground, a mark that indicated that the Parasitic Serpent Monster Vil had once opened this door.

...

The next morning, Ed sat in front of the bronze door, steel sword in hand, having spent the entire night there.

This was one of the few nights he hadn't meditated and practiced during the darkness.

He was waiting for Vil to emerge. Alice's lifeless body lay beside him, her innocent face now twisted in agony.

It wasn't until the voice of Vice-Captain Reve from the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association sounded behind him that Ed slowly got to his feet.

Reve, clearly excited, said, "Ed, you're the Association's lucky star! This is a ruin, and who knows what kind of treasures are buried inside!"

"Ed, the Association is going to develop this place. Not only will you receive a reward, but based on the value of what's inside, you'll also get corresponding contribution points. These are things other members can only dream of!"

Reve's voice was full of enthusiasm, and it seemed like he hadn't noticed the corpse beside Ed, nor the bloody, horrific scene in the underground space.

Perhaps he had noticed, but the potential treasure behind the bronze door had clouded his judgment.

Ed could clearly see the joy on Reve's face, and it made him feel a bit nauseous.

As for the treasure behind the bronze door, Ed didn't care. All he wanted was to kill that damned Vil, to end that madman's life!

Ed spoke slowly, "Vice-Captain, Toronto and Ford should have told you the details. A Parasitic Serpent Monster named Vil has entered here."

This statement was like a bucket of cold water being poured over Reve, making him momentarily pause. He replied, "Generally speaking, the entrance and exit to a ruin aren't the same. I know about Vil, but his goal is very clear. He's probably after something in the ruin."

"That means, even though Vil entered, this ruin still has development value!"

Ed glanced again at Vice-Captain Reve, his focus completely different from Reve's.

If the ruin had both an entrance and an exit, waiting for Vil to come out would no longer be an option.

Ed slowly bent down and picked up Alice's body. He intended to go back and ask Melissa. As a sorcerer, Melissa might have more clues.

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