A thunderous rumble echoed ceaselessly.
It seemed as though every monster in the town was converging on this spot. They rampaged violently, their powerful bodies crashing through the tavern’s walls. The first-floor walls collapsed, and the monsters swarmed in relentlessly.
A player who had just stepped inside turned back for a glance, breaking out in a cold sweat.
The monsters forced their way into the tavern’s first floor, quickly packing the space. There were at least thirty or forty of them. With such destructive power, the building was bound to crumble sooner or later.
Pushing through the door, Odinson led the group down a hallway to a room at the far end.
This was a storeroom for wine, filled with barrels about half a person’s height. The air was thick with the aroma of alcohol.
Odinson rushed inside and moved one of the barrels in the corner, revealing the floor beneath. There was a hidden latch. Reaching for it, he triggered a mechanism, and the floor sank downward, revealing a passage.
“Hurry up and get in,” Odinson urged, entering the passage first.
The room began to tremble, signaling that the monsters outside were close to bringing down the entire structure. No one dared linger; they jumped into the passage one after another.
As the last player entered, Odinson patted a nearby wall. The sunken floor swiftly slid back into place.
With a resounding crash, the players in the passage felt a massive vibration beneath them. The building had finally collapsed.
After pausing briefly to regain their composure, the players continued their descent.
Given the chaos above, there was no way they could return to the surface for now. No matter how skilled the players were, they couldn’t possibly face hundreds or even thousands of monsters at once—it would be suicidal.
The passage wound downward, long and spacious enough for three or four people to walk side by side.
The players had already dumped the drunken adventurers at the entrance to the passage, unwilling to carry them any further.
Getting those adventurers inside and away from the monsters had already been a generous act.
While players weren’t indifferent to all life, especially after realizing this game world was actually real, many NPCs were as alive as they were. Watching them die unnecessarily wasn’t something most players could stomach, and they were willing to lend a hand when possible.
“Why did the monsters suddenly attack the Witch’s Tavern?” someone asked in confusion. “They usually ignore this place, don’t they?”
“It must be the tavern owner’s doing!”
“But what’s his goal? Does he want us dead?”
“That’s possible.”
Another player groaned in frustration. “But why would he want to kill us? We haven’t even done anything to provoke him, have we?”
This question puzzled most of the players present. Even if the tavern owner wanted to kill them, shouldn’t there be a reason? They’d only been in the game world for four days—there hadn’t even been time to stir up any trouble.
Odinson and Huo Ting were equally perplexed.
While they had uncovered the truth about the Witch’s Tavern, they had only come to investigate and had taken no further actions. Logically, the tavern owner shouldn’t have moved against them so hastily.
Both of them turned to look at Gu Jiu in unison.
Gu Jiu walked at the front, surrounded protectively by Lu Ji, Chai Yingying, and Jiang Ze, forming a fan-like formation. It was unclear whether they were guarding her or following her lead.
As if sensing their gazes, Gu Jiu turned her head and smiled faintly at Odinson and Huo Ting. “This afternoon, Ah Ji and I had lunch at Witch Ella’s house.”
Everyone: “…”
The group was stunned into silence, momentarily forgetting to react, staring blankly at her.
The walls on either side of the passage flickered with ghostly blue flames. Unlike the glow of ordinary fire, this light had an eerie quality, exuding an unmistakable magical aura.
The bluish flames danced across Gu Jiu’s face, accentuating her features with an otherworldly charm that bordered on mesmerizing.
After a long pause, someone finally broke the silence. Mina asked excitedly, “Witch Ella? Where is she?”
Gu Jiu smiled faintly. “You’ll see her soon.”
Without elaborating further, she continued walking down the passage.
After about ten minutes, they arrived at the end of the tunnel.
Here, a towering door loomed. It was inscribed with a magic circle, and next to it was a smaller door, left ajar. Through the smaller door, they could see a room filled with various magical artifacts.
Gu Jiu studied the door briefly. If she used the brute force of her celestial powers, she could break it open, but she wasn’t certain what consequences might follow. Deciding it wasn’t worth the risk, she stepped aside, leaving it to the professionals.
Odinson summoned his magical doll and said to it, “Alice, it’s your turn.”
The doll, dressed in a black puffed dress, smiled darkly. In the bluish light, the smile looked sinister, making several Western players visibly uneasy—they weren’t used to dealing with such creepy beings.
The magical doll leaped off Odinson’s shoulder and landed on the door’s magic circle. Its fingers danced across the intricate lines of the magic circle, causing it to flicker with light. Moments later, the door creaked open.
Odinson caught the doll as it flew back, placing it gently on his shoulder.
Beyond the door was a vast underground space.
The room was nearly empty, but what stood out was the enormous magic circle etched on the ground. It glowed with an eerie red light, and the glow formed thread-like strands stretching out in all directions, radiating an unsettling vibe.
At the center of the magic circle hovered a woman, her body suspended above the ground by the glowing red threads. It looked as though she was being held aloft by the strands.
Mina asked, confused, “Odinson, what is this?”
Odinson didn’t respond immediately. His eyes locked onto the woman hovering in midair, and he murmured, “When we came here last night, she wasn’t there.”
The players who had followed Odinson into the space the previous night nodded in agreement. They confirmed that while the magic circle had been present, there had been no sign of the woman.
“She’s the Witch Ella,” a hoarse voice suddenly interjected.
The players turned toward the source of the voice and saw the tavern owner standing not far away, accompanied by another figure.
Unlike the passageway, this underground space was shrouded in darkness, with no flames on the walls to provide illumination. However, the red glow of the magic circle kept the room from being completely dark. The players had been so captivated by the magic circle that they hadn’t noticed the presence of others in the room.
Gu Jiu shifted her gaze from the magic circle to the figure standing beside Old Joseph. Her lips curved into a smile. “Lady Ella, you’re here as well.”
The figure partially hidden behind Old Joseph finally stepped forward.
The players turned to look, and as the figure came into view, they saw an elderly woman wearing a high-collared gown. Her hair was impeccably combed, and her stern expression gave her an air of strictness and authority. She looked every bit like a no-nonsense grandmother who tolerated no foolishness.
The old woman cast a cold gaze at them.
Gu Jiu, still smiling, asked, “What brings you here? Aren’t you worried about leaving little Ella alone at home?”
Lady Ella ignored her. Instead, her eyes shifted to the woman suspended by the red threads in the magic circle at the center of the room. Slowly, she spoke, “You’ve come to destroy the magic circle, haven’t you?”
“Of course!” Odinson replied decisively. “Once the magic circle is gone, the thick fog shrouding Ella Town will dissipate. Everything will return to normal, and the townsfolk won’t have to live in fear anymore.”
Lady Ella sneered, clearly dismissive of his words.
Old Joseph glared at them with a dark expression. Suddenly, he said, “You know nothing… This is the price they owe Witch Ella.”
The players were initially startled, but excitement quickly replaced their surprise.
Ah, as they expected—there’s more to the story!
They had been wondering why, despite Gu Jiu finding Witch Ella, the quest hadn’t yet reached its conclusion. Now it was clear that a follow-up challenge awaited them.
Having completed numerous quests in the game world, the players were familiar with the quirks of the main system. Simply finding the target was rarely enough to clear the mission. They often had to resolve the underlying crises of the game world to achieve victory.
And without a doubt, the thick fog was the crisis plaguing Ella Town.
“Ella Town was built upon the sacrifice of Witch Ella,” Old Joseph explained. “Without her, this prosperous town would never have existed.”
Ella Town had been founded a hundred years ago.
At the time, it wasn’t even a town—just a remote village. Life there was harsh, with villagers struggling against both the unforgiving environment and frequent attacks from monsters. Survival itself was a challenge.
One day, a kind-hearted witch passed through the village.
Moved by the villagers’ plight, the witch decided to help them. She drove away the monsters and cast a defensive magic circle to protect the village from the harsh environment and further attacks.
The villagers were immensely grateful and warmly invited the witch to stay, offering her the best food they had.
The witch couldn’t resist their hospitality and decided to remain for a while. She helped them build houses and even blessed these homes with protective magic.
To show their gratitude, the villagers constructed a tavern for her—the Witch’s Tavern.
Once the tavern was completed, the villagers invited the witch to celebrate with them there. Unbeknownst to her, they poisoned her drink during the celebration and killed her.
It turned out the villagers had long made a deal with a demon.
They offered the witch’s life as a sacrifice in exchange for a thriving town that would shelter them from the harsh environment, poverty, and monster attacks.
The villagers sealed the witch’s body beneath the Witch’s Tavern and went on to transform their remote village into a beautiful town that attracted trade caravans and travelers. Over time, the residents enjoyed increasingly prosperous lives. A hundred years later, few people knew that the town’s prosperity was built on the sacrifice of a witch.
The players were silent for a long time after hearing the story.
This was a textbook farmer and the snake scenario.
The witch had shown immense kindness, only to be betrayed by the villagers who used her as a bargaining chip in their deal with a demon to secure their comfort and survival.
Finally, Gu Jiu broke the silence. “The witch is already dead. Talking about this now doesn’t seem to serve much purpose, does it?”
“Who says it’s pointless?” Lady Ella snapped, her voice filled with venom. “We’re going to revive the witch!”
Old Joseph declared, “That’s right! As long as every resident of the town dies, the witch can be revived! Just like they once sacrificed the witch to the demon in exchange for a prosperous town, now it’s our turn to sacrifice the townsfolk. The demon will fulfill its promise and bring the witch back to life.”
Ah, so this was a classic story of karma and revenge.
Except this time, it was the residents of the town who would be sacrificed to resurrect the witch.
Everyone glanced toward the center of the magic circle, realizing that the woman suspended by the red threads must be the very witch who had been sacrificed a century ago.
“What’s your connection to the witch?” Huo Ting asked gravely.
By now, Lady Ella seemed to have no intention of hiding the truth anymore. Coldly, she said, “We are her followers.”
Their real ages weren’t as they appeared now. Through magic, they had lived far longer than ordinary people and maintained their youthful appearances. Using a few tricks, they easily deceived the town’s residents.
Gu Jiu asked, “What about little Ella?”
Lady Ella and Old Joseph fell silent.
Gu Jiu chuckled. “Little Ella is the witch’s descendant, isn’t she?” She paused, then added knowingly, “Or… is she the witch’s reincarnation?”
The first statement left Lady Ella unfazed, but the second caused her expression to twitch slightly, confirming to everyone that Gu Jiu had hit the mark.
Gu Jiu turned and said, “Chai Beauty, go and bring little Ella here.”
Chai Yingying smiled brightly and agreed, ready to leave with Jiang Ze.
Lady Ella and Old Joseph panicked, immediately trying to stop them. However, Odinson and the other players acted quickly, subduing the two. Although they had once been powerful followers of the witch, a century had taken its toll. They were no match for the young and vigorous players.
The two were bound tightly, unable to escape. Resigned, they seemed to accept their fate.
Lady Ella sneered, “You won’t make it out. The monsters outside have surrounded this place. The moment you step out, they’ll devour you.”
“Is that so? Well, prepare to be disappointed.” Gu Jiu smiled mischievously and turned to Odinson and the others. “Leave a few people here to guard them. The rest, come with me.”