Sacrifice's Rise: I Became Invincible After Entering Godslayer Temple

Chapter 482 482-The Oppressive Atmosphere of the North Area

Having successfully bypassed the Ice Guard and entered the north area of Iceburg Castle, the trio was naturally in high spirits. 

Blue Sea, after observing the surroundings and confirming that the Ice Guard hadn't followed, said to the others, "Thankfully, John reacted quickly, or we would have been stuck outside by the Ice Guard for a long time. Even though we moved fast, I think Darklord must already know that we've reached Iceburg Castle. We should quickly look for the location of the Darklord Guild."

Adam didn't speak. 

He was just looking around with a hint of worry. 

He felt that the atmosphere in the north area of Iceburg Castle was somewhat unusual. 

He hadn't seen any NPCs in the north area, only a few players hurrying about.

"I have a bad feeling about this. Why are there no NPCs here in the north area? If there are no NPCs, why would Iceburg Castle close off the north area?" 

Adam voiced his confusion. John, beside him, was also frowning in thought but clearly couldn't come up with an answer immediately.

"I don't know why this would be happening either. Have you guys found any useful clues on the game forums? If not, we should start observing the north area more carefully and immediately," John suggested.

Reminded by Adam and John, Blue Sea finally sensed the oppressive atmosphere in the north area of Iceburg Castle, which made him lower his voice while speaking. 

"Could it be that the north area of Iceburg Castle has been attacked by a hostile faction? That would explain why Iceburg Castle suddenly closed off the north area."

Before John could respond, Adam interjected, "I think that's unlikely. If Iceburg Castle had really been attacked by a hostile faction, Storm City would have received corresponding information by now. Duke Arsena didn't provide us with any such information, which means he might not be aware that the north area of Iceburg Castle has been closed off.

It's improbable that Iceburg Castle, being under the control of the Northern Myst Empire, is collaborating with a hostile faction like the Naga tribe. Cities within the Northern Myst Empire's control area surely wouldn't betray the Empire, right?"

Adam's reasoning was sound, prompting Blue Sea to nod in agreement, feeling a bit silly for his earlier speculation.

"Alright, there's no need to continue debating. Since we're already here, let's observe the surroundings. Even though we haven't encountered any NPCs, we can at least try to talk to some players," John suggested a different approach. Since they couldn't find any NPCs, they could inquire with the players around.

Soon, the trio found a player near the magus tower in the north area. 

This player was not high-level; in fact, he seemed to be a rookie who had recently started playing the game.

"We are here in the north area of Iceburg Castle for the first time and aren't very familiar with this place. We'd like to ask why the atmosphere here is so oppressive? Moreover, we've only seen players and no NPCs. Does the north area of Iceburg Castle not have any NPCs? And why are you here? Can you level up in this area?" John quickly fired off several questions to the rookie player.

The rookie didn't recognize John, Adam, or Blue Sea. 

However, he could tell that their abilities were much stronger than his, so he tried his best to provide them with some helpful information.

"Since you've just arrived in the north area of Iceburg Castle, I advise you to be very cautious. The north area has fallen into a significant crisis. I am here only because I am completing a hidden quest I found. 

My quest is to deliver a letter to an NPC in the north area of Iceburg Castle. It seems that they can only communicate with other parts of Iceburg Castle through letters. I don't know why this situation has arisen, but the quest reward is very generous, so naturally, I didn't refuse it," the rookie explained.

His response was reasonable, as any player would not pass up a quest that offered substantial rewards for relatively low difficulty.

John carefully looked at the letter in the rookie's hand, "Can you let me take a look at that letter? If you're willing to show me, I can give you 10 gold coins." 

John, having ample gold coins, was not hesitant to offer a significant reward to fulfill his quest.

The rookie, elated at the prospect of receiving 10 gold coins, immediately handed over the letter. "No problem at all. Although the deadline for the letter-delivery quest is almost due, you should have enough time to read it."

John carefully began to read the letter handed to him. 

The letter mentioned that some monsters had appeared in the north area of Iceburg Castle, and these monsters had repelled the guards of the north area.

With the guards of Iceburg Castle severely depleted, the decision was made to close off the north area. 

This was to prevent the monsters in the north area from threatening other districts of Iceburg Castle and having a significant impact on the Order Faction. 

After all, Iceburg Castle was aware of the continuous attacks on Storm City by the Dark Faction and the Mystery Faction, and its guards were dispatched to aid at the Sunset Mountain's Defend Wall.

After reading the letter, John formed some hypotheses. 

He handed the letter back to the rookie and advised, "Once you complete this quest, it would be best for you to log off quickly. A very dire situation is about to unfold here in Iceburg Castle. If you can't get to a safe place, it's better to exit the game for now!"

The rookie nodded and quickly left. To him, John's advice seemed sound, as there was no reason for a top-tier player like John to deceive him.

Once the rookie was gone, Adam, sounding a bit worried, asked, "Is a terrible situation really going to happen here in Iceburg Castle? Are the monsters mentioned in the letter related to the Dark Faction and the Mystery Faction?"

John nodded helplessly, "I'm thinking the same as you. Moreover, I believe that the monsters in the north area of Iceburg Castle are significantly connected to the Darklord Guild. It's possible that their sudden appearance is due to the Darklord Guild. We should quickly head to the location of the Darklord Guild. And now, I know where it is. The headquarters of the Darklord Guild is in that huge building just two streets away. I can sense a very powerful Mystery force emanating from that building."

"It seems that Darklord hasn't been idle while we were making our way here. He must have used this time to enhance his power significantly. He might have even gained more power from the Mystery Saint," John surmised.

As John spoke, Adam and Blue Sea both looked towards the direction of the Darklord Guild. 

Although they couldn't sense the powerful Mystery force in the guild's headquarters like John could, they understood that the upcoming battle with Darklord would be extremely dangerous. 

They were prepared for combat, determined to completely destroy the Darklord Guild.

"If you have no other questions, let's take action quickly! Darklord must already know about our arrival and is undoubtedly waiting for us in his lair," John declared.

The group quickly advanced towards the headquarters of the Darklord Guild. 

As John had anticipated, Darklord was indeed waiting for them. 

In fact, Darklord had been aware of their arrival for some time. 

The reason he hadn't acted earlier was that he was preparing for the final showdown.

Just like John, Darklord had also decided to use this opportunity to completely eliminate John. Darklord did not want John to pose a greater threat in the future.