【 WE WERE WRONG! 】

—

“Shadowshade Clan…”

Eve’s voice carried no discernible emotion.

The surrounding players, who had gathered closer, immediately erupted into loud discussion upon hearing it.

“Wait, what? These demons actually used to be elves?”

“Where did these demonic elves even come from anyway?”

Eve’s gaze swept across the several corpses before her.

Then she suddenly closed her eyes.

A faint radiance began to gather around her. Under the astonished gazes of the players, a dim bluish glow slowly emerged from the bodies of these demonic elves. The light flowed across them before rising like drifting particles.

The lights circled the corpses once, then flew into Eve’s hand.

Evé gently closed her fingers around them. At that moment, several fragmented memories appeared within her consciousness.

The memories were incomplete and only the events of the past two days remained, replaying rapidly in reverse within Eve’s mind.

Being purified by Aurora…

Being escorted by the players…

Participating in battles on the battlefield…

Marching alongside the demons…

The recent actions done by these demonized elves continued to play further and further back into their past. Eventually, a structure appeared: a towering demonic fortress…

And behind the fortress stood several constantly rotating dimensional portals.

These demonic elves had emerged from one of them.

The vision finally ended there, and Evé immediately understood what those portals were.

They were temporary portals opened by Abyssal myths, gateways leading to subsidiary realms within the Abyss.

Their purpose was to transport demons from those worlds.

When combined with the information Hela had brought back, Evé quickly connected all the dots.

It was impossible for these elves from the Shadowshade Clan to appear here in the Abyss without reason.

And most likely, they came from that hidden realm she saw beforehand.

Since the Abyssal myths had decided to invade the world of Seigües, every Demon Lord, aside from Azazel, had been rapidly expanding their armies.

It was very likely that Leviathan, in order to enlarge his forces, had ultimately decided to drag that hidden world completely into the Abyss, transforming all living creatures within it into demons to participate in the war.

Almost instantly, Evé arrived at another conclusion.

Based on the timing of the information provided by Hela, together with the moment these demonized elves appeared here, it could be inferred that that hidden world had only just begun sinking into the Abyss recently.

Hence the elves living within it were most likely still alive.

At this moment, if there’s a way to enter that world, then it might be possible to halt its descent and bring the entire Shadowshade Clan back.

This answer formed in Eve’s mind almost immediately.

Yet precisely because the conclusion came so easily, Evé hesitated.

Hela had just discovered those memories about the Shadowshade Clan in the Netherworld, and almost immediately afterward the players encountered these demonized elves?

Isn’t this a little too coincidental?

Instinctively, Evé felt that this situation had progressed far too smoothly.

…Is it a scheme?

The thought briefly crossed her mind.

However, she quickly judged the likelihood to be low.

Aside from evil gods like Luria, who possessed the authority of deception, or Alissa, who governed the domain of conspiracy, most Abyssal mythical beings were actually quite straightforward in nature.

Perhaps the influence of Abyssal power had affected their minds and so, many Abyssal myths are impulsive, irritable, and relatively easy to understand.

Even Demon Lord Samael, who had nearly succeeded in invading the underground regions of the Southern Mountains, had not relied on intricate schemes. In essence, it was the dwarven god, Barlote whose soul had first been corrupted, giving Samael the opportunity to exploit the situation.

It had not been a carefully crafted plot designed by Samael himself.

Still, one must always consider the worst possibility.

If this information had been deliberately leaked by the demons, then what was their true objective?

….A lure?

An ambush?

These assumptions surfaced in Eve’s mind.

The possibility could not be dismissed.

The Demons intended to invade the world of Seigües. Their greatest obstacle was not the gods of the heavens, but Evé herself, who could unleash her full power within the realm of Seigües.

So, as long as Eve remained, together with her vast army of players, the Demon’s invasion would inevitably face huge resistance.

From this perspective, Evé was certain that the Demons would be more than happy to see her fall.

If that were truly the case, should she still go?

Evé quickly arrived at her answer.

“Of course I will go. If I already know that my followers are in danger, why would I not act?”

“With the Gate of Reversal in my possession, could they really keep me there even if there truly is a trap in that hidden world?”

“Besides, it will not be my true body that goes. At worst, I would only lose a single incarnation. But if fortune favors me, a considerable number of my followers may return, and perhaps even another demigod could emerge.”

“Moreover, since that hidden world is currently sinking into the Abyss, and doing so in such secrecy, perhaps I may even find an opportunity there to advance quietly.”

Evé reflected silently.

At present, her greatest advantage, aside from the cheat-like artifact Gate of Reversal, was the fact that no one knew her true body was the World Tree.

As for all those worst-case scenarios, Evé believed that their likelihood was not particularly high.

There was risk, certainly.

But she believed it was a risk worth taking.

Having reached this conclusion, Evé decisively turned to Aurora.

“They should be the Shadow Elves who traveled to other outer realms a thousand years ago. I have read fragments of their memories and have already learned their origin.”

Aurora’s spirits lifted immediately.

“Lady Zero, what do you intend to do?”

“I plan to report this matter to the Goddess and personally investigate it.”

Evé replied.

Watching Aurora’s attitude, which carried a hint of submissiveness and even respect, the surrounding players were left momentarily stunned.

Why did it feel as though big sister Zero held a higher status than Lady Aurora herself?

༺⟐༻

Evé did not set out immediately.

Although she had already obtained the coordinates, directly descending near that dimensional portal by using the Gate of Reversal would create far too much commotion.

Moreover, it would very likely attract all the Abyssal myths at once.

So the best approach was to infiltrate quietly.

Time in the Wasteland of Desolation flowed five times faster than in the world of Seigües. The hidden world in question had probably not yet fully sunk into the Abyss, so its time flow was likely similar to that of Seigües.

In other words, there was still some time available.

According to Eve’s investigation, the dimensional portal was approximately three hundred kilometers away from the players’ current stronghold.

Even with the pace of Silver-ranked players, they could reach it in three days.

With that in mind, Evé once again set her sights on the players.

She decided to proceed as she usually did and have the players conduct reconnaissance first.

Afterward, she could treat the players themselves as coordinates and descend directly through the game network rather than through the Gate of Reversal.

In this manner, the disturbance would be much smaller.

In the best-case scenario, if the players managed to enter the dimensional portal and Evé could establish contact with them, then she could descend directly to that hidden world by projecting a divine incarnation through the game network, limited to the level of power it could sustain.

That would create far less disturbance than descending into the Abyss itself.

Of course, to maintain secrecy, the players would need to carry out proper disguises this time.

As for how to disguise them, Evé, who commanded the authority of life and possessed resistance to Abyssal power, naturally had her own methods.

With this thought in mind, Evé turned her gaze toward the players within the stronghold. Her eyes soon settled on a figure quietly drawing an offering array in a corner.

As if sensing that he was being watched, the player slowly turned around, an excited smile still on his face.

It was understandable.

After all, the pile of battered equipment beside him had already grown into a small hill. Once everything was sent, who knew how much contribution he would earn?

However, the moment his eyes met Eve’s, the bright smile instantly froze on his face.

He coughed awkwardly, then quietly wiped away the array he had just drawn.

Evé remained silent.

“Cypher, come here for a moment.”

Seeing Cypher being called out by big sister from the corner, the nearby players immediately showed expressions of schadenfreude.

“Hahaha, Cypher just crashed and burned!”

“Tsk, I told him to find a much safer place before making the array. Now look what happened.”

“Still, that corner is usually out of sight. Who would have thought big sister’s eyes were that sharp?”

“Hahaha, there goes his favorability.”

“Poor guy. The tasks Big Sister Zero gives are incredibly tempting, but she’s also the hardest one to curry favor with. Losing favorability with her is brutal.”

The players whispered among themselves, the atmosphere filled with amusement. Nothing entertained them more than seeing a high-level player fail.

Meanwhile, Cypher’s expression instantly collapsed.

He brushed off his clothes and stood up, quickly storing the pile of battered demonic equipment, then walked nervously toward Zero and awkwardly tried to explain.

“Well… um… Lady Zero, I was just… just…”

He scratched his head, trying to invent an explanation for what he had been doing.

However, thinking about the array he had clearly already completed, along with the pile of scrap equipment beside it, the evidence was pretty undeniable.

He simply could not find a way to justify himself.

In the end, he gave up trying.

Standing stiffly, he lowered his head and waited for the scolding and the inevitable loss of favorability.

“I… I was wrong.”

He admitted honestly.

Yet the expected punishment never came.

Instead, what followed was the slightly cool voice of Zero stating:

“Cypher, I have a quest for you.”

“…Huh?”

Cypher was slightly stunned.

“—Wait what!?”

The players who had been secretly watching were equally stunned.

“Find several Chosen Ones who are powerful, skilled in stealth, divine arts, or communication. Form a team of ten and come to the temple to receive a reconnaissance mission from me.”

Evé, who’s still disguised as Zero, continued.

Hearing her words, Cypher remained momentarily dazed, clearly not expecting events to unfold in this way.

However, the surrounding players had already exploded into commotion.

“Holy crap! What kind of ridiculous luck is this?!”

“That works too?!”

“A quest! The big sister just gave him a quest?!”

“Wasn’t he supposed to lose favorability instead?!”

Cypher: “…”

He opened his mouth slightly, feeling the blood rush to his head, leaving him somewhat dizzy.

The surprise had arrived so suddenly that it felt almost unreal.

Then came a surge of excitement.

A mission!

He had actually received another quest.

And it was from big sister Zero!

“Y-Yes! Understood! I guarantee this mission you’ve given me will be completed!”

Cypher quickly saluted as he spoke.

But when he raised his head again, he discovered that the other party had already left.

Meanwhile, among the nearby players, someone suddenly spoke up.

“Wait a second… how many players did big sister say to recruit again?”

Silence followed.

Then every players in the vicinity suddenly rushed forward all at once, instantly surrounding Cypher with flattering expressions.

“Cypher! Cypher, boss! Please choose me!”

“Master Cypher! Pick me, pick me! I want to join your team! I’m ranked eighty-first on the combat leaderboard!”

In the blink of an eye, the same players who had been mocking him earlier had transformed into eager bootlickers.

Cypher stood there speechless.

Looking at these shameless fellows, he felt both amused and exasperated.

At that moment, a sudden commotion arose within the crowd, and several familiar figures entered his field of vision.

“Cypher! I heard you triggered a new quest?”

Pink hair and a flamboyant set of mage robes announced the arrival of Little Salty Cat.

Beside her stood Li Mu of the Heart of Nature guild, along with the widely known “poorest high-ranker” Optimist.

Seeing these famous figures, well known across the entire server, Cypher felt a thought stir in his mind.

༺⟐༻

After casually selecting a player she considered reliable and assigning the mission, Evé turned and walked toward the temple.

Behind her, a group of unwilling players naturally followed along.

However, fearing that they might lose favorability, they only trailed from a distance and behaved quite obediently.

Still, the way they looked at Evé resembled huskies waiting hopefully to be fed, pitiful and eager.

Nevertheless, Cypher’s earlier actions had clearly given a few clever players an idea.

To Eve’s amusement, she soon noticed someone running ahead of her and quietly beginning to draw an offering array directly in front of her.

They even boldly placed piles of battered equipment beside it.

Naturally, such behavior received no response from Evé.

She walked straight back to the temple as these players were left behind, their faces full of disappointment.

Then a soft system notification sounded, freezing their expressions in place.

【

】

【Aurora’s favorability toward you has decreased by 5 points】

Their bodies stiffened as they slowly turned around.

Behind them stood demigod Aurora, frowning as she looked at the array in front of them and the heap of scrap equipment beside it.

“Um… cough… Lady Aurora! Please listen to our explanation!”

“It’s a misunderstanding! This is all a misunderstanding!”

“Lady Aurora! I was wrong!”

With a series of thuds, they all dropped to their knees.

༺⟐༻

Evé did not have to wait long before Cypher arrived at the temple with nine other players.

When she saw the players he had gathered, she realized with some surprise that they were all familiar faces.

The elite group’s top combination, the five-member squad known as “Boxlunch’s Team.”

The extravagantly wealthy mage Little Salty Cat, whose destructive output was formidable and whose body concealed an unknown number of storage rings.

Dōngdōng, a priest player who had already risen to the upper ranks of the Church of Life and could casually converse with figures such as Alice and Taylor.

Li Mu, the most popular player on the entire server, the battlefield’s chief commander and an archdruid known for his strong leadership.

And finally…

Demacia, whose somewhat lecherous grin made Evé hesitate for a moment after seeing him, briefly wondering whether she should replace him. However, recalling the recent changes in his behavior, she ultimately decided to keep the notorious player on the team.

Of course, there was also Cypher himself, the legendary player who had completed the questline ‘rescue the Frost Elves’ by himself.

This was the composition of the ten-person reconessance team now standing before Evé.

“Lord Zero, we are ready.”

Cypher said respectfully.

Eve nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping across the ten players. Meeting their expectant looks, she slowly spoke.

“I have a reconnaissance mission for you.”

“It may very well involve the return of the Shadowshade Clan.”

【

】

【You have triggered the hidden storyline: The Lost Shadowshade Clan…】

A new system message appeared within the field of vision of these ten players.

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