Strongest Necromancer Of Heaven's Gate

Chapter 439 The Expedition’s Temporary Leader [Part 2]

Each time people entered the Domain of the Fallen, the Monsters inside it would sense a faint ripple in the air.

This told them that the Humans had once again returned, and it was time to take a bite out of some of them once more.

All the monsters inside the Domain of the Fallen had their own agendas, and they were not allied with each other. All of them were hunters and preyed on each other, which meant that they mustn't engage in a drawn out battle and injure themselves, or else, their rivals would prey upon them.

Everytime the teenagers entered, the Monsters would hide in different places along the route they normally took to ambush them.

Also, they made sure to stay a fair distance from each other, preventing the other monsters from taking advantage of them.

Lux had a serious look on his face as he led the teenagers on a path that was void of Monsters. Since the majority of them had decided to ambush them, some places were left wide open, allowing the Half-Elf to exploit them.

"Hey, when are we goin–" Malcolm wasn't able to finish his words because the Half-Elf glared at him, making him flinch.

"We are deep in the Monsters' territories," Lux stated. "Unless you want to announce our location to them, feel free to talk, but we're kicking you out of the team."

The Half-Elf no longer bothered with Malcom, despite the latter being an Initiate, and thus, stronger than him.

Nero, who was observing this exchange, kept a calm look on his face, but made sure to take note that Malcolm and Lux didn't get along.

—------

Outside of the Sacred Dungeon…

"If this mission fails, it will be the fault of the Skystead Alliance," a Ranker of the Xynnar War Pact said with a smile. "Damn bastard doesn't know when to shut up."

The Rankers and Ambassadors that belonged to the Skystead Alliance glared at the Ranker who spoke up, but they didn't say anything in return.

They were also very displeased with how Malcolm was conducting himself, making them reconsider whether he was fit to lead their representatives the next time they entered the Dungeon.

Aron, who was King Andreas' right hand man, simply observed the teenagers for now.

Although the only thing he could see was the Half-Elf's back, the earlier exchange allowed him to glimpse Lux's serious expression, making him understand that the red-headed teenager wasn't fooling around when he chose to take a different route.

—-------

Back at the Domain of the Fallen…

The Half-Elf suddenly raised a hand, stopping everyone from moving.

He then turned around to place a finger on his lips, and motioned for everyone to crouch down.

He then pointed at their left side and made a gesture of slicing his neck, telling them that there was a Monster on their left side that could potentially kill them.

The Half-Elf then crouched beside a nearby tree and made a hand signal for everyone to hide.

Everyone followed his orders because they had also sensed a strong presence in the surroundings.

All of them were Grade A Apostles and Initiates. They were at the rank when their perceptions of their surroundings had reached a certain threshold, allowing them to instinctively feel if danger was near.

Soon, the ground started to shake as heavy footsteps were heard in the distance. Everyone used their skills to make their presence as small and as unnoticeable as possible.

Some slowed their heart rate, some used a spell to remove their scents, while others used artifacts to blend in with their surroundings.

Eiko hid inside Lux's robes, and Fei Fei huddled with Cai.

The Boar had decreased its size, making it difficult for anyone to spot it.

Soon, the footsteps came to a complete stop as the Argonaut-Ranked Gorilla looked around.

A minute later, it caught the presence of a weaker Monster, whom it deemed perfect for a snack, and headed in that direction.

Only when the Gorilla left did everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

However, Lux still had his hand raised in a stopping motion, telling everyone to hold their position.

Only when the Argonaut Monster had distanced itself from their location did the Half-Elf motion for everyone to follow him.

After that incident, everyone had become more obedient to the Half-Elf and silently followed him as they waded through uncharted territories, in a jungle that was infested with Monsters stronger than them.

Six agonizing hours later, they finally arrived at their destination without losing a single member.

A special barrier surrounded the Sacred Dungeon, repelling the monsters around it.

It was also considered a "Safe Zone", giving the teenagers an opportunity to catch their breath and rest.

"We'll stay here for a few hours to rest," Lux ordered. "Until then, all of you are free to do whatever you want, just as long as you don't wander far from the barrier."

Malcolm walked away as soon as Lux had given that order. He was quite exhausted from the long trek, and even though he was one of the strongest members in their group, the close encounters along the way still took a toll on his physical and emotional state.

After the Argonaut Ranked Gorilla, Lux and the others had encountered six more Monsters of the same rank, making them fear for their life each time it happened.

Fortunately, the Half-Elf was able to warn them in advance, allowing them to hide and erase their presence and preventing the Monster from detecting them.

Just as he expected, the members of the Xynnar War Pact, Skystead Alliance, Six Kingdoms, as well as the Storm Dragon Guild, all went to different locations to rest, with the exception of Henrietta, who decided to stay with Lux's group.

"How were you able to know where we were going?" Henrietta asked. "We have never seen anyone take that route before, so how did you do it?"

Lux looked at the beautiful lady in front of him with a serious expression on his face before giving his answer.

"Half-Elf's intuition," Lux replied, which made Henrietta shake her head bitterly.

Unlike Iris, who treated her as her confidant, Lux kept his secrets close to his heart, only telling those whom he deemed to be trustworthy.

Although he trusted Henrietta to a certain extent, his trust in her wasn't as strong as the trust he had with Iris and his grandmother, Vera.

On top of that, everyone had the artifacts that allowed those who were outside the Domain to see and hear what they were talking about, making it impossible for the Half-Elf to tell anyone the truth.

"Still, to think that all of you could get along is something new to me," Henrietta glanced at the Barbarian Prince, Einar, the Spiderboy, Val, and Xander, who was also one of the most outstanding members of the young generation.

She had noticed that all of them always took Lux's words to heart, making her sense that they had developed some kind of bond that was hard to explain.

"It's normal to have a little faith in the people who have shared life and death battles with you," Einar, who was sharpening his Great Axe, commented when he heard Henrietta's words.

"We have conquered two of the Gates of this Dungeon together, so isn't it normal for us to stick together?" Val stated. "We have witnessed how capable everyone is, so we'd rather be with them than those who are stronger but lack the attitude to conquer the challenges of the Dungeon together. Even that pig over there is better than the Initiates of the Vahan Empire."

Cai, who heard Val's words, glared at the pale-faced boy who seemed to be suffering from a lack of sunlight.

"Oi! I'm a Boar not a Pig!" Cai shouted. "Spiderboy, you better correct your attitude towards me, or I'll not help you in the Dungeon later."

"Who needs your help?" Val arched an eyebrow. "The only thing you are good at is taking advantage of opportunities."

"Ahem! Taking advantage of opportunities is a good trait to have," Cai replied. "It is that one small opening that separates winners from losers. I am a winner, unlike you Spiderboy, who lost to My Daddy in the tournament."

"Stop calling me Spiderboy," Val glared at the boar. "Didn't you lose as well? You are one to talk!"

"At least, I was second place," Cai replied with a smug look on its face. "Unlike you who lost before even getting into the Finals."

"You want a piece of me, Pig?"

"Hah! Bring it on, Spidey! I eat Spiders like you for breakfast!"

Henrietta watched the two bicker with an amused expression on her face. Originally, she thought that everyone in Lux's party got along, but after seeing Cai's and Val's exchange, she felt like her assumptions were a bit off the mark.

Even so, for now, she had determined that Lux was qualified to be the temporary leader of their group.

'I will observe him more for now, so I can give a proper report when I get back,' Henrietta thought. 'Iris, I thought that I knew Lux well, but it seems that the image of the sickly boy in my head is no longer an appropriate way to describe your fiance.'

Just like everyone else, Henrietta was carrying an artifact that allowed Alexander to see what was happening inside the Domain of the Fallen.

Iris and Alicia were also in the Headmaster's office, watching the expedition in real time.

In truth, Alexander wanted to see how much Lux had grown since the tournament. Because of this, he assigned Henrietta to stick close to him so that he would be able to observe what other secrets the Half-Elf was hiding from him.