Dungeon King: A Lady Knight Offered by My Goblins

Chapter 358 356-Luther's Plan

Luther shook his head slightly, speaking indifferently:

"Who knows? Your arrival here might indeed have been subtly guided by the God of Enigma."

Ethan racked his brains but couldn't understand why Valentine would target him.

"God of Enigma, it seems I need to be extremely cautious with every step I take from now on."

"It's not just about being cautious anymore; we must take a desperate stand," Luther said, his eyes flashing fiercely, with a cold snort.

"What do you propose we do?"

"The night of the full moon I mentioned before, when Herman and his companions fall into deep sleep, that will be our chance to act," Luther said, his eyes glinting. 

It was a do-or-die situation now.

"We need to deal with Herman first, get my Heart of Fragmentation back. Only then can I be my complete self. I rely too much on the Heart of Fragmentation."

Ethan remained silent, listening to Luther's plan.

"Then we start with Herman, taking them down one by one. That's the only way we can survive this camp."

Ethan's mouth fell open slightly, his expression becoming somewhat stiff:

"Your plan seems too hasty, too naive. Killing Herman first? Herman and his two companions are like one entity; there's hardly any chance for us. If we alert Herman, do you really think Elida and Sebastian won't wake up?"

Luther's eyes flickered with a fierce light, his face contorted with rage:

"Of course, I know. That's why I plan to use Hypnotic Perfume."

"What is that?"

"It's a divine creation by the God of Wine and the Goddess of Illusion. Under the influence of Hypnotic Perfume, even a Supreme Deity can only fall into a sleep lasting ten thousand years. There's no chance of resistance."

"If you have such a powerful item, why haven't you used it before?"

"You think I haven't tried? The last time I went to Herman's cabin, I used it, but they have a passive defensive barrier. I couldn't break through, and the attempt backfired on me. That was my second attempt."

"I see..."

"Moreover, the next time will be our last chance. I only have one dose of Hypnotic Perfume left. Whether you join me or not is your decision."

Ethan fell into silence. Frankly speaking, Luther's sudden mention of the God of Enigma had momentarily thrown Ethan off balance.

He had never considered the possibility of being targeted by a deity.

And not just any deity, but one subordinate to the God of Destiny. 

This thought brought a moment of chaos to Ethan's mind.

Entering the divine crystal mining mountain, could it have been a trap set by the God of Enigma?

What seemed like a flawless plan was actually filled with traps. 

Any slight movement from Ethan could ensnare him in the God of Enigma's web of death, from which he would be unable to escape.

Ethan was lost in deep thought.

"You're not thinking of giving up, are you? Right now, within this camp, escaping past Herman and his companions is an insurmountable barrier. Most importantly, I've noticed that you don't have any Demonkin implanted by Elida. Once Elida realizes you're free of Demonkin, she'll set her sights on you. Then, your experience will be like mine – either fighting to the death with Herman or venturing into the mines and encountering the Thousand-Faced Demon Spider…"

Luther's voice was urgent, like a barrage of magical energy, rapidly firing off his thoughts.

Ethan let go of his contemplations and exhaled deeply:

"You don't need to say more. I'm in. I'll join you."

"Hearing about the God of Enigma from you, I fell into a trap of overthinking. The God of Enigma just uses schemes to plot against me, trapping me in a deadly situation. As long as I'm strong enough, I can break through any plot or scheme."

Luther waved his hand excitedly:

"Good, I knew you wouldn't give up. Then it's settled. This month, you should train with the divine crystal. On the night of the full moon, we'll act together."

"No problem."

With that, the skeletal rat dissipated into the soil.

Luther sat in contemplation for a moment, then closed his eyes, focusing all his energy on absorbing the power of the divine crystal.

Ethan, in the cabin, pretended to absorb the divine crystal while contemplating his strategy:

"This plan sounds perfect. The appearance of Hypnotic Perfume makes it even more convincing. But there's one issue – the Thousand-Faced Demon Spider…"

"...Although I've never seen the Thousand-Faced Demon Spider, from Luther's tone, it seems like the nightmare he never wants to face again."

"Perhaps I need to see it for myself."

The next day.

Ethan awoke and opened his eyes to see the divine crystal reduced to ashes.

His mouth twitched slightly as he surveyed the cabin.

"I wonder who engraved the Magic Circle in this cabin; it's incredibly domineering. I wasn't able to extract a single shred of the power of deity from the divine crystal; it all dissipated into the cabin."

A tremor went through Ethan's heart, a flash of insight sparking in his mind:

"The cabins contain a considerable amount of the power of deity. If I could 'ignite' the cabin, the resulting disturbance would likely be terrifying."

With this thought, Ethan stepped out of the cabin.

Now, looking at the miners emerging from their cabins, he felt a heavy weight in his heart.

These people had all come to the divine crystal mining mountain in search of opportunities, only to fall into Elida's trap.

Thinking of this, Ethan felt a slight throbbing in his head.

How could he possibly avoid detection by Elida's Demonkin?

That was indeed a problem.

Ethan joined the queue of miners. 

Herman and his companions counted their numbers, while the miners, like robots programmed with a routine, flirted ostentatiously with Elida.

Elida responded warmly, her eyes brimming with allure, tempting one to ravish her thoroughly.

Only Ethan maintained his character; when Elida looked his way, he blushed slightly and hung his head.

Elida seemed pleased with Ethan's reaction, approaching him and intentionally brushing her fingertips against him.

"She's a real siren!" Ethan found it increasingly difficult to keep up his act.

Fortunately, Herman bellowed, "Down to the mine."

This gave Ethan an escape from the awkward situation.

After all, Ethan's persona wasn't like that, and pretending otherwise might have been too much for him.

Ethan gave Elida a shy smile and followed the miners down into the mine.

This time, Ethan decided to venture deeper to see the Thousand-Faced Demon Spider for himself.

As usual, Ethan moved between the stone pillars, collecting some divine crystals and placing them at his waist.

However, this time he did something significant – he stored more divine crystals in his Space Ring.

This was inspired by Luther's suggestion. Since Herman and the others couldn't enter the mine, did it mean their Power of Soul couldn't probe this area either?

Ethan leaped from point to point, moving deeper underground.

After moving away from the area dense with divine crystals and passing through brief darkness,

Ethan finally arrived at the dreamlike place Luther had described.

Here, divine crystals were everywhere, radiating indescribable hues, filling the space with an ethereal ambiance.

But Ethan had no time to admire the beauty of this place, for he had already laid eyes on the Thousand-Faced Demon Spider.

Its body was as large as a small hill, each leg thick as a tree trunk, capable of supporting its massive weight.

Its skin shimmered with a strange purple light, like stars dancing on its surface. 

The sparkling light of the divine crystals seemed dim in comparison to its luminous presence.

The head of the Thousand-Faced Demon Spider was particularly striking. 

Its eight eyes were distributed in different directions, each resembling a dazzling gemstone. 

Though closed, Ethan couldn't shake the feeling that its eyes were emitting a cold, cunning light.

A sensation of being watched crept over him.

Its mouth was filled with sharp teeth, each capable of tearing through steel.

Its body was covered in countless masks, each displaying a different expression – some ferocious, some mocking, some sorrowful, some indifferent...

These masks seemed to be projections of its emotions and memories, making it unbearable to look directly at them.

However, these masks had no faces, only expressions, sending chills down the spine of the beholder.

The Thousand-Faced Demon Spider hung in the depths of the earth, like a solitary mountain peak, quietly waiting for its prey.

Its presence made this dark underground realm even more terrifying and mysterious.

Ethan finally understood where the feeling of being watched came from.

From the moment he laid eyes on the Thousand-Faced Demon Spider, the masks on its body seemed to grow eyes of their own, all turning to look at Ethan.

Even the slightest movement from Ethan caused the masks to follow his motion.

The Thousand-Faced Demon Spider was alive and had not fallen into a slumber.

This thought echoed in Ethan's mind, leaving half of his body feeling numb as if it had been touched.

Without any further thought, Ethan turned around and started to channel his internal energy, intending to flee.

A dark shadow lunged towards Ethan.

In his hand, the Grip of the Underworld materialized, colliding fiercely with the shadow.

"Boom—"

The collision produced a sound akin to a giant bell being struck, reverberating through the space.

Suddenly, the entire mine began to tremble.

Ethan quickly glanced towards the Thousand-Faced Demon Spider's eyes.

The eyes of the Thousand-Faced Demon Spider were vibrating at an eerie frequency, as if they were about to open at any second.

Using the momentum from the collision with the shadow, Ethan hastily sprinted towards the upper levels of the mine.