In the dungeon's mist zone.
Alice and Karen stopped behind a relatively dry mushroom rock at the edge of the mist zone.
Karen frowned, his gaze trying to pierce through that milky white wall of fog. He lowered his voice, his tone carrying obvious confusion.
"Commander, this damn place is all fog, poisonous insects everywhere, perfect for those stealthy thieves."
"What was that kid Yano thinking? Hiding in here is like walking right into a trap."
"Should we follow them in?"
Alice's gaze was as calm as still water, as if she could see through the thick mist.
"Karen, since he dares to use himself as bait to lure the Rusty Key into taking the hook, he must have some other ideas. Beneath that reckless appearance, there might be calculations we haven't seen through."
"As for following them in, no need. This is the thieves' home ground. Moriarty might be hiding in some corner. We just need to wait here to collect the net."
Karen took a deep breath of the musty-smelling fog and nodded. He tightened his grip on the long sword at his waist, sighing inwardly.
Yano, you kid, hiding in such a damn place... you'd better pray for your own luck.
In the thick mist.
Scarface and Jimmy had been stealthily moving through the fog for some distance.
"Jimmy... do you... do you feel like this fog... seems thicker than before? It's practically like a wall."
"You're right, be careful. This Yano might have other methods."
Jimmy licked his dry lips, his alertness growing stronger.
The two walked through the mushroom forest, giant pale mushroom trees standing like silent giants, casting twisted and grotesque shadows in the thick fog.
The surroundings were terrifyingly quiet, with only their heavy breathing and the sound of stepping in mud breaking the silence.
They didn't know how long they had walked—maybe just over ten minutes, maybe an entire century—but the scenery around them seemed completely unchanged.
"Something's wrong... Jimmy, something's really wrong!" Scarface's voice carried obvious panic as he stopped, pointing at a strangely shaped mushroom tree nearby with a huge purple tumor-like growth on top.
"This damn tree! Haven't we passed it three times already?!"
Jimmy also stopped walking, his expression turning ugly.
He looked around, his eyes meeting nothing but indistinguishable pale whiteness that seemed never to have changed.
An icy fear crawled up his spine.
"Damn it! We've fallen for it! It must be that guy's doing! Magic formation, definitely a magic formation! Quick! Let's go back!"
The two turned around in panic, stumbling as they tried to retrace their path.
However, the moment they turned around—
A sudden change occurred!
The thick fog before them parted swiftly to both sides like stage curtains, completely without warning.
Their vision instantly cleared.
A shabby little fortress built from mud bricks, rough mushroom tree trunks, and tough vines stood abruptly before them, less than ten steps away on an open patch of ground, as if it had emerged from the earth.
The fortress was crooked and tilted, with mud and moss stuffed in the gaps, exuding an air of haste and sloppiness. But in this environment, its very appearance was filled with horror.
"What... what the hell is this?!"
Scarface's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Jimmy was also dumbfounded.
"A for... fortress? Who builds houses in the dungeon's mist zone?"
"Or is this a hidden area?"
They cautiously looked toward the fortress's shabby door. Through the door crack, Jimmy's sharp eyes spotted what seemed to be... a chest placed in one corner inside the fortress.
"Treasure... treasure chest?"
"Scarface, look quickly, it's a treasure chest! This... could this be the dungeon's hidden chamber that we stumbled upon by accident?!"
Huge surprise and absurdity struck the two men.
Was this Yano's ambush, or had they hit the jackpot?
Who would build a fortress in the mist zone?
Could it be ancient ruins?
The two exchanged glances and, for safety's sake, quickly suppressed their excitement, still cautiously circling the area several times, trying to eliminate any possible traps.
They even considered preparing an escape route.
But these ruins seemed to be protected by a magic formation. Every time they tried to escape deeper into the fog, they would inexplicably return to the same spot.
They were trapped inside.
Just as the two were growing impatient and considering destroying the magic formation, they heard a voice speaking to itself from within the fog.
"Boss, they're not falling for it."
"I told you placing a treasure chest wouldn't work."
Yano, hearing the voice from his chest, said awkwardly, "You're right. I'll go capture them and bring them in now."
"Not good! It's an ambush!!"
Scarface and Jimmy's faces instantly turned as pale as paper.
This madman, just to ambush the two of them, had actually built a fortress on the spot using mushroom trees in this godforsaken place.
What kind of devilish operation was this?!
If they didn't go in voluntarily, he would capture them and force them in.
He was completely insane.
"Quick! Charge! Kill him!"
Jimmy drew the poisoned dagger from his waist and charged forward.
Scarface also roared as he pulled out his short sword and followed.
Facing two thieves with bloodshot eyes, Yano eagerly flexed his petrified right arm.
One minute later, the battle ended even faster than expected.
Inside the mushroom fortress, the thieves' bodies were thrown into a dark corner like two bags of freshly dug potatoes covered in mud, with Yano tossing them one in each hand.
"Cough... cough..."
The two men, bruised and battered, curled up in the corner, fearfully watching that gargoyle-like figure.
Scarface had even been beaten so badly by the hard petrified fist that his face swelled up like a pig's head, making his speech unclear.
Jimmy coughed up bloody foam, his voice trembling, "You... what do you want?!"
Yano ignored him, lowering his head to speak to his own chest as if talking to himself, "Boss, caught two. What now?"
"Release one and have him go back to notify the Rusty Key. If they want to ransom people, they need to bring gold coins—each person... hmm, five... no, one hundred gold coins!"
"If they're short even one coin, turn the other into fertilizer."
"Ransom?"
Yano looked confused, feeling like he couldn't quite keep up with his boss's train of thought.
"Silly, those thieves definitely won't obediently pay the ransom."
"When they come to capture you, we'll catch them one by one and lock them in the little black room."
"Oh oh... okay... seems like that's indeed the logic..."
The boss truly was a demon among demons.
The plan he devised was much more evil than Yano had imagined.
Yano took a deep breath, trying hard to put on a stern face, attempting to imitate the fierce mercenary leaders from his memory.
"Listen, you're now my prisoners."
"If you want to live, have the Rusty Key pay gold coins to ransom you—one hundred gold coins per person. If they're short even one copper coin..."
He paused, seemingly recalling the boss's exact words, "...turn the other into fertilizer for planting flowers."
"Wh... what?!"
"Ransom? We have to pay?!"
The expressions on Scarface and Jimmy's faces instantly changed from fear to disbelief.
What were they hearing?
Thieves... being kidnapped.
And having their own guild pay the ransom.
Had the world gone mad?!
The quick-thinking Scarface, despite his swollen face, seeing that Yano seemed to genuinely be waiting for their choice, mumbled incoherently, "Let... let me go. I'll notify the guild."
Yano nodded, walked over, and without ceremony thoroughly searched both Scarface and Jimmy, taking all their valuables and weapons.
"Get lost. Remember to come back with the ransom." Yano waved his hand.
Scarface acted as if granted amnesty, scrambling out of the reopened mushroom wood door, disappearing into the thick fog without looking back, moving as fast as if undead were chasing him.
Only Jimmy remained in the fortress, his face ashen as he collapsed on the ground.
Yano walked up to him, looking down from above. "Now write down all the Rusty Key guild members you know, along with their base locations."
Jimmy, looking at Yano's completely emotionless eyes, didn't dare resist at all, nodding like a chicken pecking at rice.
"I'll write! I'll write!"
Trembling, he pulled out a small piece of charcoal and a crumpled piece of parchment from his pocket, lying on the ground to start writing.
A few minutes later, he quickly looked up.
"Everything's here."
"Very good."
"Boss, what should we do with this guy now?"
Before Jimmy could figure out who he was talking to, a green slime jumped out from Yano's chest. Its gel-like little hand lightly touched a nearby mushroom wood pillar supporting the fortress.
The next second, something bizarre happened!
That mushroom wood pillar seemed to come alive, wriggling and cracking open.
Several tough tree roots climbed out, winding around his hands, feet, and mouth, tightly binding him to the wooden pillar.
"Mmmph!!!"
Jimmy's eyes widened in terror, struggling desperately but unable to move, only able to make muffled whimpers.
He watched helplessly as that slime bounced over to Yano's feet, and Yano actually bowed his head respectfully to the slime, asking in a consultative tone:
"Boss, what should we do next?"
"Of course, catch them all in one net."
"We'll collect the ransom, but we'll also imprison the people. Those who dare resist, hehe... we'll tie them all into the walls as decorations."
Yano suddenly understood.
"Understood, tie them all into the little black room."
"Mmmph mmmph!!!"
Jimmy, tied to the mushroom wood pillar, listened as Yano used a flat tone to discuss with a slime their evil plan to capture the entire Rusty Key guild in one sweep.
Overwhelming fear and absurdity completely drowned him. Desperate tears mixed with cold sweat rolled down his face.
Demon! This is absolutely a demon wearing a slime's skin!!
What 'Miracle' Yano—clearly a shameless guy who sold his soul to a demon!
This is absolutely an organized, premeditated sacrificial ritual targeting the Rusty Key!
We're finished!
Completely finished!