Shut Up Malevolent Dragon I Dont Want To Have Any More Children With You Chapter 671

[ … words ]

“We need to complete more tasks before then and gather as many tool cards as possible,” Noa said decisively. “I don’t know what kind of cards Father and the others have, but here, we don’t have anything reliable for self-defense.”

With that, Noa stood up, her determination renewed, and prepared to tackle a few more tasks.

However, Moon and Muse were visibly exhausted. They sat on the floor with their little tails stretched out behind them, looking drained and unmotivated.

“Are you tired, Moon, Muse?” Noa asked.

The two little dragon girls nodded silently.

Helen sighed and remarked, “The game has been running for over ten hours now, and this time is included in the seventy-two-hour limit. Otherwise, the game’s overall progress would drag on forever. Besides, everyone’s physical endurance differs, so it’s hard to keep everyone on the same pace.”

After thinking for a moment, Noa pushed the tool cards toward Helen and the others, then said, “You can rest here in this room for now. There’s a bed, blankets, and a lock on the door for safety. I’ll go out and see if I can gather more cards.”

Noa surveyed the room. It had a cozy, everyday atmosphere and was clearly one of the designated resting areas in the castle where players could recover.

Of course, these rooms weren’t entirely safe, and players still needed to remain alert for any noises outside while resting.

To ensure their safety, Noa decided to leave some of the tool cards with them.

“But Big Sister, will you be okay going out alone?” Moon asked worriedly.

Noa smiled and pinched her little sister’s cheek. “I’ll be fine. The tasks here aren’t hard, and if I run into mannequins, I’ll just run away. Don’t worry.”

“Just be careful, okay?” Moon insisted.

“Alright.”

Noa patted Moon’s head and then turned to Helen. “You should rest here too and keep an eye on Moon and Muse for me.”

“Got it, I will,” Helen replied with a nod.

“I’m leaving the tool cards with you. Use them wisely.”

“Understood.”

Once everything was arranged, Noa left the room.

Moon watched her sister’s retreating figure until she disappeared from view at the doorway, then reluctantly turned her gaze away. She yawned tiredly, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes.

“Let’s rest quickly. Once we’re recovered, we can go help Big Sister with the tasks,” Moon said softly.

Muse nodded. “Okay~”

Helen replied with a quiet hum of agreement.

Once Moon and Muse climbed into bed to rest, Helen gathered the tool cards Noa had left behind. However, when she picked up the [Worn Cross], she paused.

Holding the card, she read its description aloud to herself. “Detects ghost players within a ten-meter radius… In that case…”

After Noa had found the first [Ghosts Awaken] clue card, similar cards began appearing throughout the castle.

“Treasure chests containing clue cards, crystals in rooms, and even cards that appear after a fifteen-minute wait are all coming to light.”

The game wasn’t designed to make these critical hidden rules too difficult to uncover.

Rosvisser, after completing a task of her own, also obtained a [Ghosts Awaken] clue card.

“There’s less than twenty-four hours left before ghost players can start targeting others,” Rosvisser murmured.

The queen’s thoughts churned as she tucked the card away and quickly left the room.

Much like Noa, Rosvisser knew that once the twenty-four-hour mark passed, ghost players would gain the ability to target specific players for elimination. Before that happened, her priority was either to identify the ghost players or gather enough tool cards to protect herself.

With the teams too scattered and herself acting alone, Rosvisser moved cautiously.

“That dog of a man, Leon, said he’d keep an eye on Constantine. Now who knows where he’s run off to,” she muttered.

The crisp click of her high heels echoed through the empty corridor as she searched for her next task location, grumbling under her breath.

“They better not be off somewhere fishing instead of working.”

“Daughters neglected, wife abandoned—what happened to all those sweet words you said in real life? Now we’re in the game, and you just leave me behind—”

“Who’s there?”

Her muttering stopped abruptly as a sudden sound of footsteps behind her caught her attention.

Rosvisser spun around, but there was no one in sight.

At the far end of the corridor, dim light revealed only a long stretch of shadowy hallway with a gloomy painting at the end. There were no doors or exits on either side.

The footsteps seemed to have come from the stairwell behind her. Frowning, Rosvisser took a cautious step toward the sound.

Stopping in front of the painting, she studied it more closely.

“It’s not very detailed—just a rough imitation. Looks like a prop the game designers added for atmosphere.”

She glanced around, inspecting the walls and floor. All were solid and thick, leaving no room for hidden exits.

“In other words, this is a dead end.”

“Hmm… Did I mishear?” she murmured, rubbing her temples lightly. “I’ve been awake for eighteen hours straight. Maybe I’m just imagining things.”

Still muttering, she turned and left the corridor.

Once the sound of her high heels faded into the distance, the painting suddenly shifted.

The entire frame tilted slowly to one side, revealing a hidden passageway behind it.

From the narrow secret passage, a small, nimble figure emerged, landing lightly on the floor.

After confirming the area was clear, she let out a soft sigh of relief.

“That was close. Good thing I had this tool card.”

Leaning against the wall, she pulled out a card from her pocket.

[Stealth Walker]: When used, this card reveals a map of all hidden passageways in the castle for ten minutes. The passageways can be used to achieve unexpected outcomes.

Note: Some passageways are extremely narrow. Use caution when traversing.

Exhaling deeply, she tucked the [Stealth Walker] card away and continued her journey through the castle.

Despite passing several task locations and rooms, she entered none of them. Her goal didn’t seem to be related to completing the main decryption tasks.

After searching the castle for a few more minutes, fatigue was beginning to show in her movements. Yet, she pressed on with determination.

Finally, outside a certain room, she heard two familiar voices from within.

“How many tasks have we completed now?”

“Quite a few, but most of the clues point to the basement. We’ve also collected enough anti-plague tool cards to investigate it.”

“I didn’t expect you to be so motivated, Constantine.”

“Is there a problem? You saw the clue too. In twenty hours, the ghosts will start targeting people. We need to complete as many tasks as possible before that.”

“…”

It was Leon and Constantine.

Outside the door, the figure couldn’t help but smile.

“Finally found you two.”

Knocking on the door, she retrieved a [Worn Cross] tool card from her pocket.

Activating the card’s effect, her recording stone displayed a chilling message:

“Within a ten-meter radius, a ghost player is present.”