"Just wait and see!"

"Ever since arriving in the Dark Lands, I’ve been unnoticed, with little fame, but soon, my name, Padilla, will be known to all!"

In Padilla’s eyes, a blazing fire of confidence burned brightly, his fighting spirit soaring.

At that moment, his expression suddenly changed.

He seemed to have sensed something.

He had refined the safe house, his consciousness almost fused with it, enabling him to perceive the surroundings through the safe house.

With the power of the safe house, his range of perception extended up to three hundred meters.

This meant that any movement within three hundred meters of the safe house, whether on the ground, in the sky, or even underground to a certain depth, could not escape his detection.

"Something’s up!"

Padilla’s expression shifted slightly as his consciousness merged into the safe house, activating its power.

Buzz buzz buzz!

Amidst a faint humming, the safe house burst forth with numerous runic light points.

Like a flood, they flowed and surged in various parts of the safe house.

Vaguely, they formed an all-encompassing, no-blind-spot super shield!

In an instant, the power of the safe house fully erupted, reaching its highest defensive level.

His perception also spread out in a flash.

Soon, he saw the situation a hundred meters above in the sky.

Above the safe house, there appeared a "person"!

Yes, a person!

And not just any person, but one with an extraordinarily beautiful face!

The only oddity was that this person’s head was being held in their own hand!

"What is this..."

Padilla shuddered.

Then, a chill instantly invaded his entire body!

At this moment, he felt as if he was being targeted by some terrifying entity.

Even though he was protected by the safe house, he still felt as if every part of his body was seen through by the other.

No secrets could be hidden.

Padilla’s scalp tingled.

"Damn it, what is this thing? A demon? But... why is it so powerful? The previous demons were at most second-level, but this one is at least third-level, maybe even fourth-level!"

Padilla felt a chill run through his entire body.

Taking a deep breath, he still couldn’t calm his heart, which was pounding violently due to fear and panic.

Beads of cold sweat slid down his cheeks.

His wide-open eyes were filled with deep shock.

...

The next moment, in the sky, the demon holding its own head took a graceful step.

Beneath its feet, there seemed to be a surge of eerie energy, like blossoming lotus flowers of doom, permeating a fear-inducing power.

Whoosh!

The wind howled, ravaging the darkness in all directions.

In the next instant.

The demon holding its own head arrived less than ten meters away from the safe house.

In its hollow eyes, two vortexes suddenly appeared.

Like an abyss.

Just one glance would draw one into the depths.

Profound and eerie!

A single look...

Boom!

Inside the safe house, Padilla’s mind buzzed as if millions of thunderbolts were exploding continuously in his brain, causing a terrifying uproar.

Amidst the tremendous shock, Padilla’s face turned as pale as snow.

Spurt!

A mouthful of bright red blood was violently spat out, splattering into the void.

Then came a thud.

Padilla seemed to lose all his strength and collapsed to his knees.

It wasn’t a real loss of strength, but rather, he was overwhelmed by the bewitching demon’s terrifying mental assault, suffering severe mental damage.

"Ah, damn it! What kind of demon is this, why is it so terrifying?"

"No! I’m not content! I’ve just advanced to the second level, why is the world so cruel to me! This is unfair, I’m not content, I’m not content!!!"

Padilla roared loudly.

He naturally wasn’t willing to be manipulated by the bewitching demon.

Gritting his teeth, he desperately activated the power of the safe house.

Boom!

In an instant, the safe house trembled.

Golden light suddenly burst forth, dazzling and brilliant.

Within it, countless runes danced and circulated.

However, at that moment...

The bewitching demon nearby, holding its own head, tilted it slightly.

It revealed a smile that was cute and charming, yet terrifyingly ominous.

In its abyss-like eyes, a different shade appeared.

It seemed to be a mix of doubt, surprise, curiosity...

Then, it moved!

Opening its mouth.

Boom!

A bone spike flew out, turning into lightning!

It tore through everything in its path!

The formidable defense of the safe house seemed like mere paper before it, instantly penetrated!

The bone spear pierced through the safe house.

Padilla’s eyes widened in disbelief, a huge bloody hole appearing in his chest...

...

What happened here didn’t attract the attention of others.

The bewitching demon acted so swiftly from start to finish that Padilla didn’t even have time to react before he was brutally killed.

Naturally, the incident wasn’t spread.

The death of a trialist and the destruction of a safe house were too common at this stage to cause any stir.

It was unlikely to draw anyone’s attention.

Three days passed in succession.

In these three days, the strength of all trialists saw a massive increase.

Almost every day, hundreds of trialists successfully advanced to the second level.

Even by the end, more than three hundred trialists advanced to the second level in a single day.

Furthermore, the number of third-level trialists also increased!

In these three days, over ten third-level trialists emerged!

...

This increase in strength provided a great sense of security to all trialists.

But no one truly let their guard down.

"Everyone be cautious, Darcy, who just advanced to the third level yesterday, is dead!"

Suddenly someone spoke in the chat channel.

It caused a huge stir.

"???"

"Liar, those who spread rumors deserve no good end!"

"Is it true or just for attention?"

"A third-level trialist, there are only so many in the entire Dark Lands. How many demons are a match for a third-level trialist? Not to mention with a safe house, it’s basically impossible for a demon to kill a third-level trialist!"

"Just keep spreading rumors!"

Many people didn’t believe this news and looked at it with disdain!

However, not everyone felt the same.

"What he said might be true! Have you guys noticed in the last few days that some trialists suddenly disappeared or died?"

"Normally, trialists would ask for help in the chat channel when they’re about to give in. But a considerable number of trialists died so suddenly, they didn’t even have the chance to call for help..."

"I strongly suspect that they were attacked by some terrifying demon."

"This demon is so powerful that they didn’t even have time to ask for help before being killed!"