Chapter 78: The Lost City’s Monster Hunt

The pitch-black night enveloped the entire city, while a bright full moon hung high in the sky. A deathly silence pervaded the town; not a single soul could be seen on the streets.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the houses within the town were dilapidated and crumbling. Cracks and patches of mold marred every wall.

Glass panes lay shattered, some scattered across the ground, others clinging precariously to the window frames.

Indeed, this town was uninhabited. A century ago, it had been devastated by an attack from a Great Lich, reducing it to ruins.

Although the Great Lich was eventually vanquished, the lives lost could never be reclaimed.

Even after the Great Lich’s demise, the city never recovered its vitality. The souls absorbed by the Great Lich had completely transformed into Specters, endlessly wandering its streets.

Ordinary humans who dared to enter would be torn apart by these vengeful spirits. Despite the Church’s numerous attempts to cleanse the town of Specters, new ones continuously emerged.

Fortunately, these Specters never ventured beyond the town’s borders. However, rebuilding the town was an impossibility.

Its original name had long been forgotten by the people, who now simply referred to it as—the Lost City.

Since the Lost City constantly gave birth to new Specters, and these Specters were relatively weak, it had become the ideal training ground for newly advanced professionals.

Each year, the Arcadia Kingdom held its Monster Hunt Exercise in the Lost City. This served a dual purpose: to provide training and to commemorate the disaster brought by the Great Lich.

In the days leading up to the Monster Hunt Exercise, the three major organizations would dispatch patrols to sweep through the Lost City. They would only clear out Impure-level Specters that had, for special reasons, broken through their usual limits.

Contaminated-level Specters were left for the professionals participating in the exercise.

Today marked the beginning of the Monster Hunt Exercise.

Lovelenica and her companions arrived by carriage at the outpost just outside the Lost City. The coachman parked dozens of carriages in the outpost’s stables, leaving the remaining journey to be completed on foot.

Each participant in the Monster Hunt Exercise wore a silver-white crucifix around their neck. These crucifixes, specially crafted by the Church, were designed to absorb the malevolent energy from slain Specters.

This absorbed energy would then be used to determine each person’s score.

A Great Mage led the assembled group on foot to the city gates of the Lost City, then turned to face them.

“A century ago today, a Great Lich utterly destroyed this town! Not a single inhabitant survived!”

“The lingering remains and malevolence of that Great Lich continue to spawn Specters even now! This town has become the Lost City because of it! This land is tainted, and we are determined to purify it!”

“We must remember this day a hundred years past! We must temper our wills! Sharpen our blades! Purify every Specter within these walls! Transform their power into our own, and one day, use that strength to protect the Arcadia Kingdom! To protect humanity! To protect your dearest families!”

“Professionals, it is time to enter. The Monster Hunt Exercise, begins!”

Immediately, at the Great Mage’s command, the various teams surged through the city gates into the Lost City. Lucia’s trio and Julie’s team were among them.

“Lucia, good luck.”

“Eh? Oh, alright!”

Lucia was rather surprised that Lovelenica had called out to her before departing. After speaking, Lovelenica joined the other mid-level professionals ascending the city walls.

From there, she swiftly made her way to the area previously assigned to them.

Several towers stood within the Lost City, each protected by Holy Crystals. Contaminated-level Specters could not enter these towers; any who approached would be incinerated instantly.

These towers had been established by the three major organizations to allow guardians to observe and protect the professionals from elevated positions in each sector.

Should any unforeseen danger arise, the guardians could immediately assess the situation and decide whether to intervene.

However, if a guardian did intervene, the team in question would be deemed to have concluded their Monster Hunt Exercise.

Lovelenica bypassed the Specters within the city and quickly reached her assigned tower. From its heights, she gazed down; the vantage point offered an excellent, clear view of the entire sector.

She recalled that the area she was guarding bordered the place where Lucia and her companions were destined to encounter the Vampire. Thus, it was possible she might soon catch a glimpse of them passing through underground.

‘The original narrative hadn’t specified when Lucia’s group would meet the Vampire,’ she mused. ‘It only mentioned them quietly eliminating many Specters along their path. Then, upon reaching a certain area, the Specter population sharply declined, causing them to lower their guard. Consequently, Imeline was ambushed.’

‘This time, Imeline had brought her Ring of Barriers, providing protection from a Divine Barrier,’ Lovelenica thought. ‘Surely, she wouldn’t be knocked unconscious in a single blow. As long as Imeline remained conscious, with her powerful magic and Thor to draw the Magic Bullet attacks, they should be able to confront the Vampire for a while.’

‘For now, all she needed to do was wait.’

Meanwhile, the other teams had already surged into the Lost City. They had all entered through the same city gate, which meant the Specters near the entrance were swiftly eradicated.

Their numbers were insufficient for significant scores; to earn higher points, teams had to venture deeper into the Lost City, reaching areas untouched by others.

Only then could they clear a greater number of Specters.

This was precisely Lucia’s team’s strategy. Upon entering the Lost City, Attestor took the lead, raising her Holy Shield and charging boldly into the street ahead, instantly carving a path for her companions.

In the initial phase, their objective was primarily advancement. Only by reaching the Lost City’s depths could they clear more Specters. Thus, Imeline chose not to unleash a barrage of magic, but instead focused on moving forward.

Lucia, meanwhile, covered Imeline’s flank. Her speed was exceptional, even outstripping Imeline’s full-pace advance. With energy to spare, Lucia swiftly dispatched any Specters attempting to close in on Imeline.

Any Specter daring to approach was instantly cut down by Lucia’s keen blade.

The Specters’ translucent bodies even emitted a sizzling sound, like scorching flesh, upon contact with the sharp sword.

The path Attestor forged was, in essence, exclusively for Imeline. Imeline possessed a wide magical range and swift casting speed; her sole weakness lay in her physical constitution.

Providing Imeline with the space to unleash her full power would only accelerate their Specter-clearing efforts.

At this moment, Imeline hadn’t even summoned her Wand, prioritizing rapid advancement.

This very strategy had been employed in their previous Monster Hunt Exercises.

Everything appeared to be proceeding smoothly. Following closely behind Attestor, they advanced rapidly, having already left the preceding teams far behind.

Unbeknownst to them, an owl perched silently on the rooftop behind them, its gaze remaining fixed upon their retreating figures.