The Shelter Game: Me, Starting with a Tenfold Drop Rate

With Irving joining the battle, Aron and the members of the Angel Guild were finally saved. They could feel the number of Dark Monsters around them diminishing. Furthermore, the remaining Dark Monsters seemed to have lost interest in attacking them, as almost all of them turned their attention to Irving.

In this situation, Aron directly addressed the members of the Angel Guild. "You don't need to continue fighting here! Quickly retreat to the depths of the Angel Guild headquarters! You must help Anna defend the backup line there! We'll handle the battle here!"

Upon hearing Aron's command, the members of the Angel Guild immediately took action. They were eager to leave, as staying in the current location posed a significant risk to their safety.

Once the members of the Angel Guild had evacuated, Aron was finally able to unleash his full power. He pulled out a long sword radiating an orange glow from his pocket and charged toward Irving.

At that moment, Irving was facing a massive onslaught from numerous Dark Monsters alone. While the sheer number of Dark Monsters was overwhelming, their strength was no match for Irving's.

Using his powerful spells, Irving incinerated large groups of Dark Monsters with a single strike. However, as the battle progressed, Irving began to sense something was off. Although he could quickly eliminate Dark Monsters, they kept pouring in from all sides.

Irving felt that these Dark Monsters were not emerging from the mist; he suspected they were coming from the Dark Portal. So, he began searching for the source of the dark energy.

When Aron felt Irving's presence beside him, Irving had already pinpointed the source of the dark power. Not far from them, beneath a massive structure, Elder Astra and two other figures stood next to the Dark Portal, which was continuously releasing Dark Monsters.

Irving coldly said to Aron, "We can't keep defending like this! The Dark Portal can unleash an endless supply of Dark Monsters; we need to find a way to shut it down!"

With that, Irving sprinted towards the Dark Portal at full speed. Aron, of course, followed Irving, rushing toward the Dark Portal as well.

Elder Astra watched the approaching Irving and Aron with a smile. "You really want to fight me, don't you? Well, I won't fight you just yet! You can battle your allies first! After your little skirmish is over, then you can come challenge me!"

Elder Astra's voice echoed in Irving and Aron's ears. Irving quickly assessed Elder Astra's true intentions.

Elder Astra's two companions were undoubtedly Benjamin and James, who had already been transformed into puppets. Elder Astra intended to have these puppets fight against Irving and Aron.

Irving would not accept such a situation. Therefore, he decided to charge directly at Elder Astra. However, Elder Astra had already anticipated Irving's actions. After delivering his previous remarks, he transformed into a cloud of black mist and completely merged with the surrounding darkness.

As Elder Astra departed, the Dark Portal gradually became ethereal, indicating that it had been taken away by him. Before Aron could fully grasp the situation, Elder Astra had vanished.

Irving's mood was extremely bleak, but he knew he would soon face an even worse predicament. The puppets of James and Benjamin had locked their sights on Irving and Aron, preparing to attack.

At this moment, Aron was still confused. He looked at the expressionless faces of James and Benjamin and asked Irving in a puzzled tone, "What is going on? Why are they with Elder Astra? They look like they want to kill us!"

In response to Aron's inquiry, Irving replied calmly, "You're right! They want to kill us! They've been turned into puppets by Elder Astra! We have no choice but to fight our friends now!"

Aron's shock was palpable at Irving's words. However, before he could react, James launched an attack on Aron, while Benjamin targeted Irving.

Although Irving was very familiar with Benjamin's fighting style and knew how to counter it, the fact remained that Benjamin was his friend. Moreover, Benjamin had helped Irving many times in the past. Fighting against a comrade was already difficult to accept, but killing a friend was something Irving would never do.

Thus, Irving could only engage in battle with Benjamin while simultaneously contemplating a solution.

Aron's situation was even worse. Although he possessed a powerful weapon, its use would also have some negative effects on him. Moreover, Aron did not want to kill James outright. While he was not very familiar with James, they had collaborated before. In a sense, Aron and James were also comrades.

Irving and Aron found themselves restrained at the outskirts of the Angel Guild headquarters. Elder Astra, of course, was not idle. He had brought the Dark Portal directly to the outer area of the Angel Guild headquarters.

"Continue your battle with your comrades! I will destroy the Angel Guild headquarters!" Elder Astra declared.

He closed his eyes and began to recite a series of complex and obscure phrases. This string of intricate incantations formed a spell. At the moment the spell was completed, the Dark Portal suddenly underwent a violent transformation. It converted the surrounding area into a realm entirely composed of pure dark energy.

Seizing this opportunity, Elder Astra concentrated all the dark energy onto himself. He then unleashed an extraordinarily powerful dark spell. The defenses of the Angel Guild headquarters were obliterated in an instant. Even the backup line that Anna and Aron had painstakingly constructed proved ineffective.

In the depths of the Angel Guild headquarters, Anna and the others suffered severe injuries from the recent attack. Anna lost consciousness completely. Only the members of the Angel Guild who were deep within the headquarters managed to maintain their awareness.

Meanwhile, in the headquarters' storage area, the Knowledge Fairy and Vicky also felt the intense energy shockwave. Vicky's complexion darkened considerably. In disbelief, she asked, "Is this the powerful spell possessed by the Night Blades? I've never experienced such a formidable spell before."

The Knowledge Fairy did not respond. Although he had always believed that he possessed a vast array of spells, the one Elder Astra had just unleashed genuinely astonished him. The Knowledge Fairy quietly recorded all the information he perceived.

"Are you sure we can stay here safely? Shouldn't we move to a more secure location?" Vicky directly inquired.

The Knowledge Fairy replied slowly, "You don't need to worry; this place is very safe. If it's not safe here, then there's no safe place in this world. Even if Elder Astra possesses immense power, he cannot enter this area without my permission."

The Knowledge Fairy had constructed a special zone around himself. Only those granted his permission could enter this area. Of course, if someone were powerful enough to an unimaginable degree, they could still forcibly invade this zone. However, neither Irving nor Elder Astra had reached such a level of strength.

The Knowledge Fairy's response eased Vicky's worries somewhat.

Vicky found a discreet spot and sat down, planning to take a good rest. She thought that perhaps she would soon join the battle. While Vicky was resting, she suddenly caught a faint sound in the air.

Vicky carefully scanned her surroundings but could not identify the source of the sound. However, the indistinct noise persisted. After enduring it for a while, Vicky couldn't help but ask the Knowledge Fairy, "Do you hear some faint sounds?"

The Knowledge Fairy found Vicky's question puzzling. He had not heard any sound. After closely observing the area, he replied in a slightly disappointed tone, "I thought you, as Irving's friend, would not be too panicked. But it seems I overestimated you a bit. Don't scare yourself unnecessarily."

The Knowledge Fairy believed that the sound Vicky heard was merely a figment of her imagination. However, Vicky did not think it was an illusion. She began to pace back and forth in the storage area, hoping to quickly determine where the sound was coming from.

After searching for a short time, Vicky suddenly discovered a peculiar passageway. This odd passage resembled a mouse hole but emitted a blue glow from within. At the moment she spotted the passage, Vicky turned her gaze toward the Knowledge Fairy.

Vicky did not need to say anything; she didn't have to. The instant she saw the peculiar passage, the Knowledge Fairy noticed it too. He was equally shocked by its appearance. The Knowledge Fairy instantly materialized beside Vicky, staring intently at the strange passage.

"This is absolutely impossible! Without my permission, no one can enter our area! How could this peculiar passage connect us to the outside world?!" the Knowledge Fairy exclaimed in a voice filled with utter astonishment.

No sooner had the Knowledge Fairy's words fallen than a raspy voice echoed from behind him and Vicky. "Long time no see, old friend."