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After a moment of thought, Luca spoke up, "I\'m not planning to join any guild for now, but we can still collaborate or trade. I have a lot of gear, and future items I get can be sold to you in bulk. However, the price will be about 30% higher than the market rate. Think about it."

Luca knew he would need to buy many resources soon, so partnering with a well-funded but not overly aggressive guild like Snowfall seemed like a good fit.

Asking for 30% above market value was completely normal at the start of the game.

Especially since Luca was offering gear that was a tier higher than what most players could access.

These items might not mean much to casual players, but to professional players, they were invaluable for accelerating their progress.

As expected, Ada didn\'t hesitate. She immediately agreed to the deal.

With that, their partnership was informally sealed.

Just then, there was a commotion at the frontlines, and shouts of anger could be heard in the distance.

Someone called out, "Everyone be careful! The Nightmare Cult is here!"

"The Nightmare Cult?" Luca raised an eyebrow, looking toward the battlefield. Sure enough, a group of several hundred cult members in purple robes was advancing alongside the monster horde, attacking the Iron Mountain Army.

Leading them was a seductive woman with long purple hair and a graceful, alluring figure.

She clearly someone of importance within the cult.

As Luca\'s gaze fell on her, the woman seemed to sense his attention.

Her eyes locked onto his, and their gazes met.

Luca saw the woman\'s lips curl into a slow, captivating smile—a beauty that could topple kingdoms.

"That woman…" Luca thought, his mind racing. She looked strangely familiar, but he couldn\'t place where he had seen her before. After all, he had encountered many people in his previous life.

At that moment, Sophia and Catherine also noticed the presence of The Nightmare Cult on the battlefield.

Sophia\'s gaze turned icy as she looked in the cult\'s direction. Her voice was cold and sharp. "No wonder the Nightmare Cult has been making such bold moves. It\'s all because of that woman."

Catherine frowned and asked, "Sophia, could she be \'Dream Empress\' Tia Dis?"

Sophia nodded. "Exactly. No one else in The Nightmare Cult would dare to target Emerald State so brazenly. I should have realized earlier that this was her doing, pulling the strings behind the scenes."

"Tia Dis..." Luca\'s eyes flashed as he finally remembered where he had seen this woman in his previous life.

Back then, however, she had already become the Nightmare Cult\'s high priestess, clad in a ceremonial pope\'s robe and veiled—completely different from how she looked now. That\'s why he didn\'t recognize her immediately.

But her name was well-known, infamous even.

She was the Nightmare Queen, Tia Dis.

A Transcendent-level powerhouse who once dragged an entire small nation into her dream realm.

Not only was she immensely powerful, but she was also ruthlessly cunning. Under her leadership, the Nightmare Cult grew into a massive and terrifying force.

By the time of Luca\'s rebirth, the cult had already become a behemoth, a true colossus.

Yet, despite finally remembering her, Luca\'s confusion deepened rather than subsided.

What was she doing here, bringing the Nightmare Cult to this battlefield?

Could it be that they were here to rescue Rudolph?

But the cult had always been notorious for its brutality. Since when did they care enough to stage a rescue?

Suspicion gnawed at Luca as he furrowed his brow.

When something seems out of place, it usually is. He refused to believe that Tia and her forces had simply come for a leisurely stroll through the battlefield.

And that brief moment when their eyes met... it filled Luca with a sense of unease.

Could these people be coming after him?

...

At the rear of the Iron Mountain army, Rudolph, who was tightly bound by the magic-sealing chains, had also noticed the commotion at the frontlines.

His eyes lit up with hope. He believed the Nightmare Cult had come specifically to rescue him.

Excited, he began shouting, "Lady Tia! I\'m here! I\'m here! Come save me!"

The moment Cassman, who was responsible for guarding Rudolph, heard this, he delivered a swift and hard slap across Rudolph\'s face.

"Shut up! If you keep screaming, I\'ll slice you to pieces right here!" Cassman growled, gripping his massive sword, his eyes full of murderous intent.

If it weren\'t for Sophia\'s orders to keep Rudolph alive for interrogation, Cassman would have killed him long ago.

This lowlife had the nerve to shout for help, clearly deserving a beating.

The slap left Rudolph momentarily stunned.

When he recovered, his eyes went wide with fury, turning bloodshot as he glared at Cassman. "You filthy peasant! How dare you hit me! Just wait—when I\'m free, I\'ll tear you limb from limb!"

Cassman sneered. "Is that so? I\'d love to see how you plan to do that."

With that, he slapped Rudolph again.

This time even harder.

Rudolph, his power sealed by the chains, was no stronger than a regular person. The blow knocked several teeth out of his mouth.

Rudolph\'s face swelled rapidly, with the five distinct finger marks clearly visible.

This time, he finally fell silent, glaring hatefully at Cassman.

If looks could kill, Cassman would\'ve died a hundred times over.

...

Watching the group of Nightmare Cult followers.

Luca\'s suspicions grew stronger. It seemed increasingly likely that their plan had failed, and now they were seeking revenge on him.

As Luca pondered how to deal with the situation.

He suddenly noticed something alarming: the Nightmare Cult members were shifting direction, charging straight toward him.

His heart skipped a beat.

He had been right—the cult really was coming after him.

Sophia and Catherine noticed the sudden change as well, seeing the cultists heading directly toward them.

Sophia frowned and said, "We need to fall back. Dream Empress is a high-level class; we can\'t handle her. Once the others notice, someone stronger will take care of her."

"Agreed," Luca nodded. Whatever their enemies had planned, it was better to avoid confrontation.

Given his current strength, he was no match for these high-level powerhouses—he\'d be crushed like an insect. Now wasn\'t the time to play hero.

Just as Luca was about to retreat, something caught his eye.

The woman, Tia, suddenly vanished, her figure dissolving into a shadow.

Shadow Stealth!

Luca\'s heart sank, and he urgently shouted, "We need to move! She\'s coming right for us!"

"What?" Sophia and Catherine were startled, not yet fully grasping the situation. But before they could react, Luca grabbed their hands, trying to pull them away to safety.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

A soft, seductive voice echoed in their ears.

Tia\'s gentle laugh drifted toward them, "You\'re quite sharp, little one."

The sound of her voice sent a chill through Luca, Sophia, and Catherine, their hearts pounding in unison.

Before they could even think of a response, they realized they were completely immobilized—frozen as if held by some unseen force.

"Don\'t bother struggling. It\'s useless," Tia\'s voice purred as she slowly emerged from the shadows, a small, amused smile playing on her lips. In her hands, she held three black, ribbon-like strands that seemed to shimmer with dark energy.

Upon closer inspection, Luca realized that the black ribbons holding them weren\'t ordinary cloth—they were actually extensions of their own shadows!

Shadow Imprisonment.

A high-level shadow skill that allows the caster to forcibly immobilize their targets using their own shadows.

"Careless!" Luca gritted his teeth in frustration.

With his current strength, escaping from a high-level immobilization skill was nearly impossible.

The moment he sensed something was off, he should have fled immediately.

But it was too late for regrets now.

"Sophia\'s been captured!" someone from the Iron Mountain Army shouted, and upon seeing Sophia and the others bound, many soldiers rushed forward, their faces filled with worry as they tried to surround and rescue the trio.

Seeing the commotion, Tia moved calmly toward Sophia, her steps unhurried.

She reached out with a long, graceful hand and gently stroked Sophia\'s delicate face.

Then grasping her slender, pale neck.

Tia\'s eyes narrowed slightly, and she smiled at the gathering soldiers. "I\'d advise you all not to make any rash moves. Otherwise, I might just... accidentally snap the neck of the noble daughter of the Howard family."

The Iron Mountain soldiers gritted their teeth in anger, desperate to cut this witch into pieces, but none dared take a single step forward.

"What is it you want?" Despite the danger, Sophia remained calm, her voice firm as she questioned Tia.

Tia responded casually, "There\'s no need to be nervous. I\'m just here to... collect someone."

"Someone?" Sophia blinked in surprise. She hadn\'t expected this—they were here to rescue someone?

Hearing this, Rudolph was overcome with joy.

The Nightmare Cult had come to rescue him, after all! This proved his importance to the cult.

Sophia, on the other hand, didn\'t hesitate. "If you release us, we\'ll hand Rudolph over to you."

Tia raised an eyebrow and gave Sophia a puzzled look. "Who told you we\'re here for Rudolph?"

Both Sophia and Catherine were taken aback, confused by Tia\'s words.

If they weren\'t after Rudolph, then who?

By this time, the other Nightmare Cult followers and deacons had gathered as well.

However, none of their gazes lingered on Sophia or Catherine, despite their striking beauty.

Every eye was fixed on Luca, their gazes burning with intensity.

Luca let out a bitter smile, realizing that any hope he had of being overlooked was gone.

With a sigh, he spoke up, "Let them go, and I\'ll go with you."

Luca wasn\'t sure what the Nightmare Cult wanted with him, but even if they intended to kill him, at least he could be resurrected.

If Sophia or Catherine were killed, it would be permanent.

Tia\'s smile brightened, her voice filled with satisfaction. "Ah, dealing with smart people really is such a pleasure."