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

Irving was unaware that the Knowledge Fairy had been observing him from the shadows. He was currently focused solely on how to proceed with his next actions.

As soon as Irving arrived at the upper levels of the Angel Guild headquarters, he ran into Nick. It was clear that Nick had been waiting there for him.

"How did it go? Did you get enough information from the Knowledge Fairy?" Nick asked, concern evident in his voice.
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Irving shook his head helplessly. "The Knowledge Fairy isn't willing to provide me with sufficient information; he even lied to me."

Nick was taken aback by this revelation. "The Knowledge Fairy lied to you? Does that mean he's in cahoots with those people?" Nick asked, slightly astonished.

Nick's question reminded Irving of something. He had indeed seen monsters resembling the Knowledge Fairy among the creatures controlled by the Apocalypse Proclaimer. He had intended to ask the Knowledge Fairy about this matter. However, during their discussion, he had completely forgotten about it.

Irving hesitated for a moment. He considered going back to inquire further with the Knowledge Fairy. But after some thought, he ultimately decided against it. The conversation with the Knowledge Fairy had not been very pleasant; even if he returned, there was no guarantee that the Knowledge Fairy would be willing to meet with him again.

Irving resolved to visit the old headquarters of the Angel Guild first. He thought that if he could gather enough information or find additional clues there, he could return to the Angel Guild headquarters and have a more productive discussion with the Knowledge Fairy.

"The situation isn't as bad as you think," Irving said with a smile, hoping to calm Nick down. He didn't want Nick to be overly worried. "Although the Knowledge Fairy didn't provide me with much information, it's possible that he just views that knowledge as very valuable. Right now, I can't offer enough to exchange for the information he possesses."

Irving's words finally eased Nick's concerns. "As long as the Knowledge Fairy isn't our enemy, that's good enough. If the Knowledge Fairy were our enemy, we'd be in serious trouble. He knows us very well and has always stayed deep within the Angel Guild headquarters. If he decided to attack us, we would be completely caught off guard."

Nick said this with a hint of melancholy.

Irving nodded. "You're right. I need to head to the old headquarters of the Angel Guild immediately. There should be the information I need. You don't need to follow me; just relay the information I just told you to Anna."

With that, Irving left the Angel Guild headquarters.

Nick had originally intended to follow in Irving's footsteps. Although Irving had told him not to accompany him, Nick believed he could simply hide in the shadows. As long as Irving didn't discover him, Nick thought there wouldn't be any major issues. However, after thinking it over for a while, Nick ultimately chose to heed Irving's advice.

While Irving made his way to the old headquarters of the Angel Guild, Nick found Anna and carefully relayed the information that Irving had shared with him.

Anna already held a significant bias against the Knowledge Fairy, and upon hearing the latest information, she angrily said, "I knew the Knowledge Fairy wasn't to be trusted!"

"However, we don't have many other options right now. After all, the information we possess is far less than what the Knowledge Fairy has," Nick replied helplessly.

Anna nodded and let out a silent sigh. Both Anna and Nick felt a bit disappointed. Their disappointment stemmed primarily from their lack of strength. They both believed that if they were stronger, they could provide Irving with more substantial help. However, for the two of them, enhancing their own strength would require a significant cost, leaving them to maintain a resigned silence.

Meanwhile, Irving spent an hour reaching the old headquarters of the Angel Guild. Upon arriving at the entrance, he was astonished to find it filled with the power of the Blood Moon.

"What is going on here? Why is there such a massive presence of Blood Moon power? Could it be that Sophia has broken through the seal I set for her?"

Irving was deeply shocked, feeling an immense threat. If Sophia had truly broken the seal, she might be able to attack him at any moment. He immediately prepared himself for battle, and almost simultaneously, the overwhelming power of the Blood Moon filled the space around him. He felt the howls of werewolves echoing in his mind.

Clearly, Sophia had already launched an attack against him. Irving hadn't anticipated that he would find himself caught off guard in a battle with Sophia.

The Blood Moon power wielded by Sophia, having broken through the seal, was exceptionally formidable. If Irving wanted to emerge victorious in this battle, he needed to quickly adjust his tactics.

Irving didn't act recklessly; he utilized the power of the Taikoo Flame Pearl to counter the Blood Moon power while scanning his surroundings for Sophia's whereabouts. Without being able to locate Sophia, any countermeasures he devised would be futile.

After several minutes of searching, Irving finally pinpointed the direction where Sophia was located.

"Sophia hasn't fully broken through the seal! The massive Blood Moon power is merely seeping through the breach in the seal. As long as I act quickly enough, I can reinforce the seal!"

Irving quickly assessed the situation. Although the overall circumstances were dire, they had not reached an irreparable point. The seal had merely developed a breach; as long as Irving could repair the opening, Sophia's plan would be completely thwarted.

He dashed toward the direction of Sophia with maximum speed. During this time, Sophia was not idle either; she was continuously harnessing the power of the Blood Moon.

Sophia was well aware that she needed to act quickly. She had to completely break through the seal before Irving arrived. If she failed to do so, she would be sealed away once again.

"All the Blood Moon power must be concentrated together; only then can I destroy the seal as swiftly as possible."

With her eyes tightly shut, she gathered all the Blood Moon power into one force. The overwhelming power of the Blood Moon prevented the already significantly weakened seal from holding any longer.

When Irving passed through the last door and entered the area where the seal was located, the seal completely collapsed. Sophia had finally used the power of the Blood Moon to break free!

In the instant the seal shattered, Sophia's form transformed into a pink light and charged toward Irving.

Under these circumstances, Irving hurriedly took out the Staff of Calamity. Although he knew that casting spells was no longer an option, the staff itself possessed immense power. With this powerful staff in hand, he could temporarily block Sophia's attack.

An almost endless torrent of Blood Moon power surged toward Irving. While most of these attacks were deflected by the staff, the ones that got through still inflicted severe damage on Irving. He felt a cacophony of frenzied howls echoing in his mind.

These howls did not sound like those of werewolves; they felt more like his own. The mental assault from the Blood Moon power intensified further.

"You don't really think this tactic will succeed, do you? I won't be easily disturbed! Even if you drive me into madness, the mad version of me will still defeat you!"

Irving had made up his mind. No matter what happened, he would not let Sophia escape.

He summoned all the power he possessed, determined to reactivate the seal. Although the seal had been breached by Sophia, some of its power still lingered. With the aid of that residual power, Irving could restore the seal with relative ease.

Irving's actions met with some success. The magical formations of the seal were reactivated. Sophia felt the space around her begin to compress. She realized that the situation had become very dire.

"You will not seal me away again! The apocalypse is imminent, and I will never accept being sealed until it arrives!" Sophia shouted fiercely.

Her words were not only meant to express her defiance, but she also aimed to use her piercing voice to disrupt Irving's focus. Sophia infused her voice with powerful Blood Moon energy, giving it the effect of driving listeners into madness.

Faced with Sophia's attack, Irving gritted his teeth and held on. Although his will was incredibly steadfast, the increasing cacophony of howls in his mind was making his consciousness blur. He could barely see his surroundings anymore.

"I absolutely cannot give up! The apocalypse is coming, and if Sophia breaks the seal, the situation I will face next will be even worse!"

Irving hoped to endure under Sophia's assault. However, he may have overestimated his own strength. He had already expended a significant amount of power in his battle against the Apocalypse Proclaimer, leaving him unable to defeat Sophia now.

In the end, Irving could no longer reactivate the seal; he had even slipped into a semi-mad state. The magical formations of the seal were completely destroyed, and Sophia was finally able to escape successfully.

Irving was in a terrible state, and if Sophia chose to attack him, he could very well be killed. Yet, Sophia did not do this, as she understood she could not afford to waste any time.

Escaping the seal was her highest priority. Now that her plan had succeeded, there was no reason to take unnecessary risks. Sophia was very wary of Irving's power; although he was severely injured, she still lacked the confidence to quickly defeat him.

To avoid any unexpected developments, Sophia chose to transform into a beam of pink moonlight and swiftly depart. As she left, she took most of the Blood Moon power with her, and the howls in Irving's mind gradually subsided.