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

Irving detected a hint of desperation in the werewolf leader\'s words. However, he had no intention of directly attacking Elder Lawrence. Instead, Irving replied coolly, "We don\'t need to fight Elder Lawrence to the bitter end! We can simply escape from the underground tomb. The two elders of the Night Blades will also assist us."

Irving neither wanted Elder Lawrence to complete the ritual nor wished for the werewolf leader to gain excessive power. Therefore, he hoped everyone could leave the underground tomb. This way, they could interrupt the ongoing ritual and prevent the werewolf leader from acquiring greater strength.

The werewolf leader firmly opposed Irving\'s plan. "That\'s impossible! The ritual has already progressed to the latter half. The only way to make Elder Lawrence fail is for me to take his place in the ritual!"

As the werewolf leader spoke with Irving, he continued to fight against Elder Lawrence. At this point, Elder Lawrence had completely lost his sanity. He was entirely under the control of the Werewolf God\'s power. No one would choose to negotiate with Elder Lawrence.

In the midst of this crisis, the werewolf leader thought of a reason that might persuade Irving. "Elder Lawrence has completely lost his mind. Once he gains power, he will undoubtedly wipe us out! But I can maintain my sanity. If I gain power, I can continue to collaborate with you."

The werewolf leader believed his words would convince Irving. However, Irving simply smiled and shook his head. "You don\'t need to deceive me any longer. Whether it\'s you or Elder Lawrence, once you both acquire enough power, I will choose to eliminate myself and my companions."

Irving\'s tone was cold, leaving the werewolf leader momentarily at a loss for words. "Does our previous collaboration mean nothing to you? Have I ever posed any threat to you?"

The werewolf leader\'s voice was filled with sorrow as he spoke.

The werewolf leader felt that he had shown great sincerity during his cooperation with Irving, and he believed he should have gained Irving\'s trust by now.

"You were indeed sincere during our previous collaboration, and you never posed any threat to me. However, I still don\'t trust you," Irving replied as he joined Aron, Benjamin, and the others, who had also been awakened by him.

Once all of Irving\'s companions were awake, he decided it was time to lead them out of the underground tomb. However, before leaving, he needed to ensure that both the werewolf leader and Elder Lawrence\'s ritual would fail simultaneously.

"Why? Why don\'t you trust me?" the werewolf leader asked, frustration evident in his voice. He felt his plan was flawless and that he had shown no signs of weakness during his collaboration with Irving. Irving should have had no reason to doubt him.

"While you didn\'t pose any immediate threat to me, you intentionally withheld crucial information when you should have disclosed everything," Irving explained, having already confirmed the whereabouts of the two Night Blades elders with his tools.

Despite being severely injured, the two elders of the Night Blades had managed to find a way to escape the underground tomb, which did not disappoint Irving.

"The critical information you hid relates to your clan\'s sacrificial ceremony. Once I realized you were concealing key details, I decided not to provide you with any assistance in the tomb," Irving\'s words finally clarified the werewolf leader\'s confusion.

The werewolf leader glared at Irving with anger. "You don\'t need to look at me like that. In reality, I haven\'t placed you in a hopeless situation; as long as you abandon the ritual, you can leave unscathed."

Irving felt no remorse for his actions. If the werewolf leader simply abandoned the notion of continuing the ritual, he could leave the underground tomb with Irving and his companions.

Staring with his blood-red eyes, the werewolf leader replied firmly, "That is absolutely impossible! As the leader of the Werewolf Clan, I must complete our sacrificial ceremony!"

Since the werewolf leader had made his stance clear, Irving saw no reason to waste any more time. "Then go ahead and continue your ritual! I will take my companions and leave the underground tomb!"

With that, Irving turned and quickly led his companions away.

The werewolf leader let out a pained howl as he watched Irving and his companions leave. No matter how furious he was, he could not pursue them; he had to face Elder Lawrence in the final showdown. Only the victor would be able to continue the sacrificial ceremony.

When the ritual was completed, all living beings within the underground tomb would lose their lives due to the arrival of the Werewolf God\'s messenger.

The werewolf leader had indeed concealed important information regarding the sacrificial ceremony. He did this solely to fulfill his own ambitions, and he knew he must pay the price for those ambitions. As the werewolf leader prepared for his life-or-death battle with Elder Lawrence, Irving quickly caught up with the two elders of the Night Blades.

At that moment, the two Night Blades elders had arrived near the exit of the underground tomb. Elder Howard, upon seeing Irving and the others, immediately summoned dark energy to create a dense fog.

"This fog will only hold them for a short time," Elder Howard urged Elder Kent. "We must move faster. We cannot stay in the underground tomb any longer."

Elder Kent said nothing; he was intently searching for the exit of the tomb. Time ticked away, and soon, Irving and his companions found the exit created by Elder Howard\'s fog.

Elder Howard saw Irving emerging quickly from the mist, and his anxiety grew. He continued to generate more fog, hoping to delay Irving for as long as possible.

"I found the exit!" Elder Kent finally exclaimed, having located the way out.

At that moment, he pushed open the large door to the exit. Without hesitation, Elder Howard followed Elder Kent through the doorway, returning to Shadow City.

As the two elders escaped from the underground tomb, the heavy door slammed shut behind them. Irving and his companions had not been able to stop the actions of the two Night Blades elders; it was only after the door closed that they emerged from the fog.

"Our pace was far too slow. The two Night Blades elders have already escaped, and the door they used is now closed. We\'ll likely have to find a new exit," Aron said, his voice filled with frustration.

Irving shook his head. "We don\'t need to find a new exit!" He pulled a key out of his pocket, a key given to him by the werewolf leader. "As long as we have this key, we can open the exit door from the underground tomb."

He moved to the spot where the two Night Blades elders had previously been. After searching for a moment, Irving found the door they had used to leave the underground tomb. He placed the key on the door, and it emitted a bright flash of light. A passageway formed where the door had been.

"Let\'s hurry out! This passageway won\'t last long!" Irving urged, and he and his companions quickly moved through the newly formed route.

As the last person exited the passage, it vanished without a trace. Once they were out of the underground tomb, everyone finally escaped the biting cold that had tormented them inside, and they began to feel somewhat restored.

"Where are we now? Is this really Shadow City?" Benjamin, who had recovered the quickest, observed his surroundings closely and noticed that the architectural style was completely different from that of Shadow City.

Upon hearing Benjamin\'s words, the others began to examine their environment as well, soon expressing their astonishment.

"The architectural style here is entirely different from that of the Night Blades, and it doesn\'t even resemble that of the Werewolf Clan," Irving stated, sharing his thoughts but refraining from confirming whether or not they were in Shadow City. He considered that it was very possible they had been transported to any location connected to the underground tomb after leaving.

"It seems the passage we used was one previously traversed by the two Night Blades elders. Does that mean the Night Blades elders are nearby?" Aron suddenly had a thought and quickly asked Irving.

Irving nodded. "They should be around us. However, I haven\'t sensed their presence; they may have used some methods we are unaware of to leave quickly."

Irving\'s assertion was met with agreement from his companions. After their departure from the underground tomb, they could have used the map in their possession to return to their respective shelters directly. The reason they hadn\'t was the immense loss that would come with it.

Returning to their shelters recklessly would ensure their safety but would result in all the equipment and items they carried being left behind. The methods the Night Blades elders had for returning to their shelters were likely more sophisticated than what they knew, possibly allowing them to avoid the negative effects of a direct return.