This new quest notification didn’t bring Luca any relief.
In fact, it unsettled him.
In Eternal Game, the difficulty of a task was usually proportional to its rewards.
The fact that a simple mission like returning to the city for reinforcements would reward a Silver-grade piece of equipment meant that something serious must be happening in Riverfall City.
Despite his suspicions, Luca accepted the quest.
To complete the mission of defeating the Hydra, he would need the full strength of Riverfall City.
Even though it seemed like something had gone wrong in the city, he had no choice but to go back and investigate.
But before that, there was something else he needed to take care of.
Turning to Cassman and Catherine, Luca asked, “Do either of you happen to have any Seven-Star Flower or Goldenstone on hand?”
Cassman looked puzzled. “What do you need those materials for?”
Catherine, however, seemed to understand, her eyes lighting up. “Are you planning to brew a potion?”
Luca nodded. “I’m going to try and craft a Sobering Potion. It’s only a mid-tier potion, so it won’t completely neutralize the effects of the Demon Lure Potion, but it can at least reduce its influence on the monsters. Plus, the ingredients are relatively easy to find.”
At this, both Cassman and Catherine’s faces brightened with hope.
If they could calm the berserk monsters, the pressure on the Iron Mountain forces would lessen significantly, buying them more time to handle other urgent matters.
Cassman slapped Luca on the shoulder with a grin. “Good lad! Why didn’t you mention this earlier? I’ll get the materials ready for you right away!”
Luca winced from the force of the slap, rubbing his sore shoulder. “I didn’t have time before. With the Demon Lure Potion’s effects calming down, I finally have a moment to craft something.”
Catherine rummaged through her Storage Ring and pulled out a thumb-sized, translucent golden stone.
Handing it to Luca, she said apologetically, “I’ve only got a little bit of Goldenstone left from when I forged some gear. I’m not sure if it’ll be enough.”
Luca’s eyes lit up as he nodded eagerly. “That’s perfect! I don’t need much of it. Now I just need to find some Seven-Star Flower, and I can start brewing.”
He thought for a moment before adding, “Seven-Star Flower is often used as an herbal remedy for healing, so others might have it on them. You should ask around.”
“Leave it to me!” Cassman didn’t wait for Luca to finish speaking. He was already on his feet, rushing off to gather the necessary potion materials.
Meanwhile…
On the other side of the battlefield, Matthew and Freeman had moved away from their previous position on the hill.
They found a hidden spot and began preparing for their second round of Demon Lure Potion deployment.
Freeman had somehow acquired several Eagle Mice. He divided the Demon Lure Potion into multiple portions, carefully attaching them to the Eagle Mice. Then, he forced the creatures to drink a few vials of green liquid.
After consuming the potions, the Eagle Mice staggered briefly before suddenly standing upright. In their beady eyes, a strange green rune appeared, and the tuft of fur on their foreheads turned bright green.
Matthew chuckled slyly, “Using Eagle Mice to spread the Demon Lure Potion is genius. Even if someone finds out, there’s no way to trace it back to us. A flawless plan!”
To avoid being implicated, Matthew and Freeman had come up with the idea of using these creatures to transport the potion.
They knew they’d likely be suspected later.
But as long as there was no hard evidence, they’d have countless ways to cover their tracks.
After all, while Riverfall City was nominally under the Howard family, it had long been the Barton family running the show.
Keeping secrets was easy when you controlled the flow of information.
Freeman, focused on his task, had no time for conversation.
After ensuring all the Eagle Mice had been dosed with the potion.
He gave a flicker of green light from his eyes, pointed toward the Iron Mountain camp, and commanded, “Take the Demon Lure Potion to their camp!”
The Eagle Mice, now under Freeman’s control, gave blank nods and crouched low to the ground. Carrying their payloads of Demon Lure Potion, they darted toward the Iron Mountain forces.
They moving swiftly through the dense underbrush, almost invisible.
Before long, the Eagle Mice arrived near the Iron Mountain camp.
Following Freeman’s silent orders, they uncorked the potion bottles on their backs, allowing the purple liquid to spill onto the ground.
A strange herbal scent wafted through the air. As soon as the Eagle Mice inhaled the fumes, the green glow in their eyes faded, replaced by a wild red gleam of rage.
“Chii chii chii!!!”
They let out high-pitched screeches, going berserk as they thrashed about, biting into rocks and smashing through the brush as if rabid.
The moment they spotted the human soldiers of Iron Mountain, their frenzy only escalated. They charged at the soldiers recklessly, as though driven by a primal hatred.
The result was predictable—one of the Eagle Mice was instantly sliced in half by a soldier’s blade.
Though these Eagle Mice didn’t cause a major commotion.
But the Demon Lure Potion was spreading fast. Slowly but surely, more and more monsters fell under its influence.
The previously exhausted monsters suddenly seemed reinvigorated, as if injected with new life.
Their assault on the Iron Mountain forces intensified with renewed frenzy.
Even some of the deeper-dwelling monsters in Beast Forest began emerging from their hiding places, drawn to the scent.
Meanwhile, within the cavern that housed the Spatial Node, Tia, dressed in a long black gown, was leading the followers of The Nightmare Cult in setting up a vast and complex ritual. The surrounding monsters paid no attention to them, as if they were invisible.
The cavern was far larger than it appeared from the outside, easily the size of several football fields.
Every inch of the cave walls and floor was covered in intricate and ancient runes, and the entire mountain surrounding the Spatial Node had been carved with elaborate Rune Crafting sigils.
The Rune Crafting formations pulsed rhythmically, as if they were breathing, exuding an ancient and mysterious aura. At the center of the runes was a black vortex, several meters wide.
The vortex was deep and dark, like a wormhole, and seemed to harbor something terrifying within. Wisps of black demonic energy leaked from it, intensifying the frenzy in the eyes of the surrounding monsters.
Staring at the black vortex, Tia narrowed her eyes and addressed the followers of The Nightmare Cult, “We have about six hours before the image of the Hydra can break through the node’s barrier. In these six hours, I will not tolerate any mistakes. If anything goes wrong, you’ll be feeding the monsters yourselves.”
A purple-cloaked deacon of The Nightmare Cult, standing nearby, bowed respectfully and replied, “You need not worry, Lady Tia. Everything is proceeding according to your plan. The strong ones from Riverfall City are all trapped inside the Blood-Sealing Formation. There’s no way they can reach Beast Forest within the next 24 hours.”
He continued, “Furthermore, the Iron Mountain forces are being held down by the monster horde, thanks in part to the efforts of Young Lord Matthew. Without the Demon Lure Potion he and Freeman deployed, our operation wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.”
Tia smiled, a glimmer of satisfaction in her eyes. “Then let us prepare to welcome the arrival of the Demon Lord! When the Demon Lord descends, power, wealth, status, women—anything you desire—will be yours! The Dark Gods are never stingy with their faithful.”
Hearing this, the cultists’ eyes burned with fanaticism.
Placing their left hands over the snake-shaped mark on their chests, they chanted fervently, “We shall give everything for the faith!!”
Tia’s lips curved into a seductive smile, her face radiating an intoxicating charm.
Just as she was about to speak again, the monsters inside the cave began to stir restlessly. Even the Elite and Leader-level monsters showed signs of agitation, while the others rose up and began charging toward the node’s exit.
Tia frowned, glancing at the deacon beside her. “What’s happening outside?”
The deacon looked just as confused, unsure why the monsters were suddenly reacting so intensely. He quickly ordered a scout to investigate.
After a brief wait, the report came back.
The deacon let out a sigh of relief and explained to Tia, “There’s no need for concern, Lady Tia. It’s just that Matthew and Freeman, frustrated by their inability to quickly deal with the Iron Mountain forces, used another dose of the Demon Lure Potion. That’s what’s causing the commotion. Once the potion’s effects wear off, the monsters will return to normal.”
Tia frowned slightly.
Those two fools, Matthew and Freeman, couldn’t even handle the Iron Mountain forces with the help of the Demon Lure Potion and the monster horde. Worse, their actions had agitated the monsters that were supposed to guard the node.
If she had known it would turn out like this, she would have never entrusted the potion to Freeman. Perhaps she should have taken a different approach—or even dealt with the situation herself.
But now was not the time for regrets. Tia turned toward a massive tiger surrounded by flames within the cave and gave her order. “Crimson Flame Demon Tiger, you and the others go deal with those Iron Mountain soldiers. Finish them quickly.”
To everyone’s surprise, the Crimson Flame Demon Tiger, a Leader-class monster, seemed to understand her command. With a low growl, it led a group of Elite monsters out of the cave toward the battlefield.
Meanwhile, back at the Iron Mountain camp, the soldiers were still unaware of the growing danger deep within Beast Forest.
It didn’t take long after Cassman gave his order for someone to bring the Seven-Star Flowers to Luca. Surprisingly, they delivered five of them, showing just how well-stocked some of the soldiers in the Iron Mountain army were.
Cassman, barely containing his excitement, asked, “We’ve got everything you need. Now it’s all up to you. How long do you need to brew that potion?”
Without hesitation, Luca replied, “Ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes?!” Both Cassman and Catherine blinked in disbelief, thinking they must have misheard him.
Cassman, still stunned, said, “If I’m not mistaken, you’re crafting a mid-tier potion, right?”
Luca nodded, confirming it.
Cassman took a sharp breath. This was the first time he’d ever heard of someone crafting a mid-tier potion in just ten minutes!
Did Luca think mid-tier potions were as easy to make as a cup of tea?