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

Although Irving was very angry, he still maintained his composure. He merely vented a bit of frustration at Benjamin, but after that, he took the Dark Gem from Benjamin's hands.

At this point, Sophia was also aware of everything that had transpired. She hurried over to stand with Irving and Benjamin.

"I believe that Elder Howard's actions this time are not simply aimed at targeting Vicky. The benefits of just kidnapping Vicky are far too low. He might be using this as a way to set a trap for us," she suggested.

Both Benjamin and Irving nodded in agreement at the same moment. Their thoughts were completely aligned. They believed this was indeed an unmistakable trap. However, even though they understood it was a trap, they had to step into it. No one could easily abandon Vicky.

For Irving, Vicky was the most important person in his life. He had to fight to save her, no matter what. For Benjamin, Vicky was the person he was loyal to. He could never abandon his superior.

The three of them moved into a room, and Irving secured it. He was a very cautious person and suspected that they might be under surveillance. Therefore, they needed to keep this matter a secret. Once he confirmed the room was sealed, Irving began to decipher the secrets of the Dark Gem.

Soon, Irving unraveled all the secrets concealed within the Dark Gem. In truth, the secrets were not deeply hidden. Elder Howard was afraid that Irving wouldn't be able to decipher the information, so he had written down his location and intentions very clearly.

"Elder Howard has kidnapped Vicky and taken her to the Desolate Canyon. He has given us one week to reach him. If we do not arrive within that time frame, he will kill Vicky," Irving stated with a stoic expression.

Upon hearing this, Benjamin finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although Vicky had not yet been rescued, Benjamin felt that now that they knew Howard's location, their next actions should be relatively straightforward.

"I don't think we even need a week. We can set off right now. Together, we can easily defeat Elder Howard. In our previous encounters, he has never had the upper hand against us. As long as you, Irving, take action, victory is assured," Benjamin declared confidently.

However, Sophia and Irving's expressions were anything but pleasant. They both understood that there were more pressing matters at hand. Moreover, for Sophia and Irving, entering the shelter game posed even greater risks. They had already sensed that they were being watched by the Dark Overlord while investigating his information.

Once they stepped into the shelter game, the Dark Overlord might unleash powerful monsters against them.

"Why aren't you speaking? Don't you want to save the president? She has provided you with so much help in the past!" Benjamin asked, a hint of confusion creeping into his voice, mixed with a touch of anger. In his view, Vicky had been incredibly helpful to both Irving and Sophia.

He believed that Irving would surely want to rescue her, and if he wasn't taking action, it was likely due to Sophia's influence. As a result, Benjamin began to glare at Sophia.

Sophia paid no attention to Benjamin's glare; she was focused on contemplating the more critical issues at hand.

"Of course we want to save Vicky! But we don't need to rush. Howard has given us a week, and we could easily wait three more days before we make our move," Irving finally expressed after a moment of silence.

Benjamin's expression soured upon hearing this. "Why wait three days? If we waste that time, we might miss the best opportunity to rescue the president. While Howard hasn't told many lies before, he is a very cunning person. He would never actually give us a full week."

At this point, Benjamin was visibly agitated. He felt that Irving and Sophia were being too indifferent to Vicky's safety.

Sophia responded calmly to his outburst. "I think you don't need to be so anxious. The ultimate goal of kidnapping Vicky is to draw us into a trap. This means that Elder Howard is unlikely to kill her easily. We must ensure that we are fully prepared before taking action. Before that, we need to understand Elder Howard's true motives.

Why has he set a trap for us at the Desolate Canyon?"

Sophia's words gradually calmed Benjamin down. In fact, he was just as puzzled. Elder Howard could have used other means to inform them of Vicky's kidnapping. Why did he choose to be so direct and tell them she was at the Desolate Canyon? Was it possible that Elder Howard wanted to mislead their judgment through such a straightforward approach?

The Desolate Canyon had seen many events, and it contained the ruins of Shadow City. Irving and the others had previously ventured into Shadow City, where they encountered a series of dangers. They distinctly remembered a completely deranged monster lurking within its depths.

"I believe Elder Howard's objective must be related to Shadow City. Perhaps he hopes to use this conspiracy to successfully rebuild Shadow City," Irving slowly articulated after a moment of contemplation.

Benjamin nodded in agreement. He found Irving's theory to be quite reasonable. "You're right, and I recall that Shadow City was the territory of Elder Lawrence from the Night Blades. Elder Lawrence has transformed into a horrific, twisted monster. Is it possible that Howard wants us to go into the ruins of Shadow City and kill Elder Lawrence?

If we eliminate Elder Lawrence, then Elder Howard could successfully bring Shadow City under his control. Perhaps that is the true purpose behind all of this."

Irving and Benjamin's speculation was getting very close to the truth. However, they had no way of fully knowing Elder Howard's intentions. After all, everything Howard was doing was merely to mislead others. His real goal was to provide the Blood-Red Wolf Head with an opportunity for a one-on-one confrontation with Irving.

Elder Lawrence was indeed the person Howard most wanted to eliminate. However, Lawrence's soul had already been absorbed by the Blood-Red Wolf Head, which meant that Lawrence was completely dead. Without the threat of Lawrence, Elder Howard no longer needed to be in such a hurry.

"Since our thoughts align, you should not question my plan any further," Irving said calmly to Benjamin. "You should understand that when facing a trap prepared by the enemy, we must be fully prepared. That's why I need 2 to 3 days for preparation. Once that time is up, I will immediately take you all into the shelter game. At that point, we can settle the score with Elder Howard."

Irving's response left Benjamin speechless. He nodded in agreement. "Then let's proceed according to your plan. However, I must remind you that this operation needs to start as soon as possible. I suspect that the president may be facing an encroachment of dark forces. If the encroachment becomes too severe, she may not be able to revert back to being human."

Irving was well aware of the gravity of what Benjamin was saying.

Irving had encountered individuals who had suffered severe encroachments by dark forces in the past. The primary effect of the dark force's intrusion was not just a distortion of the human body, but a twisting of the human mind. Once a person was overwhelmed by the powerful dark forces, their thought processes would descend into complete madness and chaos.

Moreover, the encroachment by dark forces was nearly irreversible.

"I understand! I will take action as soon as possible! You should head back to the Ocean Group headquarters. You must ensure that there is no chaos there," Benjamin nodded and then left.

After Benjamin departed, Sophia lowered her voice and asked Irving, "I think we should act quickly. Although I believe this operation is extremely dangerous, 2 to 3 days of preparation feels a bit excessive."

Despite not having a particularly close relationship with Vicky, Sophia recognized that Vicky was a crucial figure in dealing with the threat posed by the Night Blades. If Vicky were to be eliminated by a member of the Night Blades, their subsequent actions would undoubtedly face even more complications. Explore more adventures at m,v l'-NovelFire

Irving nodded in agreement. "You're right. However, before we can proceed, I need to discuss things with the others. I'll return to the City of Warding as soon as possible. I need to talk with the members of the Angel Guild."

With that, Irving promptly left. Even though he hadn't had a proper rest for two whole days, he didn't complain. To Irving, the current situation was extremely urgent, and he needed to handle everything as quickly as possible. Only once everything was settled would he consider taking a break.

Sophia watched Irving leave, and after he disappeared from view, she sighed. "The situation looks worse than I imagined! If the stories my father told are true, the Dark Overlord could arrive at any moment. When the Dark Overlord descends, we are sure to face an even worse predicament. It's hard to imagine just how dire things will get then!"

Sophia felt an intense fear of the Dark Overlord. Although she had never seen the Dark Overlord, she had learned a great deal about him from her father and Irving. Both her father, Jony, and Irving were deeply afraid of the Dark Overlord, which in turn instilled a similar fear within Sophia herself.