We evil gods must hide.

Chapter 5 Exploring the Dungeon

I've thought about it for a long time.

Lin Qi decided to return to his lair—the temple hall—to grind his stats.

He walked back the way he came, step by step, and every corner and every protruding stone was exactly the same as in his memory.

Even though he had taken countless detours along the way, his brain was like a precise recorder, clearly recording every path he had taken.

Amazing memory!

They were cautious but returned safely.

There was no one there, no, no goblins.

The empty hall, apart from the familiar smell, had a strangely otherworldly feel to it.

The damp, stoney smell, the goblin's stench, and a hint of blood mingled together, forming the most familiar things to him since he came to this world.

It doesn't seem to smell that bad.

Lin Qi walked to the top and sat down on his stone seat.

At this time of day, the hall would normally be packed with chattering goblins, some fighting, some gnawing on bones, and some sleeping or creating goblins in the corners.

The reminder to harvest faith should constantly echo in one's mind.

But now, only cold stone walls and endless silence remain.

As Lin Qi pondered this, he slowly leaned back, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, he woke up.

The hall remained empty.

The goblins still haven't returned.

Lynch frowned.

. . .

"Did these guys move with Gudu?"

Lynch remained alone in the hall, and without the goblins to refer to, he even lost track of time.

Perhaps this is the destiny of forgetting the evil god?

But why is the burnt meat smell still in the air, and even stronger than before?

I struggled with this for a long time.

Lynch made an important decision.

A steady, consistent player needs to be well-rounded!

Explore the fog of war!

"In my current understanding, I was chased by Gudu, took many detours, and encountered the Black Knight, but now that I think about it, that bridge was directly opposite the palace gate."

"We must first draw up a general map before discussing anything else."

Having made his decision, the Forgotten Evil God embarked on his exploratory journey.

He explored outwards from the temple hall, circle by circle, marking each circle carefully. Even with extraordinary memories, he would cross-check them to ensure there were no mistakes.

However, the temple was larger than he had imagined.

As the exploration area expands, even with his physical strength, he needs to rest after just one lap.

So Lynch changed his strategy.

Using the distance of the stone bridge as a reference, all roads lead to their ends.

Sure enough, the exploration efficiency improved significantly.

According to the meticulous research of a human from Earth, a temple, apart from the core area where the statues are located, should have residences for believers, venues for holding various activities, and so on.

But after investigating, Lin Qi felt something was amiss.

As Richard said, this place does indeed seem more like a maze.

Many side roads, mechanisms, and remnants of walls have largely lost their function due to the erosion of endless years.

Many of them have become gathering places for underground organisms.

Goblins, grey dwarves, giant spiders, and many other strange creatures—Lynch also gained some forgetfulness power during his explorations.

But physical strength is ultimately limited.

Even the Forgotten Evil God was getting a little tired of it, but he still carefully and tirelessly investigated most of it.

And a clear conclusion has been reached.

No matter which direction he walks from, he will eventually reach the stone bridge where the Black Knight is.

Perhaps the Black Knight is guarding the only exit.

"This is a bit troublesome."

"Why doesn't it match Richard's diary? He always seems to run into dead ends."

"And Richard came in via a teleportation array, so what about these underground monsters? They couldn't all have come in via teleportation arrays, could they?"

"What was the purpose of building this labyrinth? Could it be to trap me, this forgotten evil god?"

While I was still trying to figure it out, another question became increasingly acute.

The smell of burning in the air.

It's getting stronger.

During his exploration, Lynch could also occasionally find scattered burn marks on the walls.

Unlike the marks left by ordinary flames, these underground black rocks were not brittle; instead, they exhibited a glassy, ​​melted texture, carrying a trace of violent residual energy.

...

"Could it be such a coincidence?"

After completing an exploration.

While drawing a mental map, Lynch made a disturbing discovery—all the new burn marks were contracting inward in a ring shape, centered on the temple hall.

The culprit behind those burnt smells seems to be exploring as well.

But the direction of their exploration was exactly the opposite of his!

The other party was approaching the main hall step by step from the outside in, getting closer and closer to him!

After a brief rest, Lin Qi made a judgment.

Given his current attributes, he has little chance of winning against an unknown being capable of driving away Gudu. Moreover, judging from the burn marks, it is likely a powerful subterranean monster like the Flame Demon, and he lacks the area-of-effect attacks of a mage.

They certainly didn't have the ability to break the stone bridge and throw it off.

The optimal solution is to avoid it.

But as soon as he stepped out of the temple hall, he sensed that something was wrong.

The temperature in the originally cold and damp underground temple has noticeably risen.

The fluorescent moss on the rock wall shrank into a ball due to the high temperature, and the faint light that could have illuminated the entire corridor was now so dim that it was almost invisible, plunging the entire corridor into semi-darkness.

"What is it that can warm up this godforsaken place?"

The evil god grew increasingly suspicious.

They became more cautious in their behavior.

"No, it's like fighting a war. I should run into a bomb crater to avoid being blown up. Yes, that's it."

Lin Qi thought to himself.

Instead of passively waiting for the other party to come to us, we should explore along its trajectory and perhaps obtain some relevant information.

Having made up his mind, he followed the pungent smell of burning.

Towards the end, you even need to hold your breath from time to time to avoid the smell getting into your nostrils.

It was a stone chamber that could be found anywhere in a temple.

According to Lin Qi's speculation, this stone chamber was probably some kind of trap designed to swindle people, but it had been there for too long and was no longer effective.

It became a nest for underground creatures.

And the creatures beneath the earth were just as he had seen.

There were more than a dozen small corpses lying haphazardly.

Each body was burned to a crisp, its limbs curled up, and its face unrecognizable.

The stone walls were covered with burn marks, and even the hard rock was burned, cracked, and melted.

The entire stone chamber was like a giant crematorium.

Lin Qi did not go in.

He simply stood at the doorway, observing from a distance.

"A goblin? It doesn't look like one."

Lin Qi muttered to himself.

Goblins are thinner and have longer limbs.

These corpses were also short, but thicker and had harder bones.

"What kind of being is this that can instantly dry out all the guys hiding here? Could it really be a fire demon?"

Whatever the cause, it must be something extremely frightening.

[The evil god Lynch is ignored by the gray dwarves, faith +1]

The sudden notification interrupted Lin Qi's steps. He looked around abruptly but found no living creatures. Realizing something was wrong, he instinctively stepped back.

clang!

A rock the size of a fist landed at his feet by a hair's breadth.

Lynch looked up.

A shadow fell from above, and two pairs of gray eyes stared at him, one with a hint of surprise and the other with some confusion.

The former seemed not to understand why Lin Qi would avoid it.

The latter was probably influenced by Lynch and didn't know what he was doing.

Name: None

Race: Gray Dwarf

[Attributes: Strength 30, Stamina 30, Agility 15, Intelligence 2, Spirit 1]

[Alliance: Lawful Evil]

[Note: The gray dwarves, driven to the outskirts of the temple by Gudu, suffered an undeserved calamity and were nearly wiped out. They now harbor hatred towards all other creatures.]

Gray dwarfs.

A classic underground race.

The two gray dwarves looked very similar, with beards even thicker than hair, knotted with a mixture of blood and dirt. Their small eyes were bloodshot as they stared intently at Lin Qi, their eyes filled with utter madness.

They muttered incomprehensible words, holding stone axes, and approached step by step.

Damn.

Lin Qi slowly backed away, his mind racing.

His advantage still lies in his strength and agility. He has little chance of winning in a head-on fight against two strong gray dwarves who can throw stones, not to mention that the unknown fire monster could come at any time following his aura or movement.

go!

Once the thought was made up, Lin Qi turned and ran.