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

The interior of the castle was eerily dark; aside from the faint sunlight that filtered through the narrow windows, there was no other source of light within. Aron and Benjamin had to stay closely behind Elder Astra to ensure they wouldn't get lost.

Astra led them deeper into the castle until they finally arrived at a spacious hall located at its depths.

"Why have you brought us here? What do you want to say?" Aron asked Astra in a confrontational tone.

Astra did not respond immediately; instead, he slowly walked over to a long table at the far end of the hall.

"I have a lot to say, and it won't be possible to finish in a short time. So I hope both of you can sit down and listen to everything I have to say," Elder Astra said as he gradually took a seat, smiling at Aron and Benjamin.

Aron and Benjamin felt somewhat uneasy. They were certainly wary of Elder Astra. However, since they had already entered the castle, they decided to hear what Astra wanted to discuss.

Aron and Benjamin sat down at the table, directly across from Astra.

"You must have felt the powerful dark energy present in this hall, right?" Astra began, once they were seated.

Aron and Benjamin nodded. They had sensed a certain level of dark energy upon entering the castle, and it became even more pronounced in the hall, making them feel increasingly alert.

"The strong dark energy here is not meant to target you. I have gathered this dark energy simply to ensure that I am not affected by the power of the blood moon," Astra explained in a somewhat serious tone.

Astra's words left Aron and Benjamin quite confused. In their view, since Sophia had been sealed, the blood moon power should not pose a significant threat to anyone else.

Astra cleared his throat twice.

"I know what you're thinking. You must believe that with Sophia sealed, there's no need to worry about the threat of the blood moon power. But I must tell you, you are mistaken."

At this point, Astra snapped his fingers.

Slowly, a pinkish painting appeared on one of the hall's walls. The painting depicted a large number of werewolves gathered at an unknown location. Although these werewolves had not gained the powerful blood moon power, they were still capable of posing a significant threat to others.

Aron and Benjamin looked toward the painting, their expressions growing more serious.

"The blood moon power has not been completely sealed. You have only barely managed to control Sophia. I have even encountered the erosion of the blood moon power myself," Astra stated, delivering the shocking revelation that left Aron and Benjamin reeling.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Aron and Benjamin's gazes were fixed intently on Elder Astra. It didn't take long for them to notice the signs of blood moon power's erosion on him.

"Is the erosion of the blood moon power on you due to your battle with Sophia?" Aron asked, frowning as he looked at Astra.

Astra nodded.

"You're correct. It was during the battle in Starling City that I encountered the erosion of the blood moon power." Astra was not lying; he indeed had faced the blood moon power's erosion during the fight in Starling City.

Astra's response increased Aron and Benjamin's trust in him a bit more.

"So, you brought us to the castle to collaborate with us against the blood moon power? Or do you want to obtain a method to resolve the blood moon power's erosion from us?" Benjamin followed up with another question for Astra.

Astra's expression showed a hint of hesitation. After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke.

"I do wish to obtain a method to resolve the blood moon power's erosion from you. However, I suspect you don't have the necessary solutions either. So, I brought you here simply to join forces against the blood moon power.

In the world of the shelter game, there are still many areas that retain powerful blood moon energy. We can only significantly reduce the dangers posed by the blood moon power if we eliminate all that residual energy."

Astra finally revealed his fabricated intention. Prior to this statement, everything he had said had been the truth. He shared those truths to gain Aron and Benjamin's trust. Now that he had their trust, it was time to deceive them.

Aron and Benjamin didn't detect any issues with Astra's words. They both nodded in agreement.

"You're right. If your goal is indeed to eliminate the residual blood moon power in the shelter game world, then we can naturally collaborate with you."

Aron's tone had softened considerably. He genuinely believed that he could work with Elder Astra now.

Astra's face broke into a bright smile.

"Excellent! I have actually located the area with the strongest blood moon power within the shelter game world. It is in the ruins of the Abyss of Death."

Upon hearing about the Abyss of Death ruins, both Aron and Benjamin's expressions turned slightly hesitant. They were well aware of what had recently occurred in the Abyss of Death. They also understood that it was quite normal for residual blood moon power to linger there.

However, both of them felt a certain fear regarding the Abyss of Death. They exchanged glances, both feeling that venturing to the ruins of the Abyss of Death was unwise.

Astra noticed the silent exchange of glances between Aron and Benjamin.

Elder Astra smiled.

"I understand that the ruins of the Abyss of Death are filled with dangers. So if you choose to refuse, I can understand that," Astra said, hoping to gain Aron and Benjamin's trust through this approach.

At this moment, Aron was very conflicted. On one hand, he had not fully trusted Elder Astra, and on the other, he felt that completely eliminating the dangers posed by the blood moon power was far more important.

In his state of deep contemplation, Aron did not provide any response.

Benjamin, however, did not share Aron's level of internal conflict. He held little animosity toward the Night Blades or Elder Astra. For Benjamin, among all the Night Blades' elders, only Elder Seville had posed a significant threat to him. However, since Elder Seville had been thoroughly killed, he felt there was no need to be overly hostile towards the other Night Blades' elders.

Yet, Benjamin did not directly express his stance. He was waiting for Aron to make the final decision.

When Aron and Benjamin were preparing to enter the shelter game world, Irving had advised them that when faced with a difficult decision, Aron would be the one to ultimately make the call.

After a quiet moment of waiting, during which Astra and Benjamin remained silent, Aron finally spoke slowly.

"We will act with you. However, before we begin, we must establish a contract. I do not want you to suddenly betray us during the fight."

Aron stated his condition.

Elder Astra responded without hesitation.

"Not a problem! As long as you are willing to work with me, I can certainly establish a contract with you. I am also quite concerned that you might betray me during the fight."

Elder Astra quickly proposed a contract.

The contents of the contract were actually quite simple. Both parties needed to go to the ruins of the Abyss of Death and battle their common enemies there. During the course of the fight, neither side could suddenly betray the other.

Once the contract was signed, Aron turned to Elder Astra and said flatly, "Under normal circumstances, I would never trust you. The only reason I am willing to cooperate is that the power of the blood moon poses a significant threat to me."

Elder Astra nodded. "I feel the same way; I do not trust you either."

Benjamin quietly observed Aron and Elder Astra from the side.

Initially, Benjamin had thought that once they entered the castle, they would undoubtedly face great dangers. However, the outcome so far seemed to suggest that his concerns were somewhat unfounded.

Thus, Benjamin felt that the upcoming actions would likely proceed smoothly.

"When do we set off?" Benjamin asked Aron and Elder Astra.

Aron and Elder Astra exchanged glances. Finally, Elder Astra spoke. "If you're ready, we can leave right now. If you're not prepared, I can give you a day to get ready. You can return to the real world and bring your most powerful weapons."

Elder Astra's words reassured Aron and Benjamin even more. In their view, if the upcoming mission were a trap set by Elder Astra, he wouldn't provide them with much preparation time.

Aron responded straightforwardly. "We can leave right now! We were already prepared for battle before entering the shelter game world!"

Elder Astra was very pleased. "In that case, let's set off! Although the ruins of the Abyss of Death aren't too far from here, the path has become quite treacherous."

Thus, Elder Astra finally achieved his objective. He successfully deceived Aron and Benjamin with his half-truths.

Although he had signed a contract with Aron, Elder Astra had set a trap within that contract. He only mentioned that he would fight alongside Aron against their common enemy. However, if there were no common enemy in the ruins of the Abyss of Death, his actions would naturally face no restrictions.

Elder Astra had already begun to think about how to use Benjamin and Aron to threaten Irving. For Elder Astra, simply eliminating Benjamin and Aron wouldn't provide him with a significant advantage. It was by leveraging Benjamin and Aron to threaten Irving that he could gain substantial power.