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

As before, once the dire wolves and the giant spider were defeated, they yielded no loot. This indicated that these monsters were merely illusory projections summoned by Elder Lawrence.

"Elder Lawrence must be nearby; otherwise, he wouldn\'t be able to control so many illusory projections," Anna stated decisively after the battle concluded.

Even though Anna was not particularly skilled in direct combat, she excelled in assessing the types and characteristics of summoned creatures. The monsters they had just faced were not ordinary summons. The power of those creatures clearly derived from Elder Lawrence himself.

Irving immediately agreed with Anna\'s assessment. "You\'re right; I also believe Elder Lawrence is somewhere around us. But he certainly won\'t make it easy for us to find him."

No sooner had Irving spoken than his expression changed dramatically.

"Spread out quickly!" he shouted at the group, simultaneously shoving Wendy forcefully away from him.

Aron, Anna, Benjamin, and Nick all reacted swiftly. Only Wendy, still suspended in mid-air, was trying to comprehend the situation.

Before she could even touch the ground, a deafening explosion erupted from the spot where the group had just been standing. Wendy caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye and suddenly saw Elder Lawrence materializing in that very location.

"I told you before, there is absolutely no way for you to escape my pursuit," Elder Lawrence declared, his condition significantly improved compared to before. He had fully restored his power to its peak state.

With Lawrence\'s appearance, a multitude of monster projections also manifested around him.

"Although you have a large number of people, I know that only two of you can truly make a difference: Irving and Aron!" Elder Lawrence named them directly, and immediately, the projections of numerous monsters surged toward Irving and Aron.

Despite Irving quickly summoning the Staff of Calamity, he found it impossible to repel all the monster projections in such a short time. Nearby, Aron was also locked in a fierce battle, struggling to fend off the attacks.

Seeing this, Anna and Nick made a quick decision to launch an assault on Elder Lawrence himself. Anna produced her most precious item, transforming herself into a pink shadow. This pink figure swiftly glided toward Elder Lawrence.

Elder Lawrence didn\'t even glance at the pink shadow that Anna had transformed into. Just as the pink figure got very close to him, Lawrence conjured a massive projection of a Devourer right beside him. The Devourer opened its enormous mouth and consumed the pink shadow, engulfing it completely.

At the same time, Nick effortlessly leaped behind Elder Lawrence, brandishing his poisoned dagger and lunging it fiercely toward the elder. Lawrence made no attempt to evade, and the poisoned dagger stabbed directly into his waist.

"The venom on my dagger is extremely potent. You won\'t be able to hold out for long, and there\'s no antidote for this poison," Nick exclaimed triumphantly, quickly retreating back to Benjamin\'s side and smugly addressing Elder Lawrence.

"You haven\'t succeeded! The figure standing there isn\'t the real Elder Lawrence! You\'ve been deceived!" Aron\'s voice rang out from a short distance away.

Upon hearing this, the smile on Nick\'s face quickly vanished. He realized he needed to move to a safer position. However, before he could reach Aron and Irving, the projection of Lawrence appeared right next to him. The projection extended its left hand and slapped Nick hard across the face.

Under normal circumstances, projections couldn\'t harm physical beings. However, Elder Lawrence possessed a unique ability.

He could allow his projection to attack physical beings. Caught completely off guard, Nick was knocked to the ground with a single slap.

"You truly overestimate yourself. Such a despicable sneak attack could never succeed. My goal is to eliminate all of you, and it starts with you!" Elder Lawrence\'s projection rapidly rose, extending numerous black tentacles from its form. These black tendrils swiftly ensnared Nick, binding him tightly.

Seeing this, Benjamin and Wendy, who were not far from Nick, immediately launched their attacks on Elder Lawrence. However, their efforts were utterly ineffective; their strikes passed right through Lawrence\'s projection, hitting the ground behind it instead.

"What\'s going on? Why can\'t we hit Elder Lawrence?!" Benjamin exclaimed, astonished. He also sensed that the battle was shifting in an unacceptable direction for them.

Benjamin quickly sought help from Irving. "Can you tell us how to deal with Elder Lawrence\'s projection? We\'re out of ideas on how to counter him."

Hearing Benjamin\'s plea, Irving defended against the onslaught of numerous monster projections while taking stock of the battle situation. Anna\'s attack had completely failed, and she was now fully under Lawrence\'s control. Although Nick had not been killed by Lawrence, he had lost all ability to fight back.

Although Benjamin and Wendy were temporarily safe, they found themselves unable to contribute anything meaningful to the battle. At this point, Irving realized that he could only rely on his own strength to escape this dire situation.

With a resolute determination, Irving seized his Staff of Calamity and swung it fiercely at the monstrous entities before him. One fireball after another erupted from the staff and hurtled toward the horde of creatures. While the fireballs conjured by the Staff of Calamity were undeniably powerful, their force diminished significantly when striking the projections of the monsters.

Irving did not harbor any illusions that his attacks would bring swift success; his primary aim was simply to buy himself some additional time through this tactic. After temporarily repelling the nearby monster projections, Irving slammed the Staff of Calamity forcefully into the ground. He then began to tap into the power of the Taikoo Flame Pearl that resided within him.

The Taikoo Flame Pearl, born from the depths of the shelter game, could unleash its full potential within that very realm. The immense energy of the Taikoo Flame Pearl not only amplified Irving\'s strength but also triggered violent tremors in the ground around him, causing chunks of earth to collapse and fall away.

"You want to achieve your goals? Your true opponent is me! You can only realize your ambitions by defeating me!" Irving shouted coldly in the direction of Elder Lawrence.

Elder Lawrence\'s projection cast a cold, scrutinizing glance at Irving, revealing that he had no intention of abandoning his plan to strangle Nick. However, as he watched the ground continue to collapse, a flicker of anxiety crossed Lawrence\'s features.

"What have you done? Why is the ground around us constantly giving way? Don\'t you realize how critical this place is for all of us? To reach the Abyss of Death, we must traverse the Desolate Canyon. And the area we are currently in is a part of that canyon. If the entire ground collapses, there will be no pathway left leading to the Abyss of Death!"

Upon hearing Elder Lawrence\'s urgent words, Irving replied coldly, "If I can indeed sever the connection between your Night Blades and the Abyss of Death, then even if our plan fails utterly this time, I would still deem it a worthwhile endeavor."

After saying this, Irving focused all of his energy, fully unleashing the power of the Taikoo Flame Pearl. The tremors beneath them intensified, and the collapsing ground increased dramatically.

Elder Lawrence, unable to maintain his composure any longer, violently hurled Nick away. Without hesitation, he charged at Irving with lightning speed.

Lawrence\'s actions played directly into Irving\'s hands, as he had hoped that Lawrence would fixate his attacks on him, thus sparing the others from greater peril.

Irving was brimming with confidence, convinced that he would not be easily defeated in his confrontation with Elder Lawrence. The projection of Lawrence collided with the aura generated by Irving\'s use of the Taikoo Flame Pearl, resulting in a sudden and violent explosion. Before anyone could react, the surrounding ground was violently shattered by the blast.

The entire landscape plummeted into an unknown underground area. Both Irving and Elder Lawrence found themselves locked in a struggle as they fell into the depths of the Desolate Canyon. Meanwhile, the others landed in different places: Aron and Anna fell together, while Nick and Benjamin ended up in another location. Wendy was the unluckiest of all, as she fell alone into an uncharted region.

During the fall, everyone hoped to rely on their own strength to remain conscious. However, both Irving and Elder Lawrence ultimately found it impossible to maintain awareness, losing consciousness after just a few seconds of descent.

Time passed—how long, they could not tell—until Irving gradually began to regain his senses. He suddenly realized he was in a cavern, next to a gently flowing river. Not far from the riverbank lay Elder Lawrence.

The moment Irving spotted Lawrence, he quickly regained his focus. He resolved to take the initiative and eliminate his opponent while he was still unconscious.