In the distance, within the deep, dark tomb corridor.
Rona gritted her teeth, enduring the sharp pain caused by the steel needles.
She cautiously led John's Holy Knights through one “deadly” trap zone after another.
The energy fluctuations radiating from those traps were extremely dangerous.
Rona had no doubt that any single one of them was enough to tear a Transcendent Rank adventurer to shreds.
But bizarrely, they were also excessively “safe.”
Every single one was completely exposed on the surface, as if they were terrified the intruders wouldn't notice them.
The knights following behind did not suspect a thing.
They took it for granted that this was from when Rona had broken in earlier.
She must have tampered with them to ensure her own safe retreat.
But only Rona knew the truth in her heart.
She had never set foot here before!
The ruins Catherine had lured her into were not this place at all.
Even though she had turned the exact same switch, the final path led to a completely different destination.
Just who was it that had altered the final destination of the passage after her and Catherine?
Who had laid out these seemingly dangerous but actually “thoughtful” guiding traps here?
Rona forcefully suppressed the doubts swirling in her mind, not daring to let the knights behind her detect even a hint of abnormality.
No matter what purpose was harbored by the person hiding in the dark, guiding her—or rather, guiding this knight order—here...
she no longer had a choice.
At the very least... even if she died, she would drag these noble knights from the Royal Capital, who had abandoned Linno, down to the grave with her.
She harbored such a resolute thought.
She finally led the knight order to the core area of this square tomb.
The view suddenly opened up before them, revealing an extremely spacious underground hall.
There were no mountains of gold and silver treasures or glowing artifacts as they had imagined.
There were only densely packed, neatly arranged coffins, flanking the center like a silent army.
And yet, the most eye-catching thing was something else.
It was not the massive crystal sarcophagus in the center, whose lid had already been pushed open and which emitted a dazzling light from within.
Instead, it was an ordinary, run-down coffin near the entrance, its wood already decayed.
The reason it stood out was that a small mountain of skeletons was piled up all around it!
The piles of skeletons were layered on top of each other, numbering perhaps in the thousands.
All the skeletons maintained a bizarre posture of crawling forward.
Without exception, their necks were twisted at unnatural angles or even snapped.
Their hollow eye sockets stared in unison at that dilapidated coffin.
Rona was completely horrified by this scene, which was no different from a slaughterhouse.
A chill rushed from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.
She could not imagine what kind of tragic and terrifying battle could have produced such a sight.
John's Holy Knights, following closely behind, were also shocked by the scene before them.
Gorn's face was gloomy, while John furrowed his brows tightly.
Although the souls of these skeletons had long since dissipated completely, it was not difficult to deduce how powerful they had been in life from the equipment they left behind.
Gorn and John even keenly noticed several pieces of equipment scattered among the piles of bones.
They were engraved with glowing runes that could only be activated by Legendary experts, though they were now dim and lusterless!
“Where is the artifact?!” Gorn growled irritably.
His gaze swept across the entire hall like a hawk.
In the end, his eyes locked onto the opened crystal sarcophagus in the center.
“Over there! The sarcophagus has been opened!”
John also looked toward the crystal sarcophagus.
The majestic aura of the equipment faintly radiating from within was something even he could clearly feel was no ordinary item.
But this light... wasn't it a bit too dazzling?
Excited, Gorn wanted to rush forward, but John grabbed him.
“Wait,” John's voice carried an unquestionable calmness as he turned his gaze to the pale Rona. “Ladies first.”
Rona swallowed nervously. Knowing she could not refuse, she was about to steel herself and step forward.
Thud... Thud... Thud...
Heavy, dull sounds, as if someone were knocking on decaying wood, abruptly echoed in the dead silent hall!
Everyone was startled, their nerves instantly tightening!
The source of the sound was that dilapidated coffin piled high with skeletons not far ahead!
Gorn and John quickly exchanged a look.
Then they looked at the bizarre state of death of the skeletons covering the ground.
They all seemed to have been instantly cut in half or shredded by some extremely sharp weapon!
The bodies of Transcendent Rank warriors were incredibly tough; they could never be cut so cleanly and easily.
This was true even for John, who was a Mid-tier Legendary Holy Knight.
He knew he could never carry out such a clean, swift, and widespread slaughter.
Moreover, several of the skeletons belonged to Legendary experts.
John signaled with his eyes.
The entire knight order understandingly took slow steps backward in unison, forming a defensive formation.
Rona also wanted to retreat, but she was locked in place by Gorn with a steel needle ready to fire.
“You, go up!” Gorn's voice was cold and cruel.
“Draw the ‘thing’ in the coffin out!”
Rona's face was as pale as paper, but she had no choice.
She moved her steps slowly, carefully avoiding the skeletons on the ground.
Beside the skeleton of a Transcendent warrior, she picked up a scout dagger that seemed relatively intact and gripped it tightly.
Step by step, she painstakingly approached that dilapidated coffin which continuously made the thudding sound.
Sweat slid down her cheeks, dripping onto the cold skeletons.
That knocking sound felt as if it were beating directly against her heart.
Every time it sounded, it made her entire body shudder.
Behind her, Gorn continued to threaten her with his steel needles and cold glares, urging her to hurry.
Rona gritted her teeth and took a stride, finally arriving before the dilapidated coffin!
As if sensing someone's approach, the knocking sound inside the coffin abruptly ceased.
The hall fell into a dead silence.
Rona could even clearly hear the frantic drumming of her own heart.
She tremblingly stretched out her hand, her fingertips about to touch the decaying wood.
Suddenly!
Creak—
The coffin lid was suddenly pushed open from the inside, leaving a gap!
It was a slender, pale hand with a bizarre eye pattern drawn on its back.
It shot out from within like lightning, grabbing Rona's wrist in a death grip!
The dagger in her hand fell with a clatter.
Under Rona's terrified gaze, the coffin was completely pushed open from the inside out.
There was a “corpse” wearing a battered, broken helmet.
It was slowly, jerkily sitting up from inside the coffin!
The neck of the “corpse” emitted a grating, tooth-grinding creaking sound.
It sounded like laughter, yet also like bones slipping out of joint.
Rona stared at him in horror.
His two arms were clearly still hanging limply by his sides!
Where did this third hand grabbing her wrist come from?!
The “corpse's” sinister chuckling grew louder and louder.
It echoed in the spacious hall, and then abruptly stopped.
It stiffly turned its head, and the shadow beneath the broken helmet seemed to lock two gazes onto Rona.
Then, it reached deep into the coffin, pulled something out, and stuffed it into Rona's seized hand.
Rona swallowed hard and instinctively looked down.
It was a piece of... paper.
Written on the paper was...
【Recall Letter. Sender: Caran City Adventurer's Guild.】
“????”
Rona was completely dumbfounded, her mind going blank.
Just then, the terrifying “corpse” leaned close to her ear.
A voice, kept extremely low, whispered:
“If you don't want to die, hurry up and silently think ‘Accept’!”
Rona was left even more bewildered by these sudden words, which were completely inconsistent with the terrifying scene before her.
But her instinct for survival made her unconsciously do as she was told.
Accept!
The moment the thought arose, she felt the bizarre hand gripping her wrist suddenly exert force!
“Ah!”
She cried out in surprise as she was violently pulled down by a massive force, dragged directly into the dilapidated coffin.
Bang!
The coffin lid slammed shut behind her!
The surroundings returned to a dead silence once more.
Only that dilapidated coffin and the mountain of skeletons around it remained.
They silently faced the suspicious and heavily armed Holy Knights.
It happened at the exact moment Rona was dragged into the coffin and the lid closed.
An even more bizarre scene occurred.
That dilapidated wooden coffin sat there right before everyone's eyes.
Then, as if erased by an eraser, it vanished into thin air!
Leaving behind only the mountain of skeletons and a deathly silence in the hall.
The knights stared in horror at this scene that defied comprehension.
Even the well-traveled Holy Knight John felt his pupils contract in shock at this unbelievable sight.
Except for Gorn.
His face was grim.
In those sharp, hawk-like eyes, there was not a trace of confusion.
Only cold intent to kill and precise judgment remained.
He moved almost the instant the coffin vanished!
The powerful battle qi of a Low-tier Legendary archer exploded.
He forcefully drew the spare longbow in his hand, the bowstring vibrating loudly.
Ten arrows infused with terrifying piercing battle qi poured forth.
They were not aimed at where the coffin had disappeared.
Instead, they directly blanketed the entrance area of the tomb corridor!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The arrows slammed into the stone walls and the ground.
They triggered a series of violent explosions and rumbles.
Shattered stones flew everywhere, and dust filled the air.
However, one of the arrows seemed to strike something in midair.
It emitted an exceptionally dull impact sound!
Immediately after, the dust of the explosion began to settle.
Suddenly, three figures were abruptly blown out, as if squeezed out of a curtain of water.
It was Lin Gui, whose 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】 had been forcibly broken.
Alongside them was Elvia, who was heavily injured and coughing up blood after directly facing the Legendary arrow.
And Rona, who had just completed the “acceptance” and was still unconscious!
This sudden turn of events not only shocked the Holy Knights, but also sent a violent tremor through Lin Gui's heart!
Since binding with the system, this was the first time the Shroud of the Gloomy Night had been exposed!
It was also the third time the Shroud of the Gloomy Night had been exposed since Lin Gui created it.
The system notification in his mind—【Special Commission completed, distributing rewards...】—had not even fully finished playing.
Without time to check, Lin Gui roared at Elvia.
“El!! Quick! Contingency plan!”
The contingency plan was something Lin Gui had prepared for several possible accidents before entering the square tomb.
And the exposure of the Shroud of the Gloomy Night was the absolute worst-case scenario.
It happened almost at the exact moment he spoke.
Elvia, who stood at the very front, instinctively raised a heavy shield she had picked up to block the arrows.
She felt an indescribable, massive force violently crash against her shield!
Crack! Bang!
That shield of decent quality instantly shattered into pieces!
Elvia felt as if she had been struck by a massive boulder, her entire body flying backward.
The blood spraying from her mouth drew a striking red line in the air.
Fortunately, the terrifying arrow did not pierce through her, as she managed to redirect the force to the side.
“Make me float!” she screamed at Lin Gui as she flew backward.
Lin Gui rapidly tapped his staff.
The light of 【Levitation】 instantly enveloped Elvia.
It neutralized most of the impact force.
Elvia forced herself to take a deep breath.
She kicked off the ceiling of the tomb corridor with both feet.
She used the momentum to twist her body.
The sword in her hand erupted with an unprecedented, dazzling golden light.
It illuminated her blood-stained face like a descending Valkyrie.
“Holy Light Slash!!”
She shouted in anger.
She poured all her remaining battle qi into this single strike.
It formed a highly condensed golden sword qi, seemingly capable of tearing through the darkness.
It slashed toward Gorn, who was raising his bow once more.
Bizarrely, the moment the blade left its scabbard, it vanished instantly.
Lin Gui took the opportunity to manipulate his staff and rush forward.
With one hand, he caught the heavily injured and weakened Elvia, while with the other, he scooped up the unconscious Rona.
Pushing 【Levitation】 to its absolute limit, he fled for his life toward the exit of the tomb corridor without looking back!
Behind them, Gorn let out a cold snort.
He sensed several slender entities shifting through the tomb corridor within his sea of consciousness.
He drew his bow again, locking onto his prey once more.
His bowstring was drawn nearly to its limit.
Suddenly, a golden sword qi appeared right before his face without any warning.
Gorn's pupils shrank.
He possessed the supreme reflexes of a Legendary archer.
This allowed him to violently twist his body aside in the nick of time!
Slash!
The sword qi grazed past his shoulder armor.
It cleaved a deep gash into the hard stone wall behind him!
Looking at the cut, a rare look of disbelief and daze appeared on Gorn's face.
“When did...?!”
“Why couldn't I sense even a shred of battle qi?”
The sword qi appearing out of thin air was far beyond his expectations.
It was as if he had seen a ghost.
“What happened?!” John and the others only fully reacted now, rushing forward.
“We've been played by a few petty thieves!” Gorn's face was livid.
He stopped overthinking the bizarre scene that had just occurred.
Without offering much explanation, his figure blurred.
He rushed into the tomb corridor like a gust of wind, pursuing the direction of Lin Gui's escape!
A Mid-tier High Rank mage and a High-tier High Rank knight actually dared to snatch away his prey right under his nose?!
Letting them escape would be the ultimate insult to Gorn!
However, Gorn had barely charged into the tomb corridor when a sudden change occurred.
Rumble...!
The entire square tomb suddenly shook violently!
The stone walls on both sides made a grating friction sound and began to slowly close inward!
They were on the ground, on the walls, and on the ceiling...
Countless previously unrevealed traps radiating truly lethal auras appeared.
They popped out from their hiding spots and activated!
Poisoned arrows, falling rocks, ground spikes, warped arcane traps...
They instantly transformed the once “safe” passage into a maze of death!
Seeing this, the other members of the knight order turned pale with fright. No longer caring about anything else, they hurriedly prepared to follow Gorn.
But they were stopped by John.
John said in a calm tone,
“No need to chase. I took a look just now, and those thieves playing tricks are extremely weak.”
“Besides, that is Gorn's own prey. If you want to disturb his hunt, feel free.”
Hearing this, the other members shook their heads repeatedly.
Disturbing that lunatic's hunt? They still wanted to live for a few more years.
“But, Commander, the traps have been activated, and the square tomb is about to collapse. If we don't leave now, we'll be buried alive.”
Knight John looked speechlessly at the mage who had asked the question.
“Do you think my Legendary strength is just for show?”
“Even if this entire tomb collapses, it's still better than trying to brave those traps. Before it completely caves in, hurry up and search for valuable treasures.”
“That old geezer of a King won't last long without the Umbral Tree Flower. Soon, this battle for the crown will reach its end.”
He ordered his subordinates to quickly search for valuables in the mausoleum.
Meanwhile, he walked over to the stone sarcophagus in the center.
Looking forward with excitement, he saw that the sarcophagus was entirely filled with dazzling... magic glowstones.
John barely held back a curse. He was just about to leave when something caught his attention.
A movement came from inside the sarcophagus, causing John to freeze.
He sensed a faint, lingering aura of an artifact.
Hurrying back to the sarcophagus, he saw that a few scattered magic glowstones had revealed a glimpse of a sword blade beneath them.
John was instantly overjoyed. The light-element magic emitted by the magic glowstones was naturally capable of masking the lingering aura of an artifact.
He had almost been fooled.
John excitedly reached his hand inside. However, he could not see what was happening deep within the sarcophagus.
A black eye illustration silently watched this scene unfold.
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