Chapter 159 – Isrolya: Huh?

This spatial gate differed from the Secret Realm Gate, lacking any membrane-like barrier. It was simply a powerful forced connection between two locations.

After crossing through the gate, the Skeleton Generals and vengeful spirits—already drilled for days by Deadbone—quickly fell into formation.

The Generals wielded silver-grey greatswords and were equipped with thick shields, while the vengeful spirits attached themselves one-to-one to the Generals, ready to deliver righteous ambushes when necessary.

Naturally, the Skeleton Generals’ equipment was no longer simple standard-issue gear.

—The Undead General was deeply dissatisfied with the ‘General-tier armor.’ Firstly, standard equipment wasn’t durable; after a few intense battles at the Professional Tier, the armor would be nearly destroyed.

Secondly, aside from being subpar, it was also excessively flashy. The two vividly carved skulls on the shoulder plates were like beacons in the dark or the most conspicuous figure in a crowd, as if fearing they wouldn’t stand out enough.

At the Undead General’s request, Master Li forged new +3 tier armor for the Generals.

Master Li was more knowledgeable about how to craft armor that was more suitable, durable, and powerful, so the Undead General didn’t interfere. It had only one demand.

Low-key, low-key, and low-key.

Of course, low-key didn’t mean pretending to be weak.

Now, the Skeleton Generals resembled grey iron cans—clearly not to be trifled with at a glance, but far less flashy.

Deadbone stood at the forefront of the formation, gazing into the distance.

Lord Mu also conducted low-altitude reconnaissance via the tool falcon (forgotten in the previous chapter, now brought along).

The Wicked City was still several kilometers away, surrounded by desolation with no monsters in sight. It seemed this was a low-risk area or a ‘civilized zone.’

In the distance, outside the Wicked City, figures could be seen from afar.

Great Goblins, Gnolls, Lancers, barbarians, Jiangshi.

Not monsters, but players’ troop types, as these burly units were all clad in fine armor. The large, originally bare or minimally clad Great Goblins were now armed to the teeth, resembling mobile fortresses.

“Players, and quite a few at that. At a glance, I can tell they’re all veteran players,”

Mu Yuan murmured.

In the past, encountering veteran players would have made him frown and order a retreat of a thousand meters.

No matter how talented a newcomer was, the developmental gap of years or even over a decade was hard to bridge.

But now, the Tianyuan Territory had grown strong. Even if ordinary veteran players had ill intentions, they couldn’t cause much trouble.

“Still, it’s unclear where this is. Even the sharp eyes of the Storm War Falcon struggle to spot the players themselves.”

“After all, experienced veterans are experts at hiding—either tucked away in obscure corners or concealed among their own troops.”

“Let’s move out. No need to detour. It seems there are quite a few player adventurers in the Wicked City. We should hurry.”

Feeling somewhat pressed for time, Mu Yuan instructed Deadbone.

“Understood, my Lord.”Deadbone’s deep voice echoed through the mental link.”

It then adjusted the formation, advancing swiftly in an ‘arrow formation.’ The Undead General took the lead, with Skeleton Generals fanning out diagonally on both sides. Red Robe, Rakshasa, Isloria, Seventeen, and Dolai positioned themselves in the center of the squad.

Three Camera Falcons maintained low-altitude flight, closely following the team.Before long, the Wicked City shrouded in gray-black mist drew near.

The interior was dimly lit, with an environment somewhat similar to the dungeons they had previously conquered. However, shadows writhed like flowing water, and eyes occasionally opened within the black mist, creating an eerie and inexplicable atmosphere.

Just beyond the shadowy boundary of the city, numerous player squads cast wary glances at Deadbone and his companions, their expressions filled with apprehension.

No one approached.

After all, this was the wilderness—a lawless land where chance encounters between players naturally bred caution.

Deadbone’s squad paused briefly outside the city, seemingly intending, like other players, to observe the situation within the Wicked City.

In reality, Lord Mu wished to gather information from the surroundings.

At his mental command, Isloria immediately employed a minor spell, capable of subtly manipulating the wind to carry whispers from within several hundred meters to her ears.

Additionally, Isloria appeared to master other remarkable spells such as ‘Water Mirror Technique’ and ‘Telescope Technique.’

Of course, these were merely minor spells, ineffective in the heat of battle or in environments with chaotic elemental particles.

Under her delicate control, fragmented pieces of information drifted into her ears and were relayed to Lord Mu through the Isloria-brand repeater.

“Giant Amber City?”

From the exchanges of fellow players, Mu Yuan picked up this frequently mentioned term.

However, he was unfamiliar with this city.

Soon, another city name drifted in.

“West Ridge City?”

This was a name the erudite Lord Mu recognized—he had previously memorized all the major city names of the Taixuan Alliance, and West Ridge City was among them.

Its location, though not entirely on the periphery of human civilization, marked the border of the Taixuan Alliance.

Separated from the Divine Radiance Empire by a vast wilderness, the two stood facing each other from afar.

This area was likely part of that wilderness region. Yet, it was not devoid of territories; many Blue Star towns still existed here. However, as they remained unaffiliated with any faction, the area gradually evolved into a buffer zone—a no-man’s-land between Taixuan and Divine Radiance.

Giant Amber City was presumably a major city standing within this region.

He had heard that the black market here was quite prosperous.

Many wanted player fugitives had also fled into this area.

“This region indeed teems with active players, which is why the emergence of this eerie and mysterious city has attracted so many squads to explore it. For players, such ancient cities are almost synonymous with treasure troves and opportunities, especially one that appeared so suddenly.

“But they clearly don’t realize that the Wicked City has no connection to any treasure emergence; it’s merely the result of Mu Someone accepting a Hero mission.

“No, I shouldn’t outright claim that the Wicked City holds no treasures. Isloria and the others haven’t explored this city extensively. But regardless of whether treasures exist, for me, rescue remains the top priority.”

Deadbone began leading the team inside.

The moment they stepped into the Wicked City’s domain, their vision darkened considerably, and eerie, unsettling sounds echoed from various parts of the city, sending chills down one’s spine.

Though Isloria wasn’t afraid of these strange noises, as soon as she entered the Wicked City, memories flooded back, and she couldn’t help but grow tense, her fingers gripping her staff so tightly it seemed they might leave imprints.

For Red Robe, Rakshasa, and the others, however, entering this place felt like returning home.

No matter how dark the Wicked City was, could it possibly be darker than the Skull Graveyard?

Red Robe was someone who slept among grave mounds every day.

“Lord Mu asks, do you have a general direction?”

“…Yes.”Isloria focused for a moment before speaking with uncertainty, “There seems to be an intuition, as if guided by fate, telling us to go in this direction.”

…

Clack, clack, clack.

The Skeleton Generals’ combat boots struck the ground, their heels making crisp sounds against the brick and stone.

Deadbone frowned inwardly.

It was too loud.

But the Skeleton Generals had long been trained by him to control their noise while moving, and the soles of their boots had been specially treated at his request. In theory, this shouldn’t be happening…

It was because the surroundings were too silent. Just moments ago, eerie sounds had been echoing continuously through the Wicked City.

“Be on guard.”

It drew its sword and scanned the surroundings. The drifting black fog, hanging oppressively low, seemed to conceal some man-eating monster.

Eyes—eyes abruptly opened within the fog.

Like a pale eyeball suddenly appearing, its gaze fixed unnervingly on the group.

Then came the second, the third, the fourth… Dozens, then hundreds of pale eyeballs emerged and opened one after another, as if a dense horde of monsters were about to surge out from the black fog.

But that wasn’t the case.

This was a monster composed of black sludge and shadows, its body covered with hundreds of eyes.

Isloria didn’t recognize this monster either. The creatures in the Wicked City always took on varied forms, as if pieced together from mismatched parts.

However,

She could keenly discern that this “Shadow Pupil” was undoubtedly at the Elite level—a troublesome monster that was using the power of the black fog to subtly trap them.

To encounter such a formidable monster so soon after entering the Wicked City was rather unfortunate.

She tightened her grip on her staff, preparing to strike.

After all, the Undead General was Tianyuan’s strongest fighter and needed to conserve energy for powerful foes. Dolai’s fighting style was too disruptive. To quickly eliminate this obstructing monster, she would have to take the lead while the others provided support.

Yet, Deadbone chose to send Rakshasa into battle.

“Perhaps it’s a test.”

“Indeed, it’s said that the Undead General has inherited the Lord’s cautious spirit. Testing the waters before fully committing is only reasonable.”

“But didn’t Rakshasa just reach the Elite level last night?”

Isloria thought to herself.

The eye monster suddenly let out a piercing shriek, and gray beams shot out from its pale pupils. Even from a distance, Isloria felt her thoughts grow sluggish, her body as heavy as if sinking into mud.

At the same time, the eye monster extended numerous black tendrils, their tips sharpened into gleaming black spikes. Dozens of them thrust downward simultaneously, forming an inescapable net and slicing through the air with a sharp whistling sound.

Pupil Beam Slow!

Shadow Spike Strike!

The killing techniques of this Shadow Pupil monster were too vicious and treacherous. Under such circumstances, a normal Elite-level expert would likely be pierced full of holes within two rounds.

But,

The shadows only struck a cloud of gray-brown smoke. Moving faster than Isloria’s eyes could follow, Rakshasa had already appeared beside the shadow monster, his spear dancing like a dragon as he thrust repeatedly—whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

A series of dull, firecracker-like explosions erupted one after another. The terrifying eyes covering the shadow monster burst open with sickening pops, leaving behind sunken gray-white hollows oozing with pale fluid.

Yet the shadow monster’s shrieks grew even more piercing, its tendrils flailing wildly, its vitality astonishingly tenacious.Rakshasa frowned and swiftly retreated over a dozen meters away, his back slightly arched as muscles bulged like gnarled tree roots. Brown Evil Dragon Force patterns spread along his muscle fibers, suddenly coming alive as they writhed continuously across his upper body. A thunderclap abruptly echoed between heaven and earth.

“Evil Dragon Force!”

He growled low, his soul-form body emitting crackling sounds of tendons and bones trembling. He thrust forward in a straight line, delivering an ultimate spear thrust.

The Evil Dragon Force patterns flew along the spear tip, intertwining with the unleashed Evil Dragon Force to form a roaring evil dragon that violently struck the still-struggling eye-shadow creature.

Like a needle popping a bubble.

The shadow creature’s entire body swelled before exploding with a thunderous boom, transforming into countless splashes of black mud, leaving only slowly precipitating, glittering Soul Sand behind.

The shadow creature had been killed in one strike.

The dispersed Evil Dragon Force swarmed back, transforming into brown patterns that reattached to Rakshasa’s body.

Isloria, still gripping her staff with her thoughts seemingly frozen two seconds earlier, blinked in confusion.

“Huh?”

It’s over already?

One more chapter coming soon

(End of chapter)