The next day.
After a full nightâs sleep, Lin Xun felt completely refreshed and full of energy.
That black-silk beauty of a superior would likely be running around like a headless chicken today, but he didnât have to clock in for workâso he happily stayed in bed playing his game.
The Book of Salvation, activate!
Soul Strength had recovered to 2/2, and the Yellow-Robed Bishop Shell was still intactâno need to reshape it. That meant he effectively had two lives to burn.
The entire Castle Region in the game had already been fully explored, with no areas left unchecked.
Lin Xun, controlling the Yellow-Robed Bishop, made his way back to where his journey had begunâthe White Moon Church.
At the churchâs crossroads, the familiar options reappeared.
Heâd already explored the tower to the east and the castle to the north. To the west, to the right of the church, was a dead-end filled with ruins. And straight ahead to the southâŠ
[South of the Church: In the distance lies a barren road, where a âCorrupted Subspecies Sea Dragonâ blocks the path. A glimpse of its exposed scales and limbs outside the ruinâs shadows reveals its massive size. With every movement, the ground quakes and crimson shockwaves ripple through the air.]
Lin Xun pondered. He had just obtained a Level 32 Shell the previous night. Wouldnât fighting the Sea Dragon Boss with that Shell be practically guaranteed?
Sure, the bloodied Engineer had been one-shot by the Yellow-Robed Bishopâs skill last nightâbut in full health, the Engineer wouldâve annihilated the Bishop. The level gap was just too big.
But on second thought, the Engineerâs Shell had way less potential compared to the Bishop.
Giving the enormous experience reward from the Boss to the Engineer would mean the Yellow-Robed Bishop wouldnât get to level upâa tough sacrifice to make.
He needed to think long-term. He couldnât sacrifice growth just for temporary convenience.
Besides, it was daytime right now. Donât forgetâShells not aligned with the Blood Sun faction would go insane and die if exposed to sunlight.
Lin Xun made up his mind. He blew the horn to summon his warhorse and selected the southbound option!
[You begin your journey to the south.]
[You arrive at the end of the road. A colossal figure blocks your wayâŠ]
[Its body is mountainous in size. Patches of decaying flesh show through its shedding, mottled scales. Hooked fangs line its gaping maw. Its fin-shaped limbs are thick and muscular. Its enormous tail smashes craters into the ground with each swing.]
[The âCorrupted Subspecies Sea Dragonâ has noticed your presence. Crimson eyes lock onto youâŠ]
[What will you do?]
[1. Shout âWhat are you looking at?!â then charge in on your warhorse and stab its rear with your dragon-slaying staff-spear.]
[2. Kneel and beg, âGreat Dragon King, Iâve brought you a sacrifice,â and smile slyly as you offer your Turkoman Bloodhorse as a snack.]
[3. Raise your staff-spear, cast âCorrupt Sunlight,â then flee while shouting, âHahaha~ canât catch me!â]
ââŠCan I just choose none of these?â
Lin Xun stared at the three options, squinting at the textârealizing that every line practically screamed âDEATH.â
With a sigh, he resorted to the process of elimination.
Option 2 was out immediately. In a game this hellishly dark, begging would probably make him the snack.
Option 1 wasnât viable either. Setting aside how suicidal it was for a mage to go meleeâeven if he switched to the Paladin of Discipline for a charge attack, if the Boss didnât die in one hit, heâd just be delivering himself on a platter.
Anyway, with the Yellow-Robed Bishop, he had two lives. If it really couldnât be beaten, he could always wait until night and switch to the Engineer.
And besides, he had the Thunder Dragon Staff-Spear, a weapon specifically made for slaying dragons. What was there to fear?!
Resolved, Lin Xun selected the third option.
[Brave Apostle, you raise your staff-spear and begin chanting a spellâŠ]
[The âCorrupted Subspecies Sea Dragonâ watches you with puzzlement, not understanding what the little creature is doing.]
[A flash of red lightâŠ]
[Corrupt Sunlight strikes the Sea Dragonâs massive headâblood sprays!]
[It roars in fury, opening its foul, gaping maw, where a dangerous red glow gathersâŠ]
[Knowing youâre outmatched, you decide to flee. Where to?]
[1. The White Moon Church behind you.]
[2. The bloodstained tower to the east.]
[3. The ruins of the Clocktower to the west.]
The screen turned blood red and began to shake violentlyâthe choice was clearly timed.
Lin Xun had no time to think and reflexively picked the safest optionâthe White Moon Church.
[You flee on horseback toward the White Moon Church, not daring to look back.]
[After a mad dash, you arrive at the church door. You stumble off your horse and even slam the doors shut behind you.]
Lin Xun let out a long breath.
Heâd just go out again, toss another skill at the Sea Dragon, and keep running.
Repeat the processâwouldnât that be a no-damage kill?
Thinking this, he couldnât help but grin.
[As the Apostle smirks with glee, convinced heâs safeâŠ]
[You see a blinding red Dragon Breath engulf your entire vision.]
[You died!]
???
âI really underestimated just how cursed this game isâŠâ
Lin Xun clutched his foreheadâhis blood pressure spiking.
[The feeble wandering soul revives in the familiar little chapelâŠ]
Even the safe zone isnât safe?!
What about the Thunder Dragon Staff-Spearâwasnât it supposed to be imbued with real dragon-slaying power after reforging, even if it was made from imitation parts?
And he had reforged it by fusing it with the White Moon Silver Scepterâit had to be better than a normal version!
âCheap knock-offs canât be trusted!â Lin Xun cursed bitterly.
So what now? Was this a dead end? Did he have to use the Engineer Shellâan âout-of-boundsâ methodâto win?
If he hadnât joined the organization, hadnât killed the Engineer last night and taken his Shell⊠would this part of the game just be a hard stop?
Lin Xun didnât believe the game would leave him no options. There had to be a solution.
He could operate the Shell Reshape function with his eyes closed by now.
Spending 1 Soul Strength, he revived the Yellow-Robed Bishop at the White Moon Church.
But the text that appeared next left him utterly stunned.
[The central structure of Saint RanceâWhite Moon Churchâhas been leveled by a world-destroying force. Only broken walls and ruins remain.]
âWhat the hell?! The Boss can vaporize even the safe zone with a single breath?!â
Lin Xun stared in disbelief.
Now he didnât need to worry about whether to give the EXP to the Engineer.
With this level of destructive power, even the Engineer would get roasted instantly.
âWhatâs the point of even playing now?!â
Lin Xun wracked his brain but couldnât figure out a solution.
Reading over the Boss fight text again, every option felt like a guaranteed death.
You couldnât even survive in the safe house. And the White Moon Church was gone. What hope did the other locations have?
What kind of sick game lets a Boss flatten your safe zone with one move?
If he hadnât set his respawn point to the chapel inside the castle, he couldnât even imagine what the next screen would look like.
He thought hard for a whileâand suddenly noticed something was off.
Hmm? Leveled to the ground?
Thatâs it! Leveled to the ground!
A flash of insight jolted his brainâsuddenly everything clicked into place!
Back at the White Moon Churchâs crossroads, the western option had said.
[To the west: Saint Ranceâs tallest landmarkâthe Artemis Clocktowerâhas collapsed. A small mountain of bricks and rubble blocks your path.]
So if the Sea Dragon Bossâs Dragon Breath could flatten even the safe zone, then maybe⊠it could also flatten the rubble of the collapsed Clocktowerâclearing the way!
A hidden map!
Those three words exploded in Lin Xunâs mind!