Chapter Forty-One: The Necromancer’s Cavern

The Necromancer’s Cavern lay at the westernmost edge of the Wasteland of the Dead, its entrance so well hidden that hardly any players had discovered it yet. At least, nothing about this map had appeared on the official forums, so even if there were people around, it would be no more than a handful, posing no threat to the group.

With five or six notorious red-named players among them, they drew attention wherever they went. So, as soon as they entered the Wasteland of the Dead, everyone swallowed Specter Pills and slipped into stealth mode. Having offended the Fierce Tiger Guild, they had to tread carefully. If the guild’s main force surrounded them, their fate would be grim.

Ye Chen, in particular, had just received a private message from Dragonsoar Starbreaker while en route. Starbreaker warned him that the Fierce Tiger Guild had issued an internal bounty on his head: any guild member could earn thirty gold pieces for killing him once. The prospect had many itching to give it a try.

The Wasteland of the Dead was, as one would expect, a haven for undead monsters. The atmosphere was chilling and bleak—ruined walls and withered grass everywhere, dead trees twisted under a sky where vultures circled, waiting to descend for a meal when a zombie or skeleton, half-rotten and dripping with flesh, clawed its way up from the earth.

In this grim setting, only the eldest sister remained calm and the second seemed excited; the others, especially the timid Lingyue, were visibly unsettled. Lingyue clung tightly to Ye Chen, treating him—the only man in their party—as her anchor. Ye Chen did his best to appear fearless and composed, though in truth he was just as anxious; ordinarily, he couldn’t even stomach horror movies. That he wasn’t terrified by skeletons bursting unexpectedly from the ground was remarkable in itself.

They drifted across the Wasteland for more than ten minutes before finally locating the entrance to the Necromancer’s Cavern on a windswept stony hill.

The cave yawned before them, black and bottomless, with faint, mournful moans echoing from within—more frightening than any ghost story.

“Ye Chen, is this really the place?” Sword Over Cities asked, glancing at the cave’s haunted maw. Though her voice sounded steady, her pale face betrayed her nerves. Clearly, she was unsettled as well.

“Yes, this is it,” Ye Chen replied, already regretting his choice. This place was truly intimidating—so much so that most players would never dare venture in. This, no doubt, was a key reason it had remained undiscovered.

“Good. Then you lead the way,” Sword Over Cities said lightly. Instantly, all the girls’ eyes turned to Ye Chen. Clearly, none of them intended to go first. The second sister, for her part, showed not the slightest sign of fear, but the look in her eyes suggested she was waiting for a show and had no intention of taking his place.

He couldn’t let the girls down—what kind of man would shrink from such a task? Ye Chen steeled himself, gripped his staff tightly, and strode into the cave.

A muffled sound of earth breaking came from ahead—suddenly, the ground split, and a skeletal hand burst from the soil, followed by a low growl. Moments later, a tattered skeleton emerged, twin green flames burning in its hollow eye sockets, locking its gaze on Ye Chen and Lingyue, who followed close behind.

“A ghost!” Lingyue shrieked in terror.

Ye Chen jumped as well, but quickly seized the opportunity to show his courage. He swept his arm in front of Lingyue to shield her, then shouted at the skeleton, “Demon, you’re seeking death!” In his panic, he swung his staff at the skeleton’s skull.

The staff struck the skeleton’s head with a thud—but no damage appeared.

“Young man, you are quite rude. Can’t you tell I am an elder worthy of respect?” The skeleton scratched the few wispy strands of hair left on its skull and, to their astonishment, spoke.

Bound Undead—Carlo. This was actually an NPC. It called itself an elder, leaving Ye Chen at a loss for words; with nothing but bones, it hardly resembled a person. Still, since it was an NPC, there was likely a quest involved.

Ye Chen cleared his throat and asked, “Then, venerable Elder Carlo, is there anything you need help with?”

The ghostly flames in the old skeleton’s eye sockets flickered as it replied, “I was once a high-ranking Dark Priest from Fiery Mountain City. I came here to test a new dark magic on the undead, but fell victim to an accident. Now, my soul is bound deep within this cavern by the evil Corpse Demon Lord. Only by breaking the bonds can I be freed. Young man, will you help me?”

“I’m willing to help, but I have many friends with me. I think they’d be happy to assist as well—may I share the quest with them?” Ye Chen glanced back at Sword Over Cities and the others. Sure enough, their faces showed interest; a special quest like this promised generous rewards—no player would refuse.

“Of course,” the old skeleton replied. “The Corpse Demon Lord is powerful; with allies, your chances of success will be much greater. Go now—lead your team to break the bonds on my soul and return to me. I shall reward you handsomely.”

A notification chimed: You have accepted the quest [Eliminate the Corpse Demon]. Venture to the depths of the Necromancer’s Cavern, defeat the Corpse Demon, and break the bonds on Carlo’s soul. Note: As the number of participants increases, the quest's difficulty will rise accordingly.

Ye Chen turned to the others. “Did everyone get the quest?”

The women nodded, their motivation clearly stirred by the promise of rewards. The fear of the Necromancer’s Cavern seemed to vanish.

“I’ll scout ahead,” Sword Over Cities volunteered, reasoning that Ye Chen, a fragile support, would be in danger if ambushed. With that, she strode past him.

“Be careful,” Ye Chen warned, having just accessed the Necromancer’s Cavern map with his system. He immediately spotted several invisible monsters lurking in the rocks ahead—Sword Over Cities was about to enter their range.

Her step faltered as she turned to ask what was wrong, but before she could, three shadowy figures leapt from the stone wall, claws bared.

-96, -77, -85—three damage numbers floated above Sword Over Cities’ head, making her jump as her health plummeted. Had she not just equipped silver gear, it would have been far worse.

[Specter Assassin]—Level: 28, HP: 3500, Attack: 185, Defense: 30, Attack Mode: Physical, Skills: Shadow Stealth, Vital Strike.

This monster was practically an upgraded version of the specter—its attacks were ferocious. Sword Over Cities had barely over 700 HP in total; facing such an enemy, she was in grave danger.