Chapter 29: Since Ancient Times, Field Agents Never Look Up

Familiar.

Incredibly familiar!

The spike pits dug into the floor, the massive boulders crashing down from above...

Hiss!

Dao Shan remembered — the last time he was in the Undead Territory, this was exactly how he had died!

"Didn't you say the traps had mostly been cleared out...?"

Behind him, the old mage watched the chilling scene unfold, a cold sweat breaking out down his back.

These were pure, unadulterated death traps.

Players were strong, sure, but not strong enough to shrug these off. If someone had stepped on one of those just now, they'd have been dead before the Healer could even cast a single spell — wasting one of their precious entry chances for nothing.

Dao Shan explained, "The ruin's original traps are definitely gone, but... the new Domain Lord selected to enter the ruin afterward can set their own, you know."

"So, uh..."

"How about we try going after Holy Alice's Inheritance instead?"

Dao Shan admitted it — he was a little scared right now.

From the all-too-familiar style of these traps, he could already sense the unmistakable presence of an old acquaintance.

If the Undead Archmage had been selected as the Tomb Guardian for this Inheritance, then Dao Shan figured their odds of success were pretty much zero.

The old mage frowned at that. "What do you mean by that?"

"Holy Alice's Inheritance is the most fiercely contested one right now. Even with our party's strength, there's no guarantee we can claim it — it also comes down to luck."

"Stick to the plan. Let's secure one of the Ancient Adventurer Inheritances first."

The old mage had a clear-headed view of the situation.

It was just a few traps — they just needed to be careful. Was that really worth abandoning the Inheritance right in front of them?

Dao Shan sighed. "Fine. Let's keep going carefully. Let me stay up front."

He couldn't talk the others out of it, so as the muscle of the group, all he could do was focus on his own job.

Dao Shan brought every ounce of his Rogue skills to bear, not relaxing for a single moment. His eyes swept constantly across the surroundings, checking even the tiniest corners before allowing anyone to proceed.

The distance from the passage entrance down to the corridor's stone door was barely a hundred meters, yet he managed to uncover seven or eight well-concealed traps along the way.

Crossbow bolts primed with lethal poison, ready to fire at the slightest touch...

Sculptures that would spray corrosive acid...

Pillars that would unleash jets of flame...

The other players stared in stunned silence.

What the hell was this?

Even a tomb-raiding novel wouldn't pull something like this.

After an exhausting ordeal, Dao Shan finally reached the stone door. The sheer concentration required had left his vision slightly blurred.

If he had only suspected before, now he was certain.

The Tomb Guardian assigned to this Inheritance was none other than the Undead Archmage, Xia Er!

What an absolute beast!

He'd packed this many traps into a single corridor alone — Dao Shan didn't even want to imagine what horrors awaited them once they actually entered the dungeon proper.

"I'm about to open the door. Get ready, everyone. Healer, have your skills queued up — I'm worried about a door-opening ambush."

He took a deep breath.

After mentally steeling himself as thoroughly as he could, Dao Shan reached out with both hands and shoved the stone door open with full force.

Creak...

A dull grinding sound filled his ears.

Dao Shan immediately activated Shadow Step, retreating backward in an instant. He crouched low, cautiously scanning the surroundings.

"Huh?"

"No door-opening ambush?"

The gate swung fully open, revealing a faint glimpse of the dungeon beyond, but there were no traps to be seen.

Could it be that all the traps before were just a bluff — meant to scare people off?

The group looked around warily. This time, the Warrior took the lead, shield raised, sweeping each area as they advanced.

"Not a single hidden minion anywhere. That's strange."

Dao Shan muttered to himself — then suddenly, a red flash lit up his screen.

It was one of his Rogue passive skills: Crisis Alert!

He spun around immediately. Perched atop the massive stone door, several skeleton soldiers had been lurking in perfect silence. Steel blades in hand, they leaped downward all at once, slashing straight at the group below.

Since ancient times, field agents never look up.

He'd been so careful, and yet he'd still fallen for this one.

Dao Shan reacted first, reversing his grip on his dagger and raising it in a block in an instant.

Blades clashed, sending a brief shower of sparks flying.

The skeleton soldiers hidden atop the stone door weren't particularly high-leveled — around level 20. Even after eating a surprise attack, the elite party handled it with composure, losing only a bit from their health bars.

But while everyone was focused on the fight...

No one noticed that in the distance, a squad of Undead Mages had quietly leveled their skull-topped staves at the players and begun casting.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A volley of dark scorching magic came streaking in from afar without warning — area-of-effect damage, no less. In such a confined space, the numbers it dealt were considerable.

[HP -70]

[HP -80]

[HP -120]

The party's health was dropping fast. The Healer player, seeing this, quickly channeled magic power into their crystal orb, releasing a lush, verdant wave of energy.

[Life Heal!]

A basic Healer skill — but boosted by their level and a full set of purple-quality gear, it brought everyone's health bars straight back to full.

This was the advantage of having a dedicated Healer in the party. Everyone could fight without worry, never fretting over their health, and could even be topped off before critical encounters.

Once the ambushers atop the stone door were cleared, a steady stream of Undead Soldiers came surging up the staircase, triggering a small-scale skirmish.

The old mage had expected something like this — just not so soon. He'd figured they'd have to go deeper before running into it.

Still, fortunately, the soldiers were charging upward from below, which gave the party a favorable position. As long as they maintained their current defensive stance, they could get through this skirmish without burning too many resources.

But speaking of which...

A skirmish had already broken out, yet all they were seeing were regular minions. Where were the elite-grade monsters?

A sense of dread crept in.

Dao Shan caught on to this, and snapped his head around to look behind them — only to find a massive Undead Soldier, its body wreathed in black mist, gripping a sharp sword and silently closing in on the Healer from behind.

When the hell did that thing get there?!

The old mage froze. He was absolutely certain — every inch of the corridor had been searched with great care; there was no way anything had been missed. And with a body that size, there was nowhere to hide.

If he had to guess...

That soldier must have concealed itself somewhere nearby before the group even reached the cave entrance, then quietly slipped in through the passage once the fighting started.

"Holy shit..."

The thought made the old mage's scalp crawl.

He, a player, had been outmaneuvered by an NPC!

This was way too freaky!