Chapter 30: The Mysterious Corpse

Shlick.

Under Xia Er's control through Spirit Power, the Elite-grade undead warrior drove its blade clean through the healer player in one swift, decisive thrust.

The player's once-full health bar plummeted by more than half in an instant.

Xia Er gave her no chance to heal herself. Dark energy coiled around his hand as he clamped it around her throat and wrenched it sharply to the side.

Crack.

The last sliver of her health bar hit zero. Her figure vanished entirely.

[Player Eliminated — Yueyue Soy Sauce]

[EXP Gained: +8,000]

It had to be said — high-level players really did drop a hefty amount of experience. Especially a Rogue-turned-healer with a fragile health pool: as long as you picked the right moment, taking one down was remarkably simple.

"Damn it!"

Iron Heart roared at the sight, his body surging with power. He charged forward in a single explosive step, shield raised high.

"Shield Bash!"

The crushing blow landed squarely, locking the undead body in a brief stagger — clearly the stun effect attached to the skill.

Seizing the opening, the mages broke away from the undead soldiers and unleashed their spells, pouring every skill they had into the Elite undead.

Mages were called "Mage Lords" for a reason — and the title was well earned.

Even though only a month had passed since the early-access phase began, the mage players whose gear and classes had taken proper shape already dealt impressively formidable damage.

Skill after skill rained down. The skeleton could not withstand such concentrated firepower and simply burst apart, collapsing into a heap of dry bones.

The Spirit Power link severed.

Xia Er opened his eyes, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Even bolstered by Uriel's Grudge, the undead had still crumbled under the mages' focused fire.

But that was fine. It had fulfilled its purpose — successfully eliminating the most critical role in the opposing party, the healer. It was worth every bit of effort Xia Er had spent stationing it in ambush near the cave entrance.

"That said, these players really do move fast. The ruin only opened a few hours ago, and they've already found their way here..."

"The competition is getting fierce."

Avril looked over and asked, "Lord Xia Er, have adventurers already arrived?"

Xia Er nodded. "Yes. Their average level is above thirty-five. Seven of them in total — though one has already died just now."

"I'm not sure whether they'll retreat. Stay ready."

Avril was visibly startled.

One already dead?

Level 35 — that was far higher than even the lieutenants of the Undead Territory. Yet in Lord Xia Er's mouth, the kill was mentioned so casually, as if it were nothing at all.

She drew a deep breath and replied quickly, "Understood, Lord Xia Er. Everything has been arranged exactly as you instructed. We're ready to activate at any moment!"

* * *

Upper level of the dungeon.

After the healer was ambushed and killed, the undead soldiers ceased their assault. They retreated steadily, disappearing back into the darkness — as though their earlier aggression had been nothing more than a distraction to draw the party's attention.

"Damn it, we got played!"

Old Mage picked up the gear his fallen teammate had dropped, then stomped furiously on the Elite skeleton's remains, as if he wanted to grind the bones to powder.

In the very first encounter, the most vital role in the party had been taken out. Who could swallow that kind of frustration?

Dao Shan let out a quiet sigh. "Boss, do we keep pushing deeper?"

"If I'm reading this right, the Tomb Guardian here is the Domain Lord of the Undead Territory — the Undead Archmage, Xia Er. His level of cunning... is genuinely astonishing."

As top-tier players on the server, they had encountered their share of monsters and NPCs with some degree of "intelligence" — but none had come close to this.

This went beyond intelligence entirely.

Devious. Treacherous.

From the very beginning, they had walked straight into a trap he had laid in advance.

"We can't give up."

Old Mage's voice was resolute. "We're the first party to make contact with this Inheritance. We are not leaving."

"The healer is down, but every player gets two entry attempts. With incense candles available, she'll be back soon enough."

"After this skirmish, things should be quiet for a while. Let's play it safe — keep mapping the dungeon layout, avoid combat. That way, even when the healer returns, we won't have wasted much time."

With the party leader's insistence, the group pressed on, continuing their descent.

The entire dungeon was constructed from some kind of dense black rock. Against the surrounding pitch darkness, it felt impossibly deep and foreboding.

The earlier skirmish seemed to have been something the Domain Lord had specifically prepared for them. As they followed the stairs further down, Old Mage didn't spot a single monster.

Before long, a fork in the path appeared before them — three choices: left, right, or straight down.

After what had just happened, Old Mage had no intention of letting anyone get flanked again. "Let's clear both side passages first," he said. "We move together."

It was the right call.

At a fork, the only safe approach was to stay grouped and clear methodically. Splitting up their combat strength would only invite more tricks.

They turned into the left passage.

It opened into a standalone room — spacious and wide. Bright candles burned along both walls, and in the dim, flickering light, a white skeleton could be seen slumped at an angle against the far wall. In front of it lay an unfinished teleportation array.

"Is that the skeleton of a human adventurer?"

Old Mage froze at the sight. Wary of traps, he didn't rush forward — instead, he glanced over at Dao Shan.

Dao Shan understood immediately. He focused his attention and conducted a thorough sweep of the room before shaking his head. "No traps in here."

Just then, Iron Heart seemed to find something. "Captain, there's a letter over here!"

He moved to the corner and, amid a pile of ash, retrieved a slightly yellowed, scorched letter.

It was clear the letter was meant to have been burned — but due to the material it was written on, the flames had failed to fully destroy it.

Old Mage leaned in. "What does it say?"

Iron Heart unfolded it. Lines of text written in dried blood came into view.

[To the Adventurers Who Come After]

[The Ancient Adventurer left behind everything upon their death. In order to reclaim this Inheritance, I and several rogue companions infiltrated the dungeon and quietly laid down a forbidden magic array — one that, once completed, would allow direct entry into the sealed Inheritance...]

[But, regrettably, we were discovered by the monsters. In my final moments, I wrote this letter in the hope that you might complete the array. It is the path of least sacrifice to reclaim the Inheritance.]

[Below are the materials required to finish the array....]