Chapter 33: Alna
When Zane woke up, it was already 3 PM. It was drizzling outside, but vehicles were still passing by, presumably people heading to buy gaming helmets. With the game launch, players were promoting it to each other, and Dream of the Mists had become the most popular game of the moment.
He opened the door and saw Brother Shiu in the middle of a battle.
“Brother Shiu, have you eaten?”
“Finished long ago. I brought you a chicken leg rice; you can eat it yourself.”
“Okay, thanks!”
“By the way, Achen, which class did you choose?”
“Not yet… I’m a bit torn.”
“What? How did you level up to 14 without changing classes!? The monsters around Yunshui City are significantly stronger than those in the Beginner Village. How did you manage to defeat them??”
“Umm it wasn’t too hard.”
“…Forget it, it’s your choice. I’ve changed classes, and I’m now a genuine mage! Not many players have left the Beginner Village yet, hehe, I’m still quite in demand.”
“Impressive!” Zane gave a thumbs up.
“Get lost, get lost. Let me know when you come out from the special map; I’ll come find you.”
“Sure,” Zane nodded.
…
The meal had cooled somewhat, but it didn’t affect its taste. Zane quickly finished the box meal, tidied up, and logged into the game!
Starry and Zane appeared at the end of the original underground first floor.
A chilly wind blew, and the darkness was quite frightening.
“Tap”
He turned on the magical lantern, and the entire square appeared very empty.
Starry? Little Star? Are you awake?
There was no response; she must still be resting. He had no choice but to explore on his own.
Just to be safe, he opted for his Gray Wolf form to scout ahead. With his current health and defense, he shouldn’t be one-shotted. Starry followed behind, holding the magical lantern.
The stairs were very wide, able to accommodate at least twenty people side by side.
The little lantern couldn’t illuminate its entirety.
“Whoosh”
“Whoosh”
Step by step, he treaded on the stairs, feeling as if he were playing a horror game.
“Stop!” a hoarse voice called out, indiscernible in gender.
Who is speaking? Starry shook the lantern, and as it moved to the left front, Zane noticed a small, thin figure.
Hidden under a black robe, he could not see the face.
A black robe… Could it be the mysterious person the Gray Wolf King mentioned!?
Did they just encounter the final boss after only one layer!?
It made sense, though; how could a boss let you deplete all their resources? That said, Zane still checked the information.
Forgotten One: Alna
Rarity: Silver Grade
Level: 20
Description: The Forgotten One.
Alna!? The Wishcaster mentioned by the Gray Wolf Mick! She’s not dead!
“Skeleton General—did you kill them?” she asked in a dry, heart-wrenching voice.
This isn’t good; the Wishcaster is undoubtedly a member of the Light faction, but she disappeared six months ago. She must have fallen into the hands of this mysterious person, who is most likely an Undead Mage. Just look at all these skeletons and the transformed undead wolves the Gray Wolf King talked about.
Given Alna’s current voice and hunched figure, it was almost certain she had been refined!
This is bad; she’s a level 20 Silver Grade NPC and a genius girl with a hidden class—completely on a different level than the Skeleton General.
Moreover, Starry’s consciousness still hadn’t awoken; they needed to stabilize her first.
“Hey, where is this? I was just on the Grey Ridge Plain!” Starry feigned surprise.
“…” Alna remained silent.
This might work! “It’s a place I’ve never seen before… Looks like we took a wrong turn, Little Gray, let’s go back~”
Zane quickly controlled his body to retreat.
Carrying Starry, he ran forward.
“Bang”
-59
What hit… Zane felt as if he had crashed into something hard.
Through Starry’s perspective, he saw a wall of bones had come up in front of him!
“It’s fine if you don’t speak… I… can feel it.” Alna had somehow followed right behind.
“Hiss”
The hair on his neck stood up; this guy walks without making a sound!
“Are you… sent by Aijue?”
Aijue? Who is that? Although Xiin mentioned it, he didn’t know the specifics.
But this person must be related to Alna. So, “Yes, we are sent by Lord Aijue,” Starry affirmed.
“Ugh—” It seemed she was trying to control her emotions, struggling to suppress them.
“You should go back.” She gently raised her hand, and the wall of bones fell down on its own. “Follow the way you came; there’s a black stone. Just move it aside, and it will reveal the path to the Grey Ridge Plain.”
No way, she’ll let them go just like that?
“And… tell Aijue that Alna is dead… He need not worry anymore.” Her voice sounded extremely mournful.
Leave? Absolutely not! He was previously uncertain about the NPC’s condition, but now it seemed she retained her consciousness, which left room for communication!
“You look like you’re in a bit of trouble. Is there anything we can do?” Starry tentatively asked.
Alna’s body seemed to tremble slightly. “Trouble…?”
She shook her head. “You should leave quickly.”
“No way, there are already so many treasures in the first underground level… and a skeleton army. There must be even more below! For the safety of Yunshui City, we have to sweep this place clean!” Starry spoke with righteous indignation.
Alna’s mouth twitched. “Sweep…? Just you two? And this wolf?”
“Exactly. Look, the entire first underground level has already been cleared by us,” Starry said proudly.
“…” Alna fell silent again, then said, “The second level is not comparable to the first.”
“It’s fine; we’re adventurers from another world. Even if we die, we can respawn infinitely. It’s worth a try, and besides, when we can’t beat them, you can help us, right?”
“Adventurers?” Living underground for so long, she seemed unaware of adventurers.
But she understood the latter part. “I can’t help you; once you engage those creatures, you will be… discovered.”
Does that mean discovered by the mysterious person?
“It’s okay; just watch!” Starry patted her little chest. Not to brag, but it felt pretty good.
Though she was boasting, Zane had absolute confidence; now their two characters’ equipment should be top-notch in the entire server. Each piece of Black Iron Equipment was hard to obtain, and Starry also had the Silver Grade Qiu Yue Sword—getting through the second level should be no problem.
…
Ahhhhh——! Zane cried out in his heart.
He felt like strangling himself for setting such a flag with no reason.
Looking at his 45 health points, Zane fell into deep thought.
Who would have thought that the monsters on the second level would be a combination of skeleton archers and undead wolves! That’s incredibly tough.
Fortunately, he sent his body to scout first; if it had been Starry, she would have definitely perished.
He glanced at the battle information.
Dense combat notifications.
System Notification: The Skeleton Archer used ‘Armor-Piercing Arrow’ and dealt 94 damage to you.
System Notification: The Skeleton Archer used ‘Armor-Piercing Arrow’ and dealt 96 damage to you.
System Notification: The Skeleton Archer used ‘Armor-Piercing Arrow’ and dealt 92 damage to you.
…
If he hadn’t activated Sprint while using a potion, he wouldn’t have escaped!
