Chapter 25

Fang Yi leaned against the corner of the wall and slowly moved, stepping into the tomb chamber. It was a very ordinary room, but if it weren't for the strong evil aura emanating from it, Fang Yi would have definitely overlooked it. However, as soon as he stepped into the tomb chamber, a debuff appeared on his status bar.

Helpless: The evil aura around you makes you feel uncomfortable.

You have entered the range of a toxic mist. The system will perform a resistance check every 15 seconds. If the check fails, you will be infected by the toxic mist's disease effect, reducing your Constitution and Perception by 2% each, and the effect can stack.

At the same time, a system prompt for a successful check also appeared.

Fang Yi glanced down at the "Helpless" debuff and immediately exclaimed, "What the hell!" If he still couldn't identify the black, red-tinged mist floating in the air, he would have wasted the three months he spent during the beta test.

Shouting, "Protect the priest!" Fang Yi instantly reached his maximum speed, leaving the stealth state. His right foot kicked the top of the coffin in the middle of the room, and the dual blades in his hands were about to slash at the swirling black mist in the air.

At that moment, a strange sound came from the coffin, which had been silent all along. The heavy stone coffin lid suddenly shattered, and a black figure darted out, rushing toward the thief still in the air.

The thief, who seemed unprepared, suddenly lowered his head and laughed lewdly. As if he had foreseen it, he made his glowing curved blade trace an eerie arc, sliding diagonally toward the black figure's head. The attacker, who was confident of success, could only barely twist to avoid the fatal curved blade but couldn't escape the dagger that Fang Yi raised with his other hand. With a muffled groan, a streak of blood appeared on his shoulder.

"You damn treacherous vampire, daring to sneak attack me! Fortunately, I recognized that the black mist on the ceiling is the constant-temperature blood poison that accompanies the transformation of a creature into a vampire. Did you think I didn't know that you can only lie in the coffin until your initial embrace is complete? Damn, let me show you that my curved blade isn't for show!"

The initial blood poison is a sign that a vampire is about to complete their initial embrace. It belongs to a class of toxins that cannot be artificially produced, and ordinary players rarely have the chance to encounter it. However, the beta testers were well aware of the infamous toxic mist because someone triggered the storyline quest in the Rockcastle during the beta test. The human and elf slaves in the castle were all transformed into vampires when the players breached it.

Before facing the final boss, the players involved in the quest had close encounters with this rare and disgusting toxic mist. Fang Yi's warrior was one of them. That was the first truly sub-legendary level boss the players encountered, and the intense battle left a lasting impression on Fang Yi.

The confrontation between the human and the monster was just a moment, and the next moment, both had landed on the ground. The Black Mountain Imp, who was blocking the door, instinctively stepped in front of the Silkworm Gatherer. Then, a cold light flashed in the room, and the two were already separated from the enemy.

The Black Mountain Imp and the Silkworm Gatherer immediately rushed into the room and quickly exchanged positions. The Black Mountain Imp stood at the front, while Fang Yi moved to the side of the elf priest, keeping a watchful eye on the enemy.

Fang Yi and the Black Mountain Imp had adapted to the dark environment in the room and could see the situation in the small house without the Silkworm Gatherer's guidance: a neatly dressed human male crouched in the corner of the room, his face pale, his eyes glowing eerily, and his nails sharp and twisted, all indicating his inhuman state—a newborn vampire.

"Sure enough," Fang Yi thought. The concentration of the newborn blood poison in the room was very limited, and the vampire in front of him was only around level 15. Otherwise, he would have called for the two to run away. But as an incomplete product, you can only obediently give us experience.

After briefly explaining the situation to the two in the party chat, the vampire seemed to have recovered from the initial shock. He bent his neck at an awkward angle to lick the wound on his shoulder, snarled, and pounced on the Black Mountain Imp, who was closest to him.

The two women were experienced veteran players. The Black Mountain Imp's iron shield perfectly blocked the vampire's claws reaching for the priest, and the sound of the shield's surface made everyone's scalp tingle. The Silkworm Gatherer's small healing spell also landed in time, and the exploration team engaged the monster.

Before level 10, the shield block only reduced 30% of the damage, effectively reducing but not avoiding it. The vampire clan was known for their high attack and low defense, so the Silkworm Gatherer didn't dare to be careless, focusing on healing without chanting to dispel the undead.

Fortunately, the vampire had just completed the transformation and hadn't fully absorbed the blood poison in the air, significantly reducing his strength. From the initial sneak attack, Fang Yi could tell that this incomplete vampire's agility was inferior to his own. However, the toxic mist was truly disgusting, and they needed to finish the fight quickly.

Thinking this, Fang Yi reminded the Black Mountain Imp and, holding his curved blade, darted behind the vampire, slashing twice. The Night's Gift's attack power was formidable, and after two large damage numbers, 29 and 5, appeared, the vampire's back was instantly drenched in blood.

The enraged vampire turned and clawed, but the Black Mountain Imp, no longer under pressure, saw his opportunity and kicked a powerful stomp, pinning the vampire in place. Fang Yi, knowing the secret of not letting an opportunity slip, turned and slashed several more times, dealing over a hundred points of damage before the vampire recovered from the stun.

This poor vampire, not fully evolved, had his high agility advantage completely suppressed by Fang Yi. He couldn't reach the darting thief or the well-protected priest, so he could only scratch the Black Mountain Imp's shield and sturdy chainmail. Concerned about the stacking effect of the newborn blood poison, the three didn't hold back. After the Silkworm Gatherer cast Dispel Undead for the second time, the vampire let out a mournful howl and finally died, his life drained.

With the source of the toxic mist dead, the nauseating aura in the room dissipated within a few seconds. Confirming there was no other danger, under the sincere gaze of Fang Yi and the Silkworm Gatherer, the Black Mountain Imp, with the best luck, closed her eyes and twisted her head, searching the vampire's body for loot.

Fang Yi's attention was drawn to the coffin in the center of the tomb: the moss-covered stone platform was only two feet high, but like the deformed coffin lid and the unknown black stone coffin, it was covered with mysterious carvings. Fang Yi examined it closely and could vaguely make out a strange symbol—a golden disk held firmly by a black dragon's claw, with a bizarre black staff carved on it, emitting green rays.

Fang Yi carefully memorized this symbol, then straightened up and walked to the two women, as the Black Mountain Imp had already retrieved and identified the loot from the dead vampire.

Noble's Decorative Gauntlets (Excellent Chainmail)

Heavy Armor

Requirements: Intelligence 15, Level 10

Weight: 5

Durability: 7

Armor: 8 + 5

Mana Maximum +2

There was no doubt about the loot's归属. Watching the serene elf priest put on the silver and black gloves, Fang Yi felt a sense of accomplishment.

Unfortunately, this was an incomplete vampire, not a boss, so it didn't drop any high-level magical equipment. However, compared to some green gear that only increased casting speed by 1%, these gloves were still quite good.

After completing the task, the three naturally needed to return to the surface as soon as possible. The Silkworm Gatherer, looking at Fang Yi leading the way, smiled slightly: "I'll be adventuring with this thief from now on... Why is my heart beating so fast? It must be because of the unknown adventures ahead, yes, it must be."

It was nearly dusk, and the three sat on the second floor of the Mistletoe Inn, faintly hearing the waves of Dragon Lake lapping against the city walls. Looking at the beautiful lake outside the city and the two smiling women, Fang Yi felt for the first time that the life of a professional player wasn't so dull.

El Somanthu had already given them the next task:

Heart of Holy Light - Pursuit: Track the trail of the Red Robe Mages, find the treasure they secretly hid on the Pirate Islands of the Falling Star Sea, and uncover the conspiracy behind it.

This task was huge, and the description was vague, indicating it would take a long time to complete. It was likely a long-term quest. Thinking of this, Fang Yi frowned, knowing that a long-term quest meant a substantial reward, but to strengthen his power, he needed to consider other directions.

The Black Mountain Imp, looking at the new task on the list: Heart of Holy Light - Pursuit, excitedly held the Silkworm Gatherer's hand, comparing their new wrist guards, chattering non-stop, but her eyes kept glancing at the human thief sitting nearby.

Not particularly tall, only half a head taller than her, but with unusually broad shoulders, the thin leather armor couldn't hide the explosive physique underneath—characters in "Miracle" only reflected the player's body shape—could he really be the warrior expert the Silkworm Gatherer mentioned?

But the Silkworm Gatherer was clearly hiding something from her, and she needed to get some information out of her tomorrow.

"We're going to log out; it's almost morning in real life," the Black Mountain Imp said, tucking her short hair behind her ear, looking at Fang Yi. "Aren't you logging out?"

Fang Yi was checking the system time, thinking about the content of the professional task, and smiled. "I have some things to do. The thief's professional task will probably be done at night. You two go ahead."

The Silkworm Gatherer and the Black Mountain Imp nodded in understanding, said goodbye to Fang Yi, and slowly disappeared into the air, but they heard the thief, sitting casually in the chair, mutter to himself, "With such strong warrior and priest girls, forming an adventure team isn't impossible..."

All port cities on the Dragon Coast have two most important buildings: the city walls and the warehouses, and they are very easy to recognize because they are the only two fully stone structures in the city.

The largest warehouse, located in the prime location near the port, belongs to the city lord of Tashir, who is also the leader of the largest merchant organization in the city. Other merchants' warehouses are built adjacent to it, stretching west and south along the shore of Dragon Lake, lining the banks of several small rivers flowing into the lake.

Fang Yi, looking at the walls built entirely of large stone bricks around him, knew his destination was nearby.

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