Chapter Nineteen: Suddenly!
This was an extremely precarious amount of health! And at that moment, the time for Mo Ran’s skill incantation had already passed.
He pointed his staff, and from its tip, a gray beam shot out, streaking straight toward Li Ren’s body. In an instant, Li Ren raised his Beacon Shield before him. Time seemed to slow to a crawl.
He watched, wide-eyed, as the gray beam passed right through the shield as if it weren’t even there, wrapping itself around his body and forming a massive gray chain.
Yet the beam caused him no pain, nor did it restrict his movements. But! He suddenly realized that the two default abilities the boss could use in the Ultimate Instance—Rebirth and Reflection—had both turned gray! Both were now bound by a single gray chain, locked and utterly unusable!
He was left with only ten thousand HP. Three people remained: a priest, a rogue lurking somewhere, and the extremely dangerous Mo Ran!
Each of these three professions was capable of dealing tremendous damage, and the distance separating him from them was considerable!
Ten thousand HP was far too little for him!
The situation became perilous in an instant. The threat to his life sent a chill deep into Li Ren’s heart. He knew that if he failed to survive this crisis, he would vanish from this world forever!
What sort of feeling was this? No one could say for sure. Or rather, there was no room for feeling at all—only the instinctive struggle for survival remained!
Li Ren erupted with energy! He charged at full speed toward the priest, who stood some distance away. As he sprinted, Mo Ran’s staff continued to summon spell after spell: -700, -500, -900—crimson numbers flashing on his body like harbingers of death.
His HP kept dropping!
The priest, seeing Li Ren close in, showed not the slightest sign of panic. He merely smirked coldly, conjuring a Holy Fire from the sky. Another -800 appeared. Li Ren was left with less than three thousand HP. With Mo Ran still at a distance and the rogue yet to reveal himself, Li Ren truly felt this might be the end for him.
The grim reality dragged his spirits down. Mo Ran’s spells showed no sign of stopping.
Time seemed to slow. He could see Mo Ran’s lips moving, could sense the gathering magical energy, all playing out in slow motion.
He thought of his past, his life in the real world, his loneliness, his failures, the times when he could find no meaning in living.
After the events of Sword Art Online, he had thought he’d die there, only to inexplicably find himself here, in this world. He’d started as a lowly skeleton soldier, slaughtering newcomers, absorbing attributes, devouring blood essence, gaining experience—until he dominated other players in the Ultimate Instance. All his relentless leveling, his efforts to advance—what was it all for?
He was afraid—truly afraid. He had always felt a deep sense of loss about everything. He had no goal, no one to share laughter or sorrow with. He tried to stay in this world, yet found it so cold, offering no place for someone like him.
He was lost—so lost that he couldn’t even find a reason to keep living. Since coming here, he had grown stronger for some absurd goals, but after crushing others, what would remain? Endless emptiness? How laughable!
Though these questions remained unanswered, Li Ren was not ready to give up—not before he found those answers. Having already given up once, he would not let this second chance slip away so easily! Never again!
Mo Ran’s staff was already raised, his skill about to be unleashed; the rogue in hiding was poised to strike.
Li Ren’s mind became clearer than ever before. Countless ideas and possibilities flashed through him, created and dismissed in an instant. From Mo Ran’s perspective, the skill he was about to cast, combined with the rogue’s ambush, would likely leave Li Ren with only a thousand HP, and with a damage-over-time spell, Li Ren would be dead before he could even touch Mo Ran.
It was a solid plan. But in Li Ren’s eyes, the green flame flickering within seemed almost alive now, dancing with a peculiar and sinister charm.
He reached out, and in a flash, the priest he had just slain became a blood essence crystal. As Mo Ran swung his staff, Li Ren fused the crystal into himself—instantly restoring 5% of his health!
Five percent—just 3,500 HP—might seem insignificant, both for his total health and in the face of Mo Ran’s Word of Darkness: Extinguish. Yet at that moment, those 3,500 points were enough to change fate!
The rogue had assumed it was all over, but his hidden figure was revealed as he struck Li Ren. Without even glancing at him, Li Ren swung his greatsword backward, cleaving the rogue in two in a single blow. Another 5% life restored—now he had 10%, or 7,000 HP. Of course, the 3,000 HP he had left had already been wiped out by Mo Ran’s spells during that time.
Li Ren eyed Mo Ran in the distance, a trace of confusion in his gaze. It was as if this man had known all along what his abilities were, calculating every move, sealing his skills, and executing killing blows—treating him as a person rather than a monster. Yet no one was supposed to know this secret!
Mo Ran had stopped casting. Failing to finish off Li Ren seemed only a minor disappointment. He sighed.
“You’re impressive. To have such an innate skill—much better than those before you,” Mo Ran said.
“What!” Li Ren was stunned. “Those before me? Innate skill?!” These words exploded in his ears like thunder.
“What exactly do you know?!” Li Ren demanded, but to ordinary players, his words sounded only like a monster’s meaningless roar.
As if anticipating his reaction, Mo Ran took out a crystal from his inventory, smiling as he said, “If you truly want to know everything, wait until you can find me again. Until then, focus on growing stronger. With your current strength, meeting them would be extremely dangerous.”
Li Ren saw the crystal pulsing with spatial energy. He knew Mo Ran was about to leave, but the information he’d gleaned troubled him deeply. Why was he here? How did the first player know so much about him? Suddenly, everything seemed chaotic and complex.
No longer caring to conceal himself, Li Ren blinked forward, closing the gap between them in an instant with his extraordinary agility.
“Oh? You have Blink too! I really underestimated you. Not bad—you truly have potential. I look forward to our next meeting.” Mo Ran spoke with mild surprise, though who could say how surprised he truly was.
Just as Li Ren’s greatsword was about to strike him, a twisted, shadowy light enveloped Mo Ran, and in a blink, he vanished, leaving behind a sea of unanswered questions.
Li Ren stared at the spot where Mo Ran had stood, instinctively transforming the other two corpses into blood essence crystals and taking them in hand. Sure enough, the system’s voice sounded, and five seconds later, he was whisked back to Corrosion Canyon—the very place he’d once sat.
As for the final system rewards, he no longer cared to check. His heart was full of confusion. He’d thought only he knew about his arrival here, that it was a mere accident, but now it seemed that was far from the case. It was as if his fate was being manipulated by unseen hands, played with at someone’s whim—and the sensation brought both fear and fury.
He fiddled pointlessly with the two crystals, watching the starlike white sparkles within. He had believed he understood this world, but now everything had changed. The world had become more terrifying than ever.
He didn’t know how long he sat there. Around him, his minions continued to slaughter, his experience ticking up. Li Ren slowly looked up and exhaled deeply.
“No matter who’s pulling the strings, even if I’m just a pawn, I’ll become a powerful one—capable of seizing my own fate!” He swallowed the blood essence crystals with determination and resumed his rapid leveling in Corrosion Canyon.
Panlong City, Grand Magician’s Basement.
Returning via teleportation, Mo Ran transferred a sum of money to someone named Darknight, then left the place with a carefree air.
Clad in his black mage’s robe, he quickly departed the city, vanishing into the wilds.
Not long after, in Radiance City—
A newly released guide detailing the method to obtain the Skeleton Cavern Ultimate Instance’s teleportation crystal and a walkthrough of the dungeon drew intense interest from players.
In an instant, the guide appeared before several individuals.
They studied it, thoughtful expressions appearing on their faces.
Soon enough, a fervor for unlocking Skeleton Cavern’s Ultimate Mode swept through the player base, driven by these few individuals.