Two minutes later
"Where exactly are you taking us?!" Cole finally shouted. The young thief had followed Mo Tan for nearly five minutes while single-handedly entangling two Crimson Ridge Beasts, and by now both his mental and physical strength had reached their limits. Numerous wounds covered his body, and the poison seeping into him was gradually numbing his senses and limbs.!
Mo Tan stopped and nodded at him. In a low voice, he said, "This should be far enough. You can rest for a while, then tell me about..."
"I don't care about that!" The moment Mo Tan finished speaking, Cole's legs gave out beneath him. The corpse he had been carrying on his back tumbled aside as well. He weakly interrupted Mo Tan, pulled the lifeless shell beside him into his arms, and looked up. "Why did you save me? Why did you make me carry Rona?"
Mo Tan bent down and handed him a bottle of healing potion. The small portion of his face visible beneath the hood curved into an amused smile. "Rona. Such a beautiful name really does have a... Oh, let me see~"
He brushed aside a few strands of hair covering the left half of Rona's face, completely unconcerned by how terrifying the corpse looked now that the other half of what had once been a very beautiful face had nearly disappeared. He nodded and continued, "That's right. It has a beautiful owner."
"What are you doing?!" Cole shouted angrily, having recovered a little strength. "Don't insult her!"
"Insult her?" Mo Tan repeated softly. He then shook his head at Cole. "Only hypocritical praise is an insult, my friend. Sincere words aren't. Can't you see how pure and beautiful her soul is?"
Cole froze slightly and lowered his head to look at the girl he had secretly loved for years. "Her... soul...?"
As far as Cole knew, there were several kinds of people in this world who could constantly speak of souls. Priests and sacrificial clerics from various faiths came first, but the man before him looked nothing like someone with faith. Though he had no proof, Cole could be certain of that...
Naturally, we all knew why. Mo Tan's faithless talent was enough to make any evangelist keep their distance from him, and it also made others instinctively conclude that he was definitely not a believer.
Of course, to players, this straightforward talent description would become something vague and indescribable in an NPC's eyes—"presence," "feeling," or a talent in the truest sense. In any case, it would not seem particularly out of place.
Once people of faith were ruled out, only crazed lunatics with something wrong in their heads and those who spent a great deal of time dealing with the dead remained.
Although Mo Tan did indeed give Cole the impression of a madman, at this moment Cole was more inclined toward the latter...
Necromancers, spirit mediums, and members of evil cults all fell into this category. Their minds were filled with all kinds of knowledge broadly considered "taboo." Though ordinary people in many places viewed them as scourges, chaotic madmen, and walking evils, many others secretly associated with them and gave them endless support, all for the sake of obtaining that so-called "eternity."
If Cole's attitude toward such people had previously been no different from anyone else's, then now, as he held Rona's body—long since robbed of its warmth—a spark called hope could not help but ignite deep within him.
"Can you help me...?" He suddenly grabbed the hem of Mo Tan's robe and said in a trembling voice, "Help me revive Rona! You said it yourself just now, didn't you? She has a beautiful soul! A beautiful soul shouldn't disappear like this, right?!"
Mo Tan smiled in satisfaction. Although his understanding of this world was currently inferior to that of any native villager, he was very good at making others use their own knowledge and experience to convince themselves. He prepared countless logically sound steps for them to climb down from their own assumptions.
"Do you know what this is?" Mo Tan did not answer Cole's question. Instead, he reached into his pack, took out a small gray-white jar, and held it before the young thief. The jar was covered in countless characters that constantly twisted and changed. If one looked closely, one could even see countless faces with different expressions across its surface. Yet the moment one's attention relaxed even slightly, it became impossible to distinguish them again.
Soul-Guiding Bottle
Epic Item
Use: Absorb Soul / Release Soul
Special Restriction: Non-Lawful Faction
Effect: Absorbs the soul of a living being that has been dead for no more than 13 hours and stores it within. There is no storage-time limit. The shorter the time since death, the more intact the soul will be. The Soul-Guiding Bottle can contain only one soul.
※If a second soul is absorbed into it, the first soul will immediately collapse.※
Note: Only a powerful master of soul studies can create one. This high-level soul-binding creation can serve as an essential material for many taboo items, and the soul inside suffers no torment whatsoever. Whether you are a highly skilled alchemist, a necromancer urgently in need of a temporary soul container, or a wealthy person who can afford such a special "urn," it is an excellent choice. P.S. Even kind-hearted people do not mind dealing with it, but those sticklers for rules clearly feel otherwise.
Cole honestly shook his head. At a time like this, not even the cleverest thief would choose to lie. Yet his gaze had gradually grown fervent. After all, an item that obviously had such an impressive origin could not possibly be something a madman could casually produce.
"Of course you don't know~" Mo Tan shrugged. "To put it plainly, this thing is called a Soul-Guiding Bottle. It has many uses and is simple to operate. One of its functions seems especially useful to me: storing a soul that has not yet had time to dissipate, so that one day it can bathe once more in that detestable sunlight."
Cole's entire body trembled with joy and excitement. Of course, some of it might have been pain caused by his wounds, but that was unimportant. The most important thing to him now was...
"I'm only an insignificant thief apprentice, but if you can help me..." Cole fell to his knees before Mo Tan and said solemnly, "I can pay any price, including my life!"
Different, but somehow familiar words...
Mo Tan suddenly remembered what Medi had said before his death. Everything before him was so similar to that moment, except that this time he had no mission detrimental to Cole. Moreover, if he used the Soul-Guiding Bottle now, the soul named Rona would undoubtedly remain relatively intact, unlike the remnant soul residing in Medi's ring, which had no hope of revival.
Thus, he was not unwilling to lend this lovesick young human a little help.
"Remember what you said." Mo Tan's voice suddenly turned cold. He aimed the Soul-Guiding Bottle at Rona's corpse and said slowly, "I'm no philanthropist."
A hazy white light rose from the corpse in Cole's arms. It drifted about half a meter upward, circled beside him once, and then shot into the bottle in Mo Tan's hand with a whoosh. After releasing a hollow, ethereal murmur, it vanished.
The system notification rang in Mo Tan's ears:
The Soul-Guiding Bottle has received a new soul. Its integrity is 94%.
It seemed to have worked...
"What did you do?" Cole also sensed the obvious change. The fleeting white light had stirred something in him, as though Rona had come back to life and was softly whispering in his ear. Yet when he lowered his head, the cold corpse still lay quietly in his arms, without the slightest sign of life.
Mo Tan gestured toward the Soul-Guiding Bottle in his hand, then stored it in his pack. He said leisurely, "I preserved her soul and left behind a possibility. Whether that possibility becomes reality depends on how you perform. Don't ask me too many questions. I have neither the obligation to tell you everything nor the noble character needed to maintain my patience..."
"Yes!" Cole answered quickly. He immediately stood and performed the highest form of etiquette he knew toward Mo Tan. Although a thief holding a dagger against his heart and bowing ninety degrees looked rather incongruous, this somewhat awkward knightly oath of fealty still conveyed his feelings perfectly.
Mo Tan nodded in satisfaction. He soon found a relatively flat spot and sat down. After gesturing for Cole not to stand there stupidly, he asked, "Now tell me who you are and why you were attacked here. You can be as detailed as possible."
"My name is Cole Shulen, and I'm a student at Pading Knight Academy." Cole answered at once. He then glanced at the corpse of the elven girl in his arms and continued hoarsely, "She was my classmate, Rona Moonlight. Like me, she was a second-year member of the Warm Sun Squad. We..."
Mo Tan sighed and interrupted him. "Put her down first. The corpse in your arms is only a shell now. If you wish, you can bury her here later."
Cole reluctantly placed Rona's body to one side, forced himself to calm down, and continued telling Mo Tan the whole story of this accident...
After Cole's explanation, Mo Tan finally learned what had happened. He also gained an unexpected piece of information~
Every year, the Months of Mist and Stars were when Pading Knight Academy held its comprehensive examinations. They consisted of theoretical written tests for each subject and squad-based practical tests. The Warm Sun Squad had been attacked on their way back after completing the practical test.
Two Crimson Ridge Beasts, which absolutely should not have appeared in a place like this, had shown up at once. Despite their natural lack of sight, they had locked onto the Warm Sun Squad and refused to let go, leaving them no chance to escape. The group had tried everything, from sound distractions to luring the tiger away from the mountain, but they had never managed to shake off the two monsters. They had been driven all the way from the wilderness into this forest...
Then water mage apprentice Rona had died, while the other three members, protected by Cole, had done their best to flee toward Pato City, where the academy was located. As for what happened afterward, Mo Tan had already learned most of it after observing from the shadows for quite some time.
Side Quest Triggered: Save the Warm Sun Squad Reward: 200 Selectable Experience Hidden Quest Triggered: Revive Rona Moonlight Reward: ???
The expected system notifications rang in Mo Tan's ears. Although he still did not know that hidden quests existed despite having browsed the forums for quite a while, he was fairly certain that his actions had triggered a side quest. Another unexpected gain was... the lineup of Cole's Warm Sun Squad!
Mage Rona Moonlight, thief Cole Shulen, cleric Ai Fanye, greatswordsman Lada Dona, and knight Dave Sager.
"Dave..." Mo Tan rubbed his temples lightly, then stood and said to Cole, "Return to Pato City first. Find the cheapest inn and stay there. Don't contact anyone."
Cole froze. "Then you..."
"I'll come find you." Mo Tan replied calmly. He then activated stealth and sped into the distance with the aid of his decent Agility.
He had already formed a tentative idea, but he still needed to verify it.
Reconnection beginning...
Connection complete. Reading character information.
Chaotic Evil Mo, welcome to Innocent World.
A gray, lifeless sky...
Silent ruins...
Endless corpses and pools of blood stretching as far as the eye could see...
Mo looked at the "city" behind him, which was howling endlessly in the grip of curses and pain. He let out a suppressed laugh that had reached its absolute limit, tightened the gray cloak around himself, and continued along the path, leaving the scene that resembled a ghost domain behind him.
The years of suppression he had endured had mostly been released earlier, while his equipment and experience had also accumulated somewhat during that immensely pleasurable slaughter. For now, he needed to leave this place as quickly as possible. As for his destination... who cared? At least he was in no hurry to think about that yet...
He did, however, have a general objective.
A cool drop of murky water struck Mo's face. Without warning, the sky began to weep... It started to rain.
A roar suddenly rang out beside the silent mountain road. A strange-looking beast charged over from nearby, and judging by its appearance, it had no intention of going around Mo, who stood on the path. It barreled straight toward him.
Then a hand wreathed in black flames emerged from beneath the cloak and pressed down on the head of the beast, which was three parts pig and seven parts ox.
Dark Ignition
Active Skill
Requirement: 40 Wisdom, 50 Constitution, Class "Black Warlock"
Cost/Restriction: 30 Mana per second, 30 Health per second, Chaotic Faction
Effect: Releases black demonic flames from your body, dealing heavy Fire/Dark elemental damage to the target and inflicting the "Dark Ignition" effect. Its effect against undead creatures is halved and does not trigger special effects. Cooldown: None.
Note: This hybrid spell was created by my grandfather, the famous theoretical Black Warlock Spoon Riddle. However, no one, including him, can use it, because from a warlock's perspective, a spell with physical requirements even higher than its Mana requirements is simply a pitfall meant to wreck his descendants! —Riddle III, after burning off his right hand
With a howl, the monster turned into a pile of charred bones in an instant. As the caster, Mo did not pause for even half a second. He merely withdrew his hand into his cloak and continued onward.
Then he was blocked...
A tall figure wearing simple leather armor stood in his way, exposing large areas of fair skin.
"That was my prey." The beautiful Dark Elf frowned slightly. Her long silver hair fluttered behind her in the wind. She glanced at the pile of bones behind Mo, then asked coldly, "Did you kill it?"
Mo did not answer. He merely raised his head slightly to look at the silver-haired beauty who clearly did not know her own limits, and froze for a moment.
That cold, pretty face seemed familiar.
If he remembered correctly...
This girl was probably a player named Ji Xiaodao. Not long ago, she had even eaten at the same table as him.
Chapter Ten: End
Before you continue