The Secret of the Mist Ruins

Mana Condensation?

Rhode was truly surprised. He had been playing Summon Swordsman for seven years and had seen all sorts of bizarre situations, but he had never encountered something this strange.

So-called Mana Condensation refers to a phenomenon where summoned spirits that have been used for a long time and share a tacit understanding with their master "gestate" something during their evolution. In game terms, because their evolution happens too quickly, excess mana condenses within them, eventually manifesting as a Mana Condensate—in other words, a piece of equipment.

However, in simpler terms used by players, it's just a surprise gift that a summoned spirit with high affinity gives to its master after evolving... nothing more.

But this isn't exactly something to be envious of. For one, the equipment provided by summoned spirits is usually of low quality, and for another, these items are manifestations that only the summoner can use. If discarded, they simply vanish into nothingness; they cannot be sold or given away, making them somewhat of a white elephant.

Rhode wasn't surprised that a summoned spirit produced a Mana Condensate—after all, this Holy Sword had been with him until now—but what surprised him was this: shouldn't the Holy Sword already be a piece of equipment?

Generally speaking, only living beings with self-awareness possess the trait of Mana Condensation, right?

What is going on here?

The Holy Sword is certainly not a living being.

However, Rhode's daze lasted only a moment. The system prompt didn't require him to confirm anything; it merely informed him that such an event had occurred. The golden text soon dissipated from Rhode's sight and vanished. Following that, the card that had been floating in his palm also returned to nothingness.

Lize and Mace exchanged glances, but neither said a word. In truth, they still didn't know who Rhode really was or what his background might be. Although he looked like a swordsman, everything he did outside of swordsmanship was hard to associate with that profession. Yet, neither of them pressed the issue. As an adventurer, Lize naturally knew that many swordsmen possessed their own unique powers and legacies. Mace, for his part, became even more convinced that Rhode was likely the descendant of some ancient family; only they would possess such extraordinary existence.

Though he noticed their gazes, Rhode didn't offer much of an explanation. As a guild leader, he knew well that one should speak little and do little when it wasn't necessary. He knew how fierce and spectacular the flame wars between players online could be; a single word used incorrectly could be exploited by the other side. Especially later on, when Rhode achieved the top guild, he became a target, and his every word and action were twisted by many enemies. The more you explain, the more loopholes you create. It was better to say nothing and let them misunderstand. He simply retracted the card and began organizing the other items.

Mages are always quite wealthy.

In the church, what Lize and Mace found wasn't just the statue that controlled the Gargoyle, but also a small pile of gems and crystals that had lost their mana, all of which Rhode kept. As a part-time alchemist, these things were still of some use to him.

What surprised Rhode, however, was a diary Lize found on the desk, which recorded the life of that mage after he arrived in this small town.

This piqued Rhode's interest. Although as a player, he knew the entire backstory and sequence of events of the Mist Ruins dungeon like the back of his hand, this was the first time he was seeing it from an NPC's perspective.

While most of the content in the diary had become blurred, some records remained:

Year of the Saint, Moon of Thunder, 5th Day

I have succeeded. After paying the price of countless innocent lives, I finally saw her shadow clearly. In the center of the magic circle, she smiled at me, a gentle smile, just like when she was alive. I was so excited I couldn't control myself. I called her name, but she could not hear my response. The spell is incomplete, but I have hope. My theory is correct!

Year of the Saint, Moon of Thunder, 15th Day

Praise the Holy Soul! I have finally regained her; I have obtained the power to resist all things! By bringing that extinguished soul back to my side, she saw me! I can touch her, feel her warm body. She held me and whispered my name. At that moment, I felt that everything I had done was worth it. Ah... my dearest Sheena, she is still as gentle, as beautiful, and as considerate as when she was alive.

I am conflicted, but I finally made up my mind to confess to her. I told her what I had done, but Sheena forgave me. Just like before, she smiled and forgave me. At that moment, I felt that life was so beautiful; even the sunlight outside was so bright. I have decided: I will take her away from here. We will live the life of ordinary people, just like everyone else. I will no longer touch these evil arts, nor will I use magic. We will move to a quiet mountain village, get married, have children, and die like ordinary people.

I don't know if I am still qualified to receive such happiness, but I will strive for it. May the Holy Soul protect me.

Year of the Saint, Moon of Profanity, 3rd Day

Something is wrong.

That is not Sheena. I have this feeling. Although her appearance is exactly as I remember, I have this feeling. That is not her. I told her my plan, but she just smiled and said okay, said she agreed. This is too strange. She is a smart girl, but also a girl with her own opinions. She couldn't possibly agree to everything I say.

I am suspicious. Could something have gone wrong with the spell?

Why does she believe my words so implicitly?

I must conduct another experiment to confirm if my thoughts are correct. Holy Soul protect me, I hope my thoughts are wrong.

Year of the Saint, Moon of Profanity, 4th Day

Holy Soul above, why has this happened!

That is not Sheena! She is just a monster with Sheena's shell! I told her I would kill for her—old men, children, women. I don't just need her as a woman; I want more women to accompany me. If this were truly her, she would never agree to this. But, to my surprise, she just sat quietly by the bed, smiling as she listened to me finish everything, and then gently told me okay.

This is impossible! This is not her! This is not the person in my memory! What is she? What is she? What is she? (The handwriting begins to become chaotic).

Year of the Saint, Moon of Profanity, 9th Day

May the Holy Soul forgive my ignorance.

Perhaps this is the punishment for defying the Holy Law. I wanted to reverse life and death to regain a soul that had already passed. But I failed, and this is the punishment. That thing is not Sheena. It has no self at all; it is just an empty shell, a monster that survives by instinctively reflecting and exploring the spiritual images deep within others' hearts. I want to kill it, but I can no longer do so. It has drained all my power... I am dying, and I have no strength left to stop it.

This is for the best... Sheena, since you cannot come to my side, then let me go to the River of Eternal Darkness to find you...

May the Holy Soul accept my sinful soul...

The diary ended there, leaving only blank pages. Rhode closed the diary and shook his head. It seems this mage was indeed a romantic, just as the rumors said... But if he had chosen to commit suicide earlier, perhaps not so many people would have died. However...

A tiny sense of discord flashed through Rhode's mind, but before he could grasp it, it vanished.

Something seemed wrong?

Rhode frowned, thinking for a long time, but ultimately found no answer. However, he soon put the matter behind him, closed his eyes, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

This was just a small interlude. The three of them rested in the abandoned church for the night, and the next day, they set off again, heading deeper into the mist.

"Swish!"

A dazzling white light flashed, followed by the figure of a Wraith vanishing amidst a wail.

Compared to before, the evolved Star Trace was even more beautiful. The pure white blade was carved with exquisite, delicate openwork patterns. Its originally folded snow-white wings spread slightly, and the white silver threads spiraling out from them transformed into gauntlets surrounding the hilt. Just looking at it, one wouldn't think it was a weapon, but a fine work of art. It shouldn't appear on a battlefield; rather, a museum or a treasure vault would be its true home.

"Truly an incredibly miraculous masterpiece."

Looking at the longsword in Rhode's hand that emitted a faint glow of light dust, Mace couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"If I may be so bold, Mr. Rhode, I have managed a merchant guild for many years, and I have never seen such a beautiful weapon..."

At this point, Mace narrowed his small eyes.

"I don't know, you..."

Rhode waved his hand, though not to answer Mace's question; he simply stared ahead, then replied in a low voice.

"We're almost there."

"Eh?"

Hearing this, both Mace and Lize hurriedly raised their heads, following Rhode's gaze forward. Soon, they saw a weed-choked plaza, and on the other side of it, two tattered, massive wooden doors flickered in and out of sight under the shroud of mist.

"As long as we pass through this door, we can reach Aragak Pass, and then we'll be able to descend the mountain."

Speaking of this, Rhode also let out a sigh of relief. After all, ever since he woke up in this world, his mind had been in a state of high tension. Although adventuring was a joyful thing for a player, if one were severely injured and under immense pressure, even a player wouldn't be so happy.

What's more, this wasn't a game; there was no logging off halfway through to smoke, drink, or play mahjong.

But before that, there was still one difficult hurdle to clear.

Rhode furrowed his brows, carefully observing the thick fog before him. He waved his hand, signaling the two behind him to be careful.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Rhode?"

Seeing Rhode's gesture, Lize reacted quickly. She took small steps toward Rhode, then asked in a low voice.

"Be careful, the battle isn't over yet. We still have the most troublesome boss to deal with."

"Boss?"

"Er... I meant monster."

Rhode shook his head. He was truly too accustomed to the habit of issuing commands in the game and couldn't change it for a moment. But clearly, now was not the time to dwell on such trifles. He took a deep breath, then turned his head to look at the two.

"Do you know the origin of the Mist Ruins?"

Hearing Rhode's inquiry, both were stunned, then shook their heads.

"This place used to be a bustling small town, but after the Wind Tide Channel opened, it gradually became deserted. After that, a mage came here. He conducted forbidden magical experiments here in order to find his deceased lover, and in the end, he failed."

Speaking of this, Rhode paused for a moment, then looked at the town shrouded in mist.

"And after that, this town became what it is now."

"Then Mr. Rhode, the monster you mentioned is..."

Mace frowned. He had thought those two Gargoyle were the most terrifying monsters; could there be something even worse?

"Shadow Phantom."

The term spoken from Rhode's mouth was plain, but the eerie tone made both of them feel a chill down their spines.

"It is the most terrifying monster born from that mage's final failure. If we aren't careful, all of us will die here."

"Is its combat power very strong, Mr. Rhode?"

Although she was curious about how Rhode knew this, for Lize, the problem at hand was clearly more important. But unexpectedly, Rhode shook his head.

"To be honest, it doesn't count as very strong. Its defense against physical attacks is very weak, about the same as a regular Wraith."

"Then..."

Hearing Rhode's explanation, Lize was a bit confused. If they were about the same, then why did Rhode say this thing was dangerous?

"Because Shadow Phantom has a special skill."

Rhode hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to say it.

"It probes your inner heart and then transforms into someone you are very familiar with. If you have no way to wake up from the nightmare it creates in time and maintain a firm belief, then there is only a dead end."

When saying this, Rhode's tone was not very certain. Because in the game, this boss would only appear after the entire adventuring party entered. It would transform into the players' likenesses and disrupt their judgment. At first, this was indeed a very troublesome boss, and many teams were wiped out here. But solutions are created by people, and soon players found a way to deal with it. After many battles, players discovered that the Wraith's strength wasn't very high, and it had nothing particularly dangerous other than copying the players themselves. That is to say, if only one player entered, it could only copy that person, and such a one-on-one battle was naturally a piece of cake for most players. Thus, after the mysterious aura of the Wraith was broken, it became a training dummy for many players to practice soloing bosses... its fate could only be described as tragic.

But...

Why was it that he felt there was some contradiction somewhere?

Rhode frowned. He vaguely felt a voice in the depths of his heart telling him that things weren't that simple, but for a moment, he couldn't grasp any leads.

"In any case, leave it to me."

The mist became increasingly thick.

Even the radiance filled with holy power could not easily penetrate this ocean of clouds and fog.

Rhode stopped in his tracks.

He could feel the worried gaze of the young girl behind him, but this was the most efficient method, and it was also the only way.

"Swish!"

A white blade appeared out of thin air. The clouds and fog seemed to stir because of it, then quickly returned to normal. They swirled and circled around Rhode, keeping everything else at bay.

The air began to turn damp and heavy.

It's coming.

Rhode steeled his spirit. He subconsciously moved his fingers, and the cold touch from the Ring of Will on his index finger made his mood calm down a lot. He understood the opponent very well, from its abilities to its attributes, from its combat methods to its attack range. Rhode didn't think there was anything difficult about this...

Perhaps that wasn't the case.

A figure slowly emerged from the fog. With its appearance, the surrounding air seemed to become more restless. The flowing mist refracted that flickering figure, looking exceptionally eerie. A faint fragrance drifted through the air, and mixed within it was a strange odor.

It was the smell of disinfectant.

Rhode frowned. He felt this smell was very familiar, but before he could consider it further, the fog in front suddenly dispersed, revealing the existence within.

And the moment he saw the other party, Rhode stood frozen in place. He opened his eyes wide in disbelief, staring at the figure before him. His mind went blank, and he couldn't say a word. Sealed memories erupted in this instant, echoing violently in the depths of Rhode's heart.