Dying Takes Fate, Too

In her previous life, by the time Yu Lingye was brought to the Descenders Guild, she had already been worn down from a person with dignity into a bottom-tier slave anyone could kick around.

At the time, she had just been "transferred" out of a small party.

The reason sounded pleasant enough: a new group was expanding, they needed someone to handle logistics, and the guild encouraged mutual support.

Meng Yinyin appeared then.

She handed Yu Lingye a bowl of hot soup, her tone so gentle it sounded as if she truly pitied her.

"Don't be afraid. Follow us from now on. At least we won't let you starve to death."

By then, Yu Lingye had been tortured numb by this world. Any scrap of concern or warmth could make her weep with gratitude, believing she had finally met good people.

Only later did she learn that bowl of hot soup was not kindness. It was the last bit of bait before putting a leash on livestock.

The small group Zheng Chuan, Meng Yinyin, and Luo Qi belonged to specialized in buying "tools" from the guild with materials or gold—people who could not fight, could not read maps, and did not understand the rules.

They claimed they were helping people level up and teaching them skills.

But in reality, they sent people to the Rust Mines to dig crystals and gather herbs for them.

The place was shrouded in poisonous fog year-round, filled with Shardrock Worms and bottomless fissures that swallowed people whole. Even normal players had to form full parties before entering, and they had to time their retreat carefully.

Yet deep within the mines lay the richest mineral deposits and herbs on the continent.

So Yu Lingye naturally became a disposable tool in those tunnels, digging crystals day and night.

Her fingers were rubbed bloody and raw, her shoulders and back were cut open by the mining basket, and if she failed to meet her quota, she was brutally beaten.

She tried to escape.

The first time, she had not even made it half a mile before an arrow from Luo Qi pierced her calf.

Zheng Chuan dragged her back into the mine and smashed her shoulder with the back of his axe in front of everyone.

She thought she was going to die. Dying would be good. If she died, those beasts would not be able to torment her anymore.

Meng Yinyin came over to her, still wearing that same gentle expression.

She said, "Lingye, we're doing this for your own good too. It's so dangerous outside. If you run around, you'll die."

Then, with her own hands, she pressed the curse used to control slaves into Yu Lingye's wrist.

From that day on, Yu Lingye completely lost her rights as a human being.

She could not disobey, could not run away, and could not even kill herself.

The moment she formed even the slightest thought of self-destruction, the curse amplified her pain tenfold and forcibly dragged her back from the brink of unconsciousness.

It was not until the mine collapsed later and another party happened to pick her up that she escaped their control.

Of course, life with the new party was no brighter.

By then, Yu Lingye had long been worn down beyond recognition, like an empty shell stripped of its soul. Only the seed of hatred continued to grow wildly inside that shriveled husk.

Every day, she cursed them. Every day, she wanted to sacrifice her soul in exchange for a weapon that could judge their sins, so she could return every last bit of that damned despair and pain to them.

At that thought, Isolde froze for a moment. Then she looked down at her palm and suddenly smiled.

So that was it.

That was why she had become Isolde: to wait for this moment, wasn't it?

Her smile was faint upon her pale lips, yet colder than fury.

According to the course of her previous life, these three should not have appeared here.

At this time, they should have been looting resources in the wilderness closer to the descent point. Only afterward would they enter the guild and become key members of that small group.

But while repairing the illusion array in the eastern tower these past few days, she had casually altered several guiding array patterns, pushing the Graymist Boundary a little farther out.

Just that little change had delivered these three people, who should never have entered this place, right to her doorstep.

Isolde's mood suddenly improved. She raised a hand and slowly smoothed the cuff of her white dress.

Since the road had already been laid all the way to her door for them, she naturally had to extend a little "hospitality."

And, while she was at it, continue their ill-fated bond from her previous life.

The dense fog slowly parted before the Castle gates, and a girl in a white dress stumbled out.

Her black hair was disheveled, her face pale, and one corner of her skirt had been dampened by the gray mist. It looked as though she had fled through the darkness for a very long time before finally seeing daylight again.

All three of Zheng Chuan's group stopped at once.

Isolde stopped as well, her gaze first falling on their equipment.

Mid-grade leather armor, an iron axe, a staff, and the bow on Luo Qi's back.

This setup was far stronger than that of ordinary newcomers who had just descended.

It seemed the three had already robbed a batch of unlucky people of their resources.

No wonder they had arrived earlier than in her previous life.

Greedy people always ran fast, especially when they caught the scent of profit.

Even through the damp mist, she could clearly see those three faces she despised beyond measure.

The hatred in her heart no longer needed to surge. The moment she saw them, the chill seeping from the cracks of her bones was enough to keep her rational and temporarily restrain her killing intent.

Isolde lifted her head, her eyes reddening. As if using the last of her strength, she reached a hand toward them.

"Please... save me."

[Passive Skill: Witch's Mask—Activated.]

[Target Zheng Chuan: Vigilance reduced by 60%.]

[Target Luo Qi: Vigilance reduced by 55%.]

[Target Meng Yinyin: Active suspicion detected. Effect weakened. Vigilance reduced by 32%.]

All three turned their gazes toward her. Zheng Chuan reacted first and said in surprise:

"There really is an NPC."

Luo Qi held his bow and looked her up and down, excitement quickly appearing in his eyes.

They had only been thrown into this hellhole a few days ago. Before they had even found a beginner village, they had stumbled into this stretch of gray fog surrounding a Castle.

At a time like this, a beautiful girl suddenly appearing and begging for help did not look like an ordinary passerby no matter how they saw it. She looked more like a hidden quest.

But Meng Yinyin had already raised her staff at Isolde. "Stop. Don't come any closer."

Isolde halted as if she had been frightened.

Her lashes trembled. Her pale fingers clenched the hem of her dress, and her voice became even softer.

"I'm not a bad person... I just want to escape."

Her appearance fit their image of a "weak story character" so perfectly that it was as if the words "quest reward" were written across her face.

Meng Yinyin was more cautious than the other two and asked first:

"Who are you? What exactly is going on here?"

Isolde raised her wet eyes to look at her. The hatred in her eyes surfaced for only an instant before she forced it back down.

When she looked up again, she was still that terrified noble girl.

"I am the daughter of a noble family from the western region. When I passed through here last month, the Duke in the Castle captured me."

She bit her lip, her voice dropping lower.

"He carved a Soul Contract onto me. I can't leave this Castle. There are many monsters inside, and every day I can hear screams... I'm so scared..."

Luo Qi sneered. "This plot is way too cliché."

Isolde sneered inwardly.

The more cliché it was, the more it suited players' judgment of a hidden quest.

And the more it suited their judgment, the more easily they would lower their guard.

On the surface, she looked as if his words had wounded her. Her face turned even paler as she hurriedly explained:

"I'm not lying to you. I really am..."

Zheng Chuan had already lost patience with her buildup. He stepped forward and reached out to grab her arm.

"Cut the crap. Just tell us what you want us to do."

Isolde hurriedly backed away, avoiding his hand as disgust rose inside her.

"We have to enter the Castle basement," she said softly. "The contract core is there. As long as it's destroyed, I'll be free."