Keeper of Secrets

The difficulty of this [Great Necropolis] labyrinth wasn't this outrageous originally.

The normal puzzle-solving process involved hunters first dealing with the skeleton monsters in the maze, whether through brute force, manipulating Sanity Value, or other methods, until they found clues resembling adventurer notes amidst the monster horde.

Then, they would proceed to trigger the hidden storyline.

This was a long and meticulous exploration process.

With the clues, even if they encountered the [Keeper of Secrets] later, it wouldn't be a certain death.

But now, someone had directly triggered the hidden storyline, which led to everyone facing a deadly situation as soon as they entered.

Ji Xun, having his Sanity Value drop immediately upon entering, was considered lucky to have found a few clues.

However, the danger of death still loomed.

The magical aspect of the labyrinth was that it was a "labyrinth."

Before walking through it, you had no idea where a passage led.

Even if you deliberately avoided certain paths, after taking a long detour, you might find yourself back where you started.

Also, sometimes, two seemingly different passages would eventually converge, and if you deliberately avoided one, you might still find both paths meeting at some point in the future.

Ji Xun carefully avoided the directions from which the sounds of battle were coming.

But as he walked, he suddenly felt something was wrong.

He had already mapped out the paths he had taken in the maze like a QR code. Although it was only a corner of the labyrinth, it prevented him from retracing his steps.

However, some passages in his mind were deviating more and more, gradually converging in one direction.

He tried his best to avoid them, but he couldn't stop others from charging recklessly through the maze.

After passing a few intersections, even though he was quite far away, Ji Xun suddenly heard the sounds of battle coming from the passage again.

"Bang," "Bang," "Bang."

The sounds of battle, like a thunderstorm, came from all directions.

The only ones capable of making such a commotion were the main force of the Governor's Mansion group.

Ji Xun felt a sense of unease and wanted to avoid them.

But no matter which way he went, back or through other passages, the commotion kept getting closer.

Ji Xun frowned as he listened, thinking, "It seems I can't avoid them."

Distinguishing the direction of the sound, he realized that the nearby passages seemed to be interconnected corridors.

This meant that no matter which way he went, he might end up heading towards the source of the battle.

Those guys were moving very fast, and the sounds of battle were getting louder, as if they were already in the next passage in the blink of an eye.

Ji Xun deduced from his mental map that no matter which path he chose, he would likely encounter them. So, he stopped trying to choose.

He recalled the description of the [Keeper of Secrets] in his notebook and decided not to avoid them anymore. Instead, he made a decisive move, lying down in the corner of a dead-end passage, choosing a spot that wouldn't be easily stepped on.

Then, he played dead.

This was the only way he could think of to avoid danger.

Precisely because he didn't rush around recklessly, Ji Xun narrowly avoided this fatal crisis.

He had just put on the Clown Mask and lay down when a "boom" erupted at the end of the passage.

Countless skeletons were blasted into fragments, scattering like a torrential rain.

A few bones hit Ji Xun on the ground with a "crackling" sound, like shrapnel from a cannonball, making him gasp in pain.

Fortunately, he had chosen a corner to lie down in, so the impact was relatively minor.

Otherwise, if he had been on the main path, the shockwave from the battle alone could have cost him half his life.

After this explosion, Ji Xun watched as three blue Cards, enveloped in a vortex, flew out from the corner. The vortex grew larger and larger, transforming into a saw-toothed wind blade the size of a car wheel.

The three wind blade vortices covered the same cross-section, and the skeletons they passed were instantly cut in half.

With just three high-level Wind Blade Cards, the entire dozens of meters of the labyrinth passage was cleared in an instant.

Then, he heard the hissing sound of a steam boiler releasing pressure after accumulating energy. With a "bang," a large number of skeletons in the entire passage were crushed into powder by the immense pressure.

The high-pressure detonation surged like a dragon, and Ji Xun was disoriented by the residual shockwave, almost spitting out a mouthful of blood. He inwardly grumbled, "The firepower of those Governor's Mansion guys is really fierce!"

The combat power of this group was indeed enough to sweep through the labyrinth's skeleton monsters.

However, the skeleton monsters' greatest advantage was their numbers; once their aggro was drawn, it would create a chain reaction.

As they pushed through like this, the monsters not only didn't decrease but actually attracted more and more.

Although Ji Xun couldn't see how many people there were, he could hear the dense footsteps and estimated their numbers to be significant.

Moreover, the footsteps sounded panicked, clearly indicating they were fleeing in disarray.

The only ones chasing this group must be the [Keeper of Secrets].

"Protect the Governor!"

"Damn it, have we found the exit of the labyrinth?"

"Not yet. The exit mentioned in the Hunter's Guild intel has already been blocked by a sealing stone."

"."

The voices of those guys were loud during the fight, echoing far in the maze.

Those guys probably never expected that a D-Class space would trap them here to die.

Listening to the sounds getting closer, Ji Xun lowered his breathing as much as possible.

After a few breaths, a gust of wind swept past his scalp. His slightly opened eyelids watched a group of Frost Knights escorting the corpulent Governor charge past, a whole hundred of them.

The mere aura they unleashed was like a torrent of steel.

The Frost Knight Legion truly lived up to its reputation.

However, just as these people left, the temperature in the vast corridor plummeted, accompanied by a thick, foul wind rolling in. It smelled like the stench of corpses crawling out of a tomb, a smell all too familiar to a Corpse Collector.

Even without looking, Ji Xun knew the [Keeper of Secrets] had arrived.

What kind of terrifying monster could make the elite knights of the Governor's Mansion flee in disarray?

Ji Xun kept his breathing extremely low, quietly feigning death, while also feeling very curious.

He cast a sideways glance, and a patch of black mist appeared in his vision.

Within the dense black mist, tall figures riding rotten warhorses rapidly streaked past. Their skin had rotted to the point of being unrecognizable, leaving only bone and flesh connected. Their shriveled mouths were stitched shut with thread, giving off a chilling aura. As this monster approached, the surrounding air became heavy and distorted, inexplicably instilling fear.

[Keeper of Secrets]

Details: Second-tier S-Class Calamity; they are the guardians of the underground palace, loyal keepers of secrets for the royal family; they are death knights who control destruction, feeding on the flesh and fear of living beings, immortal and indestructible;

"As expected, an S-Class Calamity."

Ji Xun had heard from other Hunters that any Calamity above A-Class possessed some special abilities.

And S-Class Calamities were monsters endowed with "special rules" by alternate dimensions.

These were usually unbeatable rules.

This was precisely what Hunters spoke of with dread.

From what he could see, the rule bestowed upon this Keeper of Secrets was - immortality.

As long as the space was not destroyed, they would not die.

Regardless of their tier or abilities, just this "immortal and indestructible" characteristic meant that even the strongest Spell Card Master would have to flee.

And the terror of this monster wasn't just its immortality.

Ji Xun merely glanced at it, and it felt as if he had glimpsed some unfathomable horror beyond his comprehension.

Even his composure, which never wavered in the face of death, felt like it was being pricked by needles, startling him inexplicably.

This wasn't fear that one could control with subjective consciousness.

It was an instinctive tremor born from seeing some indescribable demon.

Immediately, Enlightenment displayed.

「Subjected to unknown pollution erosion, Clown Mask reduced by 70%, you have received Fear +2, Shock +1, Soul Pollution +1」

「.」

It was just that one glance.

It was as if his soul was entangled by a nightmare, and a more terrifying pollution spread.

A series of negative status effects appeared on his status panel.

"Visual pollution?"

Ji Xun was startled and quickly closed his eyes.

The image in his eyes cut off, and the pollution finally ceased.

If not for the Clown Mask, that glance might have caused serious trouble.

Fortunately, the Governor's Mansion's group was drawing fire.

Chasing and fleeing, their speed was extremely fast, and the two groups shot past with a "swoosh."

Just moments after that terrifying feeling washed over him, the bone-chilling cold that felt like ice blades scraping his bones completely disappeared.

The Keeper of Secrets seemed not to have seen the "corpse" in the corner and directly pursued Governor's party ahead.

It felt like the scythe of death had grazed his scalp, and Ji Xun felt that sensation of a venomous snake slithering up his spine and then smoothly sliding away.

His scalp tingled.

But he wasn't dead, and that feeling left a lingering aftertaste.

Only after the deathly crisis that felt like a constant prickle on his back completely receded did he stand up, squinting at the messy corridor ahead, and mused, "This monster is truly terrifying."

Seeing the notification was one thing.

Witnessing that terrifying pollution firsthand was another.

Recalling that moment, he still felt a lingering fear.

But he was also glad he had taken that look.

If he didn't even look when a group of experts were drawing aggro this time, the next time he saw this Calamity, it might be his own death countdown.

Ji Xun's eyes trembled slightly.

But it wasn't all bad.

Ji Xun's thoughts raced, and he analyzed internally, "The description in that Adventurer's previous notes, 'monsters are slow to perceive non-moving objects,' was indeed correct. And it's not just non-moving objects; part of the pollution's transmission route is through sight. Closing one's eyes can also reduce aggro."

He had just been lying there playing dead, avoiding the monster's attention.

And he had also confirmed a new piece of intelligence: the transmission route of the Keeper of Secrets' pollution.

This was also very important.

"But while the Keeper of Secrets isn't sensitive to static objects, it's not blind either. And I can't just close my eyes and play dead every time I encounter it again, can I? If no one draws the fire, I'll be discovered sooner or later."

Ji Xun felt a headache coming on as he thought about it.

This monster seemed like a BUG in every way.

So the only way out now was still—decryption.

Now that he had witnessed all the methods of the person behind the scenes, he felt even more certain that the people in the Governor's Mansion were doomed.

Well... he was pretty much doomed too.

Ji Xun gave a self-deprecating laugh, not dwelling on the unchangeable present situation.

What he needed to do now was to get away.

Thinking on the bright side, at least it wasn't coming for him, so the situation wasn't particularly dire.

The benefit of having these people around was that they would dart around the maze, drawing all the attention.

Ji Xun tilted his ear to listen to the direction of the combat sounds coming from the corridor.

This time, he didn't choose the opposite corridor. Instead, he chose to head back towards the passage the group from the Governor's Mansion had taken.

Normally, those guys, as long as they wanted to get out of the maze, would absolutely not go back the way they came.

As long as he avoided them, he would avoid the greatest danger.

And there was another point.

Since every passage was dangerous anyway.

He might as well go back and take a look; perhaps there would be a surprise.