Affected by the skill "Wraith's Wail," Mysterious lost all mobility for 10 seconds.
Though Mysterious’s combat prowess surpassed human limits, he was still bound by the game’s rules. Hit by a control skill from a boss-level monster eight levels higher, even he couldn’t turn the tide.
After "Wraith's Wail" struck, Mysterious froze mid-motion, utterly paralyzed.
While *EndlessHorizon* had gear or skills to reduce or break control effects, those were far beyond his current reach. Coupled with the crushing level gap, he could only stand there helplessly like a scolded child. The sole silver lining? "Wraith's Wail" dealt no damage—it wouldn’t send him straight back to the Altar.
But for Mysterious, with only 45 HP, standing frozen for 10 seconds before a Corrupted Wraith was no different from an instant kill.
"Wraith's Wail" seemed to be the Corrupted Wraith’s ultimate move, carrying heavy restrictions and costs. After using it, the wraith visibly weakened—its already translucent form growing slightly fainter.
Instead of finishing Mysterious off, the wraith hunched over, gasping for breath… if ghosts could even breathe. After two or three seconds, it straightened up, claws bared, ready to send this sky-jumping fool back to the Altar to reflect on his sins.
Mysterious could only watch helplessly. Five seconds of control remained—plenty of time to die several times over.
Before the wraith could strike, a woman’s voice echoed from deep within the cavern—from the direction of the magic circle:
"What’s all this noise?"
At the sound, the Corrupted Wraith halted its attack and drifted back into the cavern’s depths without a glance, leaving Mysterious stranded.
"???" Mysterious stood frozen, watching it retreat. The control effect hadn’t worn off yet—he couldn’t move even if he wanted to.
Even after the paralysis lifted, Mysterious remained rooted in place, stunned by the sudden turn of events.
The wraith had fled, but his quest was incomplete. Normally, he’d chase it down. Yet after that fight, he knew he stood no chance against the wraith—let alone its master, who’d summoned it with a single command. Charging in would be suicide.
He trusted his strength, but he knew the truth: he was just a Level 4 newbie in a game. Right now, he was far too weak.
Before he could overthink it, the voice spoke again:
"Stop dawdling. Come here."
Since she’d invited him, Mysterious walked over without hesitation.
He followed the path to the mine’s end—the magic circle’s location. This area had been empty except for the wraith, but now a Mine Skeleton Rat stood there.
This rat looked identical to the others Mysterious had fought, yet it didn’t lunge to bite. Instead, it stood on its hind legs, waving its tiny bone paws at him.
Absurd as a dancing skeleton rat was, Mysterious understood: it was gesturing for him to touch the magic circle.
Recalling the voice and his own suspicions, he reached out toward the circle.
His hand passed straight through the wall—as if the stone were mere illusion. No resistance, no texture.
Then came a soft *clatter-clatter-clatter* at his feet. The skeleton rat was hopping in place, its tiny claws tapping the ground.
When Mysterious turned to look, the rat stopped mid-hop. In one fluid motion, it darted *into* the wall, then poked half its body back out, waving urgently—as if saying, *This way! Hurry!*
The wall—or rather, the magic circle—acted like a portal between spaces. One moment Mysterious charged toward stone; the next, he stood somewhere entirely new.
He was still underground, but now within a vast hollowed-out space inside a rock layer. The walls and floor were smooth, carved from pale blue, semi-transparent stone.
Five glowing white octahedrons lit the cylindrical chamber—one at each cardinal point and one at the center. Thick chains coiled around them, linking all five together.
But the true centerpiece was the lavish mansion at the heart of the space. A Western-style manor, elegant and black as midnight.
Flanking its entrance stood two Corrupted Wraiths—one was the very wraith Mysterious had fought. Gone was their feral rage; now they stood poised like dutiful maids awaiting their mistress.
Hundreds of Mine Skeleton Rats wandered aimlessly around the mansion, while Mine Bone Bats flitted through the air. Every monster ignored Mysterious completely, treating him like neutral wildlife.
Well, almost all. The skeleton rat that led him here was still watching him intently.
Seeing Mysterious’s gaze, the rat nodded and scampered to the mansion’s door.
As it reached the entrance, the door swung open. A woman stepped out, moving with quiet grace.
She appeared Western, with waist-length silver-white hair. Her eyes were ash-gray except for crimson irises. Her skin held a sickly pallor, stark against her black gown.
She addressed Mysterious directly:
"Adventurer. State your name and purpose here."
This was the voice from before—the master of this place. The wraiths truly were her Followers.
Typically, a master outclassed their servants. If a Corrupted Wraith was a Level 12 boss… this woman was far beyond Mysterious’s current strength.
"Nameless One," Mysterious replied, refusing to give his real name.
"Nameless One…" She nodded. "And your purpose?"
"I came to—" He almost answered directly but recalled Blacksmith Hu’s words:
*Go to the second level of the mine west of the village. Bring back a ring.*
"—bring back a ring."
*Bring back* versus *find*—a subtle but critical difference. Given the quest’s direction, Blacksmith Hu clearly knew of this woman.
"Searching for something?" she pressed, one eyebrow lifting.
"Yes. Blacksmith Hu sent me to retrieve a ring for him." Mysterious used the name from the quest log—he’d memorized it after one glance.
"Old Hu…" A flicker of sorrow crossed her face at the name.
Seeing her expression—the ring, the undead minions—it painted a tragic story.
Mysterious stayed silent.
"Is this what he meant?" She waved her hand. A ring wrapped in white light floated to Mysterious.
As he caught it, a system prompt chimed:
**[Item Obtained: Vivian’s Resolve]**
Only then did he notice the NPC’s name hovering above her: *Vivian Behren*.
"Thank you." Mysterious gave a slight bow.
"You’re welcome." Vivian gestured dismissively. "If that’s all, please leave. The exit is that way."
With the quest complete and dismissal clear, Mysterious saw no reason to linger.
He had countless questions, but he’d save them for Blacksmith Hu later.
Thanks to Vivian’s command, the undead on the second floor ignored him on his return. Only the first floor’s Mine Rats still attacked.
The real hurdle was the three gatekeeper rats on Floor 1. Mysterious spent over half an hour kiting them between floors, whittling them down through sheer persistence. Once they fell, the path cleared.
Near the mine exit, an elite Mine Rat blocked his way.
Mysterious ignored regular rats, but elites were fair game. He charged, sword raised.
**[-1]** His attack still couldn’t pierce its defense.
After the strike, he frowned at the elite rat’s health bar—it was already at two-thirds.
"Does this place specialize in half-health elites?" Both elite monsters he’d encountered here were damaged. It made him wonder.
Oblivious to the chaos that had unfolded while he delved deep, Mysterious had no idea what had happened.
