A sudden weightless drop made Yu Yu clutch Banban's neck, but Banban landed naturally, nimbly stepping on a few footholds before touching down lightly. They landed in a tunnel.
Or rather… a ruin?
Broken walls, moldy ancient tiles, a shadowy corridor, and flickering magical wall lamps wove a classic ruin scene.
Yu Yu, perched on Banban's back, hesitated. From her gaming experience, such ruins were packed with elite monsters and traps galore. Some might even outlevel her. Pinching Banban's round ears, Yu Yu dismounted to walk.
Moments later.
"Knew there'd be traps, tch."
Yu Yu, hands on hips, scoffed. Poison gas traps, fire traps, ice traps, arrow traps, pit traps, chain traps…
Using her wolf to scout, Yu Yu was lucky her spell list was broad, covering everything, or she'd have been doomed. Banban, observing her, cleverly skipped traps, moving with agility.
Yu Yu rubbed its ears. "Banban, you're so smart."
Banban growled coolly. Yu Yu hit a roadblock: a swarm of giant rats in the corridor ahead, including double-headed and triple-headed ones. Banban halted warily, refusing to advance.
Yu Yu whispered, "Can you sprint through if you speed up?"
Banban retreated two steps. Animals had instincts humans lacked, and Banban's high perception was undeniable—Yu Yu trusted it completely.
Seeing its caution, advancing meant fighting through. Studying the environment, Yu Yu had an idea. Stone Wall to block most of the passage, then Summon Rain. Before learning Venom, such a rat swarm would've been tough, but now…
Venom
As rain fell, the rats scurried, oblivious, until the water turned green. Pure green, no pollution. Waiting a bit, Yu Yu leisurely climbed onto Banban, crossing the corridor. A carpet of corpses littered the ground.
Poison spells: essential for home, travel, and banditry.
The journey ahead was dull for a gaming veteran. Yu Yu felt like she'd entered a single-player puzzle-adventure dungeon, facing traps or monsters—always rats.
Good thing her spell list was comprehensive.
Feather Fall, Animate Rope, Stone Wall—you'd know if you used them.
Her list lacked offensive spells but had plenty of miscellaneous ones. The ruin's walls were tough. Though worn, her spells had no effect, sinking like stones in the sea. Banban's claws left no marks either—likely a high-grade protective material.
The ruin wasn't small, but most side paths were blocked by iron gates or collapses. The few open routes plunged into darkness, lacking wall lamps. Without teammates, Yu Yu didn't dare explore with Banban. The lamps' guidance felt too deliberate. When Banban stopped, Yu Yu knew.
Combat.
But scanning the corridor, it was empty. Banban's behavior wasn't fake. Yu Yu studied it closely. It was hyper-alert, more than in prior fights, slowly retreating, every muscle taut.
Something was here… invisible…
Yu Yu mirrored Banban, backing away. After twenty meters, Banban relaxed slightly. Yu Yu pondered the quest. From start to finish, ignoring the lost part, she'd only fought twice, both with teammates.
Was this her solo fight?
The spell ring's low-tier assessment… assessment…
Invisible—rogue, maybe?
The ruin had heavy guidance markers…
Yu Yu's mind raced. If it was the spell ring, the fight shouldn't be too wild. Likely Woodheart Camp, but how to probe?
Summoning a wolf wouldn't do—she was alone. If spotted as a spellcaster, escaping was tough. Woodheart Camp's goons always moved in squads. Checking her spell list, Yu Yu frowned.
Detect Magic was good, but if the enemy had a spellcaster with higher mental stats, they'd sense her detection.
Detect Life was worse—high-perception enemies would feel it.
She couldn't gamble. What to do?
Staring at her spells, Yu Yu racked her brain. None were safe. This time, she pulled out her scrolls. Not just spells—she had scrolls. Seven scrolls. Flipping through, her gaze landed on three.
Minor Illusion, Spell Eavesdrop, Slip into Shadows
Minor Illusion created a fragile decoy to draw attention, so basic it only fooled low-intelligence animals, not people.
Spell Eavesdrop was worth a try…
Rogues could stealth, but others couldn't. Could they stay silent?
Slip into Shadows was an option, but risky—who knew the enemy's perception?
After thinking, Yu Yu tore open Spell Eavesdrop. A universal spell, maybe second or third ring? Universal spells were hard to rank; many academy ones weren't labeled. The moment she tore it, her hearing sharpened. She could hear distant sounds, tiny noises. Her temples throbbed; Yu Yu rubbed them.
…
"For the Master…" A hoarse voice drifted from afar. Yu Yu estimated the distance. "Your most loyal servant will offer you a legend…"
It came from where Banban stopped, about thirty meters ahead, around a corner. The voice echoed, suggesting a dead end or a chamber.
"Blood Lord, De Erispo, the former Speaker of the Circle of Justice, is now like the dirtiest mullet in the ocean, locked up in the dark underground by his own students. It is better for him to return to the Lord's arms..."
Faint words reached her. Yu Yu's eyes widened.
What the…?
Legend?
Former former Speaker?
Blood Lord?
Sorry, bye, see ya!
Yu Yu climbed onto Banban without hesitation, turning to leave. Banban, stunned, only turned when she yanked its ears. Halfway, Yu Yu returned, face numb. Some jerk had dropped an iron gate behind her, sealing her retreat. She tried everything—no damage. The gate seemed indestructible.
Spell Eavesdrop still active, Yu Yu, like a salted fish, cried, forced to listen to the voice drone.
[Magic Circle's Low-Tier Assessment: Woodheart Camp's Objective (Completed)]
(Scum from the sea dares to taint a supreme legendary spellcaster. Unforgivable—must be punished. Report to the magic circle at once!)
Yu Yu: I'd love to go back!
[(Epic) Whispers in the Dark]
(Your spirit stirs, drawn to something deeper)
Yu Yu: No, nothing's drawing me! Let me out!!!
She tried giving up, waiting for the gate to lift.
It didn't budge.
Yu Yu went zen. Just a normal quest—how'd she stumble into a legend?
What's a legend?
Level 20, main stat at least 20—that's a legend.
She'd asked Yun Lun.
Eternal Darkness's stat system wasn't inflated. Level 20 was theoretically max.
Levels 1–4: apprentice, main stat up to 8. Levels 5–8: low-tier, up to 12. Levels 9–12: mid-tier, up to 16. Levels 13–16: high-tier, up to 18.
Beyond that was god-tier. Levels 17–19: top-tier. Level 20: legend.
Stat point costs doubled after 12. What about 16? 18?
Yu Yu couldn't imagine. Good thing real-world quests gave points, or players had no shot at legend. Hearing "legend," her first instinct was to bolt.
Level 20!
What's that?
Like leaving the tutorial and meeting the final boss—how could she play?
And it sounded like this figure wasn't on good terms with the magic circle?
Locked up by them—how could they be?
Yu Yu wanted to ditch her robe, carry Banban, and flee the Allen Peninsula overnight.
But she couldn't.
Even after recovering mental energy, the gate stayed shut.
Despair.
Glancing at the epic quest, Yu Yu stood, face blank. Die, fine. It's a game—worst case, die out. So what if it's a legend?
The epic quest had an arrow, and Yu Yu sensed it pointing downward. The quest's source was underground?
But Spell Eavesdrop's voice came from just ahead.
Woodheart Camp.
Kill them.
Yu Yu's eyes glinted with intent. In open terrain, setup would be tricky, but in a ruin, with one path?
And it seemed like the ruin's end—no side paths for a while.
So…
Poison the bastards!
Yu Yu prepped Stone Wall. Fearing strong enemy warriors, she planned five layers minimum. She left a needle-thin gap at the edge to guide vision-based spells. Stone Wall—never too many.
~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~
She stacked eight layers before pausing. The ruin's two-meter height meant no need for taller walls. Restoring mental energy, Yu Yu summoned a wolf through the gap.
Two steps.
Two more.
Banban stood.
Yu Yu knew her wolf had been spotted. No Spell Eavesdrop needed—she heard footsteps.
Wet Ground
Venom
Sickly green venom mixed with water, spreading instantly.
Hunt time! Party time!
She heard them hacking her walls—clang, clang, clang, heavy.
"Vile worm, drop the walls if you dare!"
Sounded like heavy weapons. Yu Yu, unhurried, thickened her walls, ignoring them. Without dodging, poisoning a 100–200 HP warrior took about three minutes, factoring in healing, support, or potions.
But they'd likely dodge.
So Yu Yu spread Wet Ground as wide as possible, aiming for full coverage, then kept poisoning. Spells had resistances—unlike physical poison, they needed fire, ice, or poison resistance to mitigate. So far, Yu Yu hadn't met resistant foes.
Assume they had some—she had time.
She refreshed Summon Rain, Venom, and kept stacking walls. Notably, Wet Ground was a broad skill, amplified by Summon Rain's pooling water.
Time slipped by.
Yu Yu knew they had a spellcaster, constantly casting to disrupt her, shielding teammates. They used venom too, cast Summon Water, and occasionally fired ranged spells—ice chunks and spikes littered the ground.
Sadly, no Earth Shift or Falling Rock.
Wind, rain, thunder, fire—none outdamaged physical strikes on stone walls. Yu Yu and Banban stood far back, behind a fortress of battlement-like walls. Maybe an hour or two passed, no experience gained.
No trick—no experience meant no deaths.
They kept trash-talking; Yu Yu didn't reply once. Much later, as Yu Yu groomed Banban, she got experience.
Jackpot.
+400 experience, solo.
One down.
Sigh.
Keep going. Soon, more experience. Another dead.
Blame their spellcaster's narrow spell list. Yu Yu's improvised tactic was crude, but if their spell list couldn't counter…
"Earth spells are so good…" Yu Yu mused.
She loved terrain-altering powers.
No terrain? I'll make it.
What's wind, rain, thunder, fire? Can't farm with those. She dragged it to evening, killing another.
+400 experience.
She'd earned 1600 experience.
Based on past fights, they should all be dead.
But…
Yu Yu kept waiting. Later, another died.
+600 experience.
Any more?
Hungry, she pulled out noodles, eating happily. Waiting at least two more hours, Yu Yu stood.
Not impatience—she'd get hungry again if she waited.
Dismantling walls one by one, Yu Yu hid behind her wolf and Banban, peering cautiously.
A pool of poison water… and corpses.
The terrain helped immensely. The ruin's end: no exits, no ventilation, walls tougher than her Stone Wall. They'd relentlessly smashed her walls—good thing she reinforced fast. Her Stone Wall proficiency even leveled up.
Waiting, seeing Banban calm, Yu Yu relaxed. After the poison cleared, she sent the wolf running like a Roomba, zigzagging dozens of times.
Truly safe.
Looting was routine. Yu Yu didn't check, bundling it and leaving it in the corridor. She moved forward.
A door—a downward door.
Scavenging the squad's camp, she found more goodies, now staring at the door, deep in thought.
This epic quest…
Tempting.
Epic—had to give a few stat points, right?
Stepping forward, Yu Yu froze. A black-robed figure appeared before the door. "Your assessment is complete. Return."
Seeing the glowing rings on their robe, Yu Yu understood.
Assessment… assessment…
It really was an assessment. She'd felt orchestrated all along. But her epic quest wasn't done! What now?
What to do?
Hesitating, Yu Yu stepped back, knowing she couldn't fight authority. As she retreated, the robed figure vanished, and the distant iron gate creaked open. She'd do this quest later, Yu Yu sighed, turning…
"Wait…"
In the high-tier spellcaster's shocked gaze, Yu Yu vanished.
Teleportation?
Oh no! It's awake!
She reported it immediately. An open cave, brightly lit. In the center, a tattered, faceless figure hung in the air, bound by ethereal chains. Each chain radiated terrifying power.
[(Epic) Whispers in the Dark (Completed)]
[+1000 Experience]
[(Epic) Listening]
(All is unknown)
A quest chain?
Yu Yu couldn't understand what it was whispering at all. This wait lasted a long time, and Yu Yu was almost kicked offline. It seemed thoroughly bound, showing no hostility toward her. But Yu Yu was starving—constant spellcasting these days made her ravenous. She pulled out her treasured rice bowl, ready to dig in. Thanks to her bag, it was still vibrant, steaming.
"…Eat."
Yu Yu: "?"
I'm eating?
Wait?
It spoke?
The thing above was ageless, genderless, maybe not even human.
But…
In a split second, Yu Yu looked down—her rice bowl was gone.
Yu Yu: "??"
"???"
Staring at her hands, then up, a wild guess hit her.
This epic quest… was it just to deliver you food?