CHAPTER 164: CHAPTER 164: THE DUNGEON WILL THAT COMES KNOCKING

The figure in the magic robe in the courtyard turned to face Kane and the others.

Although this figure was draped in a magic robe and holding a magic staff, his body was a mass of black mist, with only glowing blue eyes visible where the head should be.

He looked at the wary Kane and the others and spoke in a calm voice.

"No need to be nervous, I have no malice. I came specifically to find you." He pointed his magic staff at Kane: "You are called Kane, yes?"

Seeing the shadow before him call out his name, Kane became even more cautious and asked, "Who are you?"

The shadow leaned on his magic staff and slowly walked forward.

"Relax," he waved his magic staff at Kane and the others.

The entire scene changed in an instant, transporting Kane and the others from the barren, cold mountaintop to a warm room.

The room was resplendent, with carpets made of gold trim and unknown fur spread on the ground. Orange and yellow lights warmly illuminated the entire room. The walls were adorned with golden decorations and various masterpieces, making it extraordinarily lavish.

Kane and the others were seated on a giant, soft sofa directly.

The sudden change of scene made Kane and the others spring up from the sofa, but after a moment of thought, they sat back down again.

They couldn’t find any flaw in the space-stopping, whether real or not, it was something they couldn’t deal with now.

Since the shadow had shown goodwill, it was best to listen to what he had to say.

"Calm down now? Then let me introduce myself and answer your questions," he said.

The hands made of black mist tidied his robe: "I was once a very outstanding Necromancer, but as you can see, my world shattered, with the cause unclear."

He began to pace around the room.

"Due to my location at the time, this fragment of the world was caught by something, allowing us to survive, and I inexplicably became the will of this region.

Although I am a Necromancer, I love my world very much. As I gradually understand, I found that your world wants to assimilate us. I realized my insignificance but still want to change something. I tried to communicate with your world but couldn’t find a way."

He suddenly stopped and pointed at Kane: "Until you appeared. I sensed an unusual essence that sets you apart from others. The scent of world power clings heavily to you. Through this scent, I finally made contact with your world.

I attempted to negotiate with her; she declined but surprisingly mercifully gave me another option—which is you."

"Me? What can I do? I’m just a small copper-colored Explorer."

"No, no, no," the black mist shook his finger and pointed at Kane’s chest, "that option is to trade with the person holding this medal, and it just so happens that I found her through the medal on your chest."

Kane thought for a moment: "So what do you want to trade with me?"

"Given the current energy consumption, this world will vanish in less than a year. By then, we will appear in the so-called World Ring. I hope you will find me when you can enter the World Ring. That will be the real time for our transaction."

He tossed a piece emitting black mist towards Kane: "This is the deposit."

After speaking, he looked around and waved his magic staff.

Space transformed again, returns Kane and group to the previous mountaintop, with the shadow’s final words echoing in their ears.

"That’s it for now. We will discuss more later."

Kane and his comrades looked at each other, bewildered and confused.

They had no choice but to identify the object in their hands. It was a transparent diamond-shaped crystal, filled with black mist which occasionally seeped out.

[Shadow Shaping]

[Weapon]

[Color: Golden]

[Attributes:]

[Extremely Durable]

[Absorb Magic Power Upon Hit]

[Skills:]

[Indulge as You Wish] (This weapon is in its initial form. After binding it to yourself, you can spend Magic Power to change its shape, receiving different bonuses based on the form.)

[Shadow Power] (Using this weapon allows mastery over Shadow Power.)

[Elemental Attachment] (Every elemental attribute added to it gains double the bonus.)

[Description: Crafted from the rarest materials in the Shadow Plane, combined with Extreme Intent Metal, it is an exceedingly rare weapon applicable to anyone; long-term use may grant full mastery over Shadow Power.]

Impressive, the will of the world is indeed generous, giving away a top-tier weapon of golden grade, as a deposit.

Unfortunately, Kane can only admire it for now, as a copper-level Explorer can’t use golden-level weapons. Explorers can only use weapons, equipment, and consumables one tier above their rank.

Regretfully, Kane stored the Equipment in his Space Equipment.

Seeing that Kane had finished evaluating the Equipment, Kreya approached: "What should we do now?"

"This transaction is too far-reaching for us. The World Ring won’t open for several years. It’s pointless to think about it now. Let’s focus on clearing the Dungeon and advancing to Silver first."

Upon hearing Kane, the group returned to their senses, not their first encounter with Dungeon’s will after all.

With their spirits sorted, the group headed to the stone pavilion at the center of the peak, looking at the tunnel entrance leading to lower levels.

Nothing more to say, going by the old rules.

First summoning the goblin, they kicked it down one by one to scout the way.

Then Kane rode on Cotton Candy and flew down.

Once the landing spot was confirmed safe, Kane recalled the goblin.

When everyone arrived, they began observing the environment on this level.

This space wasn’t large, as Kane and the others had already seen the white Mist Boundary, surrounded by a circle of twisted trees forming a small forest.

A wide path extended from their front into the woods, leading directly to the center, where stood a massive black castle, vast enough to be considered a small city.

The castle’s towering spires echoed with haunting wails audible even from where Kane and the others stood.

A giant silver moon hung behind the castle, adding to the atmosphere.

Its meaning was clear: the Dungeon’s final boss was in the castle, and Kane and the others just had to go in and defeat him.

Then

Sublimate to Silver.