Chapter 16: The Arrival of Terror!
Han Xing searched through the corpses of the dark elves one by one.
[Acquired damaged wooden plate armor (white) *1, acquired wooden great hammer (white) *1, acquired spirit core *1, acquired corrupted blood *1…]
[Acquired damaged wooden staff, acquired spirit core, acquired wooden bow, acquired corrupted blood *1…]
There wasn’t much of value on these dark elves—just some white-tier equipment, a few spirit cores, and a drop of strange blood.
“Corrupted blood? What’s that?” Han Xing was puzzled when he noticed several droplets of dark bluish-black blood added to his inventory. There were no annotations on the materials, so he simply set them aside for the time being.
Han Xing continued to search the bodies. When he reached the last dark elf—the mage whose head he had pierced with an arrow—his eyes suddenly brightened. In the mage’s pouch, he found a book.
[Skill Book: Fireball.]
“A mage’s skill book!” Han Xing’s excitement surged instantly.
Mages, as a staple class in many Blue Star games, had lured countless players into the trap early on. In their imagination, mages commanded lightning and flames, summoning storms and wreaking havoc. But soon they discovered the mage was far from their fantasies.
At the start, human survivors had only a basic explosion skill and no other offensive abilities. Only after learning their first skill could they unleash elemental attacks, significantly increasing their damage output.
Thus, Fireball and Ice Arrow were skills desperately needed by mages early on.
This Fireball skill book, if put up for trade, would surely ignite a bidding war among mages.
Of course, the skill book was only a pleasant surprise.
Han Xing’s initial goal had been to locate a water source within the dark elf territory.
Focusing his gaze, he found a pond about the size of a table in the center of the 5 by 6 meter platform.
A rough estimate put it at no less than four square meters.
Though less than forty centimeters deep, simple calculations showed it contained at least 1,500 liters of water—not milliliters.
Han Xing felt his breath quicken. “Jackpot… I really hit the jackpot this time…”
How long would this much water last him? And if he traded it in the market, how many resources could he exchange for?
He could hardly imagine.
Yet, after the initial thrill, Han Xing sensed something unusual about the water. Its surface bubbled and hissed, with occasional wisps of black smoke rising.
Suddenly, Han Xing recalled a system prompt from before entering.
It seemed these dark elves were summoning something.
Could this pond be the medium for their summoning?
Drawing closer, the system prompt appeared.
[Spirit spring water corrupted by dark energy, no longer potable.]
Han Xing’s racing heart deflated instantly.
But his disappointment was short-lived, for a thick black mist began to rise from the pond.
“This is strange!” Han Xing took a few steps back.
Immediately, a second system prompt appeared.
[The dark elves’ evil ritual is nearing completion. A powerful entity from the Abyss has been summoned. Human survivor, you now face two choices.]
[1: Continue the ritual by adding ‘corrupted blood’ to complete the summoning.]
[2: Use spirit cores to purify the spring water and remove the dark corruption.]
[Please make your choice promptly.]
“Summoning or purification?” Han Xing frowned deeply.
Having played “Sky Island Paradise” for a while, he realized he had likely triggered a side quest.
And this side quest sounded remarkable just from the description.
Han Xing understood that his choice would probably determine the quest’s outcome.
“The Abyss… a powerful entity,” he mused over the system’s message.
At that moment, the black smoke thickened, spreading rapidly outward from the spring.
Han Xing didn’t know what the first option would summon, but for safety’s sake, he made his decision instantly.
“I choose option two: purification!”
[…]
[…]
[…]
The system responded with a string of ellipses.
A bad feeling rose in Han Xing’s chest—something he had never experienced before.
“System, what’s wrong? Speak to me… you’re scaring me!” His voice trembled as he called out.
Just then, the dark elf corpses on the ground vanished without a trace, swallowed by the black smoke.
The next system prompt crushed his spirit.
[The summoning ritual is complete. The Demon Lord Julius is about to descend…]
“What!?” Han Xing’s face was a mask of confusion and dread.
At the same time, a terrifying whispering filled his ears.
Hatred, rage, fear, malice—waves of negative emotions flooded into Han Xing’s mind.
His head felt ready to explode; his vision darkened. He saw countless vengeful souls wailing in agony.
Space tore apart,
Piercing cries echoed,
His mental defenses shattered effortlessly.
“Damn it…” Han Xing clutched his head, struggling to stay conscious.
“No… I have to get out of here quickly…”
“Or I’ll really die…”
Taking a deep breath, he summoned the last ounce of his willpower to steer his territory away from the area.
Yet, when he glanced back, all hope seemed lost.
From the black smoke-rising spring emerged a massive white bone horn.
Only the tip was visible, but Han Xing already struggled to breathe.
A powerful aura began to spread.
At that moment, the sky within hundreds of kilometers darkened as the sinister energy stained every cloud black.
Before such dreadful power, Han Xing felt utterly insignificant.
Then, he heard a raucous, triumphant laugh.
“Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha!”
“After three thousand five hundred years, the great Demon Lord is finally rising again from the cursed Abyss!”
“Pitiful elves, weep and wail! I will make you relive the terror and pain of old! Ha ha ha ha!”
Thunder rumbled.
Han Xing’s territory shook violently, as if something was about to break free.
By now, the terrifying entity had revealed a full horn.
Nearly twenty meters long and two meters thick, the enormous horn alone testified to the creature’s immense size.
The dreadful being laughed wildly as the darkness thickened.
Death’s shadow loomed over all.
Only two words echoed in Han Xing’s mind:
It’s over…