After setting up the tent and eating his fill, Leo sat perched on a tree branch, leisurely savoring a hard-earned bag of strong ale.
His sister was increasingly developing into a bit of a nag; he had practically worn his tongue out just to keep this one bag of wine.
Wait, why is there firelight flashing up ahead? In the Cold Plains, the only ones who used fire seemed to be the Fallen Shamans. Could it be the escaped Bishibosh?
He slid down the tree trunk, doused the campfire, called the two women, and quietly crept toward the light.
A Fallen Shaman's banner blocked the entrance to a tree hollow. Judging by the size of the hollow, at most one person could be hidden inside.
Leo activated Resist Fire, raised his shield, and pushed aside the banner blocking the entrance. A golden-skinned Fallen was sleeping inside, the drool escaping the corner of its mouth wetting a large patch of earth.
[Bishibosh, Level 39. Magic Resistant, Fire Enchanted, Multishot.]
Leo sucked in a breath of cold air. Fortunately, this monster was wretched and afraid to die; if it had attacked directly before, it was very likely his group wouldn't have held out until the Rogue reinforcements arrived.
But now? A lone mage, cornered in a narrow tree hollow.
Leo slowly drew his short mace and activated Zeal, swinging directly at Bishibosh's lower back. With a crack, he immediately triggered a Crushing Blow. The crisp sensation of shattering bone transmitted through the mace; savoring this wonderful feeling, he continued to rain down blows.
Bishibosh was jolted awake by a wave of sharp pain. How did I end up on the brink of death? That cursed Paladin was currently retreating. A swarm of white Charged Bolts surged over his body; his flesh felt numb and tingly as if it were about to explode. A helmet dropped out from his body, landing right in front of him. This helmet with a built-in visor was truly black.
Seeing the Fire Enchanted Bishibosh was about to die, the experienced Leo performed a ground roll, perfectly dodging the splattering flesh and blood. He prepared to stand up triumphantly, but a crackle-crunch sound came from behind. He looked back to see that massive tree—thick enough for several men to encircle—was falling straight down.
Fortunately, the soil was soft, and the two women dug Leo out without much effort.
Pui, pui, pui! He spat out the sand and mud in his mouth. Is "Fire Enchanted" my nemesis? He picked up the helmet dropped on the ground. Though it was a Unique item, it was so black!
He tore open an Identify Scroll to appraise it. A dim light flashed and vanished.
> Duskdeep (Full Helm)
> * Defense: 60
> * Required Level: 17
> * Required Strength: 41
> * Durability: 30
> * +50% Enhanced Defense
> * +20 Defense
> * Damage Reduced by 7
> * All Resistances +15
> * +8 to Maximum Damage
> * -2 to Light Radius
>
It was his first time seeing equipment that reduced light radius—no wonder it was so dark. He hesitated while holding the helmet. My luck is already 'black-faced'; do I really want to wear this? The pitch-black crown dedicated to the coronation of an African Tribal Chief.
While Leo was still debating whether to use the helmet, Gerdie had already used Find Item on Bishibosh's corpse. A Unique belt, mixed with even more gold coins, popped out.
Leo gritted his teeth and put Duskdeep on his head. He picked up the belt to identify it; it turned out to be a Unique sash. He wouldn't have used this kind of belt with only 8 slots in his past life. He would rather sacrifice some attributes for a belt with more space. But now, attributes were more important; less space didn't matter as much.
> Lenymo (Sash)
> * Defense: 2
> * Required Level: 7
> * Durability: 12
> * 8 Slots
> * Regenerate Mana +30%
> * All Resistances +5
> * +15 to Mana
> * +1 to Light Radius
>
Mana regeneration and resistances were very useful, so he handed the sash to Majesty.
Seeing her brother's appearance, Majesty burst out laughing: "Brother, if you walk out at night now, people won't notice you and will think they've encountered the Headless Horseman."
Hearing Majesty's words, Gerdie sized Leo up—it really was true. Shiny armor paired with a pitch-black helmet; under careful observation, he really did look like a Headless Horseman.
Leo turned away silently, putting the girls' giggling out of his mind. So what if it was a bit ugly? For a man, strength was what mattered. Were All Resistances, Max Damage, and Physical Damage Reduction not powerful?
After the previous big battle, Leo decided to analyze ten Full Rejuvenation Potions for backup. He aimlessly tossed the last potion into the Charm Space, climbed onto a branch, and continued his watch while drinking.
The night passed without incident, and the group began their journey early again. After yesterday's travel, they had finished nearly half the distance. Now that Bishibosh had been executed, there should be no other threats in the Cold Plains. Leo activated Vigor, and the group began traveling at full speed.
After the better part of a day, they arrived at the foot of the mesa. The stone stairs leading up were blocked by a wall built of regular stone blocks. It looked like it had been derelict for a long time; yellowed weeds were visible everywhere in the wall cracks and stair crevices.
Leo walked to the collapsed iron gate. The gateposts on both sides were hollowed out, containing statues of two nuns, with the emblem of the Sightless Eye carved above them. It seemed the Burial Grounds had been reached.
He stepped into the Burial Grounds. Ahead was a stone stairway, very wide—at least 10 meters—with exquisite patterns carved into the railings. It seemed the nuns had put a lot of thought into building the Burial Grounds back then.
Following the stairs upward, he felt a bit of regret. These leftover buildings could practically be called works of art; he wondered what they looked like in their prime.
Ascending the mesa, the cemetery that appeared before them was square and massive in area—hardly inferior to the Rogue Encampment. It was surrounded by iron railings fixed to stone pillars. He didn't know what metal these railings were made of, but they didn't have a speck of rust.
The most eye-catching building inside was the luxurious Mausoleum located behind the crypts. He didn't know what great personage was buried there; perhaps there were plenty of burial offerings inside. Today, he might have to learn a bit from the "tomb-raiding" seniors of old.
Leo stood outside the cemetery observing for a long time. It was very strange inside. The neat tombstones were kept spotlessly clean, there were no weeds on the stone-paved paths, and the plants inside actually showed signs of being pruned.
Not a single monster was in sight. In the center stood a withered giant tree, densely hung with dead Dark Rogues. Below it was an altar stabilizing a spatial portal. In the slanted, soft sunlight of the afternoon, this cemetery actually had a somewhat quiet and peaceful atmosphere.
Could there be living people in this cemetery?
Leo brought out his weapon and signaled the two women to be ready, intending to push open the iron gate. Suddenly, a red-and-white figure walked out from the tomb.
The three immediately dropped to the ground, quietly observing the other party.
Her figure was not only curvaceous, but she was also wearing red-and-white leather armor and a full-face helmet with a pair of long horns protruding from the top. She carried a longbow on her back. If he wasn't mistaken, this was Blood Raven.
[Blood Raven, Level 43.]
Two points of crimson light shone from the slits of Blood Raven's helmet. Her walking motion was very eerie, somewhat like a "zombie dance," giving off a sense of discord as if her body and soul were being torn apart.
Blood Raven slowly walked to a tombstone, let out some low growls, and performed some stiff casting motions with her hands. A burst of decayed gas seeped into the grave, and the ground began to writhe as a black-green zombie crawled out.
[Hungry Dead, Level 36.]