Chapter 28: “How Are You Not Dead Yet?!”

Chapter 28: "How Are You Not Dead Yet?!"

Trudging along with her luggage, Fei Yi finally came upon Mine No. 8 in reality.

The place was even more sinister than in the game; the dark, gaping mouth of the mine seemed ready to devour anyone, with bloodstains and remnants of fingers and nails scattered around like trash.

She circled the mine several times, the wind carrying the scent of blood and repeatedly clearing the dirt, yet the mine remained unresponsive.

"Not bad, it’s less dangerous than in the game."

In the game, the southwestern mining area was all part of a dungeon. Clearing the exterior corpses and approaching the entrance would prompt higher-level fused undead to leap out and attack.

Everyone except those in the top few ranks of the leaderboard would opt for teaming up. After all, this place was the infamous level 75 ‘Crypt Dungeon’, with more undead monsters than a swarm of cockroaches.

But now, despite Fei Yi practically standing on the mine's face, not a single undead emerged.

This clearly indicated that the boss inside the mine hadn’t fully developed yet.

It was best to take it down while it was still in its juvenile stage. Who knows what could happen if she waited?

Fei Yi opened her suitcase and pulled out a pre-prepared thermal suit to wear.

The deeper one went into the Crypt, the colder it got, and even ancient warming spells wouldn’t last long.

Then she took out the crystal magic lamp given by Alvis, lighting it and releasing it, allowing rows of glowing crystals to block the entrance.

The undead were creatures of darkness, naturally fearing things of the light.

Placing the crystals here was to prevent any from escaping while she was distracted during the impending battle.

Having prepared everything, Fei Yi, leaning on her suitcase, boldly entered the cave.

Inside, the temperature contrasted starkly with the outside; although the air was cool outside, it was merely akin to the chill of late autumn.

Inside the cave, however, it was like the temperature of death itself, a cold emanating from the very bones.

Fei Yi cast two ancient warming spells on herself, not rushing deeper but instead surveying the area right at the entrance.

Finally, she confirmed that this place was identical to the terrain in her memory.

The entrance led to a relatively flat and wide platform, constructed for miners to descend into the mine.

Scattered on the platform were several mining carts, connected to the mining walkways, along with a few cabinets for tools and mining suits.

Ignoring the omnipresent bloodstains, this was still the bustling Mine No. 8 of old.

The only exit and entrance was through the walkway.

Fei Yi took a deep breath and swiftly arranged the remaining luminous crystal lamps in a "Z" shaped path along the entrance of the walkway on the platform.

She then set up several layers of electric clouds at the turning point, a contraption acquired from Alvis, a fixed long-range shooting tool from the monastery.

These floating magical clouds flickered with electric light imbued with the power of light, capable of inflicting additional effects like [paralysis and slow down], [burns], and more on enemy units.

Of course, light-attribute tools indiscriminately damage dark-attribute creatures. Even with her specially made shielding gloves, Fei Yi couldn't avoid getting shocked several times.

It took her three vials of healing potion to fully replenish her health.

After completing all these preparations, she slowly proceeded along the only path she had set up, heading deeper into the mine.

As she stepped onto the walkway, a 'crackling' sound reached her ears, and pale faces began to emerge at the edge of her vision.

They were coming.

A sense of dread filled Fei Yi, and she turned to run back.

"Crack, crack," the undead, moving on hands and feet, scuttled towards Fei Yi with spider-like speed.

They lacked eyes and chins, and as they crawled, their heads remained still while their limbs moved like wheels, flipping and turning.

The mine was devoid of any light, save for the "Z" shaped path set up by Fei Yi, flickering with a soft white glow.

She dashed into the zigzag corridor, calmly drawing the undead towards her.

The power of light forced the undead to follow the path laid out by Fei Yi, slowing them down due to the narrow width. They lined up, crawling one after another.

At the corner, layers of thunderclouds automatically discharged bolts of electricity.

Panting, Fei Yi stood at the end, while behind her, the undead slowly rose to their feet.

"Come on, come on," she smiled slightly, "Let me show you today how to play tower defense."

This was why Fei Yi chose the Crypt as her first leveling spot.

— If handled poorly, the hordes of undead could wear her down in a war of attrition. But if managed well, they were like bags of experience points!

The first of the undead finally made it through the corridor, lunging at Fei Yi.

The combination of lightning and light had significantly weakened the undead; by the time it reached Fei Yi, only a third of its health remained.

The undead lunged viciously, while Fei Yi’s magic continuously bombarded them.

A 140% boost in panel stats made each attack fierce and terrifying.

The entire mine trembled under the power of the witch.

"Ghostfire Burn!"

"Frostburst Explosion!"

"Swift Wind Blade!"

Casting spells continuously in reality, watching black beams of light release from her palms, Fei Yi felt her blood boiling with excitement!

This was her first time facing the instance's minions alone, with fervent light burning in her eyes.

"Die, all of you!"

With a series of quick combos, the first zombie fell swiftly.

Fei Yi quickly calculated the damage and experience gain, deducing that these zombies were only around level 25-35, a far cry from the 75-90 level range in the game!

It was indeed the perfect time for her to be here!

Because monsters of this level, with the help of level 30 necromancers, wouldn't be too hard to defeat. But for a level 16 Fei Yi, defeating higher-level monsters meant a significant experience boost.

Zombies kept coming relentlessly, with a frightening gleam in Fei Yi's eyes.

There was no better place to level up than a crypt full of zombies!

Most importantly, after killing three zombies in a row, her experience bar crackled with a notification – she had leveled up!

Once leveled up, Fei Yi's condition became just like in the game, with her health and mana bars instantly replenished, giving her the confidence to face all the zombies alone.

The bearded man watched from a distance as the child resolutely entered the mine and never came out. Clenching his teeth, he stomped his foot and climbed onto the cart.

Racing back to his temporary residence, he encountered many carriage drivers shouting out, "Hey! Isn't that Grey who took the 8 gold coin job? Why are you coming back? Isn't that much gold enough for you to leave this forsaken place?"

"Uncle Grey! My family’s broke too. You can't spend 8 gold coins all by yourself. Why not give me two or three, and I'll help you spend them!"

"Back off!" The bearded man raised his whip, snapping it through the air, thoroughly clearing away a few shifty individuals.

Soon, he spotted those same mercenaries from the guild he had seen earlier.

They were gathering information, tirelessly re-asking questions that had been worn thin by previous inquiries.

"So, how many people has that mine claimed so far?" the minstrel asked calmly.

"About forty or fifty," a miner replied, joyously pocketing 30 silver coins and answering with a flattering tone.

"Are they all miners?" The bard tossed another 30 silvers.

The miner laughed even more heartily, "No, no, no! Of course not! There are also some important people from the monastery."

Noticing the mercenaries from the guild changing their expressions, the miner quickly added, "The people from the monastery came in such large numbers that it was chaotic after nightfall, leading to some losses. They were too overconfident, not bothering to gather any information and sleeping right at the mine entrance. They only realized the urgency of the situation after the trouble started. Unlike you folks, who seem cautious, serious, and powerful! You look like you can handle the crisis in the mine!"

Although the miner flattered them on the surface, inwardly he hoped for a few more deaths.

Only with a continuous stream of people trying to solve the mine's problem could they keep earning so much money.

Previously, working to death as a miner wouldn't even earn them a gold coin, but now, just by moving their lips and driving the carriage, money kept pouring in.

"Go to hell," the miner prayed inwardly, nodding and bowing.

The mercenaries from the guild relaxed a bit, knowing they were cautious enough to retreat unscathed if necessary.

At that moment, the big-bearded man finally made his way over.

Panting heavily, he asked the closest witcher, "When are you going into the mine?"

The group exchanged glances, "We've gathered enough information. We plan to go in now, during daylight."

"That's good, that's good," the bearded man sighed in relief. "Hurry, that kid just went in there by herself!"

Hearing this, the drivers of the guild's carriage all laughed.

"Hey, hey, hey, that kid must be out of her mind, right? No one makes such a huge sacrifice just for show."

"Overconfidence isn't good for a driver. Going into the mine alone, what can she fight against in there?"

"That kid doesn't even have legs as long as the monsters', what can her little magic do?"

The driver, initially frightened by Fei Yi, now smirked from a distance.

"Going to die? Serves her right! Scaring people around just because she knows a bit of magic, if not her, who else should die?"

The mercenaries were also surprised, having thought the child was just showing off in front of adults, never expecting her to dare to go in alone.

"Mine No. 8 has already claimed many lives," one of the witchers mused. "If she’s going on her own, we can't help much. If we do find her alive inside, and she doesn't hold us back, we might take her with us."

"Don't worry," the bard sneered, "By the time we get in, we'll probably be collecting the kid's corpse. These days, kids think they're the strongest on the continent after learning a bit of magic."

The big-bearded man surveyed the crowd, and although he too felt the child was rather brash, that was still a human life at stake.

Yet, the faces of the surrounding miners, his former colleagues, all wore expressions of schadenfreude, eager to watch the drama unfold.

Not a single one showed concern for the life in jeopardy.

The big-bearded man deeply realized that continuous exposure to death and loss had gradually altered everyone's mindset.

Now, those around here, besides scheming to strip more money from these mercenaries, couldn't care less about who lived or died.

Even their gazes seemed to wish for more deaths, equating to more money for them.

Mine No. 8 had changed everyone's thinking, slowly turning them into madmen.

Often, madmen are scarier than monsters.

He definitely couldn't stay here any longer.

As the guild's mercenaries boarded the vehicle, the big-bearded man shook off those trying to rob him and volunteered to drive them.

The mercenaries welcomed this, as riding was far more comfortable than walking, and no one else around was willing to take them to the mine's entrance.

However, before departure, the big-bearded man, carrying a large sum of money, faced numerous overt and covert troubles from the miners, causing their vehicle to waste a lot of time before finally leaving the temporary settlement.

The witchers, smelling the blood in the air, lamented regretfully, "We've delayed too long, that child must have already turned into a corpse."

"Why bother about her?" the bard, while packing his gear, said nonchalantly, "She brought it upon herself, nobody can save her. Her death actually saves us trouble; otherwise, she might beg us to save her later, wasting our time."

Outside the carriage, the big-bearded man, whipping the horses, tightened his grip and increased the speed of the carriage.

This time, he hesitated for a moment at the spot where he had previously stopped, then drove the carriage a bit further forward, finally stopping at a location not far from the cave entrance.

The blazing sun hung high overhead.

The guild's mercenaries arrived at the mining area in the morning but only reached the entrance of Mine No. 8 around lunchtime.

Even at noon and this close, they couldn't see anything inside the mine through the darkness.

"Such immense energy," observed the witcher in awe, "the mine can now shield itself from external probing. The dark forces inside must be formidable."

"No worries," the bard lifted his chin confidently, "we've prepared many light-attribute offensive weapons this time, fully capable of eradicating the darkness here."

Everyone unanimously believed that the creatures inside the mine were beings of darkness. Thus, every cleric, mage, or other professionals arriving here had equipped themselves with an array of light-attribute offensive tools.

Their group was no exception, having prepared even more comprehensively.

"Alright," declared the lone knight, drawing his greatsword and pointing towards the mine entrance, "are we all ready? If so, let's head in."

The Mother of the Forest conjured a harp from thin air, while the witcher placed a hand on the bow strapped to his back. The remaining solo mage and two other knights also unsheathed their weapons.

Big Beard watched silently for a while as the group of mercenaries hesitated before taking their first step... A group of adults, less decisive than a child; could they really be relied upon?

Big Beard shook his head in disbelief and followed them from behind.

The chances of survival for the child inside seemed slim indeed.

He had to quickly devise a plan for convincing these people to take him with them when they inevitably fled the mine.

Inside the mine, the last zombie finally perished in a blast of black fire.

Fei Yi, leaning forward with hands on knees, gasped for breath, sweating profusely.

Despite extensive preparations, the exhaustive defense battles left her utterly spent.

She barely managed to open the vials of stamina and mana potions and gulped them down, easing the overwhelming exhaustion slightly.

Though exhausted, the outcome was very satisfying.

On her personal panel, Fei Yi's level had risen to 23, not only significantly boosting her stats but also bringing her just 7 levels away from advancing her class.

Seven levels to go, and upon successfully completing this dungeon, Fei Yi could transition from a low-level to a mid-level witch.

Only as a mid-level witch could she completely shed the label of a "noob."

Coupled with the temporary tenfold boost in her personal panel stats provided by the Wheel of Destiny modifier, she was now qualified to confront the Silver Tin Abbey, venture into Elbirel city, and investigate the Black Moon Bar.

Fei Yi wiped the sweat from her face, reorganized her plans, and emotionlessly stepped over the scattered corpses, advancing deeper into the mine.

Behind her, all the light-attribute tools lay quietly where they were, left untouched and uncarried.

Shortly after Fei Yi vanished into the darkness, several arrows alight with bright flames were shot into the mine's entrance.

Below the ground, countless emerald vines slowly broke through the earth, waving their delicate leafy tendrils in the air.

A series of low discussions also echoed into the cave.

"My arrows didn't detect any dark aura," remarked the witcher.

"My children faced no attacks either," added the Mother of the Forest.

After a moment of silence, the members of the Mercenaries Guild cautiously peered into the mine, half their bodies remaining outside.

They were extremely vigilant, their bodies tensed for any imminent danger, ready for a peak performance in case of an immediate threat upon entering.

However, what they saw inside the mine made their faces change dramatically!

"They're all dead?!" exclaimed the bard in disbelief.

On the spacious platform, crystals representing light floated in mid-air, with dark purple thunderclouds oddly positioned.

The ground was littered with chunks of corpses, the mine monsters, once the subject of countless guild stories, now piled up like a dense carpet of flesh.

The stench of blood caused the mage to vomit instantly, while the others also looked visibly disturbed.

"All these monsters are dead... forty or fifty of them... who did this?" gritted the bard, rifling through the crystal lamps. Had they known these monsters were so weak, they would have come sooner!

Given the successive failures of others, the Mercenaries Guild had set a high price for tackling mine number 8.

Even killing these peripheral creatures could yield a handsome profit.

But now, someone had beaten them to it!

Who could it be? Was there another group besides them that had entered? Could it be those old fools from the abbey?!

"To kill so many monsters at once, the team that came before us must be very strong," concluded the lone knight after a thorough examination. "Definitely stronger than our group."

Despite being left with only remnants, the speed of the monsters and their terrifying claws, coupled with the oppressive environment, would have made a full-scale confrontation difficult for their team, potentially leading to casualties.

But here, besides the monster remains, there were no signs of human injuries.

So the group that entered before them must undoubtedly be far superior in strength.

"The arrangement of these crystal lamps is peculiar," noted the lone mage, "Could it be some kind of magic circle?"

"Unlikely, I don't sense any magical aura," the demon hunter said, prodding corpse fragments with the tip of his arrow. Yet the scene was so ghastly that, despite their frequent quests, they had never encountered such a bloody sight.

"There are no monsters left here," the minstrel pointed towards the downward path, "We should continue downwards, otherwise others might beat us to it and our trip would be in vain."

The minstrel had a good point. If someone had managed to kill all the monsters here, they better catch up quickly, possibly even seizing the strongest monster right before its death.

After all, they were many and could easily claim the kill to secure all the bounty.

The rest exchanged glances, tacitly agreeing to this plan.

Everyone casually picked up the floating crystal lamps and hurried downwards.

However, just as they stepped onto the path, the demon hunter suddenly remembered something and turned to ask, "Wait, has anyone seen that little girl?"

"Forget about that child!" the minstrel urged impatiently, "She's probably been devoured by one of the corpses, turned into mere debris. Let's hurry down, or we'll miss our chance!"

Meanwhile, Phoebe was already nearing the end of the crypt.

Along the way, although occasionally attacked by remnants of corpses, most had been lured and killed on the platforms, leaving only a few that posed no threat to her.

"The difficulty of this place is on a completely different level compared to the future crypts," Phoebe mused, traversing the pitch-black tunnels, slowly advancing based on her memory.

The further she went towards the end, the colder it became, with faint lights gradually appearing on both sides of the mine walls.

It was a type of moss growing on the walls, nourished by human blood, emitting a faint glow when clustered together.

This was a sign of nearing the boss, a plant that only appeared around the lairs of bosses.

Without hesitation, Phoebe discarded her suitcase and the remaining light-attribute items she carried.

Despite the crypt's dismal and dark depths, akin to a villain's stronghold in the abyss, and its minions all being of dark attribute...

...every player who frequently raids crypt dungeons knows — the boss, the Crypt King, is not of dark attribute but a true light attribute monster.

Attacking it with any light-powered item not only causes minimal damage but may even inadvertently replenish its health.

Including all light attribute items, anything consumed by the Crypt King ultimately transforms into its power.

Thus, the best strategy to defeat the Crypt King is to bring a dark attribute profession.

Only dark professions can inflict extra damage on the Crypt King.

If a team is entirely composed of light attributes, it's essentially aiding the Crypt King, with no chance of defeating it.

This, presumably, is why the monastery's people have always failed.

But she wouldn't.

Phoebe adjusted her shapeshifting hat downwards, just as she was about to activate her magic, a flurry of footsteps echoed from behind.

"Hurry, faster!" The increasingly clear voices reached her ears; Phoebe recognized them as belonging to the minstrel from the Mercenary Association.

She had seen those people once on a carriage ride; frankly, they were rather mediocre, mostly unclassed with only the Mother of the Forest, a Grand Summoner, being somewhat impressive.

However, it seemed this sister kept a low profile; the mercenaries didn't pay her much attention, instead fawning over the boastful minstrel.

"Are these people dawdling till now?"

Soon, moving lights appeared before her eyes.

It was indeed that group from the Mercenary Association.

Seeing a silent figure standing ahead, their taut nerves nearly snapped, with several almost launching attacks before abruptly holding back upon recognizing the girl's face.

"You?" the startled minstrel yelled, "How are you not dead yet?!"

Phoebe squinted at him and chuckled, "Dying alone is so boring; I was waiting for you all."