Chapter 658 - 418: White-haired Witch (Part 2)

Chapter 658: Chapter 418: White-haired Witch (Part 2)

Just then, a woman’s voice sounded out. Zhou Chen whipped his head around and saw a woman with long white hair standing not far away, dressed in a gold-trimmed black robe. She was looking up at the starry sky.

Intuition told Zhou Chen that this must be the Mysterious Woman.

Zhou Chen paused for a moment, then said, "It depends on where you are. Some places have severe Abyssal Contamination, and the sights there are a hundred times more terrifying than this. Some places have so much light pollution you can’t see the Stars at all. And in some unpolluted places, you can see a beautiful river of stars."

"That sounds rather nice." The woman then looked at Zhou Chen and introduced herself. "My name is Danika. I’m a Witch."

"Zhou Chen. An outsider." Zhou Chen nodded at her, then asked, "I hear you know a lot about the dark monster outside the Magic Academy?"

"That is the Dark Stalker, Laurie. He once had the potential to become a king, but he willingly fell from grace because of a Witch and ended up in his current state," Danika said.

’Ah, I feel like I’ve seen this kind of plot hundreds of times somewhere before...’ Zhou Chen thought to himself, then said, "The Witch you mentioned... it isn’t you, is it?"

Danika shook her head slightly. "You’ve guessed wrong. It wasn’t me. I just know his story."

"Alright, then can you tell me his story?"

"He was a renowned Hero who once fought his way to the gates of the Royal City all by himself. During his adventures, he met a Witch, and the two quickly fell in love. Later, the Witch was afflicted with a Curse by the Desecrated Church and died in agony. Laurie searched everywhere for a way to resurrect her and touched a Power he should not have. That’s how he became what he is now, driven by the Desecrated Church to attack the Magic Academy," Danika said.

"What a poor soul." Zhou Chen looked sympathetic. He then asked, "Is there any way to free him?"

"Light."

Danika said, "Light can set him free."

She raised her hand and pointed west. "As far as I know, in an underground ruin to the west, there is a mystical stone called the ’Sun Stone.’ When crushed, it releases an intense burst of light that can counter the Dark Stalker."

’Ah... another damn prerequisite quest...’ Zhou Chen thought for a moment. "Will other kinds of light work?"

"Yes," Danika nodded.

’That’s great...’ Zhou Chen was delighted. He immediately changed the subject. "Since you’ve appeared, there must be something else you want, right?"

Danika hesitated for a moment, then walked over and knelt before Zhou Chen, making a plea. "I would like to ask you to take me to the Valley of Miasma."

"What are you going there for?" Zhou Chen asked, showing an appropriate amount of confusion.

"..." Danika fell silent. Her eyes lowered to gaze at the dancing flames as she spoke softly:

"I want to atone for my sins."

"Why ask me?" Zhou Chen asked.

Danika answered truthfully, "You are the first outsider I have ever met. Furthermore, you killed the Vine Witch Shafali. I can sense that you have the potential to become a king."

"Of course, I will give you a sufficient reward. If you are willing to help, this is yours."

Danika handed over a Magic Scroll, and its information appeared before Zhou Chen’s eyes.

—[Magic: Avada Kedavra: A very powerful Life-taking Magic.

When used by a powerful Mage, it can instantly kill the target it hits.

Required Attributes: 48 Intelligence]

’Holy shit, the Life-taking Curse!’

Zhou Chen was stunned. ’It’s actually this thing!’

He put on a thoughtful expression, then gave a calm nod after a few seconds. "I accept."

DING!

A notification tone sounded.

["The Darkness Loitering Outside the Magic Academy" has been updated: Please head to the western underground ruin indicated by Danika to obtain the Sun Stone that can counter the Dark Stalker.]

[Quest "Mysterious Woman" completed. +1000 EXP!]

LV 12 → LV 13!

[You have triggered the Main Quest—"The White-haired Witch"]

[Quest Description: The White-haired Witch, who calls herself Danika, has made a deal with you, pleading for you to lead her to the Valley of Miasma.

Please lead Danika to the Valley of Miasma.]

’A main quest? Danika is related to the main quest?’ Zhou Chen was stunned for a moment when he saw the quest.

"In that case, I will be in your care for the time being. I will follow you in my Spirit Body form."

As she spoke, Danika handed him a Ring of the Circle. "Please take this."

—[Danika’s Ring: A magical ring that can house a Spirit Body. It is currently empty.]

Zhou Chen took the ring, and Danika’s body dissolved into specks of light that scattered on the wind. At the same time, the ring’s description changed:

[Danika’s Ring: A magical ring that can house a Spirit Body. Danika is currently residing inside.]

’She doesn’t seem like a Spirit Body. It must be some kind of Magic...’ Zhou Chen put the ring away, opened his map, and selected a bonfire near the Magic Academy to teleport.

A few seconds later, the scene shifted, and he arrived at the bonfire near the Magic Academy.

Looking into the distance, he saw a deep Darkness shrouding a large area like a thick mist.

Zhou Chen walked straight toward it. Danika’s voice sounded in his ear, "You cannot dispel the Darkness without light. And if you don’t dispel the Darkness, you won’t be able to see Laurie’s true form. The Darkness is immune to all attacks."

"I have a way."

As they spoke, the Darkness noticed Zhou Chen. A series of roars and shrieks erupted as the Darkness lunged at him like a pack of wolves that had spotted their prey.

Zhou Chen took out his Demon-Breaking Sword and activated the Skill, Anti-Demon Light.

In that instant, light bloomed. A blinding Holy Light erupted from his position, and scorching rays of intense light easily pierced through the black mist. The blood-curdling screams of a monster echoed from within.

As the light flared, the Darkness was instantly and completely purified. A lizard-like monster with the neck of a snake and the head of a dragon fell to the ground. The black pus on its body boiled violently like water.

The boss’s name and a Blood Volume bar appeared before Zhou Chen’s eyes.

DUN DUN DUN—

An intense symphony began to play. The boss fight had started.

"Eva, is there a way to turn Laurie back into a human?" Zhou Chen asked in his mind.

[Laurie’s Soul has been completely corrupted. Saving him would require a Tiny Miracle.]

Zhou Chen immediately dismissed the thought. He gripped his Demon-Breaking Sword and raised it high above his head. The light surging from the blade suddenly expanded, transforming into a Heaven-Reaching Light Sword over twenty meters long. It was wreathed in intense light and kicked up a turbulent blast of air.

"Taste my Excalibuuuur!" Zhou Chen roared. He took a step forward and brought the sword down with all his might on the Dark Stalker, who had revealed his true form.

BOOM!

The Anti-Demon Light Saber crashed down. One-third of the Dark Stalker Laurie’s Blood Volume instantly evaporated. He entered a Light Burn state, afflicted with the Weakness effect, and began to lose 1% of his Blood Volume every second.

The blow dealt so much damage that the Dark Stalker was immediately staggered. In other words—he was open for an execution!

Zhou Chen used Flame Jump repeatedly to move in front of Laurie. He thrust his sword into the creature’s body, causing a gush of black blood to erupt, then slowly withdrew the blade, completing the execution.

The doubled damage from the execution, combined with the Innate Skills of the Demon-Breaking Blade, caused another huge chunk of Laurie’s Blood Volume to evaporate, leaving him with less than two-fifths remaining.

’So satisfying. Outside of this game-like world, this guy would be at least Tier Four. He’s only this easy to fight because everything is gamified...’ Taking advantage of the brief stagger after the execution, Zhou Chen landed two more sword strikes.

Laurie broke free from the stagger, his sharp claws slashing through the air in rapid succession. Zhou Chen’s counter-strategy was simple—roll, roll, roll, and roll again!

He perfectly dodged a seven-hit claw combo with seven rolls. In games, rolling is a god-tier skill because it grants invincibility frames. In this gamified World, that property had been preserved. Even a large-scale, devastating attack could be dodged with the invincibility frames of a well-timed roll.

Zhou Chen seized another opportunity to land two more strikes, whittling Laurie’s Blood Volume down to a final sliver. A few seconds later, Laurie let out a final, mournful wail as the last of his Blood Volume was burned away by the Light Burn effect.

"Mara... I’m sorry..."

BANG!

With a final sigh, Laurie exploded into nothingness, dropping a pile of loot on the ground.

LV 13 → LV 15!

[Quest "The Darkness Loitering Outside the Magic Academy" completed. +3000 EXP!]

LV 15 → LV 16!