Chapter Forty-Five: Mission Accomplished

"Poof!" Amidst the clash of two sounds, Dark Night, Boya, and the third among them were the first to succumb. After all, their strength was the weakest; in such low-level confrontations, collateral damage was inevitable.

Wang Junfeng was also struggling at this moment. In the confrontation of the two voices, he was constantly at a disadvantage; his magical power draining rapidly, his face becoming pale.

"Boom!" Suddenly, a deep, resonant bell tolled. The origin of this sound was unknown, yet its penetrating power was such that all who heard it immediately recognized it as a bell. Strangely, its source could not be traced.

In the passageway, the Nightwalker ceased to pay attention to the scene in the hall and instead turned to look at Mu Rongxun.

"Remember this: power has no distinction between good and evil, nor is there a boundary between darkness and light; it is merely an attribute that changes." For the first time, he removed his mask and placed it on his forehead, revealing the face of a middle-aged man, etched with hardship and weariness.

His complexion was ashen. Since the blood battle had begun, he had never rested. Potions could heal wounds and alleviate fatigue, but they could not restore mental exhaustion.

"In our kingdom, we never discriminate against anyone for their attributes. Power is neither good nor evil; it is people who define those terms!" With these words, he resolutely turned toward the hall.

"The fate of the Nightwalker is to be born in the night, die in the night, and be buried in the night!"

A surge of dense dark power erupted from him.

"I have no disciples, nor will I teach anyone. In the end, how much you learn depends on yourself!" As he spoke, he transformed into a pitch-black mist, then charged unhesitatingly toward Wen Feng and the others.

"Sinners, release the Blood God! Your crimes are unforgivable—prepare to face judgment!"

With a thunderous explosion, the mist detonated and then clung to each of them.

"Damn it, who the hell is messing with me like this!" Wang Tian couldn't help but curse.

The others were similarly afflicted; every face was grim.

[You have witnessed the ultimate secret of the Nightwalker's killing technique. Your understanding of blade arts has deepened. Blade arts level increased by 3; current level: Master LV18.]

Though his blade arts surged in mastery, Mu Rongxun felt no joy, only a tightness in his chest.

He entered the hall and saw the others filled with resentment.

"Self-destructing just to curse us? That's unreasonable! If you've got guts, fight us head on!" Fang Yuan felt utterly aggrieved.

They had done nothing, yet were cursed so thoroughly—who could they turn to for justice? Worse, they had no idea how to resolve this.

He consulted the Magic Tower, hoping to spend Paradise Coins to remove the curse. The conclusion: irremovable. This left them all miserable.

[You have suffered the ultimate secret of the Nightwalker's killing technique: Shadow Stealth's Corrosion.]

[For the next three worlds, your world affinity is fixed at -50%. Ends after three worlds.]

[For the next three worlds, you cannot trigger quests or receive extra rewards.]

[For the next three worlds, your rewards are reduced to one-tenth.]

Only three pieces of information, but each was devastating. They fought desperately across worlds to earn rewards, to grow stronger; now, with ninety percent of their gains cut, who wouldn't be furious? No wonder they were so enraged.

Three worlds of toil, yielding nothing—no one would willingly accept such loss. Yet, at this moment, they had no way to resist and could only endure.

Seeing Mu Rongxun enter, they were surprised.

"Why did you come over?" Wang Junfeng asked curiously.

"I was drafted," Mu Rongxun replied.

"A war draft? That makes sense—places like potion shops are the first to be requisitioned in wartime," the group quickly understood.

"Let's hurry and look for a secret chamber," someone reminded them of their original purpose for entering.

They began to search for hidden doors, while Mu Rongxun's attention was drawn to the corpse of a monkey on the floor.

After consulting the others and learning no one wanted it, he collected it himself. Whether storing it with the Primordial Gloves, devouring it with the Ghoul's abilities, or simply harvesting its materials, any option was worthwhile.

Under the meticulous search of Dark Night, the Bug Elder, and their puppets and insects, the treasury's secret chamber was quickly found. Without hesitation, they broke down the door, sent a puppet ahead to scout, and only entered after ensuring no danger.

As they stepped into the secret chamber, a blood-colored shadow flashed across their bodies, snatched something inside, and vanished.

Their expressions froze, and before they could react, the Magic Tower provided a prompt.

[Task completed: Duke Ephesoya's request!]

A simple notification; nothing else.

At this point, none had time to ponder what Ephesoya had actually wanted them to find—their attention was entirely captured by the dazzling array of treasures in the vast secret chamber.

Inside were piles of golden Langma coins, numerous mithril weapons and armor crafted specifically to counter vampires, as well as all manner of rare treasures that dazzled the eye.

Unfortunately, everything here could only be viewed, not taken. The Bug Elder tried to have his insects carry some Langma coins, but the insects were instantly petrified.

Why test it? The answer was simple: many had already risked their lives in similar places, uncovering similar curses. Anyone greedy enough to take anything would be cursed.

With so many cautionary tales, anyone unable to learn from them would not survive in the Magic Tower Paradise.

Despite the regret, the treasures here were as deadly as poison in their minds, and none dared to touch them.

In the end, Wang Junfeng and Wen Feng joined forces, paid a certain price, and collected a scroll from the secret chamber. At last, their mission for entering was truly fulfilled.

Besides completing Duke Ephesoya's request, that scroll was their true goal.

Now, everyone's gaze was drawn to a door in the corner of the chamber.

A door inside the secret chamber—in such a place, it could only be extraordinary.

Relying on their numbers and strength, after exchanging glances, they decided to open it and see what lay beyond.

Who knows—perhaps there were further rewards waiting?