Hearing the words “Banquet Hall,” Zheng Chuan suppressed the wariness that had just flared up. He looked at the other two:
“What do you think? There might be good stuff hidden there.”
Luo Qi licked his lips. “It definitely feels like a main area of the dungeon.”
Meng Yinyin frowned, however. “But I can't help but feel there's something off about this NPC...”
A layer of mist instantly clouded Isolde's eyes, as if she were hurt by the suspicion but didn't dare to argue:
“If you do not trust me... you can stay here.”
No sooner had she spoken than the scattered bones in the storeroom suddenly twitched. A severed hand crawled up from the floor, its skeletal fingers clawing at the threshold bit by bit.
Meng Yinyin's face paled, and Isolde also seemed frightened, quickly taking a few steps back:
“They... they seem to be piecing themselves back together.”
Meng Yinyin immediately yelled, “We can't stay here forever! Let's go to the Banquet Hall first.”
Zheng Chuan gritted his teeth. “Lead the way.”
Isolde rejoiced inwardly. Leading the way at the front, she quickened her pace slightly.
Every time she passed a candelabra, her fingertips would imperceptibly brush against the wall.
A few extremely thin Soul Threads slipped along the crevices of the stone, quietly weaving their way toward the Banquet Hall.
She was indeed leading the way, and she indeed hadn't lied to them.
After the night mist descended, the Banquet Hall was indeed the “safest” place in the castle.
Because the monster there didn't need to wander; it only had to sit comfortably and wait for the dishes to be served.
At the end of the corridor, the massive black doors slowly creaked open.
A thick, overwhelming stench of blood rushed out to meet them.
Inside, a long table was draped in a scarlet tablecloth, with silver utensils neatly arranged under the flickering candlelight.
Behind rows of empty chairs stood faceless servants.
And at the head of the table, a massive, fleshy silhouette slowly raised its head.
Valen's murky eyes fell upon the three players, a bizarre smile stretching across his twisted human face.
“Welcome to my banquet. The guests this time seem very fresh.”
The three players froze in their tracks.
System warnings began to flood their screens frantically.
【You have entered the BOSS domain: Valen's Blood Banquet.】
【Name: Valen Sylvian】
【Primary: Malice】
【Class: Corruptor】
【Sub-Class: None】
【Health: 500】
【Mana: 90】
【Defense: 100】
【Agility: 20】
【Strength: 60】
【Intelligence: 90】
【Escape route has been blocked.】
【Blood Banquet Mark activated.】
Zheng Chuan whipped his head back, his face deathly pale. “Didn't you say this place was safe?!”
Standing by the door, Isolde still clutched the hem of her skirt tightly, her face still wearing that fragile and innocent expression.
“I-I'm sorry, esteemed hero. I didn't know the evil Duke would be here as well...”
Zheng Chuan flew into a rage, glaring at her with fury. “Bullshit! I think you're just playing us!”
Isolde shook her head gently, her voice still as soft as a standard line of dialogue:
“I only brought you here because you heroes requested it. Instead of condemning me, you should focus on the battle ahead.”
The next second, her fingertips twitched, and she silently cast her skill 【Soul-Binding Thread】 to wrap around Valen in the center of the Banquet Hall.
She needed them to keep fighting now. At the very least, they had better be of some use before they died.
The moment the Soul Threads tightened, Valen's massive body abruptly stiffened.
Immediately after, a prompt popped up in front of the three players simultaneously.
【Duke Valen has been afflicted with abnormal status effects.】
【Target's Current Status: Unstable Stitching, Corruption Rejection, Blood Banquet Array Runes restraint active.】
【Black Salt Soul Thread has triggered an extra bind.】
【Final Action Restriction: 1.5 seconds.】
Zheng Chuan hadn't even reacted. “What the hell? Who cast a crowd control skill?”
Terrified by the scene before him, Luo Qi began nocking an arrow and drawing his bow:
“Who cares who cast it! Just attack!”
Meng Yinyin was the first to snap out of it. She raised her staff, almost screaming:
“Purifying Light!”
A burst of white light slammed into Valen, and large plumes of black smoke instantly billowed from his rotting flesh.
【Duke Valen has been burned by Holy Light.】
【Additional effect triggered: Decay Protection weakened by 1%.】
Meng Yinyin almost blacked out from frustration. This boss's defense was simply absurdly high.
Zheng Chuan gritted his teeth and charged forward, swinging his iron axe high.
“Heavy Slash!”
The axe blade bit into Valen's flank, cutting through only a single layer of rotting flesh before being tightly ensnared by the sticky, sprouting flesh within.
The 1.5-second restriction quickly wore off. Valen slowly turned his head, the smile on his bloated human face gradually vanishing.
“With just the likes of you, how dare you touch my body?”
Valen suddenly burst free from the Soul Threads, and a massive skeletal tail swept out.
Before Zheng Chuan could even pull his axe free, he was swatted away by the tail. He crashed into the long table, sending silver platters, wine goblets, and chunks of rotting meat shattering and scattering everywhere.
【Player Zheng Chuan's Health has dropped by 10%.】
【Corruption Level has risen to: 5%.】
Zheng Chuan's vision swam with pain. He spat out a curse, “Is this fucking supposed to be a beginner dungeon?! The game designers must be brain-dead!”
Standing in the shadows by the door, Isolde watched the trajectory of every skill they released.
Zheng Chuan was a Guardian. With his equipment bonuses, he could withstand most of the damage.
Meng Yinyin's Purifying Light was effective against corruption, but her mana consumption was far too fast.
Luo Qi's Mark Weakness could briefly reveal the Silver-White Core, but its duration was too short.
In her past life, they had used her as a tool.
This time, it was her turn to test how durable these tools were.
They had better not die too quickly. Otherwise, how would she land the final blow, and how would she tear these pieces of trash apart with her own hands?
Luo Qi raised his bow and fired three arrows in rapid succession. “Mark Weakness!”
Ash-gray spots of light landed on Valen, quickly scanning his head, chest, and abdomen before settling near the third vertebra of his spine.
A silver-white glow flared for only a fraction of a second before being suppressed by the churning black mist inside Valen.
Luo Qi shouted, “His back! His weakness is on his back!”
Valen's head suddenly whipped toward him. “Prying into my perfection?”
The air suddenly became incredibly turbid as dozens of slits tore open on Valen's back.
Densely packed skeletal hands reached out from within, their nails like black curved hooks, clawing toward Luo Qi in an overwhelming wave.
Luo Qi scrambled back in terror. “Save me! Save me! Someone save me!”
At the critical moment, Meng Yinyin cast her 【Class Skill: Holy Shield (Beginner)】 to block the blow for Luo Qi.
But the moment the pale-gold barrier formed, the skeletal hands clawed cracks into it. She immediately cast another skill to restore Luo Qi's status.
The light screen before Isolde's eyes flickered slightly.
【You have observed the skill: Holy Shield.】
【Analysis failed.】
【You have observed the skill: Blessing.】
【Analysis failed.】
【Reason: Target skills are class-bound skills, not general spells.】
Class-bound skills were different from general spells.
With a low-threshold spell like Purifying Light, as long as she could clearly see the flow of light elements and the structure of the incantation, she had a chance to analyze it.
But Holy Shield belonged to the Holy Guardian branch. What truly supported it was not an incantation, but the class identity itself.
Without that specific class branch, no matter how high one's intelligence was, it could not be replicated.
Isolde clicked her tongue.
As chaotic as this world was, its fundamental rules were surprisingly rigorous.
Her gaze fell back onto the Purifying Light spell in Meng Yinyin's hand, and she began to concentrate.
【You have observed the skill: Purifying Light.】
【Analysis Progress: 67%】
【Purifying Light proficiency has increased.】
【Purifying Light: Beginner → Intermediate】
Meng Yinyin had no idea she was serving as free teaching material. As she cast healing and support spells, she screamed in despair:
“How are we even supposed to fight this?!”
The moment her words fell, one of Valen's long, rotting arms slammed down toward her.
Meng Yinyin's face turned white as a sheet; she had no time to dodge.
Isolde frowned with a touch of impatience.
Though she hated Meng Yinyin, the girl could not die just yet.
They had to work together to wear Valen down to a level where she could make her move.
With a twitch of her finger inside her sleeve, the silver thread beneath the carpet tightened soundlessly, grazing past the weakest stitching of Valen's limbs.
Valen's movement veered off by an inch.
By just that single inch, Meng Yinyin, who should have been impaled, managed to roll away in a pathetic scramble. The rotting arm grazed her thigh and slammed heavily into the ground, sending stone fragments flying.
Valen finally sensed that something was amiss.
His massive body slowly coiled, and his bloated face looked past the three players, straight toward the entrance of the Banquet Hall.
For the first time, a look of scrutiny appeared in those murky eyes.
“My daughter, are you helping them?”
Rate on N.U.
