Dark Inferno

It did not take the duo long to dispatch the Dullahans.

Their leader Vantor was in grave peril as well. The BOSS went Berserk when his health was at 20%, but it did nothing to turn the situation around. The boulders would not budge despite Vantor's onslaught, and Ye Ci was able to dodge the BOSS's blows when he stabbed his sword through the crevice.

Ye Ci's hiding spot was simply too perfect. It almost felt like a BUG that was intentionally left behind by the developers themselves. Of course, Ye Ci's priority was not to report the BUG. She stumbled upon the map through sheer luck. It was very unlikely that another player would be able to gain access to the map after her departure, which meant that reporting the BUG would do her no good.

The sanctuary provided by the two boulders stood firm despite Vantor's attacks. The BOSS's impotent rage did nothing to harm his enemies and was instead weakening himself. BOSS-tier monsters in Fate tend to go Berserk at low health, greatly enhancing their attack and defense. However, this state would not last forever. It was just like a temporary buff that would put the BOSS in a weakened state upon expiration.

Berserk could be said to be an act of paying for extra stats in advance, and the price that a BOSS had to pay was its health. It was a gamble that could change the course of the battle if it was able to defeat its opponent during its Berserk state.

Defeating a Berserk Vantor would usually require at least a hundred lvl90 players, but with their unmovable stone fortress, all the duo had to do was to wait for Vantor to be weakened after his Berserk.

Perhaps realizing Ye Ci's ploy, Vantor's attack grew even more frantic. It swung its sword in a flurry of attacks and even directed his steed to stomp its hooves against the boulder in an attempt to create an opening. His efforts were futile.

It was a one-sided slaughter that ended with Vantor's demise.

After making sure that the enemies in their surroundings were eliminated, Ye Ci led Alaunar out of their hiding spot. The boy, despite his limited inventory slots, could still hold some items for Ye Ci. She handed some of the loot with better stats to Alaunar, and filled her own inventory slots with blue-quality equipment.

She was also able to gain a considerable amount of Ancient Ores from the Dullahans, enabling her to afford Lia's harp and many of the items from the merchant NPC.

As a minor BOSS, the items dropped from Vantor were all unidentified, but Ye Ci could tell by a glance that they were meant for tank characters. She stuffed them all into her inventory and would hand them over to Bai Mo when she finally returned to the Eastern Continent.

Once all the loot was sorted out, Ye Ci could finally enter the Shrine of Sha'jia.

She slowly climbed up the stairs and stood before the shrine's massive doors. Ye Ci stared into the pitch-black interior of the shrine, took in a deep breath, and walked through the entrance.

Two system notifications appeared before Ye Ci the moment she entered the shrine.

The first notification was a change to her equipment, "Your equipment seems to have experienced some sort of change, please take note." She immediately raised her hand and stared at a particular ring on her finger. The plain-looking ring was emanating a faint glow as she called up the stats window of her item.

Mysterious Ring (Rarity: Normal):

Strength +20

Intelligence +2

Level requirement: 0

Special Trait: Allows user to activate skill: Featherfall. Duration: 3 minutes. Cooldown: 20 minutes

Just like when it first appeared, there was a short description written under the ring's stats. "Life has returned to the seemingly dead ring when you entered the Shrine of Sha'jia. What caused the change?"

Ye Ci was not surprised by the change. Sha'jia was a demon, a subordinate of Naga. The ring was an artifact of Naga according to Frodo. The ring's reaction to a demonic shrine would, of course, be natural. Ye Ci wanted to know how the ring would look like at the final stage of its growth, but she was still unclear about the future of her gaming career.

Will I continue to be a devout follower of the Gods, or will I end up as a follower of Naga?

But there was something that would not change: Ye Ci's desire to grow stronger.

She needed strength. The strength to protect the people around her.

Light or dark, divinity or corruption, there was no right or wrong for a player. It was merely a choice of the game. The only thing that would go on was the conflict between humans.

Ye Ci was determined not to allow the system to dictate her choices after her reincarnation. She wanted to grow stronger with her knowledge of the game. Good and evil mattered not to her, only her desire to protect. Even when she knew that the ring was trying to lure her onto the path of corruption, it mattered not as long as she had something to gain.

The other system notification appeared in the form of a low voice, narrating a story just like Ciel did. The voice could be heard by Ye Ci, but not Alaunar, who was standing beside her.

"I cannot forget the day we first met, my master, my king. You stood before me and my followers alone, and you said to me, 'You will swear your allegiance to me, or die by my sword.' With the difference in our status back then, I could've refused your demands, but I chose servitude instead. I threw everything away and became your most devout follower. It mattered not if we were walking down the path to hell itself or the heavens. As long as you're here my lord, I, Sha'jia, will always follow you. Please do not hide your face from me. Please guide me and give me strength. I, Sha'jia, am always yours, in this life and the next," said the androgynous voice.

The voice grew softer but clearer as Ye Ci headed deeper into the temple.

The interior of the shrine was instantly lit up following a loud "Bang!" Ye Ci was finally able to see her surroundings clearly once the shrine was illuminated by the countless torches on the walls. She could see a red carpet with delicate patterns at the center of the shrine hall, with twelve 30-foot tall pillars on both sides of the carpet. Cushions littered the floor beyond the pillars. Those were apparently the praying altars for devotees of a god. The wall behind the praying altar was lined with drawings.

The drawings, done in a unique style, recorded the first meeting between Sha'jia and Naga. The two demons were depicted as benevolent deities full of righteous glory in the drawings. The ghost of a smile appeared on Ye Ci's lips. Only the weak would record their life's story in the form of paintings so that they could be remembered. They were unaware that it was futile. These paintings could last for a long time, but they could not last forever. They would one day be lost to the unforgiving forces of nature.

She turned around and headed to the front of the shrine. There were no portraits, no drawings, no statues, but a desk. And on that desk laid an arrow.

Yes. It was an arrow.

Ye Ci could not believe her eyes. It's an arrow! But why is an arrow doing here? Isn't this the Shrine of Sha'jia? Why are they worshipping something like this here?

Based on her past memories, Sha'jia was the final BOSS of the Death Abyss dungeon. The Demon himself was a mage and not an archer, adept at casting high damage spells. That was why the presence of this arrow in the Shrine of Sha'jia felt so out of place to Ye Ci.

Ye Ci could feel the temperature of her ring rising as she approached the arrow, and it eventually burst into black flames that surrounded the golden ring in a horrifying sight. She checked the stats of her ring once again, but nothing seemed to have changed.

Of course, the change of its appearance alone was a shock to Ye Ci. She could tell that the ring was leading her to a hidden quest in Fate.

"Hold it right there! Where did you come from? How dare you vermins defile the divinity of Sha'jia!" a voice rang out in the empty hall.

Ye Ci turned her gaze toward the direction of the voice and saw a woman in a black mantle standing by the main altar. There was a faint red glow in her eyes as she stared at the intruders. She stood with a golden staff in hand, staring at Ye Ci with a cold glare, her eyes glowing faintly red. It was as if the woman would bring destruction upon Ye Ci if she took another step forward.

Detection was not even needed for the NPC's stats. It was available for all to see.

Servant of Sha'jia, Ciss. Level: 95. She was a BOSS-tier NPC.

If Ye Ci's assumption was correct, Ciss was the BOSS of the Shrine of Sha'jia. She was not worried despite their difference in levels. She knew that it would take a party of at least 100 players to take on Ciss head-on. She was nothing but a speck of dust compared to Ciss.

But this did not necessarily mean that Ye Ci had no way of taking down Ciss.

If she wanted me dead, she would've killed me the moment I entered the Shrine. Why now? Ye Ci stared at the black flames surrounding her ring, and her eyes narrowed. This is an open-ended quest that can be cleared easily if I can give the correct answer.

I might even get something unexpected out of this.

Ye Ci's gaze then strayed towards the arrow. She had a strong urge to check it out, as if her whole being was drawn to the arrow.

After all, it had something to do with her character class, and not many players could remain calm when they came across an item that had something to do with their class. Ye Ci, of course, was one of them.

"A shrine, you say?" Ye Ci sneered at Ciss. "How dare a low-level demon play god. It's a joke!" Ye Ci did not wish to anger Ciss, but under such circumstances, any answer had the potential of triggering her anger. Yet when Ye Ci stared at her ring, she felt the urge to make a gamble. It was a gamble of Ciss' loyalty to Sha'jia, and Sha'jia's loyalty to Naga. It was also a gamble to see if the ring was indeed an artifact of Naga.

The worst-case scenario upon her loss was death. She was not afraid of dying as she would receive no reduction in level in a dungeon like this. Most of the monsters had been defeated, which meant that retrieving any items would be an easy task. She could always revive Alaunar with Soul Restoration with a 24-hour debuff. It did not worry her much.

Since it was a gamble, there must be a risk to play. But the rewards that she could gain from winning this gamble outweighed her loss. It was a chance that she would never let slip.

"What did you say? How dare you insult Sha'jia! You will pay for your impudence!" Ciss began channeling a spell.

With Ciss's level, she could kill Ye Ci very easily. "Run!" Ye Ci whispered to Alaunar.

"What?"

"Don't just stand there, leave!" Ye Ci stood in front of Alaunar and raised her hand. The dark flame surrounding her ring was burning brighter and brighter.

Understanding dawned upon Alaunar. He stared at Ye Ci. Her already pale skin was a shade whiter under the sickly glow of the dark flame that casted greenish shadows on her skin. Despite the fearful sight, there was no fear in Ye Ci's eyes. The boy saw something he could not understand in those eyes, and was surprised to see the faint smile on her lips.

Alaunar could not believe what he saw. He blinked once, twice, and continued staring at Ye Ci's face. The Elf was indeed smiling. Her face was not filled with fear, but with joy. It was as if she was not staring upon her imminent death, and was instead looking at a very precious treasure. At that moment, Alaunar finally realised that the Elf standing before him was not an ordinary person. He realised that she was a gambler.

Yes, Ye Ci was a gambler. She was a gambler who was addicted to high stakes.

Life or death, victory or defeat… It all depended on that single moment.

Ye Ci adopted a defensive stance and stared at Ciss. She could still feel Alaunar's presence behind her. "Why are you still here? Go!" She did not want the boy to die. Despite her ability to revive Alaunar, the cost that she had to pay in terms of Loyalty was simply not worth the risk.

A sudden surge of courage flared in Alaunar's heart, "No! I will not leave you here!" the boy shook his head. With Alaunar's decision already made, Ye Ci no longer voiced out her objections, and instead focused her attention on Ciss.

Will she live? Or will she die?

Ciss completed her channeling, and launched a dark shade at Ye Ci from the tip of the staff. The shade was in an even purer color of black than the dark flame of Ye Ci's ink. It was just like the darkness of night, and the black of ink.

The ring seemed to have sensed the incoming shade as its flame flared swell. The dark flame was now half the size of a human.

Ye Ci could feel her hand shaking. The ring seemed to have come to life. It was hungered, and it wanted to devour the dark shade.

The dark shade shot towards Ye Ci at high speed, but it collided with the dark flame of her ring. The flame was able to block Ciss's attack, but the impact of such a high leveled skill sent Ye Ci sprawling on the ground at least 6 yards away.

Ye Ci could feel a stabbing pain in the back from her fall, but to her great fortune, did not suffer significant damage. The dark shade did not dissipate, but was instead trapped by the dark flame, and was slowly being devoured.

"Are you alright, Elf?" Alaunar immediately cast Recovery on Ye Ci, bringing her back to full health. Concern was clearly written on the boy's face.

As Ye Ci stood back up on unsteady feet, the trembling of her hand was getting greater. It was of course not due to her injury, but because of her ring that had become even more active after devouring the dark shade. The ring was livelier than ever, and the dark flame surrounding it was almost as large as Ye Ci.

There were no changes to the stats of the ring, but Ye Ci remained vigilant. She knew that demonic items might turn against their owners if a player was not careful. A large number of players in her past life had suffered from such fate due to their negligence. Some of them lost their levels, while others had their Talent Points devoured by such artifacts.

This was why Ye Ci was wary of the ring even when she desired the power of Naga. She had to make sure that she was in control before taking the risk. The ring's reaction to the dark shade was a source of great concern for Ye Ci, but she decided to keep in on. After all, it was not easy for a demonic item to harm its owner unless it was highly refined or the seal placed on the item had been removed.

Ciss's visibly stiffened when her attack was devoured by the dark flame. "Y-you…" she said with a soft voice as Ye Ci approached her.

"Do you want to go for round two?" Ye Ci was brimming with confidence as she raised her hand. She knew not the effects of another attack from Ciss would have on the ring, but it was worth a try.

"N-no, no." Ciss recoiled in fear.

She let go of her staff and knelt before Ye Ci, "My master, my king, I knew not of your arrival. I have offended you. I'm willing to atone for my mistake."

Ye Ci let out a long sigh and lowered her hand. The ring immediately returned to its dormant state, as if nothing had changed, as if it was just an ordinary ring.

"You are forgiven." said Ye Ci.

"I thank you for your mercy, master." Ciss' voice was full of gratitude as she prostrated herself before Ye Ci.

Ye Ci could never understand the obsession of religious fanatics harbored for their deities. Even a normal person carrying an artifact of their god was treated like the god himself. It was a foolish gesture.

"Why is the Shrine of Sha'jia here?" This was a question that Ye Ci desperately needed an answer. She could remember being transported to this map after touching the book, which meant that the map was an illusion.

"This is not the true shrine of Sha'jia. It is an illusion created by the power of the Book of Demons.", The ring was an artifact of Naga with strong demonic energy that was something familiar to Ciss. The servant of Sha'jia recognised the ring as Naga's artifact, which led to her respectful treatment of the ring's bearer, Ye Ci.

"If I'm not mistaken, there's a Doluo Tribe nearby. Why did you choose this place to create a shrine?" asked Ye Ci.

Despite her lower intelligence, Ciss hesitated. She did not want to answer the question. Her hesitation prompted Ye Ci to raise her hand once again. Flame surged out from her finger and Ciss cowered back in fear.

"Oh? You will not answer my question?"

"N-n-n-no." and Ciss immediately spilled all her secrets to Ye Ci.

A large gem known as Inferno's Heart was hidden at the bottom of the Kalidar Volcano. It was the source of the energy stored within the volcano. Naga's men had been searching for such an energy to awaken their master after he was sealed during the Great War. They soon discovered Inferno's Heart that was hidden deep in the heart of the volcano. Try as he might to obtain the gem, Sha'jia was met with failure due to the strong magical barrier that protected the Inferno's Heart. This was why he colluded with Nuoba of the Doluo tribe. If Nuoba could destroy the magical barrier, Sha'jia would grant him the power to take over the Doluo Tribe and become the new chieftain.

The Doluo tribe was led by a powerful Shaman that was feared by even Sha'jia himself, and was protected by the Mermaids. Sha'jia who was severely weakened after Naga's defeat was no match for their combined might. He could only erect an illusion of his shrine within the Pitch Black cave as a means of communication with Nuoba, and to collect dark energy that he could use to erode the barrier.

Alaunar was enraged. The boy held Dalufar with high regard, but Nuoba and the woman standing before him were planning to kill the great Shaman. He would have attacked the woman had Ye Ci not stopped him in time. Fearing that Alaunar would foil her plans, Ye Ci sent the boy out of the temple. Despite his protest, Alaunar obeyed her order.

Ye Ci then turned around to face Ciss once again when Alaunar was a safe distance away, only to find the servant of Sha'jia staring at her with a doubtful expression, "Why are you with a member of the Doluo tribe?" and Ye Ci responded with a smile, "Oh? You're working with Nuoba, but I'm not allowed to have a Doluo as my guide?"

"N-n-no, it was not my intention to doubt you." Ciss's face became a mask of fear when she noticed the displeasure in Ye Ci's voice.

Ye Ci stood at the grand hall of the shrine. An illusionary dungeon like this was very common in the later stages of the game, but the creation of such a dungeon would require a medium. The master of this dungeon was no doubt Sha'jia, and the medium that was supporting the existence of the dungeon was definitely the arrow on the altar.

"Where is Sha'jia?" Ye Ci stood before the altar, carefully hiding the glint of greed in her eyes as she studied the arrow.

"Lord Sha'jia has not recovered from his wounds from the Great War." Ciss was apparently excited at the mention of Sha'jia. She had fully trusted Ye Ci due to their previous interaction. This was proof that an NPC with lower level of intelligence could be tricked easily with the right way.

"So where is Sha'jia? Is he here?"

"N-no," Ciss shook her head, "I do not know where Lord Sha'jia is. I can feel his presence in every shrine."

Ye Ci nodded at the NPC. She was able to deduce from Ciss's information that Sha'jia had erected multiple shrines and illusions of himself, and was hiding his true form in an unknown location.

But how did Sha'jia receive his wound? Due to the vast quantity of information that had been accumulated in the later stages of the game, Ye Ci could not remember the minor details of the lore. She knew nothing of the wound suffered by Sha'jia.

"Are you an illusion as well?" Ye Ci shifted her gaze from the arrow to Ciss.

"No, I'm real." a strange glint appeared in Ciss's eyes.

"Placing your true form in an illusion is very dangerous." Ye Ci raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not afraid! I'm willing to give my life for Lord Sha'jia, and for you my master!" Ciss madly proclaimed her faith.

Ye Ci stared at her ring. If this ring can absorb her spell, can it devour her soul as well? A cold sneer appeared on Ye Ci's face as she stared at Ciss. She stood before the woman and pointed at her, "I do not believe you." Dark flames immediately surged from Ye Ci's ring. Ciss's expression grew slack as she stared at the ring as if she was in trance, "What do I have to do to gain your trust?"

"Offer to me your life." Ye Ci responded without even a shred of emotion.

Ciss stared at Ye Ci with dull eyes, and Ye Ci could see the confusion on her face. She knew that the NPC was hesitating.

"What is it? Are you denying your own words?" Ye Ci sneered at the NPC, "Is this the extent of your loyalties?"

"N-no! No, it's not!" Ciss shook her head. Her religious fervor was pathetic to Ye Ci's cold gaze.

As an NPC, Ciss was still trying her best to analyze the situation, but her personal trait had decided her fate. She could only think of one thing in her fervent state.

I MUST PROVE MY LOYALTY! I MUST PROVE MY LOYALTY!

"What will you do if I can prove my loyalty?" Ciss retained some basic sense of judgment despite her ever decreasing retionality.

Ye Ci waved her hand in front of Ciss, and the dark flames danced with her movement, "Then you shall be granted eternal life."

It was a temptation that Ciss could not resist. Madness crept into her red pupils as she continued to stare at the ring, and she drew a dagger without warning.

Ye Ci could tell from the jewel encrusted hilt of the weapon that it was no ordinary item. The dagger, which was a mage's secondary weapon might be lacking in terms of damage compared to the dagger of a Rogue, but it could still deal a high amount of damage if it struck a vital spot.

Ye Ci narrowed her eyes at Ciss. If the NPC decided to strike at that very moment, she could only resign to her bad luck.

But Ye Ci had apparently overestimated the level of intelligence possessed by Ciss. The servant of Sha'jia stared at Ye Ci with a hysterical laugh, "I AM SHA'JIA'S MOST LOYAL SERVANT! NOBODY CAN DOUBT MY LOYALTY!" and she plunged the dagger into her heart.

Warm blood gushed out of her wound, splattering the ground, and onto Ye Ci's face.

As she wiped the blood away from her face, Ye Ci stared at Ciss.

The beautiful looking NPC was staring back at Ye Ci as the life slowly drained from her eyes.