Shen Ye crossed the dance floor, passed through the dining hall, and reached the other side of the main hall, leaping onto a table.
This put considerable distance between him and the three “accomplices” who had been monitoring him.
“Friends!”
He spread his arms wide and loudly announced:
“Watch closely! Though I am an elf, I can transform into a human!”
At that moment, not only was Lannie watching him, but so were all the other elves in the room. Even the three “accomplices” focused their attention on him.
Listening to Shen Ye’s words, they suddenly let out a sigh of relief.
“Transforming into a human—do you know this type of magic?” one of the “accomplices” asked.
The other two shook their heads.
“Feylen just loves to show off—let him fool around. It’s nothing to worry about,” one said.
“Exactly. His integration with the elves will make tonight’s mission more convenient,” another added.
With that, they returned to silence.
Standing atop the table, Shen Ye leaned against the wall and said with a grin:
“I just counted—there are only 29 people here, and my magic trick requires 33 participants to work.”
The elves burst into laughter, cheering, clapping, and whistling in disbelief.
The lively atmosphere filled the hall.
Lannie quickly rallied a few young elves, who ran out to bring in some patrolling elves from outside.
The patrol elves entered reluctantly, glancing skeptically at Shen Ye.
“We’ve got enough people now!” Lannie called out.
“Then watch closely—here goes!” Shen Ye declared.
He removed the pale Shadow Crown from his head.
In an instant, he transformed from an elf into a human youth.
The room fell silent before erupting into thunderous applause and cheers.
It was spectacular.
Before everyone’s eyes, this brave front-line soldier had turned into a human!
“This is for you, Lannie!”
Shen Ye waved toward the elf girl.
Lannie’s face turned bright red as she clapped her hands joyfully.
“Wait a moment,” Shen Ye said loudly. “It’s not over yet—I’ll transform back now!”
“Of course!” Lannie enthusiastically shouted back.
Shen Ye placed his hand on the wall behind him.
An elfwood door appeared.
“It’s like this,” he said, facing the crowd with a smile. “I can transform into a human because of this item—”
He tossed the pale Shadow Crown to a patrolling elf who appeared particularly strong.
“My three brothers are also wearing these. If their crowns are removed, they’ll transform into undead!”
The word “undead” cast a heavy shadow over the once-lively atmosphere.
The patrol elf who caught the Shadow Crown grew visibly serious, and the other patrol elves gathered around to examine it.
“When my three brothers reveal their true forms, I’ll return. I’ll even transform back into an elf!”
With that, everyone’s attention turned to the three “accomplices” on the far side of the room.
At that moment, Shen Ye leaned back, falling into the door in the wall.
The door shut behind him.
It vanished.
Simultaneously, one of the patrol elves blew a sharp whistle.
“Full alert!”
The other patrol elves drew their curved blades, rushing forward to encircle the three “accomplices.”
“You must be mistaken—we’re soldiers resting after returning from the front lines,” one of the “accomplices” said, pointing calmly at the badge on his chest.
Suddenly, a voice echoed from the void:
“I wanted to play with you all a little longer, but alas—”
The elf leader materialized out of thin air, a hint of regret on his face.
“You undead thought you could infiltrate my village, but you never anticipated that the humans had already infiltrated your ranks, even leading your mission.”
“How ironic.”
Thick vines sprouted from the ground, binding the three culprits tightly.
“Milord.”
A patrol elf presented the pale Shadow Crown.
“High-level shadow magic from the Abyss, and it’s permanent—this is truly unexpected,” the elf leader murmured, examining it.
“With undead assassins infiltrating every village… this artifact will help us uncover their weaknesses and mount a counterattack.”
“This time, we owe the humans a favor.”
One of the vines plucked the Shadow Crowns from the three culprits.
Instantly, they transformed into undead!
Lannie bit her lip, suddenly turning to look at the far side of the room.
The other elves followed her gaze, as if recalling something.
“When my three brothers reveal their true forms, I’ll return. I’ll even transform back into an elf!”
That’s what the human youth had said.
But now, the wall was a pristine white.
He wasn’t coming back.
…
On that pristine wall, a door quietly appeared.
It opened.
Shen Ye stepped into an empty classroom.
He checked his phone.
It was just past ten o’clock. Still early.
Chen Haoyu had sent him a message:
“Why aren’t you here yet? Did you fall into a toilet or something?”
Shen Ye stared at the message, exhaling deeply.
He had made it back alive!
That was far too risky.
From now on, he told himself, he had to remember this lesson. Never again would he be so reckless.
Absolutely never!
Still—
He turned to face the wall, pressing his hand against it and murmuring, “Door.”
The door reappeared.
Through the glass window, he could see the same eerie corridor.
Despite his journey to the elves’ domain, the “door” ability was still connected to the area with the giant skeleton.
The skeleton had returned.
It crouched in the corridor, gnawing on a bizarrely shaped corpse.
Anger surged in Shen Ye as he slammed his hand against the door and shouted:
“I was risking my life in the elves’ territory, and you were here feasting in comfort?”
The giant skeleton snapped its head around.
It saw Shen Ye through the glass and dropped the corpse, rushing over to press itself against the door, examining him.
“You’re still alive?” the skeleton said in a dry, hoarse voice.
This was the first time it had spoken to Shen Ye.
“You cursed thing—you gave me that pale Shadow Crown, fully expecting me to die, didn’t you?” Shen Ye retorted, flipping it the bird through the glass ( TL : Its like a Chinese disrespectful gesture shown to somebody)
“How did you survive? Tell me everything in detail,” the skeleton demanded.
“You think I’ll tell you that?” Shen Ye sneered.
“Tell me, and I’ll pay you equally in return,” the skeleton said.
“This isn’t about payment. You nearly got me killed! I’m a vengeful man,” Shen Ye replied.
“Tell me,” the skeleton insisted.
Shen Ye raised his hand, reaching for the workbook pinned to the door.
This workbook represented their contract. If it were destroyed, the contract would be nullified.
“Wait!” the skeleton suddenly shouted.
At that moment, the workbook flipped open, and glowing words appeared on its pages:
“The other party seems sincere. In the spirit of ‘equivalent exchange,’ they have prepared a powerful necromantic spell for you. The value of this spell—”
“You think you can buy me off with a little gift?”
Shen Ye clenched his fists, roaring in anger:
“You’re insulting my honesty!!!”
The giant skeleton froze momentarily.
Shen Ye reached out to tear the contract.
“Wait!” the skeleton suddenly exclaimed. “The reason I gave you the Pale Shadow Crown was that you still had a chance to survive. If I had gone myself, death would have been my only outcome.”
It pressed its bony claws against the door.
The text on the notebook attached to the door vanished, replaced by several new lines:
“To express its apology, the other party has surpassed the principle of ‘equal exchange’ and decided to gift you a Nightmare Legacy Crystal.”
“Nightmare Legacy Crystal: Contains three top-tier evolution-based undead talents. You can choose one to integrate into your soul, thereby acquiring its ability.”
“Special note: This Nightmare Legacy Crystal is an invaluable cornerstone of the undead race. Across the entire Nightmare World, such treasures are exceedingly rare.”
Another line of glowing text appeared before Shen Ye:
“The so-called ‘talent’ refers to an innate ability that can be used without consuming any power.”
A heavy silence filled the air.
“I am a man of principle,” Shen Ye said with a light cough, his tone turning serious. “I only deal with business partners who show sincerity.”
“I’ve given you all my sincerity,” the skeleton replied.
“…Fine. I’ll forgive you this time, but remember, there won’t be a next time,” Shen Ye said.
“There won’t be a next time,” the skeleton assured.
Shen Ye pressed his hand against the notebook.
The contract was immediately sealed!
A crystal orb radiating endless prismatic light dropped into his hand.
Crack.
Shen Ye crushed the orb without hesitation.
Golden mist erupted, swirling around him before swiftly merging into his body.
For a moment, Shen Ye felt dazed.
The world around him seemed to dissolve into nothingness.
In a hazy daze, he appeared in a grand palace constructed entirely of white bones.
Atop a towering throne of skeletal remains, a giant crowned skeleton sat in silence, holding a sword. It pointed at him from afar.
Above Shen Ye’s head, three rotating orbs of light appeared.
The first, a green glow, held a crystalline shard of pure ice.
The second, a gray-white light, contained a bone fragment.
The third, a golden glow, encased a metal scepter.
“Choose,” boomed a thunderous voice in Shen Ye’s ears. “From these ancient legacies, select one. Place it against your head to inherit its talent!”
As the voice echoed, streams of information flooded Shen Ye’s mind about the three legacies.
The shard hidden within the green light contained an undead talent:
“Whisper of the Abyss.”
“Basic (Upgradeable).”
“By invoking a corpse, the dead must answer your call. They will rise from the underworld and reveal the truth they know so their souls may find peace.”
“—Death is the deepest teacher.”
The bone fragment shrouded in gray-white light held another talent:
“Sanctified Bone Form.”
“Basic (Upgradeable).”
“Any force that could kill you will trigger a transformation into a sanctified bone form, rendering you immune to death’s grasp for 5 seconds. This ability can be used once every 24 hours.”
“—Those who try to control your life and death will find no happy ending.”
As for the golden scepter, it contained the third talent:
“Undead Resurrection.”
“Basic (Upgradeable).”
“Creates a soul fire that can be placed on a fallen undead, merging with the corpse to bring it back to life.”
“Among revival spells, this is a profound technique rooted in the essence of resurrection, enabling the undead to rise again.”
“—The foundation of the undead race’s power.”
Shen Ye carefully reviewed the options, falling into deep contemplation.
Which one should he choose?
