City of Glory, Slums.
Unlike the bustling, brightly lit scene in the center of the main city, the alleys here were intricate, dark, and damp. The air was perpetually filled with a strange odor mixing cheap ale and decaying wood. This was a corner where the sun couldn't reach, and a breeding ground for sin and secrets.
A blurry figure, like a ghost, swiftly and silently moved through the shadows of these labyrinthine alleys. He made no sound, nor did he stir a breath of wind, as if he himself were part of the darkness.
It was Lin Mo, who had just caused a massive stir in the game world but now chose to hide his achievements and fame.
[System Notification: Your mentor, Cassus Shadowtalker, has sent you an Emergency Message. Please return to the Shadow Sanctuary immediately!]
The mentor's Emergency Message was like a huge rock thrown into his previously calm heart, stirring up a thousand ripples.
Lin Mo's expression was unprecedentedly serious.
He was very familiar with Mentor Karsas's personality. That seemingly aloof old man, who actually bore the rise and fall of the entire Legacy on his shoulders, would never use an "Emergency Message" to contact him unless he encountered a truly thorny, Life-or-death matter.
A massive crisis must be lurking behind this.
Could it be... that something unexpected happened to The Fading Legacy quest?
Lin Mo's heart sank. This quest was the only Hidden Main Storyline he accepted upon changing classes. It related to the future direction of the Shadow of Deadly Poison class and might even conceal deeper secrets about the world of "epoch."
He dared not delay in the slightest, pushing his speed to the absolute limit.
Soon, the familiar entrance to the Shadow Sanctuary, hidden deep within the Slums and disguised as an abandoned warehouse, appeared in his sight.
Unlike the usual tranquility, the entrance to the Sanctuary was currently permeated by a faint, bone-chilling cold air. It was a sinister chill that felt capable of freezing the soul, completely discordant with the Sanctuary's inherent shadow aura.
Lin Mo's pupils suddenly contracted.
He was all too familiar with this aura!
It was Frost Poison! It was the terrifying strange poison he had expelled from the girl named Lina during the Third Trial!
How could it reappear here? And the aura was more than ten times stronger than last time!
A strong sense of foreboding rose in Lin Mo's heart. He hesitated no longer, his figure flickered, and he immediately activated Stealth, turning into a spectral shadow that silently passed through the heavy stone door.
The Sanctuary interior was still dim. Only a few flickering soul fires on the cold stone walls emitted a faint green light, stretching his shadow long.
But the sight in the center of the main hall instantly caused Lin Mo's heart to sink to the bottom.
His mentor, Cassus Shadowtalker, who was usually as steady as a mountain, was now half-kneeling on the ground. One hand was pressed tightly against the back of the little girl Lina, while the other was propped up by a pitch-black dagger, barely keeping himself from collapsing.
Karsas's face was ashen, his forehead covered in fine cold sweat, and his breathing was rapid and disordered. Streaks of visible white frost, emitting a terrifying cold, were spreading up his arm and continuously moving toward his body, as if trying to turn him entirely into an ice sculpture!
And in front of him, the little girl Lina, who should have been fully recovered, was now curled up on the ground, shivering uncontrollably. Her lips were purple, her skin was covered in a thin layer of ice crystals, and her eyes were tightly closed, having fallen into a deep coma. The Frost Poison, now infinitely stronger than before, was violently surging from her body, continuously eroding Karsas, who was trying to suppress it.
"Mentor!"
Lin Mo saw this and could no longer remain calm, instantly canceling his Stealth state and rushing forward in a single stride.
"Don't come closer!"
Karsas heard the sound, looked up sharply, and stopped him with an extremely weak yet stern voice.
"This Frost Poison has completely lost control! It will actively attack any approaching Life form! If you come over, you will only be dragged into it!"
Lin Mo's steps halted abruptly ten meters away. He looked at his mentor's arm, which was almost completely encased in ice, his eyes filled with shock and fury.
"How could this happen? Didn't I neutralize the strange poison in her body using 'Compound Toxin' last time?"
"You... you did very well," Karsas gasped, speaking with difficulty. "The antidote you formulated perfectly suppressed it for nearly half a month. But... we underestimated the root of this thing. It... it's not poison at all, or rather, it's not *just* poison!"
"What is it then?!" Lin Mo pressed.
"It is a 'seed'... a seed of frost's sorrow from the Withered Snow Domain!" Every word Karsas spoke seemed to drain his remaining strength. "This seed is parasitizing Lina's soul deep down. Your neutralization last time only cleared the 'toxicity' that had overflowed, but failed to harm its root. And just now, stimulated by who knows what, it... it suddenly woke up!"
A seed of frost's sorrow?
Withered Snow Domain?
Unfamiliar terms bombarded Lin Mo's mind. He could sense that he was touching a secret about the core structure of this world that far surpassed the current level of player knowledge!
"Mentor, what should I do?" Lin Mo forced himself to calm down. He knew this was no time for questions; saving them was paramount.
"Listen, Lin Mo," Karsas's eyes became unprecedentedly serious. "You are my only disciple, and the only hope for our Thorn of Shadow Legacy. Lina... she is the orphan of one of our fallen Elders. The purest Shadow Bloodline flows within her; she is the key to the revival of our Legacy. No matter what, you cannot let her die here!"
"I understand!" Lin Mo nodded heavily.
"Once this frost's sorrow seed fully erupts, the absolute zero Domain it generates will be enough to turn the entire Shadow Sanctuary, and even the surrounding area for several miles, into a dead zone!" Karsas's voice was filled with deep helplessness. "With my current strength, I can suppress it for, at most... only half an hour more!"
Half an hour!
Lin Mo's heart clenched; this was undoubtedly a death countdown!
"I need you to go to a place and retrieve something for me... for Lina!" Karsas stared intently at Lin Mo, the last flicker of hope burning in his eyes.
"Tell me!"
"To the east of the City of Glory, there is a Cursed Forest called the Howling Cave. That is the lair of the Level 25 Elite Monster, Venomous Banshee," Karsas said rapidly. "Deep within the cave, a unique plant grows, named earth fire stamen. It grows year-round in cold, dark places, yet contains the most extreme Yang and potent Fire Poison! Only it can neutralize the cold energy of frost's sorrow and buy us more time!"
[System Notification: Do you accept the first stage of the Hidden Main Storyline Quest, The Fading Legacy — Emergency Rescue?]
[Quest Name: Emergency Rescue]
[Quest Level: Difficult]
[Quest Content: Within 30 minutes, travel to the Level 25 area, Howling Cave, kill the Guardians deep within the cave, collect the quest item earth fire stamen, and return it to the Shadow Sanctuary, delivering it to your mentor, Cassus Shadowtalker.]
[Quest Countdown: 29 minutes 59 seconds]
[Quest Failure Penalty: Mentor Cassus Shadowtalker is severely injured, Lina dies, and the hidden class Shadow of Deadly Poison enters the "Wither Status," reducing all skill effects by 50% for one month!]
Gazing at the terrifying quest failure penalty, Lin Mo's pupils narrowed into the most dangerous needle points!
All skill effects reduced by 50%! For a top player who had just begun to make his mark, this was even more fatal than losing levels directly!
Furthermore, he absolutely could not stand by and watch his mentor and that innocent little girl die in front of him!
"I accept!"
Lin Mo answered decisively, without the slightest hesitation.
"Good!" A trace of relief flashed in Karsas's eyes. He used his last bit of strength to pull out a pitch-black scroll, seemingly constructed of shadows, from his chest and tossed it to Lin Mo.
"This is a Shadow Teleportation Scroll. It allows you to instantly return to this Sanctuary, regardless of distance. Remember, you only have one chance to use it, and only... half an hour!"
Lin Mo steadily caught the scroll and nodded heavily.
"Mentor, wait for my return!"
Before his voice faded, he wasted no more words, turning abruptly. His figure transformed into a released arrow, shooting out of the Shadow Sanctuary!
Time was Life!
He had to cross nearly half of the main city map, rush into a Level 25 Elite Monster area (eight levels higher than him), kill the unknown Guardians, retrieve the quest item, and return—all within thirty short minutes!
This was virtually an impossible mission!
But in Lin Mo's eyes, there was no fear or retreat, only the calmness of ten thousand years of ice and the determination of a volcanic eruption!
"Howling Cave... Venomous Banshee..."
His brain, like the most precise computer, began frantically analyzing the quest information, planning the optimal route, and... devising the hunting strategy, all while running at top speed.
A race against death, an ultimate challenge, had just begun!