Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Soul Guiding and Clue**

Two minutes later.

"Where exactly are you taking us?!" Cole, who had been following Mo Tan the entire time, finally couldn't help but shout. This young thief, who had single-handedly tangled with two Red Ridge Beasts for nearly five minutes, was now at his limit both mentally and physically. Numerous wounds on his body were splitting open, and the venom seeping into his system was gradually numbing his senses and limbs.

Mo Tan stopped at his words, nodded to him, and said in a low voice, "This place should be about right. You can rest for a bit, and then tell me—"

"I don't care about that!" Cole's legs gave out uncontrollably the moment Mo Tan finished speaking, and the corpse he had been carrying on his back tumbled to the side. He weakly interrupted Mo Tan, pulling the lifeless body beside him into his arms, and looked up to ask, "Why did you save me? Why did you make me bring Rona?"

Mo Tan leaned down and handed him a Healing Potion. The small portion of his face visible beneath his hood twisted into a playful smile. "Rona. Such a beautiful name indeed belongs to—oh, let me see~"

He brushed aside a few strands of hair from the left side of Rona's face, showing no concern for how terrifying this corpse—once truly beautiful but now with half its face nearly gone—actually was. He nodded and continued, "Yes, a beautiful owner."

"What are you doing?!" Cole, having regained a bit of strength, shouted angrily. "Don't you dare insult her!"

"Insult?" Mo Tan repeated in a low voice, then shook his head at Cole. "Only hypocritical praise is an insult, my friend. Sincere words are not. Can you not see how pure and beautiful her soul is?"

Cole was momentarily stunned. He looked down at the girl he had secretly loved for years in his arms. "Her... soul...?"

As far as Cole knew, there were only a few types of people in this world who constantly spoke of souls. First were the priests and clergy of various faiths, but this man before him didn't seem like a believer at all. Though he had no evidence, he was certain of this...

Of course, this was only natural. As we all know, Mo Tan's [Unbeliever] talent was enough to make any missionary keep their distance from him, and it also allowed others to instantly recognize that this guy was definitely not a man of faith.

Naturally, for players, such straightforward talent data would, in the eyes of NPCs, transform into intangible things like "temperament," "feeling," or a literal "talent"—something hard to put into words. In any case, it wouldn't come across as too jarring.

So, ruling out the possibility of a believer, that left only two options: a madman with a few screws loose, or someone who spent a great deal of time dealing with the dead.

Although Mo Tan did give Cole the feeling of a madman, he was now leaning more toward the latter...

Necromancers, spiritualists, and cultists all fall within this category. The minds of these individuals are filled with various forms of broadly defined 'taboo' knowledge. Although they are often regarded by ordinary people as monstrous floods and savage beasts—chaotic fanatics and walking evils—there are also many who secretly befriend them, offering countless support and assistance, all for the sake of obtaining the so-called 'eternity.'

If Cole's attitude toward such people had previously been no different from anyone else's, then at this moment, holding Rona, whose body had already lost its warmth, a spark of hope called 'hope' was kindled deep within his heart.

"Can you help me..." He suddenly grabbed the hem of Mo Tan's robe, trembling as he said, "Help me resurrect Rona! You said it yourself earlier, didn't you! She has a beautiful soul! A beautiful soul shouldn't just fade away like this, right?!"

Mo Tan smiled with satisfaction. Although his understanding of this world was still far inferior to any native who had grown up in a village, this guy was very good at making others use their own knowledge and experience to convince themselves, preparing countless logically clear steps for them to step on firmly.

"Do you know what this is?" Instead of answering Cole's question, Mo Tan reached into his pack and pulled out a small, grayish-white jar, handing it to the young thief before him. The jar was covered in countless twisting, shifting characters. If you looked closely, you could even see numerous faces with varied expressions on it, but if your attention wavered even slightly, you would never be able to distinguish them again.

[Soul-Guiding Vial]

Epic Item

Use: Absorb Soul / Release Soul

Special Restriction: Non-[Lawful] Alignment

Effect: Absorb the soul from a life that has died within 13 hours and store it inside. No time limit on storage. The shorter the time since death, the higher the soul's completeness. Only one soul can be held within the Soul-Guiding Vial.

※If a second soul is absorbed, the first soul will immediately dissipate.※

[Note: Only a Master of Soul Lore can create this. This high-level Soul-Binding Creation can serve as a necessary material for various taboo items, and the soul within it suffers no torment. Whether you are a skilled Senior Alchemist, a Necromancer in urgent need of a temporary Soul Vessel, or a wealthy person who can afford such a special 'urn,' it is a very good choice. PS: Even good people don't mind dealing with it, but those sticklers for rules clearly don't think so.]

Cole honestly shook his head. At a time like this, no matter how shrewd a thief might be, lying was not an option. But his gaze had gradually grown fervent, because something that looked so significant could hardly be something a madman would casually pull out.

"Of course you don't know~" Mo Tan shrugged. "I'll tell you straight up: this thing is called a Soul-Guiding Vial. It has many uses and is simple to operate. One of its functions I find quite useful, for instance... storing a soul that hasn't had time to dissipate, so that one day it can once again bask in that annoying sunlight."

Cole's entire body trembled with ecstasy and excitement, though there might have been a trace of pain from his wounds mixed in as well. But that didn't matter—what mattered most to him now was...

"I am nothing but a lowly Thief Apprentice, but if you can help me..." Cole knelt before Mo Tan, his voice deep and resolute. "I will pay any price, including my life!"

[Though different, these words feel strangely familiar...]

Mo Tan suddenly recalled Medi's final words before death. The scene before him was strikingly similar to that moment, except this time he had no mission that would harm Cole. Moreover, if he used the Soul-Guiding Vial now, the soul named Rona would undoubtedly be relatively intact, unlike that remnant soul residing in Medi's ring, which had no hope of resurrection.

So he didn't mind giving this lovesick young human a helping hand.

"Remember what you said." Mo Tan's voice suddenly turned cold as he aimed the Soul-Guiding Vial at Rona's corpse and said slowly, "I'm not a philanthropist."

A hazy white light rose from the corpse in Cole's arms, floating upward about half a meter, circling beside him for a moment before being sucked into the vial in Mo Tan's hand with a 'whoosh.' After emitting an ethereal whisper, it vanished.

A system prompt sounded in Mo Tan's ear:

[The Soul-Guiding Vial has taken in a new soul. Its Completeness is 94%.]

It seemed to have succeeded...

"What did you do?" Cole felt a very distinct change. The fleeting white light had inexplicably stirred something within him, as if Rona had come back to life and whispered something softly in his ear. But when he looked down, the cold corpse still lay peacefully in his arms, devoid of any life.

Mo Tan gestured with the Soul-Guiding Vial in his hand, then stored it in his Pack and said leisurely, "I preserved her soul for you, leaving a glimmer of possibility. Whether that possibility becomes reality depends on your performance... Don't ask me too many questions. I have neither the obligation to tell you everything nor the noble character to maintain my patience..."

"Yes!" Cole replied swiftly, then stood up and performed the highest etiquette he knew for Mo Tan. Though a thief holding a dagger vertically at his heart and bowing ninety degrees was somewhat incongruous, this slightly awkward Knight's Oath Salute still conveyed his feelings perfectly.

Mo Tan nodded with satisfaction, found a relatively flat spot nearby to sit down, and gestured for Cole not to just stand there foolishly. Then he asked, "Now tell me, who are you people, and why were you attacked here? Be as detailed as you can."

"My name is Cole Shuze, a student at Parding Knight Academy," Cole immediately replied. Then, glancing at the elven girl's corpse in his arms, he continued in a slightly hoarse voice, "She's my classmate—Rona Moonlight. Like me, she's a member of the second-year Warm Sun Squad. We..."

Mo Tan sighed and interrupted, "Put her down first. The corpse in your arms is now just an empty shell. If you'd like, you can bury her here later."

Cole reluctantly laid Rona's body aside, forced himself to calm down, and continued recounting the incident to Mo Tan from start to finish...

After Cole's explanation, Mo Tan finally understood what had happened, and he even gained an unexpected bonus from it.

Every Storm Moon and Star Moon, Parding Knight Academy holds its comprehensive tests, which consist of two parts: theoretical written exams for each subject and squad combat. The Warm Sun Squad had been attacked on their way back after completing the combat test.

Two Red Ridge Beasts, which should never have appeared in such a place, came at once. Despite their natural lack of vision, they locked onto the Warm Sun Squad relentlessly, leaving them no chance to escape. The squad tried everything—sound interference, decoys, and other tactics—but they couldn't shake the two monsters, which chased them all the way from the wilderness into this forest...

Then, Rona, the wind mage apprentice, died. The other three members, under Cole's cover, were doing their best to flee toward Pato City, where the academy was located. As for what happened next, Mo Tan, who had been observing from the shadows for a while, already knew.

[Side Quest Triggered: Save the Warm Sun Squad. Reward: Optional Experience 200]

[Hidden Quest Triggered: Revive Rona Moonlight. Reward: ???]

The expected system prompts rang in Mo Tan's ears. Having browsed the forums for a while earlier, he didn't yet know about hidden quests, but he was fairly confident that his actions would trigger a side quest. Another unexpected gain was... the composition of Cole's Warm Sun Squad!

Mage Rona Moonlight, Thief Cole Shuze, Priest Ai Fanye, Greatsword Warrior Rada Dona, and Knight Dave Sager.

"Dave..." Mo Tan gently rubbed his forehead, then stood up and said to Cole, "Head back to Pato City first. Find the cheapest inn and stay there. Don't contact anyone."

Cole was stunned. "But you..."

"I'll come find you," Mo Tan replied flatly, then activated Hide and, relying on his decent Dexterity, swiftly dashed off into the distance.

He had a clue in mind, but he still needed to verify it.

...

[Reconnecting...]

[Connection complete. Loading character information...]

[Chaotic Evil Mo, welcome to Innocent Realm.]

Ashen skies...

Silent ruins...

An endless expanse of corpses and blood...

Mo looked at the 'city' behind him, wailing in agony from curses and suffering, and let out a manic laugh suppressed to the extreme. He then tightened the gray cloak around him and continued walking forward along the path, leaving the hellish scene behind.

The years of pent-up repression had mostly been released earlier, and his equipment and experience had accumulated somewhat during that delightfully joyful massacre. For now, all he needed to do was leave this place as quickly as possible. As for his destination... who cared... at least there was no rush to think about that yet.

Still, he had a rough idea in mind.

A drop of cold, muddy water hit Mo's face, and the sky began to weep without warning... it was raining.

A sudden roar erupted from the silent mountain path. A strange-looking beast charged from not far away, and it seemed to have no intention of going around Mo, who stood on the path. It slammed straight into him.

Then, a hand wreathed in black flames emerged from beneath the cloak and pressed firmly onto the head of the beast, which was three parts pig and seven parts ox.

[Dark Blaze]

Active Skill

Mastery Requirements: Intelligence 40, Constitution 50, Possess Class 'Dark Mage'

Cost/Restriction: 30 Mana/sec, 30 HP/sec, [Chaos] Alignment

Effect: Release black magical flames from within your body, dealing massive fire/dark elemental damage to the target and applying the 'Dark Blaze' effect. Effect halved against undead creatures, and no special effects triggered. Cooldown: None

[Note: This is a hybrid magic created by my grandfather, the famous theoretical Dark Mage, Spoon Riddle. Not even he himself could use it, because from a wizard's perspective, a spell that demands more physical fitness than mana is just a trap for descendants! — Riddle III, who burned off his own right hand]

With a howl, the monster instantly turned into a pile of charred bones. Mo, the caster, didn't even pause for half a second. He silently withdrew his hand into his cloak and continued forward.

Then, he was blocked...

A tall figure, clad in simple leather armor that left large patches of fair skin exposed, stood in front of him.

"That was my prey," the beautiful dark elf said with a slight frown, her long silver hair swaying in the wind behind her. She glanced at the pile of bones behind Mo and then asked coldly, "Did you kill it?"

Mo didn't answer. He merely looked up at this somewhat reckless silver-haired woman and was momentarily stunned.

That cold, pretty face seemed familiar.

If he remembered correctly...

This girl should be a player named Ji Xiaodao, and not long ago, she had shared a meal with him at the same table.

...

Chapter 10: End