WTYTIAAN Chapter 150

Chapter 150

Joker’s few words seemed to stun the person on the high platform. She froze for a moment, and only reacted after Joker nimbly jumped onto the stage.

“No, I don’t understand what you’re saying. Disrupting my Lord’s sacrifice, be careful my Lord will punish you!” The top of her staff pointed at Joker, her voice a bit shrill, “Someone, capture this nonsensical fellow for me! He disrupted my Lord’s sacrifice, angered my Lord, use his blood to appease my Lord’s anger!”

Joker narrowed his eyes, his gaze toward the person carrying a touch of inquiry. This guy was clearly level 47, which wasn’t low, so why did she seem so fierce on the outside but weak on the inside?

It looked like she really didn’t want to fight him?

Hearing the order, the several black-robed people who had been eyeing Yan Yunqing moved restlessly, wanting to rush up and capture the culprit who had disrupted their important sacrifice.

The corners of his mouth, not covered by the [Face Part for Masquerade Dance], slightly raised. Joker raised his hand and threw several [Flame Emblem] towards the people’s positions, detonating them instantly.

Accompanied by several explosions, the black-robed people who attempted to approach Joker were immediately blown apart, splattering those around them with blood and flesh.

The unlucky black-robed person who was splattered with blood and flesh couldn’t help but tremble. He opened his mouth but couldn’t stand the horrifying scene, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed limply.

The person holding the staff seemed to be frightened as well, her figure trembling a few times, her gaze towards Joker carrying a hint of panic.

And those students who were tied up closer were directly facing this bloody scene. If their mouths weren’t stuffed, they probably would have screamed. Several mages who weren’t very brave and were usually pampered fainted directly.

They were all geniuses, that’s right, but that didn’t mean that geniuses had higher psychological endurance than ordinary people.

Not to mention them, even Rowena, who was used to seeing death on the battlefield, looked at Joker with a hint of fear.

When Rowena saw Joker, she thought that someone had finally come to save them, but now Joker’s series of actions made her question what he was here to do.

Mainly, this suddenly appearing man with a mask and mysterious strength didn’t seem like a good person at all.

“Please don’t act rashly, this hidden lady.” Joker lightly shook his index finger, he spread his hands, looking very embarrassed, “I believe you don’t want to be like those… uh, little black rats, with a bang, becoming not-so-pretty blood mist, right?”

“Actually, I don’t really like using such methods. It’s too bloody and violent—not very elegant.”

Joker tilted his head, a touch of bright red stained his jaw. This color representing bloodshed forcefully added a bit of bizarre beauty to him. Even though he didn’t show his whole face, he made it impossible for people to look away, all attention was attracted by him.

“Oh, right.”

He seemed to remember something, smiling, “I don’t really like the attitude you had when asking my name just now—but I’m very generous, so I’ll politely answer this question for you.”

“My name is—Joker.”

[“My name is—Joker, you can call me Fool, or you can call me Clown.”]

[“Of course, you can also call me Joker as it is, it’s your honor.”]

Joker’s voice sounded, completely overlapping with the voice in William’s memory.

Although he couldn’t see the expression on the staff wielder’s face at the moment, William knew that she definitely didn’t look good.

Just like that night, William saw his usually polite Second Prince Felton reveal such a strange and distraught expression for the first time.

The person holding the staff’s chest rose and fell sharply a few times, her gaze looking at Joker gradually changing from fear and panic to malicious, “It’s you—”

Joker paused, surprised. Did this guy actually know him?

Hmm… Maybe these little black rats also follow the scandals? After all, he caused quite a stir in Bato Vita.

But the next second, he heard the person’s sharp voice say, “It’s you who ruined our plan to exterminate the ‘Crimson Mist’!”

Yan Yunqing was stunned, withdrawing a bit from the emotions of playing the persona, and immediately realized what the other person was talking about.

That’s right, the first time he met these masked black-robed people wasn’t beside that guy with the same name as “Demetrius,” but in the royal city of Bato Vita.

He infiltrated the dungeon to rescue Uncle Ryan who had been captured, and happened to run into the people of the ‘Crimson Mist.’ Their purpose was, in a sense, the same as his: to destroy one of Augreir’s underground strongholds.

Just when the ‘Crimson Mist’ was about to succeed, another force emerged from that underground stronghold, which were these masked black-robed people. At the time, when Yan Yunqing looked at them, three question marks [???] were displayed above their heads. Now that the plot had passed, these people’s heads had changed from [???] to [Eternal God Cult Small Leader], [Eternal God Cult Low-Level Believer], etc.

And the only interaction Yan Yunqing had with these people was after he broke free from the restraints of that guy named Eucher and rushed out of the dungeon, he casually threw all the remaining [Flame Emblems] into the group of black-robed people, blowing the black-robed people waiting outside the dungeon sky-high.

“The same methods, the same flames—” The staff wielder’s gaze swept over the raging flames that hadn’t stopped after being blown apart by Yan Yunqing. The purple-red flames illuminated a small area, reflecting on the other party’s mask, bringing a bit of eerie atmosphere.

“That night, it was you! Are you a member of the ‘Crimson Mist’?” Her voice carried a bit of loss of control.

The black-robed people that night ah…

If Yan Yunqing remembered correctly, those black-robed people were basically all red-named, different from the red and yellow mix he saw today. Seeing this guy’s reaction was so great, Yan Yunqing also realized.

So the ones who appeared that night were the elite of this Eternal God Cult. At least with their all-red-named state, it was clear that they couldn’t be ordinary civilians who had only been brainwashed and entered the cult recently.

He was grinding his teeth at him like that, it seemed that the cult’s losses were heavy that night!

But was it really okay to recognize him as a member of the ‘Crimson Mist’ just like that?

Yan Yunqing blinked. Although he did have some relationship with the ‘Crimson Mist,’ that was the Demon King’s business. What did it have to do with him, the chivalrous phantom thief Joker?

“No, I’m not.” Joker still had that polite attitude, “I have nothing to do with the ‘Crimson Mist.’ That night was just passing by.”

“Do you think I’ll believe you?” The staff wielder sneered, the sound sounding like it was squeezed out from between her teeth, wishing she could tear the Joker in front of her apart and devour him. “You killed so many of us, how dare you appear here again? And want to disrupt our sacrifice?”

“Since you’ve come, don’t even think about leaving. Leave your life to comfort those companions of ours who died!”

Her voice was sharp, causing Yan Yunqing’s ears to sting. At the same time, a system prompt popped up in front of his eyes.

『Detected that the dungeon [Limited-Time Challenge · Underground Altar] is about to begin, do you want to enter?』

『Player has entered the dungeon [Limited-Time Challenge · Underground Altar].』

Yan Yunqing: ???

Good fellow, this time the dungeon didn’t even give him the right to choose to enter, it started directly?

In the next instant, the person holding the staff’s figure twisted, her whole body enveloped in black mist. An extremely piercing and sharp scream resounded throughout the underground altar. Ominous black mist gradually spread out, occupying the entire underground altar at an extremely fast speed.

Yan Yunqing himself didn’t feel anything, but below the high platform, the black-robed people who had been staring blankly at the confrontation between Joker and the staff wielder one by one shed their dazed state, wailing, twisting, and making painful moans.

Yan Yunqing watched as those people’s yellow names turned into bloody red names after coming into contact with this black mist. Their bodies also emitted ominous black mist, and even their levels soared threefold.

Although he didn’t know what this black mist was, it could change a neutral NPC to completely switch camps, and even change their strength level. It was clear that it couldn’t be anything good.

Yan Yunqing clicked his tongue. His current level had exceeded level sixty. Clearly, he wouldn’t have an advantage against these mobs that had tripled their levels.

After their levels soared, several black-robed NPCs had exceeded Yan Yunqing’s level. Now, he had to fight multiple enemies while challenging enemies above his level. It was really a headache.

The staff wielder’s staff pointed remotely, the top of the staff covered in black mist pointed towards Yan Yunqing’s direction. The black-robed people, changed by the black mist, all turned their gazes towards Yan Yunqing.

Wow.

This was really bad.

Yan Yunqing felt like he was in a forest, being stared at by a group of hungry wolves with glowing green eyes.

This gaze did have a considerable sense of oppression. He scanned around and saw that the students who had been tied up earlier hadn’t followed him into the dungeon. He breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He hoped that Rowena outside the dungeon could be reliable, at least during the time he was fighting the dungeon, save that pig who had been stabbed several times and hung on the altar, ready to be dried in the wind… oh wait, was a student.

Yan Yunqing raised his wrist, and a heavy sword appeared in his hand.

When it slammed to the ground, it stirred up a cloud of dust.

He looked around, chuckled, gripped the heavy sword with both hands, and assumed an attacking posture.

In that case, let him test the results of his month of auditing classes at the Swordsman Academy!

*

Rowena felt a wave in the surrounding space. She saw a black mist spread out, enveloping Joker and the black-robed people standing in front of them, and then disappear in place.

Only a few scattered black-robed people were still in place, basically all of them were unconscious.

Rowena reacted very quickly. She twisted her wrist forcefully, and with two clicks, the ropes binding her fell off. Rowena moved her wrists, and immediately cut open the ropes binding her feet. At the same time, she spat out the cloth in her mouth.

Hearing the movement, William, who was originally shocked by the inexplicable disappearance of these people, looked at Rowena and widened his eyes again.

What was going on? Weren’t they all tied up? How did you break free directly?

However, William quickly reacted, grunting twice to signal Rowena to hurry over and untie the ropes on his body as well.

Rowena stood up. Being bound for a long time made the blood circulation in her hands and feet poor. She staggered and almost knelt down. Fortunately, she was a swordsman who had experienced the battlefield, and quickly recovered. Without saying a word, she walked to William’s side, and with a slash of her knife, cut off the ropes on William’s hands.

His arms were freed, William tore off the cloth blocking his mouth, and spat twice as well. He caught the blade Rowena threw over, and began to cut the ropes on his legs.

He didn’t forget to ask, “Where did you get the blade? Weren’t we searched when we were tricked over here?”

Yes, they were tricked over this time by Agana, who was also a Sigrit student. Agana used the reason that their team encountered a swamp, and several teammates were trapped in the swamp and needed someone to pull them out to trick them over.

Swamps were also a potential danger in the forest. Once someone stepped into a swamp, it was difficult for them to climb back up on their own. And the characteristic of swamps was that the more they struggled, the faster they would sink.

At the time, Agana described the situation as very urgent. Her teammates were almost completely trapped in the swamp, with only half of their shoulders still outside. She couldn’t pull her teammates up alone, so she came out to seek help from others.

Rowena and William were tricked over this way. Because the situation was urgent, they didn’t wait for Yan Yunqing and the others to return, and left directly with Agana.

When they arrived at the destination, someone was indeed trapped in the swamp, but before Rowena could start the rescue, she and William were both knocked unconscious.

When they woke up again, they found that they had arrived at Scarn Border City. They were directly treated as goods and transported in a carriage by Agana and several mercenaries—yes, it wasn’t even the black-robed people who knocked them unconscious, but some mercenaries who roamed the fringes.

At that time, Rowena and William had already discovered that their equipment was gone, especially the space bracelet that Robin had prepared with rich supplies, disappeared completely. All they had left on them was the clothes they wore when they came.

They were also familiar with those who were tied up with them, all of them were students from Sigrit.

They were all tightly bound, with their mouths stuffed tightly, not even giving them a chance to cry for help. They could only stare at each other blankly.

Before long, they were transferred to another destination, blindfolded and taken out of the city, and then taken into this dark and ghostly place. A group of strange black-robed people surrounded them, like they were appraising prey.

Then there was this strange sacrifice.

It wasn’t until then that Rowena and William realized that Agana, who had asked them for help, was already a member of these black-robed people. Asking for help was just a means to gain their trust.

To be honest, William really felt a bit of despair after discovering this. He could only pin all his hopes on the other three members of Squad A who weren’t tricked over with them.

He hoped that they could realize something was wrong as soon as possible, and notify the teacher leading the external training to come over.

“The red cloak threw it to me just now.” Rowena untied another person’s ropes in a few strokes, and also handed the other person a blade. “He threw a few blades towards me while creating the explosion, and I stepped on them with my feet.”

William was shocked, “Really? I didn’t notice it at all.”

Rowena glanced at him, “Maybe you were also attracted by the commotion that person created. His action of throwing the blades wasn’t obvious.”

After saying that, she handed these still-tied students to William and another swordsman who had been untied by her, and rushed towards the person who had been stabbed several times first and hung on the sacrificial ritual instrument.

Rowena had seen with her own eyes how he was hung up by those black-robed people. Imitating what she had seen, she skillfully took the other person down.

That person tilted his head, his eyes tightly closed, his face pale, looking like he was breathing more out than in, about to die on the spot.

The wounds that had been stabbed out by the knife were still gushing blood non-stop. If it continued to flow like this, he would really die from blood loss.

Rowena took a deep breath, quickly staying calm. She tore off some relatively clean cloth from her body, and quickly bandaged the other person using the bandaging method she had learned on the battlefield. At the same time, she shouted towards the back, “Is there anyone who is good at healing magic? This one here is about to die!”

Among the students who were tied up together, there were quite a few mages. Several who were still holding on, not having been scared unconscious by the bloody scene before, were the more mentally strong ones. A girl heard Rowena’s shout, turned her head and spat out the cloth in her mouth, while signaling the person cutting the rope for her to hurry up. She responded loudly, “Me! I know healing magic! My talent skill is about healing!”

Seeing this, the person cutting her rope sped up his movements. The people who were still untying others also let go of the original person, and gathered around her, working together to cut open the ropes on her body.

And those students who were temporarily placed aside, still bound, had no objections. They silently waited for their companions to rescue them.

Even though they still faced the situation where enemies might appear at any time, they didn’t urge them, but prayed with pale faces.

Soon, the ropes on that girl were all untied. She didn’t bother to move her hands and feet that had lost consciousness from being tied, and stumbled towards the direction of the wounded.

At this moment, Rowena’s hands and body were already stained with blood. The amount of blood gushing out of the wounds on this wounded person was too much. Even though Rowena had already bandaged his wounds, she couldn’t completely stop the constantly gushing blood. She could only press the position of his wound with her hands.

The girl stumbled over. Because her calf cramped, she knelt down beside Rowena, making a thud.

She didn’t bother with her painful body, and tried hard to get close to Rowena, “Leave it to me!”

“Can you do it?” Rowena asked.

They were all students of Sigrit Academy, and were all geniuses themselves. Even if they were first-year students, their levels couldn’t be low. And these black-robed people could unscrupulously treat them as sacrificial livestock, naturally having the confidence that they couldn’t resist.

When Rowena woke up, she found that her hands and feet were limp, and all her strength couldn’t be used.

As a swordsman, she was fine. After all, the swordsman’s most powerful weapon was their own body. Not being able to use strength was at most not being able to use some skills. As long as they had weapons in hand, they still had the ability to protect themselves.

But those mages were miserable. They relied on magic to fight. When they woke up, the magic power on their bodies disappeared completely, and they couldn’t even sense the most basic elements.

The girl nodded, “I can. I know we’ve been given a magic-sealing potion. It’s a kind of poison. My talent skill has a certain resistance to all negative states. So much time has passed, and I can already use a little magic power.”

However, she didn’t mention that this little magic power was what she had immediately started trying to accumulate after waking up and discovering that the situation wasn’t right. It wasn’t until now that she had finally managed to accumulate a little bit, ready to use it to protect herself.

Rowena nodded upon hearing this. It had already come to this, other than trusting her companions, they had no choice.

Rowena gave the girl room. The girl quickly took over, her gaze landing on Rowena’s left hand, which was pressing on the wound on the wounded person’s abdomen. She paused, didn’t reveal any extra expressions, and immediately concentrated to use her talent skill on the wounded person.

A faint white light appeared in the girl’s hand, spreading over the wounded person’s wound along her palm. She untied the cloth that Rowena had just bandaged the wound with. The wound exposed to the air stopped gushing blood constantly, and under the healing of the white light, there were signs of solidification.

Rowena felt the skill used by the other person, and was secretly surprised in her heart.

She also had a bit of mage talent, but it was much weaker than her swordsman talent. But she could also feel the talent skill used by this girl—even though the white light was weak, the light elements contained in it made Rowena feel incredible.

It was actually a talent skill related to light elements?

Rowena’s gaze stayed on the girl for a while. She hadn’t heard that there were people related to the Holy See among the first-year students?

The power of the Holy See spread throughout the Ermann Continent. Although the re-emerging Holy See wasn’t that eye-catching, based on the Holy See’s thousands of years of dominance over light magic, there was still a common perception: mages with light element affinity had to join the Holy See.

Because only in the Holy See could you truly learn all light magic. Even Sigrit Academy’s mastery of light magic wasn’t as good as the Holy See.

In recent years, the Holy See’s control over light mages in the Ermann Continent was still rising. Basically, if a child with light element affinity appeared in that place, they would be directly recruited by the Holy See.

Not to mention that her talent skill was related to light magic. Once the Holy See discovered this kind of talent, they would take her away no matter what.

There were the most priests in the Holy See. In general, few forces would fall out with the Holy See. If the other party just wanted a child to join the Holy See, few people would refuse. Even if they refused, they would re-agree for some inexplicable reason.

Rowena recalled, she vaguely remembered that the girl in front of her seemed to have a similar background to her, except that the other party didn’t do very well in the wealthy magic academy, at least on the surface. It was impossible to be related to the Holy See.

She seemed to be called… Iser?

Iser lowered her head slightly at this moment, her gaze focused on the wounded person. The white light in her hands illuminated a small piece of darkness, and also dispelled the entanglement of pain. The wounds on the wounded person’s body gradually began to heal under her white light.

Seeing this, Rowena remained silent.

Whether Iser was a member of the Holy See or just an ordinary person who didn’t want to join the Holy See, so she hid the fact that she had a light-based talent skill from the outside…

It had nothing to do with the current Rowena. The most important thing for them now was how to leave this ghostly place safely.

Just as Rowena came up with this idea, a burst of rapid footsteps exploded. Countless black-robed people poured out of the passages in all directions.

Rowena’s expression tensed.

Damn, the worst situation has happened.

Although she didn’t know where the black-robed people in front and that red cloak had gone, now the support of these black-robed people had arrived.

And on their side, there was almost no combat power.