The moment they stepped through the portal, the world shifted.
Light twisted. Space folded.
And in the next instant—
They were no longer in Chongyang City.
A deep, ancient forest stretched endlessly before them.
Everything here glowed.
Not brightly—but eerily.
Faint blue light seeped out from the plants, from the soil, from the very air itself. Strange runic symbols floated lazily between twisted branches, drifting like living things.
At the center of it all stood a colossal tree.
Dark. Silent. Ancient.
Its trunk was massive beyond reason, its bark carved with countless glowing inscriptions. Branches spread like veins across the sky, pulsing faintly with a mysterious power.
Beneath it lay a wide stone altar, covered in worn carvings and symbols long forgotten by time.
Fang Yuqing couldn't help but whisper,
"So this is… the Inscription Tree…"
Her voice carried a hint of awe.
"The source of all inscriptions…"
Su Hang scratched his head awkwardly.
"…You guys really are first-timers, huh."
Su Yun didn't respond.
Instead, she took a slow breath.
Then—
"Get ready."
The air shifted.
A massive shadow erupted beside her.
With a heavy distortion of space, something huge forced its way into reality.
A towering armored titan stepped forward.
Nearly five meters tall, its entire body was wrapped in thick metal plating. On its shoulders rested a massive cannon, while both hands gripped weapons that looked capable of tearing apart anything in their path.
Level 78.
A-Rank.
Armored Titan Beast.
Standing beside it, Su Yun looked almost fragile in comparison.
Fang Yuqing finally understood what she meant earlier.
This kind of contract spirit…
Was powerful.
But definitely not something you could casually keep around.
Her gaze instinctively shifted toward Yuan Wu beside her.
Compared to that—
Yeah… he was way more "user-friendly."
Yuan Wu's eyes flicked toward her instantly.
"…Master, did you just insult me?"
Fang Yuqing blinked innocently.
"…How did you know?"
"..."
"Let's move."
Su Yun stepped forward, her titan following with earth-shaking footsteps.
Each step it took made the ground tremble.
The others followed closely behind.
The moment they stepped onto the ancient altar—
Something activated.
A low hum filled the air.
Invisible barriers rose around them, sealing the entire area.
And then—
Three gates appeared.
They didn't open.
They formed.
Like something pushing through reality from the other side.
From the left—
A skeletal warrior clad in dark crimson armor stepped out, gripping a long spear.
"Though this body decays… this spear remains!"
[Level 70 — Corrupted Spear Sentinel (Elite)]
From the right—
A massive skeleton knight slammed a gigantic shield onto the ground, clad in holy white armor.
"None shall pass this shield… without meeting death!"
[Level 70 — Unbreakable Bone Shield (Elite)]
And from the center—
A figure slowly emerged.
A crown.
A cloak.
Blue flames burning across a skeletal body.
It raised its sword, voice echoing like something from the underworld.
"Death endures… and so shall I."
[Level 80 — Lord of the Underworld (Boss)]
The atmosphere instantly tightened.
But before the pressure could fully settle—
Su Yun moved.
The titan roared.
And the battle began.
—
It didn't take long.
The titan crushed forward like an unstoppable fortress, shrugging off attacks as if they were nothing. Dao Shen engaged the spear wielder head-on, his blade flashing with deadly precision.
Yuan Wu?
He stood at the back.
Cheering.
"Let's go! Cowboy lion, nice swing!"
"Big guy, that cannon was awesome! Do it again!"
Fang Yuqing covered her face.
She had long since given up pretending she didn't know him.
To their credit—
Su Hang and Su Yun didn't even care.
From the very beginning, they hadn't expected anything from a Level 48 spirit.
And soon enough—
The outcome was decided.
Twenty minutes later, the boss fell.
The inscription tree shimmered.
Branches extended.
Rewards descended.
Three people.
Nine inscriptions.
After a brief exchange, everyone took what they needed.
"Again."
Su Yun spoke calmly.
"Let's finish all three runs."
No one objected.
Free rewards were always welcome.
—
The second entry.
The environment changed again.
This time—
They stood upon ruins surrounded by an endless ocean.
Waves crashed violently against the edges of the stone platform.
The inscription tree still stood above them.
Unmoving.
Watching.
They stepped forward.
Still chatting. Still relaxed.
Until—
They crossed the boundary of the altar.
And everything changed.
—
The air…
Collapsed.
Not gradually.
Not subtly.
It crushed down all at once.
A suffocating pressure slammed onto their bodies, heavy like the deep sea itself.
The glowing inscriptions flickered violently.
The surrounding barrier trembled.
Even the Inscription Tree—
Shook.
As if something… shouldn't be here.
Then—
Space tore open.
Not a portal.
Not a summoning.
Reality itself was ripped apart.
From within the crack—
Something stepped out.
Slow.
Heavy.
Each step carried a terrifying weight, as if the world itself was being forced to acknowledge its presence.
A towering figure emerged.
Deep blue skin.Muscles coiled like steel cables.A body built for destruction.
Behind him—
Shadows followed.
One after another.
Five massive figures revealed themselves.
A giant squid twisting in black currents.
A shark with blade-like teeth.
A monstrous lobster, claws snapping.
A fortress-like sea turtle.
A drifting jellyfish pulsing with deadly light.
Each one—
Level 80.
Each one—
Radiating killing intent.
And at the center—
That figure.
Half-human.
Half-something else.
His face…
Was smiling.
Too human.
Too wrong.
His gaze swept across the group.
Then stopped.
On Fang Yuqing.
On Su Yun.
His grin widened.
"…Oh?"
His voice echoed low and amused.
"Well now… this is interesting."
He tilted his head slightly.
"I got lucky."
A pause.
Then, softly—
"Two beautiful human girls."
—
A crimson glow ignited above his head.
[Level 90 — Deep Sea King (Red-Named Boss)]
—
Silence.
Complete silence.
Su Hang's hand tightened around his weapon.
Su Yun's expression hardened.
Even Dao Shen stopped talking.
This wasn't normal.
This…
Was a red-named boss.
（If you've made it this far, drop a comment—I'm curious how many of you are still here. Feel free to point out any is）