Chapter Thirty-Three: The Skeleton Token

“So, you’ve already met Zhao Yun? And you’ve taken full control of the Woma Temple as well?” The Shadow mused, speaking intermittently with Li Ren.

The Shadow—that was the name he had chosen for himself, claiming to be someone from the future. Aside from this name, and his knowledge of all that was to come, everything else about him had vanished into dust.

“Fortunately, it’s not too late yet,” the Shadow remarked thoughtfully.

Sitting nearby, Li Ren couldn’t help gnashing his teeth in frustration. The man before him clearly knew a great deal, but no matter how Li Ren pressed, the bastard refused to divulge anything, always repeating the same words: the future’s progression, the future’s progression. Those five words had almost become a curse for Li Ren, yet because of the name the Shadow had spoken and the item he produced, Li Ren had no choice but to sit and recount his brief and bizarre experiences.

“I can’t say much about Zhao Yun, but the sword technique he taught you is truly formidable. You must keep practicing it. As for the Woma Temple, leave it be for now. The altar there is not a good thing, but you don’t need to concern yourself with that yet. Our top priority now is to acquire the Skull Token.”

“The Skull Token?”

“Yes! It’s in the hands of the Skeleton King. With it, we can proceed to the next step. The sooner we seize new resources, the better our slim hope of changing fate.”

To be honest, the Shadow’s current situation was rather peculiar. He was now, in a sense, half an NPC. The other half, however, was inextricably linked to the players.

Li Ren was astonished to discover he could form a party with the Shadow, who now appeared just like any ordinary NPC: short, gray-white hair, a scruffy beard, and a face that might have once been handsome, now weathered by time. Were it not for the thick aura of darkness and death that clung to him, he might have been considered quite a charismatic figure.

“Remember, never underestimate that so-called level 150 Skeleton King. He’s no pushover. Your purpose is simply to obtain the Skull Token that grants passage to the Blacklands. This is also beneficial to him, so he shouldn’t give you too much trouble. As for what you’ll say to him, I trust you’ll manage.” The Shadow repeated these instructions several times before Li Ren set out, confirming Li Ren’s initial suspicions about the Skeleton King. Back then, though, he hadn’t considered the matter deeply.

As they neared Skull Mountain, the Shadow halted, staring off in the direction Li Ren had gone, lost in his own thoughts. The dense forest soon swallowed his thin, frail figure.

Skull Mountain itself quickly loomed into view. The entire mountain was barren, not a blade of grass in sight—only stones and bones. Under the direct sunlight, the bones reflected a stark, dazzling white, making the place stand out even more compared to its surroundings. The summit was remarkably smooth, lacking the sharp ridges of other peaks, as if an enormous skullcap had been placed atop it.

Li Ren gazed at the legions of aimless skeletons wandering the slopes, a feeling of unease welling up inside him. One strange event after another seemed to find him, the crushing pressure and overwhelming power almost suffocating. Yet, upon returning here, his mood inexplicably lightened—a sense of resignation, perhaps, or maybe a renewed determination. After all, he wasn’t alone anymore.

With this thought, a trace of the old, carefree gaming spirit surfaced in Li Ren’s heart, though his mindset was now changed profoundly. He had witnessed the Skeleton King’s might before, and now this Shadow told him nothing, sending him to request a token from the King himself—a daunting task, since Li Ren didn’t even know what the token looked like, only that it was required to reach the Blacklands.

Still, even to accept a quest, one had to be offered it first, and the Skeleton King hardly seemed the type to hand out missions. Li Ren smacked his head in frustration, feeling as though his hair might all turn white—if he had any hair left at all.

“The Skull Token? The Skeleton Boss? The Blacklands? What the hell are these things? And the Shadow won’t explain a thing, the bastard. What is the Blacklands anyway? Is it really something he can’t talk about?” Li Ren muttered, standing in place, not daring to approach the Skeleton King rashly.

Far off at the base of Skull Mountain, the Shadow stood, absently stroking his pallid, sickly chin. “Wait, did I forget to tell him something? Something feels off…” After a moment’s thought, he nudged a small stone aside with his foot. “Never mind. I didn’t give him any specific instructions anyway—let him figure it out.”

Feeling that lingering at the entrance was pointless, Li Ren finally mustered the courage to climb Skull Mountain. His mind was still a muddle; those few terms refused to connect into anything coherent. The Skeleton King was no pushover—if he wanted to win him over, that would be no easy feat.

Lost in these tangled thoughts, Li Ren barely realized when he had reached the grand hall of the Skeleton King. The massive doors loomed before him, flanked by the Skeleton King’s elite guards. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of self-pity—surely, the Skeleton King already knew he was outside. How could a boss of this land be oblivious to something so trivial?

There was no turning back. Bracing himself, Li Ren stepped inside.

A chilling wind swept through the hall, making the skin crawl—though, as a skeleton himself, Li Ren hardly felt it. Still, as he walked with bowed head toward the throne, a familiar, nerve-prickling sensation crept over him.

“What brings you here?” The Skeleton King’s icy voice echoed from atop the throne.

Summoning his courage, Li Ren replied, “Your Majesty, I overheard some stray humans speaking of a place called the Blacklands. They claimed it had some connection to us, and that there was something valuable there—something that could greatly benefit our skeleton clan. So…”

He hastily spun a tale, thinking of Luoyue and the others, recalling what the Shadow had said: that going to the Blacklands would benefit the Skeleton King as well. Surely, this approach would be safe.

“The Blacklands?” The green ghostfire in the Skeleton King’s eyes flickered.

“You know what kind of place that is?”

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