An A-rank disaster always yields impressive loot.
This time, the monster didn't drop any materials. Instead, its energy concentrated into a single card.
It wasn't a one-time use skill card but a cultivation card.
The front of the card depicted a dark, shadowy creature, while the back featured a silver pentagram.
**Skill: Shadow Stealth**
*Description: Silver skill cultivation card. Requires 15 darkness affinity. Upon fusion, grants Shadow Stealth (Lv0), allowing the user to merge into darkness.*
The girl with the mechanical arm exclaimed in surprise, "Wow... it's a cultivation card."
Ji Xun was confused again.
He could read the words, but he didn't understand the true value of the card.
The girl seemed accustomed to his occasional displays of ignorance.
He was obviously very smart, but he seemed to lack a lot of common knowledge.
Oh!
Low-level hunters typically wouldn't encounter such items, so his surprise was understandable.
She explained, "This is a legendary card said to be imprinted with the thoughts of ancient curse card masters. The probability of it appearing is extremely low, even lower than that of dazzling silver materials. It's more efficient than martial arts manuals. Anyone who meets the conditions can fuse with it and directly master the skill. This is one of the most sought-after items in high society, highly valuable. Moreover, this Shadow Stealth card seems to be a lost assassin technique. I've never seen it before. Don't sell it lightly."
"..."
Ji Xun finally understood.
This was the same ghostly technique that allowed the monster to kill unseen, hiding its true form in shadows. For an assassin, mastering this would be incredibly effective for both survival and assassination.
Ji Xun found it fascinating that one could directly master a skill without rigorous training, just through a soul imprint.
This would indeed be very attractive to wealthy individuals.
The girl, without hesitation, handed the card to him, saying, "I don't follow the assassin path. This card is of no use to me."
"Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Ji Xun accepted the card without hesitation, knowing his teammate wasn't one to take advantage. She had already proven that before.
And if she said it was valuable, it definitely was.
But glancing at himself, he realized his darkness affinity was only 1.
It would be a while before he could fuse with the card.
Apart from the cultivation card, another ordinary black card appeared on the monster's body.
This card had no special effects, just two lines of text:
*"When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes back at you."*
*"Before dawn arrives, someone must light up the darkness."*
Ji Xun looked at the card, feeling it was hinting at something, and said, "This should be the final key to clearing the level."
Unlike before, where killing monsters would drop skill cards that could be used to defeat the next boss, this time the card only had two sentences on it.
The girl with the mechanical arm pondered for a moment but couldn't figure out what the card was for. She could only ask, "What does this card mean?"
Ji Xun responded, "It's a clue."
"..."
The girl with the mechanical arm was speechless: Of course, I know it's a clue, but a clue to what exactly?
"I don't know either."
Seeing her expression, Ji Xun shrugged.
He truly didn't know and asked somewhat helplessly, "You don't think I know everything, do you?"
The girl with the mechanical arm didn't say anything, but her expression clearly indicated: Haven't you acted like you knew everything along the way?
It seemed to have become a habit; whenever they encountered a puzzle, this guy always managed to decipher it from an unexpected angle.
Ji Xun guessed her thoughts and shook his head with a smile.
He said, "It's like playing a puzzle game. The planner behind it is afraid you won't find the answer to clear the level, so they leave clues on purpose. But then they worry the clues are too obvious, so they make them obscure and hard to understand. It's only at a certain moment when you need it that you'll have an epiphany. These kinds of vague clues are never meant to be understood the moment you get them."
These words seemed persuasive, and the girl with the mechanical arm, hidden behind her gas mask, agreed.
Ji Xun thought for a moment and added, "We should be heading to the final level. Typically, the final level is either the most difficult or the most surprising."
As he spoke, he looked at the card and added, "It seems like it's the latter."
The girl with the mechanical arm didn't say anything, but she looked at the two lines on the card thoughtfully.
...
The two of them packed up their loot and continued to walk deeper into the laboratory.
It seemed that Ji Xun's guess was correct; they were about to face the final level. So, after killing the [Shadow Demon], they didn't encounter any other threatening mutated creatures.
Some scattered small monsters occasionally emerged from the corners of the lab, but the girl with the mechanical arm always spotted them in advance and easily killed them.
As they walked, Ji Xun suddenly spoke up, "By the way, if you don't mind me asking, miss... what's your name?"
They hadn't asked each other's names from the start, but since they had been through so much together, he casually asked.
"..."
Upon hearing this, the girl with the mechanical arm kept walking without responding.
Just when Ji Xun thought she didn't want to talk to him, she suddenly replied in a faint voice, "Chujio."
Ji Xun pondered the name for a moment, "ninth day?"
It was clearly not a real name, but a codename.
No matter, it's better than calling her the girl with the mechanical arm.
Ji Xun introduced himself, "Ji Xun. Pleased to meet you."
Chujio listened but remained silent.
Ji Xun didn't mind.
Even though his teammate was a bit cold, she was still a good person.
The two continued walking deeper.
...
The laboratory did have an end, and after a short walk, they came to a rusty elevator.
"Someone has used the elevator."
"Yeah, it should be those mercenaries from before."
After checking the passage and finding no danger, they took the elevator.
Now, no matter how they looked at it, this was the road leading to the exit.
It looked like one of those mine elevators that had been abandoned for decades, rusty and creaking as it ascended, making them nervous about whether it would suddenly drop.
Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened, and after ascending the height of more than twenty floors, they reached the top of the elevator.
After walking through a narrow passage, they entered a strange mirror world.
The floor was white, and the ceiling and walls were covered with various mirrors of different sizes.
Not sensing any monsters, the two walked in.
At first, there were just a few simple mirrors, but soon, there were more and more mirrors.
They saw countless reflections of themselves, bizarre versions of themselves, and countless pairs of eyes staring back at them...
In the mirrors, they saw everything within themselves: doubt, infatuation, anger, caution, fear, desire... In the reflections, it seemed they saw everything within their own hearts.
There were also some distorted reflections, representing twisted desires.
"Interesting..." Ji Xun walked steadily forward.
Others might feel uncomfortable seeing so many mirrors, but he was used to it.
Every moment, the images in his mind were just like this, countless versions of himself arguing.
Seeing the reflections now, Ji Xun felt no discomfort at all.
But Chujio, beside him, seemed disturbed by what she saw in the mirrors, her breath noticeably erratic.
Seeing her distress, Ji Xun patted her shoulder, "Let's go."
Chujio snapped out of her nightmarish state.
This "mirror house" didn't seem difficult and it wasn't clear what it was testing.
They continued walking.
Suddenly, they reached a dead end.
Chujio asked in surprise, "A dead end? A maze?"
She was trying to recall where they might have taken a wrong turn when Ji Xun's pupils narrowed slightly, and he said, "No. We've arrived."
As soon as he spoke, the mirror lights around them faded away like a receding tide.
When they looked again, they found themselves in an enclosed iron cage.
A prompt appeared: "Entered unknown space, discovered special hidden main storyline, exploration rate +5%."