Ji Xun had heard hunters say that the nobles in the upper city were incredibly wealthy, with even a random guard earning tens of thousands a month.
And the Governor's mansion had hundreds, if not thousands, of such elite guards.
One could imagine the immense wealth of the Cao family, the Governor's family.
So, the corpses should be quite valuable... right?
As Ji Xun walked through the passage, he saw skeletons piled up like mountains, with bone dust everywhere.
Skeleton monsters were a peculiar type of undead; as long as their heads weren't completely shattered, they could still "live" even if cut in half.
Amid the heaps of bones in the passage, many severed hands and feet were still crawling around.
Ji Xun wasn't the least bit disturbed by the sight, and he walked over the bones.
As he walked, he kept a sharp eye out, searching through the piles of bones.
After traversing several passages, Ji Xun suddenly stopped.
His gaze had landed on a flash of metallic white among the bones.
It was a Frost Knight's armor!
...
"I'm rich..."
Ji Xun's eyes lit up immediately.
As he had guessed, the Governor's men were too busy fleeing to gather their fallen comrades' bodies.
Ji Xun moved closer, clearing away the skeletons, and revealed a shriveled corpse.
The corpse was in a bizarre state.
Although it had just died, it looked like a mummy, with all its blood and flesh seemingly drained by some force.
Not even a hint of extraordinary traits remained.
If not for knowing that the Frost Knights had just entered today, one might think this corpse had been dead for years.
Ji Xun examined the surrounding battle marks, frowning, "No external wounds. The Secrecy Keeper's attack method ignores physical and magical defenses, directly devouring the soul and flesh?"
"Hiss... There's no way to defend against this."
He took a sharp breath.
The Cao family's Frost Knights were known for their high-grade armor, which offered significant physical and magical resistance; bullets barely scratched them.
Such sophisticated armor couldn't be produced by ordinary workshops.
Even the basic version worn by these soldiers fetched over a million on the black market.
Yet here was this dried-up corpse, its armor intact, but the body within completely drained.
This confirmed that the Secrecy Keeper's attacks weren't conventional physical or magical assaults but some mysterious, incomprehensible method.
After confirming the cause of death, Ji Xun didn't linger.
He had no intention of confronting an unkillable monster. The method of its attack wasn't that important.
Encountering it meant certain death anyway.
Rather than fretting over an inescapable predicament, it was better to focus on something cheerful.
Ji Xun optimistically removed the storage ring from the corpse's hand, murmuring with anticipation, "Let's see if the Governor's guards are as rich as the rumors say..."
He looked at the ring, which had about half a cubic meter of space.
Even the space ring itself was quite valuable.
When Ji Xun saw the contents of the ring, a small smile of delight appeared on his face.
Frost Knights were melee professionals from the Order path, specifically the [Spade 6 - Punishment Iron Guard]. The storage ring contained no miscellaneous items, just various supply potions.
Neatly arranged were rows of [Advanced Hemostatic Potions], [Advanced Healing Potions], [Advanced Recovery Potions], [Muscle Recovery Potions], and [Stamina Potions]...
These weren't the usual hunter-grade stuff.
Each vial had a pure silver label indicating it was "Produced by the Aldran Alchemy Pharmaceutical Factory."
Potions were always valuable in the market, especially high-grade ones from major alchemical factories. They were more potent and consistent than those sold in the Innocent City black market.
Accordingly, their prices were higher.
A rough estimate placed the value of these potions in the tens of thousands.
"Tsk tsk... The Governor's guards are truly wealthy."
Ji Xun sighed in amazement.
These high-grade potions were rare even on the black market, and they were just what he needed.
Out in the wild exploring caves, potions are a hunter's second life.
Looking further, Ji Xun saw a two-handed greatsword beside the corpse.
He picked it up with interest and tried it out. It was heavy, around thirty kilograms.
Such a sword was unusable for an ordinary person.
**[Frost Greatsword]**
**Quality:** Silver
**Details:** A finely crafted knight's greatsword from the Rocks Smithy, imbued with rich ice enchantments; Ice damage +56%, Sharpness +3. Comes with the skill [Frost Slash], which infuses the sword with a spell to slow and paralyze the target.
"Hiss... so sharp."
Ji Xun admired the cold gleam on the blade.
A two-handed sword with this level of sharpness was already very rare.
And with added ice damage, it surpassed regular metal weapons, entering the realm of enchanted weapons.
It was likely worth a very good price.
While the sword was excellent, without a strength value of at least 10, wielding it would be cumbersome.
Ji Xun lost interest after a few tries.
He then retrieved two cards with dark silver spell scripts from the corpse's card slot, holding the six-pointed star on them and channeling his spell energy.
The blue glow from the card enveloped the greatsword.
In an instant, the greatsword was contained within the card, becoming a card with a white greatsword illustration.
Enchanted storage cards were not only magical but also extremely convenient.
They functioned like a special sheath, easily storing the icy greatsword, keeping it sharp without maintenance.
Easy to carry, easy to retrieve.
Ji Xun did the same with the armor on the corpse.
Though he couldn't use these items, they would fetch a good price on the black market.
Selling them would be akin to striking it rich overnight.
It would be enough to meet Ji Xun's needs for a long time.
He could use the money to buy the high-grade firearms, ammunition, and mechanical equipment he had previously eyed but couldn't afford. He could also purchase martial arts manuals and even check auction houses for rare skill training cards.
Such valuable loot was a rare opportunity.
Normally, even fallen Frost Knights would have their gear reclaimed by other guards, leaving no chance for outsiders to scavenge.
Only in this labyrinth, where someone intended to ambush the Governor's group, did this opportunity arise.
...
"The wealth of the noble class truly surpasses ordinary imagination..."
Ji Xun, having scavenged a corpse, was in high spirits.
A Frost Knight's full gear was the ultimate luxury many hunters couldn't dream of affording in a lifetime.
And this was just one guard.
The true wealth of the nobility was beyond comprehension.
The Cao family in Wuguilt City was just a branch of the federal Cao family, and there were many such middle-class nobles in the federation.
Suppressing his fleeting sentiments, Ji Xun carefully continued along the passage, searching for more.
He reasoned that with an entire regiment of Frost Knights from the Governor's mansion, there should be more than one corpse left behind.
He proceeded cautiously, avoiding all potentially dangerous passages as he saw fit.
However, fate often plays tricks, providing either surprises or shocks.
Before he could find a second corpse, he again heard the sounds of battle from the end of the passage.
Boom, boom, boom...
Ji Xun couldn't help but think, "Again?"
But then he realized that this path was where the Governor's men had fled earlier, so theoretically, they shouldn't be coming back.
Moreover, the sounds of this battle weren't as intense as before.
It was likely other survivors.
Recalling that there were no good hiding spots for a long stretch behind him, Ji Xun chose not to wander aimlessly. Instead, he found a fork in the path and decided to lie down and play dead again.
Soon, he heard the sound of skeletons clattering like a tide, getting closer and closer.
The sound of boots stepping in the passageway was easily distinguishable from the rattling of skeletons.
It seemed there were only two people.
The two, chased by monsters, were smart, likely having the same idea as Ji Xun—to run along the passage cleared by the Governor's men to encounter fewer monsters.
Ji Xun breathed a sigh of relief.
If it was just the two, they probably hadn't encountered the "Secrecy Keeper."
Otherwise, they would likely already be dead.
He glanced over.
...
The two hurriedly running figures were dressed in hunter garb, faces covered by gas masks, and brown burlap cloaks draped over their bodies.
However, as they ran, the skeletal army behind them grew larger.
Moreover, one of them seemed seriously injured, leaving a trail of blood as they ran.
Seeing this, Ji Xun had no intention of meddling.
A quick glance at the skeleton horde revealed no sign of the "Secrecy Keeper," so he continued to play dead.
At this moment, the two reached a T-junction, their commotion attracting monsters from another passageway.
Like rivers converging, the skeletons immediately formed a surrounding formation.
Seeing that they were about to be overwhelmed by the skeletal tide, one of the marauders swiftly shot out several cards.
The cards exploded mid-air, summoning several terrifying zombies.
**[Iron Zombie]**, **[Poison Zombie]**, **[Fire-breathing Zombie]**...
As soon as the zombies appeared, they began attacking the skeletons, serving as meat shields, spewing fire and corrosive acid—looking quite formidable.
However, that was the end of it.
The skeletons, with their overwhelming numbers, quickly overpowered the zombies. Despite their individual strength, the zombies were submerged in the skeletal wave in no time.
Ji Xun observed with curiosity, thinking, "Mystery Sequence [Club 4—Necromancer]?"
This was his first time seeing a spell card master of this sequence.
...
"Necromancer" was also a very popular profession among spell card masters.
Whenever hunters found the corresponding demon contract and professional card, many chose this path.
The profession was highly suited for wilderness exploration.
Necromancers could summon not just zombies but also various aberrant creatures, monsters, evil spirits, and even calamities.
As long as they could be contained and a summoning contract signed, theoretically, any monster could become a battle companion.
Having summoned creatures explore dangerous areas greatly reduced personal risk.
The downside, however, was their frail physicality.
Necromancers lacked the robust magical protection of pure spellcasters and the physical toughness of melee professionals.
However, with strong enough summoned creatures, their combat power was still formidable.
They relied on numbers to win.
The potential was very high.
Ji Xun had previously considered this career path himself; with his strong body, having a few summoned creatures would be beneficial.
Seeing one in action now, he watched with keen interest.
...
The two individuals were not weak, seemingly full-fledged spell card masters.
They wouldn't die immediately, but their long-term survival was uncertain.
Not only would the number of skeletons increase as they ran, but their stamina would also be exhausted, potentially leading to their deaths.
And if they encountered a "Secrecy Keeper," they would likely perish on the spot.
"Strange, not agents from Gold Oak, nor people from the Governor's mansion—could they be those marauders from before?" Ji Xun wondered, examining their attire.
Suddenly, the cloak of the person running in front was lifted by the wind, revealing a glimpse of flowing silver hair.
Ji Xun's sharp eyes caught this, and his expression became complex.
He hadn't seen another with silver hair.
If he had found it familiar before, he now confirmed it was someone he knew.
Surprised, Ji Xun thought, "Chu Jiu? What is she doing in this labyrinth?"