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Chapter 5: Salvation or Death?
In the dim underground cavern, a group of young adventurers listened intently to a skeleton monologue—a scene both strange and surreal.
"…I am Robert Wilanster, once a dwarf. My friends called me 'The Quencher'…” The skeleton spoke softly. We could vaguely guess his identity, especially since his name, stature, and the legendary dwarf "The Quencher" all matched.
“…A year ago, I discovered this vein and began excavating the mine. Back then, I had no idea what horrors lay buried beneath, nor did I realize I was digging my own grave—and that of everyone else…”
“…Everything went smoothly; precious metals were unearthed, bringing us immense wealth. Believing we'd struck treasure, we worked harder, unknowingly hastening the release of a demon…”
“…During excavation, we broke through a stone wall, uncovering this vast underground cavern. Foolishness, greed, and curiosity led me to make a regrettable decision—to build a passage here and continue mining…”
“…We excavated these caves…” “Undead Robert Wilanster” pointed to several lower-level chambers, “…and found sealed chests. Like any fool destined to be punished for greed, we tore off the seals, unleashing a colossal devil. No, not even a devil—this was the Archlich Mekenscar, the apocalyptic king’s most loyal and cruel servant, master of decay and undead…”
“…He drained every life, sparing none. Our souls were wrung dry, our corpses turned into decayed monsters—humble slaves to him. He destroyed the entire mine, burying all secrets here…”
“…Fortunately, I bore an amulet blessed by the supreme god. It couldn’t save me from death but protected my soul from the lich’s torment. Yet, the amulet can't shield me forever. My soul is dissipating, and I won’t last much longer. But thank heavens, you’ve arrived…”
“…Go to Valor Fortress, inform Marquis Menewal of Mekenscar’s escape. Time is short; the lich may guide Withered Lands back to Falvy continent. The apocalyptic army will flood the land—war is imminent, and we must prepare!”
“…Also, a small favor…” Just as I thought the decaying dwarf had finished, he made another request:
“…If my soul disperses, my body will become a monster like my companions. Dwarves don’t fear death but demand dignity. I can’t let my body become an enemy to my soul.” His voice paused momentarily. Though incapable of expressions, I sensed a significant decision being made.
“Destroy me after I turn into a monster!” he declared.
“I’ll relinquish my soul, no longer clinging to life. I only ask you to stop me, kill my dead body again, let me die peacefully as a dwarf.”
“…I’ve… lived… too long…”
“Will you… help me…”
The decaying dwarf raised his sturdy head, his hollow black eye sockets filled with earnestness, gazing at me.
I couldn’t answer.
Shouldn’t I? Preventing a monster's birth, granting a good soul peace. Logic dictated I accept, freeing him from prolonged suffering. No one should refuse such a plea—it concerned a good soul's final rest.
But it was hard.
This decaying being had a complete soul, feeling pain and regret. I couldn’t tell myself he was dead—if a person’s body was impaired yet their soul intact, could we say they were dead? Those missing limbs or eyes—we wouldn’t call them dead. Compared to them, this undead merely lost more flesh; he remained a “person,” alive, intelligent, and noble.
Could you watch someone commit suicide before your eyes, then destroy their corpse without hesitation?
“Accept the quest!” Millionfold’s voice came from behind. I glanced back; he seemed impatient.
“Don’t worry, accept the quest and retreat. A level fifteen foe—we can handle it!” Nocturne in B-flat Minor eagerly added.
“…Are you… lagging… too…” Even slow-reacting Ding Ding Xiao Ge urged me. Seeing their eager, excited demeanor, I struggled to understand: was killing a former human monster so thrilling?
Perhaps. My Planewalker companions viewed “death” optimistically. As they described, death wasn’t the end—one could resurrect. Perhaps this dwarf metallurgist, Robert Wilanster, would too.
Yet, I disliked this feeling.
“Alright, I’ll help!” I gritted my teeth, nodding.
“I can’t express my gratitude enough, brave adventurer. May the supreme god Darmos bless you eternally…” Undead Robert Wilanster expressed his thanks. His pale jaw moved slightly, revealing a peculiar yet relieved smile. He gently held the amulet at his chest, chanting softly as he knelt, bowing reverently. As his hollow mechanical voice faded, I saw faint light gradually disperse, softly vanishing mid-air until no trace remained. This light differed from any I’d seen before—not ghostly flames—but something truly magical, flickering with life’s primal force.
When the light vanished, danger wafted from the dwarf skeleton.
It was a cold, murderous aura. The kneeling skeleton transformed into a relentless death machine, devoid of human essence.
A battle I wished to forget.
Rather than erasing the memory, I never truly experienced it.
The fully transformed dwarf metallurgist—“The Quencher” Robert Wilanster—swung his battle-axe at me without hesitation. His once mineralogy and metallurgy-filled mind now consumed by slaughter. The axe struck my shield, emitting a clanging sound, numbing my arm.
I never retaliated, instinctively shielding my face with my shield. I felt it wasn’t fear of the axe but an inability to face his skull—those deep black eye sockets.
At times, I considered abandoning fragile thoughts, confronting the decaying monster like a true warrior, mercilessly slashing. But each time I saw his numb, rigid face, I recalled his earnest plea to destroy him. He sought redemption, having paid dearly for his deeds. He asked me to destroy his corpse—I agreed but lacked the right—he needed no salvation.
Thus, I cowardly hid behind my shield, betraying his wish and my promise, letting evil forces manipulate his body into committing acts against his nature.
Thankfully, my companions weren’t as sentimental or indecisive. Destroying a level fifteen decayer wasn’t difficult. Soon, the sturdy dwarf skeleton froze solid under Ding Ding Xiao Ge’s Ice Witch, shattered into pieces. Bone fragments and ice chips scattered everywhere, mixing with other skeletons’ remains.
The battle ended.
Completing Robert Wilanster’s request, my Planewalker companions seemed pleased—I had no grounds to criticize. They saved a soul, fulfilled a dwarf’s final wish, granting him an honorable death. They had every reason to rejoice.
But I couldn’t feel happy about it.
Was he “killed” or “saved”?
A question I refused to ponder.
Behind Robert Wilanster’s cave, we found an "Advanced Miner's Handbook" and an iron pickaxe “Metal Picker,” boosting mining skills by thirty points. These items made our sole miner, Ding Ding Xiao Ge, covetous.
“…Can I… have both…” His excitement masked by his sluggish voice, showing no joy.
Though the most valuable items from the adventure, they meant nothing to others. Unopposed, we gave them to Ding Ding Xiao Ge. Thus, our orc warlock completed his quest, significantly improving his mining ability, becoming the luckiest beneficiary of this adventure.
Delighted, Ding Ding Xiao Ge generously offered metal and ore if needed—an asset for my alchemy studies. Nocturne in B-flat Minor also benefited from this generosity—his life skill was armor crafting.
Elven druid maiden Fairy Dropped Face First received Robert Wilanster’s "Faith Amulet," originally worn by devout followers of the supreme god Darmos, imbued with faith’s power, granting thirty mana points and enhancing resistance to soul magic.
Puzzlingly, the druid maiden, a faithful follower of nature goddess Netheria, wore the amulet without hesitation.
However, seeing the elf girl’s excitement, she might not understand its significance, simply liking it as a neck decoration—females of any race have insatiable desires for accessories. I’d wager any amount: even a supremely devout priestess of order and light would prefer wearing a skull pendant symbolizing despair and death rather than leaving her neck bare.
Aside from herbs or food, the mine’s skeletons dropped coins—likely carried in life. When Archlich Mekenscar turned them into decayers, the unfortunate miners hadn’t time to change clothes. Now, they’d no use for these items.
Besides miscellaneous items and coins each received, Millionfold gained nothing else. However, he didn’t seem disappointed. On the contrary, he felt like the biggest winner:
“…What’s so impressive? When I was level one, I ran alone from Stronghoof Valley here, encountering many high-level foes. These skeletons are nothing…” I doubt he’d tell the druid maiden he reached Kampnavia City by getting lost.
“…I’ve seen a dragon, a green one. When you level up, I’ll take you to slay it…” Millionfold continued boasting opportunistically. While men near ladies are often bold, when a level twelve tauren warrior brags about “dragon-slaying,” it’s not boldness but shameless bragging.
Millionfold walked ahead with Fairy Dropped Face First, intentionally quickening his pace, distancing from us. The elven druid seemed to forget our presence, closely following him, occasionally giggling at his jokes. Soon, their figures disappeared into darkness, only faint names visible above. Millionfold’s lengthy name hovered above him like a walking signboard, somewhat comical. After a while, even their names vanished.
“Unsolicited kindness is either treachery or theft!” Watching their disappearing figures, Nocturne in B-flat Minor muttered resentfully.
“…That’s… something… those who want… to be kind… but can’t… usually say…” I was getting used to Ding Ding Xiao Ge’s timely, brilliant remarks.
“…” The rebuked gnome bard rolled his eyes, glaring resentfully at the orc warlock:
“Ding Ding Xiao Ge, meeting you made me realize two things I’d misunderstood my whole life.”
“…What?”
“The first: sometimes, truthful people are annoying; second…” Lowering his voice, he leaned close to Ding Ding Xiao Ge.
“…Second… what?” After a moment, Ding Ding Xiao Ge hesitantly asked.
“…The second is… when you lean close to talk, it’s easy to step on someone’s foot!” With that, Nocturne in B-flat Minor stomped hard on the orc warlock’s foot, then stormed forward angrily.
With Ding Ding Xiao Ge’s abnormally slow reaction, he didn’t respond immediately. Only after the bard walked a dozen steps away…
“Ah…” The orc expressed his toe pain with characteristic slowness:
“…That’s definitely… petty… deliberate revenge…”
“Ah…” As the gnome bard and orc warlock bickered behind, sharp screams and panicked cries for help erupted ahead again: “Help…!”
We immediately guessed that the tauren warrior and elven druid encountered another ambush.
Despite complaining about failing to attract the elf girl’s attention, upon hearing the cry for help, Nocturne in B-flat Minor and I simultaneously sprinted toward the sound. Ding Ding Xiao Ge again exhibited his irregular teleportation, appearing ahead then behind us, moving like a ghost.
“You idiot, I told you not to run too far ahead, stay within range. If something happens, how can we rescue…” Nocturne shouted complaints while running. But when Millionfold and Fairy Dropped Face First reappeared, his complaints ceased instantly.
Unexpected sights silenced the bard, rendering him speechless.
Not just him, I stood bewildered, eyes wide, unable to believe what was happening.
The two walking ahead hadn’t encountered danger—our tauren warrior was unscathed, mouth agape like us, watching the scene unfold, tongue unconsciously hanging out, almost licking his neck.
Only one person fought—the elven druid Fairy Dropped Face First. Hard to describe her performance: terrified, eyes shut, hands frantically clawing, though transformed into a massive bear, still appearing like a frightened girl struggling weakly.
A girl’s feeble struggle might amuse, but a bear’s scared instincts were terrifying. Two skeletons wielding picks and shovels stood before the druid bear, more pitiful victims than frightening undead. Each swipe of the bear’s claws sent bone fragments flying, their blunt weapons barely scratching the druid bear. By now, the druid bear had lost less than a third of its health, while the ground piled with shattered bones and skulls.
“What happened?” I asked the shaken Millionfold.
“Just now… we were walking when five skeletons suddenly appeared around the corner. Caught off guard, one skeleton faced her directly. Then… she screamed, nearly scaring me to death. Next… there was no need for me to act; it became like this…” Millionfold spread his hands, gesturing to the current scene.
“Ah… help… so scary…” The druid girl screamed shrilly, slapping the last skeleton into bone dust. She seemed unaware of her actions, continuing to wave her claws—even after defeating the last enemy, as if she’d keep flailing indefinitely without intervention.
Someone once said fear could unleash tremendous potential, enabling unexpected strength. I always found this absurd—cowards can’t become warriors—but now, I realized fear’s power might exceed imagination.
Seeing this, we sighed helplessly. Millionfold, slightly flushed under our gaze, stepped forward, patting the druid girl’s shoulder:
“It’s alright, the skeletons are dead…”
The elven druid seemed to hear Millionfold, her claws hesitantly stopping, eyes slightly opening to confirm safety before fully opening.
“Oh, sorry, those skeletons suddenly appeared, scaring me. I’m very timid, afraid of the dark and ghosts. You must find this amusing.” She transformed back into an elven girl, face blushing red.
Our faces reddened more than hers.
“How… how did they die?” The elven girl surveyed the surroundings, asking in slight astonishment. She looked at us, finally fixing her gaze on Millionfold:
“Surely not all killed by you…”
“Hmm… uh…” Millionfold, shocked by Fairy Dropped Face First’s astonishing feat, merely hummed hesitantly.
Regrettably, the elven girl took his hesitation as confirmation:
“I knew it was you, you’re so strong!” Her admiring gaze left Millionfold flustered, his boasts turning beet red.
I didn’t know why she always assumed Millionfold was our strongest—far from the truth. Perhaps for timid girls, rugged appearances evoke a sense of security.
I must say, it was a beautiful misunderstanding.
Soon, we returned to the underground hall, ready to exit the mine.
Millionfold and the elven girl still walked side by side, the mine’s bats no longer a threat. We three trailed behind, keeping them within sight.
After a long silence, orc warlock Ding Ding Xiao Ge finally spoke:
“I think… even that druid girl alone… could clear the underground cavern…”
Admitting this fact left us men both embarrassed and ashamed.
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