Death Notice

“Big brother, hurry up!”

“Xiao Mei, don’t go over there! Auntie said not to play in the water!”

“Hehe, brother, get down here quick. It feels so cool!”

“Xiao Mei, come back! Get back here now. Hey! Don’t splash me, don’t spla—”

“N-no…” Qin Lun shook his head, slowly opening his eyes. He saw Cerebus’s two dog heads pressed close, its scarlet tongues licking his face.

“Cerebus, did I… just pass out?” Qin Lun pushed the Inferno Hound’s head away and wiped the drool from his face with his sleeve. He looked confused and lost as he glanced around.

The cave entrance was covered by the Snake Vine Giant Creeper, blocking the sunlight. The entire cave was plunged into darkness. Though his Elf vision wasn’t impeded, this prison-black darkness made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Having burst out explosively earlier, the Snake Vine Giant Creeper now had no more mana to sustain it. It was already showing signs of withering.

Qin Lun took a few steps forward, stopping before Qingming’s body. He knelt down and pulled the Dagger of Sin from her heart.

Qingming lay on her side, eyes tightly shut, her head resting on her arm. Her purple ponytail had come loose, covering half her cheek, just barely revealing her swan-like, flawless neck. The female Elf’s face, usually cold as frost, now looked soft and peaceful, like a girl from next door fast asleep. Looking down at this stubborn female Apostle, Qin Lun felt a small ripple stir within him. The price of an Apostle’s failure was death. The Qingming of today might be an image of his own future. Someday, he too could die namelessly in some forgotten corner of an unknown world.

The Sapient Races of the Shattered Starry Sky only saw the Apostles’ glory on the surface; they did not know what these Apostles truly had to endure in the Quest Worlds. No wonder the entertainment places in Devil’s Horn were so prosperous and bustling. Constantly walking the edge between life and death, even normal people would probably turn mad.

Perhaps even those ancient Demon Apostles who vanished long ago had finally chosen death because they couldn’t bear this life any longer!

Even his own Murderer Team was no exception! The Sas couple clearly suspected Qin Lun and the others were using them, yet they still clung to that pathetic shred of hope, chasing an elusive friendship and loyalty. Wasn’t the sheer desperation with which Hansen and Hill pushed themselves just because their hearts were filled with the sense of danger?

Qin Lun’s face was cold as he stood up. He pulled a bandage from his Storage Space and wrapped it around his neck. A deep cut there had nearly severed his windpipe and spine. If Qingming hadn’t run out of mana to support the Wind Blade technique at the final moment, this fight might have ended in mutual destruction.

“Cerebus, rip open the entrance!” Qin Lun sank weakly to the ground. His strength hadn’t returned yet; he had to wait for the medicine he’d swallowed to take effect.

“Woof-woof…” Seeing his master conscious again, Cerebus wagged its tail happily. It pounced on the vine-covered wall sealing the cave mouth, tearing and biting with its fangs.

Most summoned creatures relied on their master’s mana supply. Before reaching a certain rank, once the master died, they would die too, like the pile of black crystal fragments not far from Qingming—the remains of the Dark Crystal Rock Crab. It had collapsed after its soul was extinguished following its master’s death.

While Cerebus tore at the vines, Qin Lun searched the cave but saw no Bloody Cube. Such items had a certain chance of appearing after an Apostle elimination scene. He thought his search might yield nothing more when something pinned underneath Qingming caught his eye.

“Huh? Why is this still here?” Qin Lun’s eyebrows raised. He flipped Qingming’s body over and picked up the Scottish longbow and quiver beneath her.

Normally, after an Apostle’s death, equipment vanished, and any dropped loot was collected by the Shattered Starry Sky into a Bloody Cube for the victor to select. However, things seemed different here in the Nals Inner World.

Qin Lun composed himself and immediately focused his mind into the Death Notice. He queried the information about this situation, then quickly started inspecting Qingming’s body.

The Nals Inner World indeed handled post-kill loot differently. When Apostles died here, all their equipped items remained. However, the laws within those items degraded partially, the degree of degradation proportional to the Shattered Laws they contained.

In other words, if the item was a reward from the Shattered Starry Sky possessing 100% Shattered Laws, it would just become useless junk. If it was crafted in the Shattered Starry Sky from materials found there, its quality would drop; for instance, from Dark Gold to Purple, Purple to Blue, and so forth.

Only unique treasures originating directly from the various Quest Worlds suffered the least degradation. Some equipment might retain its original properties completely. As for the skills and bloodlines possessed by the defeated, they would become loot in another form.

Qin Lun quickly checked his gains. After Qingming died, only two usable items remained.

One was her Dark Gold longbow, the “Beast King’s Hunting Bow,” along with its attached quiver. The bow was strikingly simple, elegant patterns carved onto its body and arrows. A vertical pupil gemstone was embedded in its center. The other item was a piece of leather armor that had degraded to Purple quality and had a large hole in the chest from his dagger—the “Gladiator’s Leather Armor”.

Beast King’s Hunting Bow (Long Bow)

Quality: Dark Gold (Medium)

Material: Golden Citrine Wood, Earth Dragon Sinew

Weight: 370 grams

Length: 1700mm

Socket: Earth Dragon’s Eye (Beast King’s Credentials)

Attached Equipment: Earth Dragon Leather Quiver

Equipment Skills: Guided Quiver, Wind’s Whisper

Guided Quiver: The Earth Dragon leather quiver holds thirty Earth Dragon Bone Arrows tipped with mithril. A mysterious connection exists between the bone arrows and the bow. They automatically return to the quiver thirty seconds after being fired (must be within the bow’s effective range; otherwise, the arrow is lost).

Wind’s Whisper: A connection exists between the Earth Dragon’s Eye and the Earth Dragon Bone Arrows, allowing the arrows’ flight path to be corrected under mental guidance. If the user has Wind Element affinity, it will also grant bonus firing speed and accuracy.

Usage Requirement: Apostle must possess Intermediate Bow Proficiency, 25 Perception, and 30 Agility.

Looking at the “Beast King’s Hunting Bow,” Qin Lun suddenly understood. Qingming’s combat profession must have been the Beast Master Hunter, the very one he had once considered pursuing. The likely reason this Dark Gold bow retained its quality was that she had integrated her Adult Gift from the Career Quest into it—namely that “Earth Dragon’s Eye (Beast King’s Credentials),” along with the Earth Dragon leather and bones.

As for the other item, the “Gladiator’s Leather Armor,” it was severely damaged. The Death Notice simply showed “Unidentified,” only confirming its Purple quality. It would take spending some resource points upon returning to the Shattered Starry Sky to repair and use it again.

Besides these two pieces of gear, Qin Lun noticed a palm-sized patch of skin on the small of Qingming’s back, emitting a faint glow. Upon closer inspection, it was covered in intricate mystic runes—one of her bow techniques, the Bow Dance Technique.

Kill the person, dismantle the corpse! Qin Lun sighed internally. The Shattered Starry Sky’s arrangements were utterly merciless. This really was a world only a Serial Killer could adapt to.

Qin Lun was about to begin when beads of sweat instantly dotted his forehead, his face turning slightly pale.

“No, Joey. Not allowed. There’s no time to indulge your… activities right now…”

“True, that is your domain… But this Elf was hunted down by me alone. You have no claim…”

Qin Lun squeezed his eyes shut, lips trembling slightly. After a long moment, he finally calmed down, opened his eyes, and let out a soft breath. Joey had backed down. Realizing Qingming hadn’t been slain by his own hand, the Dissector seemed to lose interest in crafting his “masterpieces.”

Qin Lun carefully removed and stored the skin inscribed with the Bow Dance Technique. He then turned and walked towards the slumped-over Hill Giant whose body was now stiff as iron.

The little giant had already breathed his last. His cloudy eyes held a trace of longing, brimming with tears. His ugly face was twisted in pain, clearly suffering greatly before death.

The Hill Giant’s hide, bones, and organs were valuable crafting materials—especially its heart and the unique dorsal bone plate within its hump. The former was excellent magical material; the latter was a rare component for protective gear. Both were likely of at least Purple quality or higher.

Sadly, its heart was already damaged by Qin Lun’s blow, greatly diminishing its worth. Moreover, the Hill Giant’s skin and muscles had hardened like iron. Extracting those two valuable parts would take at least half an hour. Qin Lun dared not risk staying here that long and had to abandon these potential gains.

The young Hill Giant’s death also meant Qin Lun’s original hunting plan was completely ruined. His inflicted damage on it paled compared to Qingming’s, meaning he couldn’t count it as completing his Career Quest. However, his own Main Quest, “Source of Power,” had succeeded.

This success had nothing to do with the young Hill Giant; it was solely thanks to the team’s earlier kill of an adult Hill Giant. Though Qin Lun personally hadn’t participated in that fight, his servant Frank could represent him. Frank had completed his own trial Main Quest, and credit for this particular task was assigned to Qin Lun—though only to the minimal required level of completion.

Suddenly, a warm shaft of sunlight pierced the pitch-black cave. Qin Lun turned, squinting, to see Cerebus had finally burrowed fully through the tangled vine wall sealing the entrance.

Qin Lun breathed a small sigh of relief and prepared to step outside. Then, out of the corner of his eye, a faint gleam of reflected light flashed from a corner, making him pause.

He looked back and saw the gleam coming from beneath one of the scattered skeletons—bones he had purposely destroyed earlier to enrage the young Hill Giant. Remembering his unexpected gain from Qingming’s body, Qin Lun felt a spark of interest. He strode over to the pile of bones and began carefully examining them.

Soon, his hands held an assortment of broken items. Among them, several blood-red glass beads were particularly striking. These were the inherited possessions of those nameless bones. Most had degraded into scattered crafting materials, no longer usable as equipment.

Still, it ensured he didn’t venture into the lion’s den only to leave empty-handed. As for those blood-colored beads, they resembled Grudge Soul Orbs, likely the Remnant Souls of past Hill Giant victims. Waves of potent soul energy surged within them. Collectively, it felt like they contained the combined essence of hundreds of these lost Remnant Souls.