Chapter 106: Finally Cleared
The mournful sound of the rattle echoed throughout the village.
Dong...
Dong...
Dong...
Each hollow chime carried an indescribable sorrow.
It drifted through the rain like a grieving mother’s lullaby.
Even the cold wind seemed to shiver.
The grotesque fused monster suddenly let out a miserable howl.
"Ughhh!"
"Damn..."
"Damn you city people!"
Its four massive arms flew to its ears.
Both heads twisted violently.
The black veins covering its face writhed like living worms.
The sound...
It was hurting it.
Luxian’s eyes lit up.
"There’s hope!"
"There really is hope!"
"If we can find Yun Han’s ashes..."
"And use the rattle..."
"We might still survive!"
For the first time since entering Harmony Burial Village...
She saw a chance.
But that hope lasted only a heartbeat.
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
Heavy footsteps echoed from every direction.
Luxian’s smile froze.
She slowly turned around.
Her face instantly lost all color.
The streets surrounding the courtyard...
Were overflowing with monsters.
Every family that had once lived in the village had become a horrifying fused corpse.
Towering two-meter-tall black abominations stitched together from entire households.
Half-human...
Half-dog creatures crawled across the ground.
Twisted twin infants fused into a single crawling nightmare.
Headless corpses dragged themselves forward.
Broken limbs clawed across the muddy earth.
An endless sea of monsters completely surrounded the Wang family’s courtyard.
There wasn’t a single escape route left.
Luxian subconsciously tightened her grip on the rattle.
"...It’s over."
"...We’re completely surrounded."
Her voice trembled.
"Even if we find Yun Han’s ashes now..."
"...how are we supposed to leave?"
Inside the Wang family’s manor...
Shen Yu slowly forced himself to stand.
Blood dripped continuously from the corner of his mouth.
Every breath sent sharp pain through his shattered ribs.
Yet...
A faint smile slowly appeared on his face.
He looked directly into the monster’s four eyes.
"Tell me."
"You imprisoned a little girl..."
"...for her entire life."
"Don’t you think..."
"...that’s monstrous?"
"What do you understand?!"
The creature roared.
Its voice shook the entire manor.
Shen Yu remained calm.
"You have a son."
"So?"
"Does that mean..."
"...other parents don’t have daughters?"
His eyes gradually turned cold.
"Why should your son’s happiness..."
"...be built upon destroying another child’s entire life?"
"Yun Han..."
"...was supposed to be the treasure of her parents."
"She should have grown up in the city."
"Joined the poetry club."
"Celebrated birthdays."
"Ate milk candies."
"Read poems with her mother."
"Lived happily."
"She..."
"...was never meant to become..."
"...a slave of the Wang family."
"Nonsense!"
The creature completely lost control.
Its veins burst outward.
Its enormous fist smashed toward Shen Yu’s head.
Shen Yu didn’t dodge.
Instead...
His eyes landed upon an old wooden memorial tablet lying beneath a broken table.
The ancestral tablet...
Of Wang Jia.
His eyes narrowed.
"So..."
"You loved your son that much."
"Then..."
"You must treasure his remains even more."
A terrifying thought flashed through Shen Yu’s mind.
"If you wanted Yun Han..."
"...to accompany Wang Jia forever..."
"Then..."
"I’ll erase Wang Jia completely."
THUD!
He grabbed the memorial tablet with both hands.
The creature’s expression changed drastically.
"No!"
"What are you doing?!"
"Stop!"
"STOP!!"
BANG!!
Kneeling on the floor...
Shen Yu smashed the wooden tablet with all his remaining strength.
It shattered instantly.
Instead of wood chips...
Gray-white crystal ashes slowly poured from within.
They glittered faintly.
Like tiny bones.
Shen Yu carefully scooped the ashes into both hands.
Then...
He walked to the broken doorway.
The wind roared outside.
Without hesitation...
He released them.
Whoosh—
The ashes rose with the wind.
Higher.
Higher.
Until they disappeared into the dark sky.
Shen Yu watched silently.
A gentle smile appeared on his exhausted face.
"Go."
"The wind..."
"...is free."
"So are you."
"Wang Jia."
"It’s time..."
"...to go home."
The entire world froze.
The fused monster stared blankly into the sky.
Its entire body trembled violently.
"You..."
"You damned bastard!"
"I’ll kill—"
Its four massive fists descended toward Shen Yu.
The violent wind suddenly howled.
Shen Yu’s black hair danced wildly.
Yet...
The fists stopped...
Less than an inch from his forehead.
Ding!
[Congratulations.]
[Yun Han’s Favorability +20.]
[Current Favorability: 100.]
[Heart Cabin unlocked.]
[You may now invite Goddess Yun Han to reside within the Heart Cabin.]
The system notification echoed softly.
At the same moment...
The fused monster’s body began to crack.
White crystal light spread rapidly across its skin.
Its four arms.
Its two heads.
Its enormous body.
Everything...
Started turning into crystal.
"You..."
"I..."
Before it could finish speaking...
Its body completely shattered.
Countless white crystal fragments scattered into the wind.
Whoosh—
The gale swept through the village.
One by one...
Every monster collapsed.
Every fused corpse.
Every tombstone guardian.
Every twisted abomination.
They all transformed into dazzling white crystal dust.
The wind carried them across Harmony Burial Village.
Like countless souls finally set free.
Luxian stood motionless.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"...This..."
"...We actually..."
"...cleared it?"
The sky above Harmony Burial Village slowly brightened.
The endless black mist that had shrouded the village for decades gradually dispersed.
Sunlight broke through the clouds.
Warm golden rays illuminated the village for the first time in countless years.
Around them...
Every black tombstone quietly faded away.
One after another.
Until not a single one remained.
The cursed village...
Had finally been liberated.
The warm sunlight bathed the village.
In the distance, near the entrance of Harmony Burial Village...
Shen Yu vaguely saw a familiar little girl.
She skipped happily between a middle-aged man and woman, one small hand holding each of theirs.
Yun Han laughed brightly.
No fear.
No tears.
No shackles.
Only happiness.
The family slowly disappeared beyond the village gate...
Until they faded completely into the light.
Ding!
Congratulations!
Instance Participants Shen Yu and Luxian have successfully cleared the S-Rank Instance — Harmony Burial Village.
Harmony Burial Village has been permanently purified.
This dungeon will cease to exist from this day onward.
Evaluating Clearance...
Luxian
Evaluation: B Rank
Reward Obtained: Wailing Rattle
Special Item — Harmony Burial Village
The endless longing of grieving parents has transformed into an eternal lament.
Each time the rattle is shaken, nearby eerie entities will suffer a powerful restraining effect.
Usage Limit: Once per day.
Shen Yu
Evaluation: S+ (Perfect Clear)
Achievement Unlocked: Time Traveler
Clearance Rewards
• Talent Evolution Fragment ×1
• 15-Day Vacation Voucher
Achievement Reward
Skill Acquired — Perfect Timeline
Every event contains countless possible futures.
You possess the ability to instinctively discover the timeline that leads to the most perfect ending.
Skill Effect:
Return to any previous stage of an ongoing event.
Usage Limit: Once per day.
Another system notification appeared.
The instance is collapsing.
Please choose:
• Leave immediately.
• Remain inside for thirty minutes before departure.
The familiar voice of the Horror Game System echoed through the peaceful village.
Luxian let out a long breath.
Then she collapsed onto the ground.
"...Finally."
She looked down at the Wailing Rattle in her hand.
A faint smile spread across her face.
Turning toward Shen Yu, she chuckled.
"Thanks..."
"Demon King."
"If it weren’t for you..."
"I would’ve died here."
Shen Yu waved his hand casually.
"No need."
"If you hadn’t stepped in at the very end..."
"I would’ve been finished too."
"We’re even."
As he spoke...
A faint golden light appeared in his palm.
A shimmering fragment slowly floated above it.
Tiny golden words appeared beside it.
Talent Evolution Fragment
Fragments Required for Next Evolution
1 / 2
Shen Yu smiled helplessly.
"Still a long way to go."
Buzz...
Buzz...
The old diary resting against his chest suddenly began vibrating.
Black light poured from its pages.
It dissolved into countless particles before flowing directly into Shen Yu’s body.
A new notification appeared before his eyes.
Skill Registered
Perfect Timeline
Shen Yu quietly exhaled.
"It really wasn’t easy..."
"It looked like we only entered this dungeon once..."
"But we actually experienced..."
"Countless loops."
He thought of Emohan.
That man’s talent had been powerful.
He could hear fragments of the future.
Yet...
It had become a prison.
Because he believed every future he heard was absolute.
Instead of adapting...
He clung desperately to those fragments.
In the end...
The very ability that should have saved him...
Led him to his death.
Shen Yu smiled faintly.
"When this dungeon report reaches headquarters..."
"They probably won’t believe..."
"...that we were the only survivors."
"But it doesn’t matter."
"The dungeon has been destroyed."
"Results speak louder than anything."
Luxian stretched lazily.
A relieved smile appeared on her face.
"Let’s go back together."
She tossed her long wavy hair behind her shoulder.
For the first time since entering the dungeon...
Her expression carried genuine relaxation.
Shen Yu slowly shook his head.
"You go first."
"I still have something to do."
Luxian blinked.
"Hm?"
Shen Yu looked toward the now peaceful village.
A gentle smile appeared on his face.
"I want..."
"...to spend a little more time with Yun Han."
Luxian immediately understood.
"Oh..."
A teasing smile appeared on her lips.
"Sorry."
"I didn’t mean to interrupt your farewell."
She waved her hand playfully.
"I’ll head back first."
"Take your time."
With that...
She chose Leave Immediately.
A beam of white light descended from the sky.
Luxian’s figure gradually faded.
Soon...
Only Shen Yu remained in the quiet village.
The wind drifted gently through the empty streets.
Somewhere in the distance...
A little girl’s laughter seemed to echo one final time.