Chapter 708: Act 68 – The Breath of Milos
Although Brendel repeatedly said that time was of the essence, his team ended up delaying for another day by the banks of the Nuja River. Fortunately, the hunter maiden Peiya was in excellent physical condition, and her fever quickly subsided, with her wounds healing at an astonishing rate.
Brendel didn’t know if this was a special talent of hunters, but on the morning of the third day, he insisted that the team had to set out no matter what. He summoned a black wolf for Peiya, the recovering hunter maiden, to ride on, while the others had to travel on foot. The coach and horses were left at the temporary camp near the banks of the Nuja River, as the upcoming journey was no longer suitable for their inclusion.
A day into the forest, the coniferous woods rapidly thickened, with snow-covered branches layering over each other, sometimes blocking out sunlight, casting the ground in a gloomy chill. The team trudged along, crunching through the snow and broken branches, and soon sharp, spire-like white rocks appeared between the trees. Then, a pale blue light curtain entered everyone’s view, resembling a thin wall of light. This translucent light wall rose high into the clouds, enveloping the entire forest and connecting with the distant white stone spires.
Everyone couldn’t help but stop to marvel at this spectacle. But only Brendel knew that this pale blue light curtain was the entrance to the prequel dungeon—The Final Breath of Milos. In the game, this light curtain was referred to as the ‘Mana Binding’ and symbolized an eighty-level dungeon (character level).
Behind this curtain was the famous giant dungeon cluster.
That being said, aside from the encounter with the Golden Demon Tree, this was Brendel’s first serious challenge of a dungeon in the world of Vaunte. In “Amber Sword,” the operation of dungeons was quite different from most games of the same era. The term ‘dungeon’ was more of a customary label rather than an accurate description.
In “Amber Sword,” dungeons were better described as scene zones, because only that word could accurately define them.
Brendel was familiar with several operational models of dungeons. The first type was a one-time quest dungeon where only the first player to challenge it could have the opportunity to obtain the quest. For example, the Forbidden Garden of the Golden Demon Tree followed this pattern, where later players could repeatedly defeat the BOSS through time fragments but were doomed to be unrelated to the storyline.
The second type was exemplified by the giant dungeon cluster they were facing now. The operation of such giant dungeon clusters was quite classic; it could be said to have pioneered a trend in the gaming community at the time. Although the dungeons typically had one or a few fixed main lines, the other preceding areas did not follow the usual player-familiar ‘monsters—midway BOSS—monsters—BOSS’ linear progression model.
On the contrary, a dungeon like The Final Breath of Milos was actually divided into two zones. Each zone comprised points and surfaces. The points represented monster nests within the zone, while the surfaces denoted special areas within the dungeon. In these areas, nests would provide a fixed combination of one or more types of monsters, supplemented by randomly generated champion-level monsters and some random special events—players’ tasks were to challenge these monsters in the specific terrains of different areas.
As long as the main storyline of the Frosted Maze center had not been activated, players entering the prequel dungeon would effectively be facing a completely real area. What difficulties they encountered would depend entirely on the system’s calculations and how their actions changed that area.
This game mode marked the dawn of a new era and was the true reason “Amber Sword” triumphed over other games—a world infinitely close to reality. In fact, since the first version at level seventy, every subsequent dungeon in the game utilized similar concepts, and “Amber Sword” began its gradual rise to its peak from that time.
Brendel himself was naturally impressed by this pioneering era dungeon.
Fortunately, while the existence of dungeons was always shifting and changing, at least there were traces to follow. Especially before entering for the first time, monster nests wouldn’t vanish without a trace, and the terrain within the dungeon wouldn’t undergo significant changes. There were little secrets known only to him, which would still prove greatly beneficial.
Because of this, he was confident.
The only variable appeared to be Anlek’s team, who had entered the dungeon first. Brendel turned back and saw that most of his followers were staring blankly—the Mana Binding was indeed magnificent. It was said that the reason for generating such a light curtain was largely due to ancient seals, akin to the passage of time itself.
This magical wall on the outskirts of the Frosted Forest was reportedly a self-sealing mechanism laid down by the God of Giants to protect his body and the sacred fire in his final moments. However, over the millennia, it had long since been eroded and riddled with dark magic.
“Mister Brendel, what exactly is that thing?” Phillas looked up at the towering curtain of light, unable to help but exclaim.
“It seems to be a magical barrier,” Laurena murmured.
“Not just seems; it is,” Charles replied, gazing upward with an appreciative click of his tongue. “This must be a creation from the ancient times; there hasn’t been such spectacular magic since the War of the Saints.”
However, Brendel did not respond to their comments but instead glanced at Peiya, who was sitting on the black wolf. The hunter maiden was feeling much better today, but her voice was still somewhat weak: “My father’s notes mentioned this curtain, but it should be harmless. They passed through this light wall too—but be careful, the forest beyond is the truly dangerous area.”
“What’s in the back?”
“My father mentioned that the forest is always shrouded in darkness, inhabited by glowing pale beings that lurk in the branches and launch attacks on passing travelers. My father said they are the souls of the lost, constantly seeking substitutes for their sacrifices—” Peiya replied softly.
Almost entirely accurate, Brendel was somewhat surprised. It seemed this hunter maiden’s father truly had entered that forest; the first area of The Final Breath of Milos was indeed the Night Forest, just as she described. In this forest, only night existed, with various dangers lurking beneath the cover of darkness.
However, this was the easiest region in the prequel dungeon. This area featured no specific plot, filled with numerous monster nests and some special random events, where encounters relied heavily on player luck.
He was quite familiar with this forest—from the strategy guide. Yet Peiya’s father’s notes would help him understand this forest from another perspective, and Brendel suddenly realized that his decision might have yielded another benefit.
“Can we find them?” The young prince seemed to have a natural vulnerability to these mysterious things; he gripped his sword tightly, his face slightly pale as he asked, “I have a gem that can detect the undead.”
“Spirit Stone,” Laurena seemed knowledgeable about magical items, quickly grasping what Haruz mentioned. “Your Highness, if you have that, it would be wonderful. Ghosts and souls are unpredictable and highly dangerous, but the Spirit Stone can make them transparent.”
“My opinion is the opposite; you’d better keep that thing well hidden,” Brendel interrupted their conversation. He turned back to Peiya and said, “What your father saw were not ghosts, although they may look similar. Those are magical spirits, and they are highly sensitive to magical items; they tend to kill travelers carrying magical items and seize their equipment.”
“Magical spirits?” Phillas looked confused.
“They are a cruel type of magical creature. Have you heard of the wizards who were obsessed with seeking magical mysteries? Some turned to studying how to control dark magic, but most of them failed. The surging dark powers would tear their bodies apart in an instant, but their purest souls would remain, merging with the magic they loved most in life—of course, at that point, these wizards could no longer be called human; their minds were filled only with an addiction to magical power, beyond that, like a beast,” Brendel calmly explained.
His words sent a chill down the spines of most present.
Only Charles nodded: “What the lord said is not the bedtime stories you’ve heard; I can attest to that. There were indeed many such people in the history of wizards, but why there would be so many magical spirits here is truly strange?”
“Simple; once you enter, you will understand,” Brendel replied.
In fact, the group had already approached the light curtain, and as they got closer, they could see the true nature of the light wall. It appeared as a flowing water wall, with water elements constrained beneath a thin film, shimmering and glistening. As everyone approached it, their elongated and distorted reflections were projected on the smooth surface.
Brendel reached out to touch the light wall—this was to gain the recognition of the Mana Binding. After all, a seal was still a seal; only the order of the people could safely pass through it, while those magical creatures would be eternally bound within.
The ripples on the curtain shimmered for a moment, then parted like water, revealing a hollow area about two people high and five wide. This opening exposed a corner of the Night Forest behind it, and Brendel squinted to look inside; the dark forest looked exactly like the one he had seen in the strategy guide.
Yet even in a pitch-black forest, there were shimmering points of light moving. Unfortunately, those were not good omens, as Brendel knew that the living beings in this forest would most likely harbor no good intentions.
He took a step forward, crossing into the eternally shrouded forest of perpetual night, and then turned to the people outside and said:
“Please come in; welcome to the forest of everlasting night—”
……
(PS: Today’s update is here~ another two chapters totaling 7K. I can’t help but roll on the ground exhausted after a long day as a powerful baboon. Please support me.) (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation votes and monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation.)
