Chapter 326: Master Key

Translator: 549690339 |

Not long after Song Jian left, a shadowy figure of an assassin slowly emerged from a large tree, staring intently at the direction where Song Jian disappeared, without uttering a word.

Originally, after hiding, he had intended to strike again, but the vertical pupil in Song Jian’s forehead filled him with a sense of heart-pounding alertness.

He can see through my invisibility!” Although there was no evidence to prove that the vertical pupil on Song Jian’s forehead could see through invisibility, he was firmly convinced that it was true, so he suppressed his impulse until Song

Jian left.

“The information provided by the employer is incomplete. The target has the ability to see through invisibility, which should increase the price by at least thirty percent,” muttered the assassin to himself.

Song Jian cautiously made his way to an abandoned shop, when he suddenly heard a sigh coming from within the shop. His heart stirred as he slowly approached the shop.

Inside the abandoned shop, Song Jian saw a semi-transparent ghostly figure guarding a counter, staring at a key in the counter with a furrowed brow and a troubled expression.

Yellow name, a neutral creature?” Song Jian glanced at the ghost’s name, and slowly put away his weapon;

In the game, monsters that initiate attacks are red-named with hostile attributes, while yellow-named monsters are neutral, meaning they won’t attack you as long as you don’t attack them.

Moreover, some NPCs initially appear as yellow-named, but when you improve your relationship with them, they will turn into green-named, friendly NPCs. Song Jian looked at this ghost and determined it didn’t seem to be a mindless monster; rather, it was one that could communicate.

Hello, is there anything 1 can help you with?” Song Jian asked softly, looking at the ghost.

This was the standard inquiry in the game to obtain tasks. If the other party had a task to offer, they would present the task requirements; if not, they would shake their head, refusing help.

Seeing Song Jian, the ghost seemed to reveal a joyful expression in its eyes and hastily waved for him to come over, saying, “There is a demon who has been hunting the residents around here and has killed many people. It has now discovered the hidden passage where we are hiding and has intruded. I took the opportunity to lock it up, but now the residents inside the passage cannot escape. I don’t know if what 1 did was right. Warrior, can you help me kill the demon that has invaded the passage, and restore peace to this place?”

Song Jian hesitated for a moment. Ever since he was tricked by the Abyss Demon in the Shadow District, he had become more cautious about accepting tasks from NPCs.

“So, what’s in it for me if I complete this task?” Song Jian asked.

He needed to know the task reward before deciding whether to accept it. Even with the Abyss Demon, once the task contract was confirmed, the task reward would be given without fail, regardless of the task giver’s will. This was the power of the game system, which no one could resist.

“Warrior, if you can kill this demon, 1 will give you a Master Key. This key can unlock any locked chambers, passages, or treasure chests in the world,” the

ghost said.

“A Master Key?” Song Jian’s eyes lit up. He wasn’t interested in unlocking locked chambers or passages, since there were too few of these in the game and they were very well hidden, making them difficult to find. What Song Jian really cared about was unlocking locked treasure chests.

The lock-picking skill is a core skill for the Thief profession, one that other professions cannot learn. However, players of other professions can open locked treasure chests through other methods; the simplest one being using brute force, although this could easily damage the items inside the chest. Generally, using brute force would cause the items’ grade to be degraded by one level.

An alternative would be Engineering, which can create single-use Master Keys for different grades of treasure chests – but there are limitations.

“A Master Key? Can I see the key’s attributes? Is it a one-time-use item or permanent, and can it unlock all grades of treasure chests?” Song Jian asked.

“This is our family heirloom, so it’s naturally not a disposable item, and it can unlock any treasure chest of Epic Quality or below!” The ghost seemed very proud of its family heritage, boasting with an air of self-confidence.

“You’re a ghost, yet your expressions are quite vivid,” Song Jian mumbled quietly.

“Since that’s the case, I accept this task,” Song Jian said. This ghost’s task goal was likely aligned with the Silver Moon Merchant Guild’s objective, so it was one of those tasks that could grant double rewards. Naturally, Song Jian wouldn’t refuse.

“Warrior, take this key and open the secret chamber behind me. The demon is inside. Be careful though, it is very powerful,” the ghost said, pointing to the

bronze key in the counter.

Song Jian nodded, took the key, and examined its simple attribute: “Unlock Secret Chamber Passage.”

“Hold onto it and don’t lose it,” the ghost said with an expression of reluctance as it watched Song Jian retrieve the key.

Song Jian nodded and headed towards the secret chamber passage as guided by the ghost. If it wasn’t for the ghost’s guidance, Song Jian would never have discovered the secret chamber passage hidden in a shop like this.

Now that Song Jian was being targeted by an assassin, if the Demon Zombie were in the city, he might not dare to make a move even if he found it. If the assassin attacked during the battle, Song Jian could easily die. Now, with the key to enter the secret chamber passage, his concerns were alleviated.

Using the key to open a passage door disguised as a wall, a cold, gloomy breeze blew out from the entrance, accompanied by faint, eerie howls resembling those of ghosts and wolves.

The passage was pitch-black, with no light in sight. Song Jian opened his vertical pupil, which granted him dark vision, allowing him to see his surroundings clearly even in total darkness.

Song Jian carefully stored the key and stepped into the passage. Just after progressing a few steps, the passage door behind him closed, leaving him completely immersed in darkness.

“What’s this…?” Song Jian frowned, surveying his surroundings. Bones were scattered across the narrow passage, which was wide enough for only two people, and the surrounding walls were marred with battle scars. It seemed that a fierce battle had once taken place here.

Song Jian cautiously avoided the bones underfoot and continued walking more than a hundred meters ahead, but still saw no end to the passage. At that moment, a low moaning sound echoed through the passage.

Description: A group of pitch-black ghosts crawled out from the depths of the passage, attracted by the scent of the living. Their eyes turned blood-red, and they lunged at Song Jian with wild, clawing gestures..