Chapter 32: Unexpected Change
Chapter 32: Unexpected Change
This task was very troublesome.
But it held extremely important significance for the later plot development in the Diablo World.
Because this super creepy old man Kane, whom you rescued from the destroyed town of Tristram (that mysterious space), would become a grinning follower from then on, always tagging along behind the game character, constantly giving you all sorts of tasks and connecting the entire Diablo World story progression.
Before setting off, Sun Fei checked his equipment and mission attributes again.
Based on past experience, he shouldn’t face much difficulty completing this task with his current strength. Calculating the time, if things went smoothly, he could definitely finish it within two hours.
That way, Sun Fei’s next plan could still be accomplished.
Time was pressing, so he decided to set off immediately to find the Great Tree of Ellene.
But before leaving the Rogue Encampment, Sun Fei glanced at Ileena, the beautiful female mercenary quietly following him, and suddenly remembered something. He turned back to the female blacksmith Charsi and, under Ileena’s astonished gaze, spent over a thousand Gold Coins to buy a strong longbow, a set of tough leather armor, a pair of heavy leather boots, and a high-grade leather cap suitable for women.
“Pretty lady, you should be able to use this equipment, right?”
Sun Fei flashed what he thought was a bright smile. “If you can use it, hurry and find a place to change. Remember, when facing demon monsters, more strength means more protection for your life.”
“All… all this… for me?”
Ileena froze for a second, seemingly completely unprepared and finding it hard to believe.
“If not for you, would I turn creepy enough to wear this female gear myself?”
Sun Fei found this beautiful mercenary’s reaction overly emotional for some reason. His thoughts wandered briefly—equipment costing just over a thousand Gold Coins seemed mediocre to him, incomparable to his current gear. Why get so excited?
“Thank you, young warrior.”
After confirming Sun Fei did buy the set for her, the beautiful mercenary quickly calmed down. She bowed deeply, then took the equipment into the tent behind Charsi.
Soon, rustling changing noises echoed inside, making Sun Fei’s blood boil slightly.
Over twenty seconds later, Ileena emerged from the tent.
Sun Fei’s eyes lit up.
The mercenary beauty Ileena looked exceptionally heroic in her new gear. The tough leather armor, shining with a soft blue glow, traced her perfect figure to the point of dizziness. Gripping her longbow with arrows slung across her back, she resembled a stunning Valkyrie, making others want to kneel in reverence.
Uniform charm indeed.
This was truly the legendary uniform charm!
“Hah, quite the perfect fit. Let’s head out!”
Sun Fei nearly bled from his nose thanks to the beautiful mercenary’s allure but quickly forced a calm expression. He waved his hand and walked out of the Rogue Encampment.
Buying gear for Ileena wasn’t to charm her—this mercenary beauty was practically a super Enforcer. Boosting her strength only helped Sun Fei finish tasks faster. It was win-win.
A faint smile flickered at Ileena’s lips but vanished quickly. Her expression returned to serene stillness as she followed behind Sun Fei like a silently blooming orchid.
…
Whoosh!
Three Fallen demons wailed as they collapsed.
Clatter!
A blue item burst from the corpses and hit the ground.
Sun Fei’s heart leaped with joy. He picked it up and saw it was an oddly shaped ring, but its attributes were unknown without identification.
Sun Fei used a Scroll of Identify. After identifying it, he learned the ring was named Deep Blue Ring, specifically adding +8 Mana and +5 Light Radius. For a close-combat Barbarian like him, rings weren’t very useful, but better than nothing. After some thought, he decided to wear it.
During this entire process, the mercenary beauty Ileena stayed alert beside him, her eyes scanning around vigilantly.
Sun Fei found it strange he felt an absurd illusion—as if Ileena couldn’t see the gear dropped by monsters. She kept giving him strange looks during this whole time, like they were both stuck in a silent, bizarre play.
“Could natives of this Diablo World like Ileena miss those drops during monster kills?” Sun Fei’s heart stirred. “Meaning… only I can see gear drops after killing monsters?”
This discovery gave him a small shock.
He faintly sensed he’d stumbled onto something, but couldn’t quite grasp it.
He started to observe carefully.
…
Time was short.
The two rushed forward quickly.
The Underground Passage lay deep within the Stony Field. Sun Fei took Ileena to a wilderness Teleportation Array, finding this monster-infested passage in record time.
Stepping inside, darkness consumed their view.
Without light sources in the cave, cold winds howled.
Bloodcurdling demon shrieks echoed relentlessly from deeper sections, mingling with roaring wind gusts. A heavy, foul stench saturated the air—slight yet terrifying.
“Be careful. Stay behind me, and remember—never go ahead,”
Sun Fei turned to warn his mercenary.
As a Barbarian Character, he had plenty of health and defense to act as a shield upfront. Ileena was a long-range Sorceress Archer whose attacks were powerful but whose health was vulnerable. Once demon monsters closed in for melee, she’d be in danger.
Ileena froze.
She never expected this young adventurer to decide this, contrary to horror tales of cold adventurers exploiting mercenaries at the Rogue Encampment. Before this, Ileena thought her fate would mirror those female Rogues over sixty years ago—used by Sun Fei as demon bait or meat shields. But…
While the beautiful mercenary stood dazed, Sun Fei was already charging ahead.
Roar!
Sun Fei let out a war cry as his great axe gleamed.
Swish! Swish! Swish! He lazily swung his axe three times, effortlessly cleaving three Fallen into six pieces mid-charge.
“Hurry and follow! We need to get through fast!”
Sun Fei urged over his shoulder before sprinting ahead and vanishing into darkness. Ileena snapped back to reality, rushing after him.
A wave of Fallen rushed at them face to face.
Sun Fei swung his axe, ready to strike, when—whoosh! whoosh! whoosh! Blue arrows whistled fiercely past him. Instantly, three or four Fallen landed as frozen blocks with arrows embedded in their foreheads.
“What fantastic archery! Incredible!”
Sun Fei spun around and gave Ileena an impressed thumbs-up.
This mercenary was no ornament—her godlike arrows hit every charging Fallen even in such dim light. Her extraordinary skill forced Sun Fei to see her in a new light.
Ileena made no sign at the compliment.
Her bowstring hummed again as—whoosh! whoosh! whoosh! Three icy arrows pierced three Fallen screaming in the distance, sending them back to Hell.
Sun Fei realized this beautiful mercenary was an ice-based archer. Her arrows carried freezing power—not only devastating but also slowing enemy movement and attacks after impact. Truly the best support companion for monster hunting in the World of Diablo.
Man and woman paired up—all work felt light.
They kept pushing deeper into the cave.
The Underground Cave resembled a maze, its twisting paths an easy way to get lost. Monsters leaped relentlessly from shadows, transforming it into a living Hell. Wind howled—utterly terrifying.
Luckily, Sun Fei had endured enough bloodshed to slowly adapt.
And Ileena seemed equally accustomed to such horror, showing not a trace of fear.
Her longbow whistled, finishing off minor Fallen in one shot per kill. Of course, higher monsters like Brutes or Dark Hunters took slightly longer, and without Sun Fei’s help, three arrows could still settle them. Throughout, she maintained distance from monsters, optimizing her bow’s impact.
After over ten minutes, their teamwork grew seamless.
As if sharing a mind, exchanges became scarce but chemistry heightened. Sun Fei chopped close enemies with his mighty axe while Ileena’s Ice Arrows sniped distant demons. Their speed exceeded Sun Fei’s original projections.
“At this pace, half an hour max, and we’ll get through the Underground Passage, slay our way to the Great Tree of Ellene in the Dark Forest, and grab that damn Scroll!”
Optimism swept Sun Fei about task completion.
Just then—a sudden disaster struck.
“Ah…”
Ileena let out a horrified cry from behind Sun Fei—her silent demon-shooting replaced with shock and anguish, like facing unbearable fear.