The moment the hidden compartment on the wall opened, a dazzling beam of colorful light burst forth from the darkness. Looking inside, Nie Yan was overwhelmed by the brilliant glow. Inside the compartment was a mess, as if many items had already been taken by NPCs. However, many things had been left behind—mostly gems.
Nie Yan collected these gems and carefully counted them: five Luck Gems (+1), and several more valuable ones—two Resilience Gems (+1) and three Vitality Gems (+1). Gems with a quality of +1 were the lowest grade, yet still extremely rare. Each Luck Gem (+1) was worth about five silver coins, while the prices of Resilience Gems and Vitality Gems were hard to determine, as such items were almost never available on the market. If embedded into equipment by a gem artisan, they could enhance the resilience and vitality attributes of the gear.
For two silver coins, a gem artisan could carve a socket into a piece of equipment. Golden-tier gear could have two sockets, Dark Golden-tier gear three sockets, and Legendary-tier gear five sockets. For an additional three silver coins, gems could be embedded into the sockets. A Resilience Gem (+1) would add five points of resilience, while a Vitality Gem (+1) would grant fifty points of vitality.
Due to their significant effects, Resilience and Vitality Gems were highly sought after by teams. However, their drop rate was extremely low, making them practically unavailable for purchase—there was almost no market for them. Generally, these gems were only considered worthwhile if embedded into Dark Golden-tier gear. As for Golden-tier gear, it was only considered if the item was particularly valuable, such as a shield.
“I’m rich!” Nie Yan thought to himself. Today’s haul had been tremendous—regardless of anything else, the cost of the journey had definitely been covered. If these gems were sold on the market, they would surely drive most players into a frenzy. Of course, Nie Yan had no intention of selling them. With so many gems at his disposal, he could significantly upgrade his equipment! If he ever had extras after equipping himself, he might consider selling a few to close acquaintances.
The gems thrilled Nie Yan greatly.
After collecting all the gems and ensuring nothing had been left behind in the compartment, Nie Yan closed it and swam further inward.
While swimming, Nie Yan remained vigilant, carefully observing the surrounding walls, though he found nothing else.
After swimming through the narrow, elongated underwater passage for about ten minutes, Nie Yan noticed a faint light above him and swam toward it. Finally, he surfaced into a vast, open space large enough to hold hundreds of people. At its center stood a golden coffin, approximately five yards long, two yards wide, and two yards high. Its entire surface was covered in intricate sculptures and exquisite dragon motifs.
There was nothing else in the chamber besides this golden coffin.
It seemed there were no monsters here. Nie Yan leapt from the water and strode toward the massive golden coffin. The Dark Gladiator also emerged from the water, standing a short distance away from Nie Yan.
“The Shadow of Sogoth,” a powerful legendary rogue item steeped in historical legends, was said to have once belonged to the Lord of Sogoth, Seresthot, during the Dark Age. In later wars, the item had been shattered into fragments. When a player collected all three fragments, the powerful Shadow of Sogoth would be restored to its original form.
This fragment was currently useless on its own, only becoming effective once all three were collected. The important thing was that Nie Yan already knew the locations of the other two fragments—one located in a level 30 area, and the other in a level 60 area. Although those levels were quite far off, at least he now had clear objectives.
Legendary items were things countless players could only dream of. Since he now had the chance to obtain one, Nie Yan would never let it slip away. If necessary, he would collect the fragments first and then search for the others once his level was high enough. In the long run, this was merely laying the groundwork for the future.
Approaching the golden coffin, Nie Yan saw an inscription carved into its lid—written in the language of dragons: “The Tomb of Lord Seresthot. Those who dare disturb it shall suffer the wrath of the Lord!”
The item Nie Yan sought lay within this coffin—he had to open it!
The fragment of the Shadow of Sogoth was right before him!
Having come this far, he could not possibly give up.
The Dark Gladiator stood beside Nie Yan, approaching the golden coffin. Its eye sockets flickered with green flames. As a low-tier creature without intelligence, it felt no fear—its sole instinct was to protect Nie Yan.
Nie Yan glanced at the Dark Gladiator’s status window. Upon entering this chamber, a new status effect had appeared.
“Dark Oppression (??): All attributes reduced by 20%.”
The Dark Gladiator’s attributes had dropped by a full 20%.
Nie Yan couldn’t help but wonder what terrifying presence lay within this golden coffin. A hint of doubt crept into his mind—what if he failed to obtain the Shadow of Sogoth and ended up losing his life instead? That would be a terrible loss indeed.
In his previous life, Nie Yan had only heard vague rumors about the inner pyramid of Sogoth Ancient City, with no clear memories. As for this golden coffin, he had never even heard of it.
He wondered whether Recall Scrolls could be used here.
Nie Yan took out a Recall Scroll and checked. Yes! They could be used here! Knowing this eased his mind somewhat. At worst, he could grab the item and use the Recall Scroll to escape to the city. Even if the Dark Gladiator wasn’t very strong, it could at least hold off any threats for a while.
Risk and reward often went hand in hand. If he didn’t take risks, how could he expect to gain anything?
Resolved, Nie Yan approached the golden coffin and ran his hands along its surface. He found a protruding metal piece—the mechanism to open the coffin! Carefully, he pressed it and quickly retreated behind the Dark Gladiator. If any danger arose, it would have to shield him.
The internal mechanisms of the coffin emitted a chilling grinding sound as the lid slowly shifted aside. The coffin’s lid scraped against the metal beneath with an ear-piercing screech, like the sound of a blade scraping against steel.
Once the lid was fully open, a corpse clad in heavy armor appeared before Nie Yan’s eyes. The body had long since decayed, leaving only a skeleton. It wore a golden crown atop its skull, its hands clasped in prayer before its chest, gripping a golden longsword. It was evident that the burial had been conducted with solemn dignity.
“Klur Metal, Black Candle Crystal…” Nie Yan glanced at the materials of the corpse’s armor, his heart pounding. These were treasures worth a fortune.
However, the equipment on the corpse was far beyond Nie Yan’s capabilities to wield. The items were also quite heavy, and with his current strength, even using all his might wouldn’t allow him to lift them.
Scanning the interior of the coffin, Nie Yan noticed a small wooden box placed beside the skeleton. It looked very plain, oddly out of place amidst the opulence of the golden coffin. His eyes lit up—this was exactly what he was after.
Nie Yan’s heartbeat quickened.
The Shadow of Sogoth—a legendary item coveted by countless rogues—lay silently before him, so close he could almost reach out and take it. How thrilling!
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