Chapter 15 The Collar of Sisyphus (1) We're just intern instructors...
Xia Ying woke up.
Cerberus was lying beside her, looking down at her.
Did you have a nightmare?
Xia Ying thought for a moment: "It was just a strange dream."
Cerberus felt relieved and pulled the human girl out of bed: "Get up and get ready. There are still two hours before the mission starts."
It was a rare opportunity for Xia Ying to prepare properly before a mission began.
At this point, there are still ten minutes left before the [Circular Domain Internship] mission begins.
Since she had nothing better to do, Xia Ying decided to take stock of her equipment.
Currently, she possesses the following resources:
Opal coins: 3983 pieces
The four magical artifacts are: [Student Handbook], [Persephone Spring], [Kusanagi Sword], and [Abyssal Dangerous Creatures Encyclopedia].
Three titles can be equipped:
1. {Survivor}: When equipped, grants immunity to one death within the Cocytus area. Cooldown period: 30 days. (Currently on cooldown)
2. {Survivor}: When equipped, it grants a luck bonus for a random duration. The longer the duration, the weaker the luck effect becomes. The cooldown period is 30 days.
3. {Unyielding}: When equipped, grants immunity to negative mental effects such as superior pressure, fear, and charm for one tick of time. Cooldown is 10 days.
"Speaking of which, I got two titles in the [Entertainment Program] mission," Xia Ying said casually. "I think it was because I completed a hidden mission or something."
Cerberus leaned over: "I have two too."
Xia Ying exclaimed in surprise, "So titles can be upgraded?"
“I first earned this title on the Charon, with the hint that it was for killing more than 100 abyssal creatures,” Cerberus recalled. “The second time was on the [entertainment program], for killing more than 200 abyssal creatures.”
Xia Ying's gaze shifted slightly: "It seems that combining the same conditions can upgrade the title."
{Slayer Lv2}: When equipped, it can instantly kill some Abyss creatures weaker than itself (the effective range of the instant kill condition expands as the title is upgraded), with no cooldown time.
She remarked, "It should be very effective in battlefield-type missions."
At this moment, Xia Ying remembered that she hadn't yet explained the [Abyssal Dangerous Creatures Compendium] to the other party, so she said, "By the way, Cerberus..."
Just then, Cerberus's Student Handbook suddenly emitted a notification sound:
"Beep! [Circular Domain Internship] is about to begin... Preparing to draw a circular domain... Please draw your internship circular domain."
A lottery wheel, exactly the same as the one shown at the [Opening Ceremony], appeared on his phone screen. Cerberus and Xia Ying exchanged a glance and tried to spin the wheel.
The wheel spun rapidly, the badges of the four rings flashing quickly under the pointer, before gradually slowing down.
Finally, Cerberus's pointer points to chains and a tombstone.
"Beep! Your internship zone has been identified as the Tomb Ring... Mentor assignment in progress... Teleportation is about to begin."
Cerberus looked at Xia Ying and couldn't help but reach out his hand, but he knew very well that he could not touch her again before the teleportation took effect... However, Xia Ying leaned closer and grasped his fingertips.
Cerberus smiled and vanished completely.
Xia Ying looked at her empty palm and felt a little lost.
However, she quickly shook off the feeling and turned her attention to her phone screen, waiting for the spinning wheel to appear.
One second, two seconds... one minute.
The turntable did not appear.
"Looks like we'll have to wait a while longer."
Bored, Xia Ying opened the [Abyss Dangerous Creatures Encyclopedia] after a long time and began to check the new content.
Just as she expected, the encyclopedia has been updated with information on many new abyssal species, from gargoyles, goblins, and headless riders in Twilight Square to various monsters in the Colosseum.
Xia Ying switched to the skill equipment bar and found that the accumulated synchronization value had increased from 300 points at the end of the [entertainment program] to 322 points.
Why?
A question mark popped up above Xia Ying's head.
During this period, I only saw Cerberus and Fenrir, right?
She sorted the Abyss species entries by synchronization rate, and Cerberus was indeed ranked first, but his synchronization rate remained fixed at 99% without any change.
The second highest is Fenrir, which is as high as 50%, the same as the value at the end of the previous mission.
"Beep! [Circular Domain Internship] is about to begin... Preparing to draw a circular domain... Please draw your internship circular domain."
Xia Ying's Student Handbook finally popped up a lottery wheel. She didn't bother to find out why the synchronization value had increased, and immediately focused her attention on the wheel.
"...No, something's not right." Xia Ying stared at the board, utterly shocked. "Why are all four badges the Crimson Crown Ring?"
Unlike Cerberus, Xia Ying's turntable was completely covered in the blood red of her skull and the iron gray of her crown. Seeing that she hadn't moved for a long time, the turntable started to spin automatically.
Xia Ying instinctively reached out to stop the spinning wheel from continuing: "Don't spin! Wait!"
The turntable came to a sudden stop when she touched it.
Unsurprisingly, the pointer pointed to the crown and skull.
"Beep! Your training zone has been identified as the Crimson Crown Ring... Mentor assignment in progress... Teleportation is about to begin."
The light of the teleportation magic engulfed Xia Ying, sending her to the territory belonging to Chimian.
Xia Ying felt her feet sink, as if she had suddenly been thrown into a dark ruin, with rubble and debris burying most of her.
The open illustrated book still floated in front of her, emitting a soft glow. Xia Ying's gaze followed the light and landed on the pages. She finally finished reading the part she hadn't completed earlier.
The third most synchronized abyssal creature is the "Eternal Evil Dragon".
Abyssal Species: Eternal Evil Dragon
Name: Fafnir
Danger level: SSSSS
Special Note:
1. This creature is extremely dangerous; please avoid contact with it in most cases.
2. The leader of the Crimson Crown Ring, possessing all the evils befitting a Crimson Crown King.
Synchronization rate (unlocked): 42%
(Unlocked entry)
(Unlocked entry)...
Xia Ying muttered to herself hesitantly, "42%...?"
The chandelier hanging overhead suddenly lit up, and through the flickering light and shadow, Xia Ying was finally able to see her surroundings clearly.
She wasn't teleported to ruins, and the clinking fragments beneath her feet weren't rubble, but mountains of gold coins and treasures. These countless riches glittered brilliantly in the flames, making the dark cave where Xia Ying was located appear magnificent.
Amidst the interplay of flames and gold, someone approached Xia Ying.
He was tall and slender, pale and cold, with deep red hair more dazzling than flames and golden eyes more brilliant than gold. His spiraling horns shone with a cold light, like a crown forged from black iron.
Xia Ying had never met him, but she remembered those golden eyes.
The red-haired, golden-eyed man slowly approached, bent down, and placed his hand on the hollow between Xia Ying's collarbones. Then, he touched her slightly trembling, thin skin upwards, brushed past her throat, grasped her chin, and lifted her face.
The firelight was fully visible to the girl, but there was not much of the panic the man had expected.
Xia Ying stared at him calmly for two seconds, then suddenly thrust the [Ama-no-Murakumo Sword] diagonally upwards without warning.
The opponent gripped the sword with his bare hands, red dragon scales appearing from his tiger's mouth, dragon fire clashing with the blade, hissing.
A satisfied smile appeared in his eyes: "Very good, you haven't forgotten me."
Xia Ying smiled back, glancing at the small scar at the corner of the other's eye: "It seems you're the one who can't forget me."
The man released her, and golden-red dragonfire enveloped him. The ground trembled violently, and treasures tumbled everywhere. Then, a giant red-scaled dragon emerged from the flames, and the cave transformed back into the dragon's nest built on gold.
Xia Ying glanced at the location of the cave entrance and began to move subtly.
The dragon said lazily, "Let me reintroduce myself, Succubus. I am Fafnir, the Crimson-Crowned King, and your new master."
What is that?
Xia Ying was startled. She didn't have time to investigate how a creature from the abyss seemed to know her (fictional) succubus identity. She immediately opened the [Student Handbook] to confirm and found the words "Mentor: Fafnir" in the [Circle Internship] mission details.
"No way!" she protested loudly, turning her phone screen towards the dragon. "We're just intern mentors! Please have some self-respect!"
The red dragon coldly slapped her phone away with its tail. The "Student Handbook" landed in the gold coins and rolled down the treasure mountain. Xia Ying stumbled after it, grabbed the phone, and ran wildly towards the cave entrance.
Her escape seemed to go smoothly; no roaring dragons spewed fireballs to stop her. But after running out of the cave, Xia Ying looked around and realized that the dragon's nest was an isolated island, surrounded by endless lava on all sides.
"Beep! Fafnir has used the magical artifact [Sisyphus Collar] on you."
"Checking the usage conditions of the [Sisyphus Collar]... Conditions met... The [Sisyphus Collar] is now in effect."
"Beep! You have become Fafnir's vassal."
A black collar appeared around Xia Ying's neck. The dragon activated its spell, and Xia Ying was pulled back into the pile of gold coins by a tremendous force.
She propped herself up and looked up; the dragon coiled atop the treasure was gazing down at her with its malevolent golden eyes.
"From this moment on, I am, the succubus."
A note from the author:
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Xia Ying: Your behavior is really unethical.
Fafnir (the dragon wants the dragon to have): So what?
There's no reasoning with creatures from the abyss, really.
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