Chapter 84: Realm of the Grim Reaper

“Something darker than darkness…”
“Something more terrifying than terror…”

As Luo Yong intoned the words, the power of shadow surged, and the breath of death rose. The scene was eerie and frightening. This time, it was not the illusion created by mischievous magical gadgets, but a real event unfolding in a secret place.

Luo Yong hadn’t expected that the spell he’d picked up at a roadside stall would actually work—that it was genuine. The incantation, too, proved accurate. Perhaps, in the history of this strange world, such a cataclysm of shadow really had occurred…

In the basement of the newly built “Leisure Hour” general store at High Grid Camp, Luo Yong was alone, quietly checking the profits garnered by the miserly spider over the past period. He had no idea what the spider had collected, but now was the perfect moment to dump everything out and tally the spoils.

The feeling of counting money in solitude… cough.

Although that poorly managed magic shop had vanished from the camp, Luo Yong discovered that its owner had indeed hidden some treasures. For reasons unknown, the official assigned to clean up the mess didn’t bother to carefully inspect or sort through the items, instead dealing with them in a rough and hurried manner, as if afraid they’d be stuck with them.

Perhaps these small gains were simply beneath their notice—too insignificant for such a wealthy enterprise.

Rummaging through the heap of loot, Luo Yong soon found a small figurine, reminiscent of those special quest items you need to deliver in certain games. It was one of those objects that seemed valuable but had no practical use—something you could hold for a while, but eventually had to hand in, and keeping it was pointless.

Sometimes Luo Yong would deliberately hang onto such items for a while, but in the end, he would always complete the quest.

Now, holding the object in his palm, he activated it. Wisps of black mist immediately appeared around him, and hallucinations began to emerge before his eyes.

He seemed to have entered a desolate battlefield strewn with bones and corpses.

Though he still wore his cloak and mask, the item in his hand transformed into a scythe gleaming with ominous black light. A lengthy incantation surfaced automatically in his mind.

He had just spoken two lines before he realized something was wrong and cut himself off.

It felt… somehow off.

A mysterious force seemed to be seeping from the figurine, invading his body, devouring his soul.

“Unknowing mortal, surrender your soul to me and I shall grant you immortality…”

A voice echoed in his mind. Luo Yong’s hand trembled, almost tossing the figurine away.

“Who’s speaking?”

“Hmph! A mere mortal like you is not worthy of knowing my name! But sign this contract, surrender your soul, and the great Lord of Shadows will bestow you with honor.”

“Sign what?!”

Staring at the shadowy contract materializing before him, Luo Yong instinctively tried to resist. Yet his hand, seemingly beyond his control, reached out and grasped a pen formed from condensed shadow.

“Sign it and you’ll understand. You will witness the greatness of the Lord of Shadows, become his disciple, and strive for his glorious vision…”

“I’m immune to empty promises.”

Unmoved by the familiar rhetoric, Luo Yong spoke bluntly, loudly reminding himself, “I, Luo Yong, am a young man aspiring to become a lawyer. Although I haven’t truly started yet, this contract is clearly a one-sided clause and is invalid under the law!”

“What?!”

The enigmatic voice seemed stunned for a moment, then grew furious, “Ignorant human, you dare defy the Lord of Shadows? You will pay dearly for your folly!”

“What price—ah…”

Suddenly, Luo Yong could not finish his sentence. A wave of dizziness and nausea crashed over him, his mind stabbed by pain, as though his psyche were being assailed.

It was like… a giant mosquito had plunged its proboscis deep into his brain, sucking out the very essence within.

“Ah!!”

Luo Yong screamed in agony, writhing violently on the floor. Then, as though struck by inspiration, he sat up abruptly, gathering his focus and employing a secret technique—the mental fortification scroll he’d obtained after defeating the green spider.

Because he’d studied it beforehand, Luo Yong endured the intense pain, recognizing it as a psychic attack.

“It’s useless. No matter what you do, you cannot escape, for this is the Lord of Shadows’ ‘Domain of Death.’ Once you step inside, you lose all control over your fate, regardless of who you are, regardless of your genius, regardless of your race.”

“In the presence of the Lord of Shadows, all are equal—pawns without distinction. Submit… Sign the contract, and your suffering will be lessened!”

“Dream on!” Though his expression was twisted with pain, Luo Yong’s lips curled upward, almost as if he were smiling.

“First rule of survival in another world!”

“Never hand your fate over to another!”

“Hmph! Futile resistance—there is no escape!” The voice was cold, devoid of emotion. “No one who enters the Domain of Death ever escapes; not once has it happened. This is the land of shadow… darker than darkness… more—”

“Legend says the first light was born in the deepest darkness,” Luo Yong interrupted calmly, his face impassive, as if his spirit had transcended, feeling no pain.

“This is the utmost shadow, a place where no light has ever reached. Even gods who enter are lost, doomed to wander and fall!”

“I am but a mortal, but I will not succumb!” Luo Yong shouted, and a radiant, holy light flared around him, vaporizing the black aura of death and separating him from the surrounding darkness.

“What?! No! Impossible! Ah—”

With a shriek, a soul-form reaper was expelled from Luo Yong’s body, dissolving in the holy light.

Sssss…

The black mist was dispersed by the radiance.

“Ah… The great Lord of Shadows will punish you…”

Uttering one last threat, the shadow vanished. All curses afflicting Luo Yong were lifted, and the shadowy contract crumbled to dust.

Now, bathed in holy light, Luo Yong’s expression was tranquil, and he seemed to radiate a sacred presence.

“That was close! I truly owe you this time!”

Before Luo Yong floated a tiny figure, the angel of holy light in the form of Tsunade. She gazed at him, her eyes carrying a hint of reproach.

Luo Yong reached out, cradling her in his palm, and met her gaze, sensing she was more than a mere artifact—almost a true living being.

“Do angels really exist in this world?”

He mused to himself, wishing she were life-sized… cough.

Swish!

After a moment’s contemplation, the holy light angel slowly raised a finger, as if inviting Luo Yong to play a finger-touch game.

Just as Luo Yong extended his finger to meet hers, she moved with incredible speed—a flash of light darting to his forehead, her finger pressing down and infusing it with radiance.

The angel’s entire form gleamed brighter than ever, like a miniature sun.

“Ah!”

Luo Yong cried out, enduring unimaginable pain.

“Ah!”

Another scream followed, not from him, but from within his body.

“What’s happening?”

Instantly, Luo Yong sensed something amiss. There was another, even craftier demon lurking inside him, hidden deeper, undetected until now, but unable to evade the angel’s scrutiny.

Buzz!

An even more intense holy light blossomed at Luo Yong’s brow.

In that moment, he felt as though he glimpsed another world, sensing that his time had come. His vision was overtaken by searing white light, and within its brilliance, he perceived a mass of shadow swirling restlessly.

A furious soul seemed to roar within, bombarding the surrounding radiance with waves of negativity, striving to affect Luo Yong.

In that perceptual domain, time did not seem to flow; eternity could be witnessed.

Luo Yong could not say how long it lasted. At last, the shadow weakened, expelled from his body.

He heard the wails of countless souls, howling in anguish.

Sssss… sssss…

Under the holy light, all faded to nothing.

Faintly, Luo Yong thought he heard a voice whisper, “Impossible…”

Then all was calm.

The dazzling white light dissipated swiftly, and the holy light angel landed in Luo Yong’s palm, looking utterly exhausted.

At last, she reverted to a figurine… cough.

She must have fallen into slumber, unable to activate for now.

“That was reckless indeed!” Luo Yong sighed deeply.

Crack—

Crack, crack!

The sound of breaking echoed. The figurine in Luo Yong’s grasp suddenly splintered, fissures spreading until it shattered completely, leaving nothing behind.

“…”

Staring at the pile of rubble, Luo Yong cursed inwardly. After all that effort, nearly lost forever, and in the end, he gained nothing?

Bang!

As he pondered this, a black scroll materialized out of thin air, landing in his palm.

“What… is this? Another trap?”

Thinking it over, Luo Yong decided that misfortune couldn’t last forever. Carefully, he unfurled the scroll.