Nightmare’s Call

By the time he left the Internet café, it was already six in the evening, and the sky had begun to turn dark.

Lin Sheng grabbed some grub from the street vendor before he hailed a cab to head straight back home.

When he got home, his father was not around. Only his mother, Gu Wanqiu was in the kitchen peeling potatoes.

Lin Sheng went over to help out, and very quickly two dishes were made. The mother and son then had their dinner.

Gu Wanqiu asked what he had been up to throughout the day, and Lin Sheng easily weaved a story for her.

He did not want his family to know that he had joined a swordsmanship club outside…

Just like how he was not very willing to join Caeser’s company. But that was another headache altogether.

Besides, he knew nothing of Caeser.

Who was he? What sort of person was he? What was his background, was it good or bad? He knew nothing at all. Was it all just for money?

It, of course, seemed unrealistic, and he needed time to consider.

Once he was done with dinner and washing the dishes, Lin Sheng used revision as an excuse to go to his room after a quick gargle.

Two sets of questions later, he was feeling sleepy. He then put on his coat and the shoes he had prepared.

After that, he lay on his bed and closed his eyes to rest.

…

The Valent Sanctum.

Within the grayish-white sanctum…

Lin Sheng slowly got up from a pew and quickly scanned his surroundings.

The sanctum was the same as when he left it.

The air was calming, while the door, as well as windows, were in pristine condition and closely shut.

Lin Sheng rose up and checked his body.

He was wearing a black sports jersey and shoes, which he had worn before sleeping. By the pew was his weapon, the Elite Corrupted Sword.

He grabbed the sword and left the pew, ignoring the prayer dais at the center of the room. He headed directly for the small door at the back of the sanctum.

Lin Sheng had pretty much searched the entire sanctum already, and only the storage room at the back was left.

The entire sanctum consisted of a main hall, a sub-hall, a bedroom for the clergy, a kitchen, and a toilet.

After he scoured the whole place, there was nothing aside from a few daily goods.

The storage room was the only section he had not checked yet.

Holding his sword tightly, Lin Sheng speedily arrived before the storage room. He reached out for the cold bronze knob…

And he pulled it open.

*Creaaakkk…*

A gentle creak later, the grayish-white wooden door slowly opened.

It was a small space about a square meter wide.

There was nothing in it besides a meter-tall carved obelisk-like pillar.

The pillar was grayish-white in color, and there was a curved moon with three stars at the top.

At the bottom end, there was also a similar marking with a line of words.

Lin Sheng peered over to get a better look.

“Evaluation Obelisk: Career level assessment. Assessment parameters: Paladin, Warrior, Priest.”

“Evaluation Obelisk??” Lin Sheng was stunned. This was his first time encountering such a thing.

From the memory fragments in his mind, he had discovered the identities and levels of certain individuals, but how was their level determined? There was no mention of it.

Perhaps, the memory fragments he had absorbed did not contain such information.

However, the small obelisk before him probably had something to do with the level assessment.

He walked toward the obelisk and checked it out.

Aside from the carvings on the surface, there were only two handles protruding out of each side.

On the edge of the handles were markings to hold them tightly.

Lin Sheng held his hands out and grabbed the handles with each hand.

Suddenly, he felt a warm surge from the obelisk. It entered his palm before it circulated through his arm and all across his body.

Then, as suddenly as the warmth appeared, it returned to the obelisk and disappeared.

*Hummmmm…*

A slight hum rang out.

Under Lin Sheng’s slightly astonished gaze, the carvings on the obelisk started to glow brightly, and a white line began to move upward along the entire obelisk from the bottom like a thermometer.

The white line slowly stopped at the Level 2 indicator and stayed there.

“Level 2?” Lin Sheng was surprised, and he released the handles.

The white line faded away as soon as he let his hands go.

“That means I’m a Level 2 warrior now?” Lin Sheng guessed.

He then placed his hands on the handles again.

Very quickly, the white line lit up once more and went all the way to Level 2, but the initial warmth did not manifest.

“Interesting… though I don’t have any idea what this thing is basing its grading on.”

He released his grip and allowed the white line to disappear.

After he searched the storage room, Lin Sheng found nothing other than the Evaluation Obelisk.

He took the corrupted sword and went back to the sanctum’s main gate.

This time around, he did not plan to stay in that safe zone.

There were no beasts or dangers in the sanctum, so he had assigned it as a safe place to rest and recuperate.

“While this place is fine and dandy, I’m not here to stay in the safe zone…”

Lin Sheng gently pushed the main door, and it opened without a sound as the biting wind blew in.

Lin Sheng shivered a little but continued on outside with his sword in hand.

Standing before the sanctum’s gate, he could see the district of Blackfeather City with its empty streets and dilapidated buildings.

In the distance was a sky-scraping black tower surrounded by a massive ring wall.

“It feels like a giant cage…” Lin Sheng muttered to himself, and he started to scan for the direction he should advance in.

Holding his sword, he slowly walked toward the steel fence in the yard, and his sights fell upon a manor that faced the sanctum.

It was a fish-shaped mansion.

All over the grayish-white structure were carvings of infant angels, and in some places, wisteria-like flowers grew.

Compared with the other buildings around the manor, it was much more well-preserved, and even its outer walls were in good shape without any signs of damage.

The manor had three levels, and the windows on each level were sealed shut.

Lin Sheng could see the center inner court from his position. There was a dried-up black fountain there, and before it was a white plaque.

Under the moonlight, he could detect some writings on it, and after some thought, he decided to go over to have a look.

It was not only due to the fact that the manor was well-preserved and would potentially hold some useful items. It was also, more importantly, due to the place being close enough to the sanctum, and as such, could be much safer as well.

Additionally, in comparison to the buildings around it, it was much shorter, and in some respect, its décor was not as lavish as that of the others.

It was clear that the status of the mansion’s owner was probably not too high, and in that treacherous place, the lower your position was, the safer you were.

*Creaaakkk…*

Lin Sheng gently pushed the steel gate open and walked out.

Just as he left the sanctum’s protection, he felt a chill down his spine.

There was a tingling sense of foreboding and danger.

Lin Sheng gripped the handle of his sword as he swept his gaze about. Then, he dashed toward the manor’s gate.

A few darting steps later, he had passed through the ten-meter-wide street and arrived in front of the manor’s gate.

With a gentle pull, the gate slowly opened.