Chapter 48: The Forgotten—Franklin!

[You have obtained the Legendary item "Cursed Crown".]

Indeed, it was Legendary rather than Epic.

This was because Su Mubai had used a loophole to upgrade all the fragments once.

Although the possibility of nesting upgrades was slim, it was always worth a try, wasn't it?

Of course, he only exploited this after confirming that the name of the item did not change following the upgrade.

[Notification: Successfully repaired the Cursed Crown. Current exploration progress: 50%.]

Without immediately checking the stats of the [Cursed Crown], Su Mubai looked at Rhode thoughtfully.

Of this 50% exploration progress, 35% came from the seven soul-locking coffins, and 5% came from the Cursed Crown.

Neither the overwhelming sea of skeletons nor the seven bosses had provided even a shred of exploration progress.

Yet when Rhode appeared at that moment, he had contributed a full 10%!

Judging by his previous behavior, this fellow was at most a guide and could never have provided such a vast amount of exploration progress.

Unless his importance extended far beyond that!

At this thought, Su Mubai narrowed his eyes slightly, fixing his gaze on Rhode.

At this moment, the latter's expression was twisted, his eyes locked onto the [Cursed Crown] in Su Mubai's hand, filled with sheer terror.

"No, this is impossible! How could its power have increased by so much?"

"I can sense that dense aura of death."

"White Night, throw it away quickly, or you will be eroded by the death aura and end up just like them, completely becoming a walking corpse."

Hearing this, Su Mubai showed no intention of discarding the [Cursed Crown], nor did he reply, merely watching the other party's performance quietly.

He wanted to see what was truly special about Rhode.

If his guess was correct, this fellow was very likely the final boss.

Didn't plots usually unfold this way?

As for the erosion of death aura, Su Mubai had never cared about it in the least.

The moment the [Cursed Crown] was repaired, two system prompts rang out in succession beside his ear.

[Notification: You are being eroded by the death aura from the "Cursed Crown".]

[Notification: Your stored death aura value has reached its maximum. You can continue absorbing after consuming some; excess death aura will not cause you any negative effects.]

Erosion by death aura?

It was nothing more than nourishment for his own skills!

With this thing around, he might not even need to extract death aura from the corpses of minor monsters in the future.

"White Night, what are you standing there for?! Hurry up and throw it away!"

Su Mubai raised an eyebrow at those words. "Why aren't you playing dumb anymore?"

"Playing dumb?"

Rhode was clearly taken aback, hastily saying, "I've never played dumb. Some things really..."

Rumble...

Before Rhode could finish his sentence, the entire Forgotten Land suddenly shook violently.

"Hmm?"

Su Mubai's expression tightened, and his skeleton legion instantly formed up.

Rhode seemed to be stimulated by this scene, his pupils turning somewhat turbid.

The next moment, a large patch of the ground not far ahead suddenly collapsed, and a dense aura of death billowed out from the opening.

[Notification: The aura of the "Cursed Crown" has awakened the Lich "Franklin" slumbering beneath the Forgotten Land.]

Following the system prompt, an exquisite coffin flew out from the hole and stood steadily in mid-air.

Forged from some unknown metal, the coffin was covered entirely in obscure magical runes, giving off a chilling sensation.

"It's him! It's him!"

Rhode, who had already been somewhat disoriented, saw his pupils dilate to the maximum the instant he laid eyes on the coffin.

Pointing tremblingly at the coffin, his body shook uncontrollably, and before he knew it, he had retreated to Su Mubai's side.

"He is the one who cursed us! He is the one who turned this place into the Forgotten Land!"

"I remember now, I remember everything!"

Gradually overcoming his fear, Rhode's facial expression twisted into a ferocious look as he roared at the top of his lungs,

"My family, my friends, my kinsfolk—they all died at his hands!!!"

As he spoke, a faint glow gradually lit up within Rhode's soul body, and his panel changed accordingly.

[Mayor of Sunset Town - Remnant Soul of Rhode]

Special Elite

Soul Body

Level: 20

Health Points: 100,000/100,000

Skill: Soul Possession (Increases the target's main attributes by 20%.)

(Soul bodies are immune to physical damage.)

(Rhode has remembered everything. Once the mayor of Sunset Town, he has now become the sole surviving remnant soul.)

"White Night, I beg you to help me kill that beast Franklin! I am willing to pay any price for this!"

Rhode's hysterical voice and the suddenly triggered quest prompt left Su Mubai slightly stunned.

This plot wasn't playing by the rules at all.

Was this fellow actually an ally?

[Do you wish to accept the Unique Hidden Quest "Rhode's Request"?]

[Quest Objective: Slay the "Lich - Franklin".]

[Quest Reward: Unknown.]

[Failure Penalty: None.]

Regardless of whether he accepted this quest or not, Su Mubai had no intention of letting the boss before him go.

Giving Rhode a deep look, he nodded slightly. "Alright."

"Thank you!"

A look of immense gratitude filled Rhode's eyes, and immediately afterward, his form grew increasingly transparent.

"Franklin is terrifyingly powerful. I will do everything in my power to help you."

As he spoke, Rhode's soul body transformed into a ray of light and merged into Su Mubai's body.

[You have accepted the Unique Hidden Quest "Rhode's Request".]

[You are buffed by Soul Possession; your Spirit attribute is increased by 20%.]

The coffin in mid-air opened at that very moment, and two flames of souls abruptly ignited within Franklin's eye sockets.

The intensity of those soul flames was something Su Mubai had never witnessed before!

[The Forgotten - Franklin]

[Frost Lich]

[Level 20] (Critically wounded state, level reduced.)

[Epic Boss]

[Health Points: 35,000,000/35,000,000]

[Spell Power: 48,000]

[Physical Defense: 5,000]

[Magic Defense: 8,000]

[Elemental Resistances: Frost 35%, Shadow 30%, Death 25%.]

[Skills: Frost-series spells, Shadow-series spells, Death-series spells.]

(Standing before you is a true Lich. Although his soul has suffered severe trauma, he is not to be underestimated.)

Franklin appeared vastly more imposing than the previous seven semi-liches combined.

Beneath his fitted robes, all flesh was gone, leaving him entirely in a skeletal state.

Chains remained coiled around his body, a pitch-black staff was gripped in his hand, and three distinct forces—death, frost, and shadow—permeated his surroundings!

"That fellow actually managed to scrape by alive back then?"

The soul flames in Franklin's eye sockets flickered as his hoarse voice rang out.

He was clearly referring to Rhode.

"I can sense the power of the Cursed Crown after its repair, but this power..."

At this point, Franklin's voice paused. He abruptly turned his gaze toward Su Mubai, the flames in his pupils flaring violently.

"Legendary grade? Hahaha! Finally, there is hope of healing my injuries!"

Not placing Su Mubai in his eyes at all, Franklin reached out and gently beckoned,

"Return, my Cursed Crown. Come back to your master."

Right after that, his expression underwent a drastic and violent change as he uttered in shock,

"Impossible! How did you do that?!"