Chapter 42: Secret Lore

"Who’s the real tool here remains to be seen!"

Cup of Wine Growing Stronger’s eyes curved into crescents as her face flushed with excitement. She was delighted that Ember had come to her rescue, and even more relieved that both of them were safe and sound.

"Let’s deal with Withered Vine Old Tree first, then we can talk about that!"

"Wait! I believe there’s been a misunderstanding!"

Cup of Wine Growing Stronger stopped Ember and turned to Withered Vine Old Tree, who had just deactivated his Golden Body. "Guild Leader Withered Vine, am I not right?"

Withered Vine Old Tree’s teeth were clenched, his mind in turmoil. After a long moment, he gave a silent nod, though he had no intention of explaining the truth. In this entire incident, he was the greatest victim: first manipulated by Water Dweller, then watching his team members either die or flee. For someone who took immense pride in his solo combat prowess, being forced to use his Golden Body to survive against Cup of Wine Growing Stronger was a crushing blow, both physically and mentally.

For a fleeting moment, Withered Vine Old Tree had considered following in the footsteps of Bitter Wind and Sorrowful Rain by simply quitting the game. However, his practical and stoic nature prevented him from giving up so easily. Seeing that the Dark Curtain Storm still had some time before it razed the city district, he decided to gather his remaining scattered members and continue the quest to clear the large-scale insect nest.

"Guild Leader Withered Vine, why don't you join us?" Through Cup of Wine Growing Stronger’s introduction, Ember had roughly guessed the truth and reached out to retain him. "To be honest, we were both victims of that misunderstanding earlier. Time is not on our side; why not combine our strengths?"

"I appreciate the gesture, but things have reached this point, and there is no longer any possibility of cooperation between us."

Heartbroken and weary, Withered Vine Old Tree did not wish to linger in this place of sorrow. With a pause in his step, he disappeared alone into the heavy gloom of the Dark Curtain.

Seeing this, Ember had nothing more to say, though he secretly cursed Water Dweller’s malicious tactics. It seemed that while he and Withered Vine Old Tree might not be friends, they wouldn't become bitter enemies either.

"What a pity. Withered Vine Old Tree is quite formidable. If he had joined us, clearing the insect nest would have been much easier!" Cup of Wine Growing Stronger sighed.

"If someone as strong as Withered Vine Old Tree was defeated, doesn't that mean with you helping, clearing the nest will be even easier?"

"Of course!" Cup of Wine Growing Stronger beamed, hands on her hips. "But I must correct you—I’m not working for you! You don't even have a main quest! Hmph! I bet you’d never guess where the creator of this island came from."

"Who says I don't have a main quest? Wait, did you receive one too?" Ember raised an eyebrow. "Let’s talk while we move; we're running out of time!"

After reuniting with Not a Pro and Lu Renjia, who had finally shaken off their dizziness, and letting the small mantis hop back onto his shoulder, Ember listened as Cup of Wine Growing Stronger recounted her findings on the way back to the Waterworks Company.

As it turned out, her main quest was not "Reconstruction" or "Monitoring," but "Investigation." Near her spawn point was an archive, and after clearing out the Shadow-Eating Insects nesting within, she had triggered a main quest that required her to investigate the founder of Maple Island and his descendants.

By the time she reached the fourth stage of the quest, she had made a startling discovery: the first settler who named the isolated island "Maple Island" was not a native of the Paradise World, but an immigrant from the Imperial World—a realm with no way back. An interdimensional rift had opened a gate, trapping him permanently in the Paradise World. This individual possessed extraordinary abilities and had once been a prominent figure on the world stage, deeply connected to the three major organizations, only to be forgotten by history for reasons unknown.

Yet, his bloodline had branched out from Maple Island, spreading across the world, and even now, his descendants still lived on the island.

"Looking at it this way, Maple Island isn't just an ordinary island. The Chaos Apostles turned it into an 'Anomaly,' but their true goal might have nothing to do with the island itself, but rather the legacy of that visitor from the Empire."

Ember had a sudden epiphany, finally finding a logical explanation for the Chaos Apostles' bizarre actions. "Connecting the clues, the 'Anna' mentioned in the suicide note clearly carries the Imperial bloodline. When Maple Island was destroyed, she left the school—either voluntarily or by force—and used her special abilities to pass through the factory, eventually reaching the Waterworks Company in the city district. If we want to know Anna's fate, we have to clear the Waterworks Company. If we want to conduct a deeper investigation, we’ll have to start with the library."

"So, the question is: which of the two large insect nests should we take on first?"

Learning that they had different main quests, Cup of Wine Growing Stronger looked a bit disappointed that she couldn't legitimately order Ember around as a laborer. However, after checking the island map, she chose to concede. "I’ll help you finish your main quest first. The library is closer to the center of the island. If everything goes well, we should have a good chance of clearing both large nests!"

"Agreed! Let’s do it!"

Her proposal was reasonable, and Ember made the decision immediately. Although some time had been wasted because of Water Dweller, leaving only five or six minutes until the Dark Curtain Storm reached the commercial district, Ember was full of confidence. Not only had Cup of Wine Growing Stronger’s arrival significantly boosted the team's damage output, but he had actually earned a decent amount of Kill Points from the recent battle.

Evolution reagents were already on his shopping list, and the two points spent on the Strength Scroll had been recouped through six kills. His point total remained above twenty. Furthermore, he had confiscated the attack reagent Water Dweller had crafted from an anomalous tool before it could be used, saving him further expenses. Thus, Ember wasn't worried about the difficulty of the large insect nest.

Even more unexpectedly, upon returning to the Waterworks Company, he found a pile of large insect corpses at the entrance—left there, naturally, by Fish-Scale Arm and Duke Thunder. Ember immediately left the small mantis to consume the life essence of these boss-level creatures to complete its transformation, while the four of them went to storm the Shadow-Eating Insect Nest. Within seconds, they successfully killed the Spider Matriarch blocking the stairs.

"Impressive!"

Not a Pro and Lu Renjia, having failed to provide any help in the previous fight, were eager to prove their worth against the Spider Matriarch. However, they soon realized just how powerful Cup of Wine Growing Stronger’s damage output was. The thick-skinned Spider Matriarch was taken down in just five arrows. No skills or stamina recovery were needed; just the continuous, piercing sound of arrows flying through the air, and the Matriarch was dead before the slower-reacting Not a Pro could even contribute.

"Compliments accepted!"

Cup of Wine Growing Stronger flashed a coy smile, then shook her crossbow at Ember, challenging him. "Want to race to see who’s faster?"

"Do you take me for a fool?"

Ember, who had already stepped onto the stairs, retorted without looking back. Her basic attack cap was even higher than his when he activated his "Unstoppable" buff. Plus, she had burst skills and extra damage from anomalous weapons. In a pure damage race, he would definitely lose. Furthermore, he was currently suffering from the aftermath of his "Berserk" state, with his Strength reduced to six—just enough to wield his Active Soft-Body Biochemical Arm. His signature charge effect was significantly weakened, leaving him with no ground to compete with her.

"Hmph! I knew you wouldn't dare! But tell me, how did you destroy the energy shield in just two hits?"

"Aren't you talented? Guess for yourself! Lu Renjia, report!"

Upon reaching the second floor, Ember realized the stairs to the top level weren't there. Lu Renjia received the order and immediately used his long-range vision to scout the environment, giving a concise report.

"There are two leaders and four elites hidden here?" Ember was surprised. "Is the hierarchy of a large nest different than expected, or does the Spider Lord have the third floor all to himself? No matter. If the enemy comes, we meet them with force. We can ignore the four Spider Matriarchs for now; let's clear the elite minions while luring the Spider Leaders to the stairs. I happen to have a Mantis Scythe Blade, so dealing with these two leaders won't be a problem!"

With the plan set, the four immediately moved into action. A tide of spiders surged through the webs, but Ember stood firm as a reef in the ocean, unmoving against the waves. This scene reminded Cup of Wine Growing Stronger of the "Forbidden Zone of Life," where Ember had similarly provided her with the most comfortable environment to deal damage.

She knew that although Ember constantly called her a "tool" in jest, he was the one taking on all the dirty and dangerous work. All she had to do was ensure her damage output was on point—something she excelled at.

The relentless, precise shooting took a massive amount of pressure off Ember. When Lu Renjia signaled that the Spider Leaders had been alerted, he helped Ember retreat calmly to the stairs, dodging the leaders' ferocious lunges.

"Blind!"

A ghostly light flared up, instantly robbing the Spider Leaders of their vision.

Ember and Not a Pro moved in unison. One swung the Mantis Scythe Blade, the other used a slashing skill, instantly severing the leaders' legs and crippling their mobility. Lu Renjia then cast a weakening hex, completely stripping the leaders of their ability to resist. Cup of Wine Growing Stronger seized the opportunity to unleash her full offensive potential. The extraordinary effects of her Parasitic Crossbow turned the fight into a trivial matter; Ember didn't even need to worry much about defense as they effortlessly executed the boss monsters.

Through this battle, Cup of Wine Growing Stronger gained insight into the abilities of Not a Pro and Lu Renjia. The former was self-explanatory, but the latter surprised her—learning curse-based hexes at this stage wasn't easy. It seemed not everyone was as "unfocused" as her, choosing to ignore arcane knowledge at university to become an elegant caster, instead obsessing over crossbows and drifting further and further down the path of physical damage.

"Tool Number Two. Tool Number Three."

Cup of Wine Growing Stronger subconsciously categorized her teammates. As for whether she was "Tool Number One" or the one wielding the tools, only she knew the answer.

The four-man team, now adapting to the rhythm of combat, repeated their strategy and easily eliminated the second Spider Leader, effectively clearing the threats on the second floor. In a side office, they discovered even more clues regarding the main quest...