I Save The World In A Doomsday Text Game

Chapter 116: Disciple Sanctum Assembly, Blood King

[You are being teleported to the Disciple Sanctum…]

[…]

[…]

[Teleportation successful!]

[The feeble wandering soul awakens in the Disciple Sanctum…]

[Pale moonlight pours down. The cold wind bites to the bone. You stand at the edge of a desolate cliff, beside a faintly glowing Resting Page. Below your feet lies an abyss of immeasurable depth cloaked in shadow.]

[A stone staircase extends from the cliff’s edge into the mist, connecting to a distant castle atop a mountain peak beneath the moon.]

[Barefoot, you step onto the stairs. The jagged stones test your will, while the frigid wind tempers your spirit. With the heart of a pilgrim, you walk toward the sacred land within your soul…]

“Heh! Enough with the theatrics.”

Lin Xun opened the Shell panel and attempted to possess one.[All of your Lower-Tier Seat Passes for the Disciple Sanctum lack sufficient authority. You cannot possess a Shell within the Disciple Sanctum!]

He curled his lip, just as expected.

In the Disciple Sanctum, no one can possess a Shell until they’ve passed the checkpoint.

He waited for the next text prompt to appear.

[At last, with solemn reverence, you finish the Pilgrimage Path and arrive at the mountaintop castle…]

[The towering moonlit spires of the castle stand grand and imposing. At the gate stand two knight statues on either side.]

[Your arrival draws the attention of the knight statues…]

[The Frozen Stone Knights step forward and cross their greatswords before you, blocking your path.]

[After you present your Lower-Tier Seat Pass, they return to their original positions. The castle doors begin to open slowly…]

[A faintly glowing membrane covers the castle gate.]

[Would you like to pass through the light membrane and enter the castle?]

Lin Xun held his breath. He knew the real test was about to begin.

The Lower-Tier Seat Pass served two purposes.

First, to teleport into the Disciple Sanctum.

Second, to pass the guardian knights at the gate.

Even if someone snuck into the Sanctum through unconventional means, without a pass and no Shell to possess, they’d be chopped down by the stone knights while in soul form.

If entering the Disciple Sanctum was the first trial, then the knights at the gate were trial two.

And the membrane at the castle gate was trial three, it scanned the Shells brought in by a soul to verify if they bore the New World’s exclusive brand.

Without the brand, one would still be barred from entry, forced to endure the stone knights’ greatswords in soul form.

Taking a deep breath, he clicked ‘Yes.’

[You step forward onto the stairs and into the castle gate…]

[The membrane ripples like water as you pass through without resistance, entering the grand castle hall.]

Lin Xun let out a quiet sigh of relief, he’d passed the scan. The danger was over.

Apparently, the Engineer Shell, even after being taken over by someone else, still retained its brand imprint.

[You enter the castle’s grand hall, ablaze with lights. One by one, strange and varied Shells appear beside you, walking toward the depths of the hall…]

Now that he had entered the castle, possession of Shells was permitted. He opened the Shell panel and, without hesitation, selected the Earth Giant.

Storming into enemy territory in wandering soul form was just too thrilling.

[You have possessed the Corrupted Earth Giant Shell!]

After some thought, Lin Xun equipped the Phantom of the Night Cloak from the Dancer Shell onto the Earth Giant.

This equipment could conceal a Shell and block detection skills, being cautious never hurt.

[You follow the guidance of the Lower-Tier Seat Pass for the Disciple Sanctum, merging into the procession of Shells as you move deeper into the grand hall…]

[You arrive at Council Chamber No. 13 and step inside…]

[Shadows move among the tiered seating, all facing the elevated podium. Many Shells have already taken their seats. Following the indicator from your Seat Pass, you find your assigned seat.]

[49:12 remaining until the assembly begins…]

[You may speak freely…]

A chat window popped up, complete with an input field.

[Beekeeper]: Lord Talros hasn’t contacted me in ages. Comrades, what’s going on?

[Machine Gunner]: Same here. Has something happened to him?

[Greatshield Guard]: I’ve got something even weirder. I finally found a powerful Shell and was about to switch to it, but the system told me Talros’s brand couldn’t be transferred!

[Beast Tamer]: Wait, what? That’s a thing?

[Horseback Samurai]: Everyone calm down. Since Lord Talros has called us here for a meeting, it means he’s alive and well. Maybe the organization’s been dealing with something behind the scenes.

[Transmitter]: Makes sense!

[Heroic Swordsman]: +1

[Faceless Courier]: +1

[Martial Artist]: +1

These were clearly Talros’s subordinates.

From their messages, it was obvious that ever since Talros died, they’d been left in the dark, receiving no further orders from the New World.

And since Talros’s brand couldn’t transfer Shells, some of them had been stuck and frustrated for quite a while.

Talros himself had been incinerated, utterly obliterated by Lin Xun’s Dragonbreath.

So… who was calling this meeting?

Lin Xun remained silent in the chat, continuing to observe quietly.

The message log didn’t show how many people were in the room. Most likely, only the meeting host had access to participant counts and names.

With over 40 minutes remaining until the meeting began, the high-ranking host had yet to arrive.

Now that the subordinates believed Talros was alive and well, the chat grew even livelier.

But notably, most discussions focused on in-game matters, with very few mentions of the real world.

Clearly, Talros’s sudden disappearance had raised some suspicion among them.

Lin Xun patiently waited for the meeting to start.

Suddenly, a prompt appeared.

[As a holder of a Lower-Tier Seat Pass, you must create a council alias!]

[Please choose from the following codenames…]

[Craftsman, Shadow Assassin, Blood King, Night Watcher]

In the New World, Apostles never added each other as Book Friends. Even high-level members and their subordinates refrained from doing so.

Adding someone meant exposing your soul imprint, which came with dangers far more serious than Lin Xun had previously imagined. So the organization strongly discouraged it.

Even within the Disciple Sanctum, a zone full of insiders. Members still never revealed their soul imprints. Instead, they used codenames to hide their identities.

Lin Xun figured using a new alias was fine. He’d just pretend to be a new subordinate developed by Talros. After all, Talros was well and truly dead.

This fresh recruit angle might even help him fish for information.

He had the Seat Pass and the branded Shell, he wasn’t afraid of being exposed. Worst-case scenario, he’d just lose the Shell.

He casually chose the coolest-sounding option: Blood King.

[You have successfully created the alias Blood King.]

Time slipped by as Lin Xun lurked quietly. Soon, the meeting time arrived.

[Free chat has ended. The official meeting begins…]