novelraw Chapter 185-1: Spirit of the Stars, the Dread Stinger Serpent (1)
Chapter 185-1: Spirit of the Stars, the Dread Stinger Serpent (1)
[Ring of the Radiant Stars (Special Equipment):… While wearing this equipment, you will attract the attention of the Oath of the Radiant Stars faction. There is a certain chance you may be summoned by creatures of this faction, or they may descend directly upon you.]
Lin Xun stared at the item in his inventory, his gaze wavering.
If he were an Apostle of the Radiant Stars Oath, the Ring of the Radiant Stars would be an artifact for summoning elite allies or powerful bosses.
But for him right now, using this special equipment could very well summon a boss-tier monster, and that wasn’t even the main concern.
The main concern was that it would draw the attention of the Radiant Stars themselves.
If he failed to summon a Radiant Stars creature and instead got summoned to one of their faction’s overlords, it would be instant death with no escape.
“To use or not to use… that is the question…”
While he hesitated, Lin Xun suddenly thought of something: if using the Ring of the Radiant Stars were truly a suicidal move, then the Omniscient True Knowledge would dispatch the Beast of Disordered Knowledge to correct him.
“It’s good to have a big boss backing me up, let’s give it a try!”
He clicked the Ring of the Radiant Stars and watched the equipment prompt appear.Lin Xun silently waited for the system text.
After a long while, the expected Beast of Disordered Knowledge did not appear.
“So that means I can equip it directly?”
[You have equipped the special item Ring of the Radiant Stars!]
[The gem inlaid in the ring erupts with dazzling starlight.]
[A majestic illusion of a star river surges forth from the gem, countless stars orbiting around you in glittering brilliance.]
[You are subjected to the gaze of distant stars… The gaze is blocked by an unknown force!]
[Summoning a creature of the Radiant Stars Oath faction!]
[Summoning…]
Lin Xun watched the scrolling text, and in his heart, he understood: in the instant he equipped the ring, a hidden struggle had unfolded among gods.
From the current outcome, it was clear that the Omniscient True Knowledge had prevailed.
Lin Xun didn’t dare let his guard down. He stayed right beside the Resting Page in the hall.
If anything went wrong, he’d teleport away at once.
[Summoning…]
[A pale green starlight formation appears in the hall, and a bizarre figure slowly manifests.]
[The creature is not large, but its form is indescribably grotesque and terrifying.]
[A serpentine body clad in black bony plates speckled with stars, its twisted barbed armor sprouting in jagged spines, its scythe-like forelimbs and enormous fangs protruding from an extended lower jaw, all proclaimed its horrifying strength.]
[You have discovered the Spirit of the Stars – Dread Stinger Serpent!]
[The moment you see the Dread Stinger Serpent’s form, chills race down your spine. You are overwhelmed by dizziness as a torrent of disordered knowledge floods into your soul.]
[You have acquired knowledge. Your Knowledge increases by 2,500! Current Knowledge: 4,601/15,200]
From the earlier text, the Spirits of the Stars appeared to be the true designation for starborn creatures.
Back at the bottom of Shamara’s Astrologer Tower, he had once summoned a feeble starborn called the Starhorn Rhinogold, but it hadn’t carried the ‘Spirit of the Stars’ title. Judging by the naming, this time he had likely summoned a boss-tier monster.
While the creature was still materializing, Lin Xun quickly began his preparations.
[You possess the Shell of the Corrupted Theater Dancer!]
[You open your single dim eye and take a lithe step…]
[The hall is filled with starlight. Your Shell skill Bloodshadow Step is boosted by Dim Shadow, but in this environment, the stealth effect only increases slightly.]
“Damn!”
Lin Xun’s original plan was to summon the monster and then conceal himself.
Since the creature wouldn’t find a target to attack, it couldn’t just stand still forever and get stuck in the maze.
He would be able to remain hidden and quietly follow it.
Once he reached the end of the maze, he could simply kill the monster.
But he had overlooked that in the brightly lit Star-Chasing Corridor, the Dim Shadow effect would be drastically weakened.
“You can’t see me… you can’t see me…”
Lin Xun could only pray silently that the monster being summoned did not have the ability to pierce stealth.
[Summon successful!]
[The starlight formation vanishes. The Ring of the Radiant Stars on your finger dims…]
[The aberrant creature writhes its serpentine body. The two vicious eyes set in its head sweep around the hall.]
[The Dread Stinger Serpent seems to sense something. It slithers toward you, its scythe-like limbs reflecting a cold gleam in the starlight. Viscous saliva drips from its fangs.]
[When the saliva hits the floor, it sizzles with smoke, corroding the ground that had withstood your strongest attacks into pitted craters.]
[The engraved stars on the floor flash, and in an instant, the damaged surface is restored to flawless smoothness.]
[Your entire body tenses. As the Dread Stinger Serpent draws near, do you remain hidden, or do you launch a preemptive attack?]
Lin Xun’s goal wasn’t to kill a boss and farm loot.
The monster before him didn’t look invincible, at least, it wasn’t the kind of creature you knew at a glance you could never defeat.
But if he attacked, it would waste the opportunity the summoned creature provided.
And if the next summon ended up calling forth some super boss, that would be a cruel joke.
Moreover, Lin Xun had noticed that when the summoning succeeded, the text read: [The Ring of the Radiant Stars on your finger dims]
That gave him a bad premonition.
[You remain hidden beside the Resting Page behind the statue of the Radiant Stars…]
[The Dread Stinger Serpent slowly approaches. You can already smell the pungent stench rolling off its body.]
[It slithers to the front of the Radiant Stars statue, lowers its raised torso, and begins emitting a constant hissing sound as if worshipping the god statue.]
[You let out a long sigh of relief, realizing the Dread Stinger Serpent hadn’t discovered you, it had simply approached the statue in front of you.]
Lin Xun also relaxed.
Silently, he resolved that after exploring this map, he would go back to Bennett and finally remove the stealth penalty from the eyeball.
[You continue observing quietly. The Dread Stinger Serpent bows before the statue in worship for a long while, then finally rises…]
[It looks toward the corridor at the far end of the hall and begins to slither forward.]
[The Dread Stinger Serpent glides toward the corridor…]
[Do you want to stay here or follow behind it?]
[You step forward noiselessly and follow the Dread Stinger Serpent…]
[It doesn’t appear to notice you trailing close behind and moves straight into the middle corridor.]
[Then it proceeds to pick the middle passage at every fork, and after three branches, you see an oval teleportation gate at the corridor’s end.]
[To your surprise, the portal is no longer a pitch-black void, through it you can faintly glimpse a magnificent hall shrouded in starlight.]
[The Dread Stinger Serpent slides right into the portal and vanishes.]
[Do you wish to enter the teleportation gate?]
Lin Xun’s mouth twitched.