novelraw Chapter 57: The Invisibility Skill
Chapter 57: The Invisibility Skill
[Do you wish to possess this shell?]
Lin Xun was moved to tears. Not only had the dancer given him all its possessions—it had even handed over its body.
Without hesitation, he clicked “Yes.”
[Your Shell Slots are full (5/5). Please discard one shell to proceed.]
“……”
Left with no choice, Lin Xun discarded the Corrupted Blood Sun Cultist shell he had been saving as a disposable suicide bomb.
[You have possessed the Corrupted Theater Dancer shell.]
He immediately opened the Shell Panel.
[Shell – Corrupted Theater Dancer]
[True Name: Unknown][Compatibility: 91% (+35%)]
[Shell Quality: Fine+ Grade]
[Shell Level: 14]
[Shell Equipment: Ornate Performance Costume (Fine Grade) – Modified from an assassin’s night outfit, now adorned with radiant gemstones and gold-thread embroidery. Provides negligible defense, but greatly enhances agility and grace.]
[Shell Skill: Bloodshadow Step (Rare Grade) – A fusion of an elusive assassins movement and graceful dance steps. Activating this skill will render you temporarily invisible. Invisibility ends upon attacking.]
Lin Xun stroked his chin thoughtfully. The dancer’s shell wasn’t bad at all. The outfit lightened the body, and the skill allowed for invisibility and surprise attacks—or a clean escape.
A hybrid shell perfect for ambushing and fleeing.
[You leap down from the stands onto the open-air stage and spot a large archway in the stone wall dividing the stage and audience. It appears to lead to a small underground catacomb beneath the stage.]
[The ancient theater, having been converted into a blood-soaked arena, likely hosted gladiator and beast fights. There may still be gladiators and ferocious beasts lurking in the catacombs.]
[Do you wish to enter the catacombs?]
Lin Xun didn’t enter right away. Instead, he returned to the chapel’s Resting Page.
After refreshing the area, he made a beeline back to the ancient theater.
Switching back to the Yellow-Robed Bishop shell, he used Corrupt Sunlight once again to incinerate the audience for a third time.
Only after clearing out the spectators did Lin Xun descend into the underground catacombs.
[You pass through the archway, descending a staircase dimly lit by flickering torches.]
[At the end of the stairs, you push open a massive iron gate and enter the Catacombs of the Ancient Theater.]
[The space ahead is vast and brightly lit. On both sides of the catacombs are a dozen dilapidated living quarters. In the center sit numerous massive iron cages covered by black cloth.]
[Will you explore the living quarters first, or examine the giant cages?]
Just from the game text, Lin Xun deduced the living quarters likely housed gladiators, while the cages had held ferocious beasts.
If he fought the beasts first, the “humans” in the living quarters might be alerted.
But if he dealt with the people first, the caged beasts couldn’t exactly break free on their own.
Decision made, Lin Xun switched to the Corrupted Theater Dancer shell and proceeded to investigate the living quarters.
He opened the Shell Panel and activated Bloodshadow Step.
[You used Bloodshadow Step. With graceful movement, your shell fades from view.]
[You are now invisible. This status will end after a certain duration or if you launch an attack.]
[Your ornate performance costume lightens your step, making your movements fluid and silent.]
[You tread softly into the first living quarter.]
[The room reeks of decay. A broken wooden board serves as a makeshift bed, stained with dark, dried blood.]
[You search the room and find several tufts of dull yellow bristles.]
[You have obtained Dull Yellow Bristle (Junk).]
Lin Xun raised an eyebrow and opened his inventory.
[Dull Yellow Bristle (Junk): Bristle shed from an unknown creature. The dull yellow strands are unusually long—almost the height of a standard shell.]
He continued combing through the living quarters, but found no enemies—only more bristles.
The invisibility had long since expired, but Lin Xun remained cautious and reactivated the skill.
[You walk to the center of the catacombs. Each iron cage is covered by a heavy black cloth.]
[Do you wish to remove the cloth?]
[You lift the cloth to reveal that the cage’s iron bars have been torn open. The beast inside is gone, and the cage is stained with blood and flesh.]
[You examine the torn bars carefully and find massive claw marks that slash inward. Even these reinforced cages couldn’t contain the creature for long.]
[Do you wish to uncover the next cage?]
[You lift the cloth and find the same result—no beast, only carnage.]
[Just as confusion begins to set in, you hear heavy breathing and a low, guttural growl from behind.]
[You whirl around. At some point, a massive three-headed lion appeared behind you.]
[Each of its three beastly heads snarls in different tones. Its body towers almost to the vaulted ceiling of the catacombs. Its mane is a mass of long, dull yellow bristles.]
[The Corrupted Three-Headed Lion stares past you at the uncovered cage, seemingly unaware of your invisible presence.]
Fortunately, Lin Xun had remained in stealth. Otherwise, he’d probably be a corpse already.
This cursed game had hidden traps and instant-death flags everywhere—one wrong move and you’d be food.
[Lucky Apostle, what will you do?]
[1. Reveal yourself and perform a dazzling dance, hoping to charm the lion into letting out a roar of admiration.]
[2. Leave silently, just as you arrived—without disturbing a single speck of dust.]
[3. While the lion remains unaware, strike first and plunge your jointed limbs into its head.]
Lin Xun examined the choices.
Option 1 was pure suicide. Option 2 was retreat. Option 3 was an ambush.
Following logic, he reached to click Option 3… but stopped mid-press.
“Whew—close call. Almost got played by the game again.”
He realized something: the lion had three heads.
Even if he managed to take out one, the other two would be more than enough to shred a fragile assassin or mage shell.
He decisively picked Option 2 to retreat. His invisibility was also about to expire.
[You carefully sneak around the Corrupted Three-Headed Lion and cautiously exit the catacombs.]
[You have returned to the open-air stage of the Ancient Theater.]
The new invisibility skill was outstanding. The boss didn’t notice him at all, and the escape went smoothly.
Lin Xun put his phone down and rubbed his forehead.
The Yellow-Robed Bishop’s laser cannon was powerful—but the shell was way too squishy. Not even the Tainted Essence Sunflower Seed could change that.
It could handle mobs just fine, but against bosses, all it took was one slightly serious swipe to send him packing.
With a boss that attacked in melee range, it would be a coin toss—Corrupt Sunlight might kill it… or it might kill him.
He opened his inventory and stared blankly at the Boiling Subspecies Dragon Blood Essence.
It was incredibly rare—using it here would be such a waste.
If push came to shove, he figured it would be better to reshape the Engineer shell and “cheese” his way through.
Just then, the bedroom door quietly opened.
Lu Caiyi walked straight over and sat beside him.
She gave him a subtle look, then lifted his hand and placed it on her soft shoulder, snuggling into his arms without a word.
Her teeth bit gently at her lip to keep the blush from rising too fast to her cheeks.
Lin Xun’s pupils contracted sharply—his expression changed instantly.
Could it be…
At that moment, he heard faint footsteps outside in the courtyard.
The New World had arrived!