"Corpse?" Su Xuan stared at the trait floating over the dried-up corpse, a wave of confusion washing over him.

He didn’t quite understand why [Corpse] would be a Rare Trait. [White Rose and Oath Knight] was also just a Rare Trait, and [Elf] was only a General Trait. On what grounds could [Corpse] be ranked alongside them?

But if he wanted to figure out why, he had to get his hands on that corpse first.

"Ivsha, is there any way to destroy those crystal balls?" Su Xuan asked Ivsha. If the Magic Array lost its source of Magic Power, it would naturally fail. And those crystal balls were precisely that source of stored Magic Power.

Besides, judging by the surrounding signs, these crystal balls had been here for many years.

"Of course," Ivsha nodded, then added, "but the crystal balls seem to have some kind of ward on them. Triggering it could cause a massive explosion."

"Don’t worry, I can find where the wards are."

A faint golden light flickered in Su Xuan’s left eye. Since it was a mark placed by a Witch, his Demon Eye could naturally perceive the faint Magic Power within the crystal balls.

After a quick scan, he used his own faint Magic Power to mark the warded crystal balls.

Then, he told Ivsha, "Leave the ones I marked alone. Destroy all the others."

"Understood!" Ivsha immediately followed Su Xuan’s command. She cast Divine Magic, summoning several Light Sabers that easily destroyed the unmarked crystal balls.

The moment the crystal balls shattered, the light of the Magic Array immediately dimmed.

Having lost the protection of the others, the marked crystal balls also began to fall one after another, shattering on the ground.

"Is it dispelled now?" Alice asked curiously.

"Not yet." Su Xuan shook his head, his gaze fixed grimly on the corpse within the Magic Array.

Information from the corpse began to appear in his vision.

[Corpse of Unknown Identity (?)]

Level: 25 (0/7500)

Race: Unknown

Power: 300 / Agility: 300 / Magic Power: 300 / Physique: 300

Growth: ? (Gain ? All Attributes per Level)

Skills: (Expand)

Trait: [Corpse] (Obtain this trait after killing it)

"Ivsha, attack that corpse with Divine Magic," Su Xuan quickly ordered.

"As you command~"

Ivsha immediately began to chant. In an instant, the light of her Divine Magic gathered into the shape of a rose and plummeted toward the unknown corpse.

"ROAR!"

Enveloped in the light of the Divine Magic, the corpse let out a series of deep roars.

Due to the suppressive effect of Divine Magic, the corpse turned to ash in just a few seconds. At the same time, a notification popped up in Su Xuan’s vision.

[Obtained Rare Trait—Corpse!]

[Corpse]: This is a submissive corpse. It seeks no reward, and a trace of warmth still remains within its body. (If a suitable soul or material is found, it can perform a Fusion with it.)

’This trait is so bizarre...’

After reading the description for the [Corpse] trait, Su Xuan stood frozen on the spot.

’And what exactly did this so-called "Fusion" mean?’

’Like a Magic Card?’

’At the very least, he would absolutely never consider combining the [Corpse] trait with the [Saintess] trait.’

’A warm Saintess corpse... What use would he have for that?’

’He didn’t even dare to think about it.’

"The mission’s complete. Let’s head back."

Su Xuan said to Ivsha and Alice, preparing to activate the Teleportation Array to return to the Guild.

However, just at that moment, he noticed something.

’What’s this?’

Filled with doubt, Su Xuan walked over to where the corpse had been annihilated by the Divine Light.

The corpse had turned into a pile of black dust, but amidst the powder, he could faintly see a blue light flickering.

Su Xuan carefully reached out and touched the glittering object. When he picked it up, a brilliant Crystal Stone met his eyes. This Crystal Stone was like the heart of the purest glacier, emitting a Blue Crystal light.

’This is...’

[Ice Crystal (Elite): A Magic Crystal originating from the Icefield Witch, containing a bone-chillingly cold aura.]

’Could that corpse have belonged to the Icefield Witch? No, that’s impossible.’

Su Xuan immediately dismissed the thought. The Icefield Witch, a powerful Witch capable of freezing an entire nation, how could she have died here?

Besides, that corpse was only Level 25; it couldn’t possibly have been the Icefield Witch.

It was more likely that an Apostle of the Icefield Witch was using her power here to conduct some kind of ritual.

’Are there an unusual number of Witches in this world?’

An idea suddenly struck Su Xuan. He had already encountered far too many.

’The Moonlight Witch, the Night Witch, the Icefield Witch... And every single one of them was absurdly powerful. This game might be more aptly named "Era of the Witch."’

Lost in thought, Su Xuan placed the Ice Crystal into his inventory and left with Ivsha and Alice.

They had other missions to complete and couldn’t afford to linger.

「Two hours later.」

Su Xuan returned to the Guild covered in dust and sand. They had encountered a sandstorm during their mission, and though it was a success, they were now filthy.

’I need to wash up, fast!’

Su Xuan rushed toward the bathroom, and Ivsha, seeing him, followed close behind.

’Bathing together is her favorite~’

Alice watched them enter the bathroom and, filled with curiosity, followed them inside.

’Bathing the master is also part of a Maid’s duties!’

After the bath, Su Xuan emerged from the bathroom looking exhausted, a weary expression on his face. Ivsha, in contrast, was all smiles. The Demon Pattern on her lower abdomen shimmered faintly, as if whispering of her joy and satisfaction.

Alice also did a joyful twirl. Her beautiful Maid dress sparkled with a crystalline light, and her White Silk stockings were immaculately white and brilliant. ’Master washed my body so thoroughly!’

"Rosaline and the others aren’t back yet?"

Su Xuan noticed that Rosaline and the Elf Sisters had not yet returned to the Guild. He was a little worried, but he had full confidence in Rosaline’s leadership. ’Her team should be fine.’

As he was thinking, he immediately pulled up the light screen.

The moment it appeared, Su Xuan saw Rosaline battling a fanged Demon.

’A Demon?’

Su Xuan frowned slightly. He recalled that their mission had nothing to do with Demons. ’So why did they run into one?’

Just as he was pondering this, Rosaline, on the screen, swung her gleaming Oath Sword.

Immediately after, a golden Power of Oath poured down like a pillar of light, completely annihilating the Demon’s body.

"Awesome!" Su Xuan couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

’That Demon was at least Level 30, but it stood no chance against Rosaline.’

After dealing with the Demon, Rosaline and the Elf Sisters immediately returned to the Guild.

"What was with that Demon?" Su Xuan asked them immediately.

"We’re not sure either! The original mission target was an Evil Cultist, but after he gouged out his own eyes, he suddenly turned into a Demon!" Beiya Fuli eagerly explained.

"Yeah!" Flora nodded, adding, "If Senior Rosaline hadn’t been there, we would have been in serious trouble!"

Facing the panicked Elf Sisters, Rosaline appeared very calm.

She stated succinctly, "The Evil Cultist must have recently formed some connection to a Demon. The quest information wasn’t updated, so the difficulty suddenly increased."

’So that’s what happened...’

Su Xuan frowned slightly. Quests certainly had many uncertainties. The description was finalized days ago, but either the client didn’t update it, or perhaps they didn’t know the full situation themselves. This could result in the quest’s difficulty being far greater than described.

"By the way, something dropped after we killed the Evil Cultist."

At that, Rosaline handed a stone tablet to Su Xuan.

"?"

Su Xuan took the stone tablet from Rosaline, confused. His expression turned grim the moment he examined the carving on it.

’The pattern carved on the tablet... was an image of Ivsha?’

’No!’

Su Xuan’s eyes narrowed. He noticed some subtle differences and realized it wasn’t Ivsha. It was Edith!