Chapter 139: Fear (4/4)

The eerie laughter was punctuated by the shrill sound of fingernails scratching against a chalkboard, a piercing and low-pitched dissonance that felt as if it were tearing directly through the barriers of the human heart.

After nearly six seconds, the sound seemed to slowly recede, leaving only echoes reverberating through the forest.

[Adventurer Midsummer, your saving throw against the fear effect was successful.]

Suddenly, Zhao Xu saw this notification scroll across his interface. Because he did not know the source of the sound, the log did not display the intricacies of the check.

"Feng," Lu called out to Zhao Xu urgently.

Sensing the shift in her tone, Zhao Xu turned around immediately, only to find the mage Ying trembling violently—the intensity of it was far from trivial.

Zhao Xu’s expression changed instantly. If Ying continued in this state, the VR brain-control device’s player protection feature would likely trigger, forcing her to disconnect. Under normal circumstances, even with a failed save, the protection of divine power should have prevented Ying from being so deeply suppressed—especially since the eerie laughter had already vanished.

"She was compromised by the failed save," Lu said quickly, though she had no immediate way to help her companion.

Zhao Xu realized then that the laughter had been the initial wave of the attack. He and Lu had resisted it through their high Will saves, but Ying had failed, falling victim to the fear effect. Zhao Xu recalled that when he had encountered the dragon, he had been subjected to its "Frightful Presence," a supernatural ability. Even though he had not been afraid internally, the negative effects of the failed save had persisted, hampering his ability to cast spells until the duration of the fear expired.

Ying was in the same position; the negative status of the failed save had magnified her already fragile mental state, leaving her in a condition of profound, genuine terror. Most players could recover once the duration passed, but that was not an option for Ying.

"Revival," Lu whispered to Zhao Xu.

Zhao Xu’s eyes narrowed slightly. He hadn’t expected Lu to be so direct about which spell to use. It seemed his own spellcasting had been a bit too conspicuous. The "Lionheart" spell he had cast in the corridor on the eighth floor was an immunity-to-fear spell, but its drawback was its short duration. Since Ying was already paralyzed by fear, a preventative spell would be useless.

"Revival," which Lu suggested, was more of a remedial spell. As an expanded divine spell for clerics and paladins, it was not part of the standard divine repertoire and usually required special circumstances to acquire. Its primary function was to grant the target a second chance at a saving throw after a failure—a lifeline for those whose luck had run out. Given that Ying’s Will save as a mage was naturally high, a second attempt offered a genuine chance at success.

Zhao Xu immediately drew upon the unused spell slots of his Archivist class and, utilizing his "Extraordinary Insight" ability, cast the spell.

Slowly, a pure, restorative energy coalesced in his palm. It was a touch-based spell, requiring physical contact to transfer its effect. Zhao Xu pressed his palm against Ying’s forehead; her skin was already icy cold. She was only managing to remain in a crouched position thanks to Lu’s support.

As the orb of light seeped into Ying’s body, three full seconds passed before she spoke in a weak, raspy voice, sounding like a patient just recovering from a severe illness: "Thank you. I’m fine now."

"Should we call it quits?" Lu asked, bending down slightly.

Zhao Xu leaned in, trying to discern Ying’s complexion. However, the dark red sky, as if stained by a blood moon, provided little light. He felt a sudden urge to cast "Darkwood Eyes" to grant himself darkvision and pierce through this magical gloom, which he assumed was another effect of the Forest of Eerie Whispers.

"I'm alright," Ying said, struggling to stand. She usually projected an image of reliability, and this was the first time she had shown such weakness in front of others. She nodded slightly at Zhao Xu. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me, thank Lu for telling me to use Revival," Zhao Xu said, feeling slightly embarrassed. He had initially fixated on his missed opportunity to cast immunity and had forgotten about the "Revival" spell.

Lu shook her head with a smile. "Actually, it was Ying who squeezed my leg and told me to suggest it the second before she fell into fear."

Zhao Xu was impressed by Ying’s foresight in leaving a distress signal even while succumbing to the trap. Having such a teammate was a blessing.

"I knew you wouldn't remember, so I had to remind you," Ying said, coughing slightly. "But really, thank you. Otherwise, I would have been disconnected."

Zhao Xu accepted her gratitude, though he remarked with a smirk, "If you're really grateful, stop communicating behind my back using your 'Pictionary' gestures. Don't think I didn't hear the rustle of your robes."

Both mages looked embarrassed. After his +4 boost to Listen, Zhao Xu had indeed managed to pick up the sounds of their secret exchange. Ying stubbornly replied, "If you could hear that, why didn't you hear me telling Lu about the Revival?"

Zhao Xu laughed. He knew she wasn't really asking; she was pointing out that he, too, had been psychologically shaken by the laughter, which was why he had missed her initial signal. It was Lu, the other woman, who had caught it.

"Let's move," Zhao Xu said, rising to his feet.

The three began to press forward, analyzing the situation as they went. According to Lu’s deduction, the laughter was a regional sonic attack that swept through the area in waves. They had felt the initial unease because the suppression was occurring elsewhere, and when the wave finally hit their sector, their intense focus had nearly cost them their saves. Had all three failed, it would have been certain death.

Ying noted that the fear effect had a duration of 120 rounds (12 minutes), confirming their suspicion that it was a regional effect—few individual spells or monsters could sustain such a condition for so long. This also meant the sound would likely return in 12 minutes.

They quickened their pace, crossing a thicket of thorns that left their robes tattered despite their "Mage Armor." Before they could even exchange a smile, they were confronted by a vast chasm that had cleaved the ground in two, revealing a bottomless abyss.

They adjusted their unseen servants and approached the edge. The blood-red moon seemed to have been pulled closer, its reflection appearing like a mirror embedded in the ground on the opposite side of the abyss. Zhao Xu kicked a small stone into the depths; hearing no echo, he retreated three meters.

"There’s a stone tablet here," Lu said, crouching nearby.

The tablet was less than half a meter tall, embedded horizontally in the ground and covered in cracks like a spiderweb.

"Only by decoding the tablet’s spell can the bridge to the other side be revealed," Ying read aloud.

The chasm spanned at least a hundred meters. Without wings, crossing it was a daunting task.

"Should we decode it?" Ying suggested, as that was her specialty.

Lu gazed at the abyss and nodded slowly. "Let’s start with that."

Generally, following a designer's clues led directly into their traps. Even if they succeeded in decoding the tablet and summoning a bridge, it was likely that enemies would ambush them mid-crossing. Skipping the puzzle and finding a way to fly was often a more effective strategy for those caught in such a game. However, spells like "Floating Disk" would dissipate if they drifted more than a meter above the ground, making them useless as flying platforms.

As they began to study the mysterious script on the tablet, Ying concluded, "I’m afraid this requires a very high Knowledge (Arcana) skill."

As three of the highest-level players in Arthur, even at their meager level 2, they possessed a rare level 5 in Knowledge (Arcana). If they found it difficult, few others would stand a chance.

"Help! Someone, please help us!"

Suddenly, a cry for help echoed from behind them.

The three turned, their expressions hardening. Three blood-stained figures were running toward them from the Forest of Eerie Whispers—the very same mages who had been sitting across from them at the campfire.