NOVEL WEB Chapter 17: The Heart Of The Tomb
Next Mission Preview: The Heart of the Tomb
✓Bae Kae and Jian Mu navigate deadly traps and ancient puzzles.
✓The truth behind the relic's power is revealed.
✓Kai-Hoon's assassins infiltrate the tomb—leading to a deadly three-way battle.
☰ New Gameplay Unlocks:
✔ Trap Mastery System: Disarm or rewire ancient traps for strategic advantage.
✔ Stealth vs. Combat Choices: Avoid enemies or face them head-on.
✔ Secret Lore Discoveries: Hidden writings that change the perception of the empire's history.
Opening Cutscene: The Power That Should Not Be Unleashed
The air in the tomb thickened, a presence coiling through the stone like an unseen serpent. The battle with the Jade Sentinel had only been the beginning. Something ancient stirred deeper within.
Jian Mu stepped ahead of me, running a hand along the newly revealed stone carvings. "This isn't just a tomb," he murmured, his voice with the hints of seriousness. "It's a prison."
☰ Mission Update: The True Nature of the Emperor's Relic
✔ Find the Counter-Artifact before Kai-Hoon's forces arrive.
✔ Uncover the Tomb's Hidden Truth—What was the Emperor hiding?
✔ Beware: The Cursed Relic's Guardian Has Awakened.
A sudden rumble shook the chamber, and a deep growl vibrated through the walls.
We were no longer alone.
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New Faction Introduction – The Silent Wraiths
The shadows near the broken Jade Sentinel rippled, and from the darkness emerged a group clad in tattered, silver-threaded robes. Their masks bore no mouths, only empty eyes that glowed faintly.
☰ New Enemy Faction: The Silent Wraiths
✔ An ancient order once loyal to the Emperor, now cursed to roam the tomb for eternity.
✔ Stealth Killers – Move without sound and attack in shadows.
✔ Immune to normal weapons – Only enchanted relics or forbidden techniques can harm them.
Jian Mu swore under his breath. "Wraiths. This just keeps getting worse."
☰ Choice:
✔ Attempt to communicate – Uncover lost knowledge about the Emperor's past. (Risk of possession.)
✔ Fight them head-on – Discover their weaknesses in battle. (High difficulty fight.)
✔ Evade and use the tomb's traps to eliminate them. (Requires knowledge of the tomb's layout.)
I chose to evade, and use the tomb's traps.
I grabbed Jian Mu's wrist, and yanked him backward just as one of the Wraiths passes through the stone wall, its dagger slicing the air where his throat had been. "No time for heroics—run."
We darted down a corridor lined with pressure plates, and hidden spear traps. I remembered the layout from the carvings earlier. If the Wraiths were immune to weapons, they were not immune to the tomb itself.
☰ Gameplay Mechanic: Using Ancient Traps Against Enemies
✔ Lure Wraiths into spear traps.
✔ Collapse tunnels behind you to seal their pursuit.
✔ Use the tomb's shifting walls to trap them permanently.
Jian Mu, and I moved swiftly, triggering mechanisms as we passed. Stone doors slammed shut behind us, sealing the Wraiths in. But I knew it was only temporary.
"These things don't die," Jian Mu muttered. "Whatever relic we're looking for, it must be the reason they're still here."
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The Cursed Relic – The Emperor's Forbidden Seal
At the heart of the chamber lay an altar covered in black silk. Upon it rested an obsidian talisman, its surface cover with pulsating blood like veins. The closer we got, the heavier the air became.
☰ New Relic Discovered: The Emperor's Forbidden Seal
✔ An artifact meant to contain something—not wield power.
✔ Whoever unlocks it risks unleashing the Emperor's true secret.
✔ Tied to a hidden boss that has not been awakened for centuries.
Jian Mu quickly reached for it, but I grabbed his wrist. "Don't."
☰ Choice:
✔ Break the seal – Unleash the true force hidden in the tomb. (Triggers a hidden boss battle.)
✔ Take the seal without breaking it – Study it first. (Delays consequences but risks corruption.)
✔ Destroy it immediately – Prevent anyone from using it. (Unknown consequences.)
I chose to take the seal without breaking it.
The moment I lifted it, the entire tomb shook violently. Jian Mu cursed. "You just HAD to touch it."
☰ Mission Update: Survive the Emperor's Awakening
✔ Escape the collapsing chamber.
✔ Defeat the hidden boss before it fully revives.
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Hidden Boss Fight – The Emperor's Cursed Shade
☰ Boss Encounter: The Emperor's Cursed Shade
✔ A half-formed specter of the Emperor, twisted by centuries of imprisonment.
✔ Able to manipulate the tomb's structure at will.
✔ Grows stronger the longer the fight lasts.
The very walls of the tomb trembled, and spectral shaped hands clawed out of the darkness. A voice, deep and ancient, whispered through the chamber.
"You… would steal from my grave? Foolish child."
A gigantic spectral shaped figure emerged, half-formed, its skeletal face twisted in rage. It lashed out, the sheer force of its will sending a shockwave through the tomb.
☰ Combat Mechanics:
✔ Phase Shift – The Emperor disappears and reappears unpredictably.
✔ Tomb Manipulation – The battlefield shifts as stone slabs rise and fall.
✔ Sealing Ritual – Find hidden inscriptions to weaken him.
Jian Mu, and I dodged the first attack, narrowly avoiding being crushed by falling debris. "You got a plan?" he shouted.
☰ Choice:
✔ Fight the Emperor head-on – Risky but decisive.
✔ Use the tomb's ancient seals to bind him. (Requires locating and activating seals.)
✔ Flee and lure him into the remaining traps. (Extended chase sequence.)
I chose to locate, and activate the tomb's ancient seals.
Jian Mu, and I split up, darting through the crumbling ruins. Carvings along the walls glowed faintly—I traced my fingers across them, activating the first seal. The Emperor shrieked as golden chains springs out from the ground. One down. Two more to go.
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Rival Faction Alert – Kai-Hoon's Elite Assassins Arrive
Just as I reached for the second seal, a sharp whistle cut through the air. I barely dodged in time as a dagger sliced past my face, and struck itself in the stone wall.
☰ New Enemy Faction: The Blood Vultures – Kai-Hoon's Elite Assassins
✔ Sent to kill Bae Kae, and claim the relic for Kai-Hoon.
✔ Highly skilled in dual-wielding, and shadow movement.
✔ Capable of fighting even supernatural beings.
The lead assassin smirked, spinning twin curved blades in his hands. "Seems we arrived just in time."
Jian Mu gritted his teeth. "Tell me we're not fighting the Emperor, AND these guys at the same time."
☰ Mission Update: Survive the Three-Way Battle
✔ Defeat or escape the assassins while binding the Emperor's shade.