Chapter 235: The Extremely Dangerous Instance Expedition
As Jeremy and his companions ventured into the level 45 instance, Kean and The Son of the Sun emerged in a disheveled state from an instance located in the outskirts of the capital.
Kean had lost all of his equipment, and his right leg was broken.
The Son of the Sun was in somewhat better condition than Kean, yet the expression on his face was one of sheer terror.
Several hours earlier, Kean and The Son of the Sun had entered an instance related to the entity known as "Fool."
Although Kean and his companions had adequately prepared themselves for the possibility of encountering danger, and they had equipped themselves with gear that boasted formidable defensive capabilities.
They still underestimated the difficulty of the instance.
The moment they re-entered the instance, they realized that they had significantly underestimated the power possessed by the entity known as "Fool."
As Kean and his party stepped into the instance, the entrance suddenly vanished from sight.
At first, Kean, The Son of the Sun, and The Person in the Mirror managed to maintain their composure.
However, as they ventured deeper into the instance, they began to grow increasingly anxious.
Naturally, the first to exhibit signs of distress was The Person in the Mirror.
Although the two individuals accompanying Kean and The Son of the Sun were exceptionally powerful.
Within the ranks of The Person in the Mirror, their overall strength still paled in comparison to that of Kean and The Son of the Sun.
Merely half an hour after entering the instance, one of the individuals from The Person in the Mirror began to experience hallucinations.
Meanwhile, the other member of The Person in the Mirror was grotesquely twisted into an indescribable monster by the transformative power wielded by "Fool."
Kean and The Son of the Sun spent a considerable amount of time before they ultimately managed to eliminate the monster that had once been a member of The Person in the Mirror.
Yet, upon vanquishing the creature, the hallucinating member of The Person in the Mirror astonishingly transformed into the likeness of Kean.
The sudden appearance of two Keans plunged The Son of the Sun into a state of utter chaos and confusion.
Although The Son of the Sun had been fighting alongside the real Kean, the harrowing events they had just experienced had instilled within him a profound sense of vigilance.
In an instinctive reaction, The Son of the Sun immediately distanced himself from the two Keans.
The real Kean did not reproach The Son of the Sun, for he understood that his companion's response was, in fact, the most rational course of action.
What the true Kean needed to do was to launch a direct attack on the false Kean.
After all, the false Kean was merely a transformation of a member of The Person in the Mirror, thus, its strength could not possibly rival that of the genuine Kean.
However, when the true Kean struck, he was shocked to discover that the false Kean possessed strength that was equal to his own!
In the midst of the turmoil, the real Kean was severely injured by the false Kean.
Meanwhile, The Son of the Sun, who had been observing from the sidelines, gradually began to comprehend certain truths.
During the fierce struggle between the two Keans, The Son of the Sun produced a mirror. Under the reflection of the mirror, the false Kean immediately revealed its true form.
"Stop wasting time! Engaging in battle with him is utterly meaningless for us! Let us hasten deeper into the instance!"
After discerning who the true Kean was, The Son of the Sun called out directly to him.
Though the real Kean was still unclear about the circumstances, he chose to heed The Son of the Sun's counsel.
After all, as a descendant of the entity known as "the Sun." The Son of the Sun possessed far more knowledge than Kean, who was merely a human.
Guided by The Son of the Sun, Kean swiftly reached the innermost depths of the instance.
Indeed, in the deepest part of the instance, they beheld a statue of Fool.
Beneath the Fool statue lay a near-transparent mask, which floated in mid-air, radiating a peculiar energy all around.
This transparent mask was, in fact, the treasure that The Son of the Sun had sought in this endeavor.
However, The Son of the Sun did not retrieve the transparent mask himself.
Instead, he instructed Kean to take the mask.
Initially, Kean approached the task with great caution, yet as time passed, he felt his condition deteriorating rapidly.
A multitude of strange thoughts suddenly surged into Kean's mind.
He found himself unable to suppress these bizarre thoughts, and he felt as if he were on the brink of insanity.
Just when Kean was about to lose his grip on reason, The Son of the Sun ultimately decided to intervene personally.
The Son of the Sun indeed obtained the near-transparent mask located beneath the statue of Fool.
However, the instant The Son of the Sun grasped the translucent mask, the entire instance underwent a dramatic transformation.
Before them, the statue of Fool abruptly morphed into an extraordinarily high-level monster.
This creature's level undoubtedly exceeded 60, for when Kean and The Son of the Sun beheld this formidable beast, they found themselves unable to discern any specific information regarding it.
Upon witnessing the emergence of such a high-level monster, The Son of the Sun immediately made a decisive call.
"We have acquired what we sought! Do not waste another moment—let us flee from this place!" After uttering these words, The Son of the Sun charged toward the exit of the instance.
Although the exit had vanished from sight, The Son of the Sun still remembered the path they had taken to retreat.
Kean struggled to keep pace with The Son of the Sun as they made their escape.
Naturally, the monstrous creature behind them would not allow them to flee without a fight.
During their frantic flight, Kean and The Son of the Sun expended all the equipment and resources at their disposal.
As they approached the entrance of the instance, the exceptionally powerful monster was already alarmingly close behind them.
Ultimately, it was The Son of the Sun who unleashed all of his strength, enabling both him and Kean to narrowly escape the instance.
Although both of them were in a dire state, their spirits remained surprisingly buoyant.
In a weakened tone, The Son of the Sun remarked, "Though our adventure in this instance was exceedingly perilous, we ultimately succeeded in achieving our objective."
"After obtaining this mask, we can proceed to the next step of the ritual. We can initiate the preliminary resurrection of the great Sun."
While The Son of the Sun spoke, Kean fixated intently on the near-transparent mask in his hand.
Kean could sense the immense power emanating from the translucent mask, yet he remained oblivious to the nature of that formidable force. Furthermore, he had no understanding of how The Son of the Sun intended to utilize the mask to resurrect the Sun.
"What exactly is the purpose of this mask? Is the power contained within it capable of resurrecting the creator of the apocalypse game?"
After pondering for a moment, Kean posed his question to The Son of the Sun.
Under the radiant light of the sun, The Son of the Sun had already regained some of his strength.
Thus, he was able to respond to Kean's inquiry.
"The power inherent in the mask is certainly not sufficient to resurrect the creator of the apocalypse game. However, this translucent mask possesses the ability to distort all rules.
This implies that during the ritual, we can transform what would otherwise be insufficient power into adequate power. In doing so, we will successfully resurrect the great Sun."
The Son of the Sun unveiled his plan.
He was not concerned that Kean might suddenly have a change of heart and launch an attack against him.
For he was in a significantly better state than Kean at that moment.
Even if Kean were to attempt an assault, he was confident in his ability to swiftly overpower him.
Once he had nearly fully recovered, The Son of the Sun chose to transform into a beam of light and departed.
Before leaving, The Son of the Sun bestowed a piece of equipment upon Kean.
"You have indeed provided me with some assistance this time, so I must reward you accordingly. This piece of equipment, while not exceedingly rare, will be of great benefit to you."
The equipment left for Kean was a cloak capable of concealing one's identity.
As soon as Kean donned this cloak, he would be able to masquerade as anyone he wished to become.
Although the duration of the disguise was not particularly long, and it would completely fail if any flaws were detected by others, this item remained highly useful for Kean.
Upon seeing the disguise cloak, a faint smile finally graced Kean's face.
"Though I have sustained severe injuries, and all my equipment has been discarded, acquiring this cloak makes those losses seem trivial."
Kean carefully stored the disguise cloak away.
After confirming that he had regained enough strength to continue moving, he returned to his villa on the outskirts of the capital.
As he arrived, the butler, Farmer, happened to return to the villa as well.
Upon seeing Kean's condition, butler Farmer was taken aback and asked in a concerned tone, "Young master, what has happened to you? Why are you covered in so many wounds? Did you just come from a very dangerous place?"
In response to butler Farmer's inquiries, Kean offered no reply.
He simply shook his head silently.
Butler Farmer was at a loss for what to do, he could only escort Kean to his bedroom for the time being.
"Young master, I believe your condition is quite dire. Therefore, I must report this matter to the higher-ups of the Lannisters. Only then can we ensure that a doctor is dispatched to provide you with treatment."
Kean did not oppose butler Farmer's suggestion, he quietly nodded. Then he waved his hand, signaling for him to leave the room.
After exiting Kean's bedroom, butler Farmer immediately dialed his uncle's phone number.
He felt certain that there were deeper secrets underlying this situation. It had escalated beyond what he could handle alone.