Comprehensive network wizard, magic emperor.

The first boss battle in Chapter 257 dungeon.
Witnessing the paladin being knocked away, the backline teammates immediately recognized the menacing uninvited guest as the Barbarian of the Warrior Path, a player trapped in the dungeon.

"It's her! [Injured knee]!"

Lin Bo listened to the elves' calls behind him and carefully observed the dwarves in front of him.

She wore light, lacquered leather armor studded with spikes, wielded two battle axes the size of human heads, her body was a cursed greyish-white, her cheeks were covered with a thick beard, and the few exposed parts of her face were covered with a layer of flowing black paint.

If the elf hadn't explicitly stated the person's gender, one would never have guessed she was a woman just by looking at her magnificent, exaggerated brown beard and gleaming golden beard ring. Even her battle cry was incredibly deep and powerful, more ferocious than the threatening roar of a brown bear.

The paladin was hit by a bunch of pathogenic rays, his steps became unsteady and weak, and he was suddenly thrown away, flying over the heads of the crowd and crashing into the passageway.

The dwarf's next target was none other than the mage standing in the second row.

"Drink up!" The barbarians of the War Frenzy Path, also known as Axe Fools, like to wear spiked armor. When they run, the spikes gleam coldly, and their bodies are as terrifying as poisonous sea urchins. Such a heavy unit charging at the speed of a vehicle is really hard to resist.

Zhan Kuang raised his double axes above his head, bent his arms to gather strength, like a compressed spring, and when he was four feet away from Lin Bo's body, he pushed off with all his might and slashed out with both axes.

The frosty blade pierced the air silently, leaving only two shimmering white curtains of light, like flowing, unfurled moonlight silk, which fell directly towards the mage's chest and abdomen.

Lin Boping stretched out his left arm, raised his index finger, inserted it into the gap between the two axes, and flicked and pressed his finger on the axe surfaces, producing a clear sound like striking a bell.

A clear dent appeared on the point where the double axes were struck. The powerful force bounced the axes to the sides, causing the barbarian's arm to extend outward as well. The blades ultimately grazed the mage's clothes and fell into the air.

The dwarf was suddenly left wide open, and a hand covered in star steel armor reached out and grabbed her face. Her heavy, sturdy body was abruptly lifted into the air, her charge completely halted, and her torso swayed back and forth like a swing due to inertia.

A flat noise drifted from beneath the mask, and the barbarian, who was about to struggle, instantly lost all strength and ability. His two axes fell from his hands, and his limbs dangled like hanging sausages.

"Another poor soul has fallen into the clutches of the mage brother." The ranger clicked his tongue and shook his head, while helping the fallen paladin to his feet.

"With the Master here, everyone can be saved!" [Frosty Stew Pot] tugged at his braid and stood on tiptoe happily.

Lin Bo put down the unconscious barbarian. A few strands of her beard got stuck in the joints of her gauntlets and were pulled off as he released her. With a tearing sound, half of her sideburns were ripped off, revealing her skin.

"So it was just a fake beard glued on." He immediately realized.

Although Lin Bo had dealt with many dwarf players and was familiar with the race, there are countless dwarf races in the multiverse, with different customs, traditions, and physical characteristics.

Some races of female dwarves grow beards, while others have their husbands shave off their beards as decorations during their wedding celebrations.

This led to a situation where, for a period after their marriage, the beardless member of the dwarf couple was considered the husband, which was quite confusing to outsiders.

He reattached the dwarf's beard as it was, and then whispered the true name of the fire, controlling the flames that were spreading around him.

The paladin squeezed through the line and returned to the front. He poured two bottles of purification potion into his mouth, then gulped down two mouthfuls of wound medicine, and the unnatural poisonous green color on his face quickly faded.

"My lord mage, can you tell what curse [Wounded Knee] is under?"

“Like you, her consciousness is trapped in some object, while her body is occupied by a living spirit that imitates her. Judging from the paint on her face, the cursed object might be a picture book.”

"The forbidden book section is so large, hiding a single book here is truly like finding a leaf in a forest." The elf rubbed his temples.

Just as they were struggling with their problem, a dark green ghost floated out from the corner of the corridor. It was dressed in a leather jacket, a felt hat, and goggles, like a pilot. It was none other than the spirit of the explorer trapped in the forbidden book area.

"Another group of adventurous young people have arrived." The ghost's voice was like a vibrating wind. "You've captured this short, stocky, spiky hound; it seems you want to lift the curse on him?" The elf's eyes lit up. "Indeed. You reside in the Great Archives and have extensive knowledge. What good news have you brought us this time?"

"I can help you, but do you have any money?" The explorer's soul rubbed his fingers together.

The players exchanged bewildered glances, and the halfling asked curiously, "But what use is money to you now that you've become a ghost?"

“My personal hobby is counting money,” the ghost replied seriously.

That's how it works: it can guide players on the right path for free, but if they need extra help, each question will cost money, and it only accepts the banknotes in the background of the instance, because that smell of ink is the most authentic. It doesn't care about any other gold or silver.

Lin Bo did not participate in the conversation. He squatted down beside the unconscious dwarf, pressed his hand on her forehead, and whispered in the language of animism to communicate with the living spirit residing within her body.

As a magical life form attached to the player, the spirit can understand animistic language, but it is not powerful enough to directly vibrate the air and utter mortal language like the explorer's soul.

Fortunately, the emotions and thoughts of a living being cause slight fluctuations in magical energy, which are then captured by the mage and transformed into whispers of animistic celestial language.

Lin Bo commanded it to lead him to the source of the curse, but the creature resisted. So he activated his magical power, transforming his spoken words into an unyielding spell.

The black paint flowing from the female dwarf's face suddenly rose, condensing into an arrow in mid-air, pointing to a shelf deep within the Great Archives.

Lin Bo stood up and called to his teammates, "Let's continue. Follow the guidance, and we'll find the source of the curse."

"Alright!" The group obeyed, ignoring the ghostly explorers begging for money, and continued onward.

The dark green ghost looked bewildered and watched the players walk away in groups. It shrugged and turned into a cloud of green mist, disappearing from sight.

Lin Bo continued to guide them along the way, hovering in the air and peering out from behind the half-giant to observe the road ahead.

All the hidden, trigger-based spell traps were anticipated in advance. The faint or strong scent of magical energy in the air did not lie; it always spoke frankly to the mage, clearly indicating whether there were any malicious traps ahead.

These magical traps come in all shapes and sizes, and can create acid, fireballs, clouds of flying daggers, and even flammable grease and sticky spider webs. They are placed on floors, bookshelves, and wall lamps, and if you accidentally step into or touch them, they can cause a lot of trouble in a confined space.

With the mage's reminder, no one acted rashly, and they smoothly eliminated the wandering spirits along the way. Before long, they arrived at the very center of the maze corridor, where a circular, tiered conference room was located.

The spacious open space and surrounding seating area are reminiscent of the Colosseum.

What awaits the players is a battle. The new boss monster added in the Extreme difficulty, "Hailin's Ghost," was a black magic researcher and the head of the forbidden library, responsible for providing theoretical support for consciousness transfer experiments.

"Wait a minute!" At this moment, the explorer's spirit reappeared. "Don't be in such a hurry, young men and women. What you are facing is a very terrifying demon! It is he who imprisoned my consciousness here forever. If you don't want to end up like me, you'd better be fully prepared."

“You’re too late, sir.” The halfling pointed behind the ghost.

The mage in trench coat and iron armor strolled to the center of the conference hall, turned on the Thunder Lantern at his waist, and ice-blue plasma coiled and swirled around him like living snakes.

One by one, the players passed the explorer's ghost and quickly followed Lin Bo's figure, arriving together at the open space in the center of the conference hall.

As the leader monster let out a low growl, the dusty scrolls in the audience seats suddenly floated up, and translucent, living spirits appeared in the seats, surrounding the living people.

(End of this chapter)