Death Notice Book 8: Chapter 1: Elbad

Release Date: 2026-05-22 04:22:48

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“Apostle 70053, you have entered the Toril World. Team Guidance Mission ‘Magic Cup Court’ triggered.”

“Magic Cup Court (Corporal Rank): Follow the team into the Qiongda’er Forest and find the Saeopiya Elves’ Magic Cup Court. Accept an official mission from the Saeopiya Elves as a mercenary group.”

“Hint: The Elven Royal Court contains several main plotlines and important branching histories. As a temporary Silver Team, ‘Fortress’ needs a mission at or above the Major Rank with a World Exploration Degree exceeding 0.21% to become a main plotline.”

“Hint: Due to the great upheaval among the Qiongda’er Elves, the Elven Royal Court hasn’t hired just one mercenary group. The sooner you find the Elven Royal Court, the more Plot Mission choices you’ll have. If the task exceeds ten days, the Guidance Mission will fail, and the main plotlines of the Qiongda’er Forest will no longer be accessible!”

“Mission Reward: 6000 Shattered Crystals, 300 Exchange Vouchers, 2 Contribution Points. Failure Penalty: Deduct 30 points of Soul Lifespan.”

World Setting: Toril World

Time: Spring, 1355 DR

Location: Elbad

Main Quest: Insufficient Data

Setting Description: The mission plot operates in team competition mode. Other Apostle Teams may exist in the same scenario. Different Apostle Teams can share task plots; final rewards are distributed based on mission contribution, but can also be actively assigned via Soul Contract. Killing Apostles from other teams has a certain chance of dropping a Bloody Cube.

Heavy, so heavy! The moment Qin Lun regained consciousness, he felt like he couldn’t breathe, as though a ton of weight pressed down on him.

“Indeed… every time the Apostle Soul Mark enters a dead plot character’s body, it always ends up in some strange place!”

His first world possessing a dead plot character had been the Orphan World; at that time, Frank had been about to bury him. The second time, it was possessing German Army Lieutenant Sniper Gerthard Heinrich, and the environment wasn’t much better than a graveyard—it was a military prison cell.

“Am I actually buried this time?” Qin Lun sighed inwardly, frantically clawing at the objects covering him. Shattered Starry Sky wouldn’t instantly throw Apostles into danger zones. Regardless, escaping his current immobile state was the top priority.

“FUCK, I hate being dropped into these dead plot characters. It’s always some filthy place!” A curse crackled through the Team Channel. One of Qin Lun’s temporary team members perfectly echoed his thoughts.

Looking down from above, the place Qin Lun and the others were currently in was a campsite on a gently sloped hillside. Standing on the hillside, one could even see the pointed spire of the clock tower in the town called Elbad, located in the plain to the south.

The town of Elbad was founded in 503 DR, over eight hundred years ago.

Its founders were merely a group of lumberjacks and adventurers. Like diligent ants, they ventured countless times deep into the Qiongda’er Forest. The logs they felled, the herbs they gathered, and the pelts from their hunts were transported along the Alan River to cities downstream. They provided the then Zhamdas, now Qiongdus Kingdom, with a constant source of vitality.

Elbad had a wide river flowing along its northern and southern sides. Both were tributaries of the Alan River.

The Alan River, like a loving mother, cradled Elbad’s delta plain within its bends. And like a farmer’s double-tined hayfork, it plunged deep into the belly of the Qiongda’er Forest along the delta. Together with another river in the south—the Naga River—it formed the watery trident of the central Qiongda’er Forest.

Most buildings in the small town were in the rustic Bass style, full of elegant grace and a lazy charm. During the misty spring and autumn rains, the riverbanks on either side of the town shimmered, the grass lush and green, creating an intensely romantic rain scene.

High-flying clouds and occasional flashes of light breaking through them intertwined, changing majestically. After the rain, beautiful rainbows often arched across the plain, spanning the river and reaching the distant horizon, just like a captivating watercolor painting.

Yet, this spring afternoon, on the town’s outskirts a mere two kilometers from Elbad, naked corpses sprawled chaotically on the hillside, the messy campsite, and the blood-stained grass cast an ominous crimson layer over this beautiful rural scene.

The scattered luggage and the supply wagons hacked apart by swords and knives suggested this had been the campsite of a small merchant caravan. Now, it was reduced to a crime scene destroyed by a band of Rogues.

Several corpses, propped against wagons or trees—hacked to pieces—proved that the guards hired by this small caravan hadn’t remained passive. Sadly, their efforts had ultimately failed.

Most swords in the hands of these guards were broken. Many were bare-chested, their leather armor stripped away. Those remaining scraps were tattered, barely covering them, hinting at a desperate struggle.

However, strangely, these corpses were reviving. A few of the limbless guards not only resumed breathing, the rise and fall of their chests returning, but stumps also glowed with an orange-yellow light, slowly growing new limbs. Even their torn clothing was mending itself, like watching a movie reel play in reverse.

“The Karlsson Mercenary Band? Is this the cover identity Star Void gave us? Why stick us on some unimportant little plot mercenary group? Why not just dump us in an empty field?”

The mercenary band leader “Karlsson,” who had died slumped against a large tree, slowly rose to his feet. When his eyes opened, they gleamed brightly with a gaze utterly different from the body’s original owner’s.

Of course, the current “Karlsson” should now be called Stark!

Clatter! Nearby, a pile of corpses shifted abruptly. A pale arm thrust out between tangled limbs and started shoving other bodies aside with frantic energy.

“Heh. Which poor sap got stuck underneath corpses!” Stark heard a low snicker behind him.

The acting leader of Fortress turned. A young man in black robes, wearing a monocle, stood nearby, arms crossed.

“Philip?” Stark inquired in a low, powerful voice—different from his own. This must be “Karlsson’s” voice.

“Stark?” The young man adjusted his monocle, shifting his gaze from the corpse pile to study the burly man before him. “Ha! Even with a new body, you still resemble a brute!”

Having possessed dead plot characters, the Apostles of the Fortress Team had all lost their original appearances and builds.

However, most of the bodies they inhabited matched the Apostles’ original sex and combat classes. Example: Stark, the team’s MT, remained an imposing giant. Philip, a Second-Order Mage, possessed the Karlsson Band’s apprentice Mage clad in black robes.

“And you? Longer?” Philip turned to the silver-haired Elf who’d just crawled out of the body pile.

“Longer?” Qin Lun paused momentarily, then smiled politely. “No, Lord Philip, I am Qin Lun!”

He focused on the Death Notice, checking this corpse’s designated Plot Identity instantly. He understood the Mage had mistaken him. He’d revealed his Elven Bloodline; Devil’s Horn held several Apostles with Elf heritage, as gaining such bloodlines from the City management race was easier than purchasing them from Shattered Starry Sky.

“Oh? You also have Elf Bloodline!” Philip raised an eyebrow, catching on quickly. By now, the other Fortress Apostles had awakened, gathering from various points around the campsite. They assessed their new companions, each calling out their names.

“Huh? Only seven people?” Stark abruptly frowned, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. “Where are Nicole and the others?”

Nicole was the third of the Fortress team’s Second-Order Apostles and one of its three female members. Hearing Stark, the Apostles exchanged glances, suddenly realizing all three females seemed missing. Only the seven males remained present.

“My lords, I’ve noticed something extremely odd. Not sure if I should mention it?” Qin Lun—who’d been restlessly pacing about, examining bodies—wiped blood off his hands and approached the team with a smile.

“If you’ve noticed something, spit it out!” Philip snapped impatiently.

This Second-Order Apostle had a hot temper, entirely lacking a Mage’s elegance and rationality. In terms of perceptiveness, the burly Stark far surpassed him. Combined with the other Second-Order Apostle being female—inherently at a disadvantage in leadership competition—it was no wonder those two couldn’t suppress Stark alone.

Qin Lun maintained his friendly smile with remarkable patience. “It’s not just the three female Apostles. Actually… there isn’t a single female corpse anywhere in this entire attacked campsite.”

“Oh?” Philip and Stark exchanged a look. Before either could give orders, several Apostles had already dispersed to inspect the bodies.

“Leader, he’s right. No female bodies here!” A subordinate soon reported back to Stark. Simultaneously, one of Philip’s subordinates, originally from the main force, also confirmed the discovery.

They only confirmed this? Didn’t report anything else? Is it because of team friction, or do they simply lack the habit of investigating the initial Apostle drop point? No wonder this team’s subordinates hadn’t been wiped out yet when their Leader died. Probably dragged down to his death by these idiots!

Qin Lun rubbed his temples, a headache forming. He suddenly felt that helping the Fortress Team complete its main plotline this time was going to keep him very, very busy.

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Index

Volume 2 Chapter 31: Combat Model »