The staff and the robe were both Silver Tier equipment. Lucian scanned their attributes and found them to be exceptional pieces—each one heavily favored Spirit and augmented the power of Light-attribute skills.

  The staff was named the Holy Light Seal. It came with an active skill, Seal of Light, which could bind and immobilize enemies.

  The robe was the Twilight Holy Robe. It also possessed a built-in skill, Twilight Radiance, which could manifest a protective barrier around the wearer.

  Whether it was the raw stat boosts or the utility of the added skills, these two items were worth a fortune.

  Unfortunately, both were clearly designed for a Cleric. They were useless to Lucian.

  While either piece could fetch an astronomical price on the open market, they seemed tailor-made for Chloe. Lucian noticed her eyes light up the moment she saw the stats. If he took one just to sell it, it would feel like he was robbing her of a perfect upgrade. It made more sense for Chloe to simply pay him a lump sum later—a win-win for everyone.

  Lucian moved past the equipment and focused on the third reward: a strange-looking scroll.

  His eyes ignited the moment he read the description.

  Class Advancement Scroll (Enchanting Chef)

  Effect: Upon use, changes the user’s class to the Hidden Class—Enchanting Chef.

  Requirement: Current class must be Chef.

  Enchanting Chef: Capable of producing food with powerful enchantment effects.

  A Class Advancement Scroll for a Hidden Class?!

  Lucian was ecstatic. These scrolls were rare treasures—the kind of items that were essentially priceless because they never stayed on the market for long.

  He recalled a story about a Hidden Class scroll for a Heavy Swordmaster that had once been auctioned off for a staggering fifty million credits. While the Heavy Swordmaster was certainly more powerful than a normal Swordsman, it wasn't even considered "game-breaking" compared to other Hidden Classes. Yet, even that had commanded such a price.

  If this were a scroll for a Combat Class, its value would easily hit eight figures.

  However, since it was for a Life Class, its market value took a significant hit. The ultra-rich usually didn't bother with production classes, and those who actually wanted to be chefs rarely had that kind of capital. It was a niche item with a high floor but a limited ceiling.

  Lucian estimated the scroll's market value at around five million—certainly less than the two Silver Tier pieces.

  But for Lucian, this scroll was far more valuable than gold. His aunt was a Chef. If she could undergo a Class Awakening and become an Enchanting Chef, her future would be secured.

  Without a second thought, Lucian reached out and grabbed the scroll.

  "I’ll take this," he said.

  The choice surprised the rest of the group. From a purely financial standpoint, the Silver Tier gear was much more valuable than a Life Class scroll.

  Chloe hesitated, then spoke up. "Lucian, you don't have to hold back for my sake. The Silver Tier items are worth much more. You can take one of them, and I’ll buy it from you later. I promise the price will be more than fair."

  Lucian smiled. "I’m not trying to be a gentleman here, and I’m definitely not giving up good loot for nothing. It’s just that these two pieces are useless to me, but I actually have a real need for this scroll."

  Since he put it that way, Chloe didn't push further. She nodded. "Then... alright. I’ll take the other two."

  "I really can't thank you enough for today," she continued. "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have cleared this Secret Realm. Gareth and Jared might not have even made it out alive."

  "Once we're back in Riverport City, I’ll have someone deliver the agreed-upon payment to you. I’ll also include an extra bonus as a personal thank you for saving our lives."

  She flashed him a bright, sincere smile that reached her eyes. Lucian didn't decline. No one in their right mind turned down free money.

  Chloe stepped forward and collected the gear. Since both Silver Tier items required Level 10, she equipped them immediately. Her tattered clothes were replaced by a beautifully tailored robe, and the Holy Light Seal hummed with power in her hand.

  Her presence shifted instantly. The transition from her usual youthful appearance to an aura of sacred purity was striking; she looked like a saint, commanding a natural respect that quelled any stray thoughts.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  With the three rewards claimed, a glowing teleportation array rose from the ground.

  The battle with the Wraith of Despair had left them exhausted. Though the Antidotes had neutralized the Corpse Toxin, Gareth and Jared were still badly injured. Chloe’s Light skills could only do so much; they needed proper medical facilities in Riverport City to recover fully.

  The party’s plan was to leave the Secret Realm and head straight back to the city.

  Lucian, however, wanted to find a few more monsters to get Nyx to Level 10. He used the excuse of needing to gather more materials in The Stony Barrens to stay behind. They agreed to part ways once they exited the realm.

  They stepped into the array together. A familiar sensation of weightlessness washed over them as they were pulled through the void.

  But when their feet hit solid ground, the group froze.

  By all logic, they should have been back in the sun-scorched Stony Barrens. Instead, they were standing right back where they started: the Village of Despair.

  Except it wasn't the same. The purple-black mist was now thick enough to choke on, and the stench of decay was overwhelming. The entire atmosphere felt exponentially more lethal.

  "What the hell...?" Celia’s eyes widened in shock. "Why are we still in the Secret Realm?"

  Suddenly, their quest logs flashed. A notification updated across their vision.

  Hidden Realm — Village of Despair II (Nightmare Difficulty)

  Minimum Participants: 8 players

  Recommended Level: Level 30

  Secret Realm Clear Condition: Slay The Holy Blight (Current Progress: 0/1)

  Description: The Village of Despair was supposed to find peace following the death of the Wraith of Despair. However, the Wraith perished under the very Holy Light it loathed most. In its final moments, its lingering resentment caught sight of the staff and robe belonging to the very person who had sealed it away ages ago.

  Memories of its past life surged like a tidal wave. The Wraith's grudge refused to dissipate, eventually recoalescing into The Holy Blight. Free from the shackles of its rotting flesh, it has become far more powerful. The Village of Despair has plunged into an even deeper, eternal hopelessness...

  The new quest notification made the situation clear to everyone.

  During a Secret Realm clear, certain specific conditions could trigger a Hidden Stage, forcing the Awakened to undergo a second phase of the trial.

  The odds of this happening were astronomically low. Secret Realms were rare enough as it was, and the triggers for a Hidden Stage were usually incredibly restrictive. There were very few records of such events in history.

  Now, whether it was a stroke of luck or a curse, Lucian and his team had triggered one. They were now trapped in the second phase of the Village of Despair.

  Based on the description, Lucian guessed the trigger: the Wraith of Despair had to die to a Holy-element skill while the rewards for clearing the realm included the Holy Light Seal and the Twilight Holy Robe.

  It was a niche set of conditions, but they had Chloe—a Holy Light Mage—and she had actually obtained both the Holy Light Seal and the Twilight Holy Robe.

  While Lucian remained calm, Gareth, Chloe, and the others turned deathly pale.

  Chloe looked like she had seen a ghost. Her knuckles whitened as she gripped the Holy Light Seal with trembling fingers. "This... it looks like my Hidden Class triggered the Hidden Stage. If I hadn't attacked the Wraith of Despair, maybe we wouldn't have been dragged back into this..."

  Gareth let out a heavy, weary sigh. "Who would’ve thought this place had a Hidden Stage?"

  "This is a Nightmare Difficulty realm now, and the level requirement jumped to 30. Even with Lucian here, we're likely outclassed. We need to find an exit immediately. We can't afford to run into the monsters here."

  "There’s only one monster in the entire realm, which means it’s definitely a BOSS. If we cross paths with it, we’re dead."

  The rest of the group nodded frantically. None of them had the slightest intention of trying to "farm" this realm.

  The Wraith of Despair had been terrifying enough. Now that the difficulty and level had spiked an entire tier, who would dare dream of the rewards?

  Just as the group prepared to retreat and hunt for an exit, Lucian, who had been silent until now, shook his head. "Leaving won't be that easy."

  The moment the words left his mouth, the sound of rushing water erupted. It started as a trickle and quickly swelled into a deafening roar, booming like continuous claps of thunder.

  Everyone spun toward the sound. The nearby small lake churned violently, as if an invisible, massive hand were kneading the water. The foul, stench-ridden lake water surged into the air, twisting and warping into new shapes.

  The water coalesced into a five-meter-tall humanoid figure. It looked like a gargantuan version of the Wraith of Despair, though it lacked the rusted iron chains.

  The sole monster of the Secret Realm had arrived, standing barely ten meters away from the group.

  Escaping now seemed like a pipe dream.

  Everyone cast Appraisal on the creature. A single glance at its stats sent a wave of pure dread through the team—everyone except Lucian.

  This was the embodiment of true despair.

  The Holy Blight (Nightmare Difficulty Boss, Aggressive)

  Level: 25

  Strength: 386

  Agility: 249

  Spirit: 435

  Endurance: 398

  Skills:

  Phantom of Malice (Passive): The Holy Blight has no physical form and is immune to physical attacks.

  Scourge of Light (Passive): Holy-element attacks fuel the Holy Blight’s hatred, increasing its power.

  Cage of Malice: Uses concentrated resentment to form a cage, trapping enemies.

  Malice Impact: Releases a burst of resentment to deal lethal damage, inflicting Poison, Weakness, Bleed, Stun, and Berserk status effects.

  Even though its level hadn't changed much, the jump from Hard to Nightmare Difficulty had essentially doubled its attributes.

  Worse, its two passives rendered both Lucian and Chloe effectively useless.

  If it was immune to physical attacks, Lucian’s strikes wouldn't do a damn thing. Who else in the party could even hope to hurt it?

  With Spirit and Endurance that high, the others wouldn't even be able to break its defense.

  The boss was a nightmare incarnate.

  To make matters worse, the moment it materialized, the boss unleashed its inner resentment. A Cage of Malice expanded instantly, spanning a hundred meters in diameter and cutting off Lucian’s path of retreat.

  Any hope of fleeing the Secret Realm had vanished.