The moon looked like a sickle in the sky, the calm of the night disrupted by animalistic howls in the distance. We blitzed through the center of Violet Forest, heading toward a battle that would shake the entire map.

Gripping the Weeping Fire Blade, I took the lead thanks to the Stormy War Boots adding 0.5% to my movement speed. My Dark Wasp sat atop my shoulder as silent as a northern goshawk that was scouting its prey, but even the lack of activity couldn’t hide the huge sting at the end of its posterior. Although Lin Yixin really wanted to pet it, its intimidating appearance was ultimately too much for her to handle.

Black aura surrounded Gui Guzi as he gripped his spear with a stern look on his face. It was his unique skill “Undying Shield”, an ability that could make even me jealous. Of course, potential-wise, my Ghost Deity Armor was in no way inferior. A skill that could boost Defense by 35% would be incredibly overpowered in the late game.

Gui Guzi’s Undying Shield was an unkillable meatball, whereas my Ghost Deity Armor was an impenetrable block of steel. On the second thought, I liked the Ghost Deity Armor more than the Undying Shield if I had to choose between the two. The mere imagination of my enemies’ expression when they hit me for single digits was fulfilling.

Behind Lin Yixin, her subordinates emerged from the forest in succession. Clear Perfume leaped and landed perfectly on a tree branch. Her long, elvish ears raised attentively. She turned around and whispered, “Yiyi, they’re right in front of us. It… doesn’t sound like they’ve started yet!”

White cape fluttering behind her back, Lin Yixin strode forward and put a hand over her sword handle. She stared into the dark and mysterious forest in front of her before laughing softly. “Don’t worry, this operation is secure. Our numbers are small, and no one here is a stranger. Also, Roaming Dragon doesn’t know that we’re gunning for him, right?”

Clear Perfume nodded. “Yes, that should be the case. But… Yiyi, what do we do if we are discovered?”

“What else can we do?”

Lin Yixin pulled out her sword a little and smiled. “We charge and kill them all. That is the only way!”

It was at this moment Zi Chuanyu walked up to Lin Yixin and whispered, “Lin Yixin, about these… Bloody Mercenaries. Are they really reliable?”

At the front, Gui Guzi was lying on the ground, watching the Mad Dragon guild’s players closely. His figure blended perfectly with his surroundings and made him look like a stealth expert.

Du Thirteen and I were standing together. Thirteen said, “Shit, I swear I’m gonna smash the stall of the guy who sold us our boxed meals if he shows up again. The order was Pepper Steak, but it was 99% green bell pepper, 0% steak and 1 goddamned caterpillar that had me fooled for a second!”

I stared at him. “Be appreciative, man. The fact that there was a caterpillar means that the bell pepper was 100% natural. These days vegetables this good are practically non-existent. Ask the dude where he gets his bell peppers the next time you see him. We can buy directly from the source and enrich our instant noodles a bit.”

……

“Er…”

Lin Yixin didn’t know what to say to Zi Chuanyu. In the end, she smiled. “Well one and a half of them are reliable, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

I heard everything, dammit. I can’t believe she called me a half!

Lin Yixin walked up to me and asked, “When do you think we should act, Lu Chen? If we act too soon, the boss may have too much HP for us to handle. If we’re too late, we might miss the opportunity to steal the boss.”

I replied. “Hold. We can decide after they’ve begun. Look closely. There’s a party surrounding the boss now, but they haven’t made a move yet.”

“Oh, really?”

Lin Yixin stood on her toes to get a better look, unintentionally revealing a flawless, pale neck in front of me. It was a color that could drive a man insane.

“Careful, they might see us. You’re stretching your neck like a penguin…” I teased her.

Lin Yixin rolled her eyes at me before countering. “If I look like a penguin, then you look like a seal who failed to get a mate during winter…”

“Fuck!”

Lin Yixin smiled vibrantly. “You still have a long way to go to beat me…”

……

A noise suddenly broke out from the front.

Rustle rustle...

A venomous spike suddenly appeared from the ground and cut a deep, straight line through the grass. The ground started rumbling and as if something was trying to burst through the ground. The venomous spike looked like the fin of a shark, and it made the creature crawling to appear to the surface looked even more intimidating!

“The boss has appeared!” Lin Yixin said softly before crouching and hiding behind a dark bush.

I remained where I was, standing tall amidst the trees with my cape aflutter. My attire was dark-colored, so it would take a very, very discerning eye to spot me in the middle of the night. My hidden racial ability as a Night Creature might also be at work.

The players on the ground looked a lot more alert when the giant beneath their feet started “swimming” around. A 17-man party was surrounding the boss’s “fin” when it took action. They belonged to a different clan, and their IDs were “Friendship of Heavens”, “Friendship of Kings”, “Friendship of Devils” so on and so on. They were only around Level 35, so there was nothing they could do against the Level 70 boss.

Friendship of Heavens stared frigidly at the Giant Cave Monster’s fin as he shouted, “Watch out, brothers! The boss is about to emerge! Dammit, where did these people come from?”

The crowd behind the Friendship Clan was none other than Mad Dragon’s thousand-man party. They were everywhere, and they looked incredibly menacing.

Wielding a spear, Roaming Dragon walked at the front of the group. He was accompanied by the sexy Coldmoon Rose and behind them were the so-called Gemini Stars of Mad Dragon, Inconstant and Iron Pardon. They were high-level melee players and they were one of our key targets. If they were gone, there was basically no one else in the Mad Dragon guild who could threaten us.

Roaming Dragon lifted his spear and shouted at the Friendship Clan. “This is a Mad Dragon guild event. All unrelated people should leave immediately!”

Friendship of Heavens turned around and said angrily, “What do you mean? Our clan has waited 10 hours for the boss to spawn! Are you going to rob us of our opportunity?”

Roaming Dragon’s face turned chilly. “Rob you? I’m being polite here. Ask yourself if the likes of you can even leave a scratch on the boss.”

Startled, Friendship of Heavens uttered through clenched teeth, “Fuck you, you think you’re something just because you have great numbers?”

Roaming Dragon sneered as Iron Pardon walked toward Friendship of Heavens. The latter pulled out his sword and growled, “Column 1, follow me and annihilate these people! Main tanks, get ready to lure the boss out of its hidey-hole!”

A dozen of elite players raised their blades and rushed toward the Friendship Clan. It was clear that they were planning to clear the area by force.

“You—”

Friendship of Heavens didn’t think that the Mad Dragon guild would act so decisively. Iron Pardon stabbed the man right through the chest before he managed to say more than a word, killing him instantly. It was to be expected, however. Iron Pardon was an extraordinarily powerful Level 45 warrior, and Friendship of Heavens was only Level 36.

The Mad Dragon guild’s daring came in full display as bloodcurdling screams cut through the air. The Friendship Clan was neatly annihilated in less than three minutes!

After that, Roaming Dragon ordered his people to spread out and get ready. It was a Level 70 boss after all. Even a thousand-man party could fall if they fought carelessly!

……

“What is your opinion on the Mad Dragon guild’s current strength?” Lin Yixin asked with a smile. I didn’t notice when she had moved back to my side.

I looked at Roaming Dragon, Iron Pardon and Inconstant before commenting lightly. “Their fangs are bared, and they’re looking to die!”

Zi Chuanyu asked, “Should we attack them now, Yiyi?”

Lin Yixin shook her head. “No, let’s wait until their numbers go down a little.”

Suddenly, there was a huge noise followed by a series of rumblings. The boss was finally going to appear!

Bang!

Huge crevice appeared in the ground, shooting up so much dust that it covered the sky. The Level 70 boss chose a flashy fashion to appear in alright. It was a giant scorpion with six long legs and a pair of black, venomous arms. Its huge, long tail swayed left and right like a chain whip, and it was as big as a small hill. Every move it made caused the ground itself to shake.

Giant Cave Monster (Silver Rank Boss)

Level: 70

Attack: ???

Defense: ???

HP: ???

Introduction: The divine beast of the Violet Empire. After the Violet Empire fell, their king was cut into pieces, their people were slaughtered, and their divine beast was murdered. Some time later, evil shamans summoned the creatures of hell and resurrected the divine beast to use as a puppet.

……

“It really is a Level 70 boss!” Lin Yixin said while clenching her fists.

Her shoulders were shaking slightly, and her moonlit face was filled with excitement. If there was one thing we shared between the two of us, it would be our lust for battle.

At the distance, the Giant Cave Monster waved its arms like a pair of scissors and cut down a dozen or so warriors instantly.

Bang!

One of them—Inconstant—was knocked into the air by the attack. His HP was low, but he didn’t die because the Holy Shield improved his Defense by a lot!

“Attack! Mages, archers, give it everything you got!” Roaming Dragon waved his arms while shouting, “Priests, heal as you see fit! Don’t worry about MP, I have enough supplies to sustain all of you!”

Countless fireballs rose and landed on the boss’s head. The Giant Cave Monster roared and spun back and forth like a windmill, killing the tiny players that were harassing it. Its HP was slowly but surely decreasing, however.

At the back, an entire row of beautiful bards was chanting and applying buffs to the mages and archers.

Forge: Increases hit rate by 25%.

Valor: Increases Attack by 10%.

Bloody Battle: Increases Defense by 10%.

Nichang: Increases critical rate by 25%.

……

Lin Yixin and I exchanged a look and saw the astonishment in the other person’s eyes. We had underestimated Mad Dragon!

Roaming Dragon had come well prepared. He wasn’t just a wealthy man’s son, he was also a rare gaming pro!

Formation-wise, Mad Dragon’s arrangement was practically perfect. The warriors, magic knights and wanderers gallantly ran up to the boss and sacrificed themselves its attacks. The real pain however, came from the buffed mages and archers at the back. Each and everyone of them was supported by a high-level bard, so their individual prowess was greatly enhanced. Some of the Level 40 archers were even dealing considerable damage to the Level 70 boss!

Pu!

741!

An amazing number suddenly popped up above the boss’s head. It was the work of a Level 42 archer!

A small smile appeared on Lin Yixin’s face, and I immediately knew that she had set her eyes on that light red–colored bow that made this damage possible.

There was only one reason why a Level 42 player could deal over 700 damage to a Level 70 boss in one hit—that archer’s bow had a small chance to ignore its target’s Defense and deal true damage. It was the kind of weapon any archer would dream of!