Absolute Death Game

"Damn, I knew it wouldn't be that easy. Get aggro quickly, healers, boost me up!"

The battle unfolded once more, with the transformed Soul Reaper Yan Qi abandoning his previous mage-like boss characteristics to become a purely physical attacker. A single Downward Slash tore through Wu Tao's Protective Qi and took away half of his health bar in the process.

Scared out of his wits, Wu Tao scrambled to retreat. Zhao Yunlong took over the aggro with a 'Solo Charge,' but after two hits, he couldn't hold on and sold the group out with a misguided charge in the opposite direction.

Fortunately, Wang Gang immediately took over. Thanks to his shield, he managed to hold on a bit longer by blocking most of the damage.

Just as everyone thought they could have a post-transformation BOSS battle, there was a loud snap. Wang Gang's shield shattered instantly.

No good! Without his shield, Wang Gang turned and fled. Xiao Buli cast Ethereal Armor over him.

(Am I safe now?) Wang Gang wondered, but in the next moment, a swift Cleaving Strike sliced his character in two, blood spraying everywhere, his screen turning red—You Are Dead! A few striking words plunged Wang Gang straight into the abyss.

"FUCK!" Wang Gang, in a rage, smashed his keyboard to bits!

"Damn, what a bunch of useless crap, all so fragile! Heal me up, get ready to take the BOSS!" Zhang Yaoyang commanded as he simultaneously ordered his four hounds to charge. The four hounds swarmed in, only to be one-shotted by the BOSS. Thankfully, despite the BOSS's extremely high attack, it lacked AOE skills; otherwise, the dogs wouldn't stand a chance.

Xiao Buli thought to himself that they were out of options and sent Coal Ball into the fray. The massive boar charged at the BOSS, yet because of the enemy's large size, it failed to knock him back, merely causing a stagger. Wanderer Li Chuang also released his pet—a Leopard. Suddenly, the battlefield turned into a combined zoo and abattoir.

These combat pets were no sturdier than the three tanks, mostly getting one-shotted before they could even be healed.

As the pets fell grievously wounded in mere moments, scuffling and turning into morsels like dumpling filling, the two tanks hadn't even fully recovered their health. Zhang Yaoyang was desperate and in agony, wondering who could take on the aggro.

His gaze swept across the players in the room, but it seemed nobody was up for the task.

(No choice but to zerg it with lives! But such a move is honestly disgraceful, who should I send to their doom?) He pondered before his eyes settled on Du Yibo, who seemed able to take a few hits, 'Tough luck, kid,' he thought.

"Yibo, don't you know how to transform into a stone golem? You go and tank it for a bit."

"Damn it, why should I go? I'm a cloth-wearer, and stone golems don't benefit from heals; you're just sending me to die!"

"If not you, then who—watch out, the BOSS is coming!" Zhang Yaoyang's voice broke in panic, realizing that they were in for a wipe.

Just then, Liu Xing stepped forward.

Hua Yueying saw the urgency, "Get back, what are you doing jumping in with leather armor?"

But Liu Xing ignored him, calmly controlling the keyboard as he spoke, "This BOSS isn't something you can take on just by having high defense." As he reached the BOSS, he leaped into the air just as the last hound was cut down.

Movement Technique—Cloud Ascension Leap! Mid-air, a 'Qi-Raising Consecutive Slash' left several clear wounds on the BOSS's back, and then he landed lightly behind him. The BOSS turned around, conveniently exposing his back to the others.

"I've pulled the BOSS so his back is to you, finish him off quickly."

His declaration was firm and confident, and at this point, the others had no choice but to trust in him. As their last hound fell in battle, the Soul Reaper Yan Qi launched an attack on Liu Xing.

The BOSS swung his sword, but Liu Xing's figure flickered aside, effortlessly avoiding it and retaliating with a blast of Sword Qi that dealt significant damage. Though he had no aggro-pulling abilities, the sheer threat he posed with his damage was enough to keep the BOSS's attention.

Several exchanges later, it was clear that Liu Xing was holding up. After all, this game wasn't about stationary target-lock combat. The BOSS might inflict terrifying damage, but he didn't strike rapidly, allowing Liu Xing to leverage his excellent control skills and several movement abilities to perfectly dodge the BOSS's assaults.

It was as if he were dancing on a knife's edge, where a 0.1-second mistake could leave him with no place to die, yet it was precisely with that 0.1-second margin that he miraculously avoided every blow. Although a single strike from the BOSS could have been fatal, he made it so the BOSS couldn't land a single hit.

"Hurry, I can't hold on much longer!"

While Liu Xing hadn't taken a single hit, the black Demonic Flame splashing from the BOSS's attacks steadily drained his health, even preventing recovery. Healing spells that would normally restore 100 points of health only managed to bring back 30 when applied to him. As a result, Liu Xing's health kept dropping, stubbornly refusing to rise.

Everyone else felt helpless and could only grit their teeth and lash out at the BOSS. Just as Liu Xing was down to a sliver of health and the BOSS still had 5% remaining,

Liu Xing's vision blurred. Was he going to die? This thought crossed his mind with sorrow as his fingers nearly left the keyboard. Then, suddenly, he noticed the BOSS's movements slowing down as if in slow motion on his screen.

Glancing at the top right corner of the screen, he saw a new buff named 'Insight,' lasting only one second.

Insight: Under this state, your next attack ignores the target's armor and is guaranteed to be a critical hit.

Liu Xing clenched his teeth and took the risk. With a quick sidestep, he dodged the BOSS's fierce strike and raised his hand to unleash his last ultimate skill.

Ultimate Skill—Moon Shadow Trace!

At that moment, everyone's screen seemed to dim as a ghastly crescent-shaped sword light flashed across the BOSS, freezing it in place, and a red number -375 exploded above the BOSS's head.

A stream of black blood violently spurted from the BOSS's chest as it staggered backward, letting out a wretched scream.

Soul Reaper Yan Qi: "This—this is impossible, I have been... defeated by a bunch of... mere mortals! Ah!!!!"

The Green Dragon Group cheered, "Yeah!"

This time the cheer came from the heart—they had finally won. This BOSS was stronger than any they had faced before.

'Thank heavens, it's finally over!' Zhang Yaoyang thought to himself, feeling completely drained. He collapsed into his chair, hands slick with sweat.

Liu Xing remained in a staring posture at the screen, (Finally—finally survived again.) Looking at the others who were jubilant, he suddenly felt an urge to cry.

Xiao Buli also breathed a sigh of relief. From start to finish, he was in a state of intense tension, as if he were truly facing such a terrifying BOSS and could lose his life at any moment in the dark underground hall. This was stimulation like no previous BOSS fight had ever given him.

(People with weak hearts really couldn't handle such a BOSS fight.)

Fortunately, they had persevered. He couldn't even imagine what he would do if they had all been wiped out. Just thinking about it sent shivers down his spine.

(No good, I have to find a way to protect myself quickly. I can't keep going on like this. I was lucky not to die this time, but I can't guarantee I'll always smoothly clear the instance, nor can I guarantee every instance can be cleared. What if one day I'm ordered to raid an extremely difficult instance? Would I have to defy that order in a moment of crisis?)

In his heart, Xiao Buli had made up his mind. As soon as he got the chance, he would definitely break away and go solo.

"Hehe, we finally brought it down. Let's see what the BOSS dropped," said Zhang Yaoyang, forcing himself to adopt a confident and joyful demeanor. While speaking, he clicked on the BOSS's body and his expression immediately turned complex at the sight.

"What's wrong, boss? Didn't get any good loot?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"On the contrary, the loot is too good," Zhang Yaoyang said with a wry smile.

While speaking, he proceeded to reveal the BOSS's drops, this time without even calling a starting price.

The first item was a skill book.

Soul Reaving Touch (3-second casting): Seizes and controls the target's spirit, causing it to obey your commands for a period of time. This spell effect is undispellable and lasts for 15 seconds, consuming 30 mana. It must be used at close range to the target.

Learning requirements: 30 spiritual power points, prerequisite skill—Necromancy LV3.

Skill Description: This dark magic was created by the Necromancers of the Grand Yin Sect. It is said to be so sinister that even the Grand Yin Sect, known for their disregard for taboos, strictly forbade its practice, leading to its loss hundreds of years ago.

The second item was a two-handed sword.

Soul Reaper's Blade (Golden Two-Handed Sword): Attack 37-43, Armor Penetration +5, deals an additional 20 points of fire splash damage, and on hit, there's a chance: To reduce the target's healing received by seventy percent for ten seconds.

Equipment Description: Forged in the Abyssal Flame, this demon sword possesses unparalleled destructive power. It is even rumored that the black Demonic Flame burning on the sword can scorch the soul.

The third item, however, was a quest item.

Abyssal Gate Blueprint: This is a strange blueprint that appears to be some sort of teleportation device.

Use: Initiating this item will trigger a quest. (Warning: This quest is a world storyline quest and must be completed once accepted, or severe penalties will be incurred.)