Update Time: 2014-02-18
“Hey—! That’s weird! We didn’t even hit him that much, how did he die already!?” Yang Qi asked, looking puzzled at the dead boss.
“Uh—I know why!” Lin Zheng stared at the thorns surrounding the boss.
“This guy really picked the wrong place to use his skill. Once he used the ‘Cruelty’ skill, the damage he took from the thorns multiplied several times! When he recklessly slammed you, he probably lost a huge chunk of health from those dense thorns, and this last hit was even more terrifying! He had no defense left and I hit him with my ‘Shattered Armor,’ so his defense value became negative! Getting pricked by these thorns would deal over a thousand damage, and there are so many thorns here… Tsk tsk! This guy really died a wrongful death! Let’s mourn him for half a second!”
“He really died a wrongful death!” Yang Qi’s almond eyes widened. This boss basically got himself killed by his own skill, which is equivalent to dying by his own hand. Isn’t that wrongful enough?!
“Alright, mourning over. Let’s see what good stuff this guy dropped!” Both were very excited when talking about the boss drops! One of the great joys of playing games is that moment of looting the body after killing a boss! Regardless of whether there’s good stuff or not, being able to loot a high-level boss’s body is a very prestigious thing! But this time, it was clear that both of them got both the prestige and the goods! The first piece of equipment they saw was a gleaming silver armor. Upon seeing this, Lin Zheng immediately felt like spitting blood. In contrast, Yang Qi shrieked with excitement.
General Yaofeng’s Armor: Level Requirement 40, Gold-tier (Metal Armor)
Physical Defense 350, Magic Defense 310
Toughness: Physical Defense +5%, absorbs 200 damage
Iron Wall: Physical Defense +150
Strength: Strength +25
Stamina: Stamina +25
…
“Awesome! Truly awesome! So awesome!” Yang Qi exclaimed, holding the armor in a showy manner, her smug expression obvious to anyone! Lin Zheng gave her a strong look of disdain and continued to loot the body.
Besides the armor, the boss also dropped an axe and a pair of gloves. Picking them up, Lin Zheng saw that they were both Black Iron-tier, which made him roll his eyes! After casually tossing them into his inventory, he started picking up gold coins, but unexpectedly, while picking up the coins, he found a ring among the pile!
Cruelty Ring: Level Requirement 40, Gold-tier
Physical Attack 140-200, Magic Attack 140-200
Strength: Strength +21
Agility: Agility +20
Bloodlust Level 1: 10% lifesteal from damage dealt
Cruelty Level 1: 5% chance to activate Cruelty when attacking, Physical Attack +150% for 5 seconds, Defense reduced by 100%
…
Lin Zheng blinked, confirming he wasn’t seeing things; it really was a ring, and a very powerful Gold-tier ring at that! Lin Zheng already had the Cold Star Ring and could equip another ring. In comparison, although Yang Qi had the Frost Crystal Ring, that ring was only useful for fighting bosses; its other attributes were completely subpar! Now, seeing this ring, her eyes immediately glowed green, but since she had just taken the armor, even with her thick skin, she couldn’t bring herself to ask Lin Zheng for it! Lin Zheng scoffed at her, calling her a master! Seeing a Gold-tier ring and getting so flustered. He remembered how calm he was yesterday when he got the Cold Star Ring! Hmm—Lin Zheng actually admired himself a little!
Lin Zheng dangled the ring back and forth, and Yang Qi’s head swayed with it, looking as if she wanted to stare the ring into her eyes! Finally, Lin Zheng threw the ring into the thorns, and Yang Qi, without thinking, pounced on it! After the surprised moment of catching the ring, she screamed and ran out of the thorns, looking around furiously, only to find that Lin Zheng had already fled! Seeing this, Yang Qi immediately used a Town Scroll to return to the city and indeed saw Lin Zheng sprinting towards the City Lord’s Mansion!
“You bastard, Lin! I won’t let you off!” Yang Qi chased after him directly, but her shoes weren’t as good as Lin Zheng’s. By the time she caught up to Lin Zheng, he had already reached the City Lord’s Mansion and was talking to Wang Hu.
Yang Qi originally wanted to throw a tantrum, but seeing the situation, she curiously walked closer and listened. She heard Wang Hu anxiously say, “Something terrible has happened! That hateful Ghost King actually snuck into this evening’s banquet! It’s regrettable that we fell for his ‘luring the tiger away from its mountain’ scheme. Now the mansion’s combat strength is greatly reduced. If this continues, I fear the Princess will truly be abducted by this villain! Big Brother, your martial arts are superb, and your abilities are outstanding. I hope you can help us overcome this difficulty. As long as you protect the Princess, you will receive a very generous reward!”
“Liu Mang! Let’s go together! This time you’ll probably get to see an incredibly powerful boss!” Lin Zheng turned and said to Yang Qi, then followed Wang Hu into the City Lord’s Mansion. Yang Qi’s attention was clearly diverted instantly. She forgot about throwing a tantrum and, without hesitation, immediately followed! The three of them bypassed the front hall and quickly arrived at the City Lord’s Mansion’s banquet hall. Just from outside, they could already hear intense fighting, indicating how fierce the battle inside was!
“How many people did that Ghost King bring!?” Lin Zheng couldn’t help but ask Wang Hu, and Wang Hu’s answer almost made Lin Zheng, who was about to step onto the stairs, stumble! “Only one!”
“What the heck! Just one person can turn this place upside down!? Is he too powerful or are you guys too weak!?” Lin Zheng cried out.
“Of course, the Ghost King is too powerful!” Wang Hu said with certainty.
"Whether he's powerful or not, we'll know once we go in and see!" Yang Qi stepped forward and said. So, the two carefully approached the banquet hall's main door. Once they reached it, they quietly peeked inside. The banquet hall, which should have been magnificent, was now a complete mess. Some female attendants were huddled fearfully in the corner, while most of the men lay dead on the ground. Only a few exceptionally timid men were cowering with the women, a sight that made Lin Zheng and Yang Qi despise them from head to toe! In the banquet hall, only three people were still standing, and they had actually stopped fighting!
One was a pale-faced man in a black and silver dragon robe. This guy looked like the legendary Ghost King! Damn! He looked like the beautiful men described in those romance novels, and a self-satisfied, evil smirk—no, a sinister smirk! No, it was a lewd smirk! Yes, that's it! Just looking at his face made Lin Zheng feel an inexplicable rage! He wished he could rush over and stomp on that face with the sole of his foot!
Opposite him were two people, a man and a woman. The man, in particular, looked much more pleasing to the eye. His face was firm and extraordinary, silent and calm, very much like a male protagonist! As for the female protagonist, hmm! She was just a Xiao Yatou, not yet grown up! She looked thirteen or fourteen, but she was a beauty in the making. When she grew up, she would definitely be a world destroyer!
Looking at the scene, it was entirely like an ancient costume romance and wuxia drama, leaving Lin Zheng and Yang Qi a bit confused! "Xiao Linzi! What's the mission content?" Yang Qi, utterly bewildered, asked.
"Hmm—let me see. Protect Reimu for half an hour so she doesn't get captured by the Ghost King. Sounds pretty simple!" Lin Zheng said, looking at his quest log.
"Reimu? Is that the Xiao Yatou?" Yang Qi asked, pointing at the little girl.
"Nonsense! Her name is right above her head, and you're still asking!" Lin Zheng said irritably. "Let me see what level these three are!" With that, he put on his black crow mask and looked. The Ghost King was an 80-level Purple Gold Boss, the Tianshuang City Lord was a 75-level Purple Gold Boss, and Reimu was a 70-level Purple Gold Boss. The level gap was simply too large. Lin Zheng being able to detect their levels was already the black crow mask performing exceptionally! When Lin Zheng reported the data of the three bosses, Yang Qi couldn't help but curse under her breath,
"Damn! We have to deal with an 80-level Purple Gold Boss! Not to mention the rank suppression, but the level gap is too big, isn't it?! Shengun, what difficulty is this quest, anyway?!"
"It's only B-rank superior, how can it be so abnormal?!" Lin Zheng also looked at the boss in surprise. This was a bit too unreliable; a B-rank quest actually required dealing with an 80-level Purple Gold Boss?! At this moment, after some annoying dialogue from the three inside, they started fighting again! Lin Zheng and Yang Qi immediately watched the show, exclaiming repeatedly at the terrifying damage dealt by the three NPCs' combat!
"The battles between NPCs are truly insane!" Yang Qi exclaimed, as tens of thousands of health points were lost with each strike!
"By the way, wasn't that bird-brained Ghost King or whatever here to snatch a wife? Why is he fighting this little princess to the death? What if he breaks her?"
"You still have time to complain at a moment like this?!" Yang Qi glared at Lin Zheng. "If that little princess can't hold on and gets broken, do you think you can still complete your quest?"
"That's true, but what do you think we can do against an 80-level Purple Gold Boss? Such a dilemma!"
"You could at least shoot him with two arrows, right?!"
"Then do you think, with such a huge level difference and no agility added, I can hit him?"
"..."
Yang Qi was completely exasperated. Going up was out of the question; that guy could instantly kill them. Shooting was also out of the question; she couldn't hit him! What on earth were they supposed to do?! "Damn it!" In her frenzy, Yang Qi threw caution to the wind. She drew her Jiaotu Sword and charged in. Before the Ghost King could react, "Shadow Raid!" She struck with a single sword. Even though the Ghost King was an 80-level boss, under the game's rules, he was still sent flying by the sword. In mid-air, the Ghost King, realizing he had been ambushed, roared furiously, intending to kill the sneak attacker once he landed. However, Yang Qi had no intention of letting him off so easily. She raised her Jiaotu Sword, "Golden Crow Slash!" "Caw—" The cry of the Golden Crow sounded again, and the sun's fire surged towards the Ghost King!
"Ah—you despicable insect! I won't let you go!" The Ghost King, engulfed in the sun's fire, glared at Yang Qi and roared. Unexpectedly, before he even landed, he was ambushed again! Lin Zheng followed closely behind Yang Qi, charging in. Seeing the Ghost King falling with his back to him, he couldn't help but grin. "Get lost, you bastard!" With a loud shout, Lin Zheng kicked upwards, and the falling Ghost King was sent flying again. Then, Lin Zheng took a running start, "Fatal Scissor Kick!" Lin Zheng roared as he leaped, clamping the Ghost King's neck and slamming him heavily to the ground. "Liu Mang, hurry! Stomp on him!"
"I'm coming!" Yang Qi exclaimed, looking gleefully at the boss Lin Zheng had pinned. She immediately rushed forward and stomped on the Ghost King's face, the one that made both of them inexplicably angry! One stomp! Two stomps! Three stomps! Foshan Shadowless Kick! Although the furious stomping didn't cause any substantial damage to the boss, it made him so angry that his hair stood on end. Was it the legendary 'Rage-Induced Hair Standing on End'?
"Bastard!" The Ghost King roared in fury, shaking off Lin Zheng, who was using the Fatal Scissor Kick. Lin Zheng crashed into Yang Qi, and both of them were sent flying. The Ghost King, now standing, was no longer composed. Gripping his sharp sword, he glared menacingly at the fallen Lin Zheng and Yang Qi! "I, the mighty Ghost King, have been so insulted by you two ants. Today, neither of you will leave here alive!"
