John hadn’t anticipated that the Dual-Bladed Mantis would have such high attributes.
Even after using the ultimate skill of the Three-Foot Black Dragon Sword, he had only managed to take down a third of its health.
And to make matters worse, his Demon Slayer Slash was countered by the creature’s resistance.
Left with no other option, John resorted to slowly chipping away at its health using physical attacks and dark magic.
Whoosh!
Blades flashed as the mantis unleashed a terrifying flurry of slashes, killing John yet again. Thankfully, the creature didn’t have any soul attack abilities.
John’s Undying and Immortal talent activated once more, and he resurrected on the spot. “Soul attacks?” John’s eyes lit up as an idea formed.
He wasn’t limited to just physical and magical skills-he also had powerful soul-based attacks.
After cultivating the Soul Technique and refining the Jade Heart Lotus, his soul abilities far surpassed those of a seventh-tier legendary entity.
Plus, the Dual-Bladed Mantis didn’t seem to possess any soul-based abilities, so its Soul Technique was likely underdeveloped.
“Human, let’s see how many times you can resurrect!” the mantis growled, its voice cold and full of malice. Once again, it launched a barrage of lethal slashes, covering the air with a web of shimmering blades.
John couldn’t dodge and was killed yet again.
Undying and Immortal triggered, and he resurrected in place.
“Still not dead?” The mantis was surprised, but by this time, John had already used Flash, teleporting himself a hundred meters away.
Then, he unleashed Soul Impact.
Buzz!
The air trembled. Soul attacks were invisible and intangible.
The Dual-Bladed Mantis felt an overwhelming sense of danger descend upon it, momentarily stunned. Before it could react, its soul was struck by the powerful attack.
Boom!
A thunderous roar echoed within its mind, its soul torn apart. Blood poured from its eyes, ears, and nose as it stared at John in disbelief and fear.
“Soul attack? How… is that possible…” the mantis muttered in shock, frozen in place as its soul dissolved. Its massive body collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
[You have slain a level 2000 seventh-tier legendary boss. You gained 4.16 million experience points.]
[Plunder talent activated. Strength +100, Constitution +50, Agility +50.]
The notifications flashed as the Dual-Bladed Mantis died, dropping two black blades.
Both were artifacts.
Unfortunately, John had no use for them.
Malina rushed over, her eyes glued to the blades, only to realize they weren’t weapons she could use. She sighed in disappointment.
John casually stored the blades away. Nearby, another treasure chest had appeared.
[You have opened the Secret Area treasure chest. You’ve obtained: Thunderstrike Set x1, Spirit Stone x1, and City of Angels Map Fragment x1.]
The chest contained a seventh-tier legendary warrior set, another Spirit Stone, and another fragment of the City of Angels Map.
However, the seventh-tier legendary warrior set was of little interest to John.
Just like the first treasure chest, the second one contained a Spirit Stone-with its use still unknown-and another fragment of the City of Angels Map.
John stored everything away.
Now, he only needed two more fragments to complete the map.
Following the pattern so far, the remaining two regions likely held more seventh-tier pinnacle legendary bosses.
“Avis, let’s head to that desert,” John commanded, summoning Avis to take them to the desert area.
Before long, they arrived at the edge of the desert.
Avis soared through the sky, but just like before, there was no sign of any monsters.
“Godslayer, do you think the monsters could be underground?” Malina suggested as she stared at the endless expanse of sand.
“It’s possible,” John mused, then decided to test her theory. He activated Infinite Sword Array.
Buzz!
Countless blades rained down, piercing deep into the sands below.
Clang, clang…
Suddenly, sharp metallic sounds echoed from beneath, and damage numbers began flashing. Notifications followed.
[You have slain a level 500 Mechanical Scorpion. You gained 17,730 experience points.]
…
Sure enough, there were monsters hidden beneath the sand.
Whoosh!
At that moment, the sand stirred, and several creatures resembling scorpions-each the size
of a human-emerged from the dunes.
They were Mechanical Scorpions, all sixth-tier monsters.
John’s longsword flashed as he unleashed both Hellfire and Lightning Chain. The Spell
Combo triggered once again, amplifying the power of his attacks.
The desert echoed with the anguished cries of the Mechanical Scorpions as they fell one by
one.
Soon, the entire swarm was wiped out.
Then, the boss appeared-a massive Mechanical Scorpion, and just as expected, it was
another seventh-tier pinnacle legendary boss.
Given that it was a mechanical creature, John assumed it wouldn’t have any soul attack capabilities, nor would its Soul Technique be well-developed.
Without hesitation, John activated Soul Impact.
Buzz!
The enormous scorpion raised its claws, preparing to strike, but it suddenly trembled, its eyes
glazing over as it collapsed to the ground in a lifeless heap.
Its Soul Technique was even weaker than the Dual-Bladed Mantis.
[You have slain a level 2000 legendary boss. You gained 4.16 million experience points.]
[Plunder talent activated. Spirit +100, Magic Critical Chance +1, Skill Points +10.]
It seemed this Mechanical Scorpion was more of a magic-based creature, as John had
Plundered 100 spirit points and 1 point in magic critical chance.
“It… it’s dead?” Malina stared in disbelief, glancing around before turning her eyes back to
John.
She hadn’t seen him make a single move.
Was there some hidden powerhouse here, or did John possess some kind of psychic attack?
John ignored Malina and checked the loot dropped by the Mechanical Scorpion.
“Godslayer, I just hit level 200! Help me with my class advancement,” Malina said as she came over, but her eyes were quickly drawn to the fiery red ring in John’s hand.
It was one of the items dropped by the Mechanical Scorpion.
[FireGod’s Blessing: Low-grade Artifact]
[Requirements: 10 points in fire Elemental Affinity, 5000 spirit attribute]
[+10,000 mana, +1000 magic damage, +1000 spirit]
[Additional Attributes: +50% fire magic damage, +10 magic crit, +10 fire Elemental Affinity]
[Attached Skill: FireGod’s Blessing]
[FireGod’s Blessing: Support skill. Increases fire elemental magic damage by 200%. Lasts 1 hour. 1-day cooldown. No mana cost.]
[Description: A powerful ring blessed by the FireGod.]
Malina’s eyes widened as she stared at the ring, practically drooling over it.
John felt exasperated. The ring was incredibly powerful, seemingly tailor-made for Malina.
FireGod’s Blessing could boost fire magic damage by 200%, a tempting ability even for him. Unfortunately, the ring required 10 points in fire Elemental Affinity to be equipped.
And he had none.
In the world of Gods, it seemed only Malina, who had the rare Flame Mage class, met the criteria with her 10 points in fire Elemental Affinity.
“Godslayer, I want it,” she said, noticing John wasn’t saying anything.
John ignored her again and walked toward the nearby treasure chest that had just spawned.
Malina was getting desperate. She gritted her teeth and offered, “I’ll agree to your offer-10 G’s worth of different stockings dance videos!”
John glanced at her with a smirk. “That was my previous offer. But now? This ring is worth
more than just 10 G.”
He waved the ring in front of her with a smug look.
Malina swallowed hard, knowing full well she couldn’t take it from him by force. If she could,
she wouldn’t have hesitated.
Taking a deep breath, she resigned herself to her fate. “Fine, 20 G. And I’ll show my face this
time.”
“Deal!” John agreed without hesitation.
Malina froze, immediately regretting her offer. She scowled and snapped, “Didn’t you say you weren’t interested in me?”
John shrugged. “You might not be much to look at now, but maybe if I see you enough, I’ll get
used to it.”
“Ugh, go to hell!” Malina fumed, her chest heaving in frustration. No one had ever called her
ugly before.
But, for the sake of the artifact ring, she swallowed her pride.
“Give it to me!” Malina snatched the ring from John’s hand with glee, immediately slipping it
onto her finger. Then, in her usual demanding tone, she added, “Help me with my class advancement-no conditions this time!”
“Do I seem like the kind of person who always asks for something?” John replied, not
bothering to engage further with her demands. He proceeded to open the treasure chest.
[You have opened the Secret Area treasure chest. You’ve obtained: Dragonblood Set x1, Spirit Stone x1, and City of Angels Map Fragment x1.]
The contents were similar to the previous two chests-a seventh-tier legendary Knight set, a Spirit Stone, and another City of Angels Map Fragment.
Only one more fragment was needed to complete the full City of Angels Map.
“Avis, let’s go,” John called out, mounting his dragon and heading back to the grasslands
where they had started.
Without hesitation, he unleashed Hellfire, setting the plains ablaze.
Whoosh!
Flames engulfed the entire area, but this time, no system notification appeared.
It seemed there were no monsters in this area at all.
As the fire died down, only scorched earth remained.
John scanned the area, curious about what could be hidden beneath the surface.
“Master, there’s a cave!” Avis, always observant, spotted an entrance hidden among the
ashes.
John landed and approached the small cave opening.
It was narrow, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, meaning Avis’s massive
form wouldn’t be able to fit.
At the entrance, John could see faint red lights flickering inside-monsters.
“Could this be the real Death Worm’s Nest?” John wondered. Perhaps this was where the
Secret Area’s final treasure lay.
“Avis, stay here. If there’s danger, take off immediately.” John instructed the dragon before
casting Diamond Armor on himself. Then, cautiously, he entered the cave.
Malina followed closely behind.
Whoosh…
The moment they stepped inside, they were met with intense heat.
John soon spotted the creatures-fiery red ants, each the size of a basketball.
Buzz!
With a swift swing, John’s Three-Foot Black Dragon Sword cleaved through several ants in an
instant.
[You have slain a level 500 Red Armored Ant. You gained 17,730 experience points.]
The notification confirmed the name of the creature: Red Armored Ant.
The sixth-tier monster.
Suddenly, the sound of rustling filled the cave as more Red Armored Ants surged toward
them, their fiery bodies casting an eerie glow in the dim cave.
Buzz!
John activated Three-Foot Black Dragon Sword, splitting the weapon into three blades that
whirled through the swarm, cutting down the ants with ease.
These weak creatures were no match for him.
From behind, Malina shouted, “Godslayer, save ten of the epic bosses for me! I need them for
my class advancement!”
“You sure? These are sixth-tier monsters,” John cautioned.
Malina had just reached level 200 and was looking to advance her class for the fifth time. But
facing sixth-tier epic bosses-especially these Red Armored Ants with their mastery of fire
magic and high fire resistance-wouldn’t be easy. She might not even be able to break through their defenses.
“That’s what you’re here for,” Malina said confidently, her usual bravado shining through. “It’s you who needs to kill them, not me,” John replied, somewhat exasperated. Nonetheless, he weakened one of the sixth-tier Red Armored Ants, bringing it down to low health before
backing off.
Malina, not wasting a second, took out her staff and began casting fire magic.
Boom, boom…
-1
-1
A series of fireballs hit the Red Armored Ant, but the only damage dealt was a forced
deduction of 1 HP per hit.
As expected, her fire magic barely scratched the creature’s defense.
Malina frowned, frustrated. John had been cutting through these monsters like butter-so
why was it so difficult for her?