Chapter 70: Killed Again

After clearing that area, Wu Shaochen realized there was no way forward, so he returned to the central position and headed right. He soon entered another mining zone, only to see a large number of skeletons scattered across it. He cast Insight, revealing: Level 25 Skeleton Assassin, with a high attack of 720, HP of 65,000, defense of 560, and the assassin-exclusive skill Backstab. Compared to Wu Shaochen’s own Backstab, the Skeleton Assassin’s version was clearly superior—ignoring 55% of defense, dealing 160% damage, and having a 25-second cooldown.

“An upgraded version?” Wu Shaochen was puzzled. The name and skill were exactly the same, but all attributes had increased.

“Could it be that the skill can be upgraded? But I haven’t seen any upgrade button.” Wu Shaochen was confused but let it go, figuring he’d find out eventually.

He didn’t dwell on it. These assassins had no control skills. Though a single Backstab could take over 700 HP from him, he could still tank over a dozen of them. Plus, Silvermoon Wolf could occasionally boost his attack and defense with Inspiration, so farming them wasn’t too hard.

This grind went on until after midnight. Finally, all 612 Skeleton Assassins were cleared. His experience reached: LV23: 407742/600000. Undying Body increased his HP by 612. His total HP hit 16,319. Silvermoon Wolf leveled up to 17, reaching 96,400 HP, 750 physical defense, 500 magical defense, 1,250 attack, and an even more outrageous speed of 500. Except for HP, his stats were no weaker than a Silver-tier boss.

“Alright, time to go back and farm the dungeon again. Should be able to get another piece of Gold equipment.” Wu Shaochen thought to himself, then used a Return Scroll to head back to Jinling City, and immediately made his way to the dungeon.

“Boss, Dust-Sealed has returned and is heading toward the dungeon.”

Wu Shaochen arrived at the Linlang Dungeon. There weren’t many people there now—likely the curiosity had worn off and people realized they needed to level up.

He quickly formed a one-man team in front of the dungeon and was soon teleported in.

Meanwhile, Jinling City was bustling with people. Many players noticed that members of Pride of Heroes were returning to the city and gathering at the gates.

“Looks like Pride of Heroes is up to something big again.”

“Haha, time for some drama! The city’s been too quiet these past two days—I’m not used to it.”

“Yeah, but what are they making such a big move for? Planning to start a war with another guild?”

“Who knows… Do you think they’re going to try to kill Dust-Sealed again?”

“You know what? That might actually be it! Let’s follow them—this should be good.”

Soon, a massive force of over 3,000 players from Pride of Heroes marched toward the Linlang Dungeon and surrounded the entrance completely. In the middle of the crowd, clad in full Silver gear, stood Ao Shi Tian Xia, his eyes burning with hatred as he looked toward the dungeon.

“Dust-Sealed, today is your death day!”

After two days of rest and development, the strength of Pride of Heroes had risen dramatically. This elite force of 3,000 was entirely equipped with at least Black Iron gear, with all roles accounted for. Over a dozen core guild members were now fully outfitted in Bronze equipment—a complete transformation from before.

Wu Shaochen was now very familiar with the Linlang Dungeon. His strength had improved since last time, and Silvermoon Wolf was immensely powerful now. In fact, if it weren’t for its annoying poison, he might not even be able to beat Silvermoon Wolf in a fight. Relying on its talents—30% attack bonus and 30% lifesteal—and its incredible speed, Silvermoon Wolf charged through monsters like a whirlwind. Finally, Wu Shaochen no longer felt like he was just leeching off it.

This time, with poison damage doubled and Silvermoon Wolf’s help, it only took Wu Shaochen 16 minutes to clear the dungeon, setting a new personal record. After killing the guardian beast, he received another piece of Gold equipment. As a final reward, he earned a Silver treasure chest, but before he could open it, he was teleported out. Fortunately, he’d expected that—what he didn’t expect was the ambush waiting outside.

The moment Wu Shaochen appeared, before he could react, damage numbers suddenly exploded across his screen as his HP plummeted. Without hesitation, he activated Void to evade the rest of the attacks. Looking around, he saw people everywhere. Among them were a few familiar figures, and Wu Shaochen finally realized who was behind this. Luckily, when teleporting out of a dungeon, pets were automatically returned to the pet space—otherwise, Silvermoon Wolf might’ve lost a level in this chaos.

On Pride of Heroes’ side, their archers and mages finally saw their attacks do more than -1 damage to Dust-Sealed—some even dealt over a hundred. Excited, their shield warriors and fighters charged at Wu Shaochen.

“Damn, thank god this isn’t like the city gates, where tens of thousands can spread out. Otherwise, I’d be screwed.” Last time, Pride of Heroes had over ten thousand players neatly lined up, with thousands hitting him at once. That wasn’t the case here. While the Linlang Dungeon area could hold thousands, it couldn’t spread them out as well. At most, a few hundred could actually hit him at once—the rest in the back couldn’t even get a clear shot.

Fortunately, Wu Shaochen’s sudden appearance had caught them off guard, and most of the enemy didn’t react in time. Otherwise, even just two or three hundred players attacking at once could’ve wiped him. After all, once players are geared up, soloing thousands isn’t realistic anymore. Even last time, he survived because of a Body Shield Scroll. Realistically, no matter how strong an individual is, there’s a limit—numbers still decide the outcome.

Soon, Wu Shaochen’s Void wore off. The shield warriors and fighters from Pride of Heroes surrounded him, cutting off his escape. Just as the next wave of ranged attacks was about to land, Wu Shaochen suddenly vanished.

Everyone froze—then they heard Ao Shi Tian Xia shout, “Over here!”

Wu Shaochen had reappeared behind Ao Shi Tian Xia and immediately used Crushing Blow followed by Weak Point Strike, taking him out instantly. Although Wu Shaochen hadn’t added points into Strength, his attack still reached over 1,700. The two skills together dealt more than 5,700 damage. As a warrior, Ao Shi Tian Xia clearly didn’t have that much HP.

As Ao Shi Tian Xia fell, he dropped two pieces of equipment, which Wu Shaochen swiftly picked up. By the time the rest of Pride of Heroes responded and hurled skills his way, Wu Shaochen crushed a scroll and disappeared, leaving the crowd dazed in the wind.

“…What…” Ao Shi Jue Qing swallowed hard, at a loss for words. Thousands of people had surrounded one man, and yet he still managed to kill their leader and walk away like nothing happened.

“What now?” Ao Shi Gu Feng asked. He’d opposed ambushing Dust-Sealed from the beginning. “This guy’s not that easy to kill, but the boss wouldn’t listen.”

“I’ve reported the situation. Boss says to return for now,” Ao Shi Fang Yu replied.

At the revival point in Jinling City, Ao Shi Tian Xia looked so furious it was like ink was dripping from his face. His guess had been right—bringing thousands of players did break Dust-Sealed’s defense. After all, one Strength point adds two attack, while one Constitution only adds one defense—attack was always going to outpace defense. Still, he underestimated Dust-Sealed’s trump cards. Once again, in front of everyone, he was killed by Dust-Sealed. His hatred had reached a breaking point.