“Boom!”
A deafening roar resounded.
The Storm Rock Spear, currently Li Xiuman's strongest single-target attack skill, struck the Firewing Beast King with deadly precision.
The rock spear spun violently, and the enveloping tempest seemed as if it would tear the Firewing Beast King completely to pieces.
The churning air currents forced the Firewing Beast King to flap its wings frantically in an attempt to maintain its flight.
The spinning Storm Rock Spear shredded the scales on the Firewing Beast King's chest like a drill, tearing open its flesh.
Blood sprayed violently from the torn wound, showering the sky.
The Firewing Beast was pierced completely through by the rock spear, presenting a truly wretched sight.
“Hah!”
A succession of fireballs was spat toward Li Xiuman.
It seemed this Firewing Beast was also capable of understanding that Molten Fireballs were countered by Li Xiuman.
Li Xiuman gripped his skeleton sword. The Bone Wings on his back flapped as his wind magic automatically propelled him forward, leaving an afterimage in his wake.
Horizontal slash, diagonal slash, vertical slash.
Clad in blades of wind magic, his bone sword flashed repeatedly, carving arcs of light through the air.
The fireballs were cleanly sliced apart, one after another, then cut again.
Facing the incoming fireballs, Li Xiuman charged straight toward the Firewing Beast King.
The Firewing Beast hurriedly tried to flap its wings. As it did, the rock spear impaling its chest caused blood to continuously spurt out.
“Water Arrow!”
Li Xiuman raised his wand, and a magic circle expanded in the blink of an eye, shooting out a succession of Water Arrows.
The Firewing Beast King opened its mouth and exhaled flames that wrapped around its body, easily swallowing the Water Arrows.
“Tier 2 Magic, Water Prison!”
Li Xiuman rapidly switched spells. As a blue magic circle expanded, water continuously condensed from the surroundings and surged toward the shroud of fire around the Firewing Beast King.
Unsurprisingly, a massive cloud of steam billowed upward.
The Firewing Beast stopped flapping its wings and allowed its body to fall, attempting to escape the coverage of the steam.
“Don't even think about it!”
How could Li Xiuman possibly give it this opportunity?
He would take its life while it was vulnerable.
Diving rapidly, he gripped his sword with both hands and slashed down with immense force.
The distance between them closed in an instant, and the Firewing Beast King's body was right before his eyes.
Li Xiuman could already see the bountiful rewards waving at him.
But in the next instant, the situation reversed at the speed of light.
An arrow shot from afar along a trajectory impossible to trace with the naked eye, dragging a tail of flowing light behind it.
It was too fast.
Li Xiuman had no time to defend before the arrow pierced through his facial bone and exited from the back of his skull.
The Firewing Beast King seized this fleeting opportunity and spat a fireball at point-blank range.
The explosive fireball detonated between Li Xiuman and the Firewing Beast, instantly sending them both flying backward.
The Firewing Beast King dived headfirst back into the lava.
The Fire Crocodile King also seemed to sense the danger, retreating into the lava along with the Firewing Beast King.
Immediately afterward, Li Xiuman was showered with several more arrows, along with a barrage of multiple fireballs.
This made it impossible for Li Xiuman, who had wanted to use the momentum to play dead, to keep up the act.
Flapping his Bone Wings, he narrowly dodged the fireballs through the gaps in the assault and maintained his flight.
“He actually didn't die even after that?”
“You truly didn't disappoint me.”
Accompanied by a surprised voice, a sword light slashed out from behind Li Xiuman.
Li Xiuman hastily dodged, parrying with his skeleton sword, but the incoming blade still scraped across his chestplate, sending a shower of sparks flying.
His body was uncontrollably thrown back another distance.
“Tier 2 Magic, Water Prison!”
Spoken in unison from all directions, the voices of seven Elementalists resounded as they surrounded him.
Blue magic circles unfolded one after another as a vast amount of water condensed in midair, surging toward Li Xiuman.
“Don't even think about it!”
“Tier 2 Magic, Whirlwind!”
Li Xiuman raised his hand, and a green magic circle expanded. A fierce gale rose around his body, blowing the water apart.
But this was the joint magic of seven Elementalists.
The water dispersed by the howling wind quickly reconvened, wrapping around Li Xiuman once more.
This time, things wouldn't be so easy for Li Xiuman.
After a brief struggle with his skeleton sword, he was completely submerged in the Water Prison, unable to move.
“Who are you, and why are you attacking me?”
Li Xiuman spoke with difficulty from inside the Water Prison.
He produced sound by vibrating the bone fragments in his throat, which allowed him to speak even underwater.
“My, little skeleton. It hasn't been that long, yet you've already forgotten your old master?”
“You tricked me so thoroughly back then~”
The burly Swordsman who had ambushed him covered his mouth and let out a delicate, feminine laugh, making Li Xiuman feel thoroughly uncomfortable.
“Is that you, Lucia?”
Li Xiuman looked at the Swordsman before him in confusion.
More and more people emerged around them in neat formations. It was precisely the joint party he had seen outside the dungeon, whom he had predicted would attempt to conquer the Floor Boss.
Looking at them now, whether they were here for the Floor Boss was up in the air.
But they were definitely here for him.
“I didn't expect you to be living such a comfortable life after deserting me.”
“There really is some grand secret within your body. But don't worry, I will study you thoroughly and pry it out.”
Li Xiuman sized up the surrounding party for a moment.
“Are you controlling them?”
“It looks like you didn't come in person, did you?”
Through Li Xiuman's Appraisal, these people were all of normal human races.
“Although I wanted to come in person, this is more than enough to deal with you.”
“No matter how many petty tricks you play, you will always be nothing but that Low-Tier Skeleton in my eyes.”
Lucia had a smug expression, utterly convinced she had Li Xiuman cornered.
“Still, I don't understand why you would use 'Skeleton' as your alias.”
“Aren't you afraid I'd track you down?”
Lucia walked toward Li Xiuman step by step as he lay trapped in the Water Prison, her expression filled with curiosity.
Li Xiuman didn't speak, struggling fruitlessly within the Water Prison.
“Be a good boy and speak.”
Lucia raised her hand, and the Water Prison instantly contracted inward, compressing the struggling Li Xiuman.
“Aaargh!”
The skeleton cried out in pain.
“I told you, you are nothing but a Low-Tier Skeleton before me.”
“A Low-Tier Skeleton has no right to remain silent in my presence.”
Lucia slowly lowered her hand, halting the contraction of the Water Prison, and Li Xiuman relaxed his tense body as if a heavy weight had been lifted.
“What secrets are you hiding? Spit them all out.”
“...Come closer, and I'll tell you.”
Li Xiuman spoke with great difficulty.
“You are in no position to negotiate with me.”
Lucia raised her hand again, and the Water Prison contracted once more. With even greater pressure this time, Li Xiuman's body creaked and groaned.
“Aaargh! I'll speak! I'll tell you everything!”
Lucia did not stop immediately; she seemed to thoroughly enjoy the sensation of torturing him.
“Low-Tier Skeleton, it is your honor that I am allowing you to speak.”
“It seems you still haven't realized that.”
“Now, you may speak.”
Only after saying this did Lucia lower her hand, stopping the contraction of the Water Prison.
“I wanted to use the alias 'Skeleton' to draw you out, and then exact my revenge.”
“But I didn't expect you to come so quickly.”
Li Xiuman confessed honestly.
“What a humorous thought. Truly worthy of a Low-Tier Skeleton.”
“Your foolishness astounds me.”
Lucia wore a charming, seductive smile—though on the muscular face of the Swordsman, it looked exceptionally unsettling.
“Indeed, I think so too.”
Li Xiuman's sword-wielding hand suddenly slashed out, his body seemingly unaffected by the Water Prison in the slightest.
With a single strike, he decapitated Lucia's smiling head.
[Ding! Killed Swordsman Lv. 27, Experience +2500]
“But unfortunately, I'm the one astounded by the sheer foolishness here.”
Li Xiuman reached out and caught the flying, severed head with one hand.
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