Volume One, Chapter 15: Slaying the Commander, Unleashing Silver Equipment!
At this moment, the skeletal knights found themselves trapped in the quagmire, struggling desperately to break free from their restraints. Even the captain of the knights was ensnared, with only the commander remaining unaffected. The nightmare steed beneath the commander was extraordinary, coursing with ancient bloodlines. Despite the mire, it galloped swiftly as the wind.
A piercing red gleam shone fiercely in the commander's eyes. Suddenly, from its back, it drew forth a bone spike and hurled it viciously toward Lin Yi.
“Whoosh!”
The bone spike tore through the air, creating a thunderous sonic boom. This strike alone could inflict tens of thousands of points of damage. Even warriors of the Black Iron rank would fall instantly.
“Ah!”
Cheng Muqing screamed in shock, instinctively covering her mouth. Yet, in the face of this heart-stopping blow, Lin Yi remained unflinching, a trace of contempt flickering in his eyes. With his current power, casting the Light Shield Technique could absorb tens of thousands of damage points, so enduring a direct hit was naturally no challenge.
“Bang!”
The bone spike collided with Lin Yi’s Light Shield. Though the force was tremendous, the luminous barrier remained unmoved, firmly blocking the spike outside.
Suddenly, Lin Yi gave a sharp command. “Arc Shock!”
“Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!”
Electric arcs danced wildly, like an expansive blue net, instantly engulfing the majority of the skeletal knights. The damage numbers flickered rapidly.
-7150!
-6908!
-6517!
-7032!
...
Both Cheng Muqing and Bai Jia were dumbfounded. The crisis of being surrounded was instantly overturned; every minor enemy fell in a single strike!
At this point, only three knight captains and the skeletal knight commander remained. After two rounds of fierce attacks, their health had already been reduced by over thirty percent. Yet Lin Yi’s performance was only just beginning.
“Ice Spear Technique!”
A biting cold surged forth from Lin Yi’s staff. A three-meter-long ice spear, as thick as an arm, took shape in the void. Accompanied by a roaring sound, it shot straight at one of the knight captains.
“Boom!”
The ice spear pierced through the target, pinning it against a towering tree behind.
-36753!
[Slain Level 15 Skeletal Knight Captain, gained 1573 experience points!]
Cheng Muqing could hardly believe it—such staggering damage came from an ordinary mage’s hand!
Lin Yi gazed at the glittering light on the ground with delight but made no haste to collect it. At that moment, the cooldown for Meteor Firefall ended. Flaming meteors rained down again, covering the remaining three foes.
-17934!
-16852!
-18753!
Though the commander’s magic resistance was somewhat higher, even it could barely withstand such a ferocious assault.
“Slow Spell!”
A gray halo spread outward, drastically reducing the nightmare steed’s speed. Barely out of the quagmire, it nearly stumbled.
Lin Yi resolved to first eliminate the remaining two skeletal knight captains.
“Undead Assault!”
Though the two captains launched a frenzied charge, it was futile.
“Fireball!”
“...”
Spells flew in rapid succession from Lin Yi, swiftly ending their lives and leaving only heaps of white bones.
The situation shifted in an instant. From over thirty skeletal knights, only the skeletal knight commander remained.
Cheng Muqing and Bai Jia exchanged looks, their admiration for Lin Yi deepening.
“Roar!!”
Suddenly, the commander emitted a sharp, piercing roar.
A cold smile curled at Lin Yi’s lips. “All your subordinates are dead; what’s there to be arrogant about?”
“Ice Spear Technique!”
The ice spear condensed anew in the air, howling with frigid wind as it hurtled forth.
“Pfft!”
In the next moment, the spear pierced through the commander’s body, dealing terrifying damage.
-35196!
The commander’s health, nearly 170,000, was now but a fraction. It had no strength left to resist Lin Yi.
Alternating between Slow Spell and Swamp Domain, Lin Yi severely restricted the commander’s speed. Its health continued to plummet rapidly.
With the final ice spear shot, the commander’s head exploded instantly.
-31709!
The commander’s health dropped to zero, and the red glow within its skull gradually faded.
[Slain Level 15 Lord Monster Skeletal Commander, gained 7130 experience points!]
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!”
At the moment the commander fell, a burst of light suddenly blossomed. The equipment dropped in a grand explosion!
Delight shone in Lin Yi’s eyes as he noticed several streaks of azure light interspersed with flashes of white. Unexpectedly, among the drops was a piece of silver-grade equipment!
Bronze equipment was already a rare treasure, but silver-grade gear was truly exceptional.
Without hesitation, Lin Yi bent down and picked up the fallen item.
[Ghostwalker Boots]
Grade: Silver
Attributes: Agility +60, Movement Speed +2, with Ghost Reconnaissance skill.
“Not bad at all, it even has a skill bonus!”
Although equipment skills couldn’t be automatically enhanced by max-level talents, this was still a powerful addition.
Lin Yi quickly equipped the Ghostwalker Boots and lightly hopped, feeling unusually light on his feet.
Cheng Muqing and Bai Jia looked on with envy but knew their limits. The experience they’d gained was already fortunate; coveting the equipment further would be greed.
They then helped Lin Yi gather the scattered gear.
[Shadow Bone Ring]
Grade: Bronze
Attributes: Spirit +25, Mana +300
This ring was not restricted by class but was clearly most suitable for mages.
Lin Yi replaced the ring on his left hand, and his spirit attribute soared immediately!
[Spirit Elixir]
Grade: Bronze
Attribute: Upon consumption, increases spirit by 300 points for three minutes!
This was a typical burst-type potion, commonly stocked by expeditions for use against formidable foes.
Lin Yi’s face brightened with joy as he carefully placed the potion into his storage pendant. This was a trump card for critical moments that might just save his life.
The last item was a skill book!
[Bone Spike Technique]
This was a dark art spell at the Black Iron rank, quite rare.
Lin Yi was ecstatic. Clasping his hands, the skill book transformed into light and flowed into his mind. His talent activated, and Bone Spike Technique instantly reached max level.
[Bone Spike Technique: Chant to launch bone spikes with corrosive effects, enhancing subsequent attack power. Cooldown: three seconds.]
Though its damage didn’t match the Ice Spear Technique, the corrosive effect caught Lin Yi’s attention.
“Not bad, not bad—this haul is a huge win!”
In total, he obtained eleven pieces of equipment!
Besides the Ghostwalker Boots and Shadow Bone Ring, there were two Black Iron-grade items he could use.
[Ghost Gloves]
Grade: Black Iron
Attributes: Magic Resistance +15, Strength +10
[Commander’s Bracers]
Grade: Black Iron
Attributes: Health +300, Mana +200
After equipping these two new items, Lin Yi’s attributes improved significantly.
Having tallied everything, the haul was truly impressive.
Lin Yi stretched leisurely, a satisfied smile on his face.
The surplus equipment could be sold later, and even a warrior’s skill book would fetch a good price!
By Lin Yi’s estimate, the gains from this secret dungeon expedition easily exceeded ten million!
He couldn’t help but marvel—no wonder adventurers flocked to secret dungeons. As long as one had the strength, this place was indeed a treasure trove.
Watching Lin Yi’s upgrade, Cheng Muqing could only look on with envy.
The Black Iron bracers Lin Yi discarded fitted her perfectly.
So Lin Yi gifted them to her.
Cheng Muqing was left with the experience points and a tinge of regret.
Her gaze toward Lin Yi unconsciously revealed a hint of melancholy.
Lin Yi pretended not to notice, his eyes already fixed on the black barrier ahead.
The final stage of this difficult-level secret dungeon awaited: the demon mage Cassio!
It was easy to imagine that this final lord monster’s power would surpass even the commander’s.
“Let’s go! Time is tight!”
Lin Yi led the way, accompanied by Cheng Muqing and Bai Jia, racing forward.
Soon, a massive altar spanning a hundred meters in diameter loomed before them.