Chapter 17: The Burial Ground of Bones, the Slayer!
The Burial Grounds.
A team of four fighters escorting a cart.
Crack!
With a swift strike of his sword, a level 17 warrior in the group shattered a skeletal warrior before handing it over to the only level 9 archer in the team to finish off with an arrow.
Several people looked up toward Lu Ming and his group not far away.
“Oh wow, those level 8 newbies actually dared to team up and farm the Burial Grounds? That’s brave!”
“I just saw a post on the forum about a ten-level cart escort for ten thousand gold, and the leader is an Array Trickster. Could that be the same guy who posted it?”
“A level 8 Array Trickster leading a four-man team through the tenth stage? Are you kidding me?”
“This is hilarious! What shocks me the most are the other four—there really are warriors who don’t fear death just to save some money!”
“Market disruptors deserve to die. Just watch, I bet that guy won’t even get past the first stage!”
As they waited to see Lu Ming’s group fail, Qing Yan, the scout of Lu Ming’s team, used reconnaissance to share the skeleton warrior’s stats in the team chat.
[Skeletal Warrior] (Physical Type · Common Monster)
Level: 9
Physical Attack: 92
Armor: 42
Magic Resistance: 35
Speed: 35
Health: 610
Skill: Charge Slash (Grade F)
Description: Undead slumbering beneath the earth, reawakened by the call of the Skeleton King, Noke. They vow to serve the darkness unto death...
At that moment, Wu Liuqi, Shooting the Sky, and Big Wave Dad, all members of the team, eyed the monster’s stats and then glanced at themselves.
Instantly, their faces twisted with agony.
“Damn… my attack is only 55, and this damn monster has 42 armor. Even if it stands still, how many hits will it take to chop down one skeletal warrior? What the hell!”
“No one brings high-level monsters; you can’t beat them. Farming low-level monsters only gives one experience point. The Abyss really doesn’t leave any room for us newbies!”
“Once I hit level 10, I’m going to camp levels and bring level 1 newbies to make money!”
“No, the problem now is... even I, a strength-built warrior, only have 55 attack power. That guy’s a support class, an Array Trickster. Can he even hurt these skeletal warriors?”
“Could it be he only buffs us with his arrays and expects us to do all the fighting? Damn it, why the hell did I impulsively join this illegal escort!”
While the group was drowning in regret, at the front line—
Crack, crack!
Amid the grinding sound of bones, the skeletal warrior, wielding a massive cleaver, launched a Charge Slash skill at Lu Ming!
Lu Ming stood firm, unflinching in the face of danger.
He planted his longsword into the ground and activated War Stomp.
The few high-level players watching nearby almost spat out their drinks laughing.
“What the hell is that idiot doing? His teammates are all behind him, yet he stands in front, casting an array stance, waiting to die?”
“This is hilarious. Don’t they know Array Trickster’s formations only buff teammates, not the caster himself?”
“Even if it did buff him, so what? Does this level 8 Array Trickster really think he can solo a level 9 skeletal warrior just with an array?”
Slash!
Just as the skeletal warrior swung its blade toward Lu Ming, everyone thought Lu Ming would be chopped to pieces.
Swish, swish!
Suddenly, two Death Knights charged out from the left and right flanks, swinging their iron swords with lightning speed, knocking the skeletal warrior to the ground before it could touch Lu Ming.
-362!
-362!
Two high-damage, blood-red numbers appeared, instantly draining all 610 health points from the skeletal warrior.
[Ding~ You have killed a level 9 skeletal warrior, experience gained +40!]
The smiles on the faces of the players waiting for the spectacle froze.
The three young men at the back of the team were equally stunned.
“Inst… instantly killed?”
“Who the hell are those two?! Where did they come from?”
All eyes turned to the Death Knights.
The two Death Knights, like guardians, stood steadfast by Lu Ming’s sides.
Their pitch-black, chilling armor gleamed coldly, and their eyes emitted an eerie cyan glow, radiating an imposing aura.
When Lu Ming reached out and absorbed the skeletal warrior’s corpse, the players watching from afar gasped.
“Are those two Death Knights that guy’s summoned creatures?”
“Level 8 summons with damage this high?!”
Meanwhile, the three young men at the back turned pale instantly.
“I knew big brother must have something special on him to dare post that ad!”
“So big brother has a summoning talent, and his summons are this powerful!”
“Already two summons at level 8? Professional summoners only unlock the second summon slot at level 10, right? Damn! Big brother is amazing!”
Just as they felt exhilarated, what followed next made them question reality even more.
Lu Ming focused his thoughts.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
From all directions, countless three-meter-high dark vortexes tore through space, blossoming forth.
One by one, Death Knights stepped through the portals!
Eighty Death Knights instantly filled the entire area!
“Go kill the monsters.”
At Lu Ming’s command, all surrounding Death Knights activated automatic attack mode.
The poor skeletal warriors, just breaking through the soil and barely taking a breath of fresh air, were instantly chopped to pieces by the Death Knights!
With Lu Ming’s tenfold-enhanced level 8 War Stomp boost, the Death Knights gained an additional 387 attack power, pushing their total attack to a staggering 404 points!
Facing a level 9 skeletal warrior with only 42 armor and 610 health, it took just two sword strikes to effortlessly fell one!
With eighty Death Knights swarming through, in mere minutes the team received a notification—
[Ding~ Congratulations! Your team has slain a total of 50 skeletons. Stage 1 of the quest is complete! Continue slaying skeletons until 100 to upgrade the reward to stage 2!]
At that moment, everyone in the team was utterly shocked.
Qing Yan, the mage girl, looked at Lu Ming with an enigmatic smile…
Nearby, several high-level escort teams withdrew to the outskirts, unwilling to offend Lu Ming’s Death Knights, hastily giving way.
Thus, the Death Knights rampaged through the vast Burial Grounds, unstoppable and invincible!
Team notifications sounded one after another.
[Ding~ Congratulations! Your team has slain a total of 100 skeletons. Stage 2 of the quest is complete…]
[Ding~ Congratulations! Your team has slain a total of 200 skeletons. Stage 3 of the quest is complete…]
…
[Ding~ Congratulations! Your team has slain a total of 1,000 skeletons. The prerequisite for stage 10 of the quest has been met. Due to your massive slaughter, the Black Iron-tier Boss, Skeleton King Noke, is about to appear. Defeat him to complete stage 10!]
As the system notification ended,
Boom!
The Burial Grounds shook violently as if an earthquake had struck.
“Who dares disturb my dream!”
“Looking for death?”
With a roar that echoed to the heavens,
A colossal skeletal warrior, six or seven meters tall, burst from the center of the Burial Grounds.