Chapter 9

Dafei cautiously advanced along the red box flashing wildly on the minimap, but there was no need to look around anymore. A large marine beast's skeleton, half-buried in the sand, had already betrayed its presence! After all, it was the only unique sight on the entire beach!

Dafei moved closer step by step, and now he could clearly see the skeleton, which resembled a giant whale. Near the skeleton, he also noticed several wooden barrels half-buried in the sand. Did these barrels fall from a ship?

If the death of this giant whale was related to the boss, how powerful must this boss be? It seemed unlikely that he could defeat it, but collecting information about the boss was valuable. The more unknown and powerful a creature was, the greater the prestige gained by merely revealing its existence to the world! Even if it meant certain death, the value was significant! Learning the Reconnaissance skill was worth it! But where was the boss? Was it hiding in the whale's skull or under the sand?

With a mix of tension and excitement, Dafei circled around to the back of the whale's skull, probing the sand ahead with his spear as he moved forward. The red box on his minimap was flashing more frequently and intensely! The boss was right ahead!

Closer! The skull, as large as a small house, was empty inside. So, it must be in the sand?

Dafei took a deep breath and took another tense and solemn step forward.

— System Alert: Warning! Reconnaissance skill detects a hidden enemy about to appear!

Damn! Dafei was startled and instinctively turned and ran without thinking! He heard a loud thud behind him, and a thick, foul-smelling gust of wind whistled past his head! Mud and sand splattered all around! A large "Miss" appeared above his head!

Dafei finally came to his senses! Why am I running? I came here to die and gather information! He immediately turned around and was stunned!

Tentacles! Dozens of thick, long tentacles emerged from the sand! It was a sea anemone boss! Thanks to the early warning from the Reconnaissance skill and his quick reflexes, he narrowly escaped! The Intermediate Reconnaissance skill's warning function and the character's running state had a chance to dodge attacks.

Staring at the giant tentacles writhing in the sand, Dafei shook his head in amazement and helplessness.

The boss is a boss! These tentacles were twice as long as his spear, making it impossible to fight! It was a pity he was a spearman; if he were an archer, it would be much better! But how could the system send an archer to this desolate island? Where would he get more arrows after using them up? From the ship's cabin? Even a legendary hero couldn't enter that cabin! How many levels could a new archer gain with a limited supply of arrows?

This boss must be designed for melee players!

Thinking this, Dafei's gaze shifted to the large whale skull next to the tentacles!

As an expert, he knew that bosses were meant to be defeated by players. If a boss seemed impossible to defeat head-on, there must be another way! Properly utilizing the terrain was a universal strategy in any game!

Dafei carefully examined the skull, which increasingly resembled a fortress, with the eye socket as a shooting hole! If he hid inside the skull and attacked through the eye socket... Yes! That was the key! If he couldn't defeat it this way, he would have no chance in the open! However, if he could strike and immediately dodge, he might avoid the tentacles if they couldn't bend. If they could bend, he was in trouble!

Anyway, he was here to die, so he had no pressure! The longer he could survive, the more detailed information he could gather!

However, there was a big problem: he couldn't easily enter the skull. The tentacles were so long that he would be hit if he tried. Could he charge in and push the boss back? No way! As a fragile spearman, he couldn't even touch a regular sea anemone, let alone a boss! How did the whale die?

He could only wait! The boss must have a reason to burrow into the sand. Perhaps it didn't like being exposed to the air?

Dafei ran to a distance, killed over twenty small sea anemones for some experience, and then ran back. Sure enough, the boss had burrowed again! This was his chance!

Dafei quietly circled around to the back of the skull and chose the best angle. At this angle, the whale's rib bones could block the sweeping tentacles, making it almost impossible to dodge. However, if the tentacles stabbed, there was a chance to dodge!

One step, two steps, he was within attack range! Dafei bent down and took a deep breath, like a coiled spring ready to spring!

— System Alert: Warning! Reconnaissance skill detects a hidden enemy about to appear!

Charge!!! In an instant, Dafei shot forward at the spearman's maximum speed of 10 meters per second!

Thud!!! Mud and sand splattered in his face as a dark shadow shot out of the ground! His heart leaped to his throat!

There was never a guaranteed winning strategy; luck was always the most unpredictable factor in any tactic! The stronger side tried to minimize the role of luck, while the weaker side could only rely on luck!

Dafei had done everything he could objectively: early warning, movement, and terrain utilization. The rest was up to fate! If his luck was bad? Well, it was simple: die and respawn. There was no need to stress in the game!

— Whew! Mud hit his face! A foul-smelling gust of wind brushed past his ear! Miss!!!

Yes!!! Defense succeeded!

— Splash! Dafei dove into the whale's skull, nervously waiting for the second attack! If the tentacles could bend, he was done for and would have to leave with just the information!

After a while, the second attack didn't come. It seemed promising! Dafei slowly stood up, cautiously peering out of the eye socket—Whew! A dark shadow flashed before his eyes!

Dafei, prepared, quickly pulled back.

— Bang!!! Miss! A thick, green tentacle, covered in suction cups, shot into the skull and slammed into the inner wall, shaking the entire skull!

The force of the attack left Dafei stunned! This attack could easily kill a new player and even a knight! This was not a monster to be taken lightly!

Thud! The tentacle, like a dead snake, fell to the ground and began to wriggle toward Dafei's hiding spot.

Damn! It can bend! What's the point of fighting?

"Ah, stab, ah!" Dafei stabbed the wriggling tentacle, dealing "−6" damage!!!

— System Alert: You have obtained an incomplete information card for the Demon Poisonous Sea Anemone King!

Obtaining the information card! Dafei was content to die now!

But there was no time to check the card or wonder why he dealt double his maximum damage. Facing the wriggling tentacle, Dafei, like a woman frantically swatting a cockroach, stabbed wildly while screaming incoherently: "Ah, stab, stab, stab—"

— "−6!" "−6" "−6" "−6"!

Each stab made the tentacle jump and twitch like a severed worm, losing its earlier power! Its weak struggles couldn't reach Dafei, and the long spear's advantage remained!

Finally, after leaving a trail of green liquid, the mangled tentacle slithered out of the eye socket.

It was possible! It was possible! Hahaha! Dafei, regaining his composure, quickly checked the information card.

— Demon Poisonous Sea Anemone King:

— Type: Large Plant

— Attack: ?

— Defense: ?

— Damage: ?

— Health: ?

— Attack Speed: 1, very, very slow.

— Movement Speed: 0

— Special Ability: Projectile Attack, ?

— Drops: ?

— Experience: ?

— ...

Its special ability was Projectile Attack! The signature move of the Hell Clan's elite second-tier unit, the Howling Demon, also known as the Jumping Demon during the beta test!

— Howling Demon: Attack 3, Defense 2, Health 13, Damage 1-4, Attack Speed 8, Movement Speed 5, Special Ability: Projectile Attack, Enrage.

— Howling Demons live on the islands of the Hell Lava Sea. Although they move slowly, they can leap across the scorching lava islands with a jumping ability comparable to flying units, giving them a projectile attack that even powerful demons dare not underestimate.

— Projectile Attack: Howling Demons can use their incredible jumping ability to launch themselves like projectiles to the farthest corners of the battlefield, even into walls. The farther the jump, the greater the damage upon landing. However, the high-speed movement also reduces their attack accuracy, and they become vulnerable to double damage after landing. Repeated use of the projectile attack increases the vulnerability, doubling the damage they take.

As a second-tier unit, the Howling Demon is one of the most feared low-level wild monsters by quest players. Of course, all Hell Clan units are problematic. Their projectile attack can deal damage two to three times their own, making it difficult to survive an encounter. Many high-level units fall victim to their attacks, making them the most valuable cannon fodder!

Dafei finally understood! No wonder his 1-3 damage dealt 6 points!

This sea anemone king, as a plant monster, had a very low attack speed, relying on its lightning-fast projectile tentacles. Its attack speed was not just low; it was abysmally low, only 1! This meant that for every 10 attacks by the player, the boss would attack only once! That's why Dafei could stab it for a long time without it retaliating!

Of course, the attack speed of 1 referred to one tentacle. With over a dozen tentacles, the low attack speed wasn't an issue. But now, hiding in the skull, only one tentacle could reach him!

That's it! The projectile attack had low accuracy, and he could dodge while moving. He would try to defeat each tentacle one by one!

Dafei took a deep breath and cautiously peered out of the eye socket again. This was the most critical and dangerous part of the strategy!

Succeeding once might not be hard, but succeeding over a dozen times was! For Dafei, a seasoned construction worker with strong mental fortitude, ensuring safety once was easy, and ensuring safety over a dozen times was also easy!