Chapter 79

But the expected explosion did not come. Two figures leaped out from the thick fog, one on each side, rushing straight for the old mage. The orange-glowing fireball shot through the mist, speeding forward. The narrow passage, which seemed small, was actually unimaginably long. It wasn't until the two sides engaged that the rumbling explosion finally echoed from a distance.

Two figures burst out of the smoke, charging straight for Il. Under the illumination of the Light Spell, Fang Yi could see clearly: one was the Druid who had shared the carriage with him, and the other was an unfamiliar bald human monk, the white light representing the Light Spell shining brightly on his chest armor. Clearly, the previous Concealment Spell had hidden the light source on his body very well.

Whether by luck or some other skill, the monk resisted Il's lightning-fast Web Spell. Ignoring the trapped Druid, he punched straight for Il's face.

Although Fang Yi knew there was something fishy, he had no other choice. As the monk passed him, he thrust both daggers into the monk's ribs.

A light "ding" sounded. The seemingly unguarded monk slightly turned his body, and his metal gauntlets accurately deflected Fang Yi's daggers. The look in his eyes under the mask was full of disdain. He crouched and swept Fang Yi's legs with a leg sweep. The Druid, who was trapped in the Web Spell, also broke free, and the fiery ball in his hand had already taken shape!

In the game, especially high-level combat NPCs, always had a strange sense of superiority over players. "Miserable beings" and "insect-like creatures" were their catchphrases. The moment Fang Yi engaged the monk, he had already determined the monk's NPC status: just a bunch of data, I'll take you down!

Easily dodging the monk's sneak attack, Fang Yi's eyes flashed, and he quickly retreated two steps. Il's spell had already taken shape again. A pale green light rapidly contracted and expanded in the old mage's hands. After several repetitions, two wrist-thick lines suddenly shot out, hitting the Druid before his fireball, striking the panicked Druid directly.

"Damn! What casting speed!" Fang Yi widened the distance from the monk, startled. If he hadn't been mistaken, Il had just cast a second-level spell, Melf's Acid Arrow! The Druid, hit by the spell, screamed in agony, rolling on the ground, covering his face. Fang Yi shook his head; he was a Druid, where were his protective and healing spells?

Fang Yi's combat experience was vast. He entangled the monk's metal gauntlets with his daggers, preventing him from harassing the old village chief. Il cast spell after spell, hurling Fireball and Lightning directly at the Druid's face. The Druid, who had been howling in pain a second ago, instantly fell, his body burned to a crisp by the spells, clearly unable to withstand the elemental scorching and logging out early.

Seeing the Druid fall, the monk clearly became enraged. He forcefully broke free from the thief's daggers and, from a distance of more than three feet, punched with both fists, shouting, "Stunning Punch!"

The monk's shout still echoed in Fang Yi's ears as he felt his brain buzz, his body immediately frozen in a half-crouching position to dodge. Seeing his move hit, the monk ignored the statue-like thief and, with steps even faster than Fang Yi's, charged like a tiger down the mountain toward the distant mage.

The monk's supernatural ability! There was no way to avoid it. If the monk continued to attack, Fang Yi was confident he could dodge the second attack while recovering from the stun. But this bald monk clearly had extensive combat experience and immediately targeted the more threatening mage.

Fang Yi watched helplessly as the enemy leaped over him and pounced on the old Il. As soon as the two-second stun wore off, Fang Yi immediately retreated, the monk's fierce punches landing on the mage. It wasn't until Fang Yi's short sword stabbed the monk's rear, forcing him back, that the mage had been pummeled by the bull-like monk for three seconds!

Before he could check on Il's injuries, the old mage's hands glowed with magic, and a series of Magic Missiles hit the monk without missing. Although they were spells, the Magic Missiles caused physical damage, making the monk stagger. Fang Yi stabbed him in the buttocks.

Despite having protective spells, the old Il was still dazed from the monk's beating, clearly unable to stand up for a while. The monk's hit-and-run ability was no less than a thief's, and letting him run deep into the waterway was a significant threat. Fang Yi, without checking on Il, got up and chased into the darkness.

A moment later, Il slowly straightened up, not seeing the thief or the monk, and frowned. He recast the Light Spell and walked cautiously forward through the passage.

***

Wiping the blood off his short sword with his clothes, Fang Yi bent down to pick up the silver coins that had dropped around the monk's corpse. This monk wasn't even a minor leader, with high strength but extremely low health. Fang Yi only needed a health potion to take him down.

Leaders and bosses were stronger than minor enemies not only because of their attributes and skills but also because of their extraordinary health. This situation was indeed rare—was this not a quest boss? Fang Yi looked around; he and the monk had chased each other for a long distance, but they were still within the abandoned underground waterway.

Fang Yi didn't immediately pick up the monk's drops but stripped off his leather armor—this armor with the Light Spell could be useful, so let the monk contribute a bit more.

However, the Light Spell on the monk's chest armor wasn't enough to dispel all the darkness. Fang Yi planned to wait for the old village chief to catch up, but he suddenly noticed something reflecting a faint light in the dim light at the corner of the wall.

Fang Yi squinted and walked closer, scattering a large group of rats nesting there. Frowning, he picked up an object and scraped off the green rust. The corroded shape and cold touch confirmed Fang Yi's judgment: an iron sword.

The owner of the iron sword, a human skeleton almost completely eroded by the water vapor in the underground passage, lay on the ground in a bizarre, twisted position. Whether from later corrosion or earlier injuries, the bones were all charred black, with only the wide-open jawbone seeming to tell a story.

There were more than one skeleton. As his gaze extended, more human remains appeared before Fang Yi. A rough count revealed five identifiable bodies. Was this where Il had fought the beasts a year ago?

At this moment, the farthest skeleton caught Fang Yi's attention. This skeleton was relatively well-preserved, having died while leaning against the corner of the wall, so the entire skeleton still maintained a sitting position. However, his right hand was in a strange position, clawing at a spot on the stone wall, neither as if trying to get up nor to grab something. Under the bony fingers, something seemed to be carved into the stone wall, but the light was too dim to see clearly.

Fang Yi immediately brought the monk's leather armor to the corner, moved the skeleton's hand, and squinted to focus on the carvings on the stone wall.