After catching their breath, Qin Lan and Lin Yue moved forward down the long, gloomy corridor. The flickering torchlight cast shadows on the cracked stone walls, and the silence was thick—until a low, guttural growl echoed from one of the side rooms.
The elite zombies had arrived. Ready or not, the real challenge was about to begin.
The elite zombies looked rougher, bigger, and way more intimidating than the regular ones. Their bodies were covered with tougher, decayed flesh that barely held together.
Their eyes glowed with a dull, eerie light, sending chills down the spine. Unlike the slow, clumsy shuffle of the ordinary zombies, these elites moved with more purpose and speed.
Qin Lan and Lin Yue could tell right away this fight wouldn't be easy. The corridor suddenly felt colder, and the tension thickened as the elite zombies stepped forward, ready to attack.
Qin Lan quickly opened the panel to check the stats of the elite zombie ahead.
Level: 5
Health: 1000
Attack: 40-60
Defense: 20
Speed: Moderate
Special Ability: Increased resistance to physical attacks
Lin Yue nodded, sizing up their opponent. These zombies wouldn't go down with just a few hits — they'd have to be careful and work together to slowly wear them down.
The corridor echoed with the dragging footsteps of zombies. From the side rooms poured a chaotic mix—dozens of ordinary zombies, their rotten limbs flailing wildly, and two towering elite zombies, slow but menacing.
Lin Yue charged forward, slashing fiercely at the ordinary zombies to clear space. Each swing chipped away at their decaying bodies, but they kept coming in waves, relentless and unforgiving.
Lin Yue fought fiercely, slicing through the ordinary zombies with practiced swings. Suddenly, one of the elite zombies slammed its rotten fist hard into her side. Lin Yue staggered, a sharp pain radiating through her ribs as she hit the wall.
Qin Lan's eyes widened. She quickly stepped forward and whispered an incantation. A gentle melody flowed from her lips as she strummed her zither, releasing the Healing Wave. The soothing sound wrapped around Lin Yue, knitting bruises and easing the pain. Lin Yue took a deep breath, feeling strength return to her body.
Qin Lan stayed just behind, focusing on supporting Lin Yue. She unleashed a Sound Wave Attack, the shockwave roaring through the corridor, smashing several zombies off their feet. The two elites staggered but quickly regained footing, their thick hides barely scratched.
One elite zombie swung a massive, rotten arm toward Lin Yue. She barely dodged, the heavy blow smashing the wall behind her. Qin Lan immediately cast a Healing Wave, the soothing melody knitting Lin Yue's bruises and cuts in seconds.
The ordinary zombies closed in from all sides. Lin Yue parried, dodged, and countered with deadly precision, but the sheer numbers pressed hard. Qin Lan's mana began to drain as she continuously cast supportive spells.
Suddenly, one elite zombie broke through the line, aiming directly at Qin Lan. She braced herself and sent out another Sound Wave Attack, staggering the beast enough to force it back.
The fight was brutal — the ordinary zombies relentless, the elites powerful and durable. Each hit from Lin Yue lowered their health, but the two elite zombies seemed to shrug off even the strongest blows. Qin Lan's heart pounded as she realized they had to outlast the horde, conserve mana, and strike precisely.
Minutes felt like hours as the battle raged on. Blood, sweat, and dust filled the air. But bit by bit, the zombies fell — first the ordinary ones, then finally, the elites. With one last coordinated strike, Lin Yue drove her sword through the nearest elite's head. The second collapsed soon after, its groan fading into silence.
Just as the last elite zombie crumbled, a clear, crisp Ding! echoed through their minds.
"You reached level 6," the system announced.
Both Qin Lan and Lin Yue looked at each other, excitement lighting their eyes.
Waves 6 to 8 went by in a blur of fierce battles. Each wave brought more zombies—twice as many as before—mixing ordinary and elite types. Qin Lan's healing kept Lin Yue steady through the toughest moments, while Lin Yue's sword strikes cut through the horde with precision.
With every wave cleared, the familiar chime echoed:
Ding! You have reached Level 7!
Ding! You have reached Level 8!
Ding! You have reached Level 9!
Their stats rose steadily, pushing them closer to the final challenge ahead.
After the eighth wave was cleared, the eerie silence returned. No more zombies emerged from the side rooms.
Qin Lan and Lin Yue took a moment to catch their breath, wiping sweat from their brows. Slowly, they advanced to the end of the long corridor.
There, before them, stood a massive hall — dimly lit, shadowed by towering pillars and the faint flicker of torches lining the walls. The heavy air hinted at something ominous waiting inside.
The hall was enormous, stretching wide and tall like the belly of an ancient beast. Its stone walls were cracked and stained with age, and the flickering torchlight cast long, twisting shadows that danced eerily across the floor. Dust hung thick in the air, and the faint smell of decay lingered, making the hairs on Qin Lan's neck stand on end.
At the far end of the hall stood the boss — the Zombie Butcher. Towering over them at nearly two meters, its rotting flesh hung in tatters from a muscular frame. Jagged bones jutted out from broken skin, and one gnarled hand gripped a massive cleaver, its blade stained dark with rust and dried blood. Its hollow eyes glowed faintly with an unnatural green light, locking onto Qin Lan and Lin Yue like a predator ready to strike. The very ground seemed to tremble as it let out a guttural growl, signaling the deadly battle about to begin.
Around the Zombie Butcher, dozens of minions lurked.
Most were ordinary zombies, slow and relentless. Their pale, decaying skin hung loosely over brittle bones. Some were missing eyes or limbs. They dragged broken weapons and rusty tools as they shuffled forward.
Among them, a few elite zombies stood apart. They were bigger and tougher, with patches of hardened flesh glowing faintly green. Their movements were sharper and more coordinated.
Their claws looked sharp enough to tear through armor. Together, they formed a deadly wall to protect the Zombie Butcher.
Qin Lan and Lin Yue quickly accessed the boss's details:
Zombie Butcher
Level: 10
Health: 5000
Attack: 100
Defense: 50
Speed: Moderate
Skills:
Cleaving Smash: Heavy melee attack dealing massive damage in front of him, with a chance to stun.
Blood Frenzy: Temporarily increases attack speed and damage when health drops below 50%.
Roar of Terror: Emits a terrifying roar that lowers enemy defense and causes fear for a short duration.
Seeing those stats, a chill ran down Qin Lan and Lin Yue's spines. The Zombie Butcher's attack was so high that if they hadn't already reached level 9, one hit from him would have meant instant death. Their hearts pounded with a mix of fear and determination — this battle was going to be their toughest yet.
The heavy silence of the hall was shattered as the Zombie Butcher stepped forward, his grotesque form looming larger than life. His hulking frame was covered in rotten flesh, dripping with dark, congealed blood. With each step, the ground seemed to tremble beneath his weight.
Lin Yue gripped her sword tighter, eyes blazing with resolve. Qin Lan's fingers hovered over her zither strings, ready to unleash her magic. The minions snarled and circled, their ragged breaths filling the air with menace.
Suddenly, the Butcher charged, swinging his massive cleaver in a deadly arc. Lin Yue barely dodged, feeling the gust of wind as the blade sliced through the air. The force of the attack sent her skidding back, pain flashing in her side where a glancing blow grazed her armor.
Qin Lan acted fast, chanting softly as a warm, golden light flowed from her zither. A Healing Wave washed over Lin Yue, knitting torn muscles and easing the sting of the wound. "Stay close," Qin Lan urged, voice steady despite the chaos.
The minions lunged, claws and teeth aimed to overwhelm. Lin Yue parried and struck, every movement precise and fueled by urgency. Qin Lan sent out rippling Sound Wave Attacks, each pulse cracking like thunder, tearing through the mass of snarling undead.
The battle raged on, each second stretching longer than the last. The Butcher roared, swinging again and again with brutal force, but Lin Yue's agility kept her just out of reach. Qin Lan's magic pulsed in tandem, every note a lifeline.
Sweat dripped down their brows, muscles burning, but neither gave an inch. This was more than a fight — it was survival. The tension was thick, every heartbeat a countdown to the next strike. They knew one mistake could mean the end.
After a long time,
With a final, deafening roar, Lin Yue landed a powerful strike that shattered the Zombie Butcher's rotten armor. The beast staggered, its grotesque body trembling as Qin Lan unleashed one last, resonating Sound Wave Attack. The combined force sent the Butcher crashing to the ground, defeated at last.
The minions howled in despair and dissolved into shadow, vanishing like smoke in the air. Silence settled over the hall once again.
Suddenly, both Qin Lan and Lin Yue heard the familiar ding of their status panels.
"Ding! Level 10 reached."