Passing through the deep passage of the fifth floor, Ying Ping and Kokkoro stepped into the sixth floor of the dungeon.
The light here abruptly dimmed.
While not pitch black, visibility was very low.
A decaying scent permeated the air.
Sparse fluorescent moss on the walls emitted a faint blue glow, barely illuminating the path ahead.
However, Ying Ping possessed the Eagle Eye skill, so this environment actually became his home ground.
"Sixth Floor Mission Triggered"
"Kill 50 Shadow Warriors (0/50)"
"Reward: Skill - Blade Storm"
"Blade Storm?"
Ying Ping's eyes lit up, "That sounds like a powerful skill!"
Kokkoro vigilantly looked around: "Master, Miss Eina said that Shadow Warriors are rookie killers, we must be extremely careful…"
Before she finished speaking, a dark shadow suddenly attacked from the side!
Ying Ping instinctively raised his sword to block.
With a crisp clang, sparks flew in the darkness.
Thanks to the dynamic vision of Eagle Eye, he saw the enemy's appearance very clearly—
It was a completely black humanoid monster, about 1.6 meters tall.
The creature had long, slender arms that ended in sharp hooked claws, and its faceless head only had two crimson slits.
It moved like a phantom, making almost no sound.
"Encountered Shadow Warrior, Level LV2"
"Traits: Stealth, High Speed, Sharp Claw Attack"
The Shadow Warrior that launched the sneak attack missed and immediately retreated into the darkness.
"I see…"
Ying Ping narrowed his eyes; the Eagle Eye skill allowed him to see in the dark as if it were daylight, "Kokkoro, stay close to my back! Cast your buff magic on me!"
The two immediately adjusted their positions.
"Please leave it to me!"
"Oh, Holy Light, please protect my Master!"
Kokkoro's staff-spear glowed green, releasing the magic Song of Courage.
Ying Ping felt the surging power within him, then fiercely activated Lightning Enchantment, and his tempered steel longsword instantly released purplish-blue electric arcs.
The next second, three Shadow Warriors simultaneously pounced from different directions!
"Their speed is indeed good; they even understand tactical coordination."
Ying Ping's lips curved slightly, "But it's still not fast enough!"
In front of his LV4 level and with the enhancement of Eagle Eye, the Shadow Warriors' movements seemed to be in slow motion.
"Chidori Blade!"
"Whoosh!"
The lightning longsword drew a dazzling trajectory, and three Shadow Warriors were cut in half mid-air.
"Killed Shadow Warrior (3/50)"
"Rewarded 60 experience points"
"Obtained: Shadow Warrior's Claw Blade x1"
The battle quickly intensified.
More and more Shadow Warriors emerged from the darkness.
They used the environment to their advantage for sneak attacks, their sharp hooked claws scraping against the rock walls with an ear-splitting screech.
"Holy Light Barrier!"
Kokkoro cast the spell in time, and a barrier of light blocked the attack of five encircling Shadow Warriors.
Ying Ping seized the opportunity, his lightning longsword drawing a brilliant arc, and five black heads flew simultaneously.
"Killed Shadow Warrior (8/50)"
As the battle continued, Ying Ping had already seen through the Shadow Warriors' movement patterns.
Their speed was fast, but Ying Ping was faster, and they couldn't hide from Eagle Eye.
Whenever a Shadow Warrior tried to approach stealthily, Ying Ping could always predict its position in advance and then kill it with a single sword stroke.
"Master, there's movement over there!"
"It seems someone is calling for help!"
Kokkoro suddenly pointed to the right passage.
Ying Ping looked intently and saw three blood-soaked adventurers being surrounded by five Shadow Warriors.
One of them had already fallen, while the other two were back-to-back, desperately fending off the attacks with their weapons.
"Help!"
Ying Ping instantly activated Shadow Step and charged forward, his lightning sword carving a dazzling trajectory in the darkness.
"Pfft!"
Three Shadow Warriors were cut in half before they could react, and the remaining two were forced back by Kokoro's Holy Light Arrows.
"Tha-thank you..."
"We're saved..."
"We're from the Cast family..."
The surviving male and female adventurers slumped to the ground, their voices weak, expressions showing relief at having escaped death.
"Kokoro, quickly use healing magic on everyone!"
Seeing that all three members of the team were gravely injured and on the verge of death, Ying Ping immediately ordered.
One of the male adventurers was covered in blood, his stomach ripped open, and he lay on the ground seemingly lifeless.
Although the other two weren't as severely wounded, they weren't in much better shape.
If Kokoro's healing magic wasn't used now, when would it be?
After all, Kokoro hadn't used it even once yet, so it was a good chance to see its effect.
"Yes, Master!"
Kokoro immediately knelt beside the injured, her hands glowing with a soft green light: "Oh Holy Light, please heal those before me!"
"Light of Healing!"
As the magic took effect, the bodies of the three injured adventurers visibly improved, and all their bleeding stopped.
"Th-this is healing magic!?"
"And with such a short incantation!"
The two adventurers, male and female, were both astonished.
Although the adventurer lying on the ground had recovered from his injuries, there was no sign of him waking up.
"Sir, please wake up! Please, pull yourself together!"
"Your companions are waiting for you!"
Kokoro anxiously shook the adventurer's body.
The adventurer's head lolled from the shaking, but he still didn't wake up.
"Shalan, Shalan!"
"Please, please wake up!"
The two adventurers also noticed their companion's abnormal state and stepped forward, calling out to him.
"Oh no, Shalan has no heartbeat or breathing!"
The male adventurer checked his companion's condition and said with a pale face.
"Wh-what! No, we can't give up!"
"Oh Holy Light—"
Kokoro cast healing magic again, but unfortunately, no miracle occurred.
"Kokoro, stop. He's already dead."
Ying Ping frowned and immediately pulled Kokoro back into his arms.
"Ho-how could this be—"
"His injuries had clearly healed..."
Tears welled in Kokoro's clear red eyes, and she looked distraught and disbelieving.
It was the first time the innocent and kind Kokoro had witnessed someone die before her eyes.
"Watch my companions," Ying Ping instructed the two adventurers, then guarded the passage entrance, cutting down the Shadow Warriors who came at the sound of the commotion one by one.
[Killed Shadow Warrior (23/50)]
Ying Ping's lightning sword became the most conspicuous target in the darkness, constantly attracting Shadow Warriors to rush at him wave after wave.
But these monsters, lethal in the eyes of low-level adventurers, were merely moving experience packages in front of LV4 Ying Ping.
[Killed Shadow Warrior (45/50)]
When the kill count reached 50, Ying Ping also gained a new skill!
[Quest Complete]
[Killed Shadow Warrior (50/50)]
[Reward: Skill - Blade Storm]
[Effect: Automatically releases small wind blades around the body to attack enemies, can be enchanted, lasts for 5 seconds]
[Consumes 1 mana point for every 5 seconds it lasts]
Before Ying Ping could fully appreciate it, the surrounding passage suddenly vibrated violently.
"Crack."
A giant Shadow Warrior, two meters tall, seeped out of the rock wall, exuding a terrifying and powerful killing aura.
Its arms had evolved into four sharp bone blades, their edges glowing with an eerie purple light.
A crimson core was embedded in its chest, and it even wore a cloak!
This thing was clearly an elite monster!
[Encountered Heretic Shadow Lord, Level LV3+]
[Traits: Shadow Warp, Summon Shadow Warrior, Multi-Slash, Poisonous]
"Heh, Heretic Shadow Lord, quite a grand name."
"Then let's see who's stronger, you or me, the future Shadow Monarch!"
Ying Ping gripped his lightning sword. "Kokoro, no time to mourn for others, quickly give me a buff!"
"Yes, Master!"
"Song of Courage! Aurora Bloom!"
Kokoro wiped away her tears, her staff-spear glowing brightly as two buff spells were simultaneously cast.
"Shadow Step!"
"Charged Strike!"
"Crippling Blow!"
Ying Ping felt his power surge and charged at the boss without hesitation.
"Screech—"
The Shadow Lord let out a piercing shriek, its four bone blades blurring into afterimages as they attacked!
The moment they clashed, the Shadow Lord suffered a huge loss!
Its two arms were severed by Ying Ping, and its head developed cracks.
But not being instantly killed, the wounded Shadow Lord seemed to go berserk, its movements becoming even faster!
"Its speed and strength are much faster than ordinary Shadow Warriors!"
"Is the intensity of this thing really something that should appear on the sixth floor!?"
"Fortunately, I'm LV4, otherwise, even a seasoned LV3 adventurer would likely perish on the spot!"
Ying Ping dodged nimbly, his lightning sword clashing fiercely with the bone blades, sending sparks flying.
At this moment, he hadn't considered a serious problem.
It was precisely because he was here that such an extremely rare super-elite monster like the Shadow Lord would appear, and be so much stronger!
After a round of intense fighting, Ying Ping's skill cooldowns were ready again.
"Crippling Blow!"
Ying Ping seized the monster's attack interval, his lightning sword striking with imperceptible speed.
The Shadow Lord seemed accustomed to Ying Ping's wide, powerful attacks.
Seeing the skill effect, it cleverly and decisively retreated, choosing to temporarily avoid the attack.
"Heh, an Heretic indeed, quite clever, aren't you?"
Ying Ping grinned, his fighting spirit rising, and then deliberately exposed a weakness.
Seeing Ying Ping's Crippling Blow miss, the Shadow Lord let out a piercing shriek and instantly transformed into a black streak, attacking.
Ying Ping stood firm, not dodging, and just as the claws were about to touch his body—
"Blade Storm!"
Suddenly, countless spinning wind blades appeared around his entire body!
"Whoosh—"
When the lightning enchanted to his longsword came into contact with and wrapped around the wind blades, it instantly transformed into a terrifying lightning tornado!
"Ch-ch-ch-ch—"
The Shadow Lord's claws were shredded by the lightning tornado, and then its entire body was engulfed in the storm.
"Boom!"
Five seconds later, when the storm subsided, the Shadow Lord was already riddled with holes.
Its torso was completely broken, the crimson core in its chest cracked, and it let out an unwilling shriek, having lost all combat capability.
"You're still not dead? I admit, you're a formidable opponent!"
Ying Ping gave it no chance to breathe, delivering a final Charged Strike directly to its core—
"Boom!"
Finally, the Shadow Lord exploded into countless black fragments, and a large magic stone fell to the ground.
[Killed Shadow Lord]
[Obtained: Shadow Core x1]
[Obtained: Negative Cloak x1]
[Gained 300 experience points]
[Experience full, level increased to LV5]
At the same time, a familiar warm current once again swept through his body.
Ying Ping closed his eyes, feeling the transformation of his power, then once again allocated points to Strength and Agility.
[Shadow Monarch Upgrade System]
[Level]: LV5
[Strength]: 66 → 76
[Agility]: 47 → 57
[Stamina]: 35 → 40
[Intelligence]: 20 → 25
[Mana]: 16 → 21
[Health Points]: 130 / 130
[Mana Points]: 21 / 21
[Magic]: Lightning Enchantment
[Skills]: Shadow Step, Crippling Strike, Charged Attack, Eagle Eye, Blade Storm
[Free Stat Points]: 0
"What are this Shadow Core and Negative Cloak?"
Ying Ping picked up the two dropped items.
[War Shadow Core: A crystal formed from condensed dark power. Using it will corrode the body and increase combat strength, but it will also reduce sanity and cause berserk transformation.]
[Berserk Transformation: Can temporarily and greatly increase strength and agility, followed by a period of weakness. The specific effects vary from person to person.]
[Negative Cloak: Can slightly reduce magic damage taken.]
"The side effects are a bit too much. This War Shadow Core isn't of much use to me for now. I should just sell it for a high price."
"The Negative Cloak, however, is quite good."
Ying Ping decisively put away the Shadow Core, draped the Negative Cloak over himself, and then walked back towards Kokkoro.