The Corrupted Kaira and Black Flame Hell

The dropped off-hand equipment was a crystal ball.

[Magic Crystal Ball (Iron Tier, Off-hand Weapon): Magic Attack +9-10, Magic Defense +3, Intelligence +3.]

A staff also dropped, but it wasn’t better than Lin Shenyue’s current one, so she casually tossed it into her backpack. They also gained two silver coins, which was a decent haul.

The elite monsters granted them substantial experience, with each one providing nearly 500 experience points.

Lin Shenyue turned to Ye Jue.

“Shall we continue?”

Ye Jue nodded.

“There are two more waves of similar monsters ahead. When we fight the Skeleton Warriors, just keep my health topped up. Against these robed figures, draw their aggro and kite them.”

Lin Shenyue nodded, indicating her understanding. After dispatching two more waves of monsters using the same strategy, their experience points surpassed 50%. A helmet also dropped from the defeated foes.

[Bone Helmet (Iron Tier, Plate Armor): Requires Level 5. Physical Defense +3, Constitution +3, Mana +50.]

Helmets typically prioritize mana, offering modest defense. While the mana bonus was less useful for a warrior, it was still better than nothing.

Once the battle concluded, Ye Jue spoke in a grave tone.

“We’re almost at the boss. The boss is Kaira, whom we’re looking for, though he has succumbed to corruption.”

“He has two apparent skills: ‘Summon Skeleton Soldiers’ and ‘Corrosive Arrow.’ Additionally, he possesses two hidden skills, which have a degree of randomness. We’ll have to adapt as we go.”

Lin Shenyue acknowledged him, gripping her staff with a palpable tension. This was, after all, the first boss she would truly face, and her somewhat slow reaction time might hinder their progress.

****

Ye Jue led Lin Shenyue out of the cave, and the area ahead immediately brightened—at least, in contrast to their previous surroundings. Those who have fallen into darkness rarely favor bright light.

They entered a semi-circular hall, towering over ten meters high. Several torches illuminated the hall’s perimeter, preventing it from being plunged into complete darkness. At the very center of the hall stood an altar, upon which a figure chanted an incomprehensible incantation.

Ye Jue stepped forward, his voice cold.

“Kaira, what are you doing?”

Kaira, a golden-haired young man, possessed a serene expression, yet his skin stretched tautly over visible bones. He ceased his chanting, regarding Ye Jue with a sneer.

“Did that useless old man send you?”

Lin Shenyue could not help but interject.

“How can you speak of him that way? He is your master!”

Kaira’s hoarse laughter echoed through the hall.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Him? A useless old relic. Under his command, I performed the same mundane tasks day after day, devoid of any meaning. Look at me now; behold my power!”

“I no longer serve that old fool. I am free to do as I please, to act on every whim. For instance, I could kill you both.”

Upon hearing the murderous final words, Ye Jue instinctively raised his shield. A jet-black magic arrow shot forth, striking him directly before he could dodge.

“-71.”

Even with a successful block, Ye Jue lost over 70 health points. Lin Shenyue, reacting a moment late, hastily cast a healing spell on Ye Jue, restoring his health to near full. She then quickly checked the boss’s attributes.

[Corrupted Kaira (BOSS): Level 5. Magic Attack: 90-102. Health: 3000/3000. (Kaira has fallen; eliminate him swiftly.)]

Lin Shenyue was astonished. The visible stats alone far surpassed those of an elite monster, not to mention the boss’s unrevealed skills. As a BOSS, his abilities were undoubtedly far superior to those of ordinary elites.

Ye Jue, with a sigh of resignation, charged towards the boss. Without a ‘Charge’ ability in the early stages, he found it impossible to close the distance quickly against ranged monsters, forced to endure attacks as he advanced.

After absorbing two more skills, he finally reached Kaira. Ye Jue landed a normal attack, dealing “-32” damage, which suggested the boss’s physical defense was rather ordinary. He swiftly followed up with a ‘Furious Slash,’ inflicting another 40+ damage.

The Corrupted Kaira spoke in his raspy voice.

“It’s futile, you fools. Soon, you’ll join that old man in hell.”

With that, Kaira pointed his staff at the ground, instantly conjuring two summoning circles from which five skeletons emerged.

[Skeleton Warrior (Elite): Level 5. Physical Attack: 45-50. Health: 1000/1000.]

[Skeleton Archer (Elite): Level 5. Physical Attack: 55-60. Health: 500/500.]

“This is a bit troublesome. I didn’t expect the boss to summon so quickly,” Ye Jue muttered, a slight frown creasing his brow.

He understood now: monsters in secret realms possessed their own consciousness, whereas dungeon monsters only had faint aggro and even bosses had limited self-awareness. This meant secret realm bosses were highly unpredictable.

Even at full health, they might unleash powerful ultimate skills typically reserved for 10% health in standard dungeons.

Ye Jue issued his command.

“Find a safe spot first. Your only job is to heal me. If the summoned monsters’ health gets very low, you can choose to finish them off.”

Given the hall’s ample lighting, they could spot the archers in the distance, allowing Ye Jue to anticipate and evade their attacks more effectively.

Ye Jue first focused his attacks on the elite monsters directly in front of him. Failing to eliminate these elites would leave them vulnerable to flanking attacks while fighting the boss, posing a significant danger.

Typically, dungeon runs involved five-person teams, usually comprising a main tank, off-tank, healer, and damage dealers. Teams with an off-tank found such summoning bosses more manageable, as the off-tank could draw the elites away.

However, this placed a much higher demand on the healer, who needed exceptional situational awareness to maintain everyone’s health, splitting their attention to ensure both tanks survived. In their current situation, Ye Jue alone had to hold all the monsters.

Ye Jue meticulously kited the monsters, seizing opportunities to strike a few blows. It took him a full three minutes to wear down and kill the first elite monster.

Throughout this period, aside from the boss’s attacks, he managed to dodge most of the elite monsters’ assaults. In his previous life, although he was a Berserker, he occasionally filled the role of an off-tank, mainly because other tanks in his guild lacked the necessary skill.

Though not a main tank himself, he had a clear understanding of their duties through observation. Coupled with his own interpretation of tanking, Ye Jue easily managed the current slow-moving monsters.

Lin Shenyue watched, mesmerized, as Ye Jue precisely controlled each monster, even managing to counter-attack while staying just outside their range. For a ranged combatant, kiting a melee opponent was simple.

However, for a melee fighter with a similar attack range to the monsters, maintaining distance while counter-attacking required extremely high operational awareness. Lin Shenyue silently acknowledged the vast skill gap between herself and Ye Jue.

After twelve grueling minutes, they finally cleared all the elite monsters, redirecting their focus back to the boss. Uncertain if directly targeting the boss with her skills would trigger adverse effects, Lin Shenyue chose not to unleash her spells, opting instead to continue maintaining Ye Jue’s health.

The boss, too, refrained from using his other two skills, relentlessly pelting Ye Jue with Corrosive Arrows. As the boss’s health neared 50%, Ye Jue suddenly called out.

“Be careful! The boss is likely about to unleash his first hidden skill.”

Lin Shenyue snapped to attention, her gaze fixed intently on the boss before them.

Kaira abruptly ceased his assault on Ye Jue, a cold sneer twisting his lips.

“Damn it, you two ants have successfully provoked my wrath! Now, taste my fury!”

Ye Jue’s expression subtly shifted upon hearing the boss’s words. The boss always spouted some nonsense before casting a skill, and this particular rant signaled a large-area, crowd-effect magic spell.

While it wouldn’t instantly kill him, it posed a significant danger to Lin Shenyue, who was within five meters behind him.

Ye Jue shouted urgently.

“Activate acceleration and run back!”

He, too, immediately retreated.

Lin Shenyue, startled by the command, panicked slightly, only beginning to run backward a moment later. Ye Jue frowned, realizing Lin Shenyue wouldn’t be able to fully escape the skill’s radius.

He was unsure if she would survive.

Kaira stopped his spell incantation, a cold laugh escaping him.

“Taste this: Black Flame Hell!”

A dense surge of black fire erupted within a ten-meter radius around Kaira, causing Ye Jue’s health to plummet by 50 points per second.

Lin Shenyue successfully escaped the skill’s range after enduring three hits. It was fortunate that her magic defense was relatively high, allowing her to withstand the damage, but even so, her health was now in the single digits.

Lin Shenyue pressed her soft red lips together. Although she hadn’t died, being struck by the skill had felt like being burned alive, the intense pain bringing tears to her eyes.

‘I’m a man, how can I cry?’ Lin Shenyue silently encouraged herself, yet tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

After running out of the skill’s range, Ye Jue saw Lin Shenyue crying and hesitated. In his previous life, he had a girlfriend, but he had no experience comforting anyone, nor did his girlfriend ever give him the opportunity.

Though he also played with 100% pain sensitivity, he had adjusted it to 50% when the attack came. Even then, he felt burning pain throughout his body, let alone the seemingly delicate girl before him.

Lin Shenyue glanced at Ye Jue’s worried eyes, wiped away her tears, and forced a smile.

“Let’s just kill the boss first.”

Ye Jue, unsure how to comfort Lin Shenyue, merely nodded. He awkwardly declared, “I’ll kill this boss to avenge you,” and charged back once the skill’s duration ended.

A genuine smile graced Lin Shenyue’s beautiful face, a sight, unfortunately, unseen by Ye Jue.