The blood-red sky reflected ill omens, casting a sanguine glow across the land, where the fine desert sands seemed to transform into countless gaping, man-eating maws, utterly terrifying.
A cold wind swept over the scattered bones on the ground, coaxing forth a mournful, wailing sound that resembled the ghostly laughter of specters.
It was as if the very air was welcoming their arrival.
The scene was truly horrifying.
Li Huaiming, who had entered moments before, was already stunned into silence by this hellish spectacle.
What he had witnessed in classroom presentations was a stark contrast to the reality unfolding before his eyes.
There was no warmth here, only an endless, brutal oppression, and a palpable aura of death that permeated the air.
Compared to this, the previous dungeons he had ventured into felt like a mere ‘baby bus’ ride, utterly incomparable.
“Little Ming, don’t just stand there at the entrance! Take this kick!”
Aya Tone, having just passed through the teleportation array, found his path abruptly blocked and, without a hint of hesitation, delivered a flying kick to Li Huaiming.
The unsuspecting unlucky fellow was sent sprawling, landing face-first in the yellow sand.
With Li Huaiming no longer obstructing his view, Aya Tone finally took in the full scope of the dungeon.
He instantly understood why Li Huaiming had been so dumbfounded.
‘So that’s how it is…’
He chuckled mischievously, teasing, “You weren’t scared, were you?”
“This is all perfectly normal. The dungeon’s energy is just a bit too abundant, so the color changed, but mostly, nothing’s different, really.”
Having been unexpectedly attacked from behind, Li Huaiming landed with a painful thud.
“Senior, could you please give a warning next time? You nearly scared me to death!” He quickly scrambled back to his feet.
His gaze full of resentment, he rubbed the spot where he’d been kicked.
‘It really hurt, you know!’
Yet, after Aya Tone’s antics, the fear in his heart seemed to have been significantly dispersed by that very kick.
“Next time, for sure! But…”
Aya Tone let out a mischievous chuckle, then his tone shifted.
“It seems we’ve been spotted! You’re the main damage dealer, so I’ll be cheering you on from the sidelines!”
After giving Li Huaiming a cheering gesture, Aya Tone took small, quick steps, jogging to a higher earthen mound.
‘Sitting this high to watch the show should be just about right.’
Aya Tone surveyed the view; this spot was absolutely a perfect vantage point!
He then pulled a small stool from his four-dimensional pocket behind his back.
Cola and potato chips were promptly produced.
‘If you’re going to watch a show, you need to look the part!’
Oh, right.
Aya Tone quietly enveloped himself in a transparent protective barrier to ward off the encroaching sandstorm.
“Ah, well…”
Aya Tone’s elaborate preparations utterly bewildered the novice Li Huaiming.
He simply couldn’t comprehend it.
Why would this ‘Witch Lord’ carry such items? Anyone unaware would assume he was here for a picnic.
However, in the very next second, he no longer had the presence of mind to worry about Aya Tone.
In the distance, across the Gobi Desert, a massive cloud of yellow sand rose, connecting heaven and earth, resembling an apocalyptic storm.
A sandstorm!?
No, that’s wrong!
Li Huaiming’s expression instantly turned solemn as he swiftly adopted a defensive stance.
That was no mere yellow sand; it was clearly the dust kicked up by the advancing army of Stone Monsters.
Such a vast number—at least a hundred of them.
Furthermore, with their imposing physiques, every single one was an elite-grade Stone Monster!
How could this be!?
Li Huaiming’s pupils constricted in his eyes; was this what was meant by ‘mostly, nothing’s different’?
‘The danger level has clearly doubled, hasn’t it?’
“Little Ming, don’t just stare blankly! You’ll be doomed once they surround you.” Aya Tone, holding his cola, took a small sip.
From his elevated position, he began acting like a ‘fountain commander,’ giving orders from safety.
“Of course I know that!” Li Huaiming let out a soft click of his tongue.
He knew full well that he couldn’t simply wait for death; he quickly surveyed the surrounding terrain, spotting a massive rock wall not far away.
Remaining on the flat ground amidst such an immense number of Stone Monsters would undoubtedly lead to being trampled to death.
Making a snap decision, he bolted towards the rock wall.
As Li Huaiming ran, he simultaneously picked up stones from the ground, using them as makeshift weapons.
If Stone Monsters could use projectile attacks, then so could he!
In his hands, each stone instantly transformed into a deadly projectile, whistling through the air to accurately decapitate one Stone Monster after another.
A resounding ‘rumble’ echoed.
The fallen Stone Monsters in front did not impede the army’s advance in the slightest; instead, they were crushed under the trampling feet of their comrades, becoming part of the swirling yellow sand behind them.
The earth-shattering footsteps seemed capable of tearing the very ground asunder.
No sooner had Li Huaiming scaled the rock wall than the Stone Monsters swarmed, completely encircling its base.
They immediately began to attack, clawing and roaring as they slammed into the rock wall, causing cracks to instantly spiderweb across its entire surface.
Li Huaiming remained fearless; seizing the opportune moment, he leaped down from the rock wall.
Like a nimble dragon, he moved fluidly across the tops of the Stone Monsters.
With every strike, he precisely hit a Stone Monster’s vital point, achieving a one-hit kill!
The Stone Monsters in the inner circle crumbled into shattered rock, falling to the ground, with each pile containing mysterious magic crystals.
However, at that moment, Li Huaiming had no spare energy to pay attention to such details.
He leaped back onto the rock wall to take a brief respite.
With Aya Tone’s full body enhancement buff, annihilating all the elite-grade Stone Monsters below was merely a matter of time.
Once the surging power within him had somewhat subsided.
“Fight!”
Standing atop the rock wall, Li Huaiming exuded the heroic aura of a lone warrior holding off a thousand foes.
Once more, he charged into the horde of Stone Monsters like a fierce tiger.
His fists whistled through the air, and with every swing, he shattered a Stone Monster’s body.
The Stone Monsters retaliated wildly, their massive stone arms flailing, sending rock fragments scattering.
Yet, their colossal bodies proved to be a complete hindrance when dealing with such a nimble target.
Before long, another dozen or so elite Stone Monsters had been reduced to rubble.
Just as Li Huaiming was hitting his stride, an exceptionally massive Stone Monster stealthily approached from behind.
It seized the moment when Li Huaiming’s previous strength had waned and new power had yet to surge, leaping high into the air and slamming down fiercely towards him.
Li Huaiming hastily dodged sideways, but was still caught by the Stone Monster’s tail, sending him flying several meters.
“Cough!”
Li Huaiming gritted his teeth, suppressing the pain in his body, and quickly stood up, wary of what lay ahead.
A mouthful of fresh blood surged up, mixed with foam, and trickled from the corner of his mouth.
‘Damn it, I was still too careless.’
‘I didn’t expect a special individual to appear!’
Li Huaiming stared at the special individual, crudely raising a hand to wipe away the blood from his mouth.
If not for his enhanced body, that last blow would surely have left him severely wounded.
The Alpha Stone Monster let out a furious roar, instantly bolstering the morale of the other Stone Monsters, whose attacks grew even fiercer as they charged towards Li Huaiming, who had fallen to the ground.
“Hmph! What if it’s a special individual?!”
He concentrated his mind, circulating the power within his body to form a layer of energy membrane over his arm.
‘I was careless just now; I didn’t dodge.’
‘Now, he was going to reclaim his honor!’
Just as he was preparing to eliminate that special individual.
Suddenly!
The army of Stone Monsters seemed to have received some command, as they uniformly changed direction.
Abandoning Li Huaiming, they all turned towards Aya Tone, who was seated on the hill, watching the spectacle.
Aya Tone, with a potato chip dangling from his mouth: ‘???’
‘What’s happening? What’s going on?’
‘No, he was just a spectator, a casual observer! He hadn’t done anything, so why was he suddenly targeted with aggro?!’
‘He hadn’t even used a taunt skill, he mused.’
As for Li Huaiming, who had been abruptly ignored, he stared with his pure, wide eyes, much like a university student, at the Stone Monsters who had suddenly shifted their attack target, utterly bewildered.
‘What does this mean?’
But in the very next second, he understood why those Stone Monsters had suddenly abandoned him to attack Aya Tone instead.
Oh dear.