Chapter 111: Dragon Assassin

Lin methodically eliminated the dragon monsters outside the fortress, using his numerical advantage to his benefit. After an hour of careful engagement, the area outside the fortress was cleared, yielding another dragon's horn.

Bai Yiyuan had requested four types of dragon materials: dragon heart, dragon essence and blood, dragon horns, requiring ten of each, and only five dragon crystals, yet so far, Lin had only acquired five dragon horns, with no sight of the other materials. It was becoming apparent that a single run through the dungeon might not suffice to gather all of Bai Yiyuan's requested items.

Taking a moment to rest and assess his mental energy, Lin found he had expended a significant amount but still retained a substantial reserve. With renewed focus, he turned his attention to the fortress ahead, knowing well that both dragon archers and mages awaited.

Lin's initial approach to draw out the monsters was meticulous, luring dragon mages and archers from the fortress and quickly dispatching them. Each encounter with these elite monsters, whether they were archers with their control skills or mages with their ranged attacks, underscored the necessity of adapting his strategy. Surprisingly, the essence and blood of dragons were found on the archers, hinting at the distribution of materials among different monster types.

Continuously pulling monsters from the fortress and systematically eliminating them, Lin cleared the area in half an hour. With eight dragon horns and four essences of dragon blood in his possession, he ventured inside the fortress, ready to confront whatever lay ahead.

The fortress, though formidable, was unexpectedly quiet, with no visible monsters beyond the walls. However, the sudden attack on a skeleton warrior, dealt by an unseen assailant with immense power, startled Lin, pushing him to recall his warriors for safety. This encounter with the dragon assassins revealed the presence of stealth-based enemies capable of inflicting severe damage, a challenge Lin had not anticipated.

Adjusting his tactics, Lin prepared for further ambushes, ensuring his skeleton warriors and mages were closely coordinated to protect against the assassins' strikes. This adjustment made navigating the fortress less perilous, allowing him to progress to the dungeon's final challenge.

Upon reaching the square, Lin faced the outpost's guardian, a formidable boss with attributes surpassing anything he'd encountered before. The awakening of the guardian marked the true test of Lin's abilities and strategies, challenging him to overcome this ultimate obstacle in the Hell-level dungeon.

As Lin braced himself for the confrontation, the guardian's recovery from its stone statue form to a living, breathing adversary signaled the start of a battle that would demand everything he had learned and adapted to in his journey through the dungeon.

Lin dispelled all underestimation and proceeded cautiously, leveraging his numbers advantage to systematically dismantle the dragon monsters outside the fortress. After an exhaustive hour, not a single dragon monster remained outside the fortress, yielding another dragon's horn. Despite collecting 5 dragon horns, Lin realized that fulfilling Bai Yiyuan's request for dragon hearts, essence and blood, and horns—ten each, along with five dragon crystal cores—would likely require multiple dungeon runs.

Pausing to assess his remaining mental energy, Lin found he had used a third, with 2200 out of 3300 left, thanks to careful management during the solo skirmishes against the dragon monsters. His gaze fixed on the fortress, Lin readied himself for the challenges within, where dragon archers and mages lurked.

Lin methodically lured the fortress's defenders, systematically neutralizing them. This strategy not only secured him 8 dragon horns and 4 essences of dragon blood but also cleared the path into the fortress. The interior, unexpectedly devoid of additional monsters beyond those on the walls, suggested a lurking danger that soon manifested in sudden attacks on his skeleton warriors by unseen foes. These encounters with dragon assassins, capable of severe damage, underscored the lethal stealth and critical strike capabilities of these elite monsters.

Adjusting his approach, Lin prepared for ambushes with a focused coordination of his skeleton forces, mitigating the peril of navigating the fortress and advancing to confront the dungeon's final guardian. The appearance of the [Guardian of the Outpost (Hell Level Boss)], with its formidable attributes and skills, presented a significant challenge, especially given its control abilities that had plagued Lin's forces throughout the dungeon.

Maintaining a cautious distance from the guardian, Lin employed the Slowing Curse, significantly impairing the guardian's ability to react and coordinate its defenses against the onslaught of his skeleton warriors and mages. Despite the guardian's formidable defenses and countermeasures, Lin's adaptability and strategic deployment of his forces, including the clever use of skeleton armor to protect against control skills, allowed him to maintain the upper hand.

As the battle progressed, Lin discovered the skeleton armor's additional capability to block control-type skills, a revelation that inspired a new tactic against the guardian's relentless assault. With this newfound strategy, Lin faced the guardian's direct attack with confidence, ready to exploit every advantage at his disposal to overcome the hell-level challenge.

This intense confrontation, marked by strategic retreats, calculated attacks, and the leveraging of every available asset, epitomized Lin's journey through the dungeon. Confronting the [Guardian of the Outpost (Hell Level Boss)], Lin was poised to employ his full range of abilities and strategies to secure victory in the face of overwhelming odds.

Acknowledging the challenge posed by the boss's impressive vitality and defense, with physical attributes reaching 15,000, Lin found the guardian's defense formidable, making it a tough opponent to bring down. The guardian's skills, including group knockback and group stun, were control-oriented, causing significant trouble for Lin, especially since his skeleton warriors had already been struggling with control effects in the hell-level dungeon.

Maintaining a cautious distance of at least 500 meters from the guardian, Lin prepared his next move as the stone statue fully cracked open, and the guardian announced its presence with a powerful roar. Deploying the Slowing Curse, Lin significantly reduced the guardian's speed, allowing the skeleton warriors to engage effectively.

Despite the guardian's strong defense, indicated by the metallic clanging of the skeleton warriors' swords against its scale armor, Lin knew they were inflicting some damage, albeit minimal given the level disparity between his level 22 warriors and the level 33 boss. The boss's intelligence and subsequent activation of Resistance Strengthening to mitigate the curse's effects indicated a higher level of challenge than Lin initially anticipated.

As the guardian began to retaliate with its group repel and group stun skills, Lin quickly adapted, retreating further and summoning the skeleton mages for ranged assaults. However, the guardian's focus shifted towards Lin himself, recognizing the threat he posed as the summoner. This direct threat forced Lin to employ his skeleton armor defensively, discovering its ability to nullify the control effects targeting him directly.

Realizing the skeleton armor's potential beyond mere physical defense, Lin found himself contemplating new tactics to leverage this discovery against the guardian's relentless attacks. This revelation provided Lin with a glimmer of hope and a strategic edge as he prepared to counter the guardian's next moves, embodying his determination and adaptability in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.