Chapter Nineteenth: Firstblood

Not only were the three of them stunned, but Ning Yiyi was too. With wide eyes and an open mouth, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her expression was quite adorable. She had seen Lin's skeleton warriors earlier in the day. They were just level 10 skeleton warriors, full of cracks, and their weapons were old and shabby. They looked like they could be easily defeated. How could they be this strong? A level 20 mage's skills couldn't even harm it. The archer's triple shot and the knight's charge couldn't damage it. Could these really be level 10 summons? Their strength seemed excessively high.

Moreover, their numbers...

Groups of fire lighted up in the darkness, and skeleton warriors silently appeared, encircling them. Lin, who was not very talkative, returned to Ning Yiyi's side, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Kill!" With a thought, the skeleton warriors were activated. The mage's face changed drastically, and he quickly conjured a protective shield around himself. Energy Shield, a signature skill of mages. As a mage's level and skill increase, their Energy Shield becomes more robust. It's said that god-level mages can remain unharmed under a forbidden spell with their shield.

Mages, being less agile and slower, can't dodge like archers, especially now, surrounded by skeleton warriors without any space to dodge. The skeleton warriors' blades made the shield distort violently. With just one hit, the mage's Energy Shield was almost broken. These skeletons, what kind of attributes did they have to be so terrifyingly powerful?

Without giving the mage time to think, the second skeleton warrior's blade came down. The Energy Shield shattered into countless starlights and dissipated. The mage quickly released another skill, but it was too late. Blades flashed, and the mage was decapitated. In just two seconds, the mage was dead.

The archer was also in a dire situation, chased by skeleton warriors and in utter despair. Watching the mage die filled him with fear. He was more agile than the mage, but compared to the skeletons with agility of 3000 points, he was much slower. Despite using dodge skills trying to escape the encirclement, his efforts were in vain. As the skeleton warriors closed in, his space to maneuver shrank.

The knight, under a strong light that made him look like a lamp, kept activating his charge skill, attempting to escape. This light, even more solid than the mage's Energy Shield, protected him well. Even as the skeleton warriors' blades hit him, they couldn't inflict any damage.

"Extreme Defense!" Lin realized the knight had this skill. It was a core skill for knights, providing a massive boost to defense for a short duration. The higher the knight's level, the stronger the Extreme Defense. A level 20 knight under Extreme Defense could withstand an attack from a level 40 mage, though only once, showing the skill's strength. But Extreme Defense was not easily learned without the corresponding skill scroll and could only be learned through skill scrolls, which was very random.

The knight, shining with Extreme Defense, desperately ran. Hearing screams behind him, he knew the archer was also dead. The fear was overwhelming. These skeleton warriors were too horrifying. If he had known, he wouldn't have come for a mid-level skill scroll at the cost of his life.

"Use the skill!" Lin commanded. He wouldn't let the knight escape. The skeletons' blades glowed red. Frenzy Strike! The skill increased damage to 200% of their strength. A blade flashed, and the knight's light dimmed significantly. After a few more hits, his Extreme Defense was overwhelmed, and the knight was killed.

It was Lin's first kill, executed with conviction.

"They're all dead?" Ning Yiyi was still in shock. The battle from start to finish lasted only about 20 seconds, and all three men were dead. Lin had not moved at all; he just stood there. The skeleton warriors returned, carrying various items dropped by the professionals upon their death.

Among the items were:

Bronze Carmen Staff: +20 Spirit, increases the power of mage skills by 5%, usable after level 18.

Bronze Carmen War Bow: +20 Agility, increases the power of archery skills by 5%, usable after level 18.

Bronze Carmen Sword: +10 Strength, +10 Constitution, increases the power of offensive skills by 5%, usable after level 18.

Bronze Carmen Shield: +20 Constitution, increases the effectiveness of defensive skills by 5%, usable after level 18.