The Wrath of the Cold Wind

Gazing into those eyes brimming with murderous intent, Phoenix's heart inexplicably trembled, and she promptly drew the bowstring.

Sinful Tread!

Jiang Han swiftly leaped, delivering a powerful kick that brought her to the ground. Following closely, the crimson sword unleashed a frenzy of attacks, accompanied by psychological manipulation: "In the end, you're just an archer, suitable for long-range support. Do you really think you can win against a warrior up close?"

"Tero, won't you come out to help?" Phoenix's face turned slightly pale, she shouted, "Are you only willing to watch me die?"

She was genuinely scared.

This damn traitor was too cunning, managing to unravel a situation that should have led to certain death.

Tero?

The level 60 Dark Gold-tier BOSS?

A chill ran down Jiang Han's spine as he felt the freezing wind sweeping in. Without hesitation, he leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding it.

"My dear Phoenix, how could I bear to let you die?" Tero, clad in a black cloak and wielding a blue staff, emerged from the crowd. Despite his short stature, he lifted the cloak's hood, revealing a sly and scar-ridden face, seemingly scorched by flames.

He gazed lustfully at Phoenix's slender figure. "If you ask for my help, does it mean you're willing to marry me?"

"…Kill him!" Phoenix gritted her teeth, her beautiful eyes tinged with embarrassment.

"Understood, my beautiful bride." Tero licked his lips, chuckling, and pointed his staff at Jiang Han. "Thanks for your arrival. I'll get Phoenix and receive substantial rewards. Give up resisting; I'll make your death swift!"

Insight Eye!

Jiang Han remained silent, checking Tero's attributes—

[Wrath of the Icy Wind · Tero] (Dark Gold-tier)

Level: 60

HP: 6,000,000

Attack: 9,500-10,200

Defense: 5,500-6,100

Skills: [Ice Cone Art] [Icy Gale Sweep] [Self-Ice Freeze] [Despairing Chill]

Introduction: Tero, once a Gold-tier powerhouse, turned greedy and lecherous. To enhance his strength enough to violate Phoenix, he resorted to all means, eventually forcefully breaking through with the Flame Elixir, ascending to Dark Gold. However, his face was ruined due to the burning effects of the elixir, and his strength was precarious.

...

High attributes!

Jiang Han's attack cap was just over four thousand, while Tero's defense alone was six thousand. Breaking through seemed impossible.

Of course, Jiang Han was not surprised.

First and second tier, Gold and Dark Gold, the gap was there, and it would be strange if it wasn't weaker.

Seeing that various skills were still on cooldown, Jiang Han decided to initiate a chat: "Tero, you really lack foresight!"

"What did you say?" Tero's eyes darkened with a threatening glint.

"In this vast world, there are so many beautiful women. Phoenix is gorgeous, but there are countless others." Jiang Han started with a topic he should "enjoy." "For instance?"

"Oh?" Tero raised an eyebrow, but his burned eyebrows couldn't express the proper emotions. "Like?"

"For example... the Sword God!" Jiang Han filtered through his memories, mentioning NPCs he found more beautiful than Phoenix.

Although the Sword God appeared somewhat unkempt with disheveled hair during their encounter, the overall appearance was undeniably stunning. With a little grooming, she would be an exquisite beauty.

"I have seen the Sword God, but she is a godly figure, unattainable." Talking about this topic, Tero became interested.

Although he could tell Jiang Han was stalling for time, he had already investigated. The opponent had no reinforcements, and there were no covert actions. He didn't mind chatting a bit more.

If the other party could change the situation with a few words, what kind of person would that be?!

"A person should have aspirations." Jiang Han drank a bottle of healing potion, discreetly taking a few steps forward.

"Hehe..." Watching Jiang Han approach, Tero tightened his grip on the staff, sneering, "So what?"

"And so, I cannot afford to lose in this siege!" Jiang Han suddenly leaped, aiming his Sinful Tread at... Phoenix!

"Hmph!" Tero condensed a sharp blue ice cone in the void, propelling it towards Jiang Han.

Icy Wind Domain!

Phoenix raised her left hand, forming a blue, translucent shield in front of her, creating a barrier that thwarted Jiang Han's Sinful Tread.

Grip of the Undead!

Dark purple energy emerged, forming a large hand that firmly seized Phoenix, unleashing a chaotic flurry of slashes. The four consecutive hits shattered the shield like glass.

"Tsk!"

-102,435!

A blue ice cone struck Jiang Han's shoulder, dealing over a hundred thousand damage, causing his health to drop by a third.

In the next second, the crimson sword descended, the Deathly Slash landing on Phoenix, dealing over fifty thousand damage. Simultaneously, Phoenix's arrows hit Jiang Han's chest.

-24,875!

"Close to death!"

Players waiting for an opportunity became restless.

Without hesitation, Jiang Han turned back towards the elite soldiers, shaking the area with his menacing presence, finally causing many wounded soldiers to fall.

Swish!

Golden light scattered, restoring full status.

"Ding!~"

System prompt: Congratulations on reaching level 45!

Immediately, Jiang Han attacked Phoenix once again, attempting to eliminate her first and then confront the Dark Gold-tier BOSS, Tero, at full strength.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss..."

After a few slashes, two ice cones and an arrow brought him to the brink of danger once more.

"Stubborn resistance." Tero's eyes filled with disdain, summoning another ice cone. "Die!"

"Damn it!"

"The damage from the Dark Gold-tier BOSS is too high!"

...

More anxious than Jiang Han was the group of players in the Romantic District. They had no choice but to rush in, attempting to seize the final blow by luck.

"Still not working?"

"All other third-tier towns have Gold-tier BOSSes guarding them. Jiang Han must face two Gold-tier and one Dark Gold-tier; it seems the system is intentionally challenging him..."

"I told you, he's just giving it away, refusing to hand over the player's head to the nation. Fortunately, it was taken by an NPC."

...

Players watching the live broadcast mostly confirmed Jiang Han's inevitable death.

Dark Gold-tier BOSS, with over ten thousand attacks and six thousand defenses, how could one fight against that?

-1!

-1!

-1!

...

Just as countless players speculated on who would receive Jiang Han's first kill reward, many non-penetrating damage values appeared.

"!!"

Players who had unleashed their full arsenal against Jiang Han stared with wide eyes, their expressions dumbfounded, unable to believe the numerical values they had produced.

Even Tero looked puzzled.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss..."

Jiang Han remained indifferent, his blade sweeping horizontally, completely wiping out the opposition.

-412,457!

-438,941!

-425,719!

...

Consistent six-digit damage, over four hundred thousand, how could

 any player withstand it?

Simultaneously, the so-called "wounded" state disappeared.

"Ding!~"

System prompt: You used the A-grade item [Purple Thunder Gem], awakening your potential, increasing all attributes by 1000%, lasting one minute!

Jiang Han attacked Phoenix with all his might, the sword piercing to the bone!

With only 2.8 million HP, a single strike dealt 400,000 damage. At most, seven strikes were needed, not to mention that she had already been forced to use her defensive skill, Icy Wind Domain.

Of course, he didn't intentionally wait until the last moment to use the Purple Thunder Gem.

One minute was truly too short. If he couldn't kill Tero within a minute, he would be at his wit's end. Even if Tero had only a few drops of health left, he could still be fatal.

As for why he chose to kill Phoenix first, it was simple. Even with the boost of the Purple Thunder Gem, if Phoenix's attacks didn't penetrate the defense, she still had skills like "Armor-Breaking Arrow" and "Blinding Arrow." It was uncertain what kind of disruption they could cause. Jiang Han preferred to spend a few seconds killing Phoenix before dealing with Tero.

"Tero, save me!" Phoenix screamed.

"..."

Staring blankly at this scene, Tero was speechless, fear creeping into his heart.