Chapter 31: Rare Equipment, Undead Mage

The three skeletal monsters were massive and menacing.

Tracy hid behind John, worriedly asking, "Old man, these guys look scary. Can we beat them?"

John didn't answer. He simply raised his staff and cast Rain of Fire.

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Three damage numbers flashed.

John quickly understood the attributes of these three monsters.

The skeleton knight had around one thousand points of magic defense and twenty thousand health.

The skeleton mage had two thousand points of spirit attribute and twelve thousand health.

The skeleton assassin had two thousand points of strength, five hundred points of agility, and thirteen thousand health.

He could handle these three monsters.

"Human, die!" the skeleton knight roared, gripping a long spear and charging towards John.

Buzz!

Earth elements coalesced, forming Rock Armor that enveloped John.

But the skeleton assassin was quicker, flashing to John's side.

Assassin skill: Deadly Strike!

A cold light flickered, aiming directly at John's throat.

Tracy instinctively cast Holy Shield.

Crack!

The thin shield shattered instantly. The skeleton assassin was right in front of John.

Unfazed, John raised his staff and struck the skeleton assassin's wrist hard.

Bang!

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A damage number floated up.

The skeleton assassin's attack was forcibly interrupted.

Crack!

Immediately after, John cast Thunderstorm, triggering the skill combo. Two bolts of lightning struck the skeleton assassin one after the other.

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The skeleton assassin's health dropped drastically, and it retreated in panic.

Meanwhile, the skeleton knight's charge and the skeleton mage's large fireball came in succession.

Bang bang!

The Rock Armor shattered, and John took significant damage.

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Fortunately, after clearing the second and third layers of the dark cave, his constitution had significantly improved, barely allowing him to withstand the attacks of a level 30 rare boss.

"Star Dust, heal me!" John reminded Tracy, quickly creating distance and focusing on the skeleton mage and skeleton assassin.

These two posed the greatest threat to him.

Whoosh!

John cast large fireballs and Wind Blade slash, targeting the skeleton assassin.

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Flames surged, and winds howled.

The skeleton assassin was instantly killed.

[Killed level 35 rare boss skeleton assassin, gained 340 experience points]

[Plunder talent activated, strength +20, agility +10, physical critical hit +1]

The notification flashed. John didn't have time to check the dropped equipment. The attacks from the skeleton mage and skeleton knight arrived simultaneously.

He couldn't dodge and had to take the hits head-on.

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Two damage numbers appeared, leaving John with just over 1100 health.

Luckily, a warm light enveloped him, and he was bathed in the healing light, recovering 400 health points. It was better than nothing.

At this point, the skeleton knight's eye sockets flared with soul fire. It roared and charged at Tracy.

"Ah! Old man, help!" Tracy panicked and started to run.

"You should be running towards me!" John was exasperated. He couldn't understand how Tracy had even made it to the second level of the dark cave.

His skills cooled down, and he cast them again.

Two large fireballs, two Wind Blades, and two bolts of lightning streaked towards the skeleton knight.

John wasn't sure if it was his luck or Tracy's, but Spell Combo triggered three times in a row.

Boom boom...

The air resounded with explosions, and massive energy waves rippled through the area.

The skeleton knight's twenty thousand health points were instantly depleted. With a wail, it collapsed at Tracy's feet.

[Killed level 35 rare boss skeleton knight, gained 340 experience points]

[Plunder talent activated, constitution +30, luck +1]

He got another point of luck!

John was overjoyed; his luck attribute had now reached 9 points.

"Whew, that was scary!" Tracy patted her chest in relief and angrily kicked the skeleton knight's corpse twice.

Bang!

Just then, John winced in pain. He was hit again by the skeleton mage, leaving him with only five hundred health points.

"Old man, be careful!" Tracy exclaimed, hurriedly casting a healing spell to restore his health.

"You've got no chance!" John said with a cold smile. He focused entirely on dealing with the skeleton mage.

With his high cooldown reduction, he alternated between several skills.

The skeleton mage's casting was repeatedly interrupted by John. The mage, in utter despair and unable to fight back, eventually met its end with a grudge.

[Killed level 35 rare boss skeleton mage, gained 340 experience points]

[Plunder talent activated, spirit +20, skill points +10]

The notifications flashed. John's spirit attribute increased by 20 points, and he gained 10 skill points.

"Old man, you're so strong!" Tracy marveled again. She gathered the loot from the three rare bosses and handed everything to John.

They acquired 30 skill stones, 10 equipment enhancement stones, and 3 gems.

Additionally, they got 3 pieces of rare second-tier equipment.

[Crimson Dagger: Rare, second-tier, usable by Assassin class]

[Base physical damage +50, strength +7, agility +5]

[Morning Dew Robe: Rare, second-tier, usable by Mage class]

[Physical defense +50, spirit +6, constitution +1]

[Jade Staff: Rare, second-tier, usable by Mage class]

[Base magical damage +50, healing effect +50, spirit +5]

All of these were powerful rare items.

"This one's for you," John said, noticing the attributes of the Jade Staff and tossing it to Tracy.

Increasing healing effects made it a divine item for the Priest class.

"Thank you, old man!" Tracy gratefully accepted it and immediately swapped out her Holy Hammer.

"Old man, should we keep going?" She excitedly swung her new staff, eager to test its power.

John nodded, locating the entrance to the fourth level of the dark cave. He cast Rock Armor on himself before entering.

Buzz!

The two of them stepped into the fourth level of the cave one after the other.

Contrary to their expectations, the place wasn't teeming with monsters.

The area was wide open, with a high platform resembling an altar at the center. A figure lay atop it.

Below the platform stood an old man, hunched over, wearing black robes. His face was gaunt. 

He was holding a staff as if casting a spell.

John felt a sense of threat from the old man.

"Adventurers!" The black-robed old man noticed them too. Panic flashed across his face as he coldly warned, "This place is not for you to tread. Leave if you value your lives!"

John ignored the warning, warily observing the old man. He readied his staff, prepared to attack at any moment.

Tracy focused on the old man, excitement in her voice, "Old man, that guy is a level 60 tier-three undead mage, an epic-level boss. But he's in a weakened state and can't move. Let's take him out!"

Hearing Tracy's words, the black-robed old man visibly panicked.

"So that's how it is," John said with a smile, realizing the old man's predicament.

Strike when the iron is hot!

John immediately launched a massive fireball at the old man.

Boom!

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The fireball exploded, but it only took away a single point of the old man's health.

John's magical attack couldn't even penetrate his defense.

The black-robed old man, initially tense, relaxed and burst into arrogant laughter, "Haha, you overestimate yourselves. With your puny strength, you think you can kill me? I'm giving you one last chance. Leave now, or face death."

The old man's threat was cold and laced with desperation.

These adventurers had made it this far, so they must have killed the bosses on the third level. He was in the critical moment of reviving the undead lord and didn't want any more trouble.

John, full of disdain, silently switched to his daggers and opened his attributes panel. He used the thirty-plus skill points he had just earned to upgrade the basic Assassin skill, Death Whirlwind.

The black-robed old man watched John's actions with confusion. Could it be that this guy wasn't a mage?

Whoosh!

At that moment, John moved, becoming a blur as he rapidly closed the distance to the old man. Taking advantage of the old man's momentary distraction, John activated Death Whirlwind.

Buzz...

The daggers hummed, flashing with cold light, and enveloped the old man, delivering ten strikes in an instant.

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…

A series of damage numbers flashed. John's Death Whirlwind only inflicted around 350 points of damage.

The old man's physical resistance was also two thousand points!

John's regular attacks couldn't break through his defense at all. 

He could only rely on Assassin skills for damage.

Fortunately, John possessed the Wrath of the Gods talent, providing a 40% cooldown reduction. He alternated between Assassin skills: Assassinate, Pierce, Death Whirlwind, and Shadow Strike.

Each attack could only inflict 200-300 points of damage.

The old man had a health pool of fifty thousand points, and this damage wasn't enough to threaten him.

But since he was immobilized, John was confident he could wear him down to death.

"Cowardly adventurer!" the old man roared in anger, but he kept his staff raised, unable to break his casting stance.

"Come forth, my undead minions!" the old man chanted. With a wave of spatial energy, a swarm of skeleton monsters materialized.

The lv40 skeleton monsters.

He was indeed an undead mage. Although he couldn't move, he could still perform basic summoning spells.