Skeleton Warriors Can Also Be Used As Meat Shields

Lin Moyu sensed the intruders through his skeleton warrior scouts. This time, it wasn't just the archer and mage he'd encountered earlier. A knight, armed with a sword and shield, had joined them, flanking Lin Moyu and Ning Yiyi from three sides.

Ning Yiyi's delicate face twisted in frustration. "Seriously? All this for a simple intermediate skill scroll? They've been chasing me for days!"

She stomped her foot in irritation and turned to Lin Moyu. "I'm out of here. Let's play again if we get the chance!"

Before she could move, a sharp whistle pierced the air. An arrow shot from the shadows, its path deadly and precise. Ning Yiyi reacted with lightning speed, dodging just as the arrow exploded into two beams of light. The light beams struck both Lin Moyu and Ning Yiyi, casting an unmistakable, glowing mark above their heads.

"Damn, it's a Marked Arrow!" Ning Yiyi's face turned pale.

Lin Moyu quickly recalled what he knew about the Marked Arrow. It was an archer's skill used to highlight targets, making them visible and vulnerable, especially for stealth classes like assassins. With this mark, any hope of invisibility or slipping away unseen was gone.

"You can't run now," a cold voice sneered from the shadows. The mage emerged from the forest, eyes cold and calculating. Up in the trees, the archer nocked another arrow, while the knight closed in from the opposite direction.

"I knew you two were working together," the mage spat. "A rat-like assassin and a vile undead summoner—what a perfect pair."

Ning Yiyi's expression hardened. A soft blue glow appeared in her hand as she summoned a dagger. "He has nothing to do with this. I'll give you the scroll, and we can go our separate ways."

The archer chuckled from his perch in the tree. "That might've worked yesterday, but not now. It's safer if you both die."

The mage nodded in agreement. "The dead don't talk. No one will know we took the skill scroll. It saves us the trouble."

Ning Yiyi's eyes flicked toward Lin Moyu. She whispered, "I'll hold them off. You run."

Lin Moyu's voice was calm. "What about you?"

"I'm a Shadow Assassin. Night is my domain—I have my ways."

But Lin Moyu wasn't convinced. If she truly could have fought them off, she wouldn't have been fleeing earlier. The truth was, the enemy was stronger. Ning Yiyi might have escaped before, but now, with the Marked Arrow nullifying her stealth, her chances were slim.

The archer spoke again, impatience in his voice. "The night grows long. Let's end this."

The mage raised his staff, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Both of you die here tonight."

With a flick of his wrist, the mage cast an illumination spell. A brilliant orb of light rose into the sky, flooding the area with a harsh, unnatural brightness. The spell not only lit the forest like daylight but also dispelled any shadows Ning Yiyi could use, further crippling her stealth abilities.

Ning Yiyi tightened her grip on her dagger, her eyes narrowing into slits as she scanned for an opening. The archer, perched on a branch, had his bow fully drawn, ready to strike. The knight, sword and shield in hand, braced himself for a charge. They had surrounded her, leaving no avenue for escape.

Just then, Lin Moyu lifted a finger, and a skeleton warrior materialized in front of him.

The mage smirked in disdain. "What a waste of time." He raised his staff and shouted, "Big Fireball!"

A massive, flaming sphere, nearly a meter wide, erupted from the mage's staff and hurtled toward Lin Moyu and Ning Yiyi. The fireball crackled with intense heat, capable of severely injuring or killing anything it struck.

Ning Yiyi's eyes widened in horror. She grabbed Lin Moyu's arm and pulled him back. "Get out of the way!"

But as the fireball closed in, the mage unleashed another spell—Spiritual Entanglement. Thin threads of invisible energy snaked out from his staff, wrapping around Ning Yiyi and Lin Moyu, slowing their movements.

The archer, seizing the moment, loosed his arrow. Mid-flight, the arrow split into three—Threefold Shot—each projectile aimed with deadly precision.

Simultaneously, the knight charged, his shield raised, closing the distance with terrifying speed.

Ning Yiyi's face went white. "This is it..." she thought. Desperation filled her eyes as she shoved Lin Moyu out of the attack's range. But before the attacks could land, three skeleton warriors appeared, forming a protective barrier around her.

The mage's fireball collided with one of the skeletons and exploded with a deafening roar, flames erupting in every direction. The archer's arrows slammed into another skeleton, producing a sharp metallic clang. The knight, mid-charge, crashed into the third skeleton warrior, only to be sent flying backward.

When the smoke cleared, the skeleton warriors stood unscathed, their bones glowing with an eerie bluish-white light.

"Impossible!" the mage gasped, his face paling in disbelief. He had scanned Lin Moyu earlier—he was only a level 10 necromancer. By all accounts, the strength of his summons should have matched his own level. How had these skeletons survived an attack from a level 21 mage?

The archer and knight were equally stunned, eyes wide as they stared at the seemingly invincible skeletons.

Then came a sound—click, click, click.

More skeletons emerged from the darkness, their hollow eyes gleaming. One by one, they surrounded the three attackers until 44 skeleton warriors encircled them, closing in like the jaws of a trap.