Chapter 116 - 97: Fire Seed·Blade of Fury (2)

"Again!"

Some time later...

[DEATH]

After resurrecting, the two sat by the Spirit Candle in silence.

"No, this thing’s power level is just ridiculous. If it gets close, it’s a one-hit kill. And when its health gets low, it starts using a healing Skill. How are we supposed to beat this?" Shore was getting antsy.

"...The Gray Wolf Follower’s strength is definitely a bit much. Our margin for error in this fight is extremely low."

Li Miao sighed and shook his head slightly.

"Let’s buff up and try one more time. If it really doesn’t work, we’ll have to go back and grind for Levels,"

Shore said, gritting his teeth.

Li Miao was only Level 17 right now. He could take a hit from the Gray Wolf Follower and counterattack, but killing it alone would be a huge struggle.

The main issue was Shore. His Level was lower, and his Skills had long wind-up times, making him a frequent weak point. The Gray Wolf Follower clearly understood the logic of killing the squishy damage dealer first, not even giving him time to eat a Wax Block.

However, the Gray Wolf Follower was not without its weaknesses.

It was fast and had extremely high Attack Power, but its weakness was its low Blood Volume. Just now, after taking a Knight Charge and a Heavy Strike from Li Miao, its Blood Bar had nearly bottomed out.

The bad news, however, was that it had [Blood of Madness], a lifesteal Skill that restored its health upon attacking.

Coupled with Vortex Blade, a Remote Attack Combat Skill, the slightest mistake would allow it to heal back up, making the margin for error incredibly low.

"Alright. One more try."

Li Miao nodded.

After taking a deep breath, the two ate all the various fish Shore had stored in the Spirit Candle, then stealthily crept back, collected their Wax Ash, and retrieved their weapons and equipment.

A moment later, the battle began anew.

And this time, perhaps because the two were now familiar with the enemy’s fighting style, or perhaps due to the various buffs from the fish...

They quickly found an opening. A Knight Charge and a Blood Stone Burst dealt it heavy damage, dropping its Blood Volume to a critical level.

BAM! The Gray Wolf Follower slammed into the wall. Its chest heaved twice, and it began to vomit blood onto the blades on its hands.

A sanguine power of Madness began to rise, and even more viscous blood flowed from the blades on its head.

"Hah!"

The two didn’t just stand there and watch; a Crescent Moon Sword Qi and a Blood Stone Burst followed one after another.

But the Gray Wolf Follower swiftly dodged, and with a furious roar, it threw its twin blades to the left and right, counterattacking the pair.

This time, having learned their lesson, they were prepared and dodged ahead of time, anticipating their opponent’s next move.

SCHLICK! The twin blades plunged into the ground.

"ROAR!"

The Gray Wolf Follower roared and lunged ferociously toward Shore, its sharp claws dripping with blood.

Shore, who had been watching its every move, saw this, timed it perfectly, and threw himself to the side without hesitation.

Just then, Li Miao charged in. With a BANG, he interrupted its assault and slammed it into the wall.

This time, its Physical Strength depleted and having failed to recover its Blood Volume, the Gray Wolf Follower had no fight left in it. It was unable to push Li Miao away and could only watch as the Burning Law Knight’s Greatsword came chopping down on its head!

SCHLICK!

The Gray Wolf Follower’s flailing claws lost their last ounce of strength and slowly fell limp as it uttered its final words in a low whisper.

"I have failed in my duty, Master..."

"Perhaps... it should have been this way long ago..."

A sliver of consciousness seemed to remain within the Gray Wolf Follower’s body, its voice tinged with relief and release.

[You have killed a Gray Wolf Follower Warrior]

"We did it! We finally did it! Fucking awesome!" Shore pumped his fist in excitement.

Li Miao also let out a sigh of relief.

After the Gray Wolf Follower died, it left behind three drops.

A Fire Seed with a trace of crimson, a pair of blood-stained dual blades, and... a Strawman Doll.

[Acquired: Fire Seed·Blade of Fury (Initial Stage)]

[Acquired: Attendant Double Blade (Excellent)]

[Acquired: Treasured Strawman Doll]

[Fire Seed·Blade of Fury (Initial Stage)]

[Type: Special Item]

[Effect: Successfully fuse it with your own Warfire by introducing it into your body to obtain a powerful buff.]

[Explanation: For a battle-hardened warrior who has fought their way out of the gladiatorial cage, what allows one to master the furious war blade is not immense power, but an unwavering conviction.]

[Attendant Double Blade (Excellent)]

[Type: Weapon]

[Effect: Slightly increases Attack damage, Power +1]

[Explanation: Compared to its previous blades, the Gray Wolf Follower Warrior preferred this new pair of dual blades.]

[Treasured Strawman Doll]

[Type: Accessory]

[Effect: Slightly enhances damage after a successful Attack.]

[Explanation: A Strawman Doll gifted by someone the warrior treasured. An unwavering conviction resides within, becoming the sharp edge of a blade.]

Looking at the Strawman Doll in his hand, Li Miao furrowed his brow for a moment, then gazed thoughtfully at the passageway ahead.

"A Warrior’s Fire Seed." Shore took the Fire Seed and glanced at it, raising an eyebrow. "This is great news for Brother Mangzi and the others."

After putting the items away, Li Miao looked at the epitaphs on the surrounding tombstones.

Most of the tombstones belonged to followers, guards, and butlers. Some of them had names.

And off to the side, there was an empty grave pit with a tombstone that starkly read—Gray Wolf Follower Vico.

Without a doubt, this was the grave the Gray Wolf Follower had prepared for itself.

At the same time, Li Miao couldn’t help but recall the Gray Wolf Follower’s final words.

’It should have been this way long ago... Why would it say that?’

"Three directions. Which way first?" Shore asked.

Hearing him, Li Miao snapped back to reality.

In any case, they had now killed the Gray Wolf Follower Warrior that had been blocking their path, so the passages to the left, right, and front were all clear.

"Let’s check the left path first."

...

"Huh? We just walked right past it?" Mushroom stared, dumbfounded, at the Gray Wolf Follower Warrior.

Niuniu also watched the Gray Wolf Follower with great interest.

He had no doubt that the Gray Wolf Follower in front of them had already noticed him and Mushroom.

But as long as they didn’t attack it or try to enter the passageway it was kneeling before, they could freely walk through the left and right tunnels of this burial ground.

That’s right. Unlike before, this burial ground had passages in three directions.

One to the left, one to the right, and one straight ahead.

And the Gray Wolf Follower, it seemed, only guarded the one in front of it.

"The Lord of this fortress must not be paying the Gray Wolf Follower enough!"

Niuniu said with certainty.

"You’re full of it." Mushroom shook his head, speechless.

Niuniu chuckled. He was just joking, of course; he didn’t actually think that. "Come on, let’s go check this way first. Maybe we can find a special weapon for fighting this Gray Wolf Follower inside."

Li Miao and Shore’s combination was already very strong. Although Shore still had his shortcomings, with a front-line Knight and a back-line Mage, their synergy was greater than the sum of its parts.

As for Niuniu and Mushroom, a Warrior and a Close Combat Mage... their coordination was a bit weaker, and they were both squishy.

Therefore, against this Gray Wolf Follower, their chances of winning were pitifully small.

After dying more than ten times, Mushroom was ready to start stacking buffs.

But then Niuniu started thinking outside the box again and, by a stroke of luck, discovered the Gray Wolf Follower’s strange quirk.

As long as you didn’t proactively attack it or try to enter the passageway in front of it, it would ignore you.

This was a detail that most players would probably never discover.

After all... there’s a live boss right in front of you. You think it’s not going to attack?

This world is full of monsters. If you don’t attack them, they’ll attack you.

By now, many players had developed a habit of striking first.

So most people fell directly into a mental trap—thinking that if they couldn’t beat it, they couldn’t move forward.

Little did they know, the passages on either side of the Gray Wolf Follower could actually be entered directly. It would simply ignore them...

"Should we log off and tell the others?"

Mushroom asked.

"No rush. Let’s wait until we find the next Milestone Spirit Candle," Niuniu said. He could already feel the guidance of a Spirit Candle appearing again.

"Alright. The others have probably already passed it too. It won’t be too late to explore both of these side paths and then get some pointers from them in the group chat," Mushroom mused.