Chapter 53 -53-Sweeping Through the Monsters: Massive EXP Gains!

Chapter 53: Chapter53-Sweeping Through the Monsters: Massive EXP Gains!

John gripped the Void Staff with both hands and swung it in a full horizontal arc.

Whoosh—!

The black-and-gold staff slammed into the Dark Realm soldier at the front.

[Lethal Damage triggered!]

[Overcharge triggered!]

[Forerunner remains active!]

[Cleave triggered!]

Bang!

The soldier struck directly by the staff exploded instantly.

A circular shock wave spread in every direction.

More than a dozen nearby Dark Realm creatures were sent flying simultaneously.

[-55,860!]

[-55,860!]

[-55,860!]

Dense clusters of damage numbers rose above the monsters’ heads.

The two [Domain Expansion] Affixes on the Void Staff had also enlarged Cleave’s effective area.

With a single swing—

A vast empty space appeared around John.

[You have killed Light-Eroding Soldier Lv21 ×9!]

[You have killed Darkeye Drifter Lv20 ×6!]

[EXP +720!]

[Expedition Contribution +150!]

More Dark Realm creatures surrounded him from every direction.

John did not retreat.

[Binding Chains!]

Boom!

Countless dark-red chains erupted from beneath the ground.

More than a hundred monsters were bound in place simultaneously.

The Darkeye Drifters hovering in midair had only just begun preparing their beams when their skills immediately collapsed.

John raised the Void Staff.

"Fire Serpent."

Boom!

A blazing fire serpent charged into the monster horde.

[Projectile Amplification triggered!]

Flames spread wildly throughout the area covered by the chains.

One.

Two.

Five.

Ten.

The skill had no cooldown.

The dark-red crystal at the tip of the Void Staff continued glowing.

Fire serpents poured outward one after another like floodwaters bursting through a dam.

[-125,280!]

[-125,280!]

[-375,840!]

Large numbers of Dark Realm creatures were swallowed by the flames.

John’s HP and MP continued recovering at the same time.

[Bloodthirsty Strike triggered!]

[HP +7,160!]

[Mana Reflux triggered!]

[MP +2,864!]

A dark-matter spear struck John from the side.

[Impact Guard blocked the attack!]

Another black arrow of light crashed into the shield, producing only a faint ripple across its surface.

Attacking restored his HP.

Using skills restored his MP.

Taking damage generated shields.

Combined with his completely nonexistent skill cooldowns, the Dark Realm army had no chance of wearing him down through sheer numbers.

John advanced with the Void Staff in hand.

Whenever a monster appeared ahead, he smashed it apart with a single swing.

If too many gathered, he used Binding Chains to immobilize them before clearing entire groups with Fire Serpent.

Whenever he encountered a Darkthorn Armored Beast with higher defenses, he followed up with a Void Spear.

He was practically in one-man-army mode, carving a path straight through the Dark Realm formation.

"This feels incredible!"

John swung the staff once again.

Seven or eight Dark Realm creatures spun through the air.

[You have killed Dark Realm creatures ×42!]

[EXP +2,160!]

[You have killed Dark Realm creatures ×68!]

[EXP +3,480!]

System notifications continuously flooded his vision.

John fought while advancing toward the human army.

The formation within the Dark Realm army had been completely disrupted by him.

Large numbers of monsters that had originally been attacking the human defensive line were forced to turn around.

The Luna Wolf players in the distance quickly noticed the disturbance.

White_Bear had just braced his shield against a Darkthorn Armored Beast when he saw flames erupting repeatedly several hundred meters away.

"Why does that area keep exploding?"

Horus followed the sound with his gaze.

A black-and-gold figure was moving rapidly through the monster horde.

Everywhere he passed, monsters collapsed in waves like wheat before a scythe.

"It’s Endbringer."

White_Bear’s eyes widened.

"Didn’t he say he had something to do?"

...

By the time John reached the center of the Dark Realm army, the light of a level-up finally erupted from his body.

[Ding!]

[Your level has increased to Lv22!]

[Current EXP: 2,710/8,000!]

[You have obtained 5 Free Attribute Points!]

[Unique God-Rank Talent "Supreme Evolution" triggered!]

[You have obtained the SSS-Rank Affix: Apocalypse Execution!]

[Apocalypse Execution]

[Type: Weapon-Exclusive Affix.]

[Effect: When this weapon attacks a target whose HP is at or below 10%, the target is executed instantly! Cooldown: 10 seconds.]

Instant execution at ten percent HP.

It offered little value against ordinary monsters.

However, against Bosses with hundreds of thousands or even millions of HP, its value was enormous.

John immediately embedded the Affix into the Void Staff.

[The Void Staff has obtained the SSS-Rank Affix: Apocalypse Execution!]

He then invested all five attribute points into Strength.

[Strength +5!]

[Voidwalker Trait triggered!]

[Constitution, Agility, and Wisdom have each increased by 5!]

[Current Core Attributes: 1,155!]

John closed the panel.

Then he continued fighting his way toward the human army.

...

On the other side of the battlefield, Rudy had become completely trapped in a bitter struggle.

The Mountainburner Greatbow in his hands had barely stopped firing.

The webbing between the thumb and index finger of his right hand had already split open.

His silver-and-black armor was covered in claw marks and blade wounds.

He had only just shot through the Light-Eroding Soldier in front of him when another scream came from behind.

Rudy abruptly turned around.

Only then did he realize that every personal guard who had been fighting beside him had fallen.

The shield formation had completely collapsed.

Soldiers’ corpses covered the ground.

He was the only one still standing nearby.

Hundreds of Dark Realm creatures gradually surrounded him.

Rudy tightened his grip on the Mountainburner Greatbow.

His arrowstorm skill was still on cooldown.

The reinforcements had also been cut off in the distance by the monsters.

If this continued, he would eventually be worn down and killed.

Just as Rudy prepared to burn his battle aura and force his way out, a dense series of explosions suddenly came from the distance.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The sounds drew closer.

Flames and dark-red chains continually erupted within the monster horde.

Rudy narrowed his eyes.

A familiar figure gradually appeared within his field of vision.

"Him?"

Carrying the black-and-gold staff, John had fought his way from the rear of the Dark Realm army.

A single sweep of his staff sent entire groups of monsters flying.

Whenever fire serpents descended, dozens of Dark Realm creatures were simultaneously reduced to charred corpses.

Even the occasional elite monster with higher defenses was directly pierced by a pursuing Void Spear.

The surprise in Rudy’s eyes gradually turned into confusion.

"He’s this strong?"

According to the information Raymond had provided, John was only Lv21.

There was no possibility that the level had been recorded incorrectly.

Yet the combat power before him had already completely surpassed anything a player in their twenties should possess.

Had the city lord already known that John was concealing his true strength?

Was that why he had deliberately sent John to Dawnstar City?

Countless questions flooded Rudy’s mind.

However, there was no need to investigate them now.

With John disrupting the Dark Realm army’s formation from behind, the recruits had at least been saved.

Rudy could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

He planted one foot on a Darkthorn Armored Beast beneath him and pulled the flaming arrow from its forehead.

Just as he prepared to move toward John—

Whoosh—!

A piercing sound tore through the air from the opposite side of the battlefield.

A black arrow pierced through several Dark Realm monsters in succession.

Its speed did not decrease in the slightest.

Rudy abruptly turned his head.

The arrow had already reached his chest.

Bang!

His silver-and-black armor caved inward instantly.

The arrow pierced straight through his chest and carried his entire body backward.

[-49,762!]

Rudy rolled across the ground more than a dozen times before slamming heavily into a boulder.

John’s eyes lit up.

Nearly fifty thousand damage!