Chapter 350: Hidden Reward

"These dual attributes improved quite a bit. Previously it was 400 Strength and 300 Agility, totaling only 700 points."

"Now the dual attributes add up to 950 points in total, a full 250-point increase."

"B- difficulty corresponds to Lower Fifth-Rank, though the burst of a Lower Fifth-Rank is really only around 400 points in each dual attribute."

"Kong Xinghu was under 400, but some Lower Fifth-Rank experts at their peak, if they've cultivated a Top-Tier Internal Technique and First-Class Martial Arts Technique, can break past 400 points."

"So the dungeon difficulty is actually set according to the highest ceiling among martial artists. Generally, a Lower Fifth-Rank who chooses B- difficulty will get beaten to a pulp."

While Yang Ling observed the White Bone Demon King, the other players present had already been completely shaken by its physique.

It was visible that even an old Daoist like Chen Guoqing, with all his experience, couldn't help his palm trembling slightly.

The Skeleton Warriors' builds earlier were still somewhat reasonable, but this White Bone Demon King's size was simply terrifying.

Zhang Wei swallowed hard:

"Yang Ling, be honest... can you kill it?"

The moment those words left his mouth, Yang Ling had already charged out.

The White Bone Demon King seemed not to have expected that the tiny insect before it would dare to strike first.

It let out a thunderous roar, bent its legs slightly, then instantly snapped its body straight, shooting toward Yang Ling like a cannonball.

The two sides clashed in an almost pure head-on confrontation, beginning a brutal melee!

Unfortunately for the demon king, its current Strength and Agility were both far inferior to Yang Ling's.

Its perception was utterly crushed by Yang Ling as well.

Every single attack it threw landed on empty air.

Yang Ling simply wouldn't give it any chance to land a hit.

Treading Emptiness! Two-Times Critical Hit! Azure Dragon Force!

In the blink of an eye, Yang Ling had already kicked the White Bone Demon King over a dozen times.

Every kick landed on its enormous belly.

With a terrifying Strength of 680 points, those dozen-plus whip kicks were enough to crack metal and shatter stone!

The White Bone Demon King's HP plummeted from 12,000 points to around 9,000.

"Thick-skinned and tough!"

"But with every kick, I can shave off a hundred-plus points of its HP."

"The one I encountered before, due to my strength at the time, I could only deal 100 damage even using the Quenched-Gold Armor-Piercing Flying Dagger."

The damage wasn't really the key point though.

Rather, back then, Yang Ling didn't even have the qualifications to fight the White Bone Demon King fairly in close combat.

At that time, if it landed just one hit on him, he would have to pay an enormous price.

But today's battle was a complete steamroll.

Thinking this way, Yang Ling lightly tilted his head, once again dodging the White Bone Demon King's face-sized fist.

Then he kicked it right in the armpit.

The power of Wind God Momentum flowed into that kick, delivering a critical hit on the White Bone Demon King that carved off two hundred-plus HP in a single blow.

The terrifying gale whipped so fiercely that everyone's cheeks were pressed inward.

They exchanged disbelieving glances.

From start to finish, all they had witnessed was Yang Ling unilaterally slaughtering this White Bone Demon King.

The enemy's fists looked fierce and powerful, yet they couldn't even graze the corner of Yang Ling's clothes!

Both sides were moving faster and faster, until finally it reached the point where even Lin Caiyi and the others could barely track the details.

They could only judge the situation through the sounds of impact.

When the White Bone Demon King's HP dropped below 5,000 points, it suddenly bellowed:

"Tiny insects, I'll give you one more chance to beg for mercy!"

[Will you kneel and beg for mercy?]

[Yes/No]

"..."

Everyone chose No, finding this White Bone Demon King somewhat amusing.

It was clearly at a disadvantage, so how dared it tell them to kneel and beg for mercy?

Another quarter of an hour or so passed, and the White Bone Demon King's HP had dropped below 2,000 points.

At that moment, a new game notification appeared before everyone:

[Congratulations, you have met the requirements to clear the dungeon]

[Do you wish to end the dungeon now and begin evaluation?]

"The White Bone Demon King isn't dead yet? This counts as clearing it?"

Everyone was somewhat bewildered.

Yang Ling shouted, "Everyone choose No! Let's go for the highest reward!"

Everyone immediately selected No.

The White Bone Demon King's HP bar vanished, and 18 weakness light points appeared on its body.

"That's 6 more weaknesses than last time. The difficulty really did increase."

Yang Ling thought to himself.

[Next, players must defeat the White Bone Demon King's weaknesses one by one through melee combat]

The moment this prompt appeared, Yang Ling charged at the White Bone Demon King again.

"Tiny insect, let me show you the might of this king!"

The White Bone Demon King roared in fury.

But in just the blink of an eye, 3 of its weaknesses had already been smashed!

Yang Ling continued to transform into a raging gale, circling the White Bone Demon King and dealing nonstop damage.

Every single attack he landed shattered one of its weaknesses.

In an instant, only the last of the eighteen weaknesses remained.

Watching the white light spilling from the tightly clamped armpit of the White Bone Demon King, Yang Ling remarked calmly:

"Will you open it yourself, or shall I?"

The White Bone Demon King was a mess of shock and fury.

"Then I'll do it myself."

Yang Ling didn't give it much time to think. Seizing the opportunity, he locked the White Bone Demon King's right arm with his own, then delivered a vicious kick.

The terrifying force sent the beast flying sideways, and it could no longer keep its final weakness clamped shut.

Its armpit was completely compromised, laid bare in full view before Yang Ling.

He only needed to lightly tap it with the tip of his toe, and that final weakness went dark.

The White Bone Demon King let out a miserable shriek.

[You have defeated all eighteen weaknesses of the White Bone Demon King]

[The White Bone Demon King is begging for your mercy]

[Yes/No]

The White Bone Demon King knelt before Yang Ling:

"Spare me, great lord!"

At the same time, Lin Caiyi and the others also received the plea for mercy from the White Bone Demon King, and for a moment, all of them stood frozen in place.

This actually works?

This boss actually begs for mercy?

Yang Ling couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

He still remembered how last time the White Bone Demon King had let him level up 5 times straight.

But this time, he figured the Experience Points wouldn't be much.

His strength completely crushed the White Bone Demon King, so according to the game's rules, the Experience Points granted would probably be about the same as that batch of Skeleton Warriors outside.

"What do you all think? Should we spare it?"

Yang Ling looked toward Lin Caiyi and the others, seeking their input:

"Last time I cleared it, I chose No, and the game immediately started the evaluation and handed out the reward."

"Brother Yang, have you considered the possibility of a hidden side quest? Or a hidden reward?"

Zhang Shendao's eyes flickered:

"Since it can beg for mercy, and the game presents two options, both options must have their own significance."

"That does seem to make sense."

Yang Ling fell into thought. He had heard before that some professional players had unlocked quite a few hidden side quests.

He was just obsessed with gold farming and wasn't willing to gamble on those vague hidden side quests, after all, the rewards weren't necessarily better than what he could earn by honestly farming gold.

But there were also plenty of hidden rewards that were genuinely good stuff.

Back then, Yang Ling could only drool when he saw them.

"If a hidden side quest gets unlocked, the quest evaluation and rewards might be even higher."

Li Shou's eyes lit up.

Qin Mo and the others exchanged glances and nodded one after another, but the final decision ultimately rested with Yang Ling.

"Last time, to avoid any unnecessary complications, I just killed it outright to be safe."

"But this time, my strength far exceeds it, so there's no risk of things dragging out..."

"Maybe I should give it a try and see if there's a hidden side quest or hidden reward?"

With that thought, Yang Ling consulted with Lin Caiyi and the others once more.

Finally, a decision was made.

"Alright, I'll spare your life."

Yang Ling looked at the White Bone Demon King with a smile and selected Yes.

The others also unanimously chose Yes.

Only then did the White Bone Demon King rise from the ground, speaking respectfully:

"I thank the lords of the Demon-Suppressing Squad. I have no way to repay you except to present the exclusive secret treasure of our White Bone Dao Palace."

"Please, lords, follow me."

With that, it walked off in another direction.

Everyone felt a surge of delight. A hidden reward really had been unlocked!