Chapter 93: Triggering the Red Name Mechanism!

Chapter 93: Chapter 93: Triggering the Red Name Mechanism!

"I’ll clear the way!" Yu Zhun shouted in a low voice. "Rich Lady and Sheila cover the flanks, the Priest stays in the middle, and Su Hong brings up the rear!"

Although Su Hong didn’t have his exaggerated tankiness, he had one advantage that Yu Zhun lacked: the Warrior’s exclusive skill, [Taunt]. With this skill, any monster trying to approach the squishy members would instantly have its aggro drawn by him. Coupled with the damage output from Sheila and Ji Xiaoyu, their safety was guaranteed.

"Sa! Get your gear ready!"

Giving the order, Yu Zhun stomped the ground and charged toward the [Azure Pearl] like a gust of wind.

Protected in the center by his companions, Salas skillfully pulled out the megaphone item and turned it on. Amidst a passionate and rousing BGM, a domineering line began to play on loop.

"I am Yu Zhun, and I invite you to your death!

"I am..."

Sheila was utterly baffled. When it came to clearing Dungeons, she could be considered highly experienced. But a spectacle like this? She had truly never seen it before. Even she, who usually kept a stoic face, couldn’t help but reveal a blank look at this moment.

In contrast, the others were already accustomed to it.

As the group of six rapidly advanced, Demonized Creatures fully burrowed out of the ground one after another, madly charging toward them.

[Demonized Creature (Lv25)]

[Attributes:

Health: 100000

Mana: 1000

Physical Attack: 2500

Magic Attack: 0

Physical Defense: 1000

Magic Defense: 1000]

Yu Zhun thought, "A hundred thousand Health for a regular monster?" He clicked his tongue lightly. Instead of backing down, his eyes revealed a look of excitement. This was the perfect opportunity to test out the Equipment effect, [Asura]!

Not dodging or evading the pouncing Demonized Creatures, Yu Zhun rapidly brandished the dagger in his hand. Every strike instantly took out a Demonized Creature. His shield grew rapidly, overwhelming his health bar at an extreme speed. The name floating above his head also seemed to be dyed by the glow of the Red Moon, gradually shifting from its original black to red.

Following behind, Sheila looked even more bewildered. When she heard Yu Zhun say he would clear the way as an Assassin, she thought she might have misheard or misunderstood him. Now it seemed this Assassin could truly clear the way!

"Don’t space out, little one," Ji Xiaoyu said, catching Sheila’s stunned reaction. A hint of amusement flashed in her eyes. "Time to work!" With that, she raised her +20 Red Weapon Magic Staff high and pointed it at the Demonized Creatures surging toward her flank. "Blast Flame!"

A scorching ball of fire instantly flew out, landing far away in the densest cluster of Demonized Creatures. Accompanied by a terrifying shockwave of heat, it exploded with a thunderous BOOM!

[Health -205,235]

Striking red text floated up above the heads of all the Demonized Creatures engulfed by the flames. The Demonized Creatures, boasting a staggering one hundred thousand Health, were not only instantly one-shot, but they essentially owed the Rich Lady a second life. Four pieces of +20 Red Equipment, combined with the S-rank talent [Arcane Requiem] and the red title [Extreme Cold Brave], directly stacked Ji Xiaoyu’s Magic Attack to eighty thousand. Coupled with the damage boost from her Equipment effects, a single strike was enough to unleash apocalyptic damage!

And this was not the end!

The ensuing Demonized Creatures quickly rushed in to fill the gap blasted open by the [Blast Flame], but the bracelet accessory on Ji Xiaoyu’s left wrist suddenly erupted with a heart-palpitating light. Astonishing energy suddenly surged from the remains of the instantly killed Demonized Creatures. Accompanied by overlapping BOOMs, they detonated one after another.

This was the Equipment effect [Overflow], which stored excess damage within the bodies of the slain targets, delaying its detonation to inflict Second Rank damage! Illuminated by the towering flames, Ji Xiaoyu’s name also rapidly shifted from black to red.

The continuous explosions brought Sheila back to her senses. She couldn’t help but cast a resentful glance at Ji Xiaoyu. She thought, "Little one... When we were kids, didn’t I chase this girl down three streets just because she called me ’little one’? And she actually still dares to call me that... I’ll settle the score with her after leaving the Dungeon!"

Taking a deep breath, Sheila once again nocked an arrow and drew her bow. Aiming at her own flank, her pomegranate-red pupils instantly contracted.

Archer skills [Continuous Bow], [Scattering], [Strong Crossbow], and [Storm] activated!

The Equipment effects of all five Epic-grade items—weapon, Armor, accessory, helmet, and boots—activated!

She released the bowstring. The arrows fired in rapid succession like a string of pearls, forming a curtain of rain as bright as the starry sky!

[Predestined Arrow]—all in sight shall perish!

Looking down from the sky, Yu Zhun took the lead, charging directly toward the densest cluster of Demonized Creatures. On the flanks of the team, one side was a rain-like curtain of arrows, while the other was a continuous barrage of flames. They were like a hunting falcon, swooping down toward that speck of azure Light beneath the Red Moon!

Five kilometers... three kilometers... one kilometer... The group of six drew closer and closer to the [Azure Pearl].

At almost the exact same time, two lines of text popped up before the eyes of the main damage dealers: Yu Zhun, Ji Xiaoyu, and Sheila. Unlike normal prompts, these two lines of blood-red text were incredibly eye-catching. They possessed a heart-palpitating hue, perfectly matching the deep crimson color their names had become!

[The entity above the Red Moon casts its gaze upon you.]

[All Attributes of Demonized Units increased by 100%.]

It was here! Feeling the Demonized Creatures swarming from all sides suddenly erupt with a far more oppressive presence, the hearts of Yu Zhun and the other five jolted simultaneously.

In the [Red Moon Tide], with every Demonized Unit slain, one’s name would turn a bit redder. When this special "red name Mechanism" reached a certain threshold, all monsters in the Dungeon would receive a 100% increase to All Attributes.

When this Mechanism was first discovered, many raiding teams believed it might be the key to a perfect clear. But reality soon dealt them a heavy blow. Using this method to clear the Dungeon, fighting their way to the [Moon Inquiry Celestial Tower] was already the absolute limit. No raiding team had ever successfully conquered the third act, [Golem Altar], where the Dungeon boss resided.

Because the difficulty of this approach was far too absurd, and subsequent raiding teams had gradually uncovered the Dungeon’s background lore—deducing that the Demonized Creatures were actually targets meant for Rescue—the raiding teams of major guilds shifted their stance. They began to view the red name Mechanism as a restriction and punishment for players.

Thus, a second strategy for clearing the Dungeon was born: in the [Red Tide Plain], teams would only fend off and drive away the Demonized Creatures without killing them, proceeding to clear the rest of the Dungeon without triggering the red name status. Today, this second strategy had become the mainstream approach. Every raiding team that had successfully cleared the Dungeon had done so using this method.

These were the two progression routes that Yu Zhun and Yu Zhu had previously discussed. Taking Yu Zhu’s advice and his own considerations into account, Yu Zhun ultimately chose the first strategy. He was going to trigger the red name Mechanism and achieve the clear!

This was all because of that one prompt!

"The entity above the Red Moon casts its gaze upon you."

If the "entity above the Red Moon" referred to the hidden boss, then "casting its gaze" was perhaps the only way to find it!