The scorching heat rendered the air stagnant, and Brandi, amidst the flames, exuded an overbearing demeanor.
At once, all the observing players hesitated and withdrew, fearing to enter the fiery zone created by Brandi, lest they be burned alive.
"-1585!
-1585!
..."
Wiping away the sweat, Jiang Han continuously suffered from burning damage, and his movement speed was also affected.
Based on his own 10% attack damage...
After ingesting a sip of health potion, he glanced at the system prompts with a solemn expression, immediately estimating that Brandi's attack power fluctuated around 15,850 points.
This attack value was excessively high. Even with the Purple Thunder Gem, which increased all attributes tenfold, it was still insufficient.
Moreover...
The Purple Thunder Gem's duration had ended. Unless he used it again, he wouldn't be able to harm Brandi in the slightest.
"I will handle this." Daniel, with a serious expression, solemnly said, "You and Canter leave the area of the flames."
Jiang Han shook his head, "I'll find an opportunity from the side."
Retreat?
At this critical moment, with hope within reach, how could he retreat?
"You..."
Daniel was at a loss for words.
"Always playing the dramatic master and disciple scenes in front of me, don't you think it's too theatrical?" Brandi forcefully interrupted, pointing his staff at Jiang Han. "Ant, repeatedly toying with me, today, I will send you to hell!"
"Swoosh!"
As Brandi cast his spell, a fireball condensed in front of him and shot towards Jiang Han, moving as fast as an arrow leaving the bow, arriving in the blink of an eye.
So fast!
Jiang Han was surprised.
Without the boost from the Purple Thunder Gem, his reaction speed had significantly decreased. Evading Brandi's attack without the gem's enhancement was extremely difficult.
Of course, it wasn't that he was unwilling to use the remaining Purple Thunder Gem. It's just that its duration was only one minute, and he wanted to use it at a more crucial moment.
"Be careful!"
Canter hurriedly shielded Jiang Han, using his body to block the fireball. As a result, the skeletal knight shattered, and the entire figure flew backward.
"-878001!"
An incredibly absurd damage number appeared.
As a level 40 golden boss, Canter's gap with Brandi was too vast.
"Fall back!"
Seeing this, Daniel quickly waved his staff, summoning over a dozen skeleton soldiers in front of him, controlling them to charge at Brandi, thus buying time.
...
Jiang Han tightened his grip on the sword hilt, saying, "Tutor, can you use this?"
He took out the Purple Thunder Gem.
If it could unleash Daniel's potential, significantly boosting his attributes, everything might be resolved.
"The Undead Mage no longer belongs to the realm of the living." Daniel shook his head, distancing himself from Jiang Han, avoiding his disciple being affected by the aftermath. Then, he cast another spell, engaging in a life-and-death battle with Brandi.
"Perhaps if you hadn't endured that forbidden curse, you could still contend with me to some extent. Now..." Brandi sneered, raising his hand to summon a flame tornado. "Prepare to meet your end!"
As the flame tornado roared, Daniel also conjured a black energy wave, piercing through from his front like a shockwave.
"Boom!"
The collision of the two spells created a deep pit in the ground. Amidst rolling thick smoke, shockwaves surged in all directions, making it difficult for Jiang Han to control his figure, forcing him out of the battlefield.
"Cough, cough!"
Daniel coughed violently, trembling all over, resembling a candle flickering in the wind. In comparison, Brandi's flame shield shattered and retreated a few steps backward, but his injuries were much less severe than Daniel's.
Truly powerless?
Continuously monitoring the situation, Jiang Han felt anxious and quickly opened his backpack, searching for an item that could turn the tide.
The Purple Thunder Gem?
Although its amplification was exaggerated, his base attributes were too low. Even if he used it, he still couldn't match Brandi. Daniel couldn't use it as an Undead Mage, and Canter, being an Undead Knight, was not a living being.
Thus, it couldn't decide the outcome of the battle.
Equipment?
Although Carol and Jennifer did drop a considerable amount of equipment, the problem was that Carol was level 35, and Jennifer, level 50. The equipment they dropped was beyond what he could currently wear.
"There's still a skill book!"
Jiang Han's eyes lit up, seeing a blue-covered skill book lying in the backpack. It was the reward given by the system for the first kill of a golden-level boss —
[Insightful Eye] (S-rank)
Introduction: This is an extremely sophisticated reconnaissance technique. It not only allows you to assess the strength of the opponent but also has a certain chance of revealing the opponent's weaknesses.
Effect: Can investigate the basic information of creatures or items whose level is not higher than your own by 50 levels.
...
Not higher than your own by 50 levels!
This was much stronger than the beginner-level reconnaissance technique.
Without hesitation, Jiang Han chose to learn it.
"Ding!~"
System prompt: Congratulations, you have learned the skill [Insightful Eye]!
Insightful Eye!
Jiang Han decisively investigated Brandi's attributes. Although the opponent was an 80th-level dark gold boss, he did not exceed Jiang Han's level by 50, and the Insightful Eye could see all the information —
[Flame Mage Brandi] (Dark Gold Rank)
Level: 80
Health: 10,000,000
Attack: 15,500-16,200
Defense: 11,500-12,100
Skills: [Scorching Fireball], [Flame Tornado], [Flame Shield], [Fiery Sea]
Introduction: An aging spirit-level mage, his realm has fallen to dark gold. Due to Brandi's limited lifespan, he has been desperately seeking methods to extend his life. Finally, he targeted undead mages hunted by the Holy See, attempting to gain a lifeline through the sacred baptism of the Holy See.
Exaggerated attributes, especially his health, reaching a staggering ten million.
"Ding!~"
System prompt: Through the Insightful Eye, you have seen the opponent's weakness!
Weakness?!
Jiang Han was excited, reopening Brandi's panel and seeing the additional hint given by the system!
Weakness: Due to old age, he has poor stamina.
Poor stamina is a weakness?
After a brief moment of doubt, Jiang Han realized it and shouted loudly, "Tutor, don't confront him head-on. This old man has poor stamina. Engage him in a battle of endurance!"
Endurance battle?
With a pale face, Daniel immediately understood Jiang Han's meaning, stepping back a distance and shouting, "All the skeletal soldiers in the city, attack!"
Skeleton soldiers were weak, and relying on a human wave tactic against Daniel was almost impossible. But no matter how weak the skeletal soldiers were, Daniel still needed to wield his staff and cast spells to clean them up.
Therefore, it would consume some of Brandi's stamina.
"Hahaha..."
Brandi burst into laughter, as if he had
heard the funniest joke in the world. "Poor stamina? Little beast, are you trying to make me laugh to death? Even if I'm old and have poor stamina, a group of skeletal soldiers won't wear me out!"
"Hehe..."
However, the skeletal soldiers didn't feel fear either. They rushed towards him, even though the duration of the raging flame sea hadn't ended yet. But trying to burn the skeletal soldiers to death in a few seconds was still an unrealistic feat.
"Get out of my way, you bunch of trash!" He swung his staff, and one fireball could pierce through a dozen skeletal soldiers, with astonishing destructive power.
"Gulp... Gulp..."
Taking advantage of the time the skeletal soldiers fought for, Daniel seized the opportunity to catch his breath. Looking at Jiang Han, he said in a deep voice, "Perhaps you're right. His weakness is indeed poor stamina, but relying solely on skeletal soldiers to exhaust him... might be... wishful thinking."
This translation has been reviewed and edited for improved clarity and elegance.