flash of light, and we entered the fourth floor, surrounded by monsters!
[Undead Priest] (Enhanced monster) Attributes: ???
[Undead Mage] (Enhanced monster) Attributes: ???
[Undead Knight] (Enhanced monster) Attributes: ???
...
The Undead Priest, clutching a bone staff, let out a low growl. The Undead Mage, hidden within a black robe, revealed a skeletal arm with faintly glowing eye sockets. The fully armored Undead Knight, dismounted, gripped a greatsword and gazed around aimlessly.
"Clang! Clang!"
Dragonsoul had already engaged an Undead Knight with his greatsword. Nearby, Titan swung his axe at the knight's back, but it only wobbled slightly, losing a mere 35 hit points!
Titan grimaced, "Damn! I can't break through its defense..."
Dragonsoul was forced back by the Undead Knight's sword, losing nearly a third of his health. He sighed, "It's no use! The level difference is too great. Our stats are severely weakened against it!"
Without hesitation, I fired an Armor-Piercing Arrow. The white light instantly penetrated the Undead Knight's breastplate, dealing 549 damage!
I breathed a sigh of relief. At least my Armor-Piercing Arrow could break through its defense!
Diana chanted softly, launching a Fireball that dealt 347 damage. Though not much, our combined attacks had taken nearly a third of the Undead Knight's health!
Everyone was stunned. They had witnessed Diana's and my attack power before, yet we could only deal this much damage now. The strength of these monsters was truly formidable!
We couldn't use the Crimson Sea to kill monsters this time. Even a single Undead Knight was overwhelming Dragonsoul and Titan. If we faced more, we'd surely suffer casualties!
So we had to lure and kill them one by one. With Ghostflame's support, the fight progressed steadily. The Undead Knights had more health but couldn't attack ranged targets, making them manageable. However, the Undead Priests and Undead Mages were truly troublesome.
The Undead Priest's chanting was so harsh that Diana couldn't help but cover her ears, looking at me helplessly with a slight smile.
Simultaneously, a purple aura enveloped all of our heads!
"Ding~!"
Battle notification: You are affected by the Undead Aura, reducing your attack power by 10%!
...
I was startled. Who knew the Undead Priest had such an annoying status attack!
This weakened Diana's and my attacks, making Dragonsoul and Titan our main damage dealers. With their greatsword and battle axe, they quickly took down the Undead Priest.
"Thud!"
A pair of black leggings dropped at our feet. I picked them up and examined them:
[Extinction Leggings] (Bronze - Cloth Armor)
Defense: 28
Intelligence: +10
Additional: Increases dark magic damage by 3%
Required Level: 30
Set Bonus: ???
(Unidentified)
...
I was stunned. We had found a piece of a bronze-tier set here!
Diana leaned in to look at the item's stats and exclaimed, "A level 30 set!"
I whispered, "What should we do, Diana?"
Diana chuckled, "It's your call. I can't use it anyway!"
So I smiled and shared the Extinction Leggings' stats with the team. Dragonsoul and Titan nearly drooled, while Ghostflame looked envious.
Among us, only Ghostflame used dark magic attacks. Giving it to Violet might add some mana, but it would be a waste. The Extinction Set would truly shine on Ghostflame!
While Ghostflame was lost in thought, I had already initiated a trade for the Extinction Leggings, saying, "Ghostflame, come on, it's your lucky day!"
Ghostflame hesitated, then suddenly canceled the trade. "Actually, Breeze Embracing Moon could use this too. I shouldn't hog it..."
I was surprised. "This is your class equipment. Who else should get it? If you feel bad about it, then... just give me 10 gold coins as a share for Moon and me..."
As Ghostflame wavered, Dragonsoul laughed, "Ghostflame, take it. It's a gesture of goodwill from Scholar. Besides, don't you consider Scholar one of us? In my heart, he's already an honorary member of Swordfire, our own brother!"
I smiled. Dragonsoul really knew how to smooth things over, and I felt a bit touched. I had suddenly gained three brothers in the game today!
Titan grinned, "Ghostflame, just take it. You're still paying 10 gold coins, right?"
Ghostflame couldn't help but laugh bitterly, "You don't know anything. This item is worth at least 200 gold coins in the market. What good are those 10 gold coins..."
Ghostflame's words were crude but hit the nail on the head.
I laughed, "Alright, enough bickering. I bet we'll find more pieces of the Extinction Set on this floor. Instead of wasting time arguing, let's kill more monsters!"
Ghostflame nodded vigorously, tossing 80 gold coins into the trade window before accepting the Extinction Leggings.
Dragonsoul smiled, "Scholar and Moon's generosity towards my brother won't be forgotten. If you ever need anything in the future, we'll be there for you, come hell or high water!"
Diana chuckled, "Alright, alright, enough with the sweet talk. It's unbearable! Silas, let's continue killing monsters!"
Everyone shared a knowing smile. I immediately traded the gold coins to Diana, bringing my total contribution to her today to 155 gold coins, enough for several days' worth of potions.
We continued hunting monsters. It took us nearly five hours to clear the fourth floor. Three more pieces of the Extinction Set dropped, leaving only the helmet to complete the set. Ghostflame was anxious, hoping the last few monsters would drop it.
It was already past 9 PM, and no one had eaten dinner yet. Diana frowned and said with a smile, "Silas, I'm starving..."
I was stunned. Diana's expression was so similar to Emma's, especially that hint of coquettishness when she said she was hungry. It was mesmerizing!
Seeing me stare blankly at her, Diana chuckled, "Let's hurry to the fifth floor, then Emma and I need to log off for dinner! Silas, do you want to join us?"
I asked, "Where are you eating?"
"The White Magnolia."
I took a deep breath. Wow, that's a five-star hotel! I could consider getting a bowl of tripe noodles from a street vendor, but the White Magnolia? I'll pass!
So I shook my head, "You two go ahead. I'll sit this one out!"
Diana smiled teasingly, "Don't you want to see Emma? She often mentions you at home. Dad even suspects she might have a boyfriend."
My mind flashed back to that night when Emma cried in my arms, so endearing. Was that beautiful girl really thinking of me?
Seeing me lost in thought, Diana chuckled, "Silas, let's kill these monsters quickly. After we're done, I'll log off for dinner. Don't starve yourself either."
I nodded and fired an Armor-Piercing Arrow, taking down an Undead Priest.
"Thud~!"
A black helmet fell to the ground.
Ghostflame jolted, quickly picking up the helmet. He exclaimed joyfully, "Great! The Extinction Set is finally complete!"
He then took out the entire set for everyone to admire. The set was still unidentified, so he couldn't equip it yet.
After five hours of killing, the sheer number of monsters on this floor was evident. Diana had reached level 34, while I hit level 32, becoming the second highest-level player in Twilight City. The Swordfire members were all approaching level 30, with Ghostflame reaching level 30 and Violet hitting level 29, ranking eleventh in Twilight City.
Looking at the eerie Extinction Set, Ghostflame felt a sense of accomplishment. Dragonsoul had traded almost all his gold coins to Diana, which she accepted without hesitation. More gold meant better potions, making leveling much more efficient!
Finally, after clearing all the monsters on the fourth floor, we advanced to the fifth floor!
Titan was the first to enter, but he reappeared on the fourth floor just two seconds later, his face ashen. His voice trembling, he pointed towards the fifth floor, "Th-th-there's a super... super boss in there!"
Titan was so excited he was almost going crazy. Diana and I exchanged smiles. Perfect, the main event of tonight was about to begin!