Damn it, Dragonsoul went down so easily! He was the leader of the Swordfire guild!
I looked at Diana, and she was looking back at me. Fear flickered in both our eyes - the Skeleton King's attacks were just too overwhelming. We couldn't even withstand a single hit!
Violet was surrounded by Death Knights not far from me. She gave me a bitter smile and said, "Scholar, I'm heading back to town!"
With that, Violet transformed into a beam of white light and returned to town, accepting her defeat gracefully.
Ghostflame was enraged, desperately attacking the Skeleton King.
I immediately shouted, "Ghostflame , get back to town now!"
Ghostflame exclaimed in shock, "No way! How can I abandon you?"
I yelled back, "Stop arguing! Do you want your Extinction set to drop? Get back to town right now and wait for us. I'll hold them off for a bit!"
Ghostflame suddenly realized the danger and said no more. He quickly retreated to disengage from combat and use a town portal scroll. Meanwhile, I swiftly moved forward, drawing the aggro of the Death Knights before turning back towards the Skeleton King.
A few seconds later, Ghostflame successfully used his town portal and returned safely.
I then focused all my efforts on attacking the Skeleton King. The success of our final push would be determined in these few seconds!
Diana understood my intention and coordinated her attacks with mine. Fireballs rained down on the Skeleton King's chest in rapid succession, but this accursed boss seemed to have endless health and just wouldn't fall!
Finally, a group of Death Knights surrounded Diana. Her flame barrier only withstood a few hits before shattering - the attacks of these Death Knights were no joke.
Watching Diana turn into a beam of white light and return to town, my heart ached slightly, but it also made me calm down.
I swiftly moved to dodge the pursuing Death Knights while attacking the Skeleton King with armor-piercing arrows. The Skeleton King charged at me on horseback, his sword whistling through the air as he swung it down!
I was well aware of my own limitations - how could my defense possibly compare to Dragonsoul's? If even he was one-shot, I'd be obliterated if I took a single hit!
So I closed my eyes and fired one last armor-piercing arrow.
"Boom!"
The moment the milky white light penetrated the Skeleton King's armor, he suddenly froze. His entire body almost collapsed onto me, bearing down with overwhelming force!
"Ding!"
System Notification: Congratulations! You have slain the Golden-tier boss Millennial Skeleton King. You gain 400,000 experience points and +2000 reputation!
...
A golden light descended, and I immediately leveled up to 33. But in the blink of an eye, I was surrounded by a group of Death Knights. Sword flashes streaked by, and my newly replenished health bar was instantly depleted!
I was startled and quickly glanced at what the Skeleton King had dropped - a book and a sword. I immediately bent down and threw both items into my inventory. As for the gold coins, I could only grab a handful. But just as I scooped them up, my body was wracked with pain and my vision flashed white-
"Ding!"
System Notification: You have been killed by Death Knights. Your level has been reduced by 1!
"Ding!"
System Notification: Unable to complete quest in death state. Quest failed!
...
Damn it, I failed. Was there some kind of time delay on this quest? And I was back to level 32 again...
Looking around, I saw familiar faces. Diana, Dragonsoul, and the others were all waiting for me at the resurrection point.
Dragonsoul said, "Looks like he died too."
Titan added, "That's definitely the case. You respawn in the town square if you use a recall, not here..."
In the distance, Ghostflame was running over from the town square.
Diana and Violet were standing gracefully beside me. Diana asked softly with a smile, "So what was the final result?"
I replied, "Look at my level!"
Diana paused for a moment, then suddenly realized and said with a smile, "You killed the Skeleton King!"
"Smart girl!"
Everyone else had dropped a level, while I was originally level 32 and remained at level 32 after dying. This could only mean one thing - I had leveled up again just before dying!
Upon learning that I had taken down the Skeleton King, Dragonsoul and the others were visibly delighted. But when I brought up dividing the loot, Dragonsoul immediately shook his head and said, "We can't be too greedy. Ghostflame already got the Extinction set from you guys, and the Skeleton King was killed by you, Scholar. To be frank, we didn't help much. Even if the Skeleton King dropped a divine weapon, we wouldn't lay claim to any of it!"
He then added with a smile, "It's time to log off and get some food. See you later, brother Scholar!"
Titan and Ghostflame went to identify their equipment, while Violet said she needed to log off for dinner too.
I also needed to identify my loot, and Diana came along, saying, "I want to see what you got!"
When we arrived at the identification shop, Ghostflame had already left to show off his shiny new Extinction set. Titan happily followed behind him, occasionally pointing at Ghostflame and telling passersby, "This is my brother. Impressive, right?"
...
I took out the two items from my inventory and discovered that the skill book didn't need identification:
[Thousand Blade Arrow]: Deals a certain amount of damage to enemies surrounding the target. Requirement: Novice Archer level 30.
...
I was overjoyed - talk about getting exactly what I wished for! I got an AOE skill book for archers so quickly!
Looking at the book's description, Diana smiled happily and said, "Silas, I'll have to bring you along for leveling from now on!"
I smiled back and said, "It would be my pleasure!"
Then, I looked at the sword dropped by the Skeleton King:
[Blade of Light] (Golden-tier)
Attack: 140-185
Strength: +15
Vitality: +10
Required Level: 30
(Unidentified)
...
A Golden-tier item! It was actually a Golden-tier weapon!
Diana and I stood there in shock, unable to utter a word for a long time!
We could see a ripple-like light flowing slowly along the blade's edge, and the sword's lines were exquisitely crafted. Overall, it had a rather elegant appearance.
After a long while, Diana finally nudged my arm and said, "Silas, are you going to identify it?"
I replied, "Of course!"
When I placed the Blade of Light on the table, the identification specialist was immediately shocked. He hurriedly ran inside, calling out, "Master! Master! There's an item here that needs your expertise to identify!"
A few minutes later, an elderly identification master came out. His title displayed his rank: Royal Court Appraiser!
The old appraiser looked at the Blade of Light and became excited. He gently caressed the sword's hilt and said in a trembling voice, "I never thought I'd live to see such a treasure!"
Then, the old appraiser firmly stated, "The identification fee is 100 gold coins!"
"What? 100 gold coins?" I was shocked.
The old appraiser nodded solemnly, "Do you want to identify it or not?"
I only had 56 gold coins left, which wasn't nearly enough!
Diana seemed to notice my predicament. She smiled slightly and directly handed 100 gold coins to the appraiser, saying, "I'll cover the cost for him!"
After receiving the payment, the appraiser immediately ran his hand over the Blade of Light. In an instant, the sword burst into golden light, illuminating the entire identification shop!
I excitedly checked the attributes of the Blade of Light:
[Blade of Light] (Golden-grade)
Attack: 185-270
Strength: +24
Vitality: +20
Agility: +15
Additional effect: Increases the attack power of all user's skills by 20%
Required Level: 30
...
Looking at the impressive attributes of the Blade of Light, Diana and I were once again stunned.
"This... this is just... too overpowered..." Diana said, at a loss for words.
I stood there holding the Blade of Light, feeling a surge of immense power flowing into my body. Unfortunately, as a mere archer, I couldn't use swords at all.
Diana smiled and asked, "So what are you going to do with this sword? Give it to Dragonsoul?"
I replied, "Do you think I'm that generous? Giving away a Golden-tier item... I'd have to be crazy to do that..."
Diana smiled slightly and said, "Who knows? Maybe Dragonsoul just isn't charming enough! Since you're not planning to give it away, just keep it for now. In about two weeks, when mainstream players reach level 30, the true value of this sword will become apparent!"
I nodded and said, "Alright, if we sell this sword, you'll get a 10% cut for your contribution..."
"Oh my, aren't you generous!"
"Of course I am."
"..."