Chapter 47: The Last 10% Exploration Progress

[Abyssal Sacrifice] – Fourth Floor!

At this moment, the dungeon scene underwent a dramatic shift. It was no longer a subterranean palace—the two found themselves back on the surface, where a wave of decay assaulted their senses.

In the distance, the sky was shrouded in thick, inky black mist. Crimson whirlwinds twisted through it, faint black silhouettes flickering within.

On the pitch-black earth stood countless stone pillars, each etched with complex, unique patterns. Thick black iron chains connected all the pillars together.

This place didn’t feel like a sacrificial site—it was more like an infernal purgatory.

The oppressive atmosphere brought by the scene made one feel deeply uneasy. Even Jiang Chen couldn’t help but feel a bit apprehensive.

“What a bizarre and eerie place.”

Hongsha Liusu—the seemingly valiant “heroine general”—also felt nervous at this moment, involuntarily edging closer to Jiang Chen.

“Follow me.”

Faced with such abnormalities, Jiang Chen’s curiosity was piqued. He had a vague sense that this floor was extraordinary—perhaps a different kind of BOSS was about to appear.

The wind spirit boots shimmered faintly as they stepped upon the pitch-black ground. Jiang Chen tread forward cautiously.

As he advanced, the suffocating sense of oppression grew stronger and stronger. His breathing became labored, and his nerves stayed taut, longbow in hand.

At some point, Hongsha Liusu had gently gripped a corner of Jiang Chen’s robe.

Hope World’s realism was so high that it was less like a virtual world and more like another form of reality altogether.

At that moment, the two of them reached the center of the stone pillar formation.

The view suddenly opened up. Before them was a colossal stone altar, its surface covered with mysterious blood-red patterns, resembling the veins of a human body.

The patterns squirmed ever so slightly, expanding outward. Jiang Chen had an ominous premonition—that once the red markings covered the entire altar, it would signal the collapse of this abyssal node.

He stepped onto the altar’s stairs and quickly sprinted toward the summit.

At the center of the altar was a dense cluster of mist. Looking closely, one could make out a black long-eared elf in a hooded cloak within.

“A dark elf?!”

Jiang Chen was taken aback.

In Coldflower Valley, Instructor Han Yunmeng had taken on a student named Arna, a nature elf—part of the purest and most untainted elf race.

Aside from nature elves, there were other elven subspecies. Among them, dark elves were notoriously infamous. They lacked the pure-hearted, freedom-loving nature of regular elves and often attacked other races.

But why would a dark elf appear here? Could it be that it was the one who triggered the altar?

[Dark Elf]

Rank: Silver-tier BOSS

Level: Lv25

HP: 876,950

Attack: 825–953

Defense: 194

Skills: Archery Specialization, Barrage Arrow, Triple Arrow Rain, Agile Footwork, Dual Stance (Archer)

Description: Elves are bestowed with immense power from the Goddess of Nature—a race with unparalleled talent in warfare.

The dungeon interface now displayed all of the BOSS’s stats.

“What a powerful BOSS!”

Jiang Chen was slightly startled.

Though it was only a Silver-tier BOSS, its attributes weren’t inferior to those of the Purple Horned Python King.

Its attack power was significantly higher and it came equipped with five skills.

[Archery Specialization] increased shooting damage by 10%.

[Barrage Arrow] needed no explanation.

[Triple Arrow Rain] was a post-Lv20 class skill—also the archer’s first area-of-effect move.

[Agile Footwork] boosted movement speed—a racial talent common to all elves.

“My god… this BOSS has dual classes?!”

At this moment, Hongsha Liusu exclaimed in shock.

The dark elf’s final skill, [Dual Stance], was a special ability that allowed it to switch classes.

Elves were born archers and assassins, and dark elves were especially gifted in both fields.

This unquestionably raised the difficulty level of the dungeon for players.

The problem with dual-class BOSSes was their unpredictability—players’ usual strategies often failed, making them extremely difficult to take down.

Jiang Chen furrowed his brow. The BOSS’s attack power, nearing 1,000, wasn’t inferior to his own, and its defense was even higher. Worst of all—it was also an archer.

And not just any archer—a Silver-tier one, with nearly 900,000 HP, almost 200 times his own!

This meant that his usual advantages were gone. No—he was at a serious disadvantage.

To make matters worse, the dark elf was level 25—six levels above Jiang Chen—resulting in level suppression, which would reduce his damage output by at least 20%.

For a regular guild team, facing this BOSS would be almost hopeless. No team under level 20 could possibly defeat it.

However—

Jiang Chen wasn’t entirely without options.

He had the [Bloodthirst Ring], and his class talent provided a 20% increase in attack range.

[Bloodthirst Ring]

Passive Effect: [Bloodthirst Frenzy]

After activation:

Gain 5% Lifesteal, Attack speed +100%, Duration: 60 seconds, Cooldown: 60 minutes

[Elemental Archer]

Class Effects: +20% Ranged Attack Distance, +20% Attack Damage, +20% Movement Speed

These were Jiang Chen’s only remaining advantages.

An extra 20% in range didn’t make much difference when farming monsters, but in an archer-vs-archer duel, it could be the decisive factor.

What happened next would depend entirely on Jiang Chen’s personal skill. If he handled it well, that 20% extra range might just secure him the win.

“Filthy human!”

While Jiang Chen was scanning its stats, the dark elf sensed the intruder’s presence. She immediately summoned her longbow and launched an attack.

Jiang Chen swiftly retreated, widening the distance between them, while directing Xiao Rongyan to move in and harass the enemy.

“Whiz, whiz, whiz…”

Even as he fell back, Jiang Chen’s longbow never paused. The sound of its string rang out repeatedly, accompanied by flashes of icy arrows gleaming with silver light.

-1043!

-1137!

-2486!

-1035!

The dark elf, as an archer, had relatively low defense. Jiang Chen’s arrows still dealt significant damage. While shooting and retreating, he kept himself at the edge of his +20% range advantage.

His attack rhythm was precise and well-executed. However, in terms of pure speed, he was still slightly slower than the highly agile dark elf.

Seeing her about to enter her optimal attack range, Jiang Chen’s eyes sharpened.

“The Hidden One!”

Without hesitation, he activated the hidden effect of his Cloak of the Prison Shadow.

[Cloak of the Prison Shadow]

Passive Effect: [The Hidden One]

After activation: Enter stealth immediately, Movement speed +25%, Stealth breaks upon attacking or taking damage

“Stealth?!”

Hongsha Liusu stared at the battlefield in astonishment. She couldn’t understand at all—how could a solo archer have stealth capabilities…?