CHAPTER 254: CHAPTER 254: THE SECOND BOSS MAKES HIS ENTRANCE_1

"Strange, why doesn’t it seem any easier?" Wang Linchi noticed something odd. Despite the Saint Master holding the frontline against the majority of the Demonized Creatures, the pressure hadn’t decreased at all, and casualties were increasing. Ninety-nine percent of Players had died at least once, leading to the collapse of the entire defensive line. Most had already retreated to the main city’s wall. Wang Linchi and his group were now also on the city wall. He hadn’t died; he had retreated.

"The Game System has adjusted the pressure. Our side resists strongly, so they deploy more Demonized Creatures against us," Ye Tian explained. He already knew this from his past life; the allocation had been the same. The strong faced the strong, and the weak faced the weak. Otherwise, if they had truly relied on so-called fairness, they would have been destroyed by the Abyssal Demons long ago. The balance in the game’s early stages was merely to filter out more Players with Potential. The limited-time gift packs were a form of support, and the early-stage balance, which allowed capable individuals to stand out, was another. The gradual realization of a limited-time gift pack’s value was also a test. Receiving the gift pack was good fortune, but transforming that good fortune into actual strength was another matter entirely.

So, the stronger you are, the bigger sucker you become? Wang Linchi grumbled. No wonder things were so difficult for him. Still, his situation was relatively good. Never mind other servers and main cities; in his current location, the City of Simplicity, aside from his defensive line, the other three had already been utterly crushed. As Players died more frequently, war-weariness set in. They couldn’t win, and dying meant losing Experience. While Wang Linchi could go on a rampage on his front, for ordinary Players, even minor monsters felt like bosses, constantly whittling away at them.

"The stronger you are, the more responsibility you must bear," Ye Tian said nonchalantly. He had grown accustomed to this principle in his past life. With the Game System’s influence and their own will to survive, everyone had adopted this mindset back then.

"You certainly have a way with grand principles," Wang Linchi remarked. He found Ye Tian’s words true; if the Dajing Court had understood this, they wouldn’t have ended up in their current predicament. But it was easier said than done.

Ye Tian observed the Talents he continuously activated and then gazed at the endless stream of Demonized Creatures approaching from afar, feeling somewhat dazed. His Attribute Plunder Talent activated synchronously with the Saint Master’s kills. However, because he was only assisting, he couldn’t plunder the complete attributes—only one percent of the normal amount. Even so, it was a significant gain.

The Qiu Ran Ke Family had already logged out to look after their son; being a cancer patient was no easy burden. They had originally started playing the game to accompany their son, not for their own enjoyment. So now, only he and Wang Linchi remained.

"Imagine if these monsters appeared in the real world..." Watching the Saint Master kill with increasing ferocity, Ye Tian couldn’t help but recall his past life.

Wang Linchi calmly continued his analysis for Ye Tian. "That would be an absolute disaster. You don’t even need to grasp the full implications. Pick any Demonized Creature, and its physical strength would be at least several times greater than a human’s. They wouldn’t even need to dodge bullets; they could withstand a hail of gunfire and still rip tank drivers out of their vehicles. And that’s not all..."

"Could Chen Country withstand it?" Ye Tian, finding Wang Linchi’s analysis thoroughly convincing, couldn’t help but ask.

"No chance," Wang Linchi replied succinctly. Nonsense. This is just their performance in the game. Without the Game System’s suppression in reality, their strength would be even more horrifying. Technology is powerful, yes, but these are just Demonized Creatures. After them come the even more terrifying Abyssal Demons. They simply aren’t something humans could confront. Even if the Soul Aspect World were brought into play, it might not be enough to stop these terrifying Abyssal Demons.

"Indeed," Ye Tian nodded, then asked, "Would you like to join my Celestial Palace?"

Previously, Ye Tian would have found this awkward. But now, he didn’t, because he had realized something: the powerful figures from his past life might not necessarily rise to prominence due to his presence this time. Conversely, seemingly insignificant individuals, perhaps unknown in his previous life, could be influenced by his actions and achieve brilliance.

"There’s no need. I’m better off alone," Wang Linchi declined. Why join someone else’s guild if it’s not necessary?

"However, if something comes up, you can find me. But let’s be clear: don’t come looking for me if you’re just after a carry to level up some pretty face," Wang Linchi added, not wanting to close the door completely.

"Then let’s tackle some dungeons together later," Ye Tian nodded. He didn’t mind that Wang Linchi wasn’t joining. As long as they were on the same path, it didn’t matter if they walked it together to the very end.

"Alright." This time, Wang Linchi didn’t refuse.

After spending some time with Ye Tian, Wang Linchi had noticed a dramatic change in him. This piqued his curiosity about what could have possibly happened to cause such a transformation. It was as if Ye Tian had suddenly attained great enlightenment.

"Wait, is that the second BOSS?!" Ye Tian suddenly exclaimed.

Wang Linchi looked in the direction Ye Tian indicated. He had never seen this BOSS before.

[BOSS Abyssal Demon – Shadow of Death LV10, Health (100,000/100,000)]

"A shadow? Judging by its speed, it seems to be an agile assassin-type." Its Health was only 100,000, merely a tenth of the Stitched Giant View’s, but this implied its Attack Power was likely much higher.

"The Saint Master can’t disengage," Wang Linchi said. Although the Saint Master was using the Stitched Giant View as a weapon and rampaging through the battlefield, he was too deeply engaged to pull back. Demonized Creatures swarmed him. If he weren’t essentially a cheat-code character, he would have died long ago.

"I’ll deal with it," Ye Tian said. Sending Wang Linchi was unrealistic. After all, Wang Linchi’s profession as a Scholar meant he was more of a jack-of-all-trades. His attacks dealt Fixed Damage, which complemented the Saint Master’s abilities well, making him suitable for independent action. However, confronting a BOSS head-on was out of the question; he had virtually no chance of winning. So, it had to be Ye Tian.

"Can you handle it?" Wang Linchi asked, surprised. He didn’t believe Ye Tian was capable of dealing with a BOSS.

Ye Tian glanced at his steadily increasing attributes and smiled. "Of course, I can. How can a man say he can’t?" Previously, he indeed wouldn’t have stood a chance, but with his current attributes, he was confident. Besides, if he died, he could revive. It wasn’t like his previous life, where death in the game-fused reality was permanent. As a Swordsman on the path to becoming a Sword Immortal, how could he fear combat? ’Seek achievement through directness, not by compromising principles.’ This was the advice his Swordsman instructor had given him when he first chose the profession.

"Ah, should I assist you?" Wang Linchi asked. After all, it’s a BOSS. I also want those large amounts of points, plus the Equipment fragments and Skill fragments.

However, Ye Tian clearly misunderstood Wang Linchi’s intent and nodded. "That’s perfect. With your support, it’ll be much easier for me."

The Scholar profession was peculiar; its practitioners could fill almost any role, dealing mixed physical and magical damage on top of Fixed Damage, making them adaptable to most scenarios. Paired with Ye Tian, a Swordsman with no particular weaknesses, they made an ideal team.

"Too bad I haven’t learned Sword Kinesis yet, or I could fly you down there," Ye Tian added.

The two quickly descended from the city wall. The Shadow of Death silently clung to the exterior of the wall’s Protective Barrier and then pierced right through as if penetrating an unguarded space. Ye Tian witnessed this, his expression filled with astonishment.

This BOSS must die! Ye Tian thought fiercely. In two lifetimes, this was his first encounter with an Abyssal Demon capable of ignoring the Game System’s Protective Barrier. He hadn’t encountered it in his previous life, likely because it had been killed. This lifetime, it had to die too. Otherwise, if the game merged with reality in the future and this thing managed to infiltrate a safe zone, the consequences would be unimaginable. It was level ten now, but in ten years, it wouldn’t still be level ten—just like the Stitched Giant View BOSS.

Wang Linchi narrowed his eyes. Such intense killing intent! Who exactly is Ye Tian? This isn’t ordinary killing intent. He wasn’t referring to some kind of energy or aura, but a temperament—one forged through countless life-and-death struggles and significant bloodshed. Wang Linchi himself didn’t possess this temperament, but he had witnessed it before. Having once relied on the Protagonist’s Aura to rule Sky Capital for a time, he had encountered many ferocious individuals. Although Ye Tian’s killing intent couldn’t compare to theirs, its presence in a seemingly ordinary homebody like him felt jarringly out of place. Information always one step ahead, a temperament that doesn’t fit... Wang Linchi couldn’t help but think of the concept known as a Reincarnator. Otherwise, there was no way to explain all these inconsistencies. For a protagonist to be a Reincarnator would make perfect sense. Wang Linchi wouldn’t find it surprising at all. He himself was a transmigrator; why would he deny the possibility of Reincarnators?