Chapter 145 Octopus

"What are you talking about? Why should we stop attacking?" Guardian demanded.

"Battle. If you do not fight, you will never obtain the treasure," the Golden Giant replied.

Huan Yue smiled and said, "Can't you guys tell? This is merely a test. It is just testing us. If it wanted to defeat us, why did it stop fighting? If it really wanted to destroy us, why weren't there any damage numbers appearing? This can only mean that the Pharaoh never intended to defeat us from the very beginning, right?" Having said that, she even threw a wink at the Golden Giant.

At that moment, the Golden Giant spoke with the aged voice of the king who had previously called himself the Pharaoh, laughing, "Hehehehe, the secret is out. How did you figure it out, little girl?" As he spoke, the Golden Giant vanished, replaced by a pale blue, translucent elderly man. Huan Yue said, "It was simple. Not fighting those who harbor no malice—that was the meaning of that Light element entity just now. Many anime series have plots like this, so I figured it would be similar here."

"Big brother, you two are truly a match made in heaven," Long Xin said, patting my back.

Me: "........................"

The Pharaoh declared, "Very well, since you have answered correctly, I shall grant you the treasure now!"

"Mortal, if you want the treasure here, you must first ask for my permission!" Accompanied by a loud roar, the floor of the room split open, and that persistent Crystal Dragon appeared once more.

"Cyber Dragon Beast!" Guardian cried out sharply. The Cyber Dragon Beast materialized, grabbed the Crystal Dragon, and flew upward to crash into the ceiling. Then, with a deafening boom, an explosion erupted.

After a cloud of smoke cleared, we looked up and saw a massive hole smashed into the ceiling. I summoned Dragon Warrior and led the others outside, while Guardian mounted her Mechanical Tyrannosaurus Rex and followed. Emerging into the open air, we saw the Cyber Dragon Beast being pushed back by the Crystal Dragon. Following that, the Crystal Dragon swept its tail across, which the Cyber Dragon Beast blocked with its long spear. Then, Guardian summoned three Cyber Dragons, fused them into Cyber End Dragon along with her own Mechanical Tyrannosaurus Rex, and joined the fray.

The few of us stood far away, watching the battle unfold from the sidelines.

"She's pretty formidable, that girl, actually going toe-to-toe with a Level 100 World Boss," Ye Shuang sighed in admiration.

In the battlefield ahead, the Cyber End Dragon soared through the air, continuously unleashing laser beams to attack the Crystal Dragon. The damage dealt was a mere 1 point each, yet this effectively suppressed the Crystal Dragon and prevented it from taking flight. Meanwhile, the Cyber Dragon Beast planted its long spear into the ground, grabbed the shaft with both hands, lifted its feet off the ground, and spun its body, slamming its massive tail heavily against the Crystal Dragon—though the damage dealt was likewise just 1 point.

"Aaargh! A swarm of buzzing flies, so annoying! Know your place!" the Crystal Dragon roared in fury. It raised its dragon tail high and smashed it fiercely onto the sandy ground. Instantly, a wave of sand surged up, blasting the Cyber Dragon Beast away. Next, the Crystal Dragon's entire body flashed with a brilliant white light. The very next second, with the Crystal Dragon at the center, beams of white energy shot outward in all directions. Wherever these energy beams struck, craters were blasted into the earth. Whether it was Guardian fighting the Crystal Dragon or us watching from the sidelines, we were all caught in the crossfire. Countless energy beams rained down around us, nearly collapsing the ground beneath our feet.

As we scrambled to dodge, I hurriedly recalled Dragon Warrior, but the Sonic Werewolf remaining outside could not be withdrawn in time and was blasted to atoms by an energy beam. Little Ai's Drill Beast met the exact same fate. Immediately after, another energy beam exploded directly among us. At that moment, the ground suddenly caved in, and the four of us—myself, Huan Yue, Xiao Xi, and Feng Xiaoyue—plunged downward.

***

After a long while, I regained consciousness. Looking around, I saw nothing but architectural ruins and utter devastation everywhere. I stood up and called out, "Everyone, are you alright?"

The others picked themselves up one by one. Feng Xiaoyue said, "I'm fine, but where is this?"

I checked the coordinates provided by the system and was surprised to discover that this place happened to match the location marked on my treasure map. How incredibly lucky! This must be what they call a blessing in disguise. I raised my treasure map and said, "Everyone, this place should be the location marked on my treasure map."

Feng Xiaoyue remarked, "No way, what a coincidence."

Huan Yue said, "Our luck isn't bad, but it looks like our current position resembles a labyrinth."

Xiao Xi chimed in, "Actually, I think it looks like the ruins of an underground city."

Just then, two figures emerged before us—a man and a woman, the man being a warrior and the woman an archer. Judging by their disheveled appearances, they must have encountered some ferocious monsters. The female archer took the initiative to greet us, saying, "Hello there, are you guys here treasure hunting too?"

I replied, "Yes. Could you tell us where this is?"

The female archer explained, "This is the ruin of a city. According to the intelligence we gathered, this place used to be a very prosperous and powerful nation. Because of war, it was reduced to ruins and buried beneath this desert. Who knows how many years and months have passed since those events? However, the monsters inside are far too ferocious. A group of over fifty of us entered, but only my boyfriend and I survived; all the others were sent back to the city upon death."

Huan Yue asked, "What kind of monsters are in there?"

The female archer answered, "Many, and they are extremely strong. Furthermore, they absolutely refuse to let anyone go; they will never stop until they hunt you down completely."

She then asked, "Do you have any Town Portal Scrolls? We forgot to bring ours. Give us two of them, and consider it an exchange for the information we shared."

I readily traded two Town Portal Scrolls with them. As they were leaving, the male warrior advised, "I suggest you head back quickly. The monsters inside are no joke, especially the final boss!" With that, two flashes of white light teleported them back to the city.

Xiao Xi asked, "Brother Long, should we go in?"

I pointed toward the dark passage ahead and declared, "Of course we go. Those who live for the hunt are forever locked in battle with themselves. Take up your weapons, look forward, and charge ahead like a storm!"

Huan Yue blinked and said, "Long Ling, what you just said... what does that even mean?"

I scratched my head and replied, "It probably means to get pumped up and keep fighting."

Feng Xiaoyue said, "I'm certain it doesn't mean that at all."

Xiao Xi added, "Nine times out of ten, Brother Long just copied that line from some manga."

Feng Xiaoyue agreed, "Probably."

After chatting idly for a bit, we proceeded to explore. I wondered how things were going up above—hopefully Long Xin and the others hadn't died. We walked through this gloomy, damp zone littered with human skeletons and broken walls.

"This place is really creepy and terrifying," Xiao Xi muttered. "Do you think ghosts are going to pop out?"

Huan Yue hastily interrupted, "No, no, absolutely not!"

Feng Xiaoyue chuckled, "What's wrong with you? Surely the top-ranked player on the Heavenly Leaderboard isn't scared of ghosts and spirits."

Huan Yue puffed out her cheeks and protested, "I am not scared at all!"

"A ghost is coming!" Xiao Xi cried, holding up a skull and pulling a funny face right in front of Huan Yue.

"Eek!" Huan Yue shrieked, diving behind my back.

I smiled wryly and comforted her, "It's alright, Huan Yue, that's fake."

However, at that moment, a rustling, squeaking sound suddenly echoed all around us. "What is that sound?" My nerves immediately tightened.

"Could actual ghosts have come out after all?" Xiao Xi joked. The moment he finished speaking, Huan Yue thrust her sword right against Xiao Xi's neck and snapped, "You're so annoying! Mention that again and I'll chop your head off!" Tears were practically welling up in her eyes. I never expected Huan Yue to have such an adorable side.

Next, a silvery monster was the first to burst into my field of vision.

"What? An octopus?!" Feng Xiaoyue exclaimed, laughing upon seeing the creature. She was right; the monster's appearance was practically a cartoonish octopus. It possessed a large, sac-like head with no clear distinction between its head and body, while its two bulging, fist-sized eyes radiated an eerie blue light. Its two tentacles were raised high, resembling human arms.

Land Octopus, Level 50, Elite Monster. Description: Originally dwelling in the sea, for unknown reasons it migrated onto land. A bizarre hybrid beast. This creature stood over five meters tall from head to toe, presenting a rather oppressive aura.

Less than a second after the first Land Octopus appeared, four more followed suit. Waving their tentacles menacingly and overflowing with aggressive intent, they lunged straight toward us. Seeing this, Feng Xiaoyue immediately swung her Soul-Devouring Sword, activated Charge, and rushed forward to engage the foremost Land Octopus.

Meanwhile, Xiao Xi tossed out a metal ball. The sphere detonated right in the middle of the monsters, generating a shockwave that instantly stunned the heads of the three Land Octopuses closest to the blast.

A fierce, jagged gash was instantly torn across the creature's smooth metallic skin, exposing glowing sparks, severed parts, and exposed wiring.

Huan Yue leaped directly into the midst of the monsters, swinging her greatsword in a wide arc. Instantly, those Land Octopuses were knocked flat in unison. The Land Octopus that Feng Xiaoyue had struck endured her combo attack, though it didn't perish immediately; instead, it began frantically flailing its eight tentacles, accelerating as it charged toward Feng Xiaoyue. Even so, these creatures were swiftly cut down by the few of us in short order. Finishing them off took a matter of mere seconds.