The corridor still had wandering Water Fog Demons.
But their numbers were significantly reduced.
Pfft…
-1
-1
…
Several water arrows struck John, each forcibly deducting a single health point.
In just half a day, his mental attribute had increased by over a thousand points, making the Water Fog Demons’ attacks ineffective against his defense.
As John advanced, he tried to destroy the surrounding passages.
Boom!
Thunderstorm hit the corridor, reverberating with a tremendous roar. The area trembled, but the spot hit by Thunderstorm remained unscathed, only causing strong winds to gush from the depths of the passage.
The exit of the corridor was still further ahead.
They continued onward.
John stopped again, frowning as fierce winds howled around them.
The wind seemed to be coming from a wall.
This wasn’t the first time he encountered this in the passage, but he hadn’t paid it much attention before.
Tracy moved forward and, to her surprise, her arm passed through the wall easily. “Old man, this wall is fake,” she exclaimed.
John was equally surprised. He cast Rock Armor once more, covering his entire body. “Stay close to me,” he instructed the women.
They nodded, following closely behind John as they passed through the wall.
Whoosh!
Cold winds howled, accompanied by eerie screeches.
The three of them found themselves in a hall shrouded in mist, surrounded by Water Fog
Demons.
Whoosh, whoosh…
Arrows of water shot toward them as the Water Fog Demons launched their attack.
John stood at the forefront, waving his staff and casting Rain of Fire.
Agonizing screams echoed as the Water Fog Demons writhed in the flames, being swiftly exterminated.
Notifications continuously popped up, and equipment and items scattered across the ground.
The drop rate for Water Fog Demons here seemed unusually high.
The endless flames spread, raising the temperature of the hall significantly.
One by one, the Water Fog Demons disintegrated in the sea of fire, their numbers dwindling rapidly.
“Hiss!” Suddenly, a hiss echoed, and the mist surged. A huge, ferocious water dragon roared out, extinguishing the surrounding flames instantly.
It was a mid-level magic spell, Water Dragon Technique!
Mid-level magic could only be cast by 100-level or higher, four-tier monsters.
John fixed his gaze on the depths of the mist, where a massive Water Fog Demon floated into view.
It was a 100-level, four-tier elite boss, the Water Fog Demon Leader.
“Finally, a formidable foe!” John’s eyes gleamed with excitement.
Boss monsters could be Plundered for more powerful attributes.
Moreover, his Wrath of the Gods talent needed to be upgraded by killing ten four-tier or higher elite bosses.
This big guy fit the bill perfectly.
John initiated the attack, casting two Thunderstorms in quick succession.
Boom!
Boom!
-18000
-17980
Terrifying damage numbers flashed.
The Water Fog Demon Leader looked terrified. Despite having fifty thousand health points, it was almost instantly killed by the human.
“Hiss!”
Another hiss sounded, and the surrounding Water Fog Demons madly surged forward, merging into the Water Fog Demon Leader’s body.
Devour!
The Water Fog Demon Leader’s health quickly recovered, and its body grew even larger.
John was a bit surprised. “I’d like to see how many Water Fog Demons you can devour,” he
said.
Magic spells whizzed through the air, and several powerful magic attacks rained down.
Boom, boom…
The Water Fog Demon Leader let out a hiss, and its health rapidly depleted.
This time, John didn’t give it a chance to recover and finished it off.
[You have killed a 100-level elite boss Water Fog Demon Leader, earning 810 experience points.]
[Plunder talent activated, granting +10 Spirit, +3 Agility, +2 Skill Points, +1 Magic Crit.] The Water Fog Demon Leader dissipated, leaving behind a few items and a treasure chest. “A treasure chest?” John was puzzled. Could the Secret Area be over so soon?
It seemed unlikely that the final boss of a three-tier, hero-level Secret Area would be so weak. Curious, he opened the chest.
[You have opened the Water Fog Demon Chest, acquiring the skill book Water Mist Clone and
10 Skill Stones.]
There was no notification indicating the end of the Secret Area, meaning it wasn’t over yet.
“A skill book?” John was surprised.
As this was the first skill book he had obtained in the world of Gods.
[Water Mist Clone: Basic skill, no learning conditions; Summons a water mist clone with 55%
of your health, no additional attribute bonuses.]
It was a basic auxiliary skill that any class could learn.
Besides serving as a meat shield, the clone didn’t seem to have much use.
John hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to learn the skill, as he currently had
plenty of skill points.
[Water Mist Clone: Level 1, Basic Skill; Summons a water mist clone with 55% of your health; No additional attribute bonuses; The clone disappears when its health drops to o; Consumes 100 mana points, 10-minute cooldown]
The Water Mist Clone had no combat abilities, but it served as a decent lifesaving measure, which John found satisfactory.
“John!” Sini, who was clearing the battlefield, pointed to a few corpses nearby in surprise.
“There are Orcs.”
“Orcs?” John curiously stepped forward to check.
Sure enough, they were Orc corpses, and they were powerful Orc elites.
The bodies hadn’t decomposed yet, indicating that these creatures had been dead for less
than three days.
But why were there Orc corpses here?
John remembered that the Gates Empire treasure Secret Area had been obtained from an Orc
leader.
The Secret Area was an isolated space; without the Secret Area scroll, how had the Orcs
entered?
John was puzzled and speculated that there must be more Orcs here, likely also searching for
the final treasure in the Secret Area.
He needed to hurry.
After killing the Water Fog Demon Leader, a passageway leading downward appeared in the
hall.
Quickly clearing the battlefield, they gathered over thirty pieces of premium equipment and
some materials.
John didn’t bother checking them all and stored everything in his inventory before entering
the passage.
The narrow, dark passage sloped downward, seemingly endless.
There were no monsters, nor any signs of Orcs.
In the distance, a faint glow flickered, indicating the end of the passage.
John quickened his pace and soon reached the shimmering light.
It was a damaged space barrier, leading to an unknown space beyond.
Instead of rushing in, John first summoned a Water Mist Clone and sent it through the barrier.
Buzz!
The Water Mist Clone disappeared.
Shortly after, John received a notification that the clone had been killed.
There was indeed danger on the other side of the passage.
John had over 40,000 health points, and his clone had 55% of that, which amounted to over
20,000 health points. However, without attribute bonuses, he couldn’t gauge the strength of the monsters on the other side of the passage.
This was just a three-star Heroic Secret Area, so he didn’t expect the enemies to be too
formidable.
“Wait a bit before following me,” John advised the two women. He cast Rock Armor on himself and, under their concerned warnings, stepped through the passage.
Buzz!
A wave of spatial power swept over him, and he found himself in an underground palace,
faced with countless monsters.
[Undead Soldiers: Level 90, formed from the grudges of the Gates Empire soldiers after their
death, immune to 70% of physical attacks]
Compared to the Water Mist Demons, these Undead Soldiers were stronger and more
numerous.
“Intruder detected!”
“Kill!”
“Protect the princess!”
…
Shouts echoed through the hall, arrows flew, and spells surged as a cavalry unit charged
forward.
The Undead Soldiers launched their attack first.
John was instantly engulfed in a barrage of arrows and spells.
Boom! Boom!
-1
-1
…
Pathetic damage numbers flashed.
The Undead Soldiers’ attacks were too weak to penetrate his defense.
John remained cautious; there were too many Undead Soldiers, and one round of attacks cost
him over 3,000 health points.
Thankfully, Sini and Tracy had not followed; they wouldn’t have been able to withstand the
onslaught.
Whoosh!
He activated his skills. Rain of Fire engulfed the area, and the ground trembled, severely hindering the soldiers’ charge.
[Killed Level 90 Undead Soldier, gained 170 experience points] [Plunder talent activated,
Strength +1]
[Level up, Spirit +4, Strength +3, Agility +2, Free Attribute Points +16, Skill Points +2]
…
John reached Level 61.
Upon reaching the fourth tier, each level up granted 16 free attribute points.
However, the experience required to level up was enormous.
To reach the next level, John needed 520,000 experience points.
…
He swept through the area, the Level 90 Undead Soldiers crumbling under his powerful magic.
With a 60% skill cooldown reduction, his skill casting was almost continuous.
In just a few minutes, over 3,000 Undead Soldiers were slaughtered in the hall.
John’s four basic attributes had increased by over a thousand points, significantly boosting
his strength once more. Confirming there was no more danger, he messaged Sini and Tracy to join him.
The two women entered the hall, gazing at the floor littered with corpses, expressing their
awe before silently beginning to clean up the battlefield. “John, there are Orc corpses here too,” Sini called out, alerting John.
Judging by the freshness of the corpse, it seemed the Orc had died not long ago.
Just then, sounds of battle echoed from deeper within the palace.
“Let’s go check it out,” John instructed, swiftly collecting the loot before heading toward the
source of the commotion.
…
A group of about a hundred elite Orcs was being driven back by the Undead Soldiers.
These elite Orcs, at level 100 and boss-tier, were far stronger than the Undead Soldiers.
However, both the undead soldiers and the mist wraiths belonged to the category of wraith creatures and had higher physical damage resistance.
This elite group of Orcs were all physical damage classes, completely countered by the undead
soldiers, making them no match.
“Adventurers!” The Orc chieftain leading the group spotted John and his companions, his
eyes lighting up.
Any adventurers who could enter here were undoubtedly powerful, especially a mage who
could counter these spectral enemies.
“Help us!” the Orc chieftain pleaded. “Adventurers, let’s cooperate. The treasure in the Secret
Area will be all yours!”
John crossed his arms, taking on a stance of merely watching the spectacle, showing no
intention of intervening.
The Orc chieftain, growing desperate, let a flash of malice cross his eyes. These adventurers
clearly intended to profit from their struggle without lifting a finger.
“In that case, we’ll deal with you first!” he bellowed, redirecting his troops to attack John and
his companions.