Chapter 82: The Battle Ends

The battle ended swiftly, though the manner of its conclusion left Liu Zong speechless. He had thought that, with his current level, he would no longer need to serve as bait. Yet, unexpectedly, he found himself playing that very role, drawing all the ordinary soldiers among the Kalia demon undead to his side.

This gave Li Shi and his team the opportunity to lead the players in a full-force charge toward the enemy boss. At the same time, the Grand Gravekeeper seized this chance, appearing before the opposing boss in the shortest possible time.

Although the Grand Gravekeeper had not yet reached Level 1, some players had. Among the shadow-attribute players gathered here, a group had attained Level 1, and they had no intention of letting such a formidable boss escape. They knew well that this was their chance for experience and materials.

Rumor had it that every month, in the world of the living, a Level 1 boss would appear. Each time, it lasted less than ten minutes before being slain, leaving latecomers lamenting their tardiness.

Now, with a boss before them and only seventy or so attackers, they would not let the opportunity slip by. They allowed the Grand Gravekeeper to strike.

It was well known that the odds of loot dropping differed depending on whether a boss was slain entirely by players or by NPCs.

Li Shi’s plan was simple: he lured the boss’s personal guards to the Grand Gravekeeper, leaving the rest of the players to attack the boss together.

With only one boss to face, their strength was sufficient. At the very least, the fight would not become overly troublesome.

Li Shi himself was the purest kind of death knight, his attacks imbued with the aura of death, all physical strikes. Sometimes, his blows were doubled, making him the ideal choice for close combat.

His undead minion was encased entirely in iron armor. Whenever Li Shi could not withstand an enemy’s attack, the minion would step forward and block it.

Thanks to this, Li Shi’s endurance in battle was remarkably high. This was the source of his confidence—why he could serve as commander.

Under Li Shi’s leadership, the boss soon fell. Meanwhile, Liu Zong’s side had not yet finished fighting. The four hundred-odd Yadala insect-men undead under his command had been completely annihilated, and his ghostly loli had perished as well.

Only Liu Zong remained, gripping a spear and running desperately.

Fortunately, the Kalia demon undead were all of the lowest tier. Outside, they might have fought hand-to-hand, but in the battlefield, they adhered strictly to its rules, only launching fireball attacks.

This gave Liu Zong the chance to keep fleeing. Even if he was cornered, he could cut a bloody path with his spear.

Yet Liu Zong sensed something was amiss. After the boss was defeated, the Kalia demon undead no longer fought like soldiers. Instead, they rushed at him, heedless of all else.

He was stunned, but had no time to react. Raising his spear horizontally, he charged at the incoming undead.

He poured all his magic and strength into this thrust, and three more Kalia demon undead fell beneath his hand.

Suddenly, Liu Zong felt a strange force emanating from his body, as if it wanted to push him somewhere.

He was bewildered. If he simply died in battle, it was nothing; he still had another death to spare. At worst, he would leave the map and rest for half a year. But if something went wrong and he could not leave the map, that would be a real problem.

After three consecutive deaths, he would be forcibly ejected, and that was not something that could be recovered from with just half a year’s rest.

But this situation lasted only a moment. Liu Zong realized some mysterious force had led him to safety. He had not left the battlefield, but seemed no longer in danger.

He loosened his grip on the spear, sat on the ground, and gazed blankly at the battlefield nearby, utterly lost as to what had just happened.

It was only after the fighting ended that Li Shi and Liu Chun came over, prompting Liu Zong from his stupor.

Li Shi greeted him loudly, “You did well this time. If you hadn’t drawn all the enemy cannon fodder, we wouldn’t have reached the boss so easily. When it comes time to divide the loot, I’ll let you have first pick.”

Liu Zong, still stunned, simply nodded and followed Liu Chun over. Not until he was allowed to choose did he regain his senses, looking around and asking in confusion, “Is the battle over already?”

The shadow-attribute players present all laughed at his question. They knew the fight had been extremely dangerous—one player leading over four hundred cannon fodder against more than a thousand, and still surviving was luck indeed.

Seeing everyone’s half-joking demeanor, Liu Zong laughed as well. After selecting the materials dropped by the boss, he withdrew and mingled with the other players.

Yet he remained puzzled. What was the force that had saved him at the end?

At first, Liu Zong suspected it was some equipment skill. He checked all the abilities on his gear, only to find none had been triggered. The items he carried were also unremarkable.

With this helplessness, Liu Zong followed the main force out of the Underworld. According to the Grand Gravekeeper, he had now leveled up to Lv1, and the core graveyard needed to be adjusted—a process that would take seven days.

During these seven days, all shadow-attribute players could act freely and need not remain in the Underworld.

It was a rare holiday within the map, and the players would not waste it. They made plans in groups to go out and explore. After all, spending every day in the gray gloom of the Underworld would wear on even the healthiest mind.

Now, they had the chance—whether to climb mountains, fish, or simply go to a hotel and drink, it was good to relax. In a few months, those who had died twice would return, allowing others to leave for a rest.

Until then, their only duty was to ensure the Underworld’s safety. According to the overall plan, the Grand Gravekeeper was unlikely to reach Level 2.

After leaving the Underworld, Liu Zong suddenly remembered his previous quest, "Amber Light," which required him to visit a hotel and inquire about amber. He had never gone. Now...

As Liu Zong recalled the quest and took out the amber, he was shocked to find the light within it had vanished.