Chapter 19: The Nearly Bankrupt Kirigakure

"The mysterious merchant is truly kind; he provided us with intelligence even though he knew we were hunting the Ghost General."

The honest and simple Chojuro pushed up his glasses and expressed great gratitude toward the mysterious merchant, who had only appeared when the game first launched.

Terumi Mei's expression was gentle as she smiled and glanced at Chojuro.

Although she was smiling, there was no warmth in her eyes.

Chojuro couldn't help but shiver.

"Damn that mysterious merchant!"

Even with Terumi Mei's composure, she couldn't help but grit her teeth and curse inwardly.

Her mind raced, and she immediately understood the current situation.

If the Decapitation Squad could not finish off the Ghost General in a short time, they would be facing a swarm of hostile players.

"Everyone, do not be stingy with your Reward Points. After we hunt down the Ghost General, Kirigakure will compensate you all."

"Chojuro, buy the 【Attribute Stimulant】 from the Game Mall; it can increase all attributes by 6 points for five minutes."

"Understood!"

Chojuro opened the Game Mall belatedly, and upon seeing the price, he was instantly shocked and clicked his tongue: "Lord Mizukage, one bottle costs eight hundred Reward Points, this is just too..."

"Stop talking nonsense, the Ghost General is about to come out."

"Decapitation Squad, resurrect on the spot immediately after death, abandon all evasive maneuvers, and aim for maximum damage to ensure the target is killed in the shortest time possible!"

Terumi Mei's face was solemn, and her heart ached with every passing moment.

This operation to hunt the Ghost General would conservatively cost the entire Kirigakure four months' worth of mission rewards.

If she could meet the game merchant in reality, she would definitely take a fierce bite out of him.

A bite using Lava Release.

Puchi.

The giant gate slowly pushed open a crack.

A surging, violent ghost aura condensed into thick mist and rushed out, instantly covering the entire castle hall.

A ghost, four meters tall and resembling a pitch-black iron tower, walked out from within.

Its pitch-black medieval Armor lacked the illusory feel of ordinary ghosts; its ghost aura was solid, as if it were real flesh and blood, and its palms alone were as large as millstones.

A jagged, extremely heavy blood-colored Claymore was gripped in the Ghost General's hand, making it look like an executioner filled with murderous intent.

A faint sense of oppression made everyone's heart tighten.

Attention!

Following Terumi Mei's silent gesture, everyone used concealment items to mask all their aura.

"Gelawa was killed?"

The Ghost General's face had no skin; it was skull-like, with bloody fascia and chunks of meat on the surface of the bone that squirmed as it spoke.

Droplets of grayish-black ghost aura, like dripping blood, hung from its chin.

Then, they turned to ash in the air.

Its appearance alone was enough to make many timid players freeze in place.

However,

The Decapitation Squad were all Elite players, and in reality, they were ninjas who lived life on the edge; although they frowned, they were not intimidated by the Ghost General.

Zzzzz...

The sound of trap items being triggered.

The Ghost General frowned, and after sensing something was wrong, it bent its legs and suddenly leaped up.

Its seemingly heavy and massive body was unexpectedly agile.

But, there were also trap items pre-placed in mid-air.

Boom!

Flame nozzles quietly installed on the castle walls sprayed thick snakes of fire; the flames surged, and the scorching temperature distorted the air.

The Ghost General in mid-air clumsily twisted its body, barely managing to block the blood-colored Claymore in front of itself.

Poison Mine detonation!

Purple-black poison mist exploded, instantly merging with the mist condensed from the ghost aura.

Zzzzz...

The Ghost General's Armor was corroded, becoming as soft as bread, and the blood-colored Claymore was scorched so hot by the flames that it could almost no longer be held.

Spike mines.

Pupu-pu.

Countless needle-like spikes pierced the Ghost General's entire body, making it look like a hedgehog.

One after another, trap devices were triggered; the center of the entire hall felt like a land of death.

"Damn it!"

A hoarse voice came from the poison mist and flame explosion.

The castle hall walls collapsed, the floor caved in, and it was riddled with holes.

Dust filled the air, and mist obscured the view.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the trap attacks to end.

Suddenly,

A thick arm broke through the dust and, like pinching a frantically wriggling loach, tightly gripped the neck of a player who had been exposed due to rapid breathing from nervousness.

Crack!

As the tattered Ghost General curled its five fingers, the player's head was crushed.

A level 8 Secret Art Master, possessing one level 3 defensive secret art, Barrier.

Even if approached by a Warrior of the same level, one must first hack through the Barrier before being able to attack the body within the Barrier.

Just like that, they were easily killed by the Ghost General.

"What's going on? Didn't the intel say the Ghost General was a Warrior? How is its speed this fast?"

Since they were exposed, there was no need for the others to hide, and an Elite player closest to it screamed.

He gripped his Double Shadow Axe tightly, his Qi and blood surging throughout his body, and charged at the Ghost General.

Flashes of axe shadows flickered.

The Ghost General was wounded by the trap, its armor tattered, and even the flesh beneath was scorched black.

Its chest was even pierced through by a huge javelin shot from the trap, leaving a gaping hole.

If it were an ordinary ghost, it would have long since had its soul scattered.

But to the Ghost General, it seemed as if it had only suffered some minor injuries.

Snap.

The level 5 green-grade weapon, Double Shadow Axe, collided with the massive Evil Thought Blade.

The next second,

The Elite player only felt his arms flip backward, his palms losing sensation, shaken until they were a bloody mess.

The Double Shadow Axe tumbled away and embedded itself into the wall.

After being attacked, the Ghost General entered a hostile state.

A thick golden frame appeared, with a ghost skull icon at the very top, and viscous gray liquid rolling inside the frame.

At the end, because of the damage received from the trap, the gray liquid decreased.

【Ghost General】, 3800/5000 HP.

Shock.

Even Terumi Mei could not help but take two steps back.

"Such thick HP, isn't that too much of a cheat?"

Not to mention anything else, just this terrifying amount of HP was enough to make one feel despair.

An ordinary player's HP is related to their Constitution attribute, with every 1 point of Constitution increasing HP by 10.

Even for high-Constitution classes like Knights and Shield Soldiers, they generally only have 15 points of Constitution at the moment; with equipment bonuses, they can barely reach 25 points of Constitution, which is about 300 HP.

"Such a vast gap—is it a skill, or a talent?"

Terumi Mei pondered inwardly while waving her staff, fire elements pouring down.

She had already grasped a hint of the rules of the Samsara Game.

There is no power without a cause; as long as one has enough Reward Points, a player can buy everything they want.

The Ghost General's HP being able to reach 5000 points must be due to special items, skills, or even Bloodline bonuses.

There was a player in the Mist Alliance,

Who had explosive luck and looted the 【Inferior Gargoyle Power】 item from a gargoyle.

Using it could change one's own Bloodline, granting the power of a gargoyle and increasing HP by 500.

Terumi Mei's heart was pounding.

She had long since realized the drawback of being a Fire Mage: the Constitution attribute is too low, and the HP is not thick enough; if ambushed by an Assassin-type class, it is very easy to be killed in one hit.

If she could loot an HP-increasing item from the Ghost General, she could make up for her final shortcoming.

By then, the Mist Alliance dominating the game world.

Would be just around the corner.

"No one is to retreat! Kirigakure will cover all Reward Points for on-the-spot revivals, and there will also be compensation for damaged weapons and equipment. Everyone has only one mission: clear the HP bar above the Ghost General's head!"

Terumi Mei's slender, beautiful legs bent slightly, flowing with perfectly toned muscle lines.

With a light leap, she landed on a wall lamp high up in the castle.

Her staff swept continuously, and waves of scorching elemental energy exploded, blasting toward the Ghost General.

Chojuro said with a look of despair: "Mizukage-sama, if you say things like that, Kirigakure will go bankrupt!"

(End of this chapter)