Chapter 17: Hengjue Mountain Range! Scapegoat?
Hengjue Mountain Range.
After leaving the Assassin Guild, Su Liang sprinted all the way to a mountain range dozens of miles outside Jiangcheng.
The coordinates provided by the quest were at the center of the mountain range.
It seems I’ll need to get a mount after returning to the city!
He had been running wildly for nearly an hour.
Looking at the vast mountain range before him, Su Liang thought, panting for breath.
After stepping into the mountain range.
Su Liang slowed his pace.
The Hengjue Mountain Range had complex terrain, stretching north to south and lined east to west, with dense vegetation and various monsters living within.
Moreover, monsters in the wild were not like those in dungeons; they didn't have clear level divisions.
Their strength was not fixed!
They could be Level 1, Level 10, or even Level 50...
Under these circumstances, it was extremely dangerous!
More importantly...
Aside from dying in a dungeon, which would eject you from the instance and leave you in a weakened state with a level penalty...
Once you died in the wild or a secret realm, it was a true death.
Therefore, he could not be careless.
【Name】: Su Liang
【Level】: Lv20
【Class】: Apprentice God-Slayer
【Strength】: 4850
【Constitution】: 4750
【Agility】: 8770
【Spirit】: 3250
【Talent】: Empty Hands, Shadow Walker
【Skills】: God-Slaying Power, Divine Concealment, Unrivaled, Instant Stab, Thunder’s Fury, Summon Thunder Element...
He glanced at his attribute panel.
A third-turn legendary class holder might not even have stats as terrifying as Su Liang’s current ones.
Not to mention his talents and skills...
Looking at the panel, Su Liang felt at ease.
Hmm.
Self-preservation in the Hengjue Mountain Range shouldn't be much of a problem; at worst, he could use a teleportation scroll to slip away.
【Ding! You have killed an Iron-Armored Ape, gaining 9854 experience points...】
【Ding! You have killed a Gale Snake, gaining 3000 experience points...】
【Ding! You have killed a Giant-Strength Horned Deer, gaining 12345 experience points...】
【Ding! You have reached the level cap. Excess experience points have been stored in the experience pool. Please proceed with your second turn as soon as possible!!!】
He carefully and cautiously searched for points and cleared monsters along the way.
His luck was good!
They were basically monsters between levels twenty and thirty, posing no great danger.
Although,
because he hadn't performed his second turn, he couldn't level up for the time being, but the experience from killing monsters wouldn't be wasted.
It was all stored in the experience pool.
After the second turn, Su Liang’s level would see a burst of growth.
Just then.
"Boom, boom, boom!!!"
Accompanied by the sound of trees collapsing and hitting the ground, the earth shook slightly, mixed with a few dull, rapid footsteps.
What was going on?
Su Liang immediately became alert.
Not far away.
Three people were running wildly in front in a disheveled state.
"Roar!!!"
Behind them was a fierce giant lion, six or seven meters tall. Its body was covered in purple crystals, its mane surged like purple flames, and its strong, powerful limbs were also covered in sharp purple crystals, emitting a terrifying cold glint.
The Purple Crystal Lion charged recklessly, ignoring the giant trees blocking its path, easily knocking them over.
Its speed was astonishing!
It looked like it was about to catch up to them.
"Boss, there's someone ahead!"
"Looks like a student."
One of them said with pleasant surprise.
"Hahaha, we're saved! Quick, lure the BOSS over there!"
The leader’s eyes lit up, and he laughed with ecstasy.
"Hmm?"
Seeing the few of them, Su Liang frowned.
These three were bringing a BOSS, clearly heading in his direction!
【Monster】: Purple Crystal Lion
【Grade】: Gold BOSS
【Level】: Lv30
【Skills】: Purple Crystal Claws, Purple Crystal Impact, Lion Charge, Lion Roar, Purple Crystal Body, Purple Crystal Flame
【Description】: A mountain lion that mutated after accidentally consuming a mysterious purple crystal. It is cruel and violent, and its claws can tear anything apart.
In an instant.
Su Liang understood their intentions.
You provoked a BOSS and want to use me as a scapegoat?
Su Liang’s eyes turned cold, and killing intent surged.
If he were truly just a newly awakened, ordinary rookie, he would really die here...
"Kid, meeting us, you can only blame your bad luck!"
The leader’s face was ferocious, revealing a cruel smile as he laughed loudly, "A-Hu, attack!"
"Whoosh!"
The archer behind him shot an arrow toward Su Liang while running, the arrow carrying an aura of frost.
『Frost Arrow』!
It was obvious.
They wanted to slow Su Liang down so he couldn't escape.
"Seeking death."
Su Liang looked at the arrow shooting toward him, his expression unchanged, calm and composed.
Just as the arrow was about to hit him...
『Instant Stab』!
Swoosh!
A flash passed before the eyes of the fleeing trio, and they discovered that the figure of their scapegoat had actually vanished.
"Oh no!"
A faint feeling of unease rose in the leader’s heart.
Swish!!!
Su Liang’s figure reappeared, right beside the running archer.
Before the archer could react, the greatsword in Su Liang’s hand cleanly and decisively swept across his neck.
Blood splattered.
His pupils constricted, his eyes filled with terror and disbelief, and he slowly collapsed.
He wouldn't have a sudden burst of saintly compassion for those who wanted to harm him.
Su Liang didn't hold back, killing him with a clean, decisive strike!
【Ding! You have killed Wang Hu, Sin Value +1!】
A red name and level appeared above Su Liang’s head; he was now red-named.
"First one!"
There was no fluctuation on Su Liang’s face as his cold voice slowly sounded.
Like a grim reaper, pronouncing death.
(Event period: October 1st to October 7th)
"Damn, how is this possible?"
Seeing his underling killed in an instant, the leader’s eyes flashed with intense disbelief, large drops of cold sweat rolling down, and he cursed inwardly.
The red-named Su Liang had already revealed his level.
But this was absolutely not the strength an ordinary Level 20 class holder should have.
Wang Hu was at low health, sure, but even a Purple Crystal Lion couldn't one-shot him with that much health left, right?
Which meant...
The Level 20 brat before him had an attack even more terrifying than the Purple Crystal Lion.
"Brother, don't, don't kill me! Let's team up and take down this lion."
"Your attack is high, but you can't take the hits..."
The leader hurriedly spoke.
"Noisy, second one..."
Before he could finish, Su Liang used Instant Stab, his figure flashed, and his blade, carrying a cold glint, thrust out.
It pierced through his body.
The last person.
The one who had discovered Su Liang, was now paralyzed with fear, his face full of dread.
He could still struggle against the Purple Crystal Lion.
But facing Su Liang, with his mysterious, unpredictable skills, appearing and disappearing, killing one with every strike—even the leader, who was a Knight, couldn't take a single hit.
"No, don't come over, please don't kill me..."
As he spoke, he was swiped into the air by the Purple Crystal Lion that had caught up from behind.
"Third one!"
Su Liang had no intention of letting him go because of his begging; he used another instant dash, his greatsword fell, and the head flew high into the air.
It was actually decapitated!
【Ding! You have killed Wang Ba, Sin Value +1!】
【Ding! You have killed Wang Long, Sin Value +1!】
Those who kill will be killed in turn.
Su Liang had long been prepared to kill.
Although he felt some discomfort, it lasted only for an instant.
"Next, it's your turn."
Su Liang turned his head to look at that Purple Crystal Lion, which had mutated from a mountain lion.
He hadn't forgotten about this big guy.
BOSSes in the wild and secret realms were worth far more than those in dungeons.
The materials they dropped were far beyond what a dungeon BOSS could compare to.
"Roar, roar, roar——!!!"
The Purple Crystal Lion let out roars, intimidating Su Liang and buffing its own attributes.
Wild BOSSes had intelligence; it knew Su Liang’s strength was not something those three little weaklings could compare to.
『Lion Charge』!
The next moment, the Purple Crystal Lion bared its fangs, stomped its feet, and charged violently, kicking up dust.
Su Liang waited calmly.
He didn't intend to activate Unrivaled or any skills, planning to beat the BOSS to death with brute force.
He still wanted to rely on his talent to see if he could steal something from this Purple Crystal Lion BOSS.
After all!
According to the description, that mysterious purple crystal that allowed an ordinary mountain lion in the Hengjue Mountain Range to leap into becoming a Gold BOSS was definitely not simple!
He waited until the Purple Crystal Lion BOSS was close.
In an instant!
Su Liang’s figure twisted in a strange way, dodging the collision, his longsword flashing.
He knocked off a significant amount of the BOSS’s health.
But after all, it was a Level 30 Gold BOSS, and it had the damage reduction from the Purple Crystal Body skill.
Without Su Liang using his skills, it wouldn't die too quickly.
Slash!
Slash!
Slash!
Su Liang held his greatsword and slashed three times in the blink of an eye.
"Roar——!"
The Purple Crystal Lion roared in pain, its claws wrapped in a gust of wind, whistling down rapidly.
『Purple Crystal Claws』!
It was fast, but Su Liang’s movement technique and speed were faster.
Bang!
Another swipe hit empty air, landing on the ground, making the earth tremble.
Relying on his super-high agility and two and a half years of combat training, Su Liang maneuvered around the Purple Crystal Lion.
The Purple Crystal Lion couldn't touch him at all.
And his attacks landed one after another.
【Ding! Congratulations to the player for triggering the 『Empty Hands』 passive 『Light-Fingered』, stealing: 『Purple Crystal Lion’s Mane』 (Material)!】
【Ding! Congratulations to the player for triggering the 『Empty Hands』 passive 『Light-Fingered』, stealing: 『Purple Crystal Heavy Armor』 (Gold)!】
【Ding! Congratulations to the player for triggering the 『Empty Hands』 passive 『Light-Fingered』, stealing: 『Purple Crystal Lion’s Fangs』 (Material)...】
He had stolen quite a few things, including two or three pieces of equipment.
It was just a pity...
He hadn't stolen the mysterious purple crystal or skills that Su Liang wanted.
And its health had dropped below 30%, entering a berserk state.
『Purple Crystal Impact』!
Suddenly, the Purple Crystal Lion leaped high, then its giant claws charged straight toward the ground.
It had activated its ultimate move!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
As the purple crystal giant claws landed, sharp purple crystal spikes rose up, centered on it.
They spread outward in an instant, covering hundreds of meters around it.
End of Chapter
