Chapter 399: Only Then Did I Realize the Number in the Chapter Title Was Wrong

【Judgment Time has arrived!】

【-180!】

【-306!】(Critical Hit!) 【-188!】

【Dodge!】

The scorching firelight shone on Yun Mu's face, and accompanied by a few wails, the Screaming Man-eating Flower in a Stealth state turned into ashes and dissipated on the spot.

After all, AOE damage can directly ignore the Stealth state; one has to say, it is somewhat perverted.

Although if it were in the real world, large-scale attacks could indeed leave a stealer with nowhere to hide, that premise requires you to be able to discover the lurker in advance.

Yet in the turn-based combat of a game Dungeon, the Stealth state is merely a situation where you know where the monster is but cannot attack it directly.

As long as you use an area-of-effect skill, so-called Stealth is nothing but a joke.

That said, with the bonus from the Red Oil Candle, what was Brenna's critical hit rate in the first round? Why did it only crit once? Yun Mu's face looked a bit dark; well, in every sense of the word.

【Player Yun Mu begins her turn!】

It was Yun Mu's turn to act; there was nothing much to say. She raised her Paintbrush and released a rift aimed at the feet of the monsters.

Scorching flames gushed out from the rift, swallowing the figures of the monsters.

【Construct into Reality!】

【-267!】

【-442!】(Critical Hit!) 【-447!】(Critical Hit!) Blood-red damage numbers jumped out from above the monsters' heads, and the health bars of the remaining three monsters were instantly cleared. Seeing this, Yun Mu raised her eyebrows in a good mood.

Yay, two critical hits! Although even without the crits, based on her damage, she probably could have taken all the enemies out anyway.

But the font after a critical hit just looks more pleasing to the eye!

"Buzz buzz buzz!"

An annoying buzzing sound reached her ears. Yun Mu looked ahead and discovered that, just like the last battle, the fight did not end with the elimination of one round of enemies.

【You have encountered enemies — 【Jungle Python lv65 (Master)】【Jungle Python lv65 (Master)】【Screaming Man-eating Flower lv64 (Master)】【Jungle Poison Bee lv62 (Master)】】 【Plague Mad Crocodile begins its turn!】

"Hmm." The battle rotated to the Plague Mad Crocodile's turn. Yun Mu pondered for a moment: "Let's try to prioritize taking out the Jungle Poison Bee."

Although the Plague Mad Crocodile can act twice in one round, it does not have any AOE skills itself.

Liliya and Lucy's damage is insufficient; it is difficult to end the round while the enemies are unable to act.

Therefore, one can only choose to prioritize solving the most troublesome guy on the other side to reduce the attacks encountered later.

【Wait!】

The Plague Mad Crocodile enters a Stealth state, and the critical hit rate for the next attack will increase by 15%.

【Snap Bite!】

It opened its bloody maw and leaped out from the soil, its jaw full of sharp teeth biting down hard on the body of the Jungle Poison Bee.

【-161!】(Critical Hit)

【Bleeding!】

A Scarlet critical hit number jumped out above the Jungle Poison Bee's head; this time, Yun Mu's luck was good.

Given that the opponent possessed 【High-Speed Rotor】 and 70 points of Dodge, not only hitting but also landing a critical hit could be said to be the ideal situation.

That said, even adding the 15% crit from the Stealth state, the Plague Mad Crocodile's critical hit probability is only 36%.

How does it feel like this guy can crit every time?

Yun Mu muttered in her heart.

【Lilia Lucy begins her turn.】

The combat prompt in her mind pulled Yun Mu back from her thoughts. She began: "Liliya, just use Star Fall; Lucy, use the third effect of the Constellation Magic: Blade Constellation!"

"Moo moo!"

"I understand."

The person and the deer responded separately. Accompanied by starlight and blades falling in turns, the Jungle Poison Bee, which already had low health, died on the spot.

【Star Fall!】

【-10】

【-10】

【-18】

【Dodge!】

【Constellation Magic: Blade Constellation!】

【-82!】(Critical Hit!) 【-37!】

【-45!】

【-50!】

With this, the Yun Mu party's turn finally ended, and next, it was the monsters' turn to act.

【Jungle Python begins its turn!】

The Jungle Python in the first position arrived in front of Yun Mu with lightning speed. Its slippery body crawled from her ankles all the way to her upper body, binding her neck and arms.

【Snake Constriction!】

Distance 2, damage modifier +35%, and a 135% probability to bind the enemy for one round.

And an 85% probability to cause the enemy to suffer from oxygen deprivation and Stun.

However, in front of Yun Mu, this bit of probability was not worth mentioning at all.

She only needed to exert a little force to shake it off her body, but just as she wanted to do so, she discovered that Lucy was secretly watching her in her bound state with an indescribable expression that seemed somewhat excited.

Yun Mu hesitated.

And it was precisely this brief hesitation that allowed the battle to proceed to the next stage.

【-0!】

【Bound!】

"Miss Yun!" Brenna, in the cockpit of the Princess, grew worried the moment she saw her bound.

Besides that, there was also an inexplicable sense of jealousy.

Was Lucy peeking at Miss Yun just now? Although she was also peeking from the cockpit, that wasn't important!

What was important was that Miss Yun seemed to have noticed, yet didn't care at all, as if she had been bound on purpose.

Hmm. Brenna pouted in distress.

At the same time.

【Jungle Python begins its action!】

It was the turn of the Jungle Python in the second position to act; seeing the enemy bound by its companion, it crawled over from the ground without hesitation.

What is this guy trying to do?

Yun Mu was puzzled, seeing that it didn't seem to have any intention of attacking.

But soon, she thought of something.

Wait, wait a second, you aren't planning on using *that*, are you? Get lost, don't come near me, ahhh!

The turn-based rules restricted her; the moment the binding effect was successfully determined, Yun Mu had no way to break free.

【Swallow!】

Also a distance-2 skill, its damage is modified by -100%, and its main effect is that after the skill is successfully activated, the player will be controlled for three turns.

Furthermore, it deals damage equal to the Jungle Python's Spell Strength each turn, ignoring defense.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, Yun Mu remembered that although she was bound and couldn't run away, she could still jump up from where she stood.

So she performed a big jump directly backward, dodging the Jungle Python's skill.

【Dodge!】

Phew, that was close.

Looking at the text popping up above her head, Yun Mu breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

This reminded her of the experience when she first transmigrated and was swallowed into the stomach of that Dust-Eating Flower inside the Old Witch Clothing Store. Well, the inside of a Dust-Eating Flower's stomach wasn't disgusting; one could even say it was very clean. The liquid inside was just plant secretions that could clean off dust and grime. Yun Mu was willing to call it an otherworld washing machine. Parentheses: the kind that can wash people. At the time, she was even looked down upon by that flower—what a sad memory.

【Spiky Slime begins its action!】

The Spiky Slime was an ink-green creature with its body covered in earthy-yellow poisonous spikes.

Its body looked very viscous and also carried significant acidity, capable of corroding items swallowed into it.

【Poison Sting!】

The Spiky Slime surged its body with force, instantly firing a row of poisonous spikes that flew toward Lucy and Liliya at the back of the team.

The shield value accumulated by the Kindred Mark was cleared, and the remaining spikes were blocked by a huge black-purple shield.

【-0!】

The Obsidian Great Shield's skill 【Immovable】 can reduce 25 points of ranged damage or 10 points of melee damage when taking damage.

It is almost equivalent to 25 or 10 points of defense, but it is not affected by effects like defense reduction or true damage!

Very useful.

【Current Combat Turn: 2】

【Player Yun Mu acts first.】

【Skip Turn!】

【【Bound】 status removed!】

【Plague Mad Crocodile begins its action!】

"Tsk."

Yun Mu hugged the Jungle Python's thick body with both hands and threw it onto the ground with all her might. Seeing the latter quickly flee back to the first position to stand, she curled her lips in annoyance.

What a blunder. Fortunately, it wasn't a big problem; after Brenna's turn, she should be able to wipe out the opposite side completely.

"Plague Mad Crocodile, use Howl twice!"

After thinking about it, she didn't have the Plague Mad Crocodile use the classic 【Wait】 + 【Bite】 combo this time, but instead tried using Howl to intimidate the enemy.

"Roar!!" Upon receiving Yun Mu's command, the Plague Mad Crocodile immediately tilted its head and began to howl.

The first sound had almost no effect, while the second made the Jungle Python in the first and second positions sway uneasily.

When the Plague Mad Crocodile was still a Leader boss, Howl would increase the pressure on Yun Mu and her team's side.

It was about the same for the enemies, only she couldn't clearly see the pressure value on the opposite side.

As for what increasing the enemy's pressure does?

Uh... it's definitely useful, but she hadn't experimented with it much and wasn't very clear.

Just as Yun Mu was thinking about the potential uses of pressure, she saw the Jungle Python in the second position on the opposite side suddenly turn and flee into the distance. Before long, its figure disappeared into the depths of the Di Xia Cong Lin.

Ah, this.

Visibly, the Jungle Python in the first position became even more agitated, but it didn't run away; instead, it swung its tail and hit the Spiky Slime.

【-23!】

This... 6.

What else could Yun Mu say?

After Liliya released 【Star Fall】, Lucy used 【Alchemy Bomb】, and Brenna finished a round of bombardment, the battle ended just like that.

【You have achieved a battle victory—

Your 【Gold Coin】 increased by 15396! (Pickpocketing +8%)

Your passive skill 【Pickpocketing lv8】 upgraded to 【Pickpocketing lv9】! 【Your pickpocketing technique is unrivaled. In this world, I fear only the gods could perceive who you have stolen from. I am very curious as to how you honed this technique of yours.】】

【The quantity of loot obtained has increased by 9%.】

Heh, how did I train it? You have the nerve to ask me? Yun Mu thought as she saw the skill upgrade notification pop up on the Game Panel.

Every time after winning a battle, she could fish out extra Gold Coins from corpses that had absolutely no money on them, not even a money pouch—if she wasn't a Saint of Thieves, who was! Ahem, just kidding.

The illusion before her eyes gradually dissipated. Before leaving, Yun Mu clicked on her inventory and glanced at the balance of thirty thousand inside, her brows involuntarily relaxing.

Getting rich starts today!

【You have defeated the Counterattack illusion of 【Eriweis the Insect Eater lv189 (Divinity)】.】 【The Divinity within the statue has been devoured by you.】 【Your Divinity +1】

It seems the reward for this event is this so-called Divinity?

The illusion lifted, and as she returned to the Fungal Path, Yun Mu looked at the notification popping up on the Game Panel, lost in thought.

What exactly is the use of this Divinity? Like other hidden stats, Willpower can resist effects like charm, hypnosis, and brainwashing, while Charm is just as the literal meaning suggests—it improves one's temperament.

Lucky can influence fortune, and Focus can improve concentration, so what is this Divinity for? Yun Mu was a bit stumped, so she simply stopped thinking about the question.

And after the Divinity inside the statue was devoured by Yun Mu, the sculpture no longer had that strange feeling it had before.

It even snapped into two halves on the spot.

This should count as completing the option to topple the statue.

"Very good." After seeing the broken statue with his own eyes, the Dwarf holding a War Hammer nodded with great satisfaction.

"Since that is the case, let us continue forward," he said.

At the same time, inside the Game Panel.

【Dwarf Trust +25, current Trust is: 60 (Respect)】

Sixty is already considered Respect?

Yun Mu was a bit surprised; at the same time, she discovered a question mark appearing at the end of the Trust value.

It looked like it could be clicked on.

【There are five stages of Dwarf Trust: 0-19 (Indifferent), 20-59 (Friendly), 60-79 (Respect), 80-89 (Ally), 90-100 (Kin). Please increase the Dwarfs' trust in the player as much as possible, otherwise, it will affect the story's path and lead to a fall into Darkness.】

Respect, Ally, and Kin, huh?

It seems reasonable enough.

But then again, will the level of Trust affect whether the story path falls into Darkness?

It was about the same as what she had guessed earlier. Yun Mu pondered as a new path quickly appeared before her.

However, this time it didn't give her any room to choose; there was only one next area she could head to.

That is—

【Reward Area】

Yay, it's a Treasure Chest! Yun Mu's eyes lit up, and she couldn't wait to step onto the new path with the Dwarfs.

Soon, a locked Treasure Chest with a moss-covered surface and a damp, yellowing wooden body appeared before everyone.

Just as Yun Mu was about to step forward to pick the lock, she found that all the Dwarfs present had stopped in alert.

"Careful, it might be a mimic," the Dwarf holding the War Hammer said in a low voice.

No kidding, finding a Treasure Chest in the middle of nowhere—how could any normal person think there wouldn't be a problem?

The possibility of this being a mimic is very high! Hmm, come to think of it, she had indeed encountered mimics in the Reward Area before; besides that, there were also Trap Boxes that blew dust all over her face when opened.

"I'll do it, I'm an Expert!" Yun Mu said, reaching out to stop the Dwarfs who were holding their weapons and eager to try.

Perhaps because the Trust had increased, none of these Dwarfs objected.

"Watch out for traps," the leading Dwarf said at her side as she passed him.

Hmm, saying "at her side," he actually only reached her waist; these short folks were actually quite cute once you got used to them. Yun Mu thought, pulling the lockpicking tools from her bosom and skillfully picking the lock.

What, you ask why she uses a pick when she could just force it open? Don't ask, this is called a sense of Ritual.

Click.

Accompanied by a crisp sound, Yun Mu successfully picked the Treasure Chest.

However, the next second, a slimy tongue stretched out from inside the chest and wrapped around Yun Mu's wrist.

Damn, it's a mimic!!

(End of chapter)