Chapter 70: Freelance Player

Chen Shicheng did not go over directly.

Instead, he controlled the ever‑invisible evil spirit orb to fly to the source of the sound, while he switched the orb's viewpoint and silently lurked nearby, spying.

Not far from the corridor's corner was a massive chamber, and in its center stood a three‑meter‑tall, beige giant flesh worm. Its spindle‑shaped, round, segmented body resembled a tire at a glance; its gaping maw was lined with a ring of tiny teeth that chilled the eyes, and it occasionally emitted a roar.

At that moment, the one battling the giant flesh worm was a young player who pinched a talisman in his left hand and wielded a sword in his right.

From the battlefield traces, the disparity in strength was obvious; the worm's body seemed to absorb blows, and aside from a few burns, the young player's sword appeared to have inflicted no damage.

The young player was clearly at a disadvantage; facing the worm's acidic spray and charging attacks, he could only rely on a continuous Lazy Donkey Roll to dodge, his body coated in dust, clearly unable to hold out long.

Seeing the situation clearly, Chen Shicheng felt a bit conflicted: should he intervene? If he did, teaming up with the player would surely kill the giant flesh worm, yet he didn't know whether the young player held any trump cards; if the player managed to kill the worm, Chen might be accused of monster‑snatching.

But if he held back, he'd lose Merit Points and the youth might very well die, leaving Chen to face the worm alone and losing the chance to inquire about the underground palace.

Just as Chen Shicheng was still weighing his options, the battle inside the room suddenly shifted.

The carrion worm suddenly gathered energy and leapt before the young player, delivering another ferocious charge.

The youth failed to dodge, instinctively raised his sword to block, but this time a "Crunch!" rang out as the overburdened blade shattered.

The youth was stunned; he never imagined a relic‑grade sword could break at such a critical moment.

He instantly realized danger was imminent and tried to reuse the Lazy Donkey Roll, but it was already too late.

With the sword shattered, the worm's head faced no obstruction and slammed solidly into the young player's chest.

The massive force caused the youth to spew a gush of fresh blood, his legs thrusting far off the ground, rebounding off the wall and crashing to the floor, unable to rise for a while.

The carrion worm writhed its fleshy body, slowly yet swiftly inching toward the youth; its head lifted high, its large mouth bristling with tiny sharp teeth, ready to swallow him whole.

The young player's ribs were shattered in half, leaving him unable to dodge, resignedly facing the impending death.

However, as he contemplated whether to continue after reviving, a barely perceptible whooshing sound suddenly echoed behind the worm.

The carrion worm's attempt to devour his head halted abruptly, then it seemed struck by an invisible massive blade and was flung sideways.

Bang!

The huge worm body whooshed past, flying dozens of meters until it slammed into the wall, finally shedding most of its momentum.

Under that invisible strike, a massive wound opened on the worm's neck, green fluid spurted out, causing it to howl in pain, its body curling into a ball and rolling continuously.

The young player froze on the spot.

What's going on? Am I not tasty?

After standing stunned for four or five seconds, he snapped back, realizing someone nearby had saved him!

Where is the person? The youth quickly turned his head in all directions to find his rescuer, and soon spotted the man standing at the doorway, seemingly radiating Holy Light.

"The instant‑kill effect didn't trigger."

He wasn't sure whether the slash was mis‑aimed or the 2.6% chance was too low; Chen Shicheng was dissatisfied with the result of his attack.

Moreover, the worm's damage‑reduction seemed overly strong; his slash barely inflicted any damage, and as the green fluid dwindled, the worm regained its composure. Angrily turning, it stared at Chen Shicheng, who had appeared at the doorway unknown to it, its three compound eyes blazing with fury, instantly contracting its body and leaping forward.

Seeing the massive worm charge at him, Chen Shicheng calmly raised a finger, channeling True Essence.

Ten Strikes, Ten Perfections!

Ten Blade Surge strikes of equal power erupted; even though the worm's hide could deflect attacks, the sheer number overwhelmed it, and ten similar wounds appeared across its body.

Although much of its force was shed, the worm's charging momentum slowed; yet it dragged its wound‑riddled body, howling, and continued crawling rapidly toward Chen Shicheng.

Chen Shicheng let out a light laugh; just as he was about to let the evil spirit orb finish the worm, the distant youth suddenly reacted, pulling out a talisman paper that transformed into a Lightning strike hitting the worm's tail.

Seeing this, Chen Shicheng quickly ordered the evil spirit orb to cease, intending to keep a trump card.

Then, he and the youth moved in tandem, cooperating to harass the carrion worm.

Whenever it dared to rush at Chen Shicheng, the youth instantly unleashed a Wind slash; when it painfully turned back, he quickly retreated, and Chen Shicheng added another ten Blade Surge strikes.

The worm's limited brain capacity couldn't devise a response, allowing the two to toy with it like a kite, slicing it to pieces step by step toward death.

Just as the carrion worm was about to lose its life completely, the youth withdrew in time, letting Chen Shicheng deliver a final Blade Surge that harvested the worm's head.

"Aoo"

Accompanied by the last roar, the worm's head shot high into the air, utterly silent.

At the same time, two system notifications popped up on Chen Shicheng's panel.

【Killed Lv. 12 carrion worm; level‑up kill experience doubled; gained 24 Experience Points.】

【Rescued a life; Stealing Heaven Pendant effect activated; extract 10 Merit Points this time? (Remaining uses: 3/3)】

【Level: Lv. 6 (24/100)】

【Merit Points: 970】

Level 12.

Chen Shicheng inhaled sharply at the worm's level shown in the kill info.

If all the underground palace monsters stay at this level, then after this exclusive raid, the Cultural Tourism Bureau Logistics Department's reserves would surely take off directly.

Sure enough, leaning against a big tree for shade, the upgrade speed was many times faster than his own, and the skill gear was probably already prepared for C City's reserve troops; everything was fed straight to the mouth.

"Should I join the official organization? With my current strength, I could probably secure a roster slot."

Thinking of that, Chen Shicheng felt a slight stir, even entertaining a ridiculous notion, but he quickly shook his head and tossed the thought away.

Before he possessed enough self‑preservation power to speak loudly, he would never contact the official organization; that line could not be crossed.

(End of Chapter)