Leo and the others stood at the entrance of the hidden room. Seeing that the interior was pitch black without a sound, they exchanged glances.
Majesty quietly placed five Lightning Sentries at the door and then summoned her Shadow Warrior. The shadow stepped directly into the darkness of the secret chamber.
Here they come! Bonebreaker's jaw chattered with excitement. He raised his precious Morning Star and swung it toward the grave robber's head. The Shadow Warrior sustained a barrage of attacks and instantly dissipated into sparks of light.
Seeing the enemy vanish into points of light, Bonebreaker realized he had been tricked. White electric light filled his vision. He took two steps forward, leading his subordinates in a clack-clack charge. If you want my treasure, you'll have to ask if my Morning Star agrees first!
Bonebreaker's plan was sound, but unfortunately, the lightning emitted by the Lightning Sentries dealt piercing damage; standing in front of his subordinates was useless. After rushing out of the room, only Bonebreaker remained—a commander without an army.
Leo saw a blood-red skeleton burst from the secret chamber and knew he hadn't mistaken it this time: it was the Unique boss from the game, Bonebreaker, along with the Golden Chest he guarded.
[Bonebreaker, Level 40. Extra Strong, Magic Resistant, Spectral Hit.]
Seeing the Magic Resistant and Spectral Hit traits, Leo knew that elemental damage would have a minimal effect this time; he would have to rely on his own physical output.
He immediately activated Sacrifice, swinging his short mace at the opponent's head. Unexpectedly, the opponent's reaction was swift, easily parrying the mace. The Morning Star in the skeleton's hand glowed with light as it swung directly at Leo.
Leo was not to be outdone, raising his light shield to block the attack. However, the opponent's strength was immense; his arm was shaken numb. A surge of lightning power traveled through the shield, leaving Leo paralyzed where he stood.
Bonebreaker's combat experience was exceptionally rich; he immediately raised a foot and kicked Leo in the stomach. Leo was sent flying, crashing hard against the wall.
Leo scrambled to his feet, seeing his health had dropped by nearly fifty points. He downed a Light Healing Potion. "The opponent's strength is great, and he doesn't fear elemental damage. You two stay back and focus on harassment and support."
Gerdie quickly applied buffs to Leo and used Battle Cry to lower the monster's damage.
Majesty felt powerless; Mind Blast and Psychic Hammer had almost no effect, and Bonebreaker completely ignored the summoned Shadow Warrior.
Leo carefully controlled the distance. This Bonebreaker must have been a powerful warrior in life; even in death, his fighting style was so methodical. High attack, high defense, burst potential, and great technique—while he lacked any one overwhelming advantage, he had no weaknesses either. This was the perfect counter to Leo's party.
After several exchanges with Bonebreaker, Leo gained no ground. His elemental damage had little impact on the foe, yet the foe's random elemental damage was very troublesome. A moment earlier, a burst of cold damage had triggered; fortunately, Leo possessed the Cannot Be Frozen trait, otherwise he would likely be dead by now.
Gritting his teeth, he opened his skill panel and learned both Holy Fire and Holy Freeze in succession.
> Holy Fire (Level 6): When active, continuously deals fire damage to nearby enemies. Radius: 4 yards. Adds 7-21 fire damage. Pulse damage: 1.2-3.5.
> Holy Freeze (Level 18): When active, continuously freezes nearby enemies. Radius: 4 yards. Adds 11-17 cold damage. Pulse damage: 2-3. Slows enemies by 30%.
>
He immediately activated Holy Freeze. A misty, gas-like ice aura surged from his feet, and the temperature in the room instantly plummeted below freezing. Bonebreaker turned from red to deep blue, and his movements slowed down at once.
Leo used Sacrifice to strike Bonebreaker once and then immediately dodged. Although Bonebreaker could react every time to parry or counter, he was always a step too slow. No martial art is invincible save for speed; with Bonebreaker's greatest advantage—his balance—shattered, he instantly fell into a passive state.
However, Bonebreaker was indeed an experienced warrior. He directly abandoned his shield, gripping his Morning Star with both hands. He pre-emptively began his attack animation, waiting for Leo to approach so he could trade injury for injury.
Unfortunately, the one thing the trio did not lack was potions. A few minutes later, Bonebreaker was worn down to death.
Leo saw the "Blue and White" items on the ground and had no interest in picking them up for appraisal. Instead, the secret chamber was more attractive.
Raising his shield to protect his vitals, he scanned the interior. The minions' drops were even worse—all White equipment. He didn't see the expected Golden Chest.
Though there was no Golden Chest, Leo's attention had long since been drawn to the dozen or so large crates in the back.
"Majesty, Gerdie, come in and pick the locks! We're rich!"
Carefully opening the first chest, the treasure inside wasn't as much as imagined; the vast majority of it had been corroded, turning into a few gold coins and gems.
Leo collected the coins into his inventory—the count jumped by over ten thousand. He picked up a gem: a Perfect Topaz. (In weapon: +1-40 lightning damage; in helm/armor: +24% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items; in shield: +40% Lightning Resistance). Continuing to open the other chests, they were all gold coins. After counting, there were over 200,000 gold coins. The feeling of becoming an overnight millionaire was truly grand.
Rogue Encampment, Military Meeting Room. Kashya closed her eyes, sensing the Soulstone in her hand. Leo stood to the side, unable to guess what this woman actually wanted.
Kashya felt there was no problem and stowed the Soulstone, speaking casually: "Hero, I should give you the best reward. How about letting my most excellent subordinate become your specialized mercenary?"
"Lady Kashya, do you mean Lady Kyoko?" Leo vaguely guessed Kashya's intent. However, he had many secrets. Although there are no walls in the world that don't leak, it was better to delay as long as possible. As long as his strength could match the secrets he held, he would be safe.
"Hero, there aren't many men who can catch my eye. Please do not say such pointless things to make me look down on you," Kashya was as overbearing as ever, staring at Leo and emphasizing every word, "I said my most excellent subordinate. Do you understand?"
Leo grumbled internally; he really wasn't good at dealing with this matriarchal queen. But regardless, he had to struggle a bit: "My Lady, it isn't that I'm unwilling, but rather that I cannot."
Kashya folded her arms across her chest, looking at Leo indifferently and nodding for him to continue.
"Our squad already has three people. If we add another, the speed of our cultivation will be dragged down." Leo felt smug. I don't care how excellent she is; we don't want anyone splitting our experience.
"Rest assured on that point. After research by the Alliance, once a Mercenary Contract is signed, the power you gain from killing monsters will not decrease. The portion of power required for the mercenary's growth will be directly supplemented by the World Guardian power. Of course, the premise is that you kill monsters and contribute to the world." Seeing that the reason Leo provided was reasonable, Kashya explained patiently.