《Part-Time BOSS》


 CH 1

    Upon the towering Longshou Peak, a black dragon gazes out over the vast, black, carbon-like plain below. The dragon¡¯s scales gleam like obsidian in the dim sunlight, while its majestic wings unfurl, casting a colossal shadow upon the ridge. Its neck is slightly bent, giving it the appearance of a statue as it contemplates some profound question.


    The dragon¡¯s eyes flutter open, revealing vertical pupils unique to reptiles that glimmer with a flame-like luster. This is Morpheus, also known as the ¡°Shadow of Death,¡± the Black Dragon Lord, a level 80 disaster-level boss and the leader of the Dark Dragon Nest Dungeon. One of the thirteen Black Dragon Lords of the Black Dragon Legion.


    Behind the black dragon, an army of monster servants¡ªgoblins, gnolls, kobolds¡ªcrowd together, bustling about their tasks. A few huge ogres and bugbears drag big wooden sticks and yawn lazily. Though they possess little patience for waiting, they make no move to protest under the oppressive influence of the black dragon¡¯s aura, known as Longwei.


    Several black young dragons stood shoulder to shoulder on the cliff¡¯s edge, mimicking their uncle¡¯s posture as they gazed into the distance. In the horizon, where the dark plain meets the emerald forest, tiny black dots could be seen gradually approaching.


    At first, the young dragons were quite interested, but they soon grew bored with the arrival of the adventurers, who were brave, fearless, greedy, and all too familiar.


    One dragon stepped forward from the crowd and cautiously asked, ¡°Master Morpheus, the enemy has appeared. Shall we go down and prepare?¡±


    The black dragon did not answer. Its wordless silence made the curious dragon¡¯s forehead sweat, and it dared not ask again, retreating soundlessly.


    The black young dragons whispered amongst themselves.


    ¡°Master Morpheus¡¯ dragon power is growing stronger by the day.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but what do you suppose is on Master Morpheus¡¯ mind?¡±


    ¡°I believe Lord Morpheus may be praying to the gods. It is said that powerful dragons can communicate directly with the Dragon God. Perhaps the Dragon God is revealing an oracle to Lord Morpheus,¡± suggested one of the dragons.


    ¡°I believe Lord Morpheus is contemplating whether to unleash a new dragon calamity. Our lair has been established for nearly half a year, and those adventurers come to cause trouble every now and then. It¡¯s time to eradicate them and seize their treasures!¡± proposed another.


    ¡°You¡¯re all overthinking it. Maybe Mr. Morpheus is just thinking about what to eat tonight. I, for one, crave some roast lamb¡­¡± joked a third dragon.


    However, none of their guesses aligned with what the black dragon Morpheus was truly thinking.


    ¡°What the hell? Is it some kind of holiday or game event today? Why are there so many adventurers here? And why are they attacking from the front of the dark plain? Don¡¯t they know how I earned the nickname ¡®Shadow of Death¡¯? Well, the more people who come, the bloodier the slaughter. As long as there are no heroes leading the team, these adventurers are doomed. Speaking of which, the live streaming room is about to open, and I¡¯ll need to work hard to earn my rewards.¡±


    As it turned out, Black Dragon Morpheus was not just a dragon, but also the gamer and livestreamer Murphy.


    In the game ¡°Firmament World,¡± it is not unusual for players to assume the role of a BOSS. They have the freedom to choose any role they wish, ranging from a mouse in the sewers to a deep-sea monster lurking in the ocean depths, or even the gods in the realm of the divine can be played by the players.


    In the game ¡°Firmament World,¡± the traditional time cards and premium items have been replaced with template-based pricing.


    Throughout the game, players have dozens of character templates to choose from, which can be broadly categorized into three types based on the pricing model.


    The first type is a free template, where players can play without having to spend any money.


    The monster templates allow players to assume the form of various creatures such as skeletons, zombies, birds of prey, goblins, murlocs, ooze monsters, piranhas, and other strange beings.


    The soldier template lets players play the role of ordinary soldiers from different kingdoms. They guard cities, patrol the countryside, eliminate monsters, participate in inter-kingdom wars, and serve as cannon fodder on the battlefield.


    The civilian template doesn¡¯t have any combat capabilities, but players can travel around, learn skills, do business, open shops, and experience civilian life in the fantasy world.


    The second type is the paid template, where players need to use point cards to buy game time.


    The adventurer template is the closest to the traditional game mode. Players fight monsters and upgrade their characters, kill bosses to obtain equipment, accept missions, and earn reputation. This type of template has the largest number of players.


    The explorer template lets players delve deep into ancient ruins, explore ancient secrets, and unearth legendary treasures.


    The vassal template allows players to own their own manor, cultivate land, develop their properties, or lead troops to fight and serve their lord, participating in wars.


    The third type is the VIP template, which is the most enjoyable and the most expensive way to play the game.


    The lord template has gameplay similar to that of a real-time strategy game. Players take on the role of a lord who owns a castle and territory. They can farm and develop wasteland, form an army, battle against other kingdoms, expand their territory, lead an army to resist the attacks of orcs, undead, and demons, perform meritorious deeds, and even establish their own kingdom.


    The hero template allows players to play as a legendary hero with noble blood, significant life experience, and a remarkable life. They can take risks with adventurers, defeat powerful BOSS demon kings, call kings their brothers and sisters, fight side by side, and play between towns¡¯ taverns. They can also talk about love with elves and drink with dwarves.


    The hero template has the highest degree of freedom and five times the attribute growth of ordinary adventurers, making their attacks five times more powerful. The coolest feature is that heroes can participate personally in various epic plot events and even directly change the plot¡¯s direction. For example, the player who killed the orc chief Blackhand at the Dark Portal a month ago was a hero template player. Stormwind Kingdom even set up a statue for this player for the world to admire. When this player walks into the city, the guards of Stormwind will kneel down on one knee to show their respect.


    In the BOSS template, players can build their monster forces, sweep villages and towns, fight against kingdoms, create dungeons, and battle against greedy adventurer teams. The BOSS template¡¯s single combat effectiveness is the strongest, and some world-class big BOSS can even destroy a country with one person.


    However, even the most formidable BOSSes are unable to destroy the entire sky world as each time they attempt to do so, heroes emerge to prevent their plans from coming to fruition.


    Rumors abound that a god template exists on the VIP template, but it remains closed to players for now. Many speculate that this is a tool used by the game company to control the game plot, much like the existence of a GM. However, this remains nothing more than speculation.


    Despite the thrilling prospect of playing in this mode, the VIP templates come with an exorbitant cost. The levels of lords, heroes, and even bosses are all divided, and even the weakest skeleton-level bosses or bronze-level heroes require an investment of more than 100,000 RMB to unlock. As a result, only the wealthiest of players can afford to play this mode.


    Murphy played the boss template, and it was a disaster-level boss. (The hierarchy of boss levels in this game is divided into five grades: skeleton level, horror level, disaster level, world level, and world destruction level.)


    Although Murphy is not a wealthy player, his Black Dragon BOSS has grown from a small black dragon whelpling and was upgraded little by little.


    In this game, there is a design where a low-level template can be advanced to a higher-level template as long as certain conditions are met. Small soldiers can be promoted to vassals, vassals to lords, monsters to elites, elites to bosses, bosses to big bosses, and so on.


    However, advancing the template is no easy feat. One misstep can lead to becoming a stepping stone for others to advance, and Murphy has faced countless deaths in the process of upgrading. His success is a combination of both luck and skill, and a testament to his gaming prowess.


    In the ¡°Firmament World¡± section of the entire Xingyao live broadcast platform, Murphy has firmly established himself as the first brother in the monster area, and has become a celebrity in the entire game circle of ¡°Firmament World.¡±


    However, fame has its downsides. Every now and then, players form teams to attack him, seeking to destroy his equipment, conquer his dungeons, and gain notoriety.


    There was even a lord player who arrived with an army to trigger a ¡°story campaign,¡± hoping to use his leadership to earn reputation and story points.


    Since he established his dragon lair in the Dragon Flame Mountains three months ago, this situation has become increasingly frequent. At its peak, three waves of adventurers came in one day.


    Murphy fought every day, battling over 20 times in three months, killing countless adventurers, including an elite team led by two hero players.


    That battle was fierce and bloody, and ended with the heroic deaths of the two heroes.


    Since that tragic battle, no organized players have visited for a full week.


    But as soon as Murphy logged on today, he noticed an unusual activity in the Burning Plain. His heart raced with excitement at the prospect of encountering some reckless adventurers. ¡°Tsk tsk tsk, when will these greedy adventurers ever learn?¡± he thought to himself. ¡°Are they just here to offer their equipment and heads again? Well, today I will teach them a lesson. A boss cannot be defeated by sheer numbers alone.¡±


    Slowly turning around, Murphy surveyed the monsters beneath him, his gaze finally settling on the dragon warlord, Borax. ¡°Go and prepare, Borax,¡± the Black Dragon Lord commanded. ¡°Meet me at the usual spot with all of your servants. Don¡¯t let a single adventurer escape. Don¡¯t disappoint me.¡±


    Borax, the Dragon Warlord, replied with obedience to Lord Morpheus¡¯s command, promising not to disappoint him. ¡°Did you all hear that? Move quickly, you lazy slackers, or I¡¯ll flay you alive if you miss Lord Morpheus,¡± he shouted at the monsters.


    With a swing of his flame whip, Borax drove the monsters down the mountain, eager to carry out his mission.


    Murphy, on the other hand, remained calm and composed. He had the ability to fly and could easily join the battle at any moment, but he decided to wait for the monsters to make the first move. As an anchor, he knew that it was important to stay focused on the task at hand, even though playing a black dragon was a cool job.


    As the time approached, Murphy switched on the live broadcast system, adjusted the viewing angle, and began broadcasting today¡¯s game.

 CH 2

    The live broadcast room of ¡°Black Dragon Morpheus¡± was already overflowing with millions of viewers before eight o¡¯clock. The atmosphere was incredibly intense.


    However, Murphy did not acknowledge the audience. He adhered to a crucial principle during his live broadcasts: he would never break character. Whether he was playing a dragon whelp or a dragon lord, he exuded the appropriate aura and appearance that was expected of such a character. While other anchors bantered about ¡°old stuff,¡± ¡°esteemed audience,¡± and ¡°gorgeous men and women,¡± Murphy referred to his viewers as ¡°ignorant mortals,¡± ¡°insignificant humans,¡± and ¡°amusing little creatures.¡±


    It¡¯s no secret that many viewers found his attitude off-putting, and some even hurled insults his way. But Murphy remained unfazed. As an anchor, it¡¯s impossible to please everyone, so it¡¯s better to stay true to one¡¯s unique qualities.


    Although he occasionally interacted with the audience, he always did so in a way that was consistent with his character. For instance, at that moment, he gazed off into the distance and began speaking to himself.


    ¡°Hehehe, another group of adventurers seeking death. These foolish, greedy humans will never learn. They dare to trespass in my territory, courting their own demise. Well then, let the shadow of death once again cover this land. Let my anger as a black dragon reduce their flesh and blood to ashes, nourishing the earth!¡±


    As Murphy muttered to himself, the barrage of comments in the live broadcast room flooded in.


    ¡°Yes, yes, teach these foolish humans a lesson!¡±


    ¡°Brother Long1, you¡¯re so shameless for copying Illidan¡¯s lines!¡±


    ¡°Burn them all to ashes! I want to see a live barbecue, so don¡¯t censor the screen!¡±


    ¡°Brother Long is all-powerful and domineering. If you don¡¯t get more lines in a movie, it¡¯s a waste of your talent!¡±


    ¡°Brother Long, did you come up with that line yourself or did a screenwriter write it for you? It¡¯s so moving!¡±


    The dragon bellowed with laughter. ¡°Hahahaha, you small-minded humans have managed to please me. Allow me to show you the power of the Black Dragon Lord Morpheus.¡±


    With a flap of his wings, he soared into the sky, his wingspan extending over a hundred meters. Several black young dragons followed closely behind.


    Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the dark plain, the sky remained perpetually shrouded in dense black clouds. This was no natural weather phenomenon but a bizarre scene caused by the constant rain of volcanic ash and the thick smoke rising from the lava.


    The sky was darkened by the ash, and the air was heavy with the stench of death and sulfur.


    Not a single blade of grass nor a living creature could be found in this desolate land, with volcanic ash and dry lava pools spread out as far as the eye could see.


    Despite its inhospitable nature, a group of over 300 adventurers made their way through this death-covered land in an attempt to reach Longhuo Peak undetected.


    ¡°Everyone, stay quiet and avoid disturbing the monsters around us. We need to reach Longshuo2 Peak before the black dragon discovers us. Shh, keep your voices down!¡± Qingfeng Lanhuai, the team¡¯s leader, warned the players from the Dragon¡¯s War guild.


    However, his words had little effect on the loose and excitable players, who continued to chatter endlessly about the event¡¯s objectives. Their march was less of a secret mission and more like a leisurely outing.


    Lakeside Knight: ¡°Have you heard the rumors about the black dragon Morpheus capturing the princess of Stromgarde Kingdom and imprisoning her in his lair? It is said that whoever rescues the princess will be rewarded by the king and promoted to the rank of hero, with the chance to marry the princess and live a life of luxury.¡±


    Fifty-Third Street: ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous! The adventurer rank can¡¯t be promoted, and becoming a hero is no easy feat. I heard Morpheus has already formed a bond with the princess and even had two half-human, half-dragon offspring. He¡¯s living the life, that lucky devil.¡±


    Star World Citizen: ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t Morpheus just an NPC? How can players and NPCs have children?¡±


    Hong Yun: ¡°What?! Is there an adult mode in this game? How do you form bonds with NPCs? Someone teach me, please!¡±


    Yunfeng: ¡°Well, you can always spend money to unlock it. Just send me 200 on WeChat, and I¡¯ll help you out.¡±


    Wushang Zhonglin: ¡°You¡¯re all wrong. Morpheus isn¡¯t a player or an NPC. He¡¯s actually an NPC disguised as a player.¡±


    Star Sage: ¡°Morpheus is definitely a player. I have watched his live broadcast, and he is very engaging and entertaining.¡±


    Gwan2: ¡°Wait, Morpheus is a streamer? Can we be featured on his stream if we fight him?¡±


    Ma Tianxing: ¡°That¡¯s a possibility.¡±


    Tiantian Wuren: ¡°I heard Morpheus hasn¡¯t been defeated in six months, and the drop rate of loot on him has accumulated to 500%. If we can take down that black dragon, we¡¯ll be swimming in riches.¡±


    Black Cat: ¡°I heard that Morpheus¡¯s dragon lair contains treasures from all over the world. A dwarf thief recently stole an orange gem from one of the treasure chests and sold it for hundreds of thousands.¡±


    Xiao Bieli: ¡°That¡¯s unbelievable! What kind of gem is worth that much? Let¡¯s form a stealth team and give it a try.¡±


    Paladin Stepping On Blood: ¡°So Morpheus¡¯ black dragon is really that powerful? Can we defeat it?¡±


    Yuhai Barbershop: ¡°What are you all worried about? Our guild has over 300 members here, and the level 40+ players alone have formed five regiments. No matter how strong Morpheus is, he¡¯s just a 40-player dungeon boss. We¡¯ll kill him easily. Our priority is to keep him from running away and trap him in the dungeon.¡±


    Xu Shenxian: ¡°Yeah, that makes sense. Let¡¯s keep our voices down, though.¡±


    Everyone whispered, sharing information, reliable or not, and growing more excited about the mission, even moving a little faster.


    Qingfeng Lanhuai jumped up onto a raised rock, scanning the area. However, all he could see was the dim sky and the Longshuo Mountains in the distance.


    This eerie place was creepy even in daylight, with extremely low visibility.


    Qingfeng searched the area but didn¡¯t see any monsters. As she was about to return to the group, a strange wind blew in.


    The wind was powerful, blowing volcanic ash into the air and filling the area with the scent of sulfur. Qingfeng Lanhuai suddenly felt uneasy.


    As he stared intently, his gaze sharpened like a falcon¡¯s, but he couldn¡¯t see anything in the distance.


    He activated his Beast Sensation ability once more, sensing a looming threat coming from an upward angle. Looking up, he saw nothing but the dim, dark clouds and a brilliant red sun reflecting in the sky. Suddenly, a flash of light passed through the sun, and a shadow flitted across his vision.


    Realizing the imminent danger, he exclaimed, ¡°The dragon is approaching! Get ready to fight at nine o¡¯clock!¡± With a swift motion, he drew his keel longbow and notched an arrow.


    However, Xu Shenxian interjected, ¡°Nine o¡¯clock? It¡¯s only eight o¡¯clock.¡±


    Black Cat chimed in, ¡°What¡¯s going on at nine o¡¯clock, President?¡±


    Qingfeng cursed in anger, ¡°It¡¯s nine o¡¯clock, you idiots! Look at a fifteen-degree angle!¡± In a matter of moments, the black shadow in the sun rapidly approached and grew to an immense size. It was a massive black dragon with a ferocious expression, boasting a wingspan of over 100 meters. As the dragon descended, it unleashed a deluge of flames upon a group of unfortunate people who had gathered to chat and relax, engulfing them in an inferno. Their screams echoed throughout the area as they burned to ashes.


    One adventurer remarked, ¡°Wow, that¡¯s a huge black dragon!¡±


    Another cried out in pain, ¡°Help! Put out the fire!¡±


    Yunfeng exclaimed, ¡°This black dragon is merciless! It attacked my nineteen-year-old companion!¡±


    The black dragon showed no mercy as it continued to spew flames that seemed to have a life of their own, engulfing adventurers who triggered the ignition effect. They ran in panic, resembling human-shaped torches.


    Meanwhile, several black young dragons excitedly launched fireballs, further exacerbating the chaos.


    1: L¨®ng means dragon.


    2: L¨®ngsh¨¯u means dragon¡¯s head.

 CH 3

    Ignoring the disobedient members, Lanhuai swiftly gave instructions to the core team.


    ¡°Elementalists, set up a flame protection barrier,¡± he commanded. ¡°Hunters, rangers, archers, move to the front and form an air defense formation! Everyone switch to long-range weapons and drink fire potions!¡±


    His trusted comrades were still powerful as ever, and within moments, they had formed a circular air defense system. The outermost layer was a line of anti-aircraft firepower consisting of sharpshooters, rangers, magic archers, and hunters. With the longest range, they were able to effectively attack from the air.


    The second layer was made up of mages, necromancers, elementalists, storm attendants, and other magic units. When the black dragon approached, they could unleash their destructive magic and deliver a powerful blow to the black dragon.


    Various healing and support occupations were positioned in the inner circle, with a high-level elementalist responsible for using the flame protection barrier in the core position.


    The black dragon soared through the air, its deep roar sending shivers down the spines of the adventurers below.


    Murphy taunted, ¡°Hehehe, small humans, struggling in vain for survival. The moment you entered my territory, your demise was sealed! You came here seeking glory and treasure, but all you will find is death and destruction. Tremble in fear and beg for mercy, and I may grant you a quick death.¡±


    Yanhuo God couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this black dragon? Why is he so talkative? Is he really a player?¡±


    Qingfeng Lanhuai nodded, ¡°Definitely a player, probably a show-off. Don¡¯t worry about him, just get ready to activate the barrier. Otherwise, we¡¯ll all die in no time.¡±


    In the blink of an eye, the black dragon swooped down again.


    Qingfeng Lanhuai urgently shouted, ¡°Dragon incoming! Elementalist, get ready to activate the shield! Archers, release the arrow rain!¡±


    Several flame protection barriers were activated simultaneously, creating a massive red magic shield that immediately shielded a large number of players in the central area. Long-range professionals fired a barrage of arrows, launching a direct assault on the black dragon.


    However, the black dragon didn¡¯t seem to be bothered and countered by unleashing a cloud of dragon¡¯s breath against the rain of arrows. The hot dragon fire collided with the magic barrier, creating a dazzling red halo.


    The elementalists in charge of supporting the barrier frantically released magical energy to protect their comrades.


    ¡°120 meters, 100 meters, 80 meters, all casters attack!¡±


    The air was filled with a mixture of flames and lightning as magic illuminated the sky. But the black dragon anticipated the attack one second in advance and suddenly turned when it was less than a hundred meters away. This caused most of the intense attacks to hit empty space.


    Instead, the dragon flew towards players who were not protected by magic, unleashing another wave of flames.


    Having participated in dozens of crusades, Murphy was well-versed in the tactics that players used.


    Usually, bows and arrows only dealt single or double-digit damage to him, which was not considered a great threat. However, it slowly consumed his life points, which was a disadvantage for an adult dragon with more than 80,000 health points.


    The real threat was the high-level magic, especially the powerful control magic, which even giant dragons dared not ignore. However, it didn¡¯t matter to the dragon because he was in the air and could freely choose when to enter the battlefield. The casting distance of magic was generally relatively short, so as long as he kept a good distance, he would not be defeated.


    At this moment, he was in a playful state of mind, circling around the large magic shields, occasionally diving down and spraying deadly dragon breath at the unprotected adventurers amidst the barrage of arrows. Every time the dragon¡¯s fire fell, there were inevitably screams.


    ¡°Maintain formation, maintain formation, everyone, get inside the barrier!¡± Qingfeng Lanhuai shouted loudly.


    In reality, there was no need for Qingfeng Lanhuai to call out. After all, high-level elementalists were a rare profession. With only eight shields available for over 300 adventurers, it was impossible to protect everyone.


    People pushed and shoved to get into the circle, hoping to survive the dragon¡¯s fiery assault.


    However, the black dragon did not give them a moment¡¯s respite. It continued to swoop and bombard, flames engulfing the wilderness. The sound of screams, magic explosions, and the sickening sound of human flesh being burnt to a crisp filled the air.


    ¡°This is a disaster!¡± Qingfeng Lanhuai felt his head spin as he watched the chaotic scene. ¡°All melee occupations, switch to long-range weapons for air defense. If you¡¯re a meat shield, don¡¯t crowd in. Support occupations, come inside! Quickly add up the buffs!¡±


    He tried his best to shoot an arrow, calculating its trajectory in advance. He thought it would hit, but the arrow flew across the sky, landing five or six meters behind the dragon¡¯s tail.


    ¡°Are all the long-range occupations dead? Can¡¯t you hit a target as big as this dragon? You guys are useless!¡±


    With all his might, he shot the arrow, having carefully calculated its trajectory beforehand. He had thought it would hit the target, but to his surprise, the arrow flew past the dragon¡¯s tail by several meters.


    ¡°How could this black dragon be so fast?¡± Qingfeng muttered, momentarily speechless. But then he quickly came up with a plan.


    ¡°Hey, all of you!¡± he shouted to the necromancers and conjurers who were standing around doing nothing. ¡°When the black dragon comes closer, wait for my signal and use curse magic together!¡±


    The dragon swooped down once more, its massive body incredibly agile. It skillfully maneuvered under a cloud of flames created by the burning cloud technique, dodged a destructive meteor and two lightning balls, and withstood several spell-extending arcane missiles. Its reinforced dragon¡¯s breath broke through the outermost flame protection barrier.


    In an instant, more than 20 bustling adventurers were burned to death, and an entire regiment was wiped out.


    The black dragon soared above the ground, its fearsome power and lethal attacks causing the adventurers below to scream in terror. With the help of his comrades, a warrior leaped into the air, intent on delivering a decisive blow. However, Murphy activated his Devour skill, rendering the attack ineffective. ¡°Mmm, this chicken is quite crunchy,¡± he remarked.


    As he took to the skies once more, Murphy gazed down at the panicked adventurers with a sense of pride. He was determined to emerge victorious from this battle.


    To build his dragon¡¯s nest in the vulnerable Burning Plain, Murphy relied on the dragon clan¡¯s formidable anti-ground capabilities. While dragons possessed the ability to fly and breathe fire, they were vulnerable to swarms of enemies. To bolster his anti-ground fighting skills, Murphy had devoted all of his talent points to strengthening his dragon breath and flying abilities, at the expense of melee skills, dragon language magic, and dominance enhancement.


    Although this choice had come at a significant cost, the results were impressive. His talent, ¡¾Smart Wings¡¿ allowed him to move freely in the air and evade enemy anti-air fire with ease.


    ¡¾Extreme Speed Flight¡¿ allows him to fly much faster than ordinary dragons, making it difficult for enemies to hit him with magic and arrows.


    With his ¡¾Scorched Earth¡¿ talent, Morpheus can directly destroy the terrain with his dragon breath, and his continuous spray of dragon breath can even penetrate through flame protection barriers.


    His ¡¾Wildfire Riddle¡¿ talent allows his dragon breath to spread and destroy enemy formations.


    Thanks to his ¡¾Bone Corrosion Dragon Flame¡¿ talent, Morpheus¡¯s dragon breath causes continuous damage after igniting targets, and this power cannot be dispelled.


    Morpheus is a perfect biological combustion bomber. None of the adventurer teams that have attempted to attack him in recent days have survived the dark plain. When the shadow of the black dragon falls upon the earth, death inevitably follows. This is where Morpheus gets his name.


    When a hero confronts him, they may cast their halberd into the sand in despair, refusing to drink the fire resistance potions in front of them and shunning their cloak of flame resistance.

 CH 4

    At this point, the army of adventurers had suffered over 100 casualties, and dozens of individuals had fled in all directions. Only a core force of about 150 people remained, and they made final formation adjustments while protected by the flame protection barrier.


    When the black dragon dove down again, the opponent launched an effective counterattack.


    ¡±Gravity!¡±


    ¡±Aging!¡±


    ¡±Fatigue Ray!¡±


    ¡±Lysis!¡±


    Several curse spells struck the black dragon one after another, most of which were nullified by its powerful vitality. However, a gravity spell successfully slowed the dragon down for a moment.


    And that brief moment was enough to cause fatal consequences. The disintegration technique weakened the dragon¡¯s scale armor, and a dense rain of arrows fell upon its body, dealing significant double-digit damage: -17, -33, -25¡­


    Despite enduring two rounds of arrow rain, Murphy only lost 3,000 health points. He was about to ascend to a higher altitude when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his left chest. ¡°-572!¡± A bright red number stood out among a sea of double-digit injuries.


    ¡±Ow! That hurts!¡± Murphy spiraled upward to gain height and reluctantly bit the arrow shaft to pull it out. A quick glance revealed that it was a mithril arrow enchanted with advanced armor piercing¡ªonly a wealthy individual could afford such a weapon.


    If the arrow had hit a vital point, it could have been disastrous. Given its high damage, was it a hero player who fired it?


    Murphy scanned the crowd and saw an elf ranger wearing a hood and cloak, slowly bending his bow and aiming another arrow.


    ¡±Is he just an adventurer?¡± Murphy was a little surprised. It was unexpected that an adventurer could deal such high damage. If the power of the shot were greater, it might have been a fatal blow.


    In the sky world, monsters have a blood bar system that affects gameplay, but to enhance authenticity, a ¡°fatal blow¡± feature was added. Once a fatal blow is landed, the blood bar becomes meaningless and even creatures with high health can be defeated in a single hit.


    However, landing a fatal blow is no easy feat. Humanoid creatures can be dispatched by decapitation or piercing their hearts, but for larger creatures like black dragons, it¡¯s much more challenging.


    Even with Morpheus¡¯s impressive size, decapitating a ten-meter-long dragon with a knife is a daunting task. Moreover, a dragon¡¯s heart is hidden beneath thick scales, not where most people assume it to be located. Unlike what one might expect, the heart is actually situated below the neck, the toughest part of a dragon¡¯s scales, and does not increase in proportion to the creature¡¯s size. Despite Morpheus¡¯s enormous wingspan of over 100 meters, a dragon¡¯s heart is only slightly larger than a human¡¯s.


    But even with the difficulty of landing a fatal blow, Murphy was not willing to take the risk.


    ¡°Stupid mortals,¡± taunted the dragon. ¡°Do you think that hiding behind magic and arming yourselves with weapons and blades is enough to challenge the great Black Dragon Lord Morpheus? Witness the power of the Black Dragon Legion! My minions, use your claws and blades to tear apart my enemies!¡±


    In an instant, the ground around them collapsed, revealing over a dozen dark tunnels. Crowds of goblins, kobolds, gnolls, and even a few towering ogres surged forth, driven by dragon-man vanguards to launch a frenzied attack on the adventurers.


    The players were taken completely by surprise. Their formation was designed for aerial defense, with marksmen, hunters, and other long-range specialists positioned at the outer edge. Now, they found themselves directly confronted with hordes of monsters.


    Qingfeng called out, ¡°Melee team, charge and take down the mobs!¡±


    Several thieves and assassins appeared, ready for battle.


    Zhu Youlei sighed. ¡°We¡¯re the only ones left. We¡¯re in trouble.¡±


    It was only at that moment that Qingfeng Lanhuai snapped back to reality. He had focused solely on air defense and had sacrificed all the melee professions, particularly the soldiers. The casualties were heavy, and few remained. There were a handful of thieves, assassins, and shadow dancers who had survived by hiding in the shadows, but their ability to withstand direct combat was lacking. It was too much to rely on them to hold the line.


    There were also a few paladins who had survived thus far, thanks to the Holy Shield, but it wasn¡¯t enough.


    In the blink of an eye, the monsters had stormed into the adventurers¡¯ formation, slaughtering and butchering their way through. Several spellcasters on the periphery were killed instantly.


    Several thieves and assassins were quickly overwhelmed. Qingfeng stowed his longbow and drew two scimitars, using them to slash through a few goblins. ¡°Damn it! Summon all the creatures you can! Little monsters!¡±


    He whistled and summoned his own wolf first.


    The players from Dragon¡¯s War displayed remarkable reflexes and quick thinking in response to the sudden attack. The elementalists summoned rock puppets to create a loose defensive formation, while hunters and rangers utilized their beast pets, and necromancers used bone guards to fend off the enemy. Arcanists summoned phantom dogs, and druids teamed up to summon a massive tree vine monster that entangled a large group of gnolls, slowing down the monster army¡¯s offensive.


    With the formation stabilized, the casting professions were able to unleash their powerful damage abilities. Fire storms and chain lightning spells decimated the goblin group, while alchemy bombs inflicted heavy casualties on the fleeing kobolds.


    Although the ogres managed to cause some damage and create gaps in the formation, they were easily taken care of by the skilled hunters and rangers. The players made quick work of the enemy¡¯s minions, causing Murphy to shake his head in disappointment.


    These monsters given out by the system for free are nothing but useless trash. Even with them, you can¡¯t take down an opponent who has no formation at all.


    It¡¯s unfortunate that he doesn¡¯t have enough dragonmen under his command. If he had a hundred dragonman vanguards, fifty dragonman wizards, and a few dragonman warlords with halos to supervise the battle, they would easily break through the opposing formation.


    Building a Dragonoid Incubation Room would cost him half a million RMB, which he couldn¡¯t afford. He was used to living a hard life and was reluctant to spend such extravagant money. Therefore, he had to make do with the rubbish on the battlefield.


    Fortunately, using these monsters doesn¡¯t cost any money, and they don¡¯t mind dying. Besides, as long as the notoriety value is high enough, they can pull up a lot of votes at any time. These monsters can even achieve the effect of disrupting the enemy¡¯s formation.


    At this moment, the adventurer¡¯s formation had been broken up in order to handle the monster army¡¯s surprise attack. Even several flame protection barriers had vanished.


    The black dragon found a suitable angle and swooped down again.


    After taking a deep breath and going through three stages of recharge, the dragon breathed out a wildfire! The cloud of dragon¡¯s breath sprayed from one end of the battlefield to the other, burning both adventurers and monsters to ashes wherever the flame passed. There is no such thing as friendly fire immunity in this game.


    This dragon¡¯s breath was responsible for the deaths of at least fifty or sixty adventurers, as well as the elimination of a hundred goblins, gnolls, and ogres.


    The air above the battlefield was now filled with the smell of burning flesh.

 CH 5

    Bullet screens kept scrolling across the screen, one of which read ¡°Wow, Brother Long is so powerful!¡± Another read ¡°This attack kills one thousand enemies and deals three thousand damage!¡± A third message criticized Brother Long for being inconsiderate towards his subordinates and for blinding so many loyal and brave soldiers.


    Despite the various comments on the screen, Murphy didn¡¯t care about the deaths and injuries of these monster servants; after all, they weren¡¯t people.


    Qingfeng looked distraught. ¡°Damn it, this guy is willing to exchange our lives for the mobs. Elementalists, don¡¯t worry about the mobs and put up the cover!¡± ¡°Understood!¡±


    A goblin who was attacking broke through the flame protection barrier again, and several rangers blocked him to avoid being disturbed by the mobs. However, they could stop the mobs, but they couldn¡¯t stop the boss.


    When the black dragon swooped down again, it didn¡¯t breathe out its breath. Instead, it suddenly lowered its height, stretched out its claws, grabbed the upper body of an elementalist, and lifted him into the sky.


    The elementalist was already in mid-air before he had time to react, screaming in fright.


    ¡°Ah, please, let me go, let me go!¡±


    The black dragon, replied: ¡°Let you go? As you wish.¡± With that, he released his claws, and the man plummeted from a height of hundreds of meters, landing with a sickening crack.


    The chaotic formation made it impossible for adventurers to stop effective anti-aircraft firepower, while Murphy could attack targets freely.


    As several elementalists who supported the cover were targeted and killed by Murphy one after another, the remaining adventurers finally collapsed and fled in all directions. However, they were pursued by monster servants and black young dragons, and most of them were doomed to meet their demise.


    The black dragon lord, didn¡¯t join the hunt. He hovered in the air with his wings fluttering, observing the battlefield around him.


    Murphy sensed that something was off. He wondered why this group of adventurers had come here when it had been proven in the past few months that numbers alone couldn¡¯t defeat him. Was this group sent to die? He suspected that the adventurers¡¯ motives might be more than just greed for equipment, and used a messaging technique to send a message to his subordinates stationed in the Dark Dragon Nest.


    ¡°Varek, check if there are any ¡®rats¡¯ approaching the lair,¡± he ordered.


    ¡°Yes, Lord Morpheus,¡± Varek, a black young dragon staying behind in the dungeon, replied. He then flew slowly around the mountain to investigate.


    The young dragon possessed a moderate level of intelligence, slightly exceeding that of a husky and similar to a border collie. However, due to its affiliation with the dragon clan, it could communicate directly and perform certain uncomplicated tasks with ease.


    Currently, the black dragon scanned the surrounding area for any intruders. Yet, it found nothing but the desolate wilderness and barren rocks.


    As the black dragon flew away, a large boulder beneath the hillside vanished abruptly, revealing a group of adventurers. Each member was a high-level adventurer of level 50 or above.


    The team leader, Dawn Excalibur, was a gold-level hero player, identified by the golden crown emblem on his helmet. He wielded a colossal two-meter-long sword and donned a horned helmet. Despite wearing no armor, his brawny physique resembled that of a bodybuilder, exuding an aura of ¡°I¡¯m strong¡± and ¡°I¡¯m the protagonist.¡±


    Beside Dawn Excalibur stood another hero player, dressed in a black robe with a large pointed hat and a veil that concealed his face, revealing only a pair of pupils. He appeared inconspicuous, but the golden crown emblem atop his head exposed his true identity ¨C Midnight Dharma God, another gold-level hero player. (Regarding the hierarchy of heroes: Bronze -> Silver -> Gold -> Epic -> Legendary.)


    It was Midnight Dharma God who had executed the phantom technique earlier.


    Observing the black dragon soaring over the mountain, Midnight Dharma God chuckled, ¡°Tsk tsk tsk, Morpheus is truly cautious. Despite the commotion over yonder, he still assigns men to patrol the area.¡±


    ¡°Qingfeng can¡¯t wait any longer. That black dragon is even more formidable than expected, and we must hasten to our destination before the battle concludes.¡± He signaled to the adventurer behind him, and the team resumed their journey.


    Every few minutes, the black dragon would fly over to survey the surroundings, but with the high-level phantom technique¡¯s cover, it easily evaded the opposition¡¯s detection every time.


    After fifteen minutes, the team finally reached the base of Longshuo Peak.


    Dawn Excalibur surveyed the entrance of the dungeon above him and nodded. ¡°This is it. From the information I¡¯ve gathered, Morpheus the black dragon¡¯s abilities are primarily focused on dragon breath and flight. Even if we manage to defeat him, we cannot retain him.


    If we trap him within the dungeon, we can take him down. But this black dragon is shrewd. If the situation becomes unfavorable, it will flee immediately. Hence, we have only one chance. Everyone log off now. The Black Dragon will be streaming at twelve o¡¯clock. We will convene at three o¡¯clock in the morning and enter the dungeon together. Dismissed!¡± In an instant, dozens of people vanished from the spot.


    Meanwhile, the battle on the dark plain was reaching its conclusion. The army of invading adventurers was all but vanquished, with only the elf ranger and a few companions left to contend. Abandoning his bow and arrows, the elf ranger now wielded two scimitars, soaring back and forth. An ogre fell to the ground in an instant.


    The ranger profession was highly esteemed, akin to that of heroes in martial arts films.


    However, even the most skilled ranger couldn¡¯t withstand the onslaught of hundreds of monsters.


    As the ranger¡¯s strength dwindled, the monsters suddenly retreated, making way for a colossal beast to descend from the sky and land in front of the elf.


    The black dragon gazed down at the bloodied elf with pride. ¡°Tell me, little elf, what compelled you to defy my dragon power and trespass into my domain? Answer truthfully, and I¡¯ll grant you a dignified death.¡±


    At the same time, a private message was sent.


    (¡°Hey, buddy, let¡¯s have a friendly chat. Why did you come here to die in the Dark Plains? I can return the equipment you lost later.¡±)


    The elf glared at the black dragon. ¡°You vile monster, wicked beast! Everyone must face punishment. For justice, glory, and the victory of the alliance, I will not surrender, even in death.¡±


    (¡°Don¡¯t get too cocky. I went to the temple of the Goddess of Luck to get a buff before heading out, so my gear won¡¯t drop so easily,¡±) the elf ranger retorted.


    The black dragon snorted in response. ¡°You¡¯re a stubborn one. Your hollow slogans are of no use to me. If you¡¯re so persistent, then so be it.¡±


    (¡°Well, since you put it that way, there¡¯s nothing to say.¡±)


    The dragon unleashed a blast of fiery breath, causing the elf to scream and burn to ashes. The wind scattered the ashes, leaving not a single hair behind.


    With Qingfeng¡¯s death, the battle came to an end. The black dragon surveyed the area, and its monster servants bowed their heads in submission. The corpses of adventurers littered the wilderness, along with scattered equipment and supplies. The dragon¡¯s flames continued to burn, creating a tragic scene.


    Meanwhile, in a dimly lit room, Qingfeng removed his gaming helmet and let out a long sigh. Despite being mentally prepared, he still harbored some hope that he could take down the black dragon directly and wipe out its army. He couldn¡¯t help but feel disappointed.


    Just then, his phone rang, and he picked it up to check the caller ID.


    [Transfer Reminder: Your friend XXX initiates a transfer to you, transfer amount 100,000.]


    Seeing the string of zeroes, Qingfeng whistled happily. Looks like bringing the whole guild to serve as cannon fodder did the job well.

 CH 6

    In the game, Murphy had finished clearing the battlefield and was now flying back to its lair.


    Meanwhile, the live broadcast room was being bombarded with messages.


    ¡°Amazing, Brother Long! How can one person take down an entire guild like that?¡±


    ¡°Oh my god, three hundred people wiped out just like that. This is going to be a huge embarrassment for Dragon¡¯s War.¡±


    ¡°A group of mere adventurers dared to cause trouble for Brother Long.¡±


    ¡°Brother Long should hold a special session on dragon disasters and launch a monster siege.¡±


    ¡°Yes, a monster siege! What¡¯s the point of killing adventurers in the wild? If you have the guts, attack the main human city, Brother Long. If you do that, I¡¯ll send you some rockets.¡±


    Murphy looked at the barrage of messages and was left speechless.


    Monsters are laying waste to the city. Hehe¡­


    Although Murphy was deeply immersed in the game, he still maintained a hint of self-awareness. He knew that his calamity-level boss could easily slaughter human villages and towns, but attacking a well-fortified human city with a large number of heroes was a different matter altogether. He was certain he would meet his doom if he dared to do so.


    Unless Neltharion personally led the black dragon army to unleash a catastrophic dragon disaster, there was little he could do but follow along and gather some plot points.


    But on the surface, he couldn¡¯t afford to show any signs of timidity.


    ¡±Pathetic mortals! I am amazed by your cruelty towards your own kind, but fear not. It¡¯s time for those arrogant humans to be humbled. Perhaps I should obliterate their cities, raze their kingdoms to the ground, and make them remember the days when death and fear reigned supreme.¡±


    This speech elicited a few outbursts of excitement, but Murphy suspected that there had been too many empty promises made in the past, leaving most of the audience still skeptical.


    ¡°Okay, enough talk, let¡¯s see some action,¡± said one of the viewers.


    ¡°I mean, just last month you said you were going to attack the city with monsters, but in the end, nothing happened,¡± another viewer chimed in.


    ¡°Brother Long, Lordaeron is too scared to fight, and Stormwind City won¡¯t dare to touch us. So why not go to Stromgarde or Gilneas? And if that¡¯s not feasible, at least try Alterac. Stop talking big and start doing something,¡± urged a third viewer.


    As the comments in the live broadcast room gradually changed, Murphy resolutely ignored them.


    ¡°Damn, these viewers are impossible to please. They complain if I talk too much, and then they want me to attack a whole city. My Black Dragon BOSS account is still just one guy! I can¡¯t act that recklessly.¡±


    In a story battle, there was no way to revive the dead.


    ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll just ignore them.¡±


    He turned off the barrage function and flew back to his dragon¡¯s nest. Upon landing, the young dragons that had stayed behind flew out to greet him.


    At the entrance of the dragon¡¯s lair, the dark dragon guards formed two rows. These elite monsters were part of his family and were not usually sent out to battle.


    Murphy passed through the Dragon Fire Corridor, the Obsidian Palace, and the hatchery, until he reached the deepest part of the dark dragon¡¯s lair ¨C the Longmian Cave.


    The cave was immense, made of volcanic rock and filled with countless black stalactites hanging from the ceiling. It was the final boss room and also Murphy¡¯s favorite place to stay.


    Murphy lay down in the cave and took stock of his earnings for the day. He had more than 300 players and over 400 pieces of equipment. Not every player could afford to buy the BUFF from the Goddess of Luck¡¯s temple, so it was normal for one or two pieces of equipment to be dropped randomly after being killed in battle. However, players engaged in life-threatening activities generally did not wear the best equipment. More than half of the over 400 pieces of equipment were green equipment, and there were even some white gear mixed in.


    The attitude of this group of adventurers was really insincere, and they deserved what they got.


    Less than a hundred pieces of blue equipment were picked up, and there were only a dozen or so pieces of purple equipment. Murphy didn¡¯t bother to check each piece one by one and instead recycled everything below the blue grade directly.


    A system prompt appeared: ¡°Recovered 439 pieces of equipment and received 17,985 loot points. You can either turn them into drop items or exchange them for coupons.¡±


    Loot points are the universal currency among BOSSes. When adventurers defeat a BOSS, they earn equipment and items that are converted from loot points. If the BOSS doesn¡¯t have enough loot points, the system will deduct attributes, experience, skills, and even body parts as spoils for the adventurer. This means that any BOSS entering a dungeon must have enough loot points, or they risk losing their body parts as spoils.


    For instance, Murphy knew of an unfortunate red dragon who had his loot points depleted after being defeated too many times by players. As a result, the equipment that dropped from him included parts of his body, such as a Dragon Tooth Blade, Dragon Wing Cloak, Dragon Scale Battle Armor, and Dragon Eye Emblem. Each time a body part was lost, the corresponding piece of equipment would decrease in strength. Eventually, the red dragon became unrecognizable, missing teeth, scales, and even an eye, and the player had to delete the account.


    Since developing his bomber Build, Murphy has only been defeated twice and is now in an almost invincible state of harvesting, with enough loot points to sell for money.


    Among BOSS players, this thing can be exchanged for RMB on a one-to-one basis with Chinese yuan.


    Murphy had earned almost 20,000 yuan in a single night, not to mention the rewards from the live streaming room. It was a very fruitful harvest indeed. It was a shame that this type of good fortune couldn¡¯t happen every day, or it would become mundane.


    Murphy planned to put the dozen or so pieces of purple equipment on the auction house, estimated to be worth tens of thousands of yuan. In Firmament World, BOSSes couldn¡¯t trade directly with adventurers, and any obtained equipment had to be recycled by the system. It either had to be thrown into the loot pool and wait for the player to kill and recover it, or the system would recycle it.


    However, this was not a problem for Murphy, as the BOSS¡¯s loot pool could be bound to a treasure chest in the dungeon. Murphy directly placed these purple outfits in the treasure chest. Typically, the treasure chest could only be opened after defeating the boss, but occasionally there were exceptions, such as when the boss was asleep or when the person had the master lockpicking skill.


    Every week, a dwarf thief would come to the copy of the dark dragon¡¯s lair to steal the treasure chest. Murphy pretended not to notice and redirected the mobs guarding the treasure chest away. He watched the dwarf thief ¡°steal¡± the equipment, and a batch of equipment was laundered easily. It was much more profitable to sell the equipment for 91% than to recycle it directly for loot points.


    Afterward, Murphy lay on the cold cave floor, soothing his limbs and wings. He felt the angry dragon fire in his body gradually subside. After a while, he slowly curled his body again, like a real animal. He enjoyed this immersive experience that made him feel like he had truly transformed into a dragon. It would be perfect if there was a huge pile of gold coins to serve as a bed.


    Unfortunately, this peacefulness didn¡¯t last long. A woman with a golden exclamation mark above her head emerged from a small hole on the side. She wore a court dress, had brilliant blond hair, a very beautiful face, and wore a crown of gemstones. At first glance, one could tell that she was either rich or of noble status.


    In that moment, she gazed at Murphy with disappointment etched on her face. ¡°Are you still alive?¡± The woman asked.


    Murphy opened one eye, looked at the woman before him, and smiled. ¡°Well, well, if it isn¡¯t our princess. Why do you seem so displeased to see your old friend return safely?¡±


    She stared at him, the answer obvious. As the dungeon leader, Murphy could see the attribute panel of this woman.


    Catherine Thorbane (Princess of the Kingdom of Stromgarde): Level 17, quest NPC, HP 340, mana 10. Available quests include:


    Quest 1: The Princess¡¯s Evening Dress. (Tailoring professional quest, requires expert tailoring skills).


    Quest 2: Princess¡¯s Jeweled Crown. (Jewelry professional quest, requires expert jewelry skill).


    Quest 3: The Princess¡¯s Luxury Carriage. (Engineering profession quest, requires expert engineering skill).


    Quest 4: Escape from the Dark Dragon¡¯s Lair. (The difficulty level is high, and it is recommended that players form a team to complete it).


    Quest 5: Dragon-Slaying Warrior. (Epic quest, the quest item [Morpheus¡¯s Head] is required).

 CH 7

    Murphy didn¡¯t feel angry. In fact, the girl in front of him was one of his favorite captives. After the kidnapping three months ago, the King of Stromgarde issued a heroic mission to rescue the princess. If completed, the mission could increase a hero¡¯s rank, but no one had been able to complete it yet.


    Despite causing Murphy a lot of trouble ¨C the girl would sneer at him every time they met ¨C he tolerated it because it was nice to have someone to talk to in the lonely dungeon. Plus, having a princess as bait attracted a lot of foolish adventurers.


    To Murphy, the princess was like a yacht in a rich man¡¯s family ¨C it didn¡¯t matter if he needed her or not, he just couldn¡¯t resist having her. Moreover, that quest to slay the dragon and rescue the princess was exactly what he wanted.


    Murphy knew that if he failed to keep the princess, Catherine, alive, he would be embarrassed to greet other black dragon lords at the annual meeting of the black dragon army. To ensure her safety, Murphy had his goblin craftsmen build a miniature castle for her deep inside the cave. The castle was surrounded by a lava moat and had dragon guards who delivered food to her every day.


    Despite the precautions, Murphy wasn¡¯t afraid of Catherine running away. Although she was a princess, she was a civilian template with the second-to-last combat power in the game. In other words, any two kobolds could kill her if she tried to escape. Additionally, NPCs with names in the game had high IQs and wouldn¡¯t do anything foolish that could risk their lives.


    ¡°How much longer do you plan to keep me locked up here?¡± Catherine asked.


    Murphy chuckled. ¡°Why bother going back to your kingdom and facing court battles? It¡¯s much better to stay here. You have servants to attend to your needs, and I¡¯m a considerate dragon to keep you company. Where else can you find such a good situation?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too comfortable,¡± Catherine replied. ¡°One day, a hero will come and rescue me from your lair. They¡¯ll cut off your head and display it on the gates of Stromgarde, and then we¡¯ll see who¡¯s laughing.¡±


    Murphy laughed at her threat. ¡°You¡¯re so vicious and dark, yet people call me a villain. I treat you well and you curse me out like this. But I¡¯m a tolerant dragon and I don¡¯t mind your rudeness. If you¡¯re so confident, then just wait patiently.¡±


    As the black dragon remained indifferent, the princess grew increasingly furious. ¡°You¡¯ve kept me locked up here for three whole months! What do you want from me? My father is gravely ill, and I don¡¯t know if he¡¯ll live or die. I have to return to the kingdom!¡± Her anger boiled over, and she rushed forward, flailing her fists and feet at the dragon¡¯s front paws. But her attacks were futile against the dragon¡¯s thick armor.


    The black dragon sighed and closed his eyes. ¡°Alright, Catherine, save your energy. Let¡¯s talk tomorrow. And you should get some rest too. Anything is possible in your dreams, perhaps your knight in shining armor will come to rescue you.¡±


    With that, the dragon rested his head and began snoring, emitting smoke from his nostrils that made Catherine stumble backwards. Once she regained her balance, she made an obscene gesture at the sleeping dragon before turning back towards her castle. The glowing golden exclamation point above her head illuminated the way, preventing her from stumbling in the darkness.


    Murphy opened his eyes and rubbed his stiff neck from lying on his back for too long. He removed the game helmet from his head and stretched his body, trying to adjust to the physical changes from being a dragon in the game to being an adult man in reality.


    As always, he felt a strange sensation whenever he exited the game. Controlling the body of a black dragon, with its four limbs and wings, made the line between reality and virtuality blur, causing him to feel disoriented when he returned to the real world.


    Although the temperature in the live streaming room was pleasant, the smell of meat muffins and beef jerky lingered. Murphy flexed his muscles and bones, silently cursing his weak human body in comparison to the immense strength of the black dragon.


    Despite being an incredibly realistic holographic virtual game, it was still just a game after all. People inevitably had to return to reality.


    Checking his phone, Murphy realized it was already very late. He decided to quickly say goodbye and return to his dormitory for some much-needed rest.


    As he stepped out of the studio, he noticed his supervisor waiting for him outside. ¡°Murphy, come here. There¡¯s someone you need to meet.¡±


    Feeling a little confused, Murphy followed the supervisor to a nearby lounge, where a handsome man in a suit was watching his live broadcast on the computer screen. The man appeared to be thoroughly engrossed in the scene of a black dragon massacring an army of adventurers. He held a bucket of popcorn in his hand, his eyes full of excitement as if he were watching a Hollywood blockbuster.


    Allowing a moment for Murphy to take in the situation, the supervisor then introduced the man as the young manager of their Xingyao Group, Mr. Wang Shao.


    Murphy was taken aback by the sudden introduction but managed to compose himself enough to shake Wang Shao¡¯s outstretched hand in a friendly manner.


    ¡°Hello Murphy ¨C or should I call you Morpheus? I watched your live broadcast just now, and it was really cool. That black dragon is so handsome. I have never been very interested in games, but your video has changed my impression. Maybe one day we can hang out together.¡± said Mr. Wang Shao, extending his hand in a friendly manner.


    Murphy was initially puzzled, as he had a messy background and knew that the boss of the company was completely different from him. He understood that it was impossible for the other person to say good things without any purpose. However, as the young boss, Murphy still had to give him face.


    ¡±Haha, you¡¯re joking, Mr. Shao. It¡¯s just a job for me.¡±


    ¡±Hehe, you can¡¯t say that. There are many live streamers of Firmament World, but no one can roleplay a character as epically as you. To be honest, I¡¯m quite excited¡­¡±


    As soon as he uttered those words, his countenance took a friendlier turn. ¡°Would you be interested in streaming yourself playing a different character? Our corporation is in the process of establishing a vast and comprehensive three-dimensional society, which will require multiple broadcasters to aid in its establishment and debut as a group. Perhaps I could secure a spot for you. It¡¯s a rare opportunity to gain substantial backing from the company and engage in a mutually beneficial partnership.¡±


    Murphy wasn¡¯t deceived by the abundance of technical terms and cautiously inquired, ¡°What about my current game character?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, the company will make separate arrangements for it. We won¡¯t abandon the concept,¡± the man replied.


    Mo Fei¡¯s heart sank as he spoke up and finally understood the situation.


    ¡°Mr. Shao, are you joking? It was agreed upon when I signed the contract that the game account belongs to the host. Unless I violate the platform¡¯s terms of service, you have no right to take it away,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Of course. I just wanted to discuss it with you. We understand the effort you¡¯ve put into this account, and the platform will compensate you with one million. Additionally, they¡¯ll provide you with funds to establish a new account. You could play boss characters or try out hero and lord templates; experimenting with new things is always a good idea.¡±

 CH 8

    One million? Murphy couldn¡¯t help but scoff inwardly.


    An ordinary BOSS account wasn¡¯t worth much. The lowest level Skeleton Level 1 BOSS in the game could be created with just 100,000 coupons.


    However, as with hero characters, BOSS characters increased in value with each level. A first-level BOSS at the horror level cost 500,000, while a first-level BOSS at the disaster level cost 2.5 million. Based on this ratio, a world boss could cost as much as 12.5 million.


    Despite numerous world bosses being in the game, none of them were playable characters.


    It¡¯s worth noting that the mortality rate during BOSS advancement was very high because plot battles were required to progress. A plot battle usually involved a duel between the hero and the BOSS, with the winner advancing and the loser perishing. Death in a plot battle was permanent. It was, in essence, like playing a battle royale.


    Out of the 100 skeleton-level bosses, it was unlikely that any one of them could successfully advance to become a world-class boss.


    On the other hand, the black dragon boss that he had trained had reached the fifth level of the disaster level and would soon be promoted to a world boss. A world boss was a force to be reckoned with; while one dragon may not be able to defeat a country, it could certainly decimate a city.


    The fact that he had managed to raise his black dragon character to this level was not solely due to his skills, but luck had also played a significant role. Additionally, competition was not as intense when the game had first started, which allowed him to employ certain tactics. Even if he were asked to start all over again, he doubted that he could create such an account again.


    In the past, a local tycoon had offered him 10 million yuan to buy his account, but Murphy had to reluctantly refuse due to platform regulations and contract rules.


    Now, the offer of one million plus an ordinary BOSS account seemed like a meager sum. Why should he settle for scraps?


    Murphy tried to maintain a smile on his face despite feeling heartbroken. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Shao, but it¡¯s not just about the money. I¡¯ve put so much effort into this account, and I have a connection with my audience. It wouldn¡¯t be fair to them if I suddenly stopped the live broadcast. Plus, the platform would also suffer a great deal.¡±


    Wang Shao didn¡¯t seem to care and replied impatiently, ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll just broadcast under the name of the Black Dragon Lord Morpheus. After all, the dragon¡¯s voice won¡¯t change. The audience is tuning in to watch the Black Dragon Lord, not the anchor. So, what do you say? Can you agree to this?¡±


    Murphy couldn¡¯t believe how shameless Wang Shao was being. He knew exactly what was going through the other man¡¯s mind: as a young manager of Xingyao Group, he didn¡¯t want to waste his time on this negotiation. He thought that by offering Murphy some money, he could get his way.


    However, Murphy knew that he couldn¡¯t compromise, especially when his interests were at stake.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Shao, but I can¡¯t agree. It¡¯s not just about the money; it¡¯s about my principles.¡±


    Murphy suddenly felt a surge of fear as Wang Shao gave him an unusually friendly smile. ¡°Haha, forget it. It¡¯s just a question, go ahead. I won¡¯t bother you,¡± Wang Shao said before turning and leaving.


    However, Murphy couldn¡¯t relax. He was used to being criticized by the audience during his live broadcasts, but Wang Shao¡¯s reaction made him uneasy. He knew that people who don¡¯t bite without barking could be unpredictable. Despite this, he couldn¡¯t back out now. Murphy hoped that Wang Shao wouldn¡¯t go too far since he was his employee, and still making money for him.


    The supervisor shook his head and said to Murphy, ¡°What are you thinking, saying it¡¯s not about the money. Why are you so proud? If you want more compensation, just say so. I¡¯ll help you out. Adding a few million more isn¡¯t difficult, so why are you refusing?¡±


    Murphy thought to himself that since he was offered one million, it wasn¡¯t about the money. If the compensation was raised to eighteen million, how could he still refuse? Why was the young boss of the company being so stingy?


    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s not about the money. I have principles in my life, and there are some things that can¡¯t be measured by money,¡± replied Murphy.


    The supervisor was momentarily stunned, but couldn¡¯t help but show admiration. ¡°Okay, okay, you¡¯re awesome,¡± he said before turning and rushing out the door to catch up with Wang Shao who was about to leave.


    ¡°Wang Shao, take a look at this¡­ Murphy is quite savvy. Maybe he hasn¡¯t made up his mind just yet. Why don¡¯t you offer him a higher price?¡±


    Wang Shao smiled slightly and said, ¡°No need. Although I¡¯m a rich second-generation heir, I don¡¯t like to spend money recklessly. If I can save a little, why spend more money? I know Murphy. However, he wasn¡¯t very well-known before, and he only gained popularity after the Black Dragon live stream. He can¡¯t reveal his face in the game, so he¡¯s not important. What¡¯s important is his in-game character. Murphy¡¯s contract is about to expire and we have to keep that account no matter what. Find all of his past live stream videos and have the auditing department check them thoroughly for any issues. Report back to me once you¡¯ve done that.¡±


    As Murphy arrived home, Wang Shao¡¯s words and expressions kept replaying in his mind.


    ¡°When the time comes, you will be free.¡± Murphy had signed a five-year live broadcast contract, but he had lacked enthusiasm for the first four years until the release of the holographic virtual game, Firmament World. Murphy initially thought it was an April Fool¡¯s joke, but to his surprise, the game was real. Even now, Murphy still found it hard to believe.


    However, that didn¡¯t stop him from making a choice. Despite not having enough money to buy a premium account, Murphy entered the game and played as a monster template, exploring the world with his black dragonling. With a combination of luck and his thorough understanding of game mechanics, he became the first streamer in the monster area by accident.


    In the last few months of his contract as a live streamer, Murphy had reached the peak of his career. However, with his rise to popularity came a slew of negative consequences. Murphy had reported the issues several times, and by now he could easily pinpoint the culprit.


    Faced with yet another incident, he couldn¡¯t help but feel disheartened, contemplating quitting before his contract was up. At least he had made some money in the short term, enough to support himself. Even if he worked in the game industry in the future and didn¡¯t earn as much, he wouldn¡¯t be strapped for cash.


    With this thought, he comforted himself as he lay in bed, eventually drifting off to sleep.


    Although the game helmet¡¯s instruction manual claimed to use deep sleep technology and that playing games was equivalent to sleeping, Murphy always felt exhausted after each live broadcast. It was as if he had spent the day battling a black dragon. Each time, he had to sleep heavily to recuperate.


    Currently, Murphy was in a deep sleep, his consciousness hazy. He found himself standing in the midst of darkness. Initially, he didn¡¯t realize that he was dreaming until a pair of eyes, resembling flames, appeared in the dark. These eyes were staring at him with mixed emotions.


    ¡±Little human, we meet again.¡±

 CH 9

    The voice was deep, with a heavy echo, and sounded very familiar.


    ¡°Morpheus?¡±


    ¡°Who if not me, you idiot? Are you going to sleep forever? Your danger is close at hand!¡±


    At that moment, Murphy realized that he was in the middle of a dream. It was likely due to his constant thoughts during the day and night about the game ¡°Firmament World¡±. He frequently dreamed about the black dragon Morpheus, sometimes even dreaming that he himself was a black dragon, but he had little control over his own body in these dreams.


    In some of these dreams, the black dragon appeared as a separate entity and even conversed with him. However, the dragon¡¯s attitude was usually unpleasant, constantly referring to him as a ¡°stupid human¡± and ¡°lowly ant¡±, much like the dragon¡¯s tone during Murphy¡¯s live broadcasts.


    After a while, Murphy grew accustomed to these dreams. He suspected that they might be a manifestation of his subconscious mind or that his immersion in the game had begun to affect his thoughts.


    Even so, he was not overly concerned and found the dreams rather intriguing. Knowing that the black dragon had a bad mouth, he was not angry but asked curiously, ¡°What danger are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Do you still need to ask? Haven¡¯t you noticed something? You must have by now, but you hypocritical humans are so excellent at deceit¡­ deceiving others, deceiving yourselves, never daring to admit the existence of a problem.¡±


    ¡°Hey, can you speak a little more clearly? Or at least give me a hint?¡±


    Murphy immediately realized something was amiss. ¡°Wait a minute, don¡¯t use that move again.¡±


    However, it was too late. The black dragon opened its bloody maw, and a stream of fiery dragon flames erupted, engulfing Murphy¡¯s entire body in an instant.


    Murphy felt a searing pain throughout his body and suddenly jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat in the dark.


    As he wiped the sweat from his face, he realized that his friend had used this trick to wake him up every time. Could it be that he felt guilty subconsciously for all the people he had burned in the game? Or was his mind distorted to the point where he couldn¡¯t feel comfortable without burning people?


    ¡°Damn, I need to see a psychiatrist,¡± he thought to himself. Playing such inhumane characters for too long could potentially cause psychological trauma.


    He had read news articles about actors losing their grip on reality because they couldn¡¯t shake off the characters they played, but he never thought that he would succumb to the same fate.


    Just as he was thinking, the Song of the Dovahkiin suddenly rang out. It was his phone¡¯s ringtone. He picked up the phone and saw that his supervisor was calling.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Murphy, get up! Something big happened. Someone¡¯s right in front of your dungeon. The team¡¯s led a hero named Dawn Excalibur, and a plot battle has already been triggered! The name of the battle is called [Song of the Dragonslaying Warrior], so they¡¯re clearly here to kill you! Come to the game room now!¡±


    Murphy woke up abruptly and immediately got dressed before rushing to the live broadcast room. On the way, he was briefed by the supervisor about what had happened. According to the information, a team of adventurers had appeared at the entrance of the Dark Dragon¡¯s Nest instance and attacked Longshou Peak without any hesitation. The group of elite dragon guards were quickly defeated within five minutes, and the adventurers had already entered the dungeon and triggered a plot battle.


    Murphy finally realized why he felt something was amiss earlier. That entire guild¡¯s attack was just a ploy to draw his attention, and the actual raid was happening now.


    In the world of the game, plot battles are special events that can only be initiated when certain conditions are met.


    One of the most common types of plot battle is the duel between the hero and the boss. However, if only a group of adventurers attacks the instance, the plot battle will not be triggered.


    In the game¡¯s plot, adventurers do not exist as individuals but rather as mere background elements. No matter how many times they defeat a boss, the boss can always be resurrected again.


    Similarly, if a hero is defeated by monsters in the wilderness, it does not matter, as they can simply wake up in their own bedroom and be alive and well after lying down for a few days.


    Once a plot battle is triggered, the situation in the game changes completely.


    In the universe of Firmament World, all game events are recorded in the Sky Chronicle, which serves as the basis for the entire game¡¯s plot development. If a player defeats a boss as an adventurer, it will not be recorded in the Sky Chronicle as the adventurer is merely a background element in the game¡¯s plot.


    Although adventurers exist as a group, they are not recognized as individuals in the game¡¯s plot. Bosses are limited in number, after all, and it would be unreasonable for adventurers to defeat important bosses in the game¡¯s plot.


    For instance, if a certain demon king threatened to destroy the world, it would be unacceptable for the demon king to be defeated by a group of adventurers led by Bigg Dogg, Amazing Wang, and Whose Your Daddy. The plot would not make sense as no one can accept such an unrealistic scenario.


    So in most games, no matter how many times a player killed a boss, the boss would always respawn as soon as the dungeon refreshed. This is because adventurers do not exist as individuals in the game plot, and bosses can only be defeated by heroes.


    Firmament World also follows this principle. If a boss is defeated by an adventurer, it is not a significant event. However, if a famous boss or hero kills the boss in a plot battle, the event will be recorded in the Sky Chronicle as part of the game¡¯s history, and it cannot be changed. This type of death is called a plot killing.


    For example, if Murphy kills the hero player named Dawn Excalibur, it will be recorded in the Sky Chronicle that on a certain day in a certain year, Dawn Excalibur led a group of adventurers to attack the Dark Dragon Nest and was killed by a black dragon. Lord Morpheus was the one who killed Dawn Excalibur.


    After this event, the character of Dawn Excalibur will disappear entirely from the game. Likewise, if Morpheus is killed by the other party, he will truly die.


    It would be recorded in the Sky Chronicle: the hero Dawn Excalibur led a group of adventurers to defeat the evil black dragon Lord Morpheus and rescue the princess.


    This makes such fights risky but rewarding. Killing famous bosses or heroes (including special NPCs and elite monsters) would earn a lot of plot points, which are needed for heroes and bosses to level up. The more famous the enemy, the more plot points earned.


    Morpheus was promoted to the level of a disaster-level boss, the Black Dragon Lord, after killing many heroes and bosses.


    Furthermore, defeating a BOSS or hero in a plot battle can yield all their relics and related plot items. Murphy once killed a human hero and obtained a plot weapon called the ¡°Frost Blade¡±. This weapon was added to his drop list, and if an adventurer manages to defeat him, there is a 7% chance that a fake version of the weapon will drop.


    If a hero defeats Morpheus, the weapon will be obtained 100% of the time.


    These plot items are crucial for strengthening the loot pool of bosses, as they can attract more adventurer teams to challenge them, and also reduce the loss of loot points when they are defeated. (Drops that generate plot items only cost 50% in loot points).


    For heroes, these plot equipment are truly powerful weapons, superior to the copycat versions used by adventurers, possessing extraordinary powers that some of the copies lack.


    For instance, the counterfeit [Frost Blade] in adventurers¡¯ hands is a weapon with a special effect that can freeze and slow down a target for 3 seconds, causing 100 points of freezing damage.


    On the other hand, the original Frost Blade had a more powerful special effect called Frost Storm. It creates a frost storm that continuously freezes all enemies within 100 meters for 30 seconds, causing a cumulative 1000 points of freezing damage. Additionally, every 6 seconds during the Frost Storm, a freezing effect is triggered.


    And that was just one of Morpheus¡¯s many trophies.


    The benefits of these weapons were significant, and as long as there was enough confidence to defeat the opponent, heroes and bosses would often make a move without hesitation. If they won, they would soar to new heights, but if they lost, they would delete their accounts and start training anew.

 CH 10

    Since the other party seemed certain to attack him, Murphy felt a sense of urgency. As he entered the company¡¯s gates, he noticed that the supervisor was already waiting for him.


    ¡°Hurry up,¡± the supervisor urged, ¡°they¡¯re still wandering around at the entrance maze. They haven¡¯t started attacking yet, so we still have time to prepare.¡±


    ¡°How do you know they haven¡¯t attacked already?¡± Murphy asked.


    ¡°Their livestream is still on,¡± the supervisor replied. ¡°The person who came here is from the Lanyu Group. Have you heard of Midnight Dharma God?¡±


    ¡°The elf mage? Let¡¯s do it!¡± Murphy exclaimed.


    Murphy immediately recognized Midnight Dharma God, a well-known game streamer who played as an elf mage from the royal family of Quel¡¯Thalas. With his handsome appearance and high popularity, he had garnered many fans.


    However, the product was not an anchor from the Xingyao Group, but rather a popular anchor from Lanyu¡¯s livestream platform, which was Xingyao¡¯s main rival.


    Xingyao and Lanyu were currently the two most popular livestream platforms for computer games. Their livestream content overlapped greatly, and their competition was intense.


    Since the release of the game ¡°Firmament World,¡± the competition between the two platforms had reached a fever pitch. Both sides had invested huge amounts of resources. Now, one of Lanyu¡¯s heroes had gone to one of Xingyao¡¯s BOSSes to trigger a plot battle, obviously with the intention of killing him. This was a move by Lanyu to gain fame in the monster area.


    After figuring out the stakes involved, Murphy realized that today¡¯s situation was unlikely to end well. Negotiation and communication were not options. There were only two choices: life or death.


    Following the supervisor into the company building, he immediately that the hall was full of people. Generally, there are only a few people watching live broadcasts in the second half of the night, and there are usually not many people left in the company. But now everyone gathered in the hall, and Murphy even saw Wang Shao mingling with the crowd with a cup of coffee. Everyone looked at Murphy expectantly, as if he was the hope of the whole village.


    ¡°Brother Long has arrived! It¡¯s all up to you this time, Murphy,¡± urged the group.


    Angered by the enemy, Murphy felt a surge of determination. Without saying a word, he pushed his way through the crowd and entered the live broadcast room. As he sat in his gaming chair, he noticed that the game helmet and seat were already prepared.


    Without hesitation, Murphy donned the helmet and signaled for the supervisor to close the door. As the commotion outside was silenced, Murphy focused on the game, taking a deep breath before beginning.


    The screen before him turned black, and he was transported into the game, finding himself in the dark and ominous Longmian Cave. As soon as he arrived, he heard the system¡¯s prompt.


    [System prompt: You have entered the area of ??the plot battle [Song of the Dragonslaying Warrior], and your identity has been judged as ¡®Story Villain/Final Boss¡¯, please prepare to enter.]


    ¡°The situation is not good¡±, Murphy thought. The name of a plot battle is usually directly generated by the system, and the system will generate it according to the specific participants and relevant details.


    If his strength was far stronger than the opponent¡¯s, then the name of the battle would likely be something like [Elegy of the Dragonslaying Warrior].


    If the opponent¡¯s strength was far stronger than his, then the name of the battle would likely be something like [The Twilight of the Black Dragon Lord].


    Judging from the current title, the system clearly judged that the opponent¡¯s advantage is greater, but not by much.


    In other words, he still has a chance to win, and the gap in strength could be made up for with better skill. When he created the dungeon, Murphy had already considered the possibility of being kicked out by surprise, so when designing the dungeon, the layout had some tricks in it.


    He intentionally incorporated complex layouts and obstacles to impede any scouting team¡¯s progress. The Dragon Fire Corridor, the first tunnel in the Dark Dragon Nest, was a labyrinthine passageway occupying nearly half of the inner area of the dungeon, filled with traps, monsters, and deciphered puzzles.


    All of these obstacles had a single purpose: to slow down the intruders and buy Murphy enough time to prepare. His monitoring system showed that the team was still battling through mobs in the corridor, indicating that his plan had worked.


    Despite the team¡¯s impressive speed at clearing the monsters, the terrain¡¯s constraints meant it would take them at least ten minutes to reach the No. 1 boss¡¯s room. With this knowledge, Murphy confidently issued an announcement in the dungeon system.


    The Black Dragon Lord declared, ¡°Our territory has been invaded by shameless enemies. My loyal servants, stand your ground and do not let the enemy pass easily. Even if it costs you your life, you must hold your position. All monster leaders and elites above the monster bosses, gather for a meeting at Longmian Cave.¡±


    Having issued the assembly order, Murphy proceeded to assess the opposing team¡¯s lineup configuration, consisting of two 80th-level hero players ¨C a dragon-slaying swordsman named Dawn Excalibur and the renowned Midnight Dharma God (Great Elemental Envoy). Both players were gold-level heroes, placing them on the same level as Murphy.


    The hero players were set to occupy five territories in the dungeon. Their land reclamation team comprised forty individuals, including two heroes and 30 adventurers, all high-end players above level 50.


    About half of the thirty people were caster occupations, and there was no shortage of various healing and auxiliary professions. More caster occupations meant more buffs. With sword in hand, they could charge into battle like a human meat grinder, relentlessly cutting down any monsters that dared to block their path.


    Aside from the fifteen caster professions of various colors, the ten sharpshooters are the most prominent. Being a specialized profession, the sharpshooter trades off melee and survivability for the strongest ranged physical damage in the game.


    Currently, the ten sharpshooters stood in a row, unleashing a round of arrows that turned any appearing monsters into hedgehogs.


    The remaining five members consist of three thieves and two scouts. Their responsibilities include scouting and exploring the road, searching for hidden monsters and traps, looking for the correct path, and ensuring that the group is not ambushed by surprise. Thanks to their efforts, many monsters that could have successfully ambushed the group were discovered and neutralized beforehand.


    Murphy¡¯s expression turned serious. The opponent¡¯s lineup was obviously tailored and their coordination was extremely skillful. It was apparent that they had rehearsed and planned for a long time. This battle would not be an easy one to win.


    He can still vividly recall his first experience in a storyline battle. It was during the third dragon disaster initiated by Neltharion, or ¡®Deathwing¡¯, and the target was Branburg, an important town in the Kingdom of Lordaeron. At that time, he was just a level 35 young black dragon following the black dragon army into the city. Confused and unsure of what to do, he mindlessly hurled fireballs from the air, inadvertently bombing fleeing NPC civilians.


    Then, without paying attention, he was struck by an anti-aircraft ballista on the city wall and was gravely injured within seconds.


    Determined to survive, he fought back and took out each anti-aircraft ballista one by one, his face covered in blood. His heroism and bravery earned him great admiration from Deathwing, and he even earned over a thousand plot points, successfully advancing to the boss level. It was only later that he learned that dying in a plot battle meant permanent death, with the account being completely deleted.


    Upon realizing this, he became frightened and began to treasure his life more. When constructing his dragon¡¯s nest, he intentionally chose a desolate and eerie location in the dark plains, where he could easily escape if necessary. However, he did not expect to be specifically blocked off by someone.


    As Murphy reminisced about the highs and lows of his journey, several dungeon monster leaders were already approaching, accompanied by a swarm of elite monsters and leaders. Despite the daunting scene below, Murphy felt more confident; these monsters were the wealth he had amassed over the past six months, as well as the boss team he had assembled. Although most of his recruits were unpaid laborers attracted by his notoriety, a boss was a boss, and they all had some combat power.


    Among them were four bosses who could be considered group-level bosses.


    Boss No. 1 ¨C Hildeshanks (Black Dragon Wanderer)


    Introduction: A young black dragon who roams around. Due to Murphy¡¯s reputation, Hildeshanks is now under his command and obeys his orders. Hildeshanks possesses the standard attributes of a young dragon, with abilities in melee combat and dragon breath.


    Exclusive Skill: Shadowflame.


    Boss No. 2 ¨C Borax (Dragon Warlord)


    Introduction: A powerful and experienced dragon leader who excels at commanding and controlling. He has been assigned by the Black Dragon Legion to join Murphy¡¯s team. Accepting Borax¡¯s allegiance can improve the relationship with the Black Dragon Legion. Rejecting it, on the other hand, will decrease the Black Dragon Legion¡¯s friendship.


    Exclusive Skill: Domination Aura, which can increase the health of surrounding friendly units by 10%, with an additional layer for dragons and dragonmen.


    Boss No. 3 ¨C Santazak (High Priest of the Dragon Cult)


    Introduction: The Dragon Cult is a unique religion that worships dragons. According to legend, the founder of the Dragon Cult once obtained a revelation from the Dragon God and thus established the sect. The Dragon Cult believes in the Dragon God and is dedicated to serving the powerful dragon clan. Priests of the Dragon Cult can be found in all major dragon clan forces.


    Exclusive Skill: Dragon God¡¯s Prayer.


    Boss No. 4 ¨C Duriel (Dragonblood Ogre Mage)


    Introducing Boss: A Dragonblood Ogre, born of the union of dragons and ogres. Although his dragon lineage is not pure, he considers himself a descendant of dragons and holds his ogre brethren in contempt. When he heard that a mighty black dragon had taken nest in the Dragonfire Mountains, Duriel eagerly offered his allegiance.


    Duriel is a formidable wizard who possesses both regular wizardry and dragon-language magic exclusive to the dragonblooded. Additionally, like many ogre mages, he is a skilled melee fighter.


    Exclusive Skill: Lightning Storm.


    After thinking for a while, Murphy decided how to arrange the bosses.


    They definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to stop the high-end players, but at least they can test the strength of the other party, and maybe kill a few adventurers to make the final decisive battle a bit easier. There¡¯s no resurrection point in the entire Dragonfire mountain range, after all. The victims won¡¯t have time to make a corpse run.


    Murphy spoke. ¡°Borax, as my powerful dragonman warlord, your mission is to guard the Dragon Fire Corridor and lead my dragonman army to hold back the enemy. Duriel, my wise advisor, I entrust the goblin pyromancer and ogre warriors to your command to fight the enemy in the Obsidian Hall. Santazak, my faithful servant, your mission is of the utmost importance. Lead my priests to the Hall of Sacrifice, use your dragon language magic to seek the aid of the great dragon god, and destroy our enemies at any cost. Go, my servants, and know that my will is with you.¡±


    ¡°Lord Morpheus, let me join the battle!¡± the black dragon Hildeshanks cried eagerly.


    ¡°No. I have other arrangements for you.¡±


    Unfortunately, there are not enough BOSS slots available. When constructing the Dark Dragon Nest dungeon, Murphy only purchased a total of four BOSS slots, and had to use one for himself. Hildeshanks can only be an alternate.


    It is regrettable that the game rules dictate that bosses can only be fought one at a time. If they were able to fight together, the combined force of so many elite boss monsters would surely ensure victory no matter the opponent.

 CH 11

    Although the dungeon imposes various restrictions on the BOSS, there are also many benefits for them.


    The first benefit is the enhancement and adjustment of their attributes and skills. The system adjusts the values of the BOSS in the dungeon based on the number of people in the party, which usually increases their power.


    Murphy¡¯s bosses aren¡¯t particularly strong by themselves ¨C the strongest priest is only at the first level of disaster, and the weakest ogre mage is only at the third level of skeleton.


    However, when they become a group boss with 40 people, their attributes are boosted to their maximum, and their health points are increased several times over.


    Secondly, as a group boss, they can use ¡°battle strategies¡± during the boss battle to gain additional advantages. Normal bosses have only 1 strategy point, while the final boss has 3 strategy points.


    The ability of the BOSS itself and the choice of strategy can make the BOSS battle more unpredictable and controllable.


    Murphy began to study the battle strategy for the upcoming fight.


    The system generates various strategies for each boss based on their identity, experience, and current environment. As the final boss, Morpheus had over a dozen strategies to choose from.


    Battle Strategy 1: Summon Monster Minions.


    He could summon monster minions to assist with battle. There were several options to choose from:


    Battle Strategy 2: Phase Transition.


    He could enter a specific form during the boss battle.


    Battle Strategy 3: Field Transformation.


    During the boss battle, alter the current battlefield and utilize the changes to gain a tactical advantage.


    Battle Strategy 4: Special Tactics.


    Strategies that require certain conditions to be met before they can be executed.


    Murphy entered a state of deep contemplation as he reviewed the combat strategy system. He had spent countless hours studying different combinations of strategies to use against various enemies.


    One particular set of tactics, which he dubbed ¡°Sea of Monsters,¡± gave him the most confidence.


    The ¡°Sea of Monsters¡± tactics consisted of the following components: ¡°Ruler of Dragons,¡± ¡°Legion of Black Whelplings,¡± and ¡°Field Transformation: Secret Passage¡±.


    Although the black whelps were not particularly strong in combat, they were long-range units. Forty black whelps could unleash a barrage of fireballs that could decimate any adventurer within seconds.


    The secret passage would spawn a new wave of small monsters every ten seconds, a wave of elite monsters every 30 seconds, and a wave of monster bosses every 90 seconds.


    Combined with the summoning ability from Ruler of Dragons, it was possible to present a massive army of monsters for up to three minutes. Additionally, the Black Dragon Lord¡¯s aura could enhance the attributes of these monsters significantly, making them even more challenging to defeat. If the enemy team was slow in clearing these monsters, they would quickly become overwhelmed by the relentless tide of monsters.


    This set of tactics was incredibly effective against ordinary adventurer teams. However, Murphy was unsure how capable the adventurer team they were facing was when it came to clearing monsters.


    Murphy refrained from making any choices for now and continued to observe the enemy team¡¯s movements.


    Finally, the adventurer team reached the dragon fire square, the location of the first BOSS, where the Dragon Warlord Borax awaited them.


    [System prompt: The Dragon Warlord Borax has activated the ¡°Many Against Many¡± combat strategy.]


    This strategy involved adding a significant number of small and elite monsters to the boss battle, effectively creating a ¡°cluster boss.¡± The trade-off was that the boss¡¯s HP would be reduced by 30%.


    This strategy was ideal for Borax since it was primarily a commanding boss with limited combat ability. The HP reduction didn¡¯t matter much, but the addition of eight elite monsters, four bosses, two lieutenants, and dozens of mobs made it seem like a much larger force.


    As the adventurers stepped into the dragon fire hall, Borax, the Dragon Warlord, greeted them with a wave of his battle flag.


    ¡°Intruders, how dare you invade the territory of Lord Morpheus! This is unforgivable!¡± Borax bellowed. ¡°Soldiers of the Black Dragon Legion, come to me! Kill them all!¡±


    At the sound of his voice, the dragon warriors, guards, looters, and wizards sprang into action, charging forward with the precision of a well-trained army.


    But the adventurer team stood firm, maintaining their battle formation. Only Midnight Dharma God smiled slightly, flicked his cloak, and stepped forward boldly. As the black dragon army rushed towards him, he raised his staff high.


    ¡°In the name of the Mother Goddess of the Earth, I call upon the power of Thrathaine, spirit of the earth. Elements of earth, heed my call!¡± exclaimed the mage as he slammed his staff hard into the ground.


    An earthquake shook the earth as an invisible force spread out from the point of impact, causing the ground to crack and heave.


    Seizing the opportunity, Midnight Dharma God lifted his staff once more.


    ¡°In the name of the evil god of fire, I summon the power of Ragnaros, spirit of fire. Elements of fire, heed my call!¡± he cried out, waving his staff vigorously.


    A Fire Storm erupted, causing the air to become dry and hot. A vortex of flames appeared in the center of the dragon army, spreading and rotating with a deafening sound of whistling wind and scorching air. The vortex grew larger and larger, gradually turning into a flame storm that covered an area of more than fifty meters. The violent flames engulfed all the dragonmen in its path.

 CH 12

    Despite their high resistance to fire, the dragonmen were quickly engulfed and burned to ashes by the Fire Storm. After more than ten seconds, only a handful of dragonmen remained, each with only a sliver of health left.


    Murphy was left dumbfounded. How could this be possible? The mobs in the group had attribute boosts and over a thousand health points each, yet this one skill had wiped out most of his army. How could one person be so powerful? Murphy couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the staff wielded by Midnight Dharma God was a plot weapon, or maybe even an artifact!


    With most of the dragon warlord¡¯s men gone in just one attack, how could they continue the fight? Only Borax and a handful of elite monsters remained on the field, but they were met with a hail of fire from the two teams of sharpshooters.


    As Borax realized that something was amiss, he quickly attempted to summon more dragon soldiers to join the battle. However, he was interrupted by Dawn Excalibur, who rubbed his hand against the edge of his giant sword, igniting scarlet flames on the blade ¨C the flames of the dragon slayer!


    Dawn Excalibur then charged towards Borax, sprinting at high speed. When he was within seven or eight meters of the boss, he leaped into the air, executing his signature move.


    ¡°Fearless Slash!¡± he shouted.


    With all his strength, he slashed down with the dragon-slaying sword in his hand. Borax hastily raised his flag spear in defense, but the sword cut right through it with a resounding crack. The momentum of the slash continued, plunging deeply into Borax¡¯s shoulder and causing blood to spurt out. His health dropped by 1789 points.


    Borax let out a scream and thrust his spear towards his opponent, but Dawn evaded and retreated with his sword. Borax stumbled and thrust his spear into thin air before suddenly unleashing a roar and spewing forth a mouthful of flames. Some dragonmen possessed the ability to breathe flames, although their power was much weaker. Borax was one such dragonman.


    However, instead of retreating, Dawn Excalibur pressed forward and leaped into the air. His body spun in midair, and the Dragon Slaying Sword accelerated suddenly with the rotation of its body.


    ¡±Lion Slash!¡±


    The blade of the sword cleaved through the flames and struck Borax¡¯s head with a muffled thud.


    ¡±3286!¡±


    The damage was insignificant, but the most terrifying aspect was that Borax was knocked to the ground with a single blow.


    Yes, he was flattened. The Dragon Slaying Sword was a massive weapon, with a blade over two meters long and nearly half a meter wide. It required 50 points of strength to wield, earning it the nickname ¡°door panel sword¡±. It had a slow attack speed, but its knockdown feature made it a formidable weapon.


    At that moment, Borax struggled to rise, but Dawn Excalibur pointed his blade at Borax¡¯s chest and charged forward, the sword whirling through the air like a storm. As Borax stood up, Dawn Excalibur thrust forward, charging through three stages: storm attack!


    With a soft ¡°Pfft,¡± the massive blade pierced straight through the heart of the Dragon Warlord, impaling Borax.


    ¡±124835!¡± (Critical hit)


    The large red number made Murphy momentarily question whether he had read it wrong. It wasn¡¯t until Borax¡¯s massive body crashed to the ground that Murphy realized the damage was real. How could this be so exaggerated? Was Borax, the boss of the 40-player team, really killed with just a few sword strikes? Who¡¯s the real BOSS in this fight?


    [World Announcement: In the year 1437 of Firmament Era, Dawn Excalibur vanquished the Dragonman Warlord Borax in the Dark Dragon Nest. This event has been recorded in the Sky Chronicle.]


    Meanwhile, in a live streaming room¡­


    [Wow, amazing! One sword and the second boss is down!]


    [This can¡¯t be real. Can the boss of a group really be defeated in just seconds?]


    [What kind of garbage game is this? Is he truly invincible?]


    [You guys don¡¯t know anything. That¡¯s caleld a fatal blow, and it takes a blot of skill to pull off. You¡¯re just a bunch of clueless amateurs.]


    [You¡¯re the clueless one here! You and your entire family are clueless! And you can¡¯t even spell properly. Are you still in elementary school?]


    [My husband is so handsome at midnight.]


    [He¡¯s so handsome! A macho man like Dawn Excalibur is the epitome of handsome. Just look at those muscles and the size of that sword on his back. That¡¯s what a real man looks like!]


    [It¡¯s over, Brother Long is about to die. That¡¯s 120,000 damage from just one sword strike. How much HP does Brother Long have? He only has a little over 80,000, so he can¡¯t withstand a single strike.]


    [That¡¯s in the wild. The dungeon has different rules, and the final boss will have 200,000 HP.]


    [Brother Long, why don¡¯t you just give up and sign the Dragon Knight contract? It¡¯s all for the sake of making a living. There¡¯s no shame in it.]


    [Don¡¯t be a coward! Just do it. So what if you¡¯re getting old? Brother Long, don¡¯t listen to the naysayers. We¡¯ll support you mentally.]


    Murphy paid no attention to the chaotic barrage of information and instead quickly focused on adjusting his strategy.


    It seemed that the previous ¡°Sea of Monsters¡± tactical strategy was completely impractical. With the powerful AOE ability of Midnight Dharma God, no matter how many monsters were summoned, they would all be wiped out in a single wave of light.


    This would leave him with only a helpless commander who wouldn¡¯t stand a chance in battle.


    After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he quickly devised a new tactical combination.


    Phase Transition: Flame Dragon + Black Dragon Air Raiders + Field Transformation: Lava Eruption.


    This new combination focused on ultimate AOE damage.


    In the form of the Flame Dragon, the power of the dragon¡¯s breath would increase by 50%, and it would have a splash effect.


    Four black drakes could explosive fireballs into the air, causing significant explosion damage.


    When combined with the ground lava jet, it resulted in a triple flame AOE attack.


    The heroes could withstand such damage, but the adventurers couldn¡¯t.


    Although the two opposing heroes were strong, as long as the adventurers were taken out with the flames, the remaining two heroes would be helpless. Murphy could then fly into the sky and breathe dragon¡¯s breath down on them. They would be defenseless against his attacks.


    With this plan in mind, Murphy regained his composure.


    The Dragon Warlord had been defeated, and the adventurers quickly gathered up all the loot. However, there was nothing particularly valuable. The best drop from the system¡¯s common loot was the weapon in Borax¡¯s hand.


    [Dragon Warlord¡¯s Banner (Polearm/Excellent)]


    Requirements: Strength 30, Intelligence 15.


    Attack: 47-54.


    Durability: 0/60.


    Weapon Skill: Dominance Aura ¨C Increases the health of nearby friendly units by 10%.


    Introduction: This is the standard weapon of the Dragon Warlord in the Black Dragon Army. It boosts the morale of nearby friendly units and allows the Warlord to give orders. It is also a symbol of the Warlord¡¯s power within the Black Dragon Army.


    Dawn Excalibur nodded. A very useful drop for the lord template. It could surely be sold once some war breaks out in the future. He casually threw it to a priest in the team, and the team started to move forward again.


    Soon the team came to the room of BOSS No. 2, Obsidian Hall.


    This surprised the adventurers. After entering the dungeon, it took them an hour to clear the mobs and go through the maze before arriving at the first boss room. They didn¡¯t expect that after the boss kill, there would be no mobs between the two bosses at all.

 CH 13

    Guarding the Obsidian Hall was the fearsome Dragonblood Ogre Mage, Duriel, the second boss. Murphy had initially underestimated the ogre¡¯s prowess, but he soon realized the wizard¡¯s devastating lightning storm could inflict substantial damage, weakening the enemy¡¯s forces and reducing the pressure on their team.


    Suddenly, a system prompt announced Duriel¡¯s chosen combat strategy: ¡°Cluster Casting.¡± This was a wise decision, for as an ogre wizard, Duriel commanded a host of spellcasters, including four goblin pyromancers, four ogre flamebringers, and eight kobold fire division members.


    However, while these minions were skilled in magic, their mana reserves were relatively low and they were prone to quickly depleting their mana stores. With the ¡°Cluster Casting¡± strategy, all friendly units on the battlefield shared their mana reserves, resulting in a 30% increase in mana recovery speed and casting distance. This ensured the maximum durability and range of their firepower, which was crucial in this battle.


    As soon as the adventurers entered the obsidian hall, Duriel sprang into action.


    ¡°Unexpected that you were able to defeat that foolish Borax,¡± sneered the ogre mage. ¡°But don¡¯t be too pleased with yourselves. You are nothing before the great Duriel. My magic will rip you to shreds. Storm, earth, and fire, heed my call!¡±


    With a deafening roar, a dense field of lightning materialized around Duriel, as though the very god of thunder had descended upon the world. The Goblin Pyromancers and Ogre Flamebringers under his command raised their staffs and began casting spells in unison, creating a massive magic circle that linked everyone¡¯s magic power together.


    For a moment, the Obsidian Hall was ablaze with radiant magic power, the light of flame and thunder illuminating the room with an awe-inspiring force.


    The adventurers reacted quickly, and Midnight Dharma God raised his staff¡ª¡ªAdvanced Flame Protection Barrier! A huge red cover rose to protect everyone.


    At the same time ¨C


    Lightning Storm!


    Fire Missile!


    Flame Burst!


    The dense magic blazed towards the adventurers, but the trails of flame that filled the sky all hit the barrier and were blocked. Explosions sounded one after another, but the red cover remained motionless.


    Thankfully, this enchantment proved to be ineffective against lightning storms.


    With a resounding clap of thunder, lightning bolts rained down upon them like a barrage of arrows. Some were struck and twitched, while others¡¯ hair stood on end. However, being high-level players with a blood volume of 800, 900, or even over 1,000, they could still withstand a lightning bolt or two.


    As the lightning struck, the white glow of healing spells burst forth, illuminating the battlefield. Most of the 15 caster professions present were healers, and they immediately began to cast their spells: Healing Wave, Healing Barrier, Tranquil Rain, and even the bards sang the Song of Healing.


    Beneath the colorful healing magic, the charred bodies of the adventurers one second were healed the next, as if they had never been struck by lightning. No one¡¯s health dropped below 50%.


    At the same time, ten sharpshooters unleashed a volley of arrows upon the monsters.


    Spellcasters, on average, are thin-skinned, and monsters are no exception. They stood no chance against the concentrated barrage of arrows, and one by one they fell, pierced through like hedgehogs.


    As Duriel watched his comrades fall around him, he screamed in anxiety, and called forth all of his magical power. ¡°Lightning storm! Lightning storm! Lightning¨C¡± he cried, just as a figure rushed towards him.


    With a fearless determination, the figure executed a ¡°Fearless Slash!¡± The Dragon Slaying Sword sliced through Duriel¡¯s body, cleaving him diagonally in half from the neck down.


    The strike was devastating, dealing a critical hit of 95,000 damage.


    A [World Announcement] was made: ¡°In the year 1437 of Firmament Era, the human hero Dawn Excalibur vanquished the dragonblood ogre mage Duriel at the Dark Dragon Nest. This historic event has been recorded in the Sky Chronicle.¡±


    Murphy was speechless for a moment. He thought that the previous three boss battles could drain his opponents¡¯ strength. But one slash and it¡¯s all over.


    Is this fucker raiding a dungeon or slicing steak?


    He had reservations about the tactics he had just considered. Although the high-level flame protection enchantment was powerful, it overly restrained flame attacks. The triple area-of-effect damage he had prepared was all fire-based, making it obvious that he was being targeted.


    Moreover, the adventurers on the other side were not to be underestimated. Their healing ability was too strong, and even if his triple flame attack managed to penetrate their barriers, it would likely not be enough to win the battle. The lava spray would only last for 60 seconds, making it difficult to overpower them within that time.


    Additionally, the ten sharpshooters posed a significant threat to the black drakes, which had less than 8,000 HP and would not be able to withstand two rounds of volleys. Once the black drakes defeated, the lava spraying would also end, leaving only one dragon and likely resulting in a game over.


    He knew that he had to change tactics.


    At this time, the barrage in the live broadcast room became lively again.


    //


    [This Midnight Dharma God is so broken, his magic damage is so high, and the defensive magic is so strong. I feel like adventurers is a trash compared to heroes, like how Dawn Excalibur kills bosses in seconds. ]


    [Nonsense, it¡¯s all money, gold-level heroes cost two or three million at least. ¡¿


    [2 million? The lowest-level gold hero account is 2.5 million, and these two are in the middle of their epic advancement quest, max level, maxed out gear, you couldn¡¯t even buy it for twice that.]


    [Damn that¡¯s rich, five million to play a game. ]


    [Five million is nothing, I have a friend who spent more than five million on League. ]


    [These two heroes really screw Morpheus, one opens the enchantment to block the dragon¡¯s breath, and the other wields his sword to kill. ]


    [Brother Long, let¡¯s go. ]


    [Brother Long, let¡¯s go. ]


    [Brother Long, walk slowly. ]


    [Brother Long is immortal. ¡¿


    ¡¾Brother Long will always live in our hearts. ]


    [Brother Long, why don¡¯t you give up and sign the Dragon Knight contract? I actually really want to see what the Dragon Knight looks like. ]


    Seeing a row of comments talking about ¡°Brother Long¡±, Murphy cursed their mothers angrily.


    ¡°These fools couldn¡¯t even muster a few kind words,¡± he grumbled under his breath.


    He knew it was impossible for him to sign the dragon knight contract or anything of the sort. Perhaps if it were a dashing heroine, he might have considered it in order to save face. But the two old men who stood before him now were not worth the trouble of such a sacrifice.


    Even though they were all working to earn a living, Murphy had his own principles to uphold.


    As he surveyed the lineup of the raid team before him, Murphy knew that there was no such thing as a perfect team. The opponent¡¯s lineup was strange, so there had to be some hidden weaknesses beneath the surface.


    After studying the team for a while, he had finally found a weakness.


    This team seemed powerful, with the ability to kill monsters as easily as if they were chickens and slaughter bosses like dogs, all thanks to their impressive output capabilities.


    However, when compared to an average team, they had a fatal flaw ¨C they had no tanks.


    Out of the 30 adventurers, there were only five melee fighters, all of whom were agile types such as thieves and scouts, incapable of serving as frontline defense.


    The only one capable of withstanding the monsters was the hero Dawn Excalibur, a swordsman who wielded two-handed weapons. But strictly speaking, he was not a true tank, as he didn¡¯t even carry a shield or wear armor.


    Despite his impressive muscular physique, his defense was likely not particularly high.


    The reason he had been able to survive thus far was largely due to their sheer DPS. If he could defeat the mobs before they could even get close, there was no chance for them to inflict damage.


    If he could find a way to defeat this guy, then everyone else would be easy pickings, and he could finally achieve his goal.


    But this guy¡¯s hit points must be incredibly high. He had been sprayed with a mouthful of fire from Borax before and didn¡¯t even flinch. He must be equipped with gear that increases his resistance to fire, too.


    Moreover, with Midnight Dharma God providing cover, it might be impossible to defeat him with dragon¡¯s breath alone.


    Perhaps physical attacks were the answer? Murphy considered the possibility of this plan carefully. He didn¡¯t have much talent when it came to hand-to-hand combat skills, but the Black Dragon Lord was a giant boss, and his physical attack power was undoubtedly impressive.


    With a suitable combat strategy, he might be able to kill them.


    Murphy quickly thought up a tactic.


    Phase Transition: Behemoth of War + Death Fury + Summon Dragon Priests.


    There would be a 50% physical damage bonus from Behemoth form, which also added a crushing effect on attacks. When combined with the 50% damage bonus under Death Fury, his melee damage could reach a truly terrifying number. Additionally, the priests could use Bloodlust to further enhance his attack speed by an additional 30%.


    At that point, it would be possible to deal thousands of damage with a single strike. No matter how powerful Dawn Excalibur may be, with only a bit over 6,000 HP, they could be taken down with just two or three hits.


    Once the hero was eliminated, all that would remain would be easy pickings. They could be killed randomly and without much difficulty.

 CH 14

    The lounge outside the live broadcast room was filled to capacity, with two live broadcasts being shown simultaneously on the large screen.


    One was a broadcast of the Black Dragon Lord Murphys, which was mostly static. The black dragon was shown staring at a large crystal ball, not moving and leaving viewers wondering what he was thinking. As a result, everyone¡¯s attention was focused on the live broadcast of Midnight Dharma God.


    From Midnight Dharma God¡¯s point of view, viewers could see Dawn Excalibur slicing an ogre wizard in half with a single sword.


    There was a sudden sigh in the living room.


    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s cold.¡±


    ¡°This game is over.¡±


    ¡°Brother Long seems to be in a lot of danger.¡±


    Almost everyone thought so and whispered.


    Wang Ziheng¡¯s heart sank as he watched the live broadcast of the dungeon raid. He had been hoping to reclaim Mo Fei¡¯s Black Dragon account for the company, which would have been a significant achievement for him to take over the live streaming platform. His elder brother had been doing a great job, and if Wang Ziheng wanted to earn his father¡¯s recognition, he knew he had to prove himself.


    But now, everything seemed to be falling apart. If the Black Dragon Lord was defeated in front of the whole world, Wang Ziheng¡¯s platform would become a laughingstock. Anxiously, he tried to think of a way to salvage the situation, but it seemed like it was too late.


    ¡°Is there still a chance?¡± He couldn¡¯t help asking.


    The supervisor comforted him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that kid Murphy has some cards, and he always comes up with something. You¡¯ll never know what he can do until the last moment.¡±


    ¡°But the enemies are too strong, those two bosses died so quickly¡­¡±


    Although Wang Shao isn¡¯t much of a gamer, he had recently picked up some game knowledge. Although the bosses in the dungeon may be different in strength, as long as they are in the same dungeon, their strength will not be too different.


    The first and second knelt down in seconds, how could the third and fourth do much better?


    The supervisor explained: ¡°That¡¯s not the case. Murphy¡¯s subordinates are all garbage bosses sent for free by the system, so they¡¯re weak. In fact, if he was willing to spend money, he could definitely get very powerful bosses as his subordinates. The main issue is that he¡¯s not willing to spend money, but his personal strength definitely holds up.¡±


    Listening to the supervisor¡¯s explanation, Wang Shao couldn¡¯t help but feel a little strange. ¡°So why didn¡¯t he buy some powerful BOSS subordinates? Didn¡¯t the company give him any resources?¡±


    Knowing that there are two gold-level heroes on the opposite side, plus thirty top-level adventurers ¨C a luxurious lineup of thirty-two players ¨C up against Murphy as the only player¡­ Xingyao seemed a bit reckless here.


    No matter how you look at it, this is not normal.


    The supervisor couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of embarrassment, as he explained in a low voice to Wang Shao, who finally grasped the cause and effect of the situation.


    It all started during the public beta of ¡°Firmament World,¡± which had caused a sensation with its unprecedented game mode and legendary holographic virtual game technology, something that had previously only existed in science fiction novels. This innovation had directly shocked the industry.


    As a result, the major live streaming platforms began pouring resources into the game almost simultaneously, and Xingyao Group was no exception. It immediately assembled ten well-known game anchors, bought powerful heroes, bosses, and helmets to enter the game and start gaining viewership.


    In any other game, the weight of the anchors will always become stronger and stronger if one continues to invest in this way.


    However, the issue lies with the plot-killing feature in Firmament World. This feature has no effect on ordinary players since they usually play as adventurers, and death is not a big concern for them.


    On the other hand, it is different for the anchors who play as heroes, bosses, or lords; all of them are crucial plot characters. Additionally, they cannot simply opt-out of participating in events as it would negatively impact the live broadcast¡¯s viewership. When there is a significant war or crisis in the game, they must participate and make moves.


    Unfortunately, these anchors might be plot characters, but they don¡¯t come with any plot armor. Half of the characters of the first batch of anchors died in less than a month.


    Realizing the gravity of the situation, Xingyao increased its investment in Firmament World. At that time, the game was already incredibly popular, and the company arranged for another 20 anchors to join the game. They spared no expense, seeking money and resources to make their mark.


    At the same time, they followed the strategy of casting a wider net to catch more fish, and arranged for another 30 ordinary anchors to join. However, the treatment for these anchors was not as good as the previous two waves. They were not as popular, so they received average treatment. Additionally, VIP game accounts were expensive, so not everyone could afford them, despite the Xingyao Group¡¯s immense wealth.


    As a result, each of these 30 ordinary anchors only had one game helmet, and they were responsible for their own profits and losses. They could choose the template they wanted to play, but they had to spend their own money.


    As a result, the contract between the company and the third batch of anchors did not require the company to own their game accounts.


    Murphy was one of the ordinary anchors in the third batch. Unexpectedly, many of the well-known anchors from the first two batches did not survive long enough to make a name for themselves. Those who did survive were stuck struggling and climbing the ranks.


    On the other hand, a few tenacious individuals from the third batch found success. Some played a monster-hunting style, others played as small animals in survival mode, and some even played as civilian characters, cooking and becoming food anchors.


    To everyone¡¯s surprise, some of these anchors gained significant popularity, with the black dragon lord Morpheus becoming the most popular of them all.


    ¡°Later, we wanted him to renegotiate his contract, give him resources and manpower in exchange for taking ownership of the account, but this kid is too clever. He wouldn¡¯t agree to anything and just dragged the talks back and forth doing nothing.¡±


    Wang Shao nodded in understanding. He felt a sense of admiration for Murphy, who had worked hard to reach his current status. Observing the massive black dragon that was motionless on the screen, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of invisible pressure, despite knowing that it was just a game character.


    Despite being born into a wealthy family, Wang Shoa couldn¡¯t just sit back and enjoy the riches without a sense of fulfillment. This is why he is determined to take over the live broadcast platform, as he believed it will give him a sense of accomplishment.


    Silently, Wang Shao hoped that Morpheus would survive, not just for his sake but for Murphy¡¯s own sake.


    The supervisor looked at Wang Shao¡¯s thoughtful expression, but he was quite pessimistic in his heart. No matter how you look at it, this kid Murphy is going to lose here. With such a fierce lineup on the opposite side, what can one man do?


    He is well aware of the power of the Xingyao Group. There is no chance for an anchor to fight against a platform.


    It might be better for Murphy to die here; at least then it¡¯s all over and he doesn¡¯t have to fight in real life. If he survives, that might bring a lot more trouble to him afterward.

 CH 15

    ¡°This one should be easy.¡± Looking at Dawn Excalibur who was wiping the blood on his sword with the ogre¡¯s corpse, Midnight Dharma God suddenly spoke quietly.


    ¡°Oh, so confident? Just because the first two bosses went well?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. It¡¯s really unexpected that the first two bosses were so easy. I thought it was some kind of trap where the other party was misleading us and making us careless. But I figured it out just now.¡±


    Midnight Dharma God stretched out a finger, ¡°Morpheus didn¡¯t get any resources from Xingyao Group at all. I thought playing solo was because he liked to show off, but now I realize that it¡¯s because he hardly has any decent subordinates.¡±


    ¡°Then isn¡¯t he very strong, to make a huge reputation by himself?¡±


    Midnight Dharma God clicked his tongue. ¡°He is indeed very strong, but only outside the instance. We have analyzed before that his talent spread is absolutely crooked. The dragon¡¯s breath and flying ability are far superior to ordinary dragons, but there are definitely flaws in other aspects, so we formed such a lineup to deal with that. He can¡¯t fight hand-to-hand, at least not very well. With you here, that¡¯s enough to overcome his melee ability, and my enchantment can restrain his dragon¡¯s breath, so what¡¯s left for him to do? Dragon language magic? I haven¡¯t ever seen him use it.


    I¡¯m not here to wildly with all my wealth. I came here because I was at least 70% sure I could win ¨C now it¡¯s closer to 90%.¡±


    Dawn slightly nodded. ¡°The analysis sounds good, but don¡¯t be careless until the last moment. Since this guy can live up to now, he must have his specialties.¡±


    ¡°Of course, don¡¯t worry, this time we¡¯ve brought out all our strength to deal with it. He will definitely not survive tonight ¡ª now let¡¯s go.¡±


    The team proceeded through Obsidian Hall and arrived at a spacious platform with a staircase. As they rushed to the top, they were greeted by a hall filled with bones.


    It appeared to be some kind of worship site, with an altar in the center surrounded by skeletons of various humanoids, goblins, kobolds, ogres, humans, and even draconians.


    On the ground was a huge array-like structure, which had been carved out and formed a sunken ditch covered with black dirt made of dried blood.


    The entire hall was dimly lit, causing the adventurers to feel as if they had entered a horror survival game. A gust of wind blew through the hall, causing even the most timid adventurers to shiver in fear.


    Chi Yang: ¡°Damn, this game company is awesome.¡±


    Decade: ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    Chi Yang: ¡°Even the government can¡¯t censor such horrifying game scenes, I¡¯m so scared!¡±


    Orange Lemon: ¡°Shhh, keep your voice down, don¡¯t bring the BOSS back to life.¡±


    Following the directions given by a priest within the team, they discovered more than a dozen Dragon Worship priests wearing black cloaks, loudly praying around the altar. An elderly man, adorned with an ornate keel helmet, stood upon the altar with open hands, seemingly performing some kind of mysterious ceremony.


    It was Dragon Cult High Priest Santazak, the No. 3 boss of Dark Dragon Nest.


    ¡±Hey, it¡¯s the Dragon Cult¡¯s priest. Morpheus didn¡¯t even bother to assign the young black dragon as the guard boss.¡±


    Midnight Dharma God showed an unexpected expression. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious that Hildeshanks is an alt? Morpheus would never give us the opportunity to practice against him. But it doesn¡¯t matter, we have practiced before.¡±


    Indeed, in the previous month or so, this team had specifically targeted Morpheus and several BOSSes under his command. They had conducted BOSS battle rehearsals respectively, practicing against similar BOSSes found in other dungeons. Because of this, they were able to preview the tactics and abilities of these BOSSes, making it easy for them to defeat the first two bosses.


    Regarding Murphys, they had also practiced beforehand, but at that time, they had dealt with a disaster-level red dragon BOSS that was only of the second level. Although much weaker than Murphys in terms of strength, they were both dragons and could breathe fire, making their fighting style very similar.


    That battle provided them with a lot of valuable experience.


    Dawn Excalibur shook his head, ¡°I hate these priest monsters, they always pray to their gods and come up with some strange tricks. Let¡¯s enter the boss battle and try to kill them quickly.¡± After speaking, he waved his hand.


    The team formed a fan formation and approached the boss.


    Meanwhile, Murphy was also paying close attention to the previous boss battle.


    [System prompt: Dragon Cult High Priest Santazak has used the combat strategy ¡®Sacrificial Call¡¯ to sacrifice the existing boss and other friendly units on the field and summon a higher-level boss.]


    Murphy was momentarily stunned. If he understood correctly, was Santazak sacrificing himself?


    Although Santazak was just an NPC and they weren¡¯t particularly familiar with each other, it still touched him.


    At this moment, the adventuring group entered the boss¡¯s aggro range.


    Santazak suddenly raised his head and looked towards the people in the distance, revealing a strange smile. To everyone¡¯s surprise, this old boss was quite amicable, unlike the two belligerent bosses they had encountered earlier.


    ¡°Hehehe, welcome to the Hall of Sacrifice, brave adventurers. You are fortunate to witness a sacred ceremony, in which the lost gods will reveal their miracles once more.


    However, it is not easy to pray for this miracle. It requires great sacrifice and courage. As per the master¡¯s orders, I will stop you at any cost. Since that¡¯s the case, bear witness!


    May the ancient gods bestow their blessings upon us. Oh Dragon God Yamahamut, heed the prayers of your humble servant and bring your will to this world! Infuse your great strength into my rotting corpse.¡±


    The intensity of Santazak¡¯s tone increased as an invisible force lifted him into the air. The Dragon Worship believers who were kneeling and praying started to scream fervently, and their flesh and blood quickly dried up, turning them into mummies. The blood gushed out and transformed into red energy that gathered towards Santazak.


    Dawn Excalibur had the impulse to rush forward to interrupt the ceremony, but he found himself completely immobile, and everyone¡¯s perspective had turned into that of a bystander.


    This boss even has a cutscene¡­


    This is also one of the benefits of the dungeon mode. No matter how impatient the hero is, he has to wait for the villain to complete his transformation.


    Only when he is fully ready can the fight begin.


    Right before everyone¡¯s eyes, all the blood energy had been absorbed by Santazak. The beast¡¯s body started to expand, and something wriggled beneath its skin. With a puff, a dragon wing emerged from its back, piercing the skin and stretching outward.


    Another puff, and a second dragon wing emerged, both wings mostly comprised of bone, with only a slight membrane near the torso. Its limbs too began to mutate, skin tearing, flesh and blood swelling, and expanding like a blown-up balloon.


    In an instant, the creature transformed into a horrifying dragon-like being, its body twisted and incomplete, most of it made up of pallid white bones, clearly indicating that its flesh and blood were insufficient.


    Santazak: ¡°No, the sacrifices were not enough to complete the ceremony, I need more sacrifices! Since life is not enough to complete this great body that Yamahamut has given me, let death fill it instead.¡±


    The great dragon unfolded its wings, and an endless stream of deathly breath spewed out from the surrounding bones, coalescing towards the beast¡¯s form.


    The breath of death merged with the previously scattered flesh and bones, transmuting into more pallid bones, filling the gaps in flesh and blood. Once the cutscene had concluded, a monstrous sight befell the onlookers, beyond words to describe. A colossal dragon, constructed entirely of bones, enshrouded in a black haze of death.


    ¡°Death¡¯s Doorstep¡± Santazak (Bone Dragon), level 80: Disaster Level 3, HP 195,000.

 CH 16

    Murphy gazed upon the colossal skeletal dragon depicted in the orb, a pleasant surprise beaming across his face. Judging from its size alone, the beast was already the same size as him. With a mere two steps separating its boss level from his own, perhaps it could slay the raiders.


    Meanwhile, all the adventurers surrounding him grew pale with fear. This scenario was not a part of their plan.


    Only Dawn Excalibur retained his composure. ¡°Everyone, buff me! I¡¯ll draw the boss¡¯s attention! Wait three rounds before attacking,¡± he commanded, and the adventurers complied without hesitation.


    They unleashed a flurry of buff spells upon Dawn Excalibur as if they were of no cost.


    Bull¡¯s Strength!


    Blessing of Might!


    Valor Blessing!


    Divine Favor!


    Mark of the Wild!


    Unyielding Stamina!


    Dawn Excalibur¡¯s body grew visibly larger, bursting with a rainbow of colors as he charged towards the boss, wielding a giant dragon-slaying sword.


    The colossal bone dragon roared, swiping its claws and causing Dawn Excalibur to swiftly dodge to the side.


    Boom! The white bone dragon¡¯s claw slammed less than two meters away from him, bones scattering in every direction. Dawn¡¯s sword sliced through the dragon¡¯s claw, dealing only a meager -421 damage. The bone fragments flew, but the damage was truly lackluster.


    The bone dragon swiped once again, and Dawn Excalibur narrowly avoided the attack.


    Suddenly, the dragon opened its maw and chomped down with a mighty bite ¨C a dragon bite! But Dawn¡¯s sword held its ground, rolling out from under the dragon¡¯s mouth.


    He rose into the air ¨C Rising Dragon Slash! ¨C then slased the bone dragon¡¯s jaw with his sword.


    As the aggro table stabilized, the other adventurers began to attack remotely.


    Murphy¡¯s expression gradually froze as he realized something was wrong. How could Dawn Excalibur conceal so much? He felt that this person was very familiar with the Dragon Clan¡¯s attack modes, almost to the point of knowing them like the back of his hand.


    Dragons were different from humans and were unable to perform many tricks in hand-to-hand combat. For example, human monks could spin and kick at 360 degrees, or human swordsmen could dance with their blades and make dazzling and gorgeous sword moves.


    But dragons couldn¡¯t do it. They were so big and couldn¡¯t hold weapons, so there were only a few types of attack modules they could use.


    Dragon Claw Swipe, Dragon Tail Swipe, Dragon Wing Pounce, Dragon Bite (Dragon Mouth Attack), and at most, Dragon Tackle. Basically, these attack modules were used interchangeably.


    Generally speaking, these moves were enough. After all, a large body also had a large attack range. A dragon tail swipe could sweep a distance of more than ten meters, and a dragon claw slap could cover a range of three or four meters.


    It was not easy for even a purely agility-based adventurer to avoid them.


    However, as he observed his opponent¡¯s fighting stance, it became apparent that he had fully mastered these.


    Despite the apparent danger in his swift dodges and movements, he managed to evade each attack with hairbreadth precision, as if he had predicted them beforehand.


    It seemed that he had a history of slaying dragons in the past.


    Nevertheless, without a shield to protect him, even one accidental hit would leave him badly wounded, and no matter how skilled he was at dodging, it was impossible to evade every attack.


    Before Murphy could dwell on the thought any further, the giant skeleton dragon charged towards our group of adventurers after realizing that it could not withstand the power of Dawn Excalibur.


    As it hastily pursued, trying to quell its anger, the skeleton dragon abruptly turned around and attacked with a swift claw slam.


    This time, Dawn Excalibur was caught off guard and had no time to dodge. He was about to be ensnared by the dragon claws, but he quickly lifted his massive sword and blocked the attack in front of him.


    With a resounding boom, the dragon¡¯s claws landed heavily on the giant sword, causing Dawn Excalibur¡¯s legs to sink into the ground from the sheer force of the impact, but he remained standing.


    ¡°Block!¡± The bright red text that appeared stunned Murphy.


    Those five simple letters were more shocking to him than the incredible fight that had just unfolded before his eyes.


    In the game of Firmament World, weapons could be used for parrying, but they were not capable of blocking, a function that was reserved only for shields.


    ¡°What kind of concept is this?¡± Murphy wondered to himself. ¡°This guy can use a weapon as a shield?¡±


    However, upon closer inspection, the Dragon Slaying Sword was over two meters in length and half a meter in width. It was made entirely of metal and resembled a door panel. Was it not, in essence, a natural shield?


    Murphy¡¯s heart sank. His own hand-to-hand combat skills might not be higher than those of the skeleton dragon.


    At least with Death Fury turned on and Behemoth of War form activated, he should be more powerful than the skeleton dragon. However, he was not as confident in his ability to win that fight as he had been before.


    The battle raged on.


    The skeleton dragon did not seem to have any discernible vital points. No matter where it was hit, it shed bone fragments and lost a small amount of health. After fighting for over ten minutes, it had sustained numerous hits to the chest and head, yet it remained standing, having lost only a third of its health.


    Dawn Excalibur showed no signs of fatigue either. Every time his condition dropped, the adventurer would quickly cast over a dozen healing and buff spells, bringing him back to full strength in an instant.


    The battle between the two sides was fierce, with both the dragon¡¯s health and the adventurers¡¯ mana steadily decreasing.


    However, the adventurers had the upper hand. They were able to replenish their mana by drinking potions, whereas the skeleton dragon had no means of recovery.


    Eventually, the dragon¡¯s health dropped to 50%.


    The giant skeleton dragon swung its tail, forcing Dawn Excalibur back. Its bones were shattered, and its body was filled with lifeless energy, clearly indicating that it had been seriously injured.


    ¡°In the name of Master Morpheus,¡± the skeleton dragon, Santazak, declared, ¡°at any cost, wake up the dead who have passed away. Sleeping warriors, you will once again fight for Lord Morpheus!¡±


    The dragon violently spread its wings and exhaled a deadly breath, causing its blood volume to decrease by 10% instantly. As a result of the death magic, the bones on the ground trembled, moved, and fused together, forming skeleton warriors who grabbed rusted weapons and charged in groups towards the adventurers with a cracking sound.


    Dawn¡¯s face darkened as he was caught off guard by this move.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take on the BOSS. Everyone, focus on clearing out the mobs quickly,¡± he said.


    With a sweep of his sword, Dawn Excalibur shattered a skeleton that charged towards him into pieces. He then rushed towards the skeletal dragon, which was already weakened. Meanwhile, Midnight Dharma God and the other adventurers confronted the skeleton army.


    The sharpshooters took the lead in shooting arrows, but were embarrassed to find that their attacks did little damage to the skeletons. Arrows often passed through gaps in the bones, resulting in frequent misses, and sometimes failing to harm the skeletons at all.


    On the other hand, the spellcasters were more effective, and their magic easily shattered the skeletons into pieces.


    However, they soon discovered that things were not so straightforward. Under the influence of the death magic, the broken pieces of the skeletons regrouped and continued to be resurrected.


    ¡°It¡¯s the death magic! The skeletons are being resurrected by the power of death,¡± exclaimed one of the adventurers.


    ¡°Do you think I didn¡¯t notice? Can someone give me some useful advice?¡± Midnight Dharma God shouted, ¡°Priests, disperse them!¡± He repeated his order twice, but no one moved.


    ¡°Black River, why don¡¯t you disperse them? Aren¡¯t you a priest?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m a war priest who believes in Odin. Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m holding a hammer?¡± Black River wore plate armor and held a war hammer, looking more like a warrior. He smashed the skulls of the skeletons one by one with his hammer.


    ¡°Kumquat Lemon, aren¡¯t you also a priest?¡± Fashen asked.


    Kumquat Lemon shook their head and replied, ¡°I believe in the Mother Earth Goddess and don¡¯t have the ability to disperse the undead, but I can do this¡ª¡± As they spoke, they hurled a rock ball at the skeletons, knocking over several of them. However, the fallen skeletons quickly rose up again.


    Midnight Dharma God was at a loss. Among the fifteen caster professions and four priests in the team, none of them had the ability to disperse the undead.


    In this game, the abilities of priests are determined by the gods they believe in. Only the gods of the Holy Light faction, such as the Sun God and the God of Light, bestow upon their believers the power to disperse the undead.


    This time, the team was primarily focused on the black dragon as the main target, and their configuration was based on the dragon¡¯s fire-breathing ability. Dealing with these unexpected undead enemies was proving to be a difficult challenge.


    ¡°Dharma God, use your amplified magic!¡±


    Midnight Dharma God sighed helplessly, ¡°The cooldown isn¡¯t over yet.¡±


    His Fire Storm was incredibly powerful due to being a hero skill. However, hero skills had a lengthy cooldown time in this game. It was believed that the skill would only be used once during a BOSS battle, so the team had been waiting for the cooldown while clearing the mobs on the road. Unfortunately, the dungeon design proved to be extremely cunning. The team spent the first hour clearing mobs and navigating through the maze. The three boss battles that followed were all connected, and the first two were too brief to allow for the cooldown of their skills. The situation was becoming increasingly difficult.

 CH 17

    As the skeletons rushed towards him, Midnight Dharma God blasted them with a powerful fireball. Though his magic was strong, it proved ineffective against the skeletons¡¯ ability to regenerate.


    An adventurer cried, ¡°It¡¯s useless, these things can¡¯t be killed, but as long as you kill the boss these mobs should disappear naturally.¡±


    Midnight Dharma God knew this, but the boss was no easy feat with 190,000 health and seemingly no vital point. Even after Dawn Excalibur split open the dragon¡¯s head, it remained alive.


    The undead creatures¡¯ ability to regenerate was the most frustrating part, especially when dealing with a super giant undead.


    On top of that, the constant siege of monsters made it impossible to effectively output damage.


    As the adventure team found themselves in a fierce battle, Mourphy felt a glimmer of hope rise in his heart. Perhaps there was still a chance to defeat them.


    Suddenly, a sharpshooter let out a cry and deviated from the team¡¯s defense line, only to be quickly swarmed and killed by a group of skeletons.


    The team¡¯s lack of melee fighters became apparent as they struggled to hold off the relentless surge of undead. Their only option was to rely on pure damage to whittle away at the enemy¡¯s numbers, but their mana reserves were not infinite.


    Several thieves attempted to rush forward with knives, only to be overwhelmed by the skeletons. The druids, who were primarily focused on healing, transformed into giant bears to fight back. However, as healing builds lacking the talents of skin strengthening and beast tenacity, they too were quickly subdued.


    As a last resort, the war priest charged forward with his mace, determined to disperse the undead and protect his team. But even with his fierce determination and plate armor, he knew it was an uphill battle that may ultimately prove futile.


    ¡°Fall back! Retreat to the corner!¡± ordered Midnight Dharma God, prompting the adventurers to quickly retreat while fighting until they reached a corner of the boss room. With their backs against the walls on both sides, they only needed to focus on the enemies in front of them and concentrate the spellcasters¡¯ power on attacking the front.


    The power of magic tore apart the approaching skeletons, and the battle began to turn in their favor. However, the crisis was far from over.


    Midnight Dharma God watched the cooldown timer of his skill, a daunting 30 minutes. Now, with 27 minutes having already passed, they only needed to hold out for another three minutes¡­


    Murphy was both surprised and elated to see that the adventurers had been forced into a corner, with Dawn Excalibur fighting the BOSS alone while lacking healing from the back row. It was clear that they could not sustain this forever. As long as the skeletal dragon could hold out for just a little longer, they would be able to stabilize the situation.


    The skeleton dragon continued its relentless attacks, with additional skeletons attempting to join the fray. Despite this, Dawn Excalibur remained calm and composed, continuously dodging and rolling to evade their attacks. He resolutely dropped his sword to the ground, causing the surrounding skeletons to be swept away by the dragon¡¯s tail and shattered into a pile of bones. Seizing the opportunity, he quickly drank another life potion.


    Whenever he found a moment of respite, he would strike back with a swift backhand slash at the skeleton dragon. Although the damage inflicted was only average, he was used to playing MMORPG games like an action game, and he kept on exchanging blows with the enemy.


    ¡°Why won¡¯t you die already?!¡± exclaimed Mo Fei, watching anxiously as the giant bone dragon continued to strike. This time, Dawn Excalibur chose to block with his sword, and the sheer force of the attack sent him flying seven or eight meters away, leaving deep furrows on the ground from his legs and feet.


    Dawn Excalibur was gasping for air, and the skeleton dragon was also on its last legs, with its body collapsing and the power of death oozing out.


    As the lone warrior and the dragon stared each other down¡­


    ¡°Fire Storm!¡±


    A magnificent vortex of flames erupted once again, pulling hundreds of skeletons into its inferno.


    In an instant, the entire battlefield was engulfed in flames.


    ¡°It¡¯s finished,¡± Murphy sighed in relief. With the skeleton army wiped out and the adventurers rejoining the fray, it was only a matter of time before the skeleton dragon was defeated.


    Although the skeleton army could still be resurrected, it was too late.


    Finally, with only 10% of its health remaining, the skeleton dragon collapsed.


    Santazak, Death¡¯s Doorstep: ¡°Master Morpheus¡­ I¡¯ve failed you¡­¡±


    The sound of an explosion filled the air as the skeleton dragon crumbled into a heap of shattered bones. The body was in ruins, with only the upper torso remaining, twisted and disfigured without its arms. The face remained the same, but it was clear that the remaining 10% of its health was insignificant. The adventurers closed in on the remains and began to finish the job, with the outcome already determined.


    Murphy observed the scene and sighed. ¡°Well, old San, you did your best.¡±


    This battle was an improvement over the two previous boss battles. It not only depleted a significant amount of the adventurer team¡¯s resources but also resulted in the deaths of seven adventurers. If it hadn¡¯t been for the cooldown on the last skill, it might have helped the enemy escape.


    At the same time¡ª¡ª


    ¡±It¡¯s over, seven people died, aren¡¯t we screwed?¡±


    Despite having won the battle, everyone¡¯s spirits were low as they prepared to face the final boss. They knew that they needed the best possible lineup to stand a chance, but unfortunately, a large part of their combat power had been weakened.


    ¡°Can¡¯t they just resurrect?¡± asked someone.


    ¡°The resurrection point is too far away. It would take at least a few hours.¡±


    Midnight Dharma God¡¯s expression soured as he produced two scrolls, ¡°Take out the Orange and Blazing Sun scrolls and use them to revive the remaining dead.¡±


    These were Resurrection Scrolls, which could only be obtained as a reward from the Goddess of Life¡¯s missions, with a very low chance of dropping. They were valued at 10,000 yuan each, but were incredibly difficult to acquire due to the lack of market availability. The most broken thing about these scrolls was that they could even be used during plot battles.


    Although they would only revive adventurers, even one revived adventurer could make a significant difference in combat power during a critical moment.


    Murphy¡¯s heart was heavy, but he was relieved that Midnight Dharma God had only two of these precious scrolls.


    He looked at the third set of strategies he arranged, but they still didn¡¯t seem to work.


    Although his hand-to-hand combat ability surpassed that of the skeleton dragon, living dragons had their weaknesses, and one could not afford to be careless in a fight, lest they take a debilitating strike.


    Furthermore, the giant skeleton dragon could summon an army of skeletons to impede the adventurers, but he would have to face everyone¡¯s attacks and fend off Dawn Excalibur alone.


    Even if he managed to injure Dawn Excalibur, the existence of healers meant that the swordsman could fight again with a renewed vigor.


    It was clear that a change was necessary, but what could be done? He had already tried three different strategies to no avail.


    His gaze fell upon the lineup of battle strategies, each one having been thoroughly considered.


    Perhaps summoning Princess Catherine could be an option, but it seemed like a risky gamble. Murphy couldn¡¯t predict what twist the plot might take.


    Would the princess fall in love with him and prevent the adventurers from attacking? That seemed like a far-fetched idea that belonged in a tragic love story.


    Or maybe he could kill Princess Catherine himself, causing the enemy¡¯s morale to crumble, and making them easier to defeat? However, it was unlikely to work, as the adventurers didn¡¯t seem to be driven by any particular motivation, and they might even go berserk if pushed too hard.


    In any case, Murphy was not one to rely on uncertain possibilities, especially not in such a crucial moment. He was not a gambler by nature.


    Despite the strength of Dawn Excalibur, Murphy noticed a weakness in the enemy¡¯s strategy: their layout was focused on attacking a flame dragon, leaving them vulnerable to other types of attacks.


    ¡°It would be impossible to kill Dawn Excalibur quickly, but their weakness may lie in those adventurers. If there was no hero to hold me back, I could completely sweep that miscellaneous trash. So maybe¡­¡±


    A plan began to form in Murphy¡¯s mind, but he wasn¡¯t entirely certain. Time was running out, and he didn¡¯t have the luxury of thinking everything through.


    [World Announcement: In the year 1437 of Firmament Era, the human hero Midnight Dharma God slew the Dragon Cult Priest Santazak in the Dark Dragon Nest. This event has been recorded in the Sky Chronicle.]


    [System Message: All the monster leaders under you have been killed, and the final battle is about to begin. Will the ending of ¡°Song of the Dragonslaying Warrior¡± be a hero defeating the dragon and saving the princess, or the dragon killing a hero and continuing to live fiercely? The ending is about to be revealed.


    As the final boss and the biggest villain of this plot battle, please prepare yourself. ¡¿


    In the monitoring screen of the crystal ball, the enemy has already started to move towards the room of the final boss, and there is no time to hesitate.


    Murphy gritted his teeth and made a decisive choice.


    At the same time, there were hurried footsteps in the passage outside Longmian Cave.


    Here they come!

 CH 18

    The adventurers entered the cave with torches.


    Longmian Cave was incredibly vast, with a towering dome resembling a dark sky. Volcanic gems and crystals adorned the walls, casting a dreamy and enchanting glow, creating a stunning underground world.


    The cave was shrouded in pitch-black darkness, with only a faint red glow reflecting off the lava trickling through the crevices.


    The ground was dry volcanic rock, and one could faintly discern the traces left by the giant dragon as it crawled. Walking in the beast¡¯s cave, the chilling aura of a dark monster lair overwhelmed the adventurers, causing them to hesitate in fear.


    Midnight Dharma God sneered, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. This is just the passive effect of Draconic Presence. Zichuan, sing a ¡®Song of Courage¡¯ to lift our spirits.¡±


    The bard, Zichuan Lantian, nodded and promptly picked up their ukulele, strumming a tune.


    The skills of bards take the form of songs, but there are no hard and fast rules about what specifically to sing. Generally, there are several themes to choose from for each skill. At this time, Zichuan Lantian sang a song about heroes defeating giant dragons, which seemed suitable for the situation.


    ¡°Dragon¡¯s wings darken the sky,


    Roar spews flames, scales like blades high,


    People flee, afraid they¡¯re nigh,


    In fire they fight, leather they tie.


    Fate strikes, they ask, why so tough,


    Hero rises, blood on earth rough,


    No fear of hardship, he¡¯s enough,


    Faces mountains, seas, brave and tough.


    Pick up the bow, pick up the spear,


    We¡¯ll fight bravely, have no fear,


    Dragon¡¯s blood we¡¯ll sprinkle clear,


    Death¡¯s shadow dispersed, victory near.¡±


    Without a doubt, the melody was sung quite well, its sweet notes reverberating within the hollow and quiet cavern.


    The brave adventurers were emboldened by the enchanting tune, until a deafening roar shattered the stillness.


    ¡°Hahahaha, what an amusing refrain. Tell me, mortals, is that the conclusion you anticipate?¡± A voice boomed from the shadows, its timbre deep and alluring, causing everyone to be on high alert.


    Midnight Dharma God spoke up: ¡°Don¡¯t stop. Keep singing.¡±


    The bard nodded with trepidation, and resumed singing.


    ¡°You trespassed into my lair, slaughtered my worthless minions, and now you come to face my fury, all for what? Let me guess, you came to save the princess? How naive. Justice and glory are mere facades. Your true motives lie in wealth and power, money and influence. Human hypocrisy blinds you to your own deceit, but you cannot deceive me¡­


    Greedy humans, you will find nothing here but death and destruction!¡±


    The dragon¡¯s roar drowned out the Song of Courage, leaving them trembling with fear. Despite knowing that it was merely a game, the sheer force of the creature¡¯s wrath sent shivers down their spines.


    Dawn Excalibur strode to the forefront of the team and gazed into the abyss before him. A colossal shadow loomed amidst the darkness, melding with the shadows, barely distinguishable as it watched them from the shadows.


    Midnight Dharma met Dawn Excalibur¡¯s gaze, and they both understood the message conveyed within their eyes. This streamer was exactly as the rumors had described: a master of drama, capable of creating an ambiance so captivating that it would be a shame not to partake in it. Whether one knew that it was a boss battle within the game or not, they would believe that an epic tale was unfolding before them.


    Dawn Excalibur was in awe, recognizing that this was a scripted battle, and a vast audience was observing it. As such, it required a sense of ceremony.


    ¡°Enough is enough! Foul black dragon, your false words and lies won¡¯t scare any of us. We came to save the princess, and more than that we came to kill you! You beast that brings naught but harm to the world! The wrath you poured out onto our loved ones will be thrown right back in your face. Black Dragon Morpheus, your brutal reign ends today.¡±


    A thunderous roar echoed in response, as an enraged black dragon¡¯s claw emerged from the shadows. Gradually, the colossal creature revealed its true form; towering over sixty meters tall, with a wingspan exceeding a hundred meters, it looked down condescendingly upon the group below. The mere sight of it was enough to leave the onlookers in awe.


    [Morpheus, The Shadow of Death] Level 80 BOSS, Disaster Rank 5, 280,000 HP.


    Viewers who observed the dragon¡¯s true appearance through the eyes of Midnight Dharma God¡¯s live broadcast were left astounded.


    ¡°Woah, this black dragon is so imposing.¡±


    ¡°That entrance and that imposing figure ¨C can Midnight Dharma God defeat it?¡±


    ¡°Husband, you got this!¡±


    Midnight Dharma God felt a tinge of nervousness as well. The red dragon he had defeated during his previous practice was nowhere near as massive nor did it emanate such an overwhelming aura.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, everyone. Stick to the plan we have practiced and we will win. Keep in mind that this black dragon has potent breath attacks, but its other abilities are not as strong,¡± he reassured his team.


    Flame protection enchantments flickered to life.


    ¡°Dawn Excalibur, it¡¯s up to you,¡± he added.


    Dawn Excalibur nodded, stepping to the forefront of the group. Raising his giant sword high, he prepared to engage the creature. However, the black dragon let out a wicked grin, unfurled its wings, and took flight, soaring high into the sky.


    ¡°Tiny mortals, humble ants, your hubris makes me laugh, and your hypocrisy makes me sick. Since you come so eager to die, let me reduce you all to ash, and have you feel the wrath of Morpheus!¡±


    The long-awaited moment had finally arrived: the boss battle had begun.


    As the battle commenced, the audience in the live broadcast room and those watching from their screens sat back and prepared to watch the action unfold. They had their snacks and drinks at the ready, eager to witness the excitement of the upcoming fight.


    Anticipation hung heavy in the air as they waited for the next scene to unfold, ready to experience the next thrilling chapter of the story.


    Flame Breath!


    Raging dragonfire fell from the sky, and the flame protection barrier glowed a bright red in response.


    The black dragon soared high into the sky, making it impossible for the spellcasting team to reach it. However, two teams of sharpshooters began raining arrows down on the dragon without hesitation.


    As the battle raged on in the cramped cave, the black dragon remained still and took a barrage of arrows without trying to evade them.


    The screen lit up with damage numbers: 58! 72! 113! 89!¡­ The black dragon took over a thousand points of damage in just one round.


    Despite the massive damage inflicted, the black dragon¡¯s health pool, enhanced by the dungeon module, remained vast with 280,000 hit points, leaving it relatively unscathed with only 0.4% of its total health lost.


    ¡°Keep attacking, don¡¯t stop!¡± Midnight Dharma God commanded.


    It is impossible to just be passively beaten by this BOSS all the time. If there is a chance to attack, they had to attack more.


    However, to everyone¡¯s surprise, the black dragon flying in the sky didn¡¯t change tactics after seeing that the fire was ineffective, and continued to breathe out the dragon¡¯s breath.


    Flame Breath!


    Dragonfire Storm!


    Dragon¡¯s Flame Descends From The Skies!


    All kinds of elaborate shapes were breathed out continuously, but the result was the same. Whether it is a large area of ??indiscriminate bombing, a concentrated line of dragon breath, or even a long-range breath condensed into a spherical fireball, they were all absorbed by the flame protection barrier.


    On the ground, the three caster teams were still twiddling their thumbs with nothing to do.


    Two teams of sharpshooters shot arrows mechanically.


    At first, the spectators were amazed by the dragon¡¯s impressive breath and the exaggerated distance of its spray, but they soon sensed something was amiss.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Could it be a bug?¡±


    ¡°Brother Long, what are you doing? Can¡¯t you see that the dragon¡¯s breath is useless? Hurry up and retreat.¡±


    ¡°Is Brother Long there?¡±


    ¡°Brother Long, have you been threatened? Blink twice if you need help.¡±


    Despite the messages in the barrage, the black dragon continued to fly in the sky, spewing flames without a care, despite dealing no damage.


    Soon, even the adventurers on the ground realized that something was off.


    Midnight Dharma God was a little puzzled. ¡°Excalibur, is this BOSS being run by a computer? Why doesn¡¯t it feel like PvP at all?¡±


    Dawn Excalibur also looked puzzled. ¡°Keep going, I guess.¡±

 CH 19

    Arrows rained down one after another. Since the dragon was flying too high and spellcasters couldn¡¯t hit at that range, they could only watch.


    Dragon¡¯s Breath!


    Arrow Rain!


    Dragon¡¯s Breath!


    Arrow Rain!


    The two sides went back and forth. The battle was fierce, but with no skill involved whatsoever.


    The viewers in front of their computers were very displeased.


    [What kind of shit is this?]


    [It¡¯s not exciting at all, give me a refund.]


    [Is Brother Long being controlled by a computer?]


    [It¡¯s 4 AM in China, maybe Brother Long hasn¡¯t woken up yet? Damn, if I knew this would happen I wouldn¡¯t have got up in the middle of the night to watch this stream, I¡¯m so lonely here.]


    [No wonder the dragon hasn¡¯t moved at all or shown any emotions.]


    The boss¡¯s health bar slowly dwindled down as it reached 90%, then 80%, and finally 70%.


    At the start of the battle, the adventurers below were nervous and excited, but as the fight continued, they became increasingly puzzled and eventually numb, mechanically firing arrows at the dragon.


    Despite the boss¡¯s health being reduced to 50%, the black dragon continued to spew fire, occasionally swearing at the adventurers.


    ¡°Foolish mortals, feel the power of the dragon¡¯s flames!¡± What?


    ¡°Weaklings, tremble before the power of the dragon!¡± Bro, you¡¯re dealing no damage¡­


    ¡°It really does feel like a computer, and running completely based on a script. Could it be that Morpheus actually isn¡¯t online?¡± Midnight Dharma God said, looking quite relaxed. It would be quite cool to get this victory for free.


    Dawn Excalibur nodded in agreement with the assumption that the opponent was not acting, as there would be no reason to drag the fight on for so long. Despite half of the dragon¡¯s health being depleted, Dawn felt a twinge of regret for the lackluster final battle. It felt like a wasted opportunity.


    Meanwhile, in Xingyao Group¡¯s rest hall, the supervisor who was monitoring the live broadcast was in despair. ¡°I can¡¯t take this anymore,¡± he thought to himself, knowing that Murphy was under his command.


    Wang Shao looked at the supervisor with a cold expression on his face, and the supervisor knew he couldn¡¯t pretend to be ignorant anymore. ¡°Wait a minute, I¡¯ll go online and ask him right away,¡± he said before rushing into his office and logging into the game.


    As a Lord template player, the supervisor did not livestream on weekdays, but occasionally played the game. It was easier for him to contact the game¡¯s anchors within the game itself. After the session went live, he sent a private message directly to Murphy.


    Ned Stark: ¡°Murphy, what are you doing? Are you fucking with me? Hurry up and fight! The young boss is watching, the whole world is watching, you can¡¯t go on like this!¡±


    Mo Fei glanced at the notification and quickly dismissed it.


    He didn¡¯t have the luxury of explaining himself at the moment.


    Naturally, he didn¡¯t expect his counterpart to trust him. Mo Fei had orchestrated the entire battle himself, waiting for the perfect opportunity to seize victory.


    From the start, Murphy had recognized that his opponent had singled him out as the primary target. The dragon¡¯s breath was contained by the Great Elementalist, and Dawn Excalibur was a formidable threat in close combat. As long as their allies put out enough damage, they could win handily.


    His only chance to win would be to separate Dawn Excalibur from the raid, and then defeat them one by one. It¡¯s not easy to quickly kill Dawn Excalibur, but it¡¯s not hard to quickly kill those adventurers. To pull this off, he would have to use some psychological tactics.


    Seeing his hit points drop to 30%, Murphy knew it was time. His life and death were hanging in the balance of his acting skills.


    The black dragon in the sky stopped breathing out fire and roared angrily.


    ¡°Pesky mortals, I didn¡¯t expect you to withstand my full power for so long! I have to say, I have underestimated you.¡±


    The adventurers muttered in their hearts. ¡°What a load of BS, you didn¡¯t do anything but breathe fire, does this really count as full power¡­¡±


    At the same time, they rose in anticipation, thinking the dialogue signaled the start of Phase 2. After all, it¡¯s the final boss of a 40-man dungeon, so it¡¯s impossible for it to stand in place all the way until it does.


    Morpheus, Black Dragon Lord: ¡°Hildeshanks, your master needs assistance!¡±


    Activate Battle Strategy 1: Summon Allies!


    Hildeshanks, Black Dragon Roamer: ¡°At your command, Lord Morpheus.¡±


    Out of the darkness emerged a juvenile black dragon, revealing itself to be Hildeshanks.


    The adventurers were left speechless, wondering if this was all they were up against.


    Hildeshanks was two tiers smaller than Morpheus and only ranked as a third-level boss. Even with enhanced HP from the dungeon, it couldn¡¯t have been more than 70,000. What was the point?


    But as it turned out, Hildeshanks¡¯s breath was more powerful than they had anticipated. Its flames were not hot red, but a mix of black and red, infused with additional powers.


    The flames easily penetrated the adventurers¡¯ flame protection barriers, causing their health to drop for the first time.


    ¡°Hey, this little dragon isn¡¯t dealing pure fire damage.¡±


    Indeed, Hildeshanks possessed the unique skill Shadowflame, which imbued all of its fire-based abilities with additional shadow damage.


    As the dragon¡¯s breath collided with the flame protection barrier, the flames were stopped, but the shadow damage was able to penetrate the barrier, gradually draining the players¡¯ health.


    ¡°Dawn?¡±


    Dawn Excalibur looked up at the black dragon in the sky. ¡°Can the group manage to heal through this?¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± the healing professions chimed in confidently, eager to tend to the wounded.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s push on,¡± declared Dawn Excalibur, holding his sword aloft without budging.


    Although Midnight Dharma God was a bit perplexed, he had faith in the judgment of the Sword of Dawn.


    ¡°Keep attacking; it only has 30% of its health left.¡±


    Not fooled? Murphy let out a sigh of disappointment.


    It was proving more difficult than he had anticipated to use Hildeshanks as a distraction for Dawn Excalibur. He needed to add another layer to his plan.


    ¡°Pathetic mortals,¡± the Black Dragon Lord taunted. ¡°I concede that you are formidable opponents, and while you may defeat me today, I shall return to fight another day. Forgive me for not being able to entertain you further.¡±


    The adventurers were taken aback by the sudden admission of defeat. Did the boss just want to escape? Was that even possible in a dungeon boss battle?


    One adventurer spoke up, ¡°Wait a minute, what if this is part of the boss¡¯s battle strategy? Could the strategies include one for escape or retreat?¡± Everyone was shocked when they heard this, and they felt it might be the case, but they were standing between the dragon and the only exit to the room.


    Suddenly, Morpheus slammed into the cave¡¯s ceiling.


    Launch Battle Strategy 2 ¨C Field Transformation: Mountain Collapse!


    Midnight Dharma God¡¯s heart turned cold. Was the dragon really going to smash through the dome of the cave and fly away? Were they really that unlucky?


    The dragon¡¯s huge body crashed into the dome, and the whole mountain trembled, as if it was about to collapse at any moment. Fortunately, the dome was quite strong and showed no damage. Instead, the black dragon flapped its wings in the air in a daze, almost falling to the ground.


    The adventurers suddenly burst into laughter, and the tense atmosphere disappeared instantly.


    Crack! A piece of rubble fell in front of Midnight Dharma God. He looked up above his head, and suddenly his face paled. ¡°No, the dome is collapsing, watch for falling rocks!.¡± The next second, more rocks came crashing down, one after the other.

 CH 20

    A sharpshooter was struck by a gravel stone the size of a palm, deducting 25 points from their health bar.


    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t worry about those small rocks, they don¡¯t do much damage,¡± someone jeered. But their laughter was abruptly cut off as a massive boulder weighing half a ton came crashing down, smashing the sharpshooter into a mosaic of broken bones on the ground.


    Everyone was finally terrified. The damage caused by falling rocks was entirely dependent on their size, and the randomness of the attack made it hard to predict. Small stones were harmless, but larger ones could inflict serious injuries, while the extremely large ones could shatter bones into pieces.


    At level 50, a player¡¯s base health value was only 550 points, and only tanks could amass over 1,000 health points. Considering that the adventurers present were either sharpshooters or magic wielders, having high endurance was a waste. None of them had a thousand health points.


    Faced with the barrage of falling rocks from the sky, everyone scrambled to dodge out of the way.


    ¡°Stay inside the barrier, don¡¯t step outside!¡± Midnight Dharma God hastily reminded the adventurers, knowing full well the danger of leaving the safety of the circle. Being hit by a stone was survivable, but getting caught in the dragon¡¯s breath outside the perimeter was a surefire death sentence.


    As a result, they all huddled inside, dodging the attacks as best they could, but Hildeshanks sprayed another blast of shadowflame, catching them off-guard.


    It was a classic case of a leaky roof during a storm. The falling rocks were physical attacks that couldn¡¯t be blocked by flame protection barriers, and with the additional shadowflame, the adventurers were suddenly in grave peril.


    ¡°Quick, heal me!¡± Kumquat Lemon pleaded.


    ¡°I¡¯m about to die!¡± cried Jiu Xiaoyun.


    ¡°Pass me a bottle of milk, quick!¡± begged Yishan Zhuanyue.


    The damage of falling rocks and the damage from shadowflame posed no problem alone, but when they combined they threatened to overwhelm the healers. A few more minutes of this and the group would be wiped out.


    Midnight Dharma God looked up above his head, and Morpheus slammed into the dome again, as if he really planned to break through the ceiling.


    Based on the current signs of the falling rocks, it was difficult to predict the outcome of the situation. It seemed as though a few more hits could result in the barrier breaking apart.


    However, these were only superficial indications. Apart from the initial impact, subsequent hits had no effect. The combat strategy could only be activated once, and the rockfall effect from the mountain collapse would only last for 30 seconds.


    Murphy continued to strike the dome merely to exert psychological pressure on his opponents. He was betting that they wouldn¡¯t dare to delay and would quickly respond to the emergency.


    The more experienced and skilled the players, the faster they would react to such crises. And as it turned out, Murphy¡¯s bet paid off.


    Midnight Dharma God couldn¡¯t predict the future, so he was convinced that the falling rocks would continue to rain down, given the Black Dragon¡¯s constant pounding on the dome.


    ¡°Brother Excalibur, go kill the little black dragon, don¡¯t let it breathe fire anymore! Archers, shoot with all your strength, and try to kill the boss before it crashes into the dome!¡±


    Dawn Excalibur gazed up at Morpheus, who was still relentlessly attacking the dome. It appeared that he had given up on fighting and was only focused on fleeing. After hesitating for a moment, Dawn nodded and made a dash towards Hildeshanks, separating himself from the rest of the team. Murphy, who had been observing the situation while colliding with the wall, felt relieved as he succeeded in his plan.


    After losing 70% of his HP and acting for so long, Murphy finally managed to lure Dawn Excalibur away.


    Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, as soon as Dawn Excalibur charged towards Hildeshanks and jumped to strike, Murphy activated his third battle strategy.


    Death Fury ¨C ON! He gathered his wings and dove straight towards the ground without any intention of slowing down. As he descended, he spat out a burst of scorching dragon flames, targeting Midnight Dharma God who was supporting the flame protection barrier.


    As Midnight Dharma God watched in shock, a massive black dragon fell from the sky. Previous research indicated that the dragon was not skilled in close combat and could only breathe dragon breath, and the recent battle reinforced this belief.


    This misconception caused Midnight Dharma God to overlook the fact that their team lacked a tank class and that they were facing a powerful level 80 boss.


    As the black dragon continued its relentless descent, Midnight Dharma God quickly flew away, abandoning his teammates. The remaining group of over 20 people huddled together, hoping to find refuge in the enchantment. However, before they could take cover, the dragon breathed fire from above.


    The dragon¡¯s fiery breath engulfed the area, leaving the adventurers struggling to recover from the intense heat. Finally, the dragon¡¯s massive body crashed down upon the group, killing many of the already wounded adventurers and knocking the rest to the ground.


    In this moment, Murphy was as fierce as a tiger. With Death Fury activated, his damage output increased by 50% and the cooldown time for his regular skills was reduced by half. As a result, he was able to use his hand-to-hand skills without any significant delay.


    He swiftly executed a Dragon Claw Slap, instantly pulverizing a sharpshooter. A Dragon Wing Swing then knocked down the adventurers who had just risen to their feet. A Dragon Tail Sweep sent an adventurer who attempted to flee flying into the wall.


    Murphy finished off another adventurer with a single bite, swallowing them whole with a thud. Without Dawn Excalibur, a hero with the power to vanquish him, these adventurers were completely powerless against the raging black dragon. They were no match for his fury.


    ¡°Hahaha, die, all of you! Tremble before the power of the Black Dragon Lord!¡±


    The few remaining adventurers fled in terror as the black dragon unleashed its Flame Dragon Breath, incinerating two more of their companions into charred remains.


    Midnight Dharma God appeared anxious and helpless. The black dragon, which had activated its Death Fury, proved to be an unstoppable force that killed the adventurers in an instant. Midnight Dharma God did not realize that a few of his comrades had survived the onslaught. As he looked up, he noticed that the rocks falling from above had ceased.


    He struggled to comprehend what was happening, realizing that they had fallen into a trap.


    At that moment, the black dragon turned its gaze towards Midnight Dharma God. Its fierce, animalistic eyes made Midnight tremble with fear.


    Desperately, he raised his staff and called out weakly for help, ¡°Brother Excalibur!¡± His voice was filled with a tone of pleading for assistance.


    Dawn Excalibur didn¡¯t look back. He was fighting Hildeshanks right now.


    Although he felt no pressure to deal with this young black dragon, it was not a battle that could be solved in mere moments.


    He might even die if he got too careless.


    Therefore, when he knew the situation had changed drastically, Dawn Excalibur made the decisive decision to kill the young black dragon in front of him as soon as possible, and then face the final boss.


    Midnight Dharma God understood at a glance that no one could help him at this time. After all, he was a player at the golden hero level. He gritted his teeth and slammed his staff into the ground, instantly tearing open the hard obsidian ground.


    Hero Skill: Summon Rock Colossus!


    He held up his staff high and muttered: ¡°Life of the earth, spirits of the elements, I summon you in the name of the Earth Mother¡­¡±


    Under the control of his thoughts, the huge rocks moved towards each other. Flying in the air, they first formed a huge torso, and then came together section by section to form limbs¡­


    Boom! A giant dragon came crashing through!


    How could Murphy let him complete the spell? At first sight it looked like a hero skill, which would have to be troublesome to deal with. Fortunately for him, the casting time of this skill was very long. The rock colossus was smashed and scattered.


    Midnight Dharma God spat out a mouthful of blood, and the failed spellcasting caused him to suffer serious magical backlash. Looking at the boulders scattered all over the place, he felt grief and indignation.


    ¡°You damn bastard dragon, don¡¯t you have any honor? Can¡¯t you see I was in the middle of a spell!¡±


    Murphy didn¡¯t bother with any monologue and rushed straight towards Midnight Dharma God, who hastily dodged.


    Blink!


    Dragon Breath!


    Flame Protection Barrier!


    Dragon Rush!


    Boom! Midnight Dharma God was hit and flew toward the wall. He struggled to take out a bottle of healing potion. Before he could drink it, a huge dragon claw slapped him on the head.


    Poof!


    [World Announcement: In the year 1437 of Firmament Era, the human hero Midnight Dharma God fell in battle with the Black Dragon Lord Morpheus in the Dark Dragon Nest. This event has been recorded in the Sky Chronicle.]


    At the same time, Dawn Excalibur plunged his sword deep into Hildeshanks¡¯s heart.


    -47691! Fatal blow!


    [World Announcement: In the year 1437 of Firmament Era, the human hero Dawn Excalibur killed the black dragon Hildeshanks in the Dark Dragon Nest. This event has been recorded in the Sky Chronicle.]


    Hearing the sound of the announcement, one man and one dragon turned to look at each other.

 CH 21

    [Wow, big plot twist!]


    [What happened? I was away in the bathroom. Can someone fill me in?]


    [Brother Long is incredible! He¡¯s so dominant!]


    [Amazing! No other words can describe it, just amazing!]


    [Midnight Dharma God is quitting.]


    [Lanyu is in trouble, losing such a big streamer¡¯s account.]


    The room was alive with comments, flooding the live broadcast.


    Wang Shao felt his blood boil with excitement, wishing he could replace the on-screen character with his own body.


    The supervisor stood stunned and speechless, while other employees had mixed expressions of happiness, cheering, envy, and hatred. The show was sure to explode in popularity.


    However, Murphy was oblivious to what was happening outside, as he had turned off the barrage function and was fully immersed in his role. The massive black dragon wiped its claws on the ground, leaving behind streaks of blood.


    Dawn Excalibur shook his arm, and the blood of Hildeshanks slid down the Dragon Slaying Sword.


    One person and one dragon circled each other in silence, observing and searching for possible weaknesses.


    Just when the audience anticipated an imminent clash, the black dragon cackled, stretched its wings, and soared into the sky.


    Murphy was never the kind of person to get too into roleplaying and forget to keep a clear head. His persona was just a cover-up, a performance.


    He didn¡¯t care if he looked like a scoundrel. As long as he flew high enough, the opponent would lose! He could completely handle them from the air using dragon¡¯s breath!


    However, Dawn Excalibur seemed to have anticipated that move long ago. Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped forward, swung his sword with all his strength, and the giant sword went flying out in a spin.


    Hero Skill: Desperate Throw!


    The huge sword flew in circles and hit the black dragon¡¯s left wing. -4784 HP: Severe Injury!


    Murphy felt a sharp pain in his left, and with a crack, his wing bone was severed directly. The giant sword was deeply embedded in his flesh and blood, and he plummeted to the ground.


    Checking his status, there was a CRIPPLED debuff (unable to fly) on his character.


    What, so fierce? It¡¯s worthy of being a hero skill; if he hadn¡¯t had to announce the move, that could have been a scene out of Hollywood.


    The black dragon bit the sword that was stuck in his body and pulled it out forcefully. With a shake of his head, the sword flew into the sky and was nailed to a high rock wall.


    He grinned ferociously. ¡°I¡¯m quite curious, human. After losing your weapon, what can you do to hurt me?¡±


    Dawn Excalibur silently reached into his pocket and took out a gigantic axe. Its half-moon shape with jagged teeth on the back gave it a rustic yet formidable appearance. It was extraordinary at first glance: the epic weapon, Barbarian King¡¯s Tomahawk.


    Morpheus: ¡°¡­¡±


    Dawn Excalibur retrieved a bottle of transparent potion and drank it in one gulp.


    ¡¾Tears of the Goddess of Life (Legendary Potion)


    Item Introduction: The holy water bestowed by the Goddess of Life, Notina, can completely restore health and cure all abnormal states. It is said that the Goddess of Life cannot accept pain and death, so she wept for the injured. The pure color is a symbol of the divine power of life. ¡¿


    Instantly, the injuries sustained in the previous battle with Hildeshanks were healed.


    Morpheus: ¡°¡­¡±


    Dawn Excalibur shouted, ¡°Ancestors, grant me your power!¡±


    Hero Skill: Ancestral Battle Soul!


    Instantly, his body increased in size, his muscles swelled, and he appeared like a robust and untamed man. His hair became thick and flowed like a lion¡¯s mane.


    Dawn Excalibur gazed at the black dragon and spoke calmly, ¡°Is this sufficient?¡±


    Morpheus: ¡°¡­¡±


    He suddenly felt like the comeback he had mounted was just an illusion.


    However, at this moment he had no other choice, the only option is to fight for his life.


    ¡°I still have nearly 70,000 HP, and the other party has only 8,000 HP even if he activates the Ancestral Soul, so I should trade blood for blood to kill him!¡±


    One man and one dragon let out a roar at the same time, and rushed towards each other.


    Dragon Breath!


    Fearless Slash!


    A robust figure charged through the flames and lunged at the dragon¡¯s upper gate with an axe, leaping a distance of 20 to 30 meters like an acrobat. It appeared that the possession of his ancestor¡¯s soul had immensely amplified his fighting prowess. Murphy tilted his head, and the axe made contact with the black dragon¡¯s left shoulder, piercing its scales and embedding deeply into its flesh, causing a gush of blood to flow out.


    The attack dealt 3795 damage points, piercing through the dragon¡¯s armor.


    The black dragon attempted to bite down on Dawn Excalibur who was hanging on its left shoulder, but he suddenly let go, and at that very moment, a massive hammer with an exaggerated shape was pulled out of a bag: the epic weapon, Smashing Giant Hammer.


    Murphy swiftly lifted his left foot and stomped towards Dawn Excalibur.


    However, the hero suddenly rolled towards right and struck the dragon¡¯s right claw with a hammer. 1428 damage!


    This wasn¡¯t good. A dragon¡¯s body is enormous, and Murphy couldn¡¯t see the other party once they got under his body.


    Dragon Rush! Murphy charged forward, clearing a gap even though he didn¡¯t hit anything, and instantly turned around while opening his maw.


    Dragon Breath: Scorch the Earth!


    The flames raged through the hall, leaving a trail of burning embers in their wake.


    ¡°Now let¡¯s see how you hide,¡± he muttered.


    Dawn Excalibur didn¡¯t hide. He emerged unscathed from the flames, walking calmly as if strolling on dry grass. The firelight illuminated his sturdy muscles, his face resolute, and a large ruby glimmered on his chest. The flames around him were absorbed by the ruby, leaving him untouched.


    This must be another legendary item, Murphy thought to himself. Although he had activated his death fury, he had never felt the fear of death until now. Who was this guy with such immense strength and luxurious equipment?


    He felt a profound sense of powerlessness. Despite being the final boss and the villain of the story, he now felt like the one being bossed around.


    Fake BOSS: Promoted through the side door, trash minions sent by the system, a professional actor who shows off his strength and works hard.


    Real BOSS: Ruthless power, legendary equipment, lavish consumables, a grim and silent duelist who marches from loot drop to loot drop.


    An inexplicable fear washed over Murphy.


    Am I going to die? No, that can¡¯t be right. This is just a game, at worst I¡¯ll lose this battle. But I don¡¯t want to lose, I¡¯m not ready to give up¡­


    No, I¡¯m going to die! It¡¯s going to happen soon, at the hands of that powerful opponent. I¡¯m not ready to die, I¡¯m not ready to die¡­


    The feeling grew stronger, consuming Murphy¡¯s heart and mind. He felt confused and anxious, wondering why he was experiencing this emotion.


    Despite his efforts to shake off the fear, it only intensified. A red aura appeared in his vision, and he felt a voice in his head roaring and snarling incessantly.


    ¡°Trash¡­ trash¡­ you useless human, are you trying to kill me? I don¡¯t want to die¡­ let me out¡­ LET ME OUT!¡±


    The noise pounded at his head, causing a sharp pain. He shook his head, but the sound persisted. He wasn¡¯t sure if the voice was real or a product of his own imagination.


    ¡°Get out of here!¡± He shouted, and he didn¡¯t know if he was yelling at the voice or at Dawn Excalibur. He unleashed another Dragon Rush. Since Death Fury was activated, the cooldown time for Dragon Rush was only 8 seconds, and it didn¡¯t require any mana. He hoped his massive heft could finish off his opponent¡­


    Dawn Excalibur had no choice but to dodge the charge of the monstrous black dragon. Murphy launched another Dragon Rush as soon as he finished the first one.


    The black dragon¡¯s massive frame charged forward with unstoppable force. Dawn Excalibur was forced to keep moving and dodging, narrowly avoiding the dragon¡¯s ferocious attacks. However, several times, the dragon¡¯s momentum caused it to collide with Dawn Excalibur, dealing over a thousand damage.


    Murphy was overjoyed. ¡°Haha, this move is so effective! Let¡¯s do it again ¨C Dragon Rush!¡±


    However, this time, Dawn Excalibur didn¡¯t dodge. Instead, he stood his ground against the charging black dragon, gathering power.


    Murphy¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is he crazy to face a dragon head-on?¡± But once the move was initiated, there was no turning back. With no other option, Murphy directed his attack towards Dawn Excalibur and charged at him.


    Dawn Excalibur continued accumulating power, one stage after another, and the aura emanating from his body grew stronger and stronger.


    With no other options left, Murphy had to rely on pure luck. He charged headfirst, hoping that his opponent¡¯s timing would be off by even a fraction of a second, giving him the chance to knock them into the air.


    After three stages of charging, Dawn Excalibur unleashed Lion Slash!


    He leaped into the air, and just as his hammer was about to strike, the black dragon charged forward. His timing was impeccable, as if the dragon¡¯s head had naturally positioned itself beneath the hammer.


    A thunderous boom echoed as the hammer connected, inflicting a serious injury of -5784 HP! The black dragon let out a grunt as it crashed to the ground, and a large vortex symbol appeared above its head, indicating its dazed state.


    The live broadcast room erupted into exclamations.


    ¡°Stopping the dragon car with a sledgehammer? Awesome!¡±


    ¡°The game¡¯s effects are through the roof!¡±


    ¡°This guy is the real deal. Brother Long is in deep trouble now.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Brother Long.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Brother Long.¡±


    It was all over. Wang Shao, who had been brimming with excitement just moments ago, suddenly felt a chill. He didn¡¯t expect to lose like this. Despite the black dragon still having tens of thousands of health points, he could see no hope of victory. The opponent¡¯s strength was simply too overwhelming.


    While the attack didn¡¯t deliver a fatal blow, its sheer force overwhelmed the black dragon.


    Size and health meant nothing in the face of absolute skill. Dawn Excalibur slowly lifted his hammer, exuding supreme confidence and momentum. This battle was won!


    But suddenly, a palpable sense of danger crept over him.


    Turning around, he saw the black dragon rising once more. Its head was bloody and it looked even more terrifying than before. Its expression was no longer human-like, but rather savage and primitive. The pupils of its eyes gleamed with a dangerous crimson, devoid of any rationality or emotion, only bloodlust and madness. It was like a trapped beast.


    An unexplainable sense of dread filled Dawn Excalibur¡¯s heart, causing him to instinctively tighten his grip on his warhammer.