After finalizing their strategy, the group decided to hold off the Skeleton Guardian while the rest ventured into the passage behind it to search for mechanisms—if no mechanisms were found, they would simply push forward.
In any case, directly confronting the Skeleton Guardian didn’t seem like a wise choice.
"Engage it now!" At Hu Tianyu’s command, the guild’s thieves sprang into action, testing the limits of the monster’s aggro range. Finally, when they closed in to a certain distance, the flames in the Skeleton Guardian’s eye sockets flared violently!
"ROOOOOAR!!!!!!" A deafening roar erupted, sending visible shockwaves rippling through the air. However, thanks to the distance and their preparations, the thieves remained unharmed.
"Crack, crack-crack." The sound of grinding bones echoed as the Skeleton Guardian patted its massive black shield before charging straight at the thieves!
"Don’t cluster together!"
Inside the vast corridor, players scrambled to take cover in the corners while the thieves kept the Skeleton Guardian occupied, leaving its back completely exposed.
They quickly realized that despite its enormous size and terrifying strength, the Skeleton Guardian was slow—likely due to the massive shield it carried. It couldn’t even keep up with the players’ movements.
"Avoid direct clashes! Everyone else, flank it!" Seizing the opportunity, the other players rushed past the distracted guardian.
"ROAR!!" Noticing the movement behind it, the Skeleton Guardian suddenly leaped into the air!
The players trying to slip past looked up just in time to see a colossal skeletal shadow crashing down on them!
"BOOM!!!!"
The impact sent shockwaves rippling outward, shaking the entire castle violently.
The blast instantly wiped out every player in the vicinity, sending dozens straight to the respawn point while scattering equipment across the ground.
Spotting a few blue and purple-tier items among the loot, the remaining players abandoned their original plan and lunged for the gear.
"Damn it, these freeloading trash dare steal our guild’s loot? Kill them all!" Hu Tianyu was already furious over losing so many guild members to the Skeleton Guardian’s attack. Seeing the outsiders snatching their equipment, he immediately rallied his men to cut them down.
A bizarre scene unfolded—the Skeleton Guardian chased players, while the guild chased other players, turning the battlefield into utter chaos.
"Guild Leader, we can’t hold out!"
"Guild Leader, this damn monster’s way too OP!"
The Skeleton Guardian rampaged unchecked, crushing players with every charge. It showed no signs of fatigue, shrugging off both magical and physical attacks with ease.
Just then, Hu Tianyu noticed Su Qiao and her group slipping past unnoticed, sprinting at full speed toward the passage behind the guardian.
"Stop them!"
A barrage of spells rained down, attempting to intercept the Skyhawk Guild. But between the difficulty of casting accurately while moving and the Skeleton Guardian’s relentless destruction, the mages couldn’t halt their advance.
"Hahaha, guess you’ll have to keep it busy for us! We’re off to slay the boss!" Su Qiao couldn’t contain her laughter, thrilled to see the Skeleton Guardian stomping rival guild members underfoot.
Better yet, the sheer number of players served as perfect distractions, buying the Skyhawk Guild enough time to take down the boss.
The thought alone made Su Qiao’s heart race with excitement.
Soon after clearing the corridor, Su Qiao’s group encountered a few minor monsters, but they were easily dispatched, barely slowing their progress.
As they pressed forward, a grand hall came into view. At the far end stood a throne—and seated upon it was a skeletal mage, resting its skull on one hand.
The flickering flames in its hollow eyes betrayed a hint of surprise.
"Boss, that’s the hidden boss—the Lord of Decay!" The bald man beside Su Qiao couldn’t hide his glee at the sight.
"Perfect! Vanguards, engage! The rest, guard the passage—don’t let anyone else slip in!"
The guild had brought over a hundred members. After quickly arranging their formation, they prepared to take on the boss.
...
"Hmm?" At that moment, the Lord of Decay—or rather, Ye Chuan—rose from his throne with mild interest.
Though he wasn’t entirely sure of the players’ overall strength, he had to admit they had some skill if they’d managed to bypass his Skeleton Guardian.
Feeling playful, Ye Chuan deepened his voice and intoned,
"Foolish invaders, why do you disturb my ruined slumber?"
Then, feigning alarm, he took a step back. "Unless… you’ve learned of my legendary treasure vault?!"
His words sent waves of excitement through the Skyhawk Guild.
There really was treasure!
"Legendary weapons! Everyone, attack! Whoever lands the final blow gets a 500,000 bonus!" Su Qiao was practically vibrating with excitement as she pointed forward.
The players surged into action—warriors charged, while mages and archers unleashed a relentless barrage from the rear.
"Mana Shield."
With a casual wave of his skeletal hand, Ye Chuan conjured a glowing barrier that effortlessly blocked every attack.
Meanwhile, the warriors froze mid-charge, unable to move.
"What’s happening?!" Su Qiao gaped in disbelief.
"I can’t move my body!"
"What?!"
"Damn it, check your status bars!"
The players frantically checked their debuff lists—only to find rows upon rows of negative effects. Most bosses might inflict paralysis or fear at worst, but this? The sheer number of debuffs made some wonder if their eyes were deceiving them.
As the effects took hold, the players’ bodies flickered with multicolored lights while their HP plummeted in percentages. Healing spells and potions proved useless.
Within seconds, the players melted away before Ye Chuan’s eyes.
"It’s over, foolish thieves." With that, Ye Chuan inflicted Cognitive Pollution on every remaining player.
"It hurts… I can’t breathe…" Su Qiao’s eyes widened in horror. Her pain settings were at a mere 1%—why did it hurt so much?!
The next instant, the entire Skyhawk Guild was wiped out.
Surveying the sea of soul fragments and equipment left behind, Ye Chuan casually waved his hand, absorbing everything into his inventory.
"Not bad." He rubbed his skeletal chin thoughtfully.
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
