But the next moment, its raised staff was snatched away.
Then a dark shadow slammed into its body, and the fierce impact sent it flying out of the swamp.
"Wh-what..."
The only answer it got was a massive fist.
The party of players stood there with their mouths wide open. They watched as two bosses charged over, pinned the Swamp Monster down, and gave it a brutal beating.
"Stop, what are you doing! Ouch!"
"Boss, Boss, come check the goods." The Vampire Princess took a step back in disgust; the guy in front of her simply stank too much.
The Headless Horseman held the Swamp Monster with one hand, looking like a devoted and dutiful servant.
The dozen or so players trailing behind trotted forward. Seeing this, they couldn't stop smiling. "Finally, our First Kill!!! Thank you, thank you!"
The previous party of players watched, dumbfounded.
Was this still a game? Did they... did they just hire two powerful monsters as thugs?
The Headless Horseman carried a sack of gold coins and followed the Vampire Princess away. After a few steps, the vampire remembered Fang Zhiyi's instructions, turned around, and gave a slight smile. "Dear, remember to leave a five-star review!"
"Absolutely!"
"Look at their backs!" A player pointed at the Headless Horseman's armor, where there was a line of black text.
"Demon Corridor Group is dedicated to serving you. We currently undertake the following businesses: ..."
"Contact Address: Undead Mountain Range (formerly Demon Corridor Dungeon) Coordinates: 301, 508."
"Complaints and Suggestions: Please contact the on-duty Boss on the first floor of the Demon Corridor Dungeon."
At this time, the Demon Corridor Dungeon had taken on a completely new look. Money Rat had purchased various furniture and decorations from the city according to Fang Zhiyi's requests, and under the escort of several bosses, they began to renovate the dungeon.
Not only that, Money Rat also brought the latest map, which detailed the factions in various regions and the areas where monsters were active.
Although they possessed their own intelligence, many monsters still chose to fight independently. The Demon Corridor was the only place where bosses gathered together, which led to the booming development of the Demon Corridor's boosting business.
However, because the more powerful the boss, the higher the fee required, even some wealthy guilds could only watch helplessly.
"We'll think about it a bit more. By the way, when is the next auction?" the guild leader of Nine Heavens asked. Fang Zhiyi glanced at the goods hanging on the wall. "In a week."
It wasn't until the people from Nine Heavens left and the door closed that Fang Zhiyi immediately jumped up. The several subordinates standing beside him also gleefully pushed open a heavy stone door on one side.
Behind the stone door was clearly another world. Unlike the cold and gloomy hall, this place was decorated like a luxurious VIP room, completely filled with various furniture and ornaments brought from human cities.
Vampire Princess Lily jumped straight onto the sofa and found a comfortable position to lie down.
"Boss, there's only one Mad Sword Immortal on that Sword Peak. If the Lord and I attack together, we can easily handle him. Isn't your asking price a bit too high?" She now deeply understood what Fang Zhiyi meant; it was great to have money and not have to sleep in a freezing coffin anymore.
The ferocious-looking demon revealed a smile, bent down, and picked up a kitten. His large hands stroked back and forth across the kitten's body, making the kitten purr comfortably. This was a gift from Money Rat. Fang Zhiyi hadn't expected this guy to actually be a cat lover.
"Yeah, even if we lower the price a bit for this order, we can still earn a lot."
"What do you know? The Boss definitely has his own considerations." The Succubus picked up a wine glass from the table, her posture elegant.
Fang Zhiyi also sat in a rocking chair. "According to Money Rat's intelligence, that guy's strength is on par with yours." He pointed at Demon Lord York. "If, and I mean if, something happens to one of you, it's game over. For such a high-risk order, it's only right that I raise the price, mostly just to refuse it."
York wanted to say he wasn't afraid of death, but the kitten in his arms meowed, and his face broke into a full smile. "The Boss is right!"
"However, we do have an order on hand right now placed by the Blazing Flame Guild. It's a boosting request for Twin Peaks, and their target is the gatekeeper monster of Twin Peaks." Fang Zhiyi looked at the chandelier on the ceiling. "I'll go with you guys for this order."
"Is that really necessary?" Demon York asked in confusion.
"The main thing is that we don't have many auction items left. We can't just sit around and eat away our fortune, right?"
The several bosses were enjoying themselves harmoniously on the fifth floor, while the Headless Horseman remained guarding the entrance on the first floor. A gust of wind blew past, but he didn't budge an inch.
The gatekeeper monster of Twin Peaks never expected that after repelling wave after wave of humans, a few of its own kind, reeking of danger, would arrive on this day.
Before it even had time to ask any questions, it was kicked into the wall by the demon. It struggled out with great difficulty, only to be hammered back in again. It let out roars of anger, but it was to no avail.
Seeing Fang Zhiyi wave his hand, the guild leader of the Blazing Flame Guild immediately stepped forward gleefully to reap the rewards. According to the rules, in addition to paying a fee, part of this monster's equipment also belonged to the Demon Corridor Group.
Although they weren't entirely willing, they couldn't say anything. A bigger fist was the absolute truth here.
Watching the people from the Blazing Flame Guild leave, Fang Zhiyi had no intention of departing himself. He just looked at the eerie underground palace before him, then took a step and walked inside. His several subordinates followed closely behind.
That day, the players farming wild monsters nearby all heard terrifying roars coming from the Twin Peaks underground palace. No one knew what was happening.
And the curious players who drew near only saw several bosses of varying heights emerging from the underground palace, each carrying a bulging sack on their back.
"We're rich, we're rich!" Lily's eyes were practically shaped like dollar signs.
"I was just wondering what we'd do when the auction items sold out! Turns out we can just rob them?"
"Rob? Without the Boss, would you even know what's valuable? You actually wanted to carry someone's coffin back. Tell me, who are you going to sell that to?"
"Ahem, there are people around. Watch your image."
The dumbfounded players watched as the several bosses swaggered away, dropping a flyer before they left.
"What is this?" A player stepped forward and picked up the parchment.
"Demon Corridor Group Business Scope... Boosting... Dungeon Clearing... Bounties..."
"There are words on the back!"
"Let me see. Undead Mountain Range shops for rent..."
The players looked at each other. Was this game crazy, or were they the ones going crazy?
Inside the bone-filled cavern, the boss who originally occupied this place was now huddled in a corner like a bullied newbie player, watching as the gang led by Fang Zhiyi wantonly ransacked its pitiful wealth.
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
] [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!"
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
