Otherworldly Skeleton Evolution

“Master, it’s a hidden boss!” The female warrior’s eyes shone with excitement.

Hidden bosses were one of the greatest features in The Great Wasteland. Behind every hidden boss was a unique storyline.

Defeating them not only yielded precious equipment drops and skill books, but also a chance to obtain a manual for switching to a coveted hidden job class, along with all sorts of rare and peculiar items.

So the moment the female warrior laid eyes on the Stone Troll, her heart raced with anticipation.

But the man before her remained utterly unmoved.

“It’s not ours to take,” he said, his tone flat and dispassionate, showing neither excitement nor eagerness.

His gaze remained fixated on a blood skeleton, his brow furrowed in thought.

“Uh…” The female warrior was at a loss for words. But as if recalling something, the excitement on her face instantly evaporated.

She obediently fell in line behind the man, not daring to mention the hidden boss again.

“Forced Combat? Momentum Flash Strike, Phantom Step?”

“A little rusty…”

The man gave a faint smile. Watching Jiang Cheng, he clutched his gauntlets tightly.

Meanwhile, the battle between Jiang Cheng and the Stone Troll was reaching a fever pitch.

Under Jiang Cheng’s terrifying barrage of arrows, the Stone Troll’s HP had already dwindled to half.

However, Jiang Cheng’s keen senses had picked up on the presence of others.

As a skeleton, he was now extremely sensitive to the aura of living, creatures with flesh and blood.

But that alone was not enough; after all, the man was three hundred meters away from him.

Jiang Cheng’s ability to detect him stemmed from the absolute intuition he had honed as a god-tier player.

Someone was watching him!

Using another boulder hurled by the Stone Troll, he flashed back a dozen paces, sending the rubble flying.

Jiang Cheng turned his head, and 300 meters away, their gazes met.

The man’s neat crew cut, golden gauntlets, and muscular physique exuded a fierce aura that drew the eye like a magnet.

Even with the stunning beauty of the female warrior behind him, the crimson flames in Jiang Cheng’s eyes saw only this man.

This was the bearing of a supreme master.

Jiang Cheng chuckled inwardly, confirming the identity of the newcomer.

His mind at ease, he turned back to the Stone Troll, his bow morphing into the Blood Hell Sword.

“Peng!”

The sword, king of weapons, with its thick spine and immense weight, was less likely to be repelled than a spear.

A flash of blood-red, and damage numbers popped up above the Stone Troll’s head.

“-507.”

As the slash landed, Jiang Cheng had already stepped behind the Stone Troll.

Another slash.

“-507.”

He moved behind the troll again, sword slicing down.

“-507.”

The Stone Troll let out an enraged roar, but could not catch even a glimpse of its assailant. It could only bellow and spin in place.

Hidden bosses possessed a certain level of intelligence. They weren’t mere wild mobs who blindly followed game rules. But what was happening now exceeded its scope of understanding.

It had no idea what was going on, only that it kept taking damage underfoot.

Enraged, it could only keep howling.

“ROAR!”

“ROAR!”

The Stone Troll’s voice was so loud that even the man and woman 300 meters away could hear it clearly.

“Master, why is this blood skeleton…”

“Don’t ask. Just watch,” the man waved his hand.

“Oh.” The female warrior promptly shut her mouth. But inwardly, she marveled.

She simply could not understand how a mere blood skeleton could possess skill surpassing her own after five grueling years of training.

It defied all reason!

Did the game designers lose their minds, creating such a boss?

As if it wasn’t hard enough for players already?

This was utterly ridiculous!

Was this a perversion of human nature or an erosion of morality?

…

The commotion from Jiang Cheng and the Stone Troll’s battle was too great to hide from nearby players.

They caught wind of it and began converging on Stone Forest.

The first to arrive after receiving the news was Du Ba Tianxia, leader of the one of the top guilds – Dominating the World. He led over a hundred players to Stone Forest.

“Boss, this is the spot. I just heard from a chick in Subtle Fragrance Guild that there’s a hidden boss here, a blood skeleton, and it’s wicked strong.”

“I heard.” Catching the thunderous din in the distance, Du Ba Tianxia’s heart stirred.

“First, circle the perimeter. We’re booking this spot.”

“Roger that.”

A veteran member of Dominating the World guild couldn’t contain his glee.

This was the first hidden boss discovered in the entire server. Whoever nabbed it would be riding high.

Once word got out to the whole server, the fame of Dominating the World guild was sure to reach new heights.

As the guild’s prestige grew, they, as members, would naturally enjoy better treatment.

“You all heard that? Get in gear and clear out the riffraff first—”

“Hold up.” Du Ba Tianxia’s expression suddenly shifted, because… he seemed to have spotted a familiar figure.

“What is it, boss?”

“Quiet, all of you.” Du Ba Tianxia furrowed his brow, gesturing for everyone to hush. He then headed towards the man.

“What’s going on? What’s with the boss?”

“How should I know? Maybe… he ran into someone he knows?”

“Someone he knows?” The players at the forefront exchanged glances, baffled as they watched Du Ba Tianxia approach the man and woman hiding behind a stone peak.

In fact, Du Ba Tianxia himself felt rather apprehensive at the moment. He truly hadn’t expected to run into him here.

“Fist—”

Du Ba Tianxia had barely opened his mouth when the man in golden gauntlets cut him off. “Take your men and clear out any unrelated players.”

The man in the golden gauntlets suddenly turned, the corners of his mouth curling into a cold smile.

Du Ba Tianxia instantly felt a chill down his spine.

A fleeting look of internal struggle flashed across his face. But moments later, he made his decision and ordered his subordinate, “Xiao Tian, clear out the surrounding players!”

The veteran members of Dominating the World guild had no idea what had transpired.

Why was their usually domineering boss acting so deferential before this man in golden gauntlets?

A single sentence from that man sent their boss scurrying back.

They even sensed a hint of… fear from their boss?

They could only follow Du Ba Tianxia’s orders while silently speculating. As they drove away the nearby players who had gathered to watch the spectacle, they grumbled inwardly.

“Damn, who the hell is that guy? And who’s inside fighting the boss?”

“They’re fighting the boss, and our Dominating the World guild has to stand guard? The balls on this guy…”

…

“Peng!”

“-1176!”

Another slash, triggering a critical hit.

At this point, the Stone Troll had a mere 10,003 HP left, less than a tenth of its full health.

Jiang Cheng had reduced a hidden boss to such a state in less than a minute and a half!

A hundred meters away, Zhang Mengmeng watched in wild excitement, her entire being filled with exhilaration as her heart raced.

“It’s gonna blow, it’s gonna blow!”

Perhaps in under 20 seconds, Skeleton Big Brother would finish it off!

“Skeleton Big Brother is practically a celestial being. He can even solo hidden bosses. Isn’t he way too awesome?”

Zhang Mengmeng’s hands trembled with excitement.

However… she found it a bit odd. With such a huge commotion, why hadn’t a single player shown up?

While she was only half a veteran player, she understood one thing: players always loved to flock to a spectacle. With such a massive disturbance, there was no reason they wouldn’t come running.

“How very strange.” Zhang Mengmeng’s delicate face was etched with confusion.

[Congratulations on defeating the hidden boss Stone Troll. Gained 20,000 EXP. Gained first kill reward: 20 gold coins.]

[As the first to defeat a hidden boss, drop rates increased by 200%.]

[You are the first player to defeat a hidden boss. Do you want to announce to the entire server?]