Chapter 172 Chapter 171-The Power of Shadowflame (2nd update, Cheer me with Power Stones!)
Located to the north of Cloud Sea, Bone Cave was more than 120 kilometers away.
Several resource zones were scattered between the two places, where many local Cloud Sea NPCs and lifestyle players gathered materials on ordinary days.
Apart from that, there were several relatively safe low-level training areas for players to level up.
However, because of Bone Cave, the Cloud Sea administration issued a notice declaring the area a high-risk zone, prohibiting anyone from approaching.
When they were about to pass the barren hill, they were stopped by a squad of city guards.
After learning that John had taken the mercenary quest to sweep Bone Cave, the captain of the guard squad allowed them to pass with a dubious look.
He probably couldn't believe someone would dare to sweep Bone Cave alone.
"Is this the Bone Cave?" Snowla asked, poking her head forward and trying to see into the depths of the cave.
But the black smoke shrouded the cave entrance, making it impossible for her to see anything.
John, nonchalantly, nodded and said, looking at the cave entrance without a hint of emotion, "Indeed, this is Bone Cave, the most dangerous forbidden area in Cloud Sea at the moment. The scepter you're looking for should be in here."
Upon hearing that the scepter was inside the cave, Snowla instantly perked up, ready for the challenge.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go in."
John quickly stepped forward, cautioning her softly, "Don't underestimate this place. It's home to a level 230 Lord Boss, along with a large number of level 100+ elite monsters. It's not easy to handle."
Snowla was shocked, exclaiming, "My goodness, the boss's level is that high?"
John gave her a slight smile and casually said, "What did you expect? If it was just an ordinary boss, would Cloud Sea allow such a dangerous place to exist? The Cloud Sea forces must have attempted to raid it multiple times but couldn't handle the giant snake inside, which is why this area has been declared forbidden."
Snowla, beaming, replied, "Thankfully, I've got you, Galewind. Otherwise, I would have no idea how to complete this class change quest."
Without wasting any more time on words, the pair headed for the entrance of Bone Cave.
Upon reaching the cave mouth, John took the lead and leaped in, disappearing into the black smoke.
Without any hesitation, Snowla followed suit.
[System prompt: You have entered the Bone Cave.]
John's body floated freely in the air before he felt solid ground beneath his feet.
Looking around, he furrowed his brow.
He found himself standing on a narrow stone bridge, with deep, pitch-black abysses on either side.
The bridge extended forward, leading to a vast space in the distance.
The bridge itself was littered with countless decayed and shattered bones.
The eerie cries and howls from beneath the abyss left it unclear whether they were caused by the wind or other creatures.
"What in the world is this place?!" Snowla, who had landed just behind John, was taken aback by the sight and couldn't help but exclaim.
But her sudden outcry caused the surroundings to change again.
Flaming torches suddenly lit at both ends of the bridge, quickly spreading until the entire bridge was surrounded by a haunting, eerie green fire.
Terrified, Snowla stayed as close to John as she could, not daring to fall behind by a step.
The spacious area ahead was filled with creepy, hissing noises, yet their source remained unseen.
All they could see was the dry grass on the ground swaying non-stop.
Seeing Snowla shrink behind him, John reassured her, "Don't be scared, this is just the game's way of creating a creepy atmosphere..."
Snowla retorted somewhat petulantly, "Well, I'm a girl, okay? It's perfectly normal to be scared in a place like this, isn't it?"
With no choice but to protect this brat behind him, John teased, "I remember you being quite brave. During one guild war in a previous game, you stood alone at the gate of the enemy's camp, hurling insults. Despite being watched by so many high-level players, you didn't seem afraid then."
Snowla pouted, muttering under her breath, "That's different... At least there wasn't this creepy atmosphere... What girl would like this kind of vibe..."
John chuckled, then squinted at the path ahead, speaking casually, "Clearly, they've noticed us. They're making a fuss just to welcome us. It would be impolite not to go and meet them..."
Holding Snowla's soft hand, John began to slowly walk towards the front of the stone bridge.
The rustling of the grass on the ground was getting louder and louder, and the hissing noises seemed incessant.
However, John remained unmoved, his gaze never even shifting to the sides.
Snowla, on the other hand, stayed closely behind John, her eyes mostly fixed on his back.
A sly smile appeared on her face as her eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
Turns out Galewind wasn't as aloof as he seemed.
Seeing her scared, he immediately came to comfort her.
She thought happily.
In truth, the fear she showed before was all an act, aimed at triggering John's protective instincts.
As the guild leader of Black Rose Guild and an experienced gamer, how could she be affected by such a low-level horror environment?
Plus, in real life, she was a hardcore fan of horror films.
She had seen all kinds of horror scenarios...
Of course, John was oblivious to Snowla's thoughts.
Still staring ahead, he strolled leisurely through the Bone Cave.
Crossing the bridge, he directly entered the vast space and was taken aback to see that the wild grass growing on the ground was rooted in decaying flesh and bones, all glowing with an eerie green light.
No wonder they could see their surroundings despite being underground with no sunlight seeping in.
It appeared that the grass glowing with a ghostly green light was the light source in the Bone Cave.
Suddenly, John paused, squinting at the wild grass nearby.
The hissing noise there had clearly grown louder, and the shaking of the green grass became more pronounced.
Out of nowhere, a python several meters long sprang out from the grass, its wide mouth open, and lunged straight at John, who was in the lead.
Facing the sudden assault, John was in no way perturbed, his gaze not even changing.
As if he had expected this, the moment the python sprang out, he extended a hand and flicked his fingers.
A faint light flashed and flew straight into the python's gaping mouth.
The python suddenly stiffened mid-air and then fell heavily to the ground.
Strikingly, the fallen python immediately caught fire, quickly turning into a pile of ashes.
[Shadowflame (Divine Talent): When equipped with the Shadowflame Seed, it grants a skill that can be used for single-target attacks as well as area damage. When used for single-target attacks, it causes 30% physical damage and 35% magical damage. For area attacks, it inflicts 15% physical damage and 20% magical damage to enemies within 1500 yards.]
Just like that, the python that had suddenly attacked was reduced to ashes under the burning Shadowflame.
Only some debris and a few gold coins that had burst out were left.
John didn't even bother to look down, knowing that once hit by the Shadowflame, the python was as good as dead.
His gaze swept the surroundings as he quietly waited for the arrival of other attackers.
Tall wild grass swayed incessantly, making it clear that there were more monsters attacking.
Soon, the path ahead of John and Snowla was blocked by a pile of pythons.
The monsters crowded the narrow road, their upper bodies erect, hissing wildly at John and Snowla.
It was the same story behind them as well.
Their escape route was completely blocked.
But John's expression remained calm as always.
He casually cast a Detection spell, and the attributes of these python monsters appeared immediately:
[Bone Python (Elite Level Monster): Bred by the most formidable boss of the Bone Cave, these individual elite units formed after countless years of surviving and cannibalizing each other in the Bone Cave.]
[Race: Undead]
[Level: 180]
[Attributes: ...]
John chuckled lightly.
So, these were the elite snake monsters mentioned in the quest.
Their power seemed nothing extraordinary.
Compared to John's composure, Snowla behind him was in utter panic.
This time she was not pretending; she was truly terrified.
Ever since her childhood, the thing she feared the most were reptiles.
Ever since she created the Black Rose Guild and entered the gaming world, she had always chosen to avoid any raid quest related to snake bosses.
Including joining the Godslayer game, Snowla had never encountered snake-like creatures before.
She didn't expect to encounter them for the first time today.
The girl was tightly holding onto a corner of John's cape, her face pale.
For a moment, her paleness contrasted sharply with her full head of white hair, making her look pitifully charming.
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