The mountain path was rugged and difficult to traverse, with hardly a flat spot in sight. The farther he went, the sparser the vegetation became. After an hour of walking, Ye Tianxie could barely see any plant life left. The few trees that occasionally appeared were in a withered state, looking as if they could perish at any moment.
This was perfectly natural. Any place capable of spawning undead creatures—and even nurturing an undead monarch—was undoubtedly shrouded in an immense, eerie aura of death. This aura, also known as the Breath of the Undead, was the sworn enemy of life itself. It mercilessly devoured vitality, snuffing out weaker forms of life with ease. Due to the overwhelming presence of this deathly aura, there was no trace of birds or beasts in the vicinity—let alone any humans.
The Skeleton Cavern wasn’t far from Gu Ping Village. After an hour’s journey, Ye Tianxie finally stopped on a pitch-black stretch of land. Before him was a gaping, ominous cave entrance. Though it was horizontally aligned, it gave off the illusion of a bottomless abyss.
A chilling wind, laced with a sinister, bone-chilling aura, slowly drifted out from within. Mixed in with it was the nauseating stench of decay.
Ye Tianxie stood silently for a moment before finally stepping inside.
The Skeleton Cavern had existed for an unknown length of time. Its origins and formation had long been lost to history. As Ye Tianxie ventured deeper, the surroundings grew quieter, the light dimmer, and the putrid stench of rotting flesh became increasingly unbearable. His brows furrowed.
Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized it wasn’t an empty void of blackness, but a space illuminated by a weak, eerie green glow—the sinister phosphorescence of decay. This glow did not come from any external light source or the radiance of the sun; rather, it was the faint phosphorescence emitted by decomposing corpses. By its dim illumination, Ye Tianxie could barely make out a range of five to six meters ahead.
The ground was lifeless and blackened, yet surprisingly level. The silence was absolute—so much so that not even the faintest sound could be heard.
Skeleton Cavern—First Floor.
And since this was a place called the Skeleton Cavern, naturally, it wouldn’t be lacking in the presence of skeletons—the quintessential undead creatures.
Creak…
A sound finally broke the silence, and anyone who heard it would instinctively recognize it as the unmistakable clatter of bones grinding against each other. Ye Tianxie sharply turned his head, his gaze locking onto a shadowy figure that seemed to rise straight from the ground. Without hesitation, he activated his Identification skill.
[Skeleton Soldier: Level 17, HP: 680]
A lifeless undead entity born from human remains infused with the power of death. Instinctively hostile towards all living beings. Though it lacks true consciousness, its body is unnaturally resilient.
Innate Ability: Undead Body – Regenerates health in darkness or areas filled with undead energy. Immune to 70% of death-type attacks.
Skill: Skeleton Claw – Slashes with its bone-white hands, dealing 150% damage with a 20% chance.
Creak… Creak… Creak…
The rattling of bones echoed from all directions—front, back, left, right. The once silent cavern was now filled with the eerie cacophony of skeletal movement. Ye Tianxie, who had initially been on edge, suddenly relaxed instead. Generally speaking, the further one ventured from the main city, the higher the level of monsters encountered. If the first floor of the Skeleton Cavern only housed Level 17 creatures… even though they were numerous, they posed no real threat to him.
Creak… creak… creak…
Ye Tianxie’s gaze swept across his surroundings. Twelve skeletons had formed a near-perfect encirclement around him, their ghastly bone-white arms raised menacingly as they closed in step by step.
“Mm… Mmm… Where is this place…? Ugh… What’s that awful smell…? Huh? What are those weird things…? AAAAAHHH!!!”
A shrill scream rang out, so piercing that Ye Tianxie almost dropped the Fate’s Moment weapon just to cover his ears.
“Wahhh! So scary… so scary…! Master… Master! Are you there?! They’re so scary… wuuu…”
Guo Guo clung to Ye Tianxie’s neck with all her strength, squeezing him so tightly that he could barely breathe. Her small head buried itself against his collar, refusing to lift up, let alone open her eyes.
Like any little girl who loved purity and beauty, Guo Guo had a deep, instinctive fear and revulsion toward such filthy, ugly creatures. Ye Tianxie could feel her tiny body trembling… She was so terrified that tears had already begun to well up.
Finally… Ye Tianxie had found something that could actually frighten Guo Guo.
“Alright, Guo Guo, don’t be scared. Just watch—your master will take care of them in no time.” For the first time, Ye Tianxie, who was usually the one being led around by Guo Guo, finally experienced the sense of authority a master should have. Lifting Fate’s Moment, he locked onto a direction and charged at the nearest Skeleton Soldier.
Ye Tianxie’s gaze swept around him. There were a total of twelve skeletons, waving their eerie bone arms, closing in step by step from all directions, forming an almost perfect circle around him.
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"Ugh... Ugh... Where is this place...? Ugh… It smells so bad… Eh? These strange things… Ah!!!"
Sleepy-eyed Guo Guo, upon seeing the skeletons around her, suddenly let out a piercing scream so loud that Ye Tianxie nearly dropped the "Moment of Destiny" to cover his ears.
"Uwaa!! So scary… so scary… Master… Master, Master, Master, are you there? They’re so scary… Wuuu…"
Guo Guo clung to Ye Tianxie’s neck with all her strength, squeezing so tightly that he almost couldn’t breathe. Her small head was buried deep into his neck, not daring to move, let alone open her eyes.
Like all little girls who love pure and beautiful things, Guo Guo had an innate and immense aversion and fear toward these filthy, hideous creatures. Ye Tianxie could clearly feel her trembling… She was so scared that her tears had already started falling.
Finally… Ye Tianxie had found something that could make Guo Guo afraid.
"Alright, Guo Guo, don’t be scared. Watch as your master wipes them out immediately."
For the first time, being so heavily relied upon by Guo Guo—who had always been the one leading him around—Ye Tianxie finally felt a sense of authority befitting a master. Lifting the "Moment of Destiny" horizontally, he picked a direction and charged toward the skeleton soldiers.
Character: Xie Tian
Level: 14
Class: None
Reputation: 220
Gold: 1,023 coins
Hunger: 30/195
Basic Attributes:
Strength: 95
Constitution: 22
Agility: 19
Spirit: 19
Fixed Attributes:
Luck: 12
Comprehension: 12
Charm: 22
Health Points (HP): 560
Mana Points (MP): 330
Physical Attack: 252
Magic Attack: 38
Physical Defense: 26
Accuracy: 19
Evasion: 19
Reaction Speed: 72
Perception: 53
Focus: 42
Attack Speed: 100
Movement Speed: 100
HP Regeneration: 5 (Automatically regenerates 5 HP per second.)
MP Regeneration: 0
Elemental Resistances:
Fire: 3%
Water: 3%
Wind: 3%
Lightning: 8%
Earth: 3%
Light: 3%
Dark: 3%
This was Ye Tianxie’s status at Level 14. With the attribute rewards from passing the Abyss Trial and the additional 200 HP from the Ring of Life, his total HP had reached 560. However, this number was only on par with an average warrior of the same level—let alone a shield guard, who would gain an additional 300 HP just from advancing from Apprentice Shield Guard to Official Shield Guard.
However, thanks to the immensely powerful attributes of the "Moment of Destiny," Ye Tianxie’s offensive capabilities still surpassed other attack-oriented classes of the same level. Overall, his stats were only slightly ahead of regular players at his level.
But he had no attack skills, whereas other players did. In this regard, he was at an absolute disadvantage.
Yet, his talent attributes—Reaction Speed of 72, Perception of 53, and Focus of 42—allowed him to unleash his seemingly mediocre stats to an extraordinarily terrifying effect.
A true powerhouse never rises without reason.
Under the dim green glow, the "Moment of Destiny" slashed out its first streak of dark light, striking three skeleton soldiers at once, even as their attacks landed on him at the same time.
-201, -204, -200.
-59, -62, -60!
A Level 17 skeleton soldier had even less HP than the Level 15 raccoons Ye Tianxie had slain earlier, but its defense was significantly higher. After all, it was just a pile of hard bones—naturally tough and durable. The three skeleton soldiers’ combined attack immediately took away nearly a third of Ye Tianxie’s HP. If these three could kill him in just three exchanges, then if all twelve surrounded him, he would be wiped out in an instant.
Ye Tianxie’s expression didn’t change. He remained motionless as he executed another simple, wide horizontal slash at the three skeleton soldiers before him, bringing their HP below half.
-60, -62, -93!
The skeleton soldiers retaliated again. The last attack, which triggered a 150% damage effect, nearly dropped Ye Tianxie’s HP below 100. Meanwhile, the surrounding skeletons, their skeletal limbs twitching as if they were dancing, had already drawn closer to him.
A cold smirk curled at the corner of Ye Tianxie’s lips before vanishing instantly. With a precise sidestep, he rotated his body at a sharp angle, dodging all incoming attacks with minimal movement. A low, forceful shout escaped his lips:
"Berserk Battle Intent!!"
A dim light exploded faintly on Ye Tianxie’s body before vanishing in an instant. The uncontrollable, battle-hungry surge of energy filled his chest once more. Fate’s simulation was incredibly realistic—even a skill could influence a person’s emotions so vividly. But Ye Tianxie didn’t resist it at all. On the contrary, he liked it. He even craved this feeling. A cold, twisted smile formed on his lips as he lunged forward, executing a powerful diagonal slash toward his enemies.
-275, -270, -552, -271.
His attacks became more ruthless, his movements sharper, and his body more agile. This was the kind of sensation he found utterly exhilarating.
When a person enters such a state during battle, that’s when they can truly unleash their full potential. For an ordinary player, using "Berserk Battle Intent" against Level 17 skeleton soldiers would be suicidal—no one would trade stability for increased attack power and speed in a dangerous fight.
But Ye Tianxie was a terrifying anomaly.
Instead of making him cautious, this state made him even more excited.
In one sweep, three skeleton soldiers collapsed into a pile of shattered bones. No coins, no loot—not even a single copper coin. Ye Tianxie swiftly turned, calculated the distance, and swung his arms in a wide arc, cutting through five more skeletons at once. The moment his blade made contact with their bodies, a chilling "crack, crack" echoed through the dark cavern, like bones being sliced apart.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
In the blink of an eye, five more skeleton soldiers fell under Ye Tianxie’s rampage. With his overwhelming reaction speed and perception, these sluggish, wobbling skeletons stood no chance of landing a hit on him. Even with their numbers, they couldn’t touch a single thread of his clothing.
In this eerie, dimly lit cavern, Ye Tianxie’s movement among the skeletons was more ghostly than the undead themselves.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Another three skeletons collapsed under his relentless assault. Ye Tianxie’s gaze shifted slightly toward the last three. His body flickered, leaving behind a faint afterimage. Under his maneuvering, the three skeletons unknowingly grouped together, stumbling toward him in a cluster.
Only then did Ye Tianxie turn, striking them down with effortless ease.
Silence fell.
A pile of skeletal remains littered the ground beneath him.
Twelve skeleton soldiers—no loot, no coins… even stingier than the townsfolk of Guping Town.
"Wuuu… Wuuu… So scary, so scary… Master, can we leave this place? Guo Guo is really scared…"
Guo Guo curled up into a tiny ball, clinging to Ye Tianxie’s neck.
Just then, Guo Guo gasped and trembled violently.
"B-But… Master… I-It’s right behind you!!!"
Ye Tianxie: "!@#￥%…"
His face turned pale as he whipped his head around.
