Chapter 569: Ambush at the Black Serpent Pool
’Level 80.’
Marcus had no intention of underestimating an opponent like this. One mistake against a boss nearly thirty levels above him could easily cost him his life, especially inside its own territory.
To be safe, he recalled Goldie, Lyanna, Camillo, and the Darkfire Phoenix. Then, careful not to attract the Iceflame Black Serpent Man’s attention, he quietly used his Wanderlust skill to place two teleportation arrays, positioning one on each side of the pool.
With both escape routes prepared, Marcus finally felt confident enough to proceed.
Safety came first. No matter how good an opportunity looked, there was no reason to gamble his life when he had the means to prepare a way out.
Leaving the two Sea Demon Souls and five Royal Sorcerers behind, Marcus and Pebble activated their Wraith Cloaks. Wraith Shadow immediately concealed them from sight, and the two silently advanced toward the Iceflame Black Serpent Man standing motionless in the middle of the pool.
Fifty meters, and even from that distance, the creature hadn’t moved an inch. Its forked tongue flicked lazily between its lips while a faint, continuous hiss echoed through the cavern. It seemed completely unaware of the two invisible figures steadily closing in on it.
’Is this guy actually asleep?’ The thought almost made Marcus smile, but he quickly suppressed it and remained focused. He cast Insight first, yet the serpent man showed no reaction whatsoever. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Marcus carefully examined its information.
—
Iceflame Black Serpent Man: Level 80 Silver Boss
HP: 600,000
Originally the Black Ice Serpent King of the Black Serpent Cave. A thousand years ago, after devouring the Millennium Blackflame Ice Flower, it evolved into a Level 70 Golden Boss. After remaining sealed within the cave for another thousand years, it continued training and absorbing the lingering power of the flower until it eventually advanced into a Level 80 Silver Boss.
Trait (Passive) | Ice Venom Aura: Its attacks inflict both ice and poison effects. There is an 80% chance of slowing the target, reducing movement and attack speed by 20%. There is also a 50% chance of freezing the target for 3 to 5 seconds.
Trait (Passive) | Absorb Black Mist: While inside the Black Serpent Cave, it continuously absorbs dark and ice energy, restoring 2,000 HP every second.
Skills: Various water-element spells.
Special Skill | Ice Venom World: Active. Swings its trident to unleash a ring of poisonous ice arrows, damaging every target within a 30-meter radius. Has a 50% chance to inflict Bleeding, dealing 400 damage per second for 15 seconds.
Special Skill | Trident Swipe: Active. Although it was once weak in close combat, obtaining this water-attribute trident five hundred years ago transformed it into a formidable melee fighter capable of matching its ranged abilities.
Ultimate | Blackflame Ice Flower: Active. A skill acquired after devouring the Millennium Blackflame Ice Flower. Black flames erupt like blooming ice flowers, engulfing all enemies within ten meters in devastating fire and frost. Has an 80% chance to knock targets back or launch them into the air and a 30% chance to stun them. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
Weakness: Vulnerable to fire and light. Currently cultivating, leaving it especially susceptible to sneak attacks. A successful ambush greatly increases damage dealt and may interrupt its cultivation, potentially causing energy deviation.
—
’So it’s cultivating.’ Everything suddenly fell into place. No wonder the creature had been standing completely motionless in the middle of the pool. The Ice Venom Aura wasn’t active either, and the shimmering blue aura the Town Lord had warned him about was nowhere to be seen.
Perfect. This was exactly the opening Marcus had been waiting for. ’Let’s see how well you can keep cultivating after I ruin it.’
Marcus steadied his breathing and urged Blackie forward while maintaining Wraith Shadow. At the same time, he calmly activated every enhancement skill available to him, stacking one buff after another until his combat strength reached its peak.
After seeing those stats, there was no chance he would get careless. Freeze, poison, slowing effects, powerful water magic, and an ultimate skill belonging to a Level 80 Silver Boss were more than enough to kill a player who underestimated it.
Fortunately, Marcus had no intention of giving it that opportunity. The Millennium Fire-Apricot Wine would greatly reduce the threat posed by freezing and slowing effects, while the Blood-Root Pills could restore 1,000 HP every second. With those advantages and everything else at his disposal, Marcus was confident he could survive even if the opening attack failed to finish the serpent man.
Thirty meters, and the Iceflame Black Serpent Man remained completely immersed in its cultivation, utterly unaware that danger had already crept within striking distance.
Every one of Marcus’s buffs was active. Only one remained. His eyes narrowed.
"The Ascendant’s Domain!" Brilliant golden light erupted from his body and rapidly spread throughout the cavern.
At almost the exact same moment, Marcus drew the Twin-Winged Ice Owl Bow to its full length. A Blazing Explosive Arrow appeared against the string, its tip already burning with fierce crimson flames as Marcus poured every bit of power he could into the attack.
"Blazing Explosive Arrow! Five Arrows Simultaneous!" This was the strongest technique available within the Blazing Explosive Arrow skill. Since a successful ambush dramatically increased his damage, there was no reason to hold anything back.
Beside him, Pebble launched the exact same attack in perfect synchronization. The moment the golden radiance of the Ascendant’s Domain swept over the Iceflame Black Serpent Man, its attributes immediately dropped by ten percent, and its 600,000 HP instantly fell by another 60,000.
The sudden suppression finally tore it out of its cultivation trance, and its eyes snapped open. Every instinct it possessed screamed that something was wrong, and its body reacted almost immediately, preparing to shift into combat, but it was already too late.
A blazing crimson glow filled its vision, and ten flaming arrows, each roaring through the air like a miniature fire dragon, were already bearing down on it.
Too fast. The coordination between Marcus and Pebble was flawless. The Iceflame Black Serpent Man had barely regained consciousness before the first arrow slammed into its body.
BOOM!
The Blazing Explosive Arrow detonated on impact, and a colossal fire dragon erupted from the point of impact, swallowing the serpent man’s body in a violent sea of raging flames.
-30,000. A bright yellow damage number floated above its head.
Marcus’s eyes flicked toward the number, and he immediately understood what had happened. The sneak attack bonus had stacked with the skill’s own damage multiplier and a critical hit, pushing the attack to an astonishing four times its normal power.
There was no time to celebrate. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The remaining nine arrows arrived almost simultaneously.
One explosion crashed into the next, and the center of the pool was transformed into a raging storm of fire and shockwaves. The flames reflected violently across the azure water as the explosions tore through the chamber.
Every arrow landed cleanly. Every arrow triggered the same devastating 30,000-point critical hit. The ambush had worked perfectly.
Ten arrows. Ten critical hits. In the blink of an eye, the Iceflame Black Serpent Man had lost a staggering 300,000 HP, exactly half of its original health bar.