Just as Raine’s mind buzzed with the thrill of mastering his new Combat Technique, the battle on the other side concluded. Under the seamless teamwork of Kaelin and the other two, the second Skeleton Bear Goblin let out a begrudging scrape of bones before swaying and collapsing with a loud CLATTER, suffering the same fate as its companion. Seeing both ambushers reduced to piles of dry bones, Kaelin’s trio was about to heave a sigh of relief when Raine’s vigilant voice rang out like an alarm bell in everyone’s minds.
"It’s not over yet."
Raine had already nocked another Arrow to his Bowstring. His sharp gaze seemed to pierce through the darkness, the arrowhead pointing steadily toward the distant Shadows that the Magic Halo could barely reach. When they killed the first Bear Goblin earlier, he had clearly seen through the retrospective vision of his Rival’s Perspective that three Bear Goblins had intruded into this place back then. This undoubtedly meant a final enemy was still lurking in the dark.
In the next second, as if sensing an extremely faint movement, Raine released his fingers—SWISH! The Arrow left the Bowstring, piercing into the depths of the darkness with a sharp whistling sound. THUD! A muffled sound echoed. The Arrow had clearly struck something hard; the shaft even vibrated slightly from the impact, letting out a low hum.
The group looked toward the sound, their heartstrings pulling taut once more. In the hazy periphery of the Magic Halo, a third Skeleton Bear Goblin slowly revealed its figure from the Shadows. Displaying a level of cunning completely absent in the previous two, it used a massive bone hand to tightly cover the spectral blue soul-fire in its eye sockets, maximizing its concealment. And right into its thick ribs was lodged the Arrow Raine had just fired.
It wasn’t until it was fully exposed to the light that it slowly lowered its bone hand, allowing those two clusters of freezing blue Flames to burn wantonly as they locked onto all the living souls present. This scene sent a shiver of retroactive fear down the spines of Sodden and Winnie, both of whom possessed Dark Vision. Even though they could see farther than Raine, they had failed to detect this lurker’s tracks in advance!
Without a hint of hesitation, Raine brushed his fingers past the Quiver at his waist, drawing another Arrow and nocking it onto the Bowstring. The reason he could deduce the enemy’s presence in the dark was partly due to the information from his retrospective vision, and partly thanks to his newly enhanced Perception. He had keenly caught the inaudible yet rhythmic scraping of bones, despite how difficult it was to distinguish amidst his teammates’ heavy breathing. At the same time, he had faintly smelled the stench of decay drifting from that direction—a scent identical to the two Skeleton Bear Goblins on the ground.
The enhancement to his Perception Attribute proved to have an immediate Effect in this enclosed environment. Of course, landing that shot on the ribs in the pitch dark also involved a fair bit of luck.
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Raine’s second Arrow was already off the string, aiming straight for the opponent’s head. However, this Skeleton Bear Goblin reacted incredibly fast. It jerked its head aside, and the Arrow merely grazed the edge of its skull, failing to deal any substantial damage.
"I’ll distract it!" Sodden bellowed. Gripping his Giant Shield tightly, he charged forward like a torrent of steel, attempting to replicate the tactic that had knocked back the first skeleton.
Kaelin moved simultaneously. Her figure swept to the flank like the wind, the cold glint of her Longsword flashing as she slashed precisely toward the front of the Skeleton Bear Goblin’s ribs. At Winnie’s fingertips, Arcane Radiance flickered, quickly forming a CRACKLING Lightning Ball that howled as it smashed toward the target.
Yet, Sodden’s full-force charge—powerful enough to topple a stone wall—only made the massive skeleton stumble slightly. It wasn’t pushed back a single step. Kaelin’s Longsword slashed against its ribs but only sent a few bone shards flying. Winnie’s Lightning Ball exploded on its body, merely stalling its movements for a brief moment and leaving behind a few scorch marks.
After the trio’s synchronized barrage, the spectral blue light in the Skeleton Bear Goblin’s eye sockets only dimmed slightly. Clearly, the damage was far from fatal. It was then that the group noticed its bones were tinged black, and a thin layer of black mist faintly shrouded its body. The mist swirled slowly like a living entity, exuding a terrifying and ominous aura.
"No wonder those two Skeleton Bear Goblins knew how to ambush and coordinated much more smoothly than regular Undead." Raine’s gaze sharpened as a sudden realization dawned on him. "This guy was pulling the strings behind the scenes!"
He knew clearly that certain entities eroded by immense Negative Energy would become much stronger Elite Bodies upon turning into Undead. Not only was their strength superior to ordinary Undead, boasting greater defense and Power, but they could also awaken a modicum of intelligence and influence other regular Undead within a certain radius. This Skeleton Bear Goblin shrouded in black mist was undoubtedly such an elite entity.
In the next second, the Elite Undead’s counterattack arrived. Wielding its massive Bone Fist wrapped in black mist, it smashed fiercely down at the Dwarf. BOOM! A deafening crash reverberated through the darkness. Sodden held his Giant Shield steadfastly in front of him. Although he successfully blocked the strike, the immense impact still left his sturdy arms numb and sore.
At the very moment Sodden blocked, Raine keenly noticed an almost imperceptible flash of earthy-yellow light enveloping the Dwarf’s body—the manifestation of him executing a Combat Technique. Sodden had once proudly told Raine that this Combat Technique was called Unbreakable Fortress. Upon suffering a heavy blow, it could greatly reinforce the supportive strength and stability of the user’s lower limbs, waist, abdomen, and arms, allowing them to be "nailed" firmly into the ground like a steel spike, preventing them from being knocked down.
Raine knew that Unbreakable Fortress was quite similar to his Eagle Vision; both required active triggering at crucial moments. When Sodden used it previously, Raine couldn’t spot the specific details. Now that his Perception Attribute had increased, he could barely catch the exact moment the Combat Technique was cast with his naked eyes.
"Curved Slash!" Anticipating the brief stiffness following the opponent’s attack, Kaelin swung her blade in that familiar silver lunar arc, slashing viciously toward the juncture of the Elite Undead’s spine.
However, the Skeleton Bear Goblin’s reaction time was astonishingly fast. It swiftly raised its other arm bone to block. CRACK! Following the crisp sound, Kaelin’s fierce strike only managed to sever a small section of its arm bone, failing to inflict the anticipated heavy damage.
At Winnie’s fingertips, CRACKLING Arcane Radiance surged once more as she took aim at the opponent. This lightning-attributed Colorful Ball was currently her most offensive Magic. With a loud BOOM, the dazzling electric sphere ruptured against the blackened giant bone. Yet, it only caused the surrounding black mist to churn violently, still failing to deal significant damage.
On the contrary, the opponent’s unbridled counterattacks forced Sodden’s trio to retreat steadily, leaving them looking somewhat disheveled. Kaelin, in particular, was rendered nearly defenseless by the stiffness that followed executing her Combat Technique. The spectral blue in the opponent’s hollow eye sockets flickered with obvious disdain and frenzy, clearly not taking the group seriously at all.
As his teammates fought hard to keep the monster at bay, Raine’s Rival’s Perspective activated, rapidly scanning the Elite Undead’s massive skeletal frame. Soon, within his vision, a specific area atop the opponent’s exceptionally hard skull suddenly lit up. The glow was even more blinding than the weak point of its companion from earlier.