126: Chapter 126 Not a Good Soldier!

Su Chen's entry was as swift as thunder, leaving his opponent no time to react.

"Bakayarou!"

Seeing the prey he had fought bitterly for so long snatched away in an instant, Umekawa Naiku was so enraged his eyes nearly burst, letting out a hysterical roar.

[Ding! You have slain the legendary-grade BOSS [Storm Black Serpent], gaining 13.8 billion EXP!]

[Ding! As you have reached the level cap, surplus EXP has been deposited into the experience pool. Please complete your fifth awakening quest as soon as possible!]

With a single sword strike, he reaped the legendary creature with its remaining sliver of health, the massive amount of experience securely pocketed.

A mocking curve lifted the corner of Su Chen's mouth.

Since this Eastern warrior wouldn't survive the day anyway, better this experience fill his own pool than rot in the other's hands.

"Great Xia swine, die!"

Umekawa Naiku's eyes were bloodshot, a beast-like ferocity laid bare.

Driven by extreme fury, the ground beneath his feet instantly cratered under terrifying explosive force as he transformed into a crimson blur charging recklessly forward.

Swish! Swish! Swish!!!

His long blade sliced through the air, carrying a shrill, fierce wind aimed directly at Su Chen's head.

"Heh."

Standing firm atop the massive head of the black serpent, Su Chen sneered, his counterattack already striking out like a venomous snake from its hole.

[Throat-Slitting Blade]!

A mere instant before the long blade could descend, the 'flame of joy' had already shot forth, overtaking it with a scorching, resolute crimson light!

Umekawa Naiku's face paled in terror. He hastily changed stance, raising his blade horizontally to block, but the speed of this sword strike had long surpassed the limits of his vision.

Thwip—

The sword edge easily cleaved through the air's resistance, precisely grazing the opponent's throat, sending a string of tragically beautiful blood droplets flying.

Umekawa Naiku clutched his spurting neck desperately, collapsing to the ground with a face full of terror.

Under the rules of a second-degree red name, death meant all his loot would experience an unprecedented "grand explosion," not even requiring a brick to be lifted.

However, the expected kill notification did not sound.

Su Chen's brow furrowed slightly, sensing something amiss.

Thump!

A muffled explosion sounded as the corpse on the ground transformed into a comical substitute straw doll amidst smoke.

Several meters away, Umekawa Naiku's figure reappeared, the face behind that demonic mask now utterly filled with fear.

He had used his life-saving trump card—[Substitute Straw Doll].

"Damn it! What kind of monster is this Great Xia man? Only those below the eighth awakening are supposed to be able to enter this place!"

Having narrowly escaped death, Umekawa Naiku was now terrified to his core, all his arrogance crushed by the desire to survive.

Escape! He must escape!

A pair of gray wings abruptly unfurled from his back. He frantically beat them, stirring up a foul wind as he desperately tried to flee into the sky.

"Do you think you can leave?"

Su Chen's laughter echoed across the wasteland, wild and icy.

The refresh triggered by that last fatal wound had instantly reset the cooldown of his lunge.

[Flash Stab]!

Su Chen's form instantly dissipated on the spot. The next moment, he descended like the god of death above Umekawa Naiku's head, the second sword strike plunging down with the force of a crushing mountain!

"Yamete!!!"

Amidst a cry of despair, Umekawa Naiku's pupils trembled violently.

Rip!

The sharp blade cleaved him in two mid-air without hindrance. The two severed halves of his body, along with a shower of scattered equipment, crashed heavily to the ground.

[Ding! You have successfully slain the player 'Umekawa Naiku'!]

He who kills shall be killed.

Facing such a red-named player, Su Chen felt not a shred of guilt, nor did it add any sin points.

With calm composure, he walked through the ruins, sweeping up all of Umekawa Naiku's "savings" and the Storm Black Serpent's drops.

[Ding! Obtained 1.88 billion gold coins!]

[Ding! Obtained materials: Storm Black Serpent Hide, Substitute Straw Doll (treasure)...]

[Ding! Obtained legendary-grade equipment: [Dark Ghost Blade], [Storm Gauntlets]...]

As expected of a red-name "specialist" at the peak of the eighth awakening, his assets were astonishing.

Not only was his cash immense, but he also possessed several pieces of legendary-grade armaments.

Although most were temporarily unwearable due to high level requirements, the piles of obviously plundered low-awakening epic materials still counted as a windfall.

[Substitute Straw Doll] (Treasure)

This item wasn't a one-time consumable but a divine-grade life-saving talisman with a 24-hour cooldown, effective simply by being kept in the inventory.

Su Chen nodded in satisfaction.

Next were the top-tier drops from the black serpent:

[Storm Gauntlets] (legendary-grade · Lv130)

Level 130 equipment, which, after the reduction from [Divine Adaptation], was just usable by Su Chen.

He equipped them without hesitation, feeling the surge of power from the extra 200% attack speed boost.

Finally, rummaging through Umekawa Naiku's remains, Su Chen unearthed a heavy treasure emitting an aura of incompleteness.

[Nanofus's Gloves] (Shattered Artifact)

Effect: Instant cast for minor mage skills, halves chant time for ultimate skills.

Passive: 20% chance to trigger [Double Cast].

Clearly, this was a treasure mages dreamt of, no wonder Umekawa Naiku, being a warrior, could only leave it shelved.

But in Su Chen's eyes, it was practically tailor-made.

Storing away the gilded gloves, Su Chen's lips curved upward slightly.

With the hidden bonus from the [Ring of Fortune], that so-called 20% chance would undoubtedly become utterly outrageous in actual combat.

When the time came, whether instantly casting a Pseudo-Forbidden Curse or pairing it with [Infinite Firepower] to spam skills for "remote theft," he could handle it with ease.

After all, an assassin who doesn't aspire to be an omnipotent archmage is not a good warrior.