51: Who is the prey?

Boom—!

Following a muffled explosion, the Life bars of hundreds of Abyssal Monsters were instantly emptied, like water bags being punctured.

Emerald-green damage numbers, mixed with crimson critical hits, formed a spectacular waterfall of digits that furiously scrolled above the heads of the monster horde.

[-18,540!]

[-37,080! (Critical Hit)]

[-18,540!]

... Lin Mo stood still, not moving his feet even an inch. He simply snapped his fingers, detonating the Deadly Poison that had already spread through the [Plague Link].

In an instant, the entire Foul Smelling Hills seemed to have been muted. The roaring and howling monsters froze instantly, their massive bodies crashing to the ground, turning into scattered light particles and the clinking copper coins and materials.

"Done, Sister Rain. Loot the bodies." Lin Mo's tone was as calm as if he were discussing a trivial matter.

"It's... it's cleared again?"

Summer Rain looked at the empty spawn area before her, disbelief still lingering in her beautiful eyes.

This was already their second hour since arriving at the Foul Smelling Hills.

In these two hours, she and Iron Wall had practically become professional "loot cleaners."

Lin Mo alone handled all the work of damage output, damage absorption, and crowd control.

Thanks to the immunity to Abyssal Corruption granted by the [Blessing of the Saintess], the continuous damage-over-time debuffs that tormented other player groups were nothing more than a gentle breeze to Lin Mo.

He could even actively Charge into the monster horde, using his body as the optimal medium for the [Plague Link] to accurately deliver the toxins to every single monster.

"Brother Mo, your grinding efficiency is faster than a printing press!" Iron Wall exclaimed sincerely while diligently picking up materials. "If the players on the forums who are complaining that the new version is too difficult saw this, they'd probably break down on the spot."

"It's the advantage of information." Lin Mo smiled slightly.

He knew clearly that his ease was entirely due to the benefits of a unique, epic-grade hidden quest.

Once most players adapted to the new version and found ways to counter Abyssal Corruption, this overwhelming advantage would gradually disappear.

Therefore, he had to seize this golden window of opportunity and convert his advantage into tangible profit.

"Keep the materials for now; we'll process them together when we return to the City.

Copper coins and junk equipment go straight into the Guild Warehouse, distributed as needed." Lin Mo arranged methodically, "Our goal is to rush our level to 45 before the World Boss spawns, and fill up the Guild Warehouse while we're at it."

"Got it!" Iron Wall and Summer Rain were full of energy.

Following Lin Mo, they experienced an unprecedented level of gaming enjoyment.

No need for exhausting positioning, no need for nerve-wracking calculation of Healer output; they just had to enjoy the victory and share the spoils.

However, just as they were preparing for the next wave of monsters to spawn, a burst of noisy footsteps and arrogant shouts broke the tranquility of the hills, approaching from the distance.

"The three people up ahead, stop right there!"

A rough voice came through, carrying an unmistakable tone of command.

Lin Mo frowned slightly and looked back.

He saw a team of about twenty players charging aggressively toward them.

Leading them was a Berserker clad in a full set of Black Iron armor, with the ID "Mad Dragon Overlord Blade," one of the elite captains of the Mad Dragon Guild.

Their equipment was considered excellent for the current stage, but a faint trace of black mist lingered around them—the effect of Abyssal Corruption—clearly indicating that their monster grinding here was not easy.

When Mad Dragon Overlord Blade clearly saw the IDs of Lin Mo and his two companions, especially the name "Lin Mo" that made his teeth itch with hatred, he was stunned for a moment, then a savage, ecstatic look appeared on his face.

"Hahaha! I've searched high and low for you, and here you are!" Mad Dragon Overlord Blade burst out laughing, pointing his great axe at Lin Mo. "Kid, I didn't expect you to dare show up in the wilderness!

You got lucky and escaped last time, but today, neither you nor anyone from your pathetic Guild will leave!"

His gaze greedily swept over the undissipated loot glow at the feet of Lin Mo and his two companions, as well as the overly clean spawn area around them, his eyes practically burning with jealousy.

Their twenty-person elite team was struggling immensely to clear this area, not only having to constantly guard against monster encirclement but also being tormented by Abyssal Corruption, leading to huge potion consumption.

Yet, these three people in front of him were not only unharmed, but their monster grinding efficiency seemed outrageously high!

This was unreasonable!

"Oh? I wondered who it was. Turns out it's the Mad Dogs of the Mad Dragon Guild." Lin Mo's eyes turned cold, his tone laced with mockery. "What, didn't you get enough of being treated like monkeys in the main city last time? Did you run out to the wilderness just to make a spectacle of yourselves again?"

"You're asking for death!" Mad Dragon Overlord Blade, struck where it hurt, instantly flew into a rage.

"Brothers, get them! Kill the men and strip their gear! Keep that female Priest alive and bring her back for the guys to have some fun with!" he ordered with a savage expression, his words full of filth.

Summer Rain's face instantly turned icy, while Iron Wall silently stepped forward, slamming his massive tower shield onto the ground with a muffled thud, making his stance clear.

"A bunch of trash."

Lin Mo shook his head, lacking even the desire to be angry.

He never refused a "cash machine" that willingly offered itself up.

"Iron Wall, protect Sister Rain well. Leave this place to me."

Before his words fell, Lin Mo's figure had already transformed into a ghostly phantom, actively charging toward the twenty members of the Mad Dragon Guild!

"The fool! Focus fire and kill him instantly!"

Mad Dragon Overlord Blade roared, taking the lead and activating [Charge].

Facing a melee class's Charge, a squishy spell-assassin's standard move should be to retreat immediately and create distance.

But Lin Mo did not.

Not only did he not retreat, but he met the opponent's momentum head-on, a cold arc forming at the corner of his mouth.

Just as Mad Dragon Overlord Blade was about to crash into him, a faint, emerald-green light flashed deep within Lin Mo's pupils.

[rule: Fear]!

"Huh?"

Mad Dragon Overlord Blade, mid-Charge, felt his heart violently clench, as if gripped by an invisible hand!

A feeling of dread originating from the depths of his soul erupted without warning, causing his body to stiffen for a fraction of a second!

In an exchange between experts, victory or defeat is decided in milliseconds.

That fraction of a second of stiffness was already enough for Lin Mo.

His figure passed Mad Dragon Overlord Blade like a ghost, the [dagger of withering] in his hand silently slashing across the enemy's waist.

A faint damage number of [-1] floated up. Simultaneously, one stack of [Deadly Poison] and one stack of [Wither] had silently attached.

"Hiss—"

Mad Dragon Overlord Blade, whose Charge was interrupted, staggered a few steps before steadying himself. He looked back in shock and confusion, only to find that Lin Mo's figure had already plunged into their backline of Mages and Archers, like a tiger entering a flock of sheep.

"No good! He's in the back!" "Stop him!"

The backline of the Mad Dragon Guild instantly fell into chaos.

Their proud numerical advantage became a burden at this moment.

In the confined space, their skills might even accidentally injure their own people.

Meanwhile, Lin Mo's figure continuously flickered within the crowd.

[Shadow Strike]!

[Backstab]!

[Poison Blade]!

The damage from his every attack was not high; one could even call it a scratch.

But every player touched by his dagger gained another layer of lethal poison.

"-85 (Deadly Poison)"

"-85 (Deadly Poison)"

"-86 (Deadly Poison)"

Continuous damage-over-time numbers began floating up above the heads of everyone in the Mad Dragon Guild.

"What are you afraid of! He's just scratching us! Cover him with area-of-effect skills!" Mad Dragon Overlord Blade was both shocked and enraged. He couldn't figure out why he had suddenly frozen earlier, so he could only attribute it to some rare crowd control skill.

However, no sooner had he spoken than a sudden change occurred!

The Mages and Archers who were previously casting skills suddenly found their health bars plummeting at an abnormal rate!

"What's going on? My health is dropping so fast!" "This poison is messed up! My healing potion is on cooldown!" "Priest! Heal us quickly!"

Their Priest was sweating anxiously, and rays of [Healing Spell] fell, but they only produced faint green numbers.

[+50 (Healer)]

[-120 (Wither)]

In front of [Rule: Withering], their healing became a joke!

"It's the Wither effect! His poison reduces healing!" Someone finally realized, their voice filled with panic.

At this moment, Lin Mo had quietly withdrawn from the crowd, standing not far away like an elegant conductor admiring his masterpiece.

His gaze locked onto Mad Dragon Overlord Blade, who was still shouting.

"Next up, it's your turn."

Lin Mo's figure disappeared again.

[Stealth]!

Alarm bells rang in Mad Dragon Overlord Blade's heart. He frantically swung his great axe, trying to force Lin Mo to reveal himself.

But it was all in vain.

The next second, Lin Mo appeared behind him like a phantom, the [dagger of withering] carrying the cold light of death, accurately plunging into his back.

[Backstab]!

A critical hit damage popped up. Simultaneously, Lin Mo detonated the Deadly Poison that had already stacked dozens of layers.

[Poison Burst]!

"Boom!"

Emerald-green energy exploded within Mad Dragon Overlord Blade's body, and a terrifying number—enough to make everyone's eyes pop out—slowly rose above his head.

[-98,800!]

The shock and rage on Mad Dragon Overlord Blade's face instantly froze. He didn't even have time to let out a scream before his full health bar was instantly emptied, turning into a streak of white light and vanishing from the spot.

Ding.

A token flashing with a guild emblem dropped from where he died.

[Mad Dragon Guild Elite Captain Token].

"The Captain was instantly killed!" "Wha... What kind of damage is that?!"

The remaining people completely collapsed.

Their backbone, the tankiest Berserker among them, was instantly killed in one exchange!

This event could no longer be called a battle; it was a one-sided slaughter.

Lin Mo gave them no more chances, flickering through the ranks and harvesting one fresh Life after another.

In less than a minute, the entire twenty-person elite squad lay on the ground, dropping a pile of equipment and potions.

The entire Foul Smelling Hills returned to tranquility once more.

"Bro... Brother Mo..." Iron Wall's mouth hung open and didn't close for a long time. "You are just too fierce..."

Summer Rain was also filled with shock.

She knew Lin Mo was strong, but she hadn't expected that after acquiring [Rule: Withering] and [rule: Fear], his personal combat power had ballooned to such an unbelievable extent.

One against twenty—no, one massacring twenty—the entire process was smooth as flowing water, filled with violent aesthetics.

"Just a bunch of chickens and dogs."

Lin Mo picked up the Captain's Token, casually tossed it into his backpack, and said lightly.

For him, this truly was just an appetizer before a meal.

However, just as he was about to signal his teammates to continue grinding, a low, majestic horn blast suddenly echoed across the entire sky of the epoch!

Immediately after, the cold and grand system announcement boomed in the ears of every player—

[Server Announcement]: The Abyss rift has been torn open, and the ancient Demon God is about to awaken!

World Boss [Abyssal Lord Mephistopheles] will descend upon the [Wailing Plains], east of the [City of Glory], in one hour!

The team that achieves the first kill of this Boss will receive legendary grade rewards! Warriors, assemble for glory!

[Server Announcement]: ... [Server Announcement]: ...

The system announcement, repeated three times, instantly sent the entire game world into a frenzy!

World Boss!

These four words represented supreme glory and the highest level of wealth!

"World Boss!" Iron Wall's eyes instantly lit up.

"It's at the Wailing Plains, not far from us!" Summer Rain was also excited.

A fervent light also flashed in Lin Mo's eyes.

He had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.

The previous conflict with the Mad Dragon Guild was just a minor skirmish.

But this server-wide World Boss battle was the real main event, the perfect stage for him to announce the return of the "Poison God" to everyone!

Who is the prey? Who is the hunter?

The answer would soon be revealed in this upcoming grand feast.

"Pack up. We're leaving."

Lin Mo's tone was calm, but the fighting spirit contained within it was enough to make the world change color.

"Target—[Abyssal Lord Mephistopheles]!"