186: Chapter 186 Dual-Wielding Melee Mage, Any Problems?

Hiss hiss hiss hiss—!

Purple lightning, as thick as an arm, pierced through the Myriad Fox Queen's body like a long spear in an instant.

The enchanting smile that had just appeared on her charming and peerlessly beautiful face instantly froze, then turned into extreme terror and disbelief.

Finally, she only let out a moan, and her health bar plummeted rapidly like a roller coaster.

Ding!

Several glowing items dropped to the ground, proving that everything that just happened was not an illusion.

The entire world fell deathly silent.

Moonfall Base and the elite members of the Moon Gods Radiance behind him stood frozen in place like stone statues.

The weapons in their hands were still held in a standard combat starting posture.

The expressions on their faces had shifted from initial solemnity and alertness to the current blankness and confusion.

Finally converging into a sense of almost absurd shock.

That's... over?

From entering the dungeon until now, a total of seven minutes and thirteen seconds.

What did they even do?

They followed behind and walked for seven minutes.

Then, the BOSS was gone.

Moonfall Base's brain was filled with question marks.

He clearly remembered the last time in the Tomb of Thousand Lights, when Chen You wielded a Dao Sword and engaged in close-quarters combat with the Skeleton Monarch.

But what about now?

From beginning to end, let alone drawing his sword, Chen You hadn't even revealed a weapon.

He just walked forward with his hands behind his back, occasionally raising a finger to tap lightly.

With a 'hiss,' the sky full of demon foxes turned to ash.

Swordsman? Mage?

'Ji... Brother Ji...' an Elf Archer swallowed hard, his voice trembling.

'Can... can we go pick up the loot now?'

Moonfall Base snapped out of his stupor and suddenly came back to his senses.

He glanced at the equipment on the ground, then looked at the solitary, aloof figure who had already turned around and was preparing to leave.

His desire for knowledge and the professional instincts of an analyst finally overwhelmed his fear.

He quickly chased after him and spoke cautiously.

'Big Shot!'

Chen You paused his steps but did not turn around.

'Big Shot, that...'

Moonfall Base organized his language, carefully choosing his words, 'You... aren't you a Swordsman?'

He finally asked.

Chen You felt no ripples in his heart.

He put on this act precisely to wait for this question.

Although he had concealed his profession, everyone in the world knew he was the 'immortal path pioneer,' so most people would guess he was a Cultivator.

Therefore, he wanted to set up this smokescreen.

This was what Zhang Yunhai called strategic deception.

Although it seemed insignificant at the moment, it certainly wasn't a bad thing.

The air seemed to solidify for a few seconds.

Under the nervous gaze of Moonfall Base and the team members behind him, Chen You finally slowly turned around.

His face showed no expression, and his voice was as flat as water.

'Forgot to mention it.'

'Actually, I'm a Mage.'

'???'.

A giant question mark slowly surfaced on Moonfall Base's forehead.

The team members behind him widened their eyes even further, as if they had heard a tall tale.

Mage?

You call what just happened Mage?

Which mage doesn't first hold it in before conjuring a giant fireball?

You raise your hand and unleash a bolt of purple lightning, instant cast and instant kill—is that reasonable?

Moonfall Base felt his worldview had suffered an unprecedented impact, and he subconsciously retorted.

'But... but Big Shot, last time in the Tomb of Thousand Lights, you were clearly holding a sword and engaging in close-quarters combat with the Skeleton Monarch! That swordsmanship...'

He wanted to say 'that swordsmanship was breathtakingly skillful,' but he felt it wasn't appropriate and choked the words back.

Chen You glanced at him, his eyes devoid of emotion.

He spoke again in a tone that implied it was natural.

'Melee Mage.'

Moonfall Base: 'Huh?'

'Melee Mage, a staff in one hand and a long sword in the other,' Chen You said casually.

'Warriors can dual-wield, so Mages certainly can too.'

'So it's perfectly reasonable for a Mage to use a sword, right?'

Moonfall Base: '...'

The Moon Gods Radiance members: '...'

Reasonable? Reasonable my foot!

Moonfall Base opened his mouth, wanting to ask something else, but found his brain had stiffened, completely unsure where to even begin asking.

Melee Mage...

Thinking about it, a Mage using a sword did sound slightly more reasonable than a Warrior using magic.

Could it be... this is the true meaning behind the title 'immortal path pioneer'?

An entirely new, revolutionary, Melee Mage professional system?!

Hiss—!

The more Moonfall Base thought about it, the more plausible and terrifying it seemed.

Just as a storm was raging in his mind, Chen You had already lost his patience.

The server maintenance time was approaching.

'Ding! Player [Chen You] has left the party.'

The system notification sounded.

Moonfall Base looked up sharply, only to see Chen You's figure transform into a white light and vanish directly from the spot.

He left just like that!

He didn't even want the loot!

'Brother Ji, Big Shot he...'

'Stop talking!'

Moonfall Base took a deep breath, his eyes were solemn as never before, even carrying a hint of fanaticism.

'Quick! Record every single word Big Shot said just now, every piece of punctuation, exactly as it was!'

'Also, do not delete a single frame of the combat footage from just now!'

'When we get back, report immediately to the Guild Leader and convene a top-level tactical analysis meeting!'

'Yes!' The crowd responded in unison, their expressions solemn.

...

On the other side.

Thousand Light City, Supreme Tower, Top-Tier Training Room.

'Hoo...'

Chen You slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air.

'What a pity.'

Chen You muttered to himself.

'If there were a few more minutes, I probably could have reached the sixth floor.'

Since the server shutdown was imminent, there was nothing to be done.

'The Path of the Monarch...'

Chen You stroked his chin, his gaze serious.

A Mythic quest that could actually cause the entire Source Realm to halt for an update and instantly generate a corresponding dungeon for him.

This treatment was truly that of the most favored son.

But Chen You knew clearly that the higher the treatment, the greater the risk.

'I must figure out the quest risk assessment before logging off.'

He calculated internally and directly exited the training room.

Supreme Tower Lobby.

Hill was not standing behind the counter today, but stood silently before a huge floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the night view of Thousand Light City outside.

She was wearing an elegant white long dress, her figure graceful, her silhouette as beautiful and hazy as a poem.

Hearing footsteps, she slowly turned her head.

'Respected supreme member, you always seem to be chasing the storm.' Her voice was ethereal, as if coming from the clouds.

Chen You was not in the mood for pleasantries with her.

He walked a few steps toward Hill and got straight to the point: 'What's the deal with that new dungeon called The Path of the Monarch?'

Hill tilted her head slightly, her long eyelashes fluttering, with a hint of perfectly measured confusion in her eyes.

A moment later, she lightly parted her red lips and recited:

'The throne of the past is already covered in dust; the path of the new monarch is paved with bones.'

'When shadows once again shroud the great earth, only by treading upon the ashes of the past can one find... the torch of new life.'

Chen You sighed and asked a more direct question: 'Is this dungeon specifically created for my Mythic quest?'

'The web of fate always guides the special threads toward destined nodes,' Hill replied without answering the question directly.

'Fine, I get it,' Chen You nodded.

He needed to ask questions that couldn't be evaded.

'How many BOSSes are in the new dungeon? What kind of monsters are they? What is the level restriction?'

A hint of confusion flashed in Hill's eyes again.

She didn't answer, merely looking at Chen You, as if to say: Why don't you try asking a different question?

'It seems I'll have to wait until after the maintenance,' Chen You thought.

He glanced at the time; less than half a minute remained before the server shutdown, so Chen You logged off directly.

The entire Source Realm was unprecedentedly quiet at this moment.

All players, without exception, were waiting.

Waiting to see what would appear two hours later.