26: Chapter 26: Strong Liquor Transforms into a Sword, the Hidden Boss's Exquisite Legacy

Billowing black smoke surged violently in the heatwaves like a torn curtain.

The swaying figure did not fall; instead, a series of tooth-aching bone-cracking sounds rang out.

“Cough... cough, cough...”

The Old Drunkard walked slowly out of the sea of fire, his body hunched. His original tattered coarse hemp clothes had been burned full of holes, revealing the bronze skin beneath. Strange purple-red patterns were flowing across his skin, clearly showing that the toxins of the datura potion were fighting frantically against some power within his body.

His originally cloudy and drowsy drunken eyes had now become incredibly clear, even revealing a heart-palpitating cold light.

Although only a thin sliver of health remained in the bar above his head, that bright red color was constantly pulsing, as if it might bounce back at any moment.

“What exactly did the Old Village Chief give you?”

The Old Drunkard casually wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth, his voice as raspy as if it had been polished with sandpaper. “Young man, leave a way out in life. Whatever he can give you, I will give you double. Drink this cup of apology wine, and I shall let bygones be bygones regarding what just happened.”

As he spoke, he tremblingly untied the Purple Gold Wine Gourd from his waist—which had not been destroyed in the blast—and pulled out the stopper. A wine fragrance so thick it was almost tangible instantly overpowered the scorched smell on the scene.

Shadow Killer's heart skipped a beat as he hid in the corner of the ruins.

Is this the foundation of a hidden NPC? To be able to talk and laugh freely after tanking such a terrifying fireball head-on?

However, Qin Ji only gave him a faint glance, his lips curling into a mocking arc.

“He gave me a reason to kill you.”

Qin Ji's voice was calm without a single ripple. “As for your wine... save it to drink on the road to the Yellow Springs.”

“Refusing the toast only to drink a forfeit!”

The last trace of pretense in the Old Drunkard's eyes was completely torn away, replaced by endless brutality.

“Pfft—”

He suddenly tilted his head back and spat a mouthful of strong liquor into the air.

The moment the crystal-clear wine touched the air, it defied physical common sense by solidifying and elongating, transforming in the blink of an eye into a three-meter-long crystal Flying Sword. Pungent alcohol vapors swirled around the blade.

“Go!”

The Old Drunkard pointed his fingers like a sword.

The Wine Sword broke through the air with a sharp whistle, moving so fast it left an afterimage in the sky, heading straight for the space between Qin Ji's eyebrows!

The power of this strike was even thirty percent more fierce than that fireball from earlier.

“Watch out!” Shadow Killer subconsciously cried out. His body instinctively wanted to activate Backstab to interfere with the Old Drunkard, but he was sent flying by a gust of wind from a wave of the Old Drunkard's sleeve, slamming heavily against the wall.

Qin Ji stood in place, completely unmoved.

Just as the Wine Sword was about to pierce his throat, a burly figure as black as ink emerged out of thin air, standing before Qin Ji like an unshakeable iron tower.

—Black Warrior!

“Clang!!!”

The Wine Sword slammed hard into the Black Warrior's heavy Tower Shield, erupting with a loud boom like a giant bell.

The terrifying impact caused the ground beneath the Black Warrior to instantly crack. His feet plowed two deep furrows as he slid back a full three meters before barely stopping. But that seemingly incomparably sharp Wine Sword also shattered into a sky full of crystal shards during the collision.

“An undead creature?!”

The Old Drunkard's pupils shrank suddenly, and for the first time, a look of horror appeared on his face. “Are you one of that Old Blacksmith's people? No... this is a high-tier undead!”

“You talk too much.”

Qin Ji indifferently raised his hand, dangerous firelight once again condensing at his fingertips.

After witnessing the Black Warrior's defensive power, the Old Drunkard finally realized that the young man before him was not an ordinary newbie player at all, but a monster wearing a newbie's skin.

“In that case, let's die together!”

A flash of decisive madness crossed the Old Drunkard's eyes.

He suddenly tossed the Purple Gold Wine Gourd in his hand high into the air and quickly formed hand seals. All the remaining power in his body was poured into it without reservation at this moment.

“Sky-Shattering Thunder: Drunken Immortal Blast!”

The wine gourd, which was originally only the size of a palm, expanded rapidly in mid-air, instantly becoming the size of a millstone. Its surface was covered with crimson cracks, looking like an unstable nuclear bomb about to detonate, as it smashed down toward Qin Ji and the Black Warrior with a destructive aura.

This strike was his bottom-of-the-barrel trump card.

Even a Level 20 Knight at full health would die instantly if they took this move head-on!

“Boss, get out of the way!!” Shadow Killer's face was pale; with this kind of attack range, there was simply no way to dodge.

Qin Ji narrowed his eyes slightly.

Dodge?

In his dictionary, the word 'dodge' had never existed.

“Black Warrior, hold on.”

With a thought, Qin Ji quickly took out a black cloak emitting a faint glow from his backpack and draped it over himself—it was the Ghost Cloak, the only defensive Silver Equipment he had obtained from the first dungeon clear.

The Black Warrior let out a low growl. The Death Qi originally swirling around its body instantly boiled, and it slammed its greatsword into the ground. A black semi-transparent barrier rose out of thin air.

Necrotic Barrier!

The next second.

The wine gourd smashed heavily against the barrier.

“BOOM—!!!”

A deafening explosion completely destroyed the few remaining supporting pillars of the tavern.

The terrifying shockwave, mixed with blue flames produced by the burning liquor, instantly swallowed everything within a ten-meter radius. Rubble flew and dust filled the air as a layer of the ground was physically shaved away.

Startling damage numbers rose through the dust.

-4500 (Taken by Black Warrior)!

-820 (Taken by Qin Ji, overflow damage)!

Shadow Killer closed his eyes in despair.

It's over.

With these damage values, no player at this stage could possibly survive.

However, the moment the dust settled, Shadow Killer's eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost.

In the center of the ruins.

Although the Black Warrior's burly body had become somewhat ethereal and its armor was covered in cracks, it still stood tall!

And behind it, Qin Ji slowly patted the dust off his cloak. The health bar above his head had only dropped by a small segment and was recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye.

“This... how is this possible?” The Old Drunkard completely broke down. His proud ultimate move hadn't even broken through the defense?

“Are you finished?”

Qin Ji slowly walked out of the Black Warrior's protection. At the tip of his staff, a fireball compressed to the extreme was already poised and ready. “Then it's my turn.”

He gave the Old Drunkard no chance to catch his breath.

“Boom!”

The fireball hit him right in the face.

The Old Drunkard, already at the end of his rope, was completely swallowed by the flames amidst a look of despair.

【Killed Level 20 Elite NPC "Secluded Wine Sword Immortal (Pseudo)"!】

【Obtained EXP +15,000!】

【Plunder Talent triggered!】

【Obtained Attribute: Strength +50!】

【Obtained Hidden Attribute: Wine Intent Resistance +100% (Immune to Drunken state).】

As the System notification rang out, a golden pillar of light rose from the Old Drunkard's corpse and instantly entered Qin Ji's body.

Qin Ji only felt a warm current spread throughout his body, and his already exaggerated Strength attribute surged once again.

“Is this the value of a hidden boss?”

Qin Ji's lips curled slightly as he stepped forward and kicked away the Old Drunkard's charred corpse.

Amidst that pile of ashes lay two items quietly.

A fragment of the Purple Gold Wine Gourd that hadn't been destroyed but was covered in cracks, and a skill book emitting a faint golden light.

Qin Ji first picked up the fragment.

【Broken Sword Immortal's Wine Gourd (Special Quest Item): Give this to the Villa Master of "Sword Casting Villa" in the main city to trigger the Hidden Class Quest "Wine Sword Immortal".】

“Wine Sword Immortal?” Qin Ji toyed with it for a moment before casually tossing it into his backpack. “Pity, I don't use swords. But selling it to those rich players should fetch quite a few gold coins.”

His gaze then fell upon the skill book.

This was the main event.

【Skill Book: Aura of the Dead】

【Grade: B-Rank】

【Effect: Passive skill. When active, all allied undead creatures within a 100-meter radius of the user have all attributes increased by 20%. No consumption.】

“An aura-type skill!”

Qin Ji's eyes lit up.

For a Summoner Mage, aura skills were practically god-tier. Moreover, this was an extremely rare undead-exclusive aura, something priceless on the market.

“However, B-Rank is still too low.”

With a thought, the Myriad Heavens Crucible on the System panel began to operate once more.

Although he didn't have any similar skill books to perform a Fusion, he still had several Soul Remnants dropped by previous bosses in his backpack.

【Detected 90% compatibility between "Aura of the Dead" and "Soul Remnants". Proceed with enhancement?】

“Enhance.”

The skill book in his hand was instantly wrapped in a cloud of gray mist, and several Soul crystals shattered and merged into it. A moment later, a bright golden light flared.

【Ding! Enhancement successful!】

【Obtained A-Rank Skill Book: Advanced Aura of the Dead.】

【Advanced Aura of the Dead (LV.1)】

【Effect: Passive skill. When active, all allied undead creatures within a 500-meter radius of the user have all attributes increased by 30%. Additionally, grants all undead creatures the "Corpse Poison" attack effect (attacks deal 50 points of true damage per second).】

“Now this is more like it.”

Qin Ji clicked to learn it directly.

Buzz—

A faint gray halo instantly spread out with him at the center, enveloping the nearby Black Warrior.

The already mighty Black Warrior's stature actually grew a few inches taller. The Death Qi on its armor became even denser, and the greatsword in its hand faintly glowed with a layer of sickly green toxic light.

A 30% increase to all attributes, plus true damage.

The current Black Warrior would have absolutely no problem soloing a boss of the same level.

Only after finishing all this did Qin Ji turn around and look at Shadow Killer, who was huddled in the corner.

Shadow Killer was completely numb by now.

He had watched with his own eyes as this man tanked a boss's ultimate move, countered with an instant kill, then looted the spoils like he was picking up trash in his own backyard, and finally enhanced a skill on a whim.

Are we really playing the same game?

“The quest is complete.”

Qin Ji pointed at the pile of ruins. “The Old Drunkard is dead. You can go back and report.”

Shadow Killer froze for a moment, then smiled bitterly. “Boss, I was just a spectator. This quest reward feels a bit too hot to handle...”

“Just take it.”

Qin Ji waved his hand dismissively. “That B-Rank skill book is useless to me, but it's just right for you. Besides...”

He paused, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. “When the Old Village Chief sees you return alive, his expression will surely be wonderful. Remember to tell him that the Old Drunkard died miserably, without even a whole corpse left.”

Shadow Killer's whole body shook as he instantly understood Qin Ji's meaning.

He wanted him to go back and continue being an undercover agent to spite the Old Village Chief!

“Understood!” Shadow Killer took a deep breath, his gaze becoming determined. “If you ever need any errands run in the future, contact me anytime.”

After saying that, he gave Qin Ji a deep look before his figure gradually faded, entering Stealth and disappearing into the night.

Qin Ji stood upon the ruins, the night wind blowing his Ghost Cloak behind him with a rustling sound.

He opened his personal panel, looking at the attribute values that had already broken through the roof and the pile of priceless loot in his backpack; his mood, however, remained exceptionally calm.

The plot of the Newbie Village had completely collapsed.

With the Old Drunkard's death, the balance between Blacksmith Wang and the Old Village Chief was broken. The Newbie Village would likely face a bloodbath next.

“However, the messier, the better.”

Qin Ji looked up toward the direction of the Village Chief's small courtyard. Those purple-gold pupils shone brightly in the darkness, like a primordial Vicious Beast that had just finished a full meal, coldly watching the even greater storm about to descend as his lips curled into a bloodthirsty smile.

“After all, only chaos is the best soil for harvesting attributes.”