12: Chapter 12 was very rewarding!

Rumble!

Lava poured down like a rainstorm, illuminating the entire cavern in a crimson glow.

Scorching air currents rolled and the air distorted; every splash of magma carried lethal temperatures.

However, because Lu Yin had sensed it early, the Mechanical Lava Behemoth's attack caused no harm to him or his Death Soldier.

Dark Moon Impact!

With a thought from Lu Yin, the Dark Moon Wolf King immediately counterattacked.

The remaining five Black-Striped Great Wolves, though low on health, launched a desperate assault.

Soldiers could be resurrected if lost anyway; as long as they could take down this Corrupted BOSS, any sacrifice was worth it.

After all, besides the massive experience points and loot, if he could convert this Mechanical Lava Behemoth into a Soldier of Death...

For Lu Yin, it would absolutely be a qualitative leap in power.

-7895! -3366!

...

Another wave of damage output reduced the Mechanical Lava Behemoth's health to below ten thousand.

Just one more round and it would surely fall before Lu Yin.

The Mechanical Lava Behemoth also seemed to enter its final phase.

"Safety limits disengaged, initiating Overload Mode!"

A blinding red light flashed from the Mechanical Lava Behemoth's body as it braced its legs.

Irresistible Force!

In the next second, its massive body tore through the air, producing a deafening sonic boom!

Its speed was so fast it streaked toward Lu Yin like a missile!

Lu Yin's pupils contracted sharply as the figure of the Mechanical Lava Behemoth rapidly enlarged in his vision.

He knew he couldn't dodge this strike, so he focused his mind and activated a Life Mark skill.

Sovereign-Subject Link!

This skill could transfer damage he received to his Death Soldier; it was truly a god-tier life-saving technique!

Boom!

The Mechanical Lava Behemoth, carrying destructive power, slammed violently into Lu Yin's body!

Instantly, a massive impact force surged through Lu Yin's entire body, as if he had been hit by a high-speed train!

-1335!

A terrifying number floated above Lu Yin's head!

However, this damage that should have killed Lu Yin instantly did not cause his health bar to decrease in the slightest.

Instead, not far away, the five Black-Striped Great Wolves let out a mournful wail and exploded into five clouds of black mist.

Bang!

Lu Yin hit the rock wall like a sandbag, a mouthful of blood spraying from his lips.

Although the damage was transferred, the pain could not be.

Lu Yin fell heavily to the ground, his chest heaving violently, every breath bringing a scorching ache.

He forced himself to stand up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and locked his gaze onto the Mechanical Lava Behemoth.

"Overload Mode finished, entering cooldown..."

The red light on the Mechanical Lava Behemoth's body rapidly dimmed, and its massive frame shook slightly; clearly, that last strike had exhausted its energy.

"Now!"

Lu Yin gritted his teeth and shouted.

Only the Dark Moon Wolf King remained among his Death Soldier, but the Dark Moon Wolf King also had a summoning skill.

Summon Wolf Soul!

The Dark Moon Wolf King howled at the sky as black light erupted from its body.

Five phantom wolf figures emerged from the black light, pouncing toward the immobile Mechanical Lava Behemoth.

-5892! -2764! -3125!

A series of damage numbers exploded above the Mechanical Lava Behemoth's head, instantly emptying its health bar.

The Mechanical Lava Behemoth's massive body vibrated violently; its crimson metal shell shattered inch by inch, and the internal gears and cables made ear-piercing snapping sounds.

With a final roar, it collapsed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of magma and dust.

[Ding! You have killed a Mechanical Lava Behemoth, experience points increased by 2000!]

[Ding! Your level has increased to Level 4!]

[Ding! Your level has increased to Level 5!]

[Learned Skill: Death Coil]

[Death Coil: Fires a bolt of death energy that deals magic damage equal to (Skill Level × Magic Attack + Spirit) to a target, or heals a Soldier of Death for the same amount. Cooldown: 6 seconds. Mana Cost: 100 points.]

[Death Space capacity increased, currently 1/5!]

[Ding! Obtained loot: Corrupted Mechanical Core, machine race beacon, lava earring!]

[Ding! Obtained Rare-grade soul of death ×1!]

"It's finally over..."

After the long string of notifications, Lu Yin let out a long sigh of relief, his tense nerves finally relaxing.

This battle had been Lu Yin's toughest one yet.

His Death Soldier were basically wiped out, leaving only the Dark Moon Wolf King.

But fortunately, the harvest was quite pleasing and well worth the effort.

After taking a few breaths to steady himself, Lu Yin stood up to check the loot.

[Corrupted Mechanical Core (Special Material)]

[Description: Contains the power of corrupted creatures. Can be used as research material to obtain information about the Mechanical Race.]

[machine race beacon (Quest Item)]

[Description: Seems to be linked to a Mechanical Race secret. Can be taken to a Mechanic to decode and obtain location coordinates.]

[lava earring (Accessory)]

[Equipment Quality: Gold-grade]

[Requirement: Lv5]

[Constitution +2, Spirit +20]

[Effect: Molten Heart: Reduces fire damage taken by 15%. Attacks have a chance to apply the 'Burn' effect.]

"The additional attributes are decent; they'll serve as a good transition for now."

Lu Yin nodded, then looked at the other two items.

The Corrupted Mechanical Core was cold to the touch, its surface covered in irregular mechanical patterns, and one could faintly feel the chaotic energy contained within.

The machine race beacon, on the other hand, was a small metal device that constantly emitted a weak pulse signal.

"The Mechanical Core is research material; handing it over to the state should yield a significant reward."

"As for the machine race beacon, it should be an item that triggers a hidden quest. Looks like I'll need to find a Mechanic when I have time..."

Lu Yin thought to himself.

Finally, his gaze fell upon the purple orb of light.

Taking a deep breath, he walked up to the Mechanical Lava Behemoth.

"Arise, for your Sovereign."

As Lu Yin's voice fell, the soul of death turned into streaks of light and merged into the Mechanical Lava Behemoth's body.

The originally crimson metal shell was rapidly stained pitch-black, and the damaged parts were repaired and reorganized at a visible rate.

Dark red patterns spread across the surface, as if injecting a brand new life into this steel body.

When it stood up again, its height was actually several meters taller than before.

The pitch-black metal shell gleamed coldly in the red light of the lava.

[Ding! Successfully resurrected Soldier of Death: Pitch-Black Lava Behemoth ×1!]

He couldn't wait to check the attributes of this steel beast.

[Pitch-Black Lava Behemoth (Hidden BOSS)]

[Level: 8]

[Strength: 350, Constitution: 4000]

[Agility: 300, Spirit: 0]

[Skills: Electromagnetic Shield, Lava Shards, Powerful Slam, Thermal Eruption, Desperate Charge]

"Not bad, it's time to head out."

An excited smile appeared on the corner of Lu Yin's mouth.

These attributes could only be described as outrageous!

Although this battle had nearly exhausted all his Death Soldier, the harvest was absolutely worth it.

With the Pitch-Black Lava Behemoth's attributes plus his own buffs, he could probably walk all over anyone below Level 9.

Meanwhile, in the outside world, a Public Security Team member suddenly shouted.

"Captain, the corruption rate is dropping!"

"9%, 80%..."

"7%, 60%... it's still continuing to drop!"

The Security Captain walked quickly to the monitor, his eyes fixed on the jumping numbers on the screen, his brow furrowed.

"This... how is this possible? The Corruption Core has been destroyed?"

He muttered to himself, his face full of disbelief.

"What? The Corrupted Dungeon has been cleared?!"

Qin Chuan was equally shocked, his gaze staring straight at the Dungeon entrance.