Death and Resurrection

Zone 76 had already maximized the power of its mental Abjuration structures, with layers upon layers of invisible barriers composed of pure Divine Power, various Spells, and props covering the skies above each Safe Zone.

The Contamination wave from [Blood Moon Whispers ] collided with these professional Abjuration and was largely filtered and weakened. Only a very small portion leaked in, causing only mild palpitations, brief dizziness, or blurry nightmare fragments, making no difference in Zone 76 the average professional is nonetheless.

The Blood Moon writhed for a moment, then focused its attention on the level 6 and 7 monsters in the [Dangerous Terrain].

Inside the Tower, at the very top of the base, in a room that no one can find.

The boss battle has entered the middle stage. Even though Su Luo has stacked 80 armor points, a red number "-10" still floats above her head.

The damage from [Demon Doppelganger] reached 90 points.

Su Luo shifted her gaze and glanced at the Iron Guard beside her.

His condition was dire; his armor was almost completely cleaved open, revealing a "body" beneath that seemed to be composed of shadows and purple flames, constantly collapsing and reforming. A huge wound had almost split him in two, and black blood was Burn like it was free.

The boss guarding this first floor is on a completely different level compared to the previous "rooms." Its incredibly high health, its ability to self-buff as the rounds progress, and its terrifying damage—often tens of points, even capable of penetrating high block rates—turn this battle into a grueling war of attrition.

"The boss on this floor is so much harder than the ones in the previous rooms, it's like they're from a completely different game. How did you manage to beat them before?"

Iron Guard was panting when a card emerged from his deck, Burn, and transformed into a phantom that disappeared into his body.

He now relies entirely on constantly "Sacrifice" cards from Burn own deck to forcibly restore his status and slightly improve his Attributes.

Iron Guard's eyes grew increasingly vacant. "The guardians on this level... are on a completely different level of difficulty compared to the trials before... cough... perhaps it's because the 'Desolation Plague' you carry amplified the enemy's power... or perhaps, my 'journey' this time hasn't been long enough to accumulate enough experience..."

Each "Sacrifice" card means Burn away a portion of "memory." At this moment, the Iron Guard's speech has become mechanical, as if it has not yet developed any intelligence.

Su Luo didn't answer the Iron Guard was practically drooling as he spoke; his turn had already begun.

Quickly review your hand: [Energy Defense], [Zero Protocol], [Subconscious Reasoning], [Elemental Collapse], [Strike]. Your elemental buffs are displayed as Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire.

"Strengthen defenses first."

Su Luo plays [Energy Defense], consuming 1 energy and gaining 6 block points. She also gains an additional 4 block points for each card she plays this turn.

At the same time, he communicated with the [Source Essence Circulator], consuming 3 points of Source Essence and converting them into 6 points of temporary energy.

"Eliminate the threat."

Target Lock-On [Demon Doppelganger]. Su Luo casts [Zero Protocol], consuming 4 energy.

The card transformed into an invisible ripple of rules that swept across the Demon Doppelganger, forcibly stripping away the [Barricade], [Metallicize], [Regeneration], and [Strength Increase] buffs stacked on it, and clearing away any block value it might have.

In response, four points of Source Essence flowed into Su Luo's reserves. The threat level of the Demon Doppelganger instantly dropped by one level.

"Strengthen yourself."

[Subconscious Reasoning] Consumes 1 energy to unleash, triggering a random effect -- Strength +2.

Then came the [Elemental Collapse] spell, which doubled the damage for each elemental state, and combined with the accumulated power Attribute, directly took away more than 300 HP from the [Demon Doppelganger].

Su Luo completed all of this in an instant, added another [Strike], ended her turn, and looked at the Iron Guard.

Iron Guard seemed to have no intention of defending at all. He played the few remaining cards in his hand, and a heavy, illusory blade of light slashed down, taking away more than 300 Health Points from the Demon Doppelganger.

His fighting style became increasingly Berserk and reckless.

[Demon Doppelganger] Remaining Health Points: [1032/3200].

It was the Demon Doppelganger's turn. Seemingly enraged by the successive heavy blows, it roared, first stacking several more layers of buffs on itself, and then its Burn greatsword once again slashed down with destructive force.

This time, despite Su Luo reducing the opponent's strength buffs, the two still each took more than eighty points of mixed damage.

The Demon Doppelganger's damage is still so low, it's all thanks to Su Luo using [Zero Protocol] from time to time to clear its power buffs.

Iron Guard's body was almost cleaved apart by the slash, the purple flames flickering violently. He didn't hesitate to Burn another card to restore his form, but his eyes were even dimmer. Su Luo was used to this.

The next round begins.

Su Luo was planning her card-playing order as usual when she suddenly noticed that Iron Guard's movements had frozen.

The illusory card images in his hand only showed... four cards?

He draws five cards each round, and now he has only drawn four cards, meaning he has only four cards left in his draw pile and discard pile combined.

"No..." Iron Guard's voice was filled with confusion. He looked down at his hand, "My cards... are all burned? What am I supposed to play now that my cards are burned?"

Su Luo shrugged and played the cards she was supposed to play.

Three rounds later, Iron Guard died under the Demon Doppelganger's greatsword, and Su Luo couldn't save him either.

"It's alright. Although I can't see the monster's intentions now that the Iron Guard is dead, I can still farm Source Essence by soloing the tower."

The reversal of Source Essence is the conversion of twenty points of Health Points into one Source Essence, or three points of energy into one Source Essence.

Find a weak monster; as long as its armor value is high enough, you can keep farming Source Essence by relying on the four energy points given each turn, the four random Health Points from [Subconscious Reasoning], and [Zero Protocol].

I didn't farm before because I was duo-queuing with Iron Guard, and Iron Guard is easy to whittle down.

After Iron Guard's death, and through two rounds of precise maneuvering and resource management, Su Luo seized the Perfect opportunity when the Demon Doppelganger's buffs had not yet fully stacked up and her own hand was full.

A dazzling burst of elemental Annihilation light erupted within the Demon Doppelganger, and combined with the subsequent [Fireball] spell, it wiped out its last bit of Health Points.

The Demon Doppelganger twitched a few times and died like a wild dog that had eaten chocolate that tasted like excrement, much like the way the Iron Guard had died earlier.

Su Luo stopped, processed the information in the area, and then went forward to pick up the fallen gold coins and high-quality White Cards.

At the same time, at the far end of the room, the heavy metal door slid silently inward, revealing a staircase extending upwards and bathed in soft golden light.

At the entrance, a significantly more luxurious treasure chest, inlaid with gold patterns and enveloped in a faint purple aura, Jingjing awaits its opener.

Level 1, cleared.

Just then, she heard a noise behind her. Su Luo turned around and saw the unharmed Iron Guard.