Escape

Under the dim yellow light of the oil lamp, Li Shaolin felt a chill creep over him. Listening to the faint howl of the wind tearing through the air outside the window, his heart couldn't help but thump, thump, thump in his chest.

Fighting back the heavy drowsiness pressing down on his mind, he took out the Book of the Dead and summoned two Skeleton Warriors and a Clay Golem. Only then did he feel a bit of calm settle in. Fortunately, the summons were already in existence, so there was no need to recite the incantation again; otherwise, given his current state, he definitely wouldn't have been able to complete the summoning spell.

Watching the soulfire flicker in the eye sockets of the Skeleton Warriors, their Bone Blades already raised, standing silently by the door like two loyal guards, while the Clay Golem slowly circled around him, the overwhelming drowsiness suddenly surged forth uncontrollably. He dropped his head and fell asleep.

In a daze, he vaguely heard a man's pained cries, rising and falling, seeping into his ears and disturbing his rest. Beyond the half-closed door, there seemed to be a flicker of light. Li Shaolin felt an involuntary urge to open his eyes and see what was there, but no matter how hard he tried, it was futile. A wave of emptiness washed over him, and he couldn't help but let out a loud shout as he woke up!

Opening his eyes, he found himself still in the room. The lamp light was flickering, on the verge of dying out, casting a faint reflection on the wine barrel beside the table. With an inadvertent glance, he thought he saw a man's face flash across the barrel, twisted in pain!

Startled, he thought to himself, "This room is haunted!" He stood up and peered through the crack in the door: six children stood silently in the outer room, their faces pressed against the wall, as if they had discovered something unbelievable! And their positions unmistakably formed a pentagram pattern!

"It really looks like I've ended up in this haunted house! No way, I need to run!" Even though he had Bone Fang attack and three summons, he had no idea if he could deal with ghosts or spirits. Better to prioritize escape.

Turning his head, he saw a wooden lattice window on the adjacent wall. The handle was shaped like a pair of human eyes, seemingly staring right at him! He shuddered, not daring to think twice, walked over, grabbed the handle, and gave it a gentle push. With a creak, it swung open. The pitch-black night outside sent gusts of wind howling in, whipping against his face with a stinging pain.

He checked the height—about six or seven meters—and hesitated. After these few level-ups, he felt his physical condition had improved a lot, but jumping from six or seven meters, he wasn't sure if he'd break his legs. If he ended up crippled, that would be truly tragic.

As he deliberated, he noticed the Clay Golem wandering aimlessly nearby. After a moment's thought, he decided to let the thing test the jump. So, he mentally commanded the Golem to jump down. The Clay Golem propped its muddy arms on the table, hoisted itself up, and without any hesitation, plunged headfirst out the window!

"Can't even jump right, you idiot!" Li Shaolin grumbled in annoyance. That thing was truly brainless! But after a while, he didn't hear the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground. He quickly leaned out the window and saw the Golem had turned into a puddle of mud plastered on the ground.

"Damn, how did I forget that thing has the ability to soften mud?" Overjoyed, Li Shaolin quickly ordered the Clay Golem to stay in that position. He leaped down himself! The wind roared past his ears, cold air rushing into his nose, making it hard to breathe. His feet landed on something soft, like stepping onto a wad of cotton—sticky and yielding, without even a hint of impact.

He ordered the two Skeleton Warriors to jump down as well, letting the Golem catch them. Not daring to linger any longer, he picked a random direction, had the Skeleton Warriors clear the way, and fled in panic!

The deep night was pitch-black all around, but fortunately, the Skeleton Warriors led the way, hacking through thorny brambles and thickets with their Bone Blades, saving his clothes from being torn and him from looking like a beggar. Stumbling along uneven ground, he faintly heard the sound of flowing water. It seemed he had reached the edge of the lake.

Remembering that eerie fishing child, Li Shaolin shuddered. He thought to himself, probably just like those six children in the small attic, they weren't human at all! But with the lake water flowing, where would it lead? Maybe he should follow the lakeshore instead, to avoid running into wolves or spiders in the forest—getting hurt in the dark wouldn't be good.

Decision made, he commanded the Skeleton Warriors to march along the lakeshore. The rustling sound of the water came from the two skeletons wading through it, while the Clay Golem, seemingly afraid of water, kept its distance on the sandy shore, trailing behind.

Before he knew it, two or three hours had passed. The sky was beginning to lighten, and dawn didn't seem far off. Ah, what a miserable fate I've got—giving up being a mine boss to suffer this kind of crap! Li Shaolin grumbled in frustration. Just then, the lake water churned, and with a few "Mmm-uh" cries, several green-skinned, upright frog-like Murlocs charged toward them!

"Murlocs?" Before he could react, a wooden spear came flying straight at his chest!

He quickly stepped back, barely dodging it. The spear thudded into the sand beside him, burying itself halfway—a testament to its force!

"Think I'm a pushover, huh? Boys, get them!" With a wave of his hand, the two Skeleton Warriors charged forward, while the Clay Golem shuffled a few steps on the sand but refused to enter the water. Just then, several more wooden spears flew in fast!

"Thwip, thwip, thwip"—all three spears struck the Clay Golem's body! The Golem had been pulled over as a shield since it couldn't go into the water, and its special constitution softened its skin, catching all three spears.

"Heh, too bad these spears are junk, or I could pull a Zhuge Liang and borrow arrows with a boat." Li Shaolin chuckled foolishly. Seeing the two Skeleton Warriors already engaged with the Murlocs, he was about to help when a skill came to mind: Venomous Dagger. Couldn't he apply it to his summons? Time to try it out.

As the incantation began, two clouds of green gas condensed in the air and instantly adhered to the Skeleton Warriors' Bone Blades. The blades turned a murky green, with droplets of green light dripping down like liquid and dissipating into the air—eerily strange. After releasing the spell, Li Shaolin felt his mana pool empty, drained by half.

With the weapons poisoned, the Skeleton Warriors swung their Bone Blades, cutting into the Murlocs. The struck Murlocs turned green as the venom took hold. Li Shaolin quickly locked onto one Murloc with his magic and fired two Bone Fangs, which struck it like bullets, punching two small holes that oozed blood. The Murloc let out a series of "Mmm-uh" cries, abandoned the Skeleton Warriors, and charged at him, brandishing its thin blade!

As soon as it reached the shore, the Clay Golem clenched its fists and brought them together with a bang, smashing the frog-like head into pulp. Li Shaolin shamelessly cursed, "Trying to get me? You gotta get past my bro first."

The two Skeleton Warriors, dual blades in sync, cut down three Murlocs in a few exchanges. The remaining two seemed to sense trouble, let out a cry, and fled in opposite directions!

One barely made it a few steps before the green from its wound spread through its entire body. With a mournful cry, it collapsed, unable to run further. A Skeleton Warrior caught up and ended it with a single slash. The other, uninjured, scurried away and vanished from sight.

Li Shaolin recalled the Skeleton Warriors, but the Clay Golem couldn't collect the loot, and he himself was a land lubber who couldn't swim, so he had to let it go.

"Alright, let it live. Amitabha, hope it reforms and becomes a better person. Let's move on!" He put on a compassionate face, like an enlightened old monk.

This time, he stayed farther up the sandy shore, avoiding provoking the Murlocs in the water to prevent another fierce battle.

Rounding an Elwynn Ancient Tree, a small, glowing plant caught Li Shaolin's eye.

"Huh, strange—a glowing grass!" He circled it a few times without figuring it out, then suddenly remembered his Detection skill. He quickly used it on the plant, and a few small words appeared: Silverleaf Grass! "Damn, I'll learn alchemy later. No idea what these potions do." Without a spatial backpack, he had no way to carry it. He thought about studying how it differed from Earth plants but had to give up.

He continued on. Then, from behind, several Murloc cries rang out. He turned to see the one that had escaped leading a large group of Murlocs, charging with "Mmm-uh" shouts!

"Boys, retreat!" Li Shaolin decisively chose to flee. But the ancient trees along the river were massive, and he could faintly see Forest Wolves stirring in the early morning—it didn't look safe. Better to stick to the riverbank! So, with the two Skeleton Warriors in front, Li Shaolin in the middle, and the Clay Golem bringing up the rear, they ran.

Along the riverbank, there were scattered Murlocs—some foraging, some seemingly strolling. When they saw Li Shaolin's group, they all rushed over wildly. But the two Skeleton Warriors in front were no pushovers; a lone Murloc or two barely made a dent. With their Bone Blades rising and falling, they cut down the charging Murlocs, blood and flesh flying. And with the poison on their blades, even those not dead yet would soon meet their end.

As they sprinted, more scattered Murlocs blocked the way ahead, but all were cut down by the Skeleton Warriors.

He had no idea how long he'd been running. The morning sun had already risen. In his panic, Li Shaolin glanced back and saw that the pursuing Murlocs had long since turned back, leaving behind a trail of corpses—quite a sight! "Told you not to follow!" No sooner had he spoken than a Murloc was cut down in front of him, and a beam of white light descended—he had leveled up to 8!