The Phantom Assassin named Sarah gave Cao Xing a slight bow, the two Shadow Blades in her hands gleaming with a chilling cold light.
Cao Xing nodded. "Welcome aboard, Sarah Blade Dance."
Sarah showed no reaction.
Liu Muxue also said softly, "Welcome, Sarah."
Hearing her voice, the aloof Phantom Assassin turned her gaze toward Liu Muxue and replied, "Thank you, beautiful lady. Sarah Blade Dance is at your service."
Cao Xing rolled his eyes beside them.
This Phantom Assassin was a little too aloof. She responded only to Liu Muxue and barely acknowledged him.
However, he had long grown accustomed to the cold reactions of newcomers when they had just been recruited. A barely noticeable smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
Then, Cao Xing checked the Phantom Assassin's attributes.
Phantom Assassin: Sarah Blade Dance Race: Dark Elf Level: 20 7613/100000 (Tier 2 Elite Creature) Health: 6713 (Equipment Bonus) Attack: 731–754 (Weapon Bonus) Armor: 134–151 (Equipment Bonus) Attributes: Strength 234, Agility 307, Spirit 227, Constitution 251 Skill: Hindering Dagger (Throws a dagger, dealing damage equal to 130% of Attack and reducing the enemy's Agility by 135 points. Cooldown: 180 seconds.) Phantom Veil (Blurs her figure and conceals her presence. While hidden, increases dodge chance by 30% and movement speed by 20%. Duration: 5 minutes. Cooldown: 8 minutes.) Coup de Grace (When attacking, has a 30% chance to deal 225% damage, a 15% chance to deal 315% damage, and a 5% chance to deal 432% damage.) Talent: Shadow Body (While hidden, additionally increases dodge chance by 15%.) Bond: Assassin (When there are at least 3 Assassins in the party, Coup de Grace activation chance increases by 5%. With at least 10, activation chance increases by 10%.) Satiety: 63 Loyalty: 59
Cao Xing's eyes filled with undisguised shock.
Clearly, this was a terrifying existence.
With nearly seven hundred attack power, a casual critical strike from one slash could rival a shot from Barrett.
If Coup de Grace triggered, that slash could directly slice off an enemy's skull.
Cao Xing exclaimed, "What kind of assassin is this? She's practically a berserker! One slash, one kill!"
However, although Sarah was already powerful now,
with Cao Xing's permanent talent buffs, she could still rise several more levels.
Cao Xing looked at Sarah with interest and said, "Sarah, I'm about to bestow blessings upon you. Are you willing to accept them?"
Sarah parted her lips slightly and asked in confusion, "Blessings?"
Cao Xing nodded. "Yes."
Sarah did not answer and seemed somewhat hesitant.
First, she did not trust this new lord. Second, she wondered what kind of powerful blessing someone as weak as him could possibly grant her.
After waiting for a moment, Sarah finally nodded lightly. "Very well. Please bestow your blessings upon me."
Then, without Cao Xing needing to say anything more,
Ilena cast Snakefolk Berserk and Scale Armor upon her.
Sarah's body trembled as she clearly felt the power of these effects.
Her thin lips parted, but before she could speak,
Cao Xing also cast Ice Healing Technique and Ice Armor Technique on her, along with Liu Muxue's Aurora Blessing.
After five permanent buffs were applied in succession,
Sarah froze in place.
Then, Cao Xing saw that even her shoulders were trembling slightly.
As an assassin who often carried out assassination missions, Sarah understood better than anyone how terrifying these permanent effects were!
Not only could they greatly increase her endurance, but they could also improve her ability to survive.
Ilena's Snakefolk Berserk in particular was a percentage-based buff.
Sarah could feel that her movement speed and attack speed had surged once more.
Heavy breathing came from beneath her helmet.
Then, she placed the Shadow Blades in her hands against her chest and respectfully bowed to Cao Xing.
"Thank you for your blessings, great Lord."
"Sarah Blade Dance is willing to offer you her loyalty!"
This bow came from Sarah's heart.
A system notification also sounded beside Cao Xing's ear.
You helped follower Sarah Blade Dance increase her strength. Loyalty has increased. Current Loyalty: 71
A smile appeared on Cao Xing's face.
Then, he looked toward the others in the territory.
"Then let's continue onward."
"Our target is the Moleman Mine!"
Assam and Andrew both responded.
"We shall follow the will of our lord."
Even the aloof Sarah said softly, "Shadow Sanctuary shall guide me onward."
Cao Xing nodded in satisfaction.
Then, he brought Liu Muxue along.
The five of them left the camp and headed into the boundless snowfield.
An hour later, they appeared amid the vast icy plains.
A long trail of footprints stretched across the snow behind them.
The weather forecast said it would snow tonight, and those footprints would soon be covered.
Cao Xing stopped walking.
They had arrived at the location marked on Assam's map.
It was a snow-covered mountain, and at its foot seemed to be a passage leading underground.
Assam spoke first. "My lord, that is the mine I discovered yesterday."
Cao Xing nodded and continued leading everyone forward.
As they approached, a system notification appeared before them.
Moleman Mine: Special Area (A large number of Molemen are active inside, along with certain special dangers. Please approach with caution.) Danger Level: Extremely Dangerous
Extremely dangerous again.
However, Cao Xing did not care.
Compared to when he had been at Hunter Camp, his strength had increased considerably.
Cao Xing waved his hand and said, "Let's go in."
Everyone understood and headed into the mine together.
Andrew, who had the highest defense, walked in front, while Assam entered second.
As for Sarah, the moment she entered the mine, she vanished into the darkness.
Cao Xing could not sense her presence at all.
But he knew Sarah was nearby.
Liu Muxue held up her shield and vigilantly watched their surroundings.
She knew that her task was to protect Cao Xing from harm.
When they stepped into the mine, a system notification appeared.
You have entered the Special Area: Moleman Mine. Current Temperature: -34°C
The temperature inside the mine was somewhat higher, gradually dispelling the chill from their bodies.
On the mine walls, Cao Xing spotted one or two torches burning with blue flames.
"Assam, help me take down these torches."
Assam obediently did as he was told.
Obtained Magic-Energy Stone Torch ×1 Magic-Energy Stone Torch: A low-energy lighting tool. One magic-energy stone can provide illumination for up to half a year. (Note: You may remove the magic-energy stone from the torch.)
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