Bloodthirsty Bat

The Skeleton Warrior only dropped one green piece of equipment.

Undead Slayer (Skeleton)

Quality: Fine

Type: Accessory

Effect: Deals 2 extra damage to skeleton-type undead.

Description: That's right, you're now an even more seasoned skeleton slayer. Give yourself a round of applause!

A slightly more refined piece of skull bone, now edged with brass, appeared in Xiao Yang's hand. He was, of course, familiar with the thing.

For most players, accessories like this were little more than mildly interesting toys. Their usefulness was too limited. But they were quite practical for Xiao Yang, who had no other way to level up for now and could only spend his time hacking apart all kinds of skeletons in the Skeleton Dungeon.

Little Bone rummaged around on the Skeleton Warrior's body and found a drop: a broken sword.

Rusted Broken Sword

Quality: Fine

Type: Weapon, Heavy Weapon

Damage: 12

Effect: Attacks have a chance to inflict bleeding.

Description: A rusty blade slices into bright-red flesh. Can you hear it? That's tetanus calling!

Perhaps because it was a boss, the Skeleton Warrior's drops were pretty decent. Xiao Yang had found two green pieces of equipment on it in total. There was nothing blue, but that wasn't surprising. After all, the skeletons, Skeleton Warriors, and even the Skeleton Warrior boss weren't especially powerful.

It was hard to expect good loot from them.

A door leading to the dungeon's second floor appeared in front of Xiao Yang. The simple ending had left him wanting more, and in situations like this, it was hard to resist trying something reckless.

Xiao Yang pulled out the Shovel of Freedom.

Of course, this was a bit of a death wish. But sometimes, a death wish was just the most efficient way to dig up all the resources on the map.

He brought the shovel down hard. The entire Skeleton Dungeon shook, and Xiao Yang heard a tremendous rumble.

Clearly, the Shovel of Freedom had unearthed something extraordinary. At the same time, notifications from God Game began popping up one after another.

The regional environment has changed. New enemies and monsters have been added. Players must explore to learn the details.

The Shovel of Yearning for Freedom in your inventory has found its epic path. Would you like to begin the equipment advancement quest?

Xiao Yang's face twitched at the change.

Looks like I stirred up something huge! Maybe I shouldn't have gotten so trigger-happy!

He raised the Shovel of Freedom in his hand and noticed that its description had changed.

Shovel of Yearning for Freedom

Quality: Excellent

Effect: Allows you to dig an additional time in each new environment.

Description: This is the key the prisoners used to open the door to freedom. Dig, dig, yearn, explore—whatever you do, swing that shovel a few more times! Swing it a few more times!

In the corridor outside the boss room, several red-eyed Giant Bats were already flapping their wings as they searched for suitable places to hang upside down. Xiao Yang used Probe Skill on them.

These Vampire Bats weren't particularly strong, but their Agility was exceptional.

And like the Prisoner Zombies, they had a trait called Bloodthirst Carrier.

They weren't powerful, but getting attacked by one could still be troublesome.

Unfortunately for them, they were up against Xiao Yang.

Their attacks were a little too weak. They couldn't even break through his defense.

As Xiao Yang stepped out of the boss room, a Bloodthirsty Bat attacked him, flapping toward him. Xiao Yang swung Justice's Condolence, but missed. The thing was far too nimble, as if it could predict his movements.

In an instant, the basketball-sized Vampire Bat pounced on Xiao Yang. Its bald, wrinkled head came right up to his face, grotesque and terrifying.

It opened its mouth, and its sharp fangs sprang out, sinking toward Xiao Yang's neck.

But they couldn't even break the skin. Xiao Yang hadn't maxed out his Defense, yet the Bloodthirsty Bat still couldn't penetrate it.

It had bypassed the areas covered by Xiao Yang's Leather Armor and targeted his exposed throat. In theory, it should have landed a critical hit—at least dealing a point or two of damage.

But Xiao Yang had the Tough Skin trait, and Damage Immunity was more valuable than he had expected.

A big red zero popped up. Since it hadn't broken the skin, the Bloodthirst disease couldn't infect Xiao Yang, either. The ugly bat's eyes lost their crimson glow, now filled with confusion.

Its attack was over, so it was Xiao Yang's turn. He grabbed the Giant Bat in one swift motion.

It had been hard to get a grip on it while it darted through the air. But now that it had flown right at him, it was easy to deal with.

He yanked the Bloodthirsty Bat off himself. It had irritated him. He'd only just begun enjoying the thrill of overpowering an enemy with superior stats, and now he'd run into a Bloodthirsty Bat that outclassed him in Agility. Once again, he was a step behind!

It was an awful feeling!

One strike with Justice's Condolence dealt 9 damage. After a second strike, the Giant Bat struggling in Xiao Yang's grasp fell still and settled into a peaceful sleep.

Unexpectedly, it dropped something.

Stab

Quality: Common

Type: Skill

Restrictions: Dagger, Baton, Longsword, Spear

Effect: Perform a piercing attack that ignores 2 points of the enemy's Defense.

Description: Take what you're holding and thrust it hard. Got it? Thrust what you're holding hard!

It was a skill, another white-quality skill. Its effect was ordinary, but it had no particular requirements, and Justice's Condolence was compatible with it. Xiao Yang learned it right away.

After such a simple fight, Xiao Yang wasn't satisfied. Even though he'd crushed the enemy, the Bloodthirsty Bat had still managed to get right up to him.

He couldn't stop taking potions, either. Tomorrow was the day of Myriad Realms Trading, so Xiao Yang planned to improve his Defense and Agility.

He could put Strength off for now. With the Blackrock Prison Guard Badge, he didn't need to worry about raising his damage just yet. His current damage was already far more than he needed.

But clearly, new challenges awaited him in the Skeleton Dungeon. That careless swing of the shovel had made the dungeon harder for him.

Still, it was no big deal. More monsters weren't necessarily a bad thing. At worst, he'd just have to put in a little more grind.

Just a little more! A little more grinding, and he'd be fine.