Second Level of the Skeleton Dungeon

All preparations were complete. Xiao Yang pushed open the door leading to the second level of the dungeon, revealing a dark passage stretching further into the depths.

He raised the Dark Dispelling Lantern high and took a step. Even though Xiao Yang had pushed his stats to a level that could be considered exaggerated for his current stage, he couldn't help but feel a faint, almost imperceptible fear in the face of such profound darkness.

This was an unavoidable, primal fear—the fear of the dark.

A dim light appeared in the distance; he was nearing the next dungeon level. Xiao Yang quickened his pace, pushing open the rusty iron gate at the end of the corridor. Suddenly, with a dull thud, a Stone Puppet swung its weapon at him.

In such a perilous situation, Xiao Yang instinctively rolled. His high Agility allowed him to react successfully to the surprise attack.

The attacker was a Stone Puppet clinging to the wall, carved to resemble a small demon. It wasn't a monster but a triggered trap. Xiao Yang's Probe Skill yielded no feedback when used on it.

He had barely arrived on the second level, and the Skeleton Dungeon had already given him a harsh welcome!

And this was far from over. The rusty iron gate behind him creaked shut. Clearly, he couldn't leave until he cleared this level.

Dungeon Delver activated, and three blue Equipment items appeared before Xiao Yang. However, he likely didn't have time to choose his rewards just yet. Several crimson eyes suddenly opened in the darkness—Vampire Bats. Immediately following was a piercing shriek, indicating a coordinated effect between the Vampire Bats and the dungeon's original monsters.

They flapped wildly, charging at Xiao Yang as the first wave. Then, pairs of cold white flames ignited, and with a crunching sound, Skeleton Warriors and Skeleton Warriors slowly rose from the ground.

Xiao Yang's gaze swept across the area, spotting at least twenty to thirty faint white Soul Flames. And it wasn't the end; more Soul Flames were continuously lighting up from the darkness.

Something's wrong! This situation is very wrong!

Xiao Yang tightly gripped Justice's Condolence in his hand. Now, faced with this situation, two choices lay before him: one, relying on his superior stats, shout "Dungeon King will never be a slave!" and initiate a boss fight against dozens of enemies—though he would be the boss being ganged up on.

The second option was to retreat and avoid the immediate danger.

So, the question arises: what was Xiao Yang's choice?

The answer, of course, was the second. Arriving on the unfamiliar second level of the Skeleton Dungeon, only a fool would start a full-blown battle without understanding the situation first!

Run! Run fast!

Without hesitation, Xiao Yang, holding Justice's Condolence, sprinted into the passage to his right. As soon as he exited the dark passage and entered the second level of the Skeleton Dungeon, three paths appeared before him: two passages to the left and right, and a small, open plaza directly ahead.

All the monsters in the small plaza ahead had been agitated by the bloodthirsty bats. In this situation, heading straight ahead was out of the question. That left the passages to the left and right.

Of the two passages, Xiao Yang unhesitatingly chose to sprint to the right. He didn't even have time to glance at the right-hand passage before making his decision. He had spotted a soft white glow in the right-hand passage, and in this dungeon, only one type of place typically emitted such a gentle white light.

A Safe House!

Behind him, amidst the chaotic sounds, a swarm of Skeletons began to pursue Xiao Yang. These pursuing Skeletons were far more professional than their counterparts on the first level, like a complete Skeleton Army—no, they were a complete, albeit small, Skeleton Army!

There were no ordinary Skeletons mixed in; almost all of them were Skeleton Warriors clad in tattered armor and wielding weapons. The first to rise were the Skeleton Warriors with long swords, and it was these guys who were now nipping at Xiao Yang's heels. As they ran, their bones clattered constantly, and they wildly swung their long swords.

It wasn't just the long-sword-wielding Skeleton Warriors; there were also some wielding spears, some with shields, and even Skeleton Archers and Skeleton Crossbowmen.

A dense volley of arrows whistled past Xiao Yang, missing most of their targets and hitting the Skeleton Warriors with long swords. However, a few arrows struck Xiao Yang. These arrows could penetrate his Defense, but because his Defense was stacked, most of them only dealt minimal damage even after breaking through.

The reason Xiao Yang knew this was because he kept seeing "Damage Exempt" pop up in his vision. Of course, some arrows dealt slightly more damage, occasionally showing "Damage -1" and "Damage -2" on Xiao Yang, accompanied by green numbers.

The Health recovery Xiao Yang had gained from being turned pink by the Unstable Life Entangler last time was also taking effect.

The scene was chaotic at the moment. This Skeleton Army posed little threat to Xiao Yang for now, but he dared not look back or stop, as more and more Skeleton Warriors and Skeleton Archers were continuously rising from the ground.

Suddenly, with a rapid buzzing sound, a thicker, shorter metal arrow flew from afar, striking Xiao Yang just as he was about to enter the corridor. A conspicuous "5" damage popped up.

Clearly, another new type of Skeleton had risen: Skeleton Crossbowmen, kneeling with crossbows in hand. This added a bit of tension for Xiao Yang. He was very close to the corridor now. Without further hesitation, as he approached, Xiao Yang lunged and dashed into the side passage.

Once inside the passage, Xiao Yang's figure disappeared from the sight of the Skeleton Archers and Crossbowmen, finally escaping their ranged attacks for the moment.

With a clumsy roll, Xiao Yang got back on his feet. As he did, arrows continued to fall from his back. In that short distance, he had almost been turned into a pincushion.

Fortunately, fortunately, he hadn't foolishly relied on his stats for a fearless head-on confrontation with them. If he had been surrounded, he definitely wouldn't have come out unscathed, perhaps being peppered with arrows by the Skeleton Crossbowmen and Archers and dying in regret due to his arrogance.

It was better to be cautious! It was better to be cautious!

Having completed a tense parkour session, Xiao Yang reflected this. However, he hadn't completely escaped combat yet. As he got up, the fastest-moving Skeleton Warriors with long swords had already caught up to him—three of them in total.

With clattering sounds, he was surrounded by these Skeleton Warriors.