Huh?!

With a crisp sound, the Stab skill, which Xiao Yang had considered a weakling's move, actually proved surprisingly effective.

Justice's Condolence in Xiao Yang's hand plunged fiercely into the back of the Skeleton Knight's head. It struck the helmet, mottled with rust. The Stab dealt damage that bypassed two points of Defense, then Elite Slayer, then Undead Slayer (Skeleton). A number popped up: nine damage.

This damage wasn't high, but the level difference between them was immense. Xiao Yang had been leveling up by fighting monsters above his own level, and now, at level eight, he was facing a level twenty enemy.

His movements didn't falter in the slightest. His superior Agility granted him a higher attack speed. One strike, two strikes, three strikes. He gripped Justice's Condolence in reverse like a dagger and thrust it out. Xiao Yang's current attack pattern resembled that of a mantis, constantly jabbing.

The God Game wasn't entirely like a game; skills there didn't have strict cooldowns. As long as you could pay the price and bear the consequences, any skill could be used like a basic attack.

The continuous jabs caused an ear-piercing creak at the Skeleton Knight's neck. Xiao Yang's actions alerted other monsters in the dimly lit corridor – Bloodthirsty Bats. These creatures were like cockroaches in the dungeon, lurking in the darkness, their presence felt everywhere.

With sharp shrieks, large black bats flapped their wings and charged from the darkness, heading straight for Xiao Yang's face. Xiao Yang ignored the incoming Bloodthirsty Bat, but the timing of the damn bat's attack was just too perfect.

His vision obscured, the Skeleton Knight reacted at this moment. Its body, encased in heavy armor, turned. With a powerful, sweeping blow, its chain hammer slammed into Xiao Yang's chest. The heavy impact forced Xiao Yang to stumble back several steps until his body slammed against the cold, damp wall.

The Skeleton Knight turned around, its ethereal blue Soul Flame flickering. The Bloodthirsty Bat that had attacked Xiao Yang disrupted his rhythm. The Skeleton Knight didn't press its advantage; instead, it began summoning its retainers.

Not far away, the Skeleton Warriors in the plaza were disturbed by the commotion. Beside the Skeleton Knight, a grayish-white magic circle slowly materialized, and several Skeleton Warriors began to crawl out of it.

Xiao Yang grabbed the Bloodthirsty Bat that was flailing wildly on his face. He squeezed hard, and amidst the popping of red numbers, the Bloodthirsty Bat struggled and then went still. Empty hands could indeed deal damage, but the damage was incredibly low.

The damage conversion from bare hands was roughly a quarter of Strength. This conversion rate was far too low. Without specialized skills or targeted buffs, it was best not to choose to fight unarmed lightly.

The Skeleton Knight quickly rallied four Skeleton Warriors. Fortunately, it was alone now. If it had been allowed to mingle with that small Skeleton Army, its threat level would have at least doubled, given its ability to command Skeletons and summon Skeleton Warriors.

That single sweep had dealt far more damage to Xiao Yang than the Skeleton Knight's displayed stats suggested.

The situation Xiao Yang least wanted to face had occurred. The stronger the enemy, the more the displayed stats became mere references. Powerful enemies wouldn't foolishly stand there and trade numbers with you; they also possessed various skills, traits, and equipment.

After summoning its retainers, the Skeleton Knight, with its heavy, lumbering steps, charged forward with the four Skeleton Warriors by its side. The four Skeleton subordinates summoned by this Skeleton Knight weren't of a single type: one Skeleton Archer, two Skeleton Swordsmen, and one Skeleton Lancer.

The two Skeleton Swordsmen charged directly at Xiao Yang, leading the way. Indeed, these fellows, clad in ragged leather armor and wielding only long swords, were the fastest among the Skeleton Warriors.

Exhaling, Xiao Yang forcefully flung the corpse of the Bloodthirsty Bat aside. He had no intention of bothering with these common grunts. His extremely high attributes gave him considerable confidence. The slashes from the Skeleton Swordsmen couldn't even penetrate his defense; all zeros popped up. In this situation, coupled with Xiao Yang's two hundred Health, he seemed more like a true boss than the Skeleton Knight.

The series of attacks had cost the Skeleton Knight a quarter of its Health. Xiao Yang's club swung rapidly. Of course, he wasn't made of iron. The Skeleton Warrior wielding a spear thrust fiercely at him, dealing five points of damage.

Xiao Yang shot a fierce glare at the Spear Skeleton. Clearly, this type of Skeleton Warrior possessed armor-piercing capabilities and should be prioritized in the future. Xiao Yang once again charged at the Skeleton Knight. The Skeleton Knight's martial arts skills were clearly far superior to Xiao Yang's.

After all, it was a monster possessing knightly instincts. When Xiao Yang deliberately engaged in close-quarters combat, it even elbowed him. And surprisingly, this was a skill! Xiao Yang was hard-pressed and staggered. At this moment, the Skeleton Warriors immediately swarmed him, trying to pin him down.

If Xiao Yang hadn't grabbed a Skeleton Swordsman and rolled to the ground with it, creating a gap in their pincer movement, he might truly have been subdued by these Skeleton Warriors.

This was the first time Xiao Yang had encountered such a situation. As expected, enemies with intelligence were the most troublesome.

It had to be said, this was Xiao Yang's most difficult battle in the Skeleton Dungeon so far, even more challenging than the one against the Dungeon Guardian. It forced him to focus all his attention, as if facing a formidable enemy.

But there was no need to be so cautious. As long as he didn't get completely surrounded by those Skeleton Warriors and treated like a world boss being farmed, Xiao Yang would hardly be in any danger. Even though the Skeleton Knight and its subordinates were employing various martial arts, relentlessly attacking Xiao Yang, his Health had only dropped by a quarter.

No, not even a quarter. He had recovered one point just now.

The ethereal blue Soul Flame flickered. The Skeleton Knight unleashed another wide, sweeping attack, pushing back the opponent clad in light leather armor. The Skeleton Warriors beside him surged forward as one, but they couldn't prevent him from approaching again. He squeezed in once more, howling and swinging his short, thick black club at him.

At this moment, inexplicably, a flicker of hesitation appeared in the Skeleton Knight. As soon as this hesitation surfaced, a surprised exclamation rang out.

"Huh?!"