You're Surrounded!

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"

Four thousand nine hundred and fifty Bone Teeth let out a shrill whistle that set their teeth on edge.

The [Frost Lord], with barely a sliver of health remaining, didn't even get to unleash one final roar.

Its massive head was instantly flooded with countless "-1" forced-damage numbers.

The numbers piled up, forming a horrifying dark-red mass.

The [Frost Lord]'s enormous body suddenly stiffened.

The fury and savagery in its eyes froze in an instant, then it crashed to the ground.

Its hard, crystalline body shattered across the ground.

Several pieces of loot, each glowing with a different light, burst out.

Among them, a crystal-clear core stood out in particular.

[Ice Soul Core].

The quest item was finally in hand.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

On the battlefield, the five-person team led by the swordswoman Ling Xue

still held their defensive formation.

They stared at the unbelievable scene before them, dumbfounded, their minds completely blank.

They'd fought desperately, used every trump card they had, and finally managed to wear the boss down.

And then—

Right at the moment they were about to finish it off, someone stole the kill?

It was like a resounding slap, delivered hard across every one of their faces!

After a brief moment of shock came a surge of fury!

"Who?!"

"Who did that?!"

"Get out here, you bastard!"

The Shield Guard and assassin in the team cursed furiously, their eyes red with anger.

Ling Xue's face had turned ashen, her chest heaving violently.

The ice-blue longsword in her hand, wreathed in chill,

pointed toward the spot where [Bone Tooth] had been fired from. Her voice was icily cold.

"Who are you? Hiding in the shadows and stealing someone else's boss—isn't that despicable?"

Lin Mu slowly emerged from behind a massive Ice Rock.

His expression was calm.

He looked at the furious five and spoke casually.

"Don't get worked up. You're surrounded."

The entire team froze at his words.

They looked at one another, then instinctively glanced around.

Aside from the snow-covered ground and jagged glaciers, there wasn't another person in sight.

"Surrounded?"

"You're alone, kid. What the hell is wrong with your brain?"

The shield warrior laughed in a fury and raised his shield, about to charge over.

The others also figured the kid must be an idiot and couldn't be bothered to waste words on him.

They prepared to go straight over and collect the loot.

Lin Mu looked at them and gave a slight wave.

"Rumble—"

The earth shook violently!

Behind the surrounding Ice Hills and rocks, one, ten, fifty...

A full ninety Steel Skeletons, their bodies gleaming with cold metallic light, burst through the ice!

Ten Skeleton Archers carrying Steel Bows also silently appeared atop the Ice Hills.

Their Soul Fire flickered in their eye sockets as they fixed their gaze on the five below.

A massive, ominous army of the undead

instantly surrounded Ling Xue's team from the opposite direction!

The visual impact of that Steel Torrent, along with its suffocating pressure,

brought the five to an abrupt halt.

Every one of their pupils contracted sharply!

"Th-this is..."

"My god... so many... and such powerful skeletons?!"

They could clearly sense how strong these skeletons were.

They were nowhere near as weak as the summoned creatures of ordinary Necromancers, which fell apart at a single touch!

Ling Xue was even more shaken.

She stared fixedly at Lin Mu.

In an instant, she decided he must be some hidden old monster who had concealed his identity and was simply amusing himself in the game.

As for his level of LV.10?

He had to be using some special item or secret art to deliberately hide his true level!

For a moment,

the five didn't know whether to move or stay still. They were frozen in place.

Lin Mu ignored them.

He leisurely stepped forward and began picking up the boss's drops.

The quest item, [Ice Soul Core].

A purple Ice Armor with exceptional attributes.

A rare Ice Group Control Skill Book.

He picked up the final item.

It was a strange crystal stone called [Ice Heart Glaze], radiating a gentle glow.

His talent activated, and a detailed description appeared.

[Ice Heart Glaze]: Contains pure life energy and ice power. It can slightly alleviate most cold poisons and frost curses.

When Lin Mu picked up the [Ice Heart Glaze],

the anger and wariness on Ling Xue's face instantly gave way to an unmistakable mix of anxiety and pleading.

She actually put away her sword.

Dropping all pretense, she spoke with a slight tremble in her voice.

"Senior! Please wait!"

"That crystal... please, give me that crystal! We're willing to pay any price!"

Lin Mu stopped and turned around, watching her with interest.

"Give me a reason."

Under Lin Mu's calm gaze, Ling Xue gritted her teeth and told him the truth.

Her younger brother had been afflicted with a vicious curse called "Eternal Silence Ice Curse" by an evil organization known as the "Frost God Cult."

His life was in danger, and day and night he endured the agony of ice gnawing at his bones.

Only the [Ice Heart Glaze], which the [Frost Lord], the boss of the [Frost Plain],

dropped at an extremely low rate,

could serve as the main ingredient to temporarily suppress the curse.

It would buy them time to find a real way to break it.

So that was it.

Lin Mu's thoughts shifted.

He wasn't a saint, but the bond between the siblings touched him a little.

Besides, when it came down to it, he was indeed in the wrong for stealing their kill.

He could help her out.

He'd consider it an apology—and make a little extra on the side.

His gaze returned to the description of the [Ice Heart Glaze].

He focused on the words "slightly alleviate."

A bold plan quietly took shape in his mind.

A mysterious smile tugged at Lin Mu's lips as he looked at Ling Xue's pleading face.

"This [Ice Heart Glaze] isn't perfect. Even if I give it to you, it can only alleviate your brother's curse, not remove it completely."

"However..."

He paused.

"I might be able to purify it and make it more perfect."

What?!

Ling Xue and the others stared at him in disbelief.

An old monster who could summon an army of the undead could also purify treasures?

Wasn't that a little too... versatile?

Just as Ling Xue hesitated, unsure whether to believe him,

Lin Mu's perception, with its astonishing range of ninety-nine meters,

suddenly picked up several powerful auras rapidly approaching from afar.

They came with hostile intent, their target clearly set on this place.

Lin Mu's eyes narrowed as his thoughts stirred.

The massive skeleton army around them instantly turned into black mist and vanished into the air.

He looked at Ling Xue, who was watching him in alarm and uncertainty, and spoke:

"Looks like your trouble has arrived."

"Now, you might need my help even more."