Blood Sacrifice

Countless skeletons hung upside down from the ceiling of the great hall.

Every yellow pillar, cast from raw iron, remained stained with patches of blood.

A thick, bloody stench permeated the surroundings, and under the eerie blue light, the great hall appeared truly sinister.

At the very end of the hall stood a gate.

In front of the gate stood a skeletal figure three meters tall.

It was precisely this skeletal figure that drew gasps of shock from the countless spectators outside.

The skeletal figure's hands hung at its sides, and it wore a mottled bronze helmet. Below that, a massive cloak completely obscured its lower body.

Stuck into the ground beside it was a giant stinger from a Sewage Poison Crab.

Under the eerie blue light, the stinger shimmered with a chilling hue.

When Ling Zhan stepped into the cavern, the seemingly lifeless skeletal figure suddenly shuddered.

The pitch-black hollows of its eye sockets suddenly flashed with a scarlet light.

The massive figure jolted, causing countless dust and sand particles to tumble from its cloak.

As the figure stood up to its full height...

Its lower body was revealed to be the eight legs of a Sewage Poison Crab, shimmering with a dark, eerie color.

Its height surged from three meters to five meters.

ROAR!!

It gripped the giant crab stinger in its right hand, opened its massive maw toward Ling Zhan, and let out a furious roar.

The entire cavern trembled slightly from the force of that roar.

So, this elite monster was actually a massive half-human, half-crab hybrid.

Oh?

Ling Zhan saw the elite monster awaken, his sword-like brows arching slightly as he displayed a deep sense of interest.

Judging by the environment of this cavern, countless students had met their downfall here.

The human skulls hanging from the ceiling were proof enough of that.

It seemed this was an exceptionally powerful elite monster.

King Yama Zhou certainly lived up to his reputation; the difficulty of the stages he designed never disappointed.

The basic information of this elite monster unfolded in an information panel before his eyes.

[Monster: General Kevil.]
[Level: 15.]
[Skills: ???]
[HP: 2000/2000.]
[Defense: 800/800.]
[Status: Bloodthirsty, Belligerent.]
[Potential: Purple.]
[Monster Note: In life, he was a general who fought for a small kingdom. He was killed by a Sewage Poison Crab, then mutated and gained a new life as a half-human, half-crab monster. He now serves the Sewage Poison Crab Elite.]

A purple-tier monster!

Looking at the stats alone, rushing into battle would indeed increase the difficulty.

However, Ling Zhan didn't think much of it.

Because... he intended to end this fight quickly.

CLANG!

A pitch-black greatsword appeared directly in Ling Zhan's hand.

The tip of the greatsword slammed into the ground, carving a crater into the floor.

It was clear that the weight of this greatsword alone was quite exaggerated.

As the greatsword appeared in Ling Zhan's hand:

[Berserk] activated!

[Bloodthirst] activated!

[Spirit's Blessing] activated!

[Boiling Battle Intent] activated!

Ling Zhan's aura suddenly retracted.

Then, it erupted outward!

BOOM!

He, who had been as still as an ancient well, now radiated an incredibly brutal aura.

Even more exaggerated was the blood-red aura beginning to swirl around his body.

At this moment, Ling Zhan's temperament was like that of a mad demon.

Yet, his eyes remained calm and confident.

Multiple debuffs stacked!

Unprecedented.

At the same time, Ling Zhan's aura reached its peak. Several buff effects amplified his Berserker attributes, and his battle intent stacked.

Battle intent, 7 stacks!

Battle intent, 10 stacks!

Battle intent, 20 stacks!

Battle intent, 30 stacks!

As his battle intent reached its peak, Ling Zhan's muscles bulged, his HP began to burn, and his mana was consumed violently.

For the first time, Ling Zhan's bottomless pool of mana was being drained so fiercely.

Almost 13% of his mana was consumed every second.

"Thirty seconds to decide the outcome!"

"After thirty seconds, either you die, or I do!"

A smile curled at the corner of Ling Zhan's mouth.

But this smile was not one of madness; it was a smile of absolute, extreme confidence.

In other words, Ling Zhan had never once considered the possibility of being slain by General Kevil.

He was destined to be the victor of this battle.

Outside.

When the fragments of the light screen merged back together, reflecting that lean, tall figure, all the spectators' expressions turned excited.

Because the number one ranked student in the city would likely be born in the next few moments.

Naturally, they were thrilled.

"General Kevil! Holy crap! It's said this monster has killed over five hundred students!"

"Half-human, half-crab! It's disgusting, ugh!"

"It's roughly five meters tall, like a small mountain. The pressure is immense!"

When the underclassmen saw the full appearance of General Kevil, they were all filled with fear.

The bloodstains in the hall, the human skulls hanging from the ceiling, the eerie blue light... and that ferocious, brutal General Kevil!

Combined, these factors were enough to make those with weaker mental fortitude feel like fainting.

"A greatsword! Senior Ling Zhan actually brought out a greatsword!"

"Isn't that a Berserker's weapon?"

"Although Berserkers have high attack power, their skills require sacrificing their own attributes to be unleashed!"

"Heh! To deal with an elite monster like this, one should be more cautious. Ling Zhan is using a Berserker's combat style right from the start; he's practically asking for death!"

Many failed candidates who had been eliminated from the stages couldn't help but shake their heads and sneer when they saw Ling Zhan's actions.

Among these failed candidates, some had even chosen to quit the moment they entered the elite monster's stage.

Because one look at the monster's HP and defense told them they couldn't possibly win.

Yet this Jobless Freelancer had chosen the most insane playstyle right from the start... Heh! Seeking his own destruction!

"Whoa! The kid stacked 30 layers of battle intent; that's practically the peak!"

Suddenly, a failed candidate exclaimed.

The surrounding spectators heard this and focused their attention, realizing that the figure on the light screen was indeed swirled with the blood-red aura of battle intent.

The blood-red aura was like a tornado, completely engulfing Ling Zhan and making him look like a slaughtering demon.

"A sacrificial playstyle. Multiple buffs can only last for 30 seconds at most. After that, his mana will be drained, his HP will be sucked dry, and all his attributes will drop significantly. Using it right from the start, the senior really isn't afraid of death!"

"Why would Senior Ling Zhan do something so stupid?"

The underclassmen looked at each other in shock.

According to what they had learned, the Berserker class actually held a very delicate position.

Although this class could unleash extremely high combat power in a short time, it would also quickly fall into a state of exhaustion.