After passing through one trap after another, the group found themselves facing a hall with a metallic sheen.
The doors stood open, as though welcoming them inside.
"You, and you, get in there!"
The bald man gave the order viciously, even shoving Chen Nian.
"All right, all right, I'll go."
Chen Nian raised his hands and reluctantly walked forward.
Qiu Ya had no choice but to follow him, but she lacked Chen Nian's fearless confidence. She shrank into herself, trembling all over.
When the two entered the hall, no boss appeared.
Seeing this, the bald man called his team over and entered the hall with them.
Rumble!
The doors slammed shut!
Not far ahead, the eyes of a mechanical stone giant lit up red. It was almost as tall as a building.
"The boss is waking up! Get ready to fight!"
The mechanical stone giant slowly raised its arm, countless layers of dust shaking off its body, like a demon god awakening from ancient times.
"Boss, looks like we can't get out unless we beat this boss..."
"Send them in first. We'll watch and see!"
Chen Nian and Qiu Ya once again became the vanguard against the boss.
As long as they tested out the boss's attack patterns, the others would have an easier time taking it down.
"Hurry! If you don't get moving, I'll detonate the Explosive Talismans on your backs right now!"
"All right, all right..."
Chen Nian stepped forward, looked at the boss before him, and tentatively raised his right hand.
Wind-Gathering Cannon!
Wind pressure gathered at a single point on his right index finger and blasted straight into the boss's lower leg.
A hole appeared. The effect was obvious!
But a moment later, the hole in the stone actually healed... leaving it good as new.
The instant combat began, everyone also saw the boss's level.
[Guardian Colossus, Tier 1, Level 80]
"Fuck, it's a level 80 boss, and its body can heal automatically! Everyone, be careful!"
"Keep your distance and find its weak point! This monster can't heal forever!"
But the stone giant had been enraged. It raised its greatsword and swept it toward them, the terrifying wind pressure almost enough to send someone flying!
The sword struck Chen Nian squarely.
The nearly ten-meter-long greatsword smashed Chen Nian away, sending him hurtling like a cannonball into the wall, where he lodged and went still.
"He even got hit by that? What a useless piece of trash!" the bald man snapped, beginning to draw talismans to attack the statue.
"Bro, you're dead just like that? Seriously? Weren't you so fierce when we were getting past the traps?"
Qiu Ya was dumbfounded.
At that moment, the world felt so lonely and helpless, so cold and merciless.
The only person who shared her plight had been smashed away just like that, his fate unknown.
And she was still being forced to fight the stone giant, or the bald man would blow her up. Either way, she would die...
Mommy, I don't want to die, sob sob sob QAQ...
While she was lost in thought, the stone giant's greatsword came crashing toward her, accompanied by another deafening boom.
Qiu Ya was blasted away, landing in exactly the same spot as Chen Nian.
"Huh?!"
Qiu Ya was baffled. That's weird. Why am I not hurt?
She hadn't felt herself being struck just now. Instead, something had pulled her over, creating the illusion that she had been knocked flying.
"Don't move. Play dead." Chen Nian winked.
"...You!"
Qiu Ya nearly jumped up in fright, her eyes bulging. What the fuck, did he just rise from the dead?
But she quickly caught on and lay on the ground with her eyes closed, playing dead.
"Bro, you're okay? How can you possibly be okay..."
"Keep quiet."
With Chen Nian's terrifying defense, could a mere level 80 boss hurt him? It didn't even count as a tickle!
The reason he had come over here to play dead was that he wanted to see the stone giant's weak point.
If its body could heal at high speed, it had to have some kind of core or mechanism. He couldn't be bothered to find it himself.
The worker and the boss had now switched roles.
Qiu Ya secretly gave him a thumbs-up, as though saying, "Bro, you're incredible..."
Meanwhile, the bald man's team was locked in a fierce battle with the stone giant.
"Those two useless pieces of trash didn't help at all!"
"Boss, how about trying its head? I feel like its weak point is inside its head!"
"All right!"
The group frantically attacked the statue's head, breaking off chunk after chunk until the entire head was shattered.
"Attacking the head doesn't work! Keep looking!"
"Boss, there seems to be a light in its chest. Let's try that!"
So they switched to attacking its chest. Unexpectedly, they finally guessed right this time.
After they stripped away the outer layer of stone, a crimson mechanical heart was revealed, pounding away!
The bald man roared, "We found its weak point! Smash its heart!"
"Everyone, attack the heart!"
The destructive power of supernatural abilities depended on the value of the "Supernatural" stat and the equipment's "bonus attack."
Clearly, there was no powerhouse with particularly high damage output among them. Attack after attack exploded against the statue's heart, but none could break through its defense.
"N-no good, Boss! Its defense is too high! Our attacks can't break through!"
"We're done... We're really going down this time..."
"If I'd known, I wouldn't have come in! This is a fucking trap! Fuck!"
Everyone was furious and frantic, and some were even so frightened that tears streamed down their faces. They knew they couldn't get out, and the only outcome was to be worn down to death here.
They might even be chopped into mincemeat by that terrifying greatsword. The thought alone chilled them to the bone, leaving them desperate and helpless.
Just as deep despair enveloped them, a leisurely voice suddenly came from behind.
"How about I give you a hand?"
Everyone whipped around!
Their gazes converged on Chen Nian, their eyes filled with disbelief.
"You... you're okay!"
"You took a direct hit from that greatsword, and you're actually okay!"
Chen Nian casually brushed the dust off his shoulder and strolled forward. Behind him, Qiu Ya, who was still playing dead, was dumbfounded.
Hey, what are you doing? Do you have a death wish? There's still a Burst Talisman on your back... she screamed inwardly.
"You think your attack power can beat this boss? Are you kidding me?!"
"I-its stone armor has recovered again! We're done... completely done!"
"Brother, if you can take care of this boss, we'll be brothers who've faced death together from now on!" the bald man said urgently.
Chen Nian smiled and raised his finger.
Invisible wind pressure gathered at his index finger.
At the sight, everyone felt the urge to call him a fucking idiot.
He wanted to defeat the stone giant and pierce its heart with that trash wind spell?
Dream on!
It probably couldn't even pierce the stone armor on its chest. What fucking use was it?!
Yet a hint of amusement crept into Chen Nian's smile.
The Calamity Gem's "Attack and Defense Reversal" activated-
[Defense -696, Attack +696] [Current attack: 826]
Bang! The Wind-Gathering Cannon fired.