16, 17
At this moment, the floating platform was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The proctors stared at the screen, their expressions shifting from tense to blank.
"The fifteenth wave... is over." The middle-aged teacher said with difficulty, "And look at his battle process. Little Drill Wind and White Bone Spirit didn't suffer any real damage throughout. Although the BOSS's skill set and coordination were close to hell level, they fought it with ease."
"Not composure."
The old man slowly shook his head. "It's a habit. Observe the actions of Little Drill Wind and White Bone Spirit. Facing the shield wall of the Golden Armor Imperial Guards, the curses of the Blood Curse Shaman, and the sneak attacks of the Shadow Fang Assassins, they hardly panicked once. Their way of dealing with things is as if they have fought many similar battles before."
"Could it be that he's run a hellish dungeon before?" someone whispered.
"Possibly," Elder Xiu said, standing with his hands behind his back, his gaze deep. "And more than once."
The group exchanged bewildered glances. A student who had only been awakened for eight days had already conquered hell-level dungeons, and more than once.
If this were said aloud, probably no one would believe it. But the images on the screen don't lie.
A moment of silence fell over everyone.
"What about the sixteenth wave?" someone asked. "Will he be able to get through?"
"It's hard to say."
The middle-aged teacher pondered, "The fifteenth wave is already very close to a level 15 Hell-level Nest BOSS. In the sixteenth wave, according to the rules of the secret realm, although the BOSS level will still be level 20, its overall strength will continue to increase. The coordination will be more meticulous, and the mechanics will be more complex. Whether he can pass depends on the sustained combat ability of his cards under high pressure."
"I think he can," another teacher said. "He just finished the fifteenth wave, both of his cards are in good condition, and his core cards aren't damaged. If the difficulty of the sixteenth wave isn't too drastic, he should be able to pass it."
"Not necessarily." Some shook their heads. "The gap between the fifteenth and sixteenth waves is often a major hurdle. Many candidates who pass the fifteenth wave get stuck on the sixteenth. The boss's intelligence and teamwork will reach a new level."
The crowd began to discuss amongst themselves, their gazes returning to the light screen.
In Su Mu's Dungeon Space, the sixteenth wave of rifts has begun to open.
This time, the demonic energy surging from the cracks was even denser than in the fifteenth wave.
Five figures emerged side by side, each taller and more refined than the boss of the fifteenth wave. Their bone armor was engraved with more complex runes, and the weapons in their hands gleamed with a cold, dark light.
Su Mu unleashed his Appraisal once again.
[Name: Royal Guard - Iron Wall]
[Rank: SS]
[Level: 20]
[Life: 220000]
[Attack: 7200]
[Defense: 11500]
[Agility: 700]
[Combat Value: 285000]
[Name: Royal Guard - Bone Corrosion]
[Rank: SS]
[Level: 20]
[Life: 110000]
[Attack: 8600]
[Defense: 5200]
[Agility: 1700]
[Combat Value: 262000]
[Name: Royal Guard - Cloud Piercer]
[Rank: SS]
[Level: 20]
[Life: 120000]
[Attack: 10200]
[Defense: 5600]
[Agility: 1100]
[Combat Value: 298000]
[Name: Royal Guard - Silent]
[Rank: SS]
[Level: 20]
[Life: 100,000]
[Attack: 11200]
[Defense: 4500]
[Agility: 3200]
[Combat Value: 321000]
[Name: Royal Guard - Judgment]
[Rank: SSS]
[Level: 20]
[Life: 180,000]
[Attack: 12800]
[Defense: 7600]
[Agility: 2200]
[Combat Value: 412000]
After the five bosses took their positions, the one in the middle raised its head, its gaze sweeping over Little Drill Wind and White Bone Spirit before finally landing on Su Mu high in the sky. Its voice was even colder than that of the Crimson Crown Commander, carrying an unquestionable sense of judgment.
"Only one candidate every three years has ever made it to this stage."
It paused, and a dark golden halberd slowly materialized in its hand.
You deserve to be remembered.
Su Mu narrowed his eyes slightly.
The intensity of the sixteenth wave was indeed a step up from the fifteenth wave.
All five bosses have a combat value of over 250,000, with the Judgment boss exceeding 400,000. Moreover, their coordination is more meticulous, with almost no gaps in their positioning, auras, and skill combos.
The battle begins.
Iron Wall in front, Bone-Eating behind, Cloud Piercing for ranged suppression, Silent Stealth moving about, Judgment directing from the center. The coordination of the five BOSSes was even smoother than in the fifteenth wave, with almost no unnecessary movements.
The Iron Wall shield can reflect part of the fire curtain, the Bone-Corroding Curse can slow down the speed of the Little Drill Wind, the Cloud-Piercing Stone Spear has a tracking effect, and silent ambushes are more frequent.
Little Drill Wind and White Bone Spirit managed to stabilize the situation.
But this time, they did cause some trouble.
The Little Drill Wind was hit twice by the bone-corroding curse, which slowed it down. The silent one took the opportunity to leave a shallow wound on its back.
The White Bone Spirit's fire curtain was reflected by the Iron Wall's shield wall, instead burning the area where she was located, forcing her to retreat and readjust her position.
However, thanks to their combat skills and proficiency far surpassing those of these bosses, Little Drill Wind and White Bone Spirit gradually gained control of the game.
Instead of charging headlong into the iron wall, the Little Drill Wind bypassed it and cut in from the flank to corrode the bone. The White Bone Spirit tightened her fire curtain and used her bone whip to precisely strike Chuan Yun.
Although Silent attacks frequently, Little Drill Wind predicts the general direction of each attack, preventing it from causing fatal damage.
This battle lasted for nearly fifteen minutes.
When the Judgment's halberd was cleaved in two by Little Drill Wind's blade, and the White Bone Spirit's bone whip pierced its skull, the sixteenth wave was finally wiped out.
[Current wave: 16]
[Total number of bosses defeated: 34]
[Integral coefficient: 2000]
[Core Card Status: In Good Condition]
The coefficient doubled again.
Looking at the panel, Su Mu became even more certain: starting from the fifteenth wave, the score coefficient would double with each subsequent wave. This meant that the difficulty assessment of these waves in the secret realm had entered a new level.
On the floating platform, the proctors were at a loss for words.
"The sixteenth wave... is over too." The middle-aged teacher's voice was dry. "And look, although his two cards encountered some trouble, his core cards remained undamaged. This shows that his combat system has sufficient depth; he's not relying on just one card to hold on."
"How far can he actually go?" someone couldn't help but ask.
"The seventeenth wave should be the limit," another teacher mused. "The boss in the seventeenth wave will have even higher stats and require more precise teamwork. Normally, it's extremely rare for a student to pass the sixteenth wave. The seventeenth wave..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood what he meant.
The seventeenth wave of cracks has opened.