Stopped Short

The Ten Thousand Bones Commander had a combat value of just over 600,000 at the time, while the five before us have a combat value ranging from 680,000 to 850,000.

Furthermore, considering their coordination, mechanisms, and domains, their actual combat power will increase even further.

This is already the enhanced version of the twenty-fifth wave of the Hell difficulty.

Moreover, the mechanics of these five dragon-man bosses are more sophisticated than those of the five bosses in the Hell dungeon.

Golden Scale Commander stood at the very back, his body surrounded by golden chains of light connecting to the scales of the other four dragonmen.

The Black Armor Iron Wall stood at the forefront, with two dragon shields standing in a cross pattern, forming a defensive wall that was almost impossible to break through head-on. Blood Curse Dragon Priest stood behind the Iron Wall, the blood-red dragon orb in his hand constantly releasing a dark red curse aura that covered the entire battlefield.

The Six-Claw Hunter vanished into the shadows, its presence completely gone. The Bone-Burning Dragon Envoy stood on the flank, its dark red dragon flame domain expanding continuously, scorching everything around it.

The battle begins.

The Black Armor Iron Wall advanced first, its two dragon shields clashing and producing a dull roar. The White Bone Spirit Demon lashed out a curtain of fire with her bone whip, the grayish-white flames spreading in front of the iron wall.

But the Iron Wall's two shields simultaneously lit up with defensive runes, and a layer of dark golden light rose from the shield surfaces, forcefully blocking the fire curtain from the outside.

"The two shields are alternating." Su Mu could see this clearly from high above.

The two shields of the Iron Wall do not block simultaneously, but rather take turns absorbing damage.

When one shield takes damage, the runes on the other shield automatically repair the damage to the first shield. This alternation mechanism means that it is difficult for the White Bone Spirit's fire curtain to cause sustained damage on the same shield.

The Blood Curse Dragon Priest has made its move.

The crimson dragon ball spun, and a dark red cursed halo exploded from beneath its feet, covering an area of several hundred meters.

The speed of the little drill suddenly stopped, and fine blood-red patterns appeared on the surface of its scales. At the same time, the Dragon Flame Domain of the Bone-Burning Dragon Envoy expanded to the feet of the Little Drill Wind, and dark red dragon flames surged from the ground, scorching the Little Drill Wind's scales.

The Six-Claw Hunter has appeared.

It burst forth from less than two meters behind the White Bone Spirit, its six dragon limbs slashing down simultaneously. The White Bone Spirit reacted swiftly, whipping her bone whip back, causing a grayish-white curtain of fire to explode behind her.

But the Six-Claw Hunter was too fast. Its six dragon limbs changed angles three times in the air, forcefully passing through the gaps in the fire curtain. The White Bone Spirit Demon dodged to the side, but a dragon claw blade sliced into the bone of her left shoulder, sending grayish-white bone fragments flying.

"The White Bone Spirit is injured." Su Mu's pupils contracted slightly.

This is the first time the White Bone Spirit has suffered substantial damage since the start of the second level.

The Little Drill Wind started moving.

Instead of chasing after the Six-Claw Hunter, it charged directly at the Blood Curse Dragon Priest.

It made a very clear judgment... The curse aura of the Blood Curse Dragon Priest was the key to suppressing them; as long as the Dragon Sacrifice did not die, Little Drill Wind and White Bone Spirit would be continuously weakened.

But the Black Armor Iron Wall blocked its way.

Two dragon shields stood in a cross shape, their entire bodies covered by a dark golden light curtain.

Little Drill Wind's short sword struck the shield, sparks flying, the blade getting stuck after cutting an inch. The other side of Iron Wall's shield swept across, Little Drill Wind withdrew his sword and retreated, tapping the shield with his toes, using the momentum to flip onto Iron Wall's shoulder, his short sword aimed straight for its skull.

But Golden Scale Commander made a move.

It raised a hand, and the golden chains of light at its fingertips suddenly taut, forming a dark golden barrier in front of Ironwall's skull. Little Drill Wind's short sword struck the barrier, shattering it, but Ironwall had already taken a step back in that instant, readjusting the angle of its twin shields.

"Commander-level instantaneous response." Su Mu gritted his teeth.

The coordination between these five dragon-man bosses is no longer a simple tactical collaboration.

Their Soul Links, light chain sharing, and instant backup formed a near-perfect combat system. Golden Scale Commander stood at the rear, monitoring the entire battlefield's status in real time through the golden light chain.

Whichever dragonman is attacked, it immediately mobilizes other dragonmen to fill the gap. The curse of the Blood Curse Dragon Priest continues to weaken, the Dragonfire Domain of the Bone-Burning Dragon Envoy continues to burn, and the sneak attacks of the Six-Claw Hunter continue to exert pressure.

Little Drill Wind and White Bone Spirit were suppressed.

Despite their high attributes, every attack of theirs was promptly neutralized by the perfect coordination of the five dragon-man bosses.

The Little Drill Wind tried to sever the golden light chains, but the chains formed a dense net-like structure around the Golden Scale Commander, and the short sword only sent up a string of sparks when it struck.

The White Bone Spirit attempted to divide the battlefield with a curtain of fire, but the Black Armor Iron Wall's double shields advanced alternately, forcefully pushing the curtain of fire back.

The battle lasted for nearly twenty minutes.

Little Drill Wind and White Bone Spirit Demon fought with all their might.

They repeatedly pushed the Black Armor Iron Wall to its limit, nearly killing the Blood Curse Dragon Priest on several occasions, and even forced the Six-Claw Hunter out of stealth mode at one point. But each time, Golden Scale Commander would promptly mobilize other dragonmen to fill in and neutralize their attacks.

The dragon people are working together more and more seamlessly.

The double shields of the Black Armor Iron Wall alternated almost without pause, the cursed aura of the Blood Curse Dragon Priest was layered upon layer, the angles of the Six-Claw Hunter's sneak attacks became increasingly tricky, and the Dragon Flame Domain of the Bone-Burning Dragon Envoy had expanded to the entire front section of Lion Camel Ridge. The golden light chains Golden Scale Commander intertwined in the air into an impenetrable net, sharing the status of the four dragonmen in real time.

Su Mu stood high in the sky, watching as Little Drill Wind and White Bone Spirit gradually fell into a passive position amidst the encirclement and attack of the Dragonman Imperial Guards.

He could tell that Little Drill Wind and White Bone Spirit had not given up.

They are constantly trying new tactics, attempting to find weaknesses in the dragon-human coordination.

But the Dragonkin's mechanics are too complete... Shared damage, instant replacement, continuous weakening, and area suppression—these four mechanisms are interconnected, leaving almost no blind spots.

Ultimately, the health of the Stone Left Over from Mending Heaven gradually decreased as it was continuously consumed.

Six hundred thousand... five hundred thousand... four hundred thousand... three hundred thousand... two hundred thousand... one hundred thousand...

The moment the Stone Left Over from Mending Heaven's health reached zero, a beam of white light fell from the sky, enveloping the entire Dungeon Space.

Su Mu stood in the white light, watching Little Drill Wind and White Bone Spirit being teleported back to the depths of the dungeon.

Little Drill Wind had multiple wounds, and White Bone Spirit's left shoulder bone was shattered, but neither of them suffered any real damage.

As stated in the rules of the secret realm, no true damage will be dealt here.

He slowly exhaled.

The nineteenth wave has stopped.

At that moment, everyone on the floating platform breathed a sigh of relief.

"Finally... it stopped." The middle-aged teacher's voice carried a complex emotion. "He reached the nineteenth wave, almost completing the game."

"We thought he'd be eliminated on the seventeenth wave," another teacher said with a wry smile. "But we didn't expect him to get past the seventeenth wave, then the eighteenth, and keep fighting until the nineteenth wave before finally stopping."

"Historically, any candidate who reached the eighteenth wave was already considered an extremely strong individual. With future growth, they would at least become a pillar of the sect," the old man slowly spoke. "And he, he reached the nineteenth wave. Although he didn't clear the level, he was already incredibly formidable."

"Did you notice?" another teacher suddenly spoke up, "When the nineteenth wave of bosses appeared, they said, 'Even among the many races in the nest, your talent is exceptionally strong.' The weight of that statement is completely different from the previous ones."

"Yes," the middle-aged teacher chimed in, "The previous BOSSes were all evaluated within the human realm."

The nineteenth wave's boss was included in the monster evaluation system. This indicates that, in the calculations of the secret realm, Su Mu's potential has exceeded the conventional human limit, entering another level.

That's why the secret realm judged him as a failure.

Elder Xiu stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze deep. "Because the nineteenth wave of BOSSes, according to the assessment of the secret realm, is no longer the level of difficulty that level 20 candidates should face."

That's for higher-level dungeon raiders.

Su Mu's ability to reach this point has exceeded the design expectations of the secret realm.

Everyone fell silent.

"His two cards ultimately failed in the nineteenth wave," the old man said slowly. "But as you saw, they weren't completely defeated. Little Drill Wind and White Bone Spirit still displayed combat skills and resilience far exceeding their peers in the nineteenth wave. If it weren't for the Dragonman Imperial Guard's overly strong mechanics and perfect teamwork, they might not have lost."

Elder Xiu nodded.

"The nineteenth wave," he said softly. "This result, again, should not be publicly announced regarding the specific wave. The top fifty results should be kept confidential."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

At that moment, Su Mu looked down at his control panel.

[Second Stage: Lord Expedition]

[Final Wave: 19]

[Total number of bosses defeated: 44]

[Integral coefficient: 8300]

[Final score: 44 × 8300 = 365200]

[Core Card Status: In Good Condition]

Three hundred and sixty-five thousand points.

Adding the 973,459 points from the first level, the total score has exceeded 1.3 million.

Su Mu withdrew his gaze and silently calculated in his mind.

He did indeed stop on the nineteenth wave.

But he had memorized the coordination, mechanics, and combat methods of those five dragon-man bosses.

Next time, if they encounter a similar opponent, Little Drill Wind and White Bone Spirit will be better prepared.

Moreover, the Green Lion King was not fully integrated.

Once the Green Lion King is fully integrated and the concept of the three demons of Lion Camel Ridge is complete, the strength of Little Drill Wind and White Bone Spirit will reach another level.

By then, the nineteenth wave of Dragonman Imperial Guards might be able to put up a fight.

With this thought in mind, Su Mu felt much more at ease, then collected his thoughts and exited his instance.