"A DEBUFF called Decay stacks on me every ten minutes?" After stepping into Clear Wind Stronghold, Wang Linchi looked somewhat distressed. The effect of Decay was simply too strong.

[Decay: Within the Demonic Realm, one stack is added every 10 minutes. Upon reaching 20 stacks, each subsequent stack has a chance of causing an immediate death effect. Each stack of Decay reduces all attributes by 5% and inflicts 0.5% of maximum health as damage per second.]

This was the effect after it had been reduced by half by Jade·Four Gentlemen. Without that reduction, it would have stacked every 5 minutes, and after reaching 10 stacks, subsequent stacks would have a chance of instant death. Also, it would have reduced all attributes by 10% and inflicted damage amounting to 1% of maximum health per second. Not even a whole guild could overcome such a challenge.

More importantly, Decay had a negative effect on him. If it were applied to the demonized bandits in Black Wind Stronghold, it would be a buff. With the balance tipped so heavily—them strengthened and him weakened—he would stand no chance in a direct confrontation.

"I must act swiftly. The longer this drags on, the more powerful the enemy becomes."

The Decay effect, importantly, had no stacking limit. Every ten minutes, the enemy's power would increase by 20%. Faced with such intense amplification, Wang Linchi felt a bit intimidated and even considered quitting the instance.

However, despite his concerns, the Saint Master had already begun his bloody rampage.

With the five mission items and the Four Drinks status effect, the Saint Master activated all twelve Symbols—the mobs didn't stand a chance.

"Huh? Why aren't the stacks increasing?"

They fought their way up the mountain, slaughtering all in their path. The Third Master was torn apart by the Saint Master; with only one stack of Decay, the power-up for the Third Master wasn't significant.

However, Wang Linchi also noticed something peculiar: his own Decay was still at only one stack.

Then, it hit him.

"It's Orchid!" Wang Linchi only then remembered that Orchid· Sage of the World had the ability to purify one negative status effect from a demonic-type enemy every second, and Decay happened to be such an effect.

The issue was that Wang Linchi was within the Demonic Realm. The Decay was purified one second, only to be reapplied the next. After each purification, the timer for stacking reset, so it remained stuck at one layer, unable to accumulate further.

Combined with Jade·Four Gentlemen, this suppressed the negative effect of Decay by half.

In the blink of an eye, they reached the midway point on the mountain, where the Second Master was casually slaughtered by the Saint Master.

The enemy had two stacks of the buff, but it was of little consequence; it merely made the Saint Master's job of tearing him apart slightly more difficult.

As for the minions—whether they were large, small, or even minion leaders—they were like paper tigers before the Saint Master.

Wang Linchi trailed behind, casually collecting Abyss Crystals.

They fought their way to the mountain peak. Not even the gates of Black Wind Stronghold could withstand the Saint Master's colossal strength; they were smashed open, leaving a large hole.

By now, fifteen minutes had passed. The enemy's Decay buff had reached three stacks, enhancing their overall power by 30%.

Fortunately, the sub-bosses encountered up to this point had already been killed. All that remained were minions and Elite Monsters. Even if their strength was enhanced by 300%, they were still no match for a true Boss.

Thus, upon entering the stronghold, the Saint Master naturally went on a killing spree, leaving a river of blood in his wake.

This scene did not bring Wang Linchi the slightest bit of joy; instead, a sense of foreboding grew in his heart.

So far, the Big Boss of the stronghold hadn't appeared. Wang Linchi wasn't sure if he was biding his time to unleash a powerful move or simply trying to be pompous.

After the last minion was crushed to death by the Saint Master, the entire Black Wind Stronghold was desolate.

Wang Linchi searched thoroughly but found no trace of the Big Boss.

"How can there be nothing?" Wang Linchi was puzzled.

There was no sign of life left in the entire Black Wind Stronghold.

DRIP. DRIP.

Just as Wang Linchi was pondering, rain began to fall from the sky. He reached out his hand to feel it and found it stained blood-red.

He instinctively looked up.

In the sky hung a colossal eyeball. At its end were countless special nerve endings constructed from scarlet crystals.

This eyeball was plummeting towards Black Wind Stronghold. Unfortunately for Wang Linchi, it also had a health bar.

[BOSS·Abyssal Demon (Evolving)·Big Boss LV20, Health (???)]

"Damn!!!" Wang Linchi was dumbstruck. He had never imagined that the Big Boss would transform into a demonic creature. The level difference between them was so vast that Wang Linchi couldn't even see its health bar.

A lower-level individual naturally couldn't perceive the details of a higher-level one. Being able to see its template, title, and name was already quite remarkable. Wang Linchi suspected that if the Boss were just one level higher, all he would see would be a string of question marks.

Seeing this, Wang Linchi swiftly cast Fanciful and Fickle on the opponent.

The next moment, the Big Boss exploded into a firework in the sky.

"What just happened?" Wang Linchi hadn't fully processed it. Normally, it should only deal 1 point of damage, right?

SPLAT!

The eyeball, now a fireball, crashed into the nearby Unity Hall.

"Damn you! How dare you ambush me during my ritual!!!" an enraged roar echoed out.

Wang Linchi figured his luck stat must have activated; otherwise, how could this Big Boss be so unfortunate?

Who would have anticipated a ritual descending from the sky? My decision to strike preemptively was perfectly normal. One can't just stand by and watch a boss charge up an ability; it's not like we're in a cutscene with no control.

The Unity Hall was smashed into ruins, and a figure stood up from amidst the debris.

Clearly, the ritual had failed, and he had reverted to his human form.

The good news was that the opponent's information had finally changed.

[BOSS·Abyss Transformed Big Boss LV20, Health (250,000/500,000)]

"He smashed himself to critical health! Saint Master, get him!" Wang Linchi unhesitatingly commanded the Saint Master to attack, simultaneously landing a blow of Literary Warfare on the Big Boss. The damage might have been a drop in the ocean against its 250,000 health, but every little bit helped.

Although the Big Boss no longer looked like a giant eyeball, his head remained one. The difference was that its nerve endings had transformed into a large, external mouth, which was how he had just spoken.

The Saint Master and the Big Boss immediately engaged in a fierce battle. Though smaller in stature than the Saint Master, the Big Boss's power was formidable.

He kept pressing the attack on the Saint Master. The difference in their attributes immediately put Saint Master at a disadvantage.

However, the awkward part was that the Big Boss could only deal a maximum of 5% of Saint Master's health per attack, which Saint Master then instantly regenerated.

This only served to infuriate the Big Boss even more as the fight dragged on.

"Damn it! I knew I shouldn't have spared that Bamboo Hermit!" The Big Boss immediately thought of the Bamboo Hermit's assistance; otherwise, Saint Master would have been dead long ago.

Without the Bamboo Hermit, Wang Linchi wouldn't have been able to collect the four plants—Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum. In that case, the Big Boss's powerful attacks would have severely injured or killed Saint Master long ago.

Wang Linchi, on the other hand, was unhurriedly casting Literary Warfare again and again.

I might as well use this to grind Skill Proficiency, he thought. I'm idle anyway.

Sometimes, if he got lucky, he could achieve a double cast. This not only saved Mana but also increased the Proficiency of his Literary Warfare by an extra point.

The Big Boss didn't consider trying to kill Wang Linchi, for a simple reason: he couldn't insta-kill him either. The most damage he could inflict on Wang Linchi was 5% of his health.

Of course, if he had successfully completed the ritual and evolved into the Eye of the Abyss, he could have killed both Wang Linchi and the Saint Master instantly, even if his maximum damage per hit was only 1% of their health.

As long as he couldn't kill Wang Linchi, the Saint Master could immediately re-engage him.

Thus, the deadlock continued, with both parties locked in a war of attrition. In the end, the already half-crippled Big Boss was still no match for the Saint Master. His health had dropped below 100,000, while the Saint Master's health and Mana remained full. Wang Linchi was also doing fine, and his Literary Warfare skill was continuously leveling up.

It was close to reaching the maximum level.

"You all deserve to die!" the Big Boss roared, entering his second phase.

His entire body became covered in a mass of scarlet nerve tendrils, making him look even more like a large, upright eyeball.

Subsequently, his attack and defense increased significantly, and his attack frequency also rose.

This time, he was able to inflict 30% of the Saint Master's health in damage within a single second, equivalent to six attacks in that short span—a huge improvement.

Furthermore, he gained a ranged attack, capable of firing some kind of laser from his eyeball-shaped head, aimed directly at Wang Linchi.

The damage was still capped at 5% due to existing limitations. However, this attack, upon impact, could apply 10 stacks of the Decay effect.

Good thing he had Jade·Four Gentlemen. Without its mitigating presence, if those 10 stacks from the laser were added to the one he constantly had, his total would reach 11 stacks. Under the original, unmitigated rules for Decay, this would have been enough to trigger a chance of instant death. This instant death effect bypassed the 'maximum 5% health damage per hit' protection afforded by Mei·Man of Noble Ideals.

Fortunately, no matter how many stacks were applied by the laser, it was still considered a single type of negative effect. It would be purified by Orchid· Sage of the World in the next second, only for one stack from the Demonic Realm to be immediately reapplied.

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