Chapter Thirty-One: Opportunity, Hidden Realm

The Boar King is the boss of the second floor of the Lich Dungeon. It is an enhanced version of the Boar Slayer, possessing immense destructive power. Because it possesses a "Berserk" mechanism that causes it to ignore aggro and attack all targets at random, it is an exceptionally difficult monster to handle.

Killing the Boar King guarantees the drop of the Boar’s Bloody Cloak. The Bloody Cloak is a Level 2 material; armor crafted from it can increase the probability of attracting aggro and trigger damage reduction when attacked by a target, making it a powerful asset for defensive-class hunters.

As they pushed open the doors to the Boar King’s chamber, the air felt stagnant and unnaturally quiet. With a creak, the doors slammed shut.

"Brother Michen, please hold it off. We must finish it before it enters its berserk state," Lu Yi said, clearly having done his homework. Once the Boar King enters its berserk state, it poses a massive threat to the backline. There are only two ways to resolve this successfully: either use high-output damage to eliminate it before it goes berserk, or pair up with a hunter who has group defensive skills to weather the storm. When the Boar King enters its berserk state, its attack power increases dramatically, but its mana drains constantly until it eventually falls into a weakened state. In this weakened state, the Boar King is completely vulnerable.

Their former teammate possessed such a group defensive skill, which could significantly lower the difficulty of the subjugation. However, for some reason, they had been unable to contact that hunter recently. Yet, they had already accepted the quest; abandoning it would mean losing their deposit. For 1-star hunters like them, the deposit was no small expense.

"I’ll draw its attention," Michen said. However, he had his own agenda. After witnessing the strength of Lu Yi and his companions, he did not believe they could kill the Boar King on their own. He would have to find an opportunity to strike himself.

As he thought this, the air around them shifted. In front of them, a monster over five meters tall appeared. The four-armed Boar King held a bloody butcher’s cleaver in each hand.

"ROAR!!!" The Boar King let out a deafening bellow. It had clearly sensed the intruders and entered combat mode.

Michen unleashed his mana to attract the Boar King’s attention, and Lu Yi charged forward. Lu Yi’s ability, "Charge," allows him to trade speed for force; the longer the distance, the greater the impact. As he sprinted, Jing Mei used a mana link to amplify Lu Yi’s output.

BOOM! Lu Yi slammed his fist into the Boar King’s right leg. The beast stumbled. Just as it prepared to retaliate, Michen suddenly appeared. The Boar King’s aggro shifted to Michen, and it turned to swing its cleavers at him. Jing Mei prepared to boost Michen’s defense, but Michen signaled that it was unnecessary.

CLANG! The Boar King brought down a blade, but Michen parried and deflected it with ease. Just as the second strike descended...

Lu Yi threw another punch, shattering the Boar King’s left leg.

"Fang Na, Life Ring!" Lu Yi shouted.

"Understood!" A Life Ring materialized on the ground beneath the Boar King. Jing Mei immediately activated a weakening link to restrict the beast's movement. Combined with Lu Yi’s previous attacks, their plan was to maximize the reduction of the Boar King’s mobility and then use the Life Ring to drain its vitality, killing it before it could enter its berserk state.

The plan was sound, but they had underestimated the Boar King’s defense. Bosses differ from ordinary monsters in that one of their attributes is always enhanced. The moment the Life Ring appeared, Lu Yi rushed forward, attempting to further damage the beast's legs. However, he was a step too slow. The Boar King kicked him aside. Lu Yi was heavily wounded, causing Jing Mei and Fang Na to panic, which delayed their skills by a fraction of a second.

"ROAR!!!" The Boar King instantly entered its berserk state.

"It’s over!" Despair washed over them.

The battle proceeded exactly as Michen had foreseen. He walked slowly toward the Boar King.

"Michen, what are you doing?" Fang Na asked, terrified. They were already preparing to use their escape stones to leave the secret realm.

Michen ignored them. He drew Shenyuan. The silver blade flickered with a cold light. The berserk Boar King, having completely lost its reason, charged toward Michen with thunderous footsteps. Michen remained perfectly calm.

*Steel-Force Bracer!*

One slash! The massive Boar King instantly lost an arm. Another slash! The Boar King’s left leg was severed. One more! This time, it was the right leg.

THUD! The giant boar-man collapsed to the ground. Although it was in a berserk state, it was unable to move a single inch without its legs.

Michen turned to look at Fang Na. "What are you waiting for?"

The group finally snapped out of their shock. A Life Ring appeared, and the immobilized Boar King had no choice but to have its life force drained away. Seconds later, it shriveled into a mummy. Its mana fluctuations vanished.

Immediately after, a blood-stained rag appeared in the center of the room. It was the Boar King’s Bloody Cloak. The quest was complete, but everyone’s gaze remained fixed on Michen. The attack power he had just unleashed was far beyond their imagination.

Just as Lu Yi was about to ask who Michen really was, Jing Mei noticed something else. "Look, what is that!" She pointed beneath the Bloody Cloak. On the ground lay a dark blue stone key. The stone radiated a bone-chilling cold, flickering between a wisp of smoke and a solid form—an eerie sight indeed.

"A Dungeon Key!" Lu Yi gasped in shock. He hadn't expected their luck to be this good. A Dungeon Key had actually dropped.

The so-called Dungeon Key is a special mechanism of the Lich Dungeon. Monsters within have a chance to drop it, but the probability is less than one in one hundred thousand. Possessing the key allows one to enter the hidden area of the Lich Dungeon: the Lich Altar. However, the key cannot be taken out; it disappears the moment one leaves the secret realm.

Now, a choice lay before them: whether or not to enter the hidden area. Most secret realms contain hidden areas, and every one of them holds unimaginable treasures. Once, a group of obscure hunters became so powerful after clearing a hidden area that they rose to become one of the largest guilds in Junyang City.

This was a heaven-sent opportunity. On the other hand, the dangers of a hidden area were obvious. It was no secret that the Lich Dungeon had a hidden area—it was part of the realm's mechanics. But very few—or rather, none—had ever heard of a team succeeding. First, the one-in-a-hundred-thousand drop rate was too low; second, the difficulty was too high for a team of 1-star hunters to handle. Moreover, in hidden areas, escape stones are rendered useless.

While a 3-star hunter could clear the hidden area, they wouldn't waste their time grinding for keys in a D-rank secret realm. Furthermore, what is highly beneficial to a 1-star hunter might not be worth the trouble for a 3-star one.

It was both a challenge and a massive opportunity. The group now faced the decision: should they enter the hidden area? The one-in-a-hundred-thousand chance was too alluring. They only had one shot.

Lu Yi raised his hand without hesitation, agreeing to go. Fang Na was more rational. She knew the dangers of hidden areas; they had just survived a major battle, their mana was depleted, and they could not use escape stones in the hidden area. The slightest mistake would cost them their lives. Without their lives, there would be no future or destiny to speak of. She voted against it.

Jing Mei was unsure, caught between the two, not knowing which choice to make.

"I abstain!"

The deciding vote now rested in Michen's hands.

"A hidden area? Interesting."

Without a moment's hesitation, Michen slowly raised his hand. Two against one. They were going in!