Chapter Eighteen: Fierce Battle! Level 3 Monster

[Monster Hunted]
[Obtained Magic Power: 3]
[No Skill Acquired]
[Current Magic Power: 547]
......
Michen had slain several slave golems along the way, but none yielded any skills. He had no clue where to find skills with the "Crimson Lotus" prefix.

"It seems that if the magic power yield is less than 5, I cannot acquire any further skills." Michen had discovered a limitation of his Plunder Magic Eye: to obtain powerful skills, one must hunt monsters that are stronger than oneself, or at least of equivalent capability.

Michen reviewed his current repertoire:
For offense, he had Holy Blood Killing Blade, Crimson Lotus Mark, Crimson Lotus Arrow Array, and Serpent Wind Blade.
For speed, he had Blood Rage.
For recovery, he had Blood Qi Restoration.
For enhancement, he had Steel Power Bracers and Coiled Serpent Martial Arts.

The only thing missing was a defensive skill. Previously, when facing the Great Demon's arrows, he had relied solely on the extraordinary perception of his Magic Eye to endure them. That was only because the Great Demon was a Tier 2 intermediate monster, and its destructive power wasn't overwhelming enough to break through his defenses. If he were to face a stronger monster, his current constitution wouldn't hold up for long.

"If only I could know the skills of a monster in advance," Michen thought.

"The Slave Graveyard is just ahead," Wan Bieling said, walking in the lead. The trio had finally crossed the Slave Bridge.

The vast, open graveyard was littered with twisted, blackened, and shattered bone fragments. Clods of cracked earth and charred wood chips smoldered. In the center of the graveyard stood a massive guillotine, surrounded by countless hanging cages. The bars of these cages were warped by intense heat, and they were packed with the remains of some humanoid species.

Wan Bieling scanned the surroundings, as if searching for something. Michen, meanwhile, remained vigilant. Given the sharp decline in the number of slave golems on the bridge, something must have happened within the graveyard.

"Damn it... where is it..." Wan Bieling grew increasingly agitated. Her eyes turned red as she approached the guillotine in the center of the graveyard.

At that very moment, the guillotine rumbled, and the blade dropped. Wan Bieling was startled, but before she could react, a crimson portal materialized. A long, slender hand reached out from within, instantly grabbing Wan Bieling’s head, threatening to crush it.

Michen reacted quickly, slicing off the massive arm with his blade. Wan Bieling, still shaken, erupted with astonishing magic power. "Die!" she screamed, firing countless fireballs into the portal. The fireballs bought her a moment of respite, and she immediately retreated, panting heavily. The fear of death had left her expression bordering on madness.

Michen’s expression was deadly serious as he stared fixedly at the portal.

"Wh-what is that..." The terrifying magic power emanating from the portal was enough to make Qi Xiaoyun feel as if she were suffocating.

"Get back. As far as you can," Michen ordered.

Qi Xiaoyun nodded. "Alright, you must be careful!" At this point, she had no choice but to trust Michen.

The portal fully stabilized. A monster, an insectoid standing roughly twice the height of a human, slowly emerged. It was covered in thick, heavy chitinous armor, with orange-red lava crystals fused into its head, shoulders, and legs. Two long, slender arms dragged along the ground, and behind it trailed a long tail, at the end of which was coiled a massive scythe.

A Tier 3 monster!
[Purger - Scythe Insect]

Michen braced himself for a life-or-death struggle. No wonder the number of slave golems in this area had plummeted; a Purger from the deepest levels had wandered into this sector. Purgers were incredibly dangerous monsters. They fed on high-energy materials, leaving nothing in their wake. They possessed the unique ability to create portals, and some even left the secret realm to wreak havoc on human society.

"Why would a Purger come up to this level?" Michen wondered. "Did it sense some high-energy material?"

Michen immediately noticed that tucked inside the Scythe Insect’s abdominal feeding cavity—lined with tiny, sharp teeth—was a transparent, white, pink-glowing crystal. It was a Molten Origin Crystal. And not just an ordinary one, but the highest quality Earth-Fire Origin Crystal!

Inside the feeding cavity, a human arm that had not yet been fully digested stuck out. Wan Bieling noticed the arm as well; it was clearly what she had been searching for.

"I want what’s inside that bug's stomach," Wan Bieling said.

Michen drew his Blood-Thirst Blade. He pierced his palm with the spikes on the hilt, sacrificing his own blood to the blade. "My thoughts exactly."

Although Michen and Wan Bieling were only 2-star hunters, their goal was not to kill the Scythe Insect, but to find an opportunity to seize the item within it. If they coordinated well, they had a chance.

Michen and Wan Bieling split up, circling to the left and right. The Scythe Insect scanned them and locked its target on Michen. It whipped its tail around; the scythe at the end moved with the agility of an arm.

*Clang!*

Michen blocked the attack, deflecting the scythe. "Serpent Wind Blade!" The cyan wind blades flew straight toward the Scythe Insect. It didn't bother to dodge or block, letting the blades hit. The E-rank wind blades were powerless against the defenses of a Tier 3 monster, shattering the moment they struck its chitinous armor.

Just as it prepared a follow-up attack, *BOOM!* A barrage of fireballs hit the Scythe Insect, the violent explosions interrupting its movement. It turned its head.

In that instant, as it looked toward Wan Bieling, Michen—now enveloped in crimson magic—appeared behind the monster. "Holy Blood Killing Blade!" He slashed at the Scythe Insect's abdomen, leaving a crack in the ground.

"What!"

The Scythe Insect caught Michen’s blade firmly. While the Holy Blood Killing Blade ignored armor and had successfully sliced halfway through the monster's abdomen, the insect's immense natural durability and the lack of a critical hit meant their plan to seize the crystal had failed.

The Scythe Insect realized Michen’s attack was extraordinary—it could ignore defenses—so it held the blade with its hand to prevent further damage. It could not let this human continue to hack at it. As a Tier 3 monster, it possessed significant intelligence. It quickly analyzed the situation: the human with the blade was the greatest threat; eliminate him first! But he had to watch out for the human using fireballs; her attacks were weak, but they were a nuisance.

"In that case, I'll use that move!" The Scythe Insect bared its sharp teeth in what looked like an evil grin. Suddenly, it vanished.

Michen’s pupils dilated. Behind him, a chill of bone-deep killing intent surged. *Clang!* He turned to parry, but he hadn't even seen the attack. Michen was sent flying by a single blow from the Scythe Insect.

He stabilized himself with his blade. Ahead, the Scythe Insect attacked again. Wan Bieling knew that if Michen died, she would be next. She couldn't let him be killed. She unleashed her fireballs at maximum power. The fireballs shot toward the Scythe Insect like meteors. However, the next second, the fireballs passed right through the Scythe Insect’s body and slammed into the ground.

"What!" Both Michen and Wan Bieling were stunned. The Scythe Insect vanished once more.

"Damn it, where is it!" Michen scanned the area. Above, sides, behind—there was no sign of the monster. Wait! It was underground! Michen immediately looked down.

Suddenly, the Scythe Insect erupted from the earth. The razor-sharp scythe struck Michen instantly. Blood sprayed everywhere. A deep gash was torn into Michen’s chest, blood gushing out. If Michen hadn't reacted at the very last millisecond to dodge the fatal blow, he would have been gutted.

"Blood Qi Restoration!" The E-rank skill wasn't enough to fully heal the wounds inflicted by a Tier 3 monster, but it was enough to stop the bleeding.

Seeing that Michen hadn't died, the Scythe Insect seemed surprised; it hadn't expected this human to be so tenacious. It didn't give him a moment to breathe, vanishing and launching another attack with terrifying speed.

"You really think the same trick will work on me forever!" This time, Michen didn't panic. He seemed to have anticipated it. "Crimson Lotus Mark!"

*BOOM!* An explosion erupted from the side, forcing the Scythe Insect to a halt. Just as the creature's attack had struck him, Michen had managed to place a mark on its body. Using the explosion to forcibly interrupt the monster's high-speed movement proved more effective than he had expected. The shockwave caused the Scythe Insect’s legs to overload, and the armor on its thighs shattered.

"So that's why it's so fast! That's the secret!" The Scythe Insect’s body contained hollow tubes filled with massive amounts of magic power; under the heat generated by high-speed movement, these acted like an engine to boost its speed. But the cost was that its armor softened, and its defense plummeted.

"My turn now." Blood energy shrouded Michen’s entire body. He transformed into a crimson streak of light, charging at the Scythe Insect. "Holy Blood Killing Blade!"

The blade shimmered with a dazzling, cold silver light—a sharpness born for slaughter, devoid of emotion. At that very moment, Michen noticed the Scythe Insect was smiling. A portal appeared behind it.

"Damn it, it's escaping!"

"Don't you dare!" Wan Bieling suddenly appeared, slamming her hands onto the ground. A crimson magic circle materialized beneath the Scythe Insect’s feet, altering the flow of magic power in the area. The portal’s generation slowed down.

The Scythe Insect was caught off guard by Wan Bieling’s sudden move. With its strength, it could have easily killed either of them, but it had to focus most of its magic on digesting the food in its stomach. Combined with Michen’s armor-ignoring blade, it felt threatened for the first time.

The Scythe Insect was a cunning monster. Between continuing the fight and retreating, it chose the latter. To speed up the portal, it spat out the partially digested contents of its stomach. The entire secret realm was its hunting ground; it didn't lack for food. The Molten Origin Crystal and the severed arm fell to the ground.

Michen and Wan Bieling both lunged for the items. The Scythe Insect used the distraction to dive into the portal and vanish.

Michen picked up the Molten Origin Crystal, then looked at the severed arm. He wondered why Wan Bieling was so obsessed with it. Suddenly, he noticed a strange, black, fleshy sphere embedded in the palm of the severed hand.

"What is that?"

As he felt a surge of confusion, a sharp blade pierced through his chest. It was Wan Bieling.

"Thanks for the trouble. Now, die for the sake of my Soul Casket!" Her voice was filled with madness.