Chapter 49: The Unyielding Riddle and the Shadow Dance

Bang! A familiar white longsword slashed into the Azure Dragon, whose health bar had dwindled to a third, emitting a familiar plume of thick green smoke. The familiar Shamatte-styled individual froze in place, gazing at the all-too-familiar scene before him, and exclaimed in surprise,

“What, what? You’ve only just reached the first health bar? Ah, I came too early. Farewell, farewell!”

A wave of speechlessness washed over the group. This fellow didn’t seem to be the sharpest tool in the shed, and was remarkably impetuous. Perhaps having just arrived, and seeing the group had already whittled the Azure Dragon’s health down to a third, he had simply charged in. In doing so, he had inadvertently helped the group out of a dire predicament. This was an outcome none of them had anticipated, and Yi Ye Zhixia’s sudden appearance had even left them momentarily stunned.

Even so, a sense of relief failed to settle in their hearts. Despite the individual’s impulsiveness, he undeniably possessed the power to slay the Azure Dragon. The group’s damage output was insufficient; if they were to bring the dragon’s health down to a third again, it would merely provide another springboard for that person. Watching Yi Ye Zhixia depart the battlefield once more, vanishing into the same patch of tall grass, and seeing White Tiger (TL Note: A battle pet) follow suit after devouring the broken blade, the group felt a collective hesitation, unable to act freely.

“I remember, that low-health Azure Dragon from before was a clone, wasn’t it? Then the true body must be this one, the one regenerating health!” Kabasiji, for his part, quickly regained his composure this time. Ever since the Azure Dragon first revealed its clones, he had been meticulously observing both of them. He then hurled a gold-elemental magic orb towards the regenerating Azure Dragon,

“If I hit the true body, there shouldn’t be any penalty, right?”

Bang! The Azure Dragon clone, struck by the orb, instantly exploded. Its disintegration appeared no different from when Yi Ye Zhixia had previously cleaved the low-health Azure Dragon clone. A surge of green energy flowed from the now-exploded, regenerating Azure Dragon clone to the low-health one. Its health bar instantly replenished to half. As for the explosion, it scattered tiny fragments, which splattered onto the faces of the three individuals. Immediately, their expressions twisted in alarm!

“Damn it! It’s poison! Quick, pop some pills!” Hank, seeing this, recognized the familiar ‘poisoned’ status effect, and it was ticking down at a rate of ‘-500’. He couldn’t help but exclaim anxiously,

“What the hell kind of riddle is this? No matter which one we hit, it’s wrong?! What kind of trash designer came up with this monstrosity?! Are they even letting people play anymore?!”

Given the severe poison damage this time, the group no longer held back their resources. Each person promptly pulled out the rapid health regeneration items they had acquired. Kabasiji even produced an ‘antidote’. His health was already critically low, and relying solely on healing items would make it difficult to survive. He had no choice but to use his treasured ‘antidote’, or face certain death!

“I don’t think we’re guessing wrong or right; rather, this riddle presents two choices. Last time, we chose the low-health Azure Dragon on the right, and the result was player incapacitation plus the Azure Dragon fully regenerating its health. This time, we chose the regenerating Azure Dragon on the left, and the result is player poisoning plus the Azure Dragon regenerating half its health,” Xue Hu rationally analyzed. “No matter which choice we make, it won’t be perfect. Players will always incur some loss; it simply depends on their decision!”

“Alright then, let’s keep fighting! It’s only back to half health. If we hit it fast, we might even finish it off before that guy can even draw their longsword again!” Having endured the ‘poisoned’ status effect with his healing items, Hank declared enthusiastically,

“Come on, everyone! If not for others, then for yourselves! Go all out with your damage!”

While the group harbored little belief they could defeat the Azure Dragon before Yi Ye Zhixia’s cooldown (CD) recovered, they found themselves in an inescapable situation (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘qí hǔ nán xià,’ meaning to be unable to stop once one has begun something, especially a dangerous course of action). Having reached this point, retreat was no longer an option! Time was pressing; only half a day remained. If they didn’t seize the opportunity to slay the Azure Dragon, they would simply be erased by the system!

In an instant, the group’s enthusiasm for fighting the monster surged to unprecedented heights. It was as if the Azure Dragon’s health bar was draining much faster. Reaching a third of its health proved not difficult. With their combined efforts in grinding the monster, the Azure Dragon’s health quickly dipped below a third. Yi Ye Zhixia, however, did not immediately leap out, suggesting their cooldown had not yet reset. Nevertheless, this did not allow the group to lower their guard. Below a third health, the Azure Dragon entered Yi Ye Zhixia’s ‘execute range’. As long as Yi Ye Zhixia’s skill cooldown reset before they managed to kill the Azure Dragon, the Azure Dragon would still inevitably become Yi Ye Zhixia’s prize!

And so, what was destined to happen, did happen. When the Azure Dragon’s health dwindled to a mere fifth, a clear and familiar voice echoed from the nearby tall grass.

“Haha! It’s mine again! Shadow Dance Slash!” The white longsword arced across the sky, streaking towards the Azure Dragon with a flurry of afterimages.

“Heh heh, you finally couldn’t resist!” Far from being startled, Kabasiji instead uttered a cold laugh as he declared,

“Azure Dragon: Demonic Modification!”

The true ‘Heretic Ghost’ had appeared, and with it, brought an overwhelming shadow of death that struck immense fear into the hearts of all present!