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"Night Blade Assault!"
The roar of steel cut through the air as Qin Yun's shadow flashed forward like lightning. His blade sliced through the glow-drenched battlefield, aimed precisely at the Elf Queen's exposed flank. Just as the attack was about to land, a radiant flash erupted—clang!—a crisp metallic note rang out, and the strike was halted in mid-motion.
A shimmering barrier flared around the Elf Queen, absorbing the blow completely.
The protection of the Elf Queen's Sword had triggered again!
The divine ward shimmered like liquid moonlight, neutralizing his strike as if the world itself refused to let her be harmed.
Qin Yun staggered back, eyes narrowing. "It activated again? Damn it…"
Before he could recover, a blade of silver light pierced his chest.
The Elf Queen's long sword thrust clean through his body, forcing him to retreat several paces. Gritting his teeth, he pressed his hand against the wound. Blood seeped through his fingers—but when he glanced at his HP bar, relief flickered across his face.
"Just a normal attack," he muttered, half-laughing in disbelief. The number ticked down—only less than 1,000 damage. It looked terrifying, but digitization had its benefits. In a real fight, that strike might have split him in half.
He inhaled sharply, refocusing. Thank the system this is a game world—otherwise, we'd both be dead already.
---
The duel resumed.
Steel met steel, spell clashed against skill. The arena echoed with the furious rhythm of their fight—slashes, dodges, counterattacks—a dance of light and shadow.
After a fierce exchange, Qin Yun began to piece together the rhythm of his opponent.
The Elf Queen wasn't just a beauty cloaked in sorrow; she was a monster-level BOSS. Her abilities were as elegant as they were lethal. Qin Yun's eyes flickered with calculation as he dodged another flurry of strikes.
Her sword's protection skill could negate any skill-based damage once every fifteen seconds. No matter how strong the attack, the shield would simply erase it.
Then there was her Breath of Nature—a restoration skill that healed 30% of her max HP every minute. For her, that meant a staggering 74,500 health points in one go.
Qin Yun's mind worked quickly. If a team can't deal more than that per minute… she's literally unkillable.
He exhaled through his teeth. "No wonder this dungeon's been undefeated for weeks."
But the Elf Queen wasn't just tanky. Her stats were stacked across the board: agility, attack power, and damage coefficients all pushed into absurd ranges. Her movements were graceful but impossibly quick, and each swing carried the force of a storm.
Even the most stalwart tank class players would crumble after a few hits. As for DPS and support types—they wouldn't even have time to scream.
Fortunately, Qin Yun wasn't ordinary. His gear was top-tier, and thanks to his 50% damage reduction, he could barely withstand her barrage while recovering through lifesteal.
---
The Elf Queen blurred again, her sword tracing arcs of radiant wind.
Her attack speed was monstrous.
She alternated between precision thrusts and sweeping AoE slashes that tore gouges into the forest floor. Energy rippled outward, leaves scattering like rain.
Qin Yun barely rolled away as her blade descended again.
"She even has a locking skill…" he thought grimly. "If that Orchid Sword Shadow hits me head-on—it's over."
He couldn't tell whether the move would target the highest aggro player or simply whoever she desired. If she decided to lock onto a fragile teammate, that would spell instant death.
For solo challengers like him, it meant one thing—make zero mistakes.
"If you don't have a life-saving skill ready," he whispered, tightening his grip on his dagger, "you'll die before you even see the animation."
---
Despite her near-divine strength, Qin Yun refused to yield.
Every dodge, every parry, every feint—it was like he had rehearsed this fight a thousand times. He wasn't just surviving; he was learning.
She might be the Elf Clan's leader-tier BOSS, but he was the anomaly—someone who broke the rules of the game.
Even her immunity shield and massive heals couldn't save her forever. His relentless combos gradually pushed her HP down, bit by bit, faster than she could recover.
The duel raged for what felt like hours. The once-serene forest glade had turned into a battlefield of shattered roots and glowing sword marks.
Finally, after one last dodge, Qin Yun whispered, "Kiss of Death."
His blade glowed crimson and slashed through the air. The final hit landed squarely on her chest, tearing through what little life remained. The Elf Queen froze—her long silver hair billowing as if caught in a gentle breeze—and fell to her knees.
---
"...Expulsion… Annihilation…"
The words escaped her lips like a dying prayer. Her eyes, once clouded with rage, slowly cleared. For the first time, she looked at Qin Yun not with hatred, but sorrow and pleading.
Her trembling fingers tried to reach out, then dropped lifelessly. The last glimmer of light faded from her pupils as she slumped to the ground.
Qin Yun stared, frowning. "Expulsion? Elimination? What does that mean?"
But before he could think further, a dazzling golden light burst from her body.
He shielded his eyes. "What the—golden light?!"
The glow coalesced into something tangible, floating above the ground. Qin Yun's heart skipped. His gamer instincts screamed the answer before his mind could.
"Epic equipment?!"
---
He dashed forward, eyes wide with excitement, and picked up the gleaming item. The tooltip appeared before him:
---
Title: Lament of the Elven Queen
Type: Jewelry (Accessory)
Rarity: Epic ★★
Level Requirement: 60
Occupation Restriction: None
Attributes:
• Agility +1000
• Constitution +800
• Stamina +800
• Critical Rate +15%
• Critical Damage +50%
Special Effect: Elven Queen's Asylum — Grants an active skill that negates one instance of incoming skill damage. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
---
Qin Yun's jaw dropped.
"An epic accessory… with a damage-negation skill?!"
It wasn't just rare—it was perfect for an assassin build like his. Agility, crit rate, crit damage—it was as though the heavens had tailored it for him.
He laughed, unable to hold back. "Hahaha! Jackpot! This one piece is worth several million credits!"
He almost jumped with joy. This single drop was worth more than all his previous months of grinding combined!
The random Secret Realm truly lived up to its name. It was like a cosmic lottery, and tonight, he'd hit the jackpot.
Still, the thought of selling it barely crossed his mind. "No way I'm letting this go. Once I hit Level 60, this baby's mine."
He turned the ornament over in his hands, admiring its elegant elven patterns—fine vines and crystal filigree shaped like tears. For a second, he even considered kissing it in gratitude—but his eyes fell on the fallen Elf Queen beside him.
He coughed awkwardly. "Right… maybe not in front of her."
Instead, he straightened his posture, bowed solemnly toward her body, and murmured,
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your generosity. May your soul rest in peace."
Then he carefully stored the accessory in his inventory and turned to collect the rest of the loot. Most items glowed dull white—probably crafting materials. Nothing special, or so he thought.
---
But then something caught his eye.
A small wooden plaque shimmered faintly in his palm. Its texture felt ancient, alive.
---
Item: Nameplate of the Tree of Life
Category: Special Item
Rarity: Epic
Description: A nameplate carved from the Tree of Life. It radiates sacred energy and appears to serve as a pass into a forbidden sanctuary.
---
Qin Yun blinked. "Wait… what?"
He'd almost tossed it aside as junk material, and now it turned out to be another epic item. His pulse quickened.
"A ticket to enter a forbidden land?" he whispered, squinting. "Made from the Tree of Life itself?"
A thought struck him, wild and electrifying. "Could this be… the core holy stone of the Secret Realm?"
He turned it over repeatedly, inspecting every symbol. But no matter how he tried, the system refused to let him use it. The tooltip stayed gray.
"Ugh. So it's not an active item after all." He sighed, shoulders slumping. "Got my hopes up for nothing…"
Still, curiosity burned within him. "A pass to a forbidden land… but where?"
His gaze drifted toward the distance, to the massive Tree of Life towering beyond the battlefield, its branches glowing faintly against the twilight sky.
Suddenly, the Elf Queen's final words echoed in his mind.
"Expulsion… Annihilation…"
The image of her tear-filled eyes returned, and realization struck like thunder.
"Wait… could it be—she wasn't the final boss?"
His hand tightened around the wooden plate.
"If the Elf Queen was cursed… then the real enemy might still be inside that tree."
His expression hardened, the light of discovery gleaming in his eyes. The air around him grew still.
"Then this isn't over," he murmured. "Not by a long shot."
He slid the Nameplate of the Tree of Life into his inventory, glanced once more at the fallen queen, and began walking toward the luminous forest.
Each step echoed with purpose. The Secret Realm hadn't ended—
it had just begun.