The Boss King actually disguised himself as a novice village chief?!
Chapter 617 - 476: The Ingenious Idea of Hiring NPCs_2

Chapter 617: Chapter 476: The Ingenious Idea of Hiring NPCs_2

"The Undead, they’re in league with the Abyss!"

"What?" Link’s face drained of color.

The heroes of legend who fought valiantly against the Abyss had actually joined it.

"Where’s Old Jerry, how is he?"

"Just a short distance ahead; if the Abyssal Undead come, they’ll arrive quickly."

"Damn it!" Link clenched his teeth, and just as he noticed someone approaching, he handed over "Sharp Mouth" Walser to them and stood up, "I’m going to go check it out!"

Link was the only one in Daoxiang Village with fighting capabilities. Now was not the time to back down; he had to figure out what happened ahead, and his heart was still filled with an indescribable boldness.

"Everyone else, gather at the old wizard’s house. Although he only knows a few tricks, they’re still better than pitchforks and rakes."

Without waiting for a reaction from the others, Link sprang into action.

Link Aliman gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist and sprinted at full speed with his armor on his back, following the traces left by the Double-headed Mule, and quickly arrived at the scene of the merchant caravan’s ambush.

The site was in disarray; the caravan must have fought back.

There was fresh blood on the ground, and scattered corpses, but neither the goods nor any sign of Old Jerry could be seen.

He knelt down to examine the soil closely.

"The attackers didn’t cover their tracks; after robbing and killing, they just left, but why... Why did they jump around here a few times?" Link stopped and stared at a tree in front of him.

Link tried to guess what the assailants were doing at the time, why they would hit a tree and not notice, and even kept hopping around after the collision.

He knew very little about the Undead and couldn’t understand why anyone would repeatedly bump into a tree instead of avoiding it.

"Here, they rolled on the spot again, but why roll?"

"And here, they jumped on the spot again."

"Here, a man must have been lying on the ground, then looking at the footprints, someone stood next to him, no, they were crouching but the footprints were slightly shifting—wait! Someone kept crouching and standing up beside the man lying on the ground."

The more detailed information Link uncovered, the more confusion he felt about why the assailants did what they did.

And they had pursued the mule to Daoxiang Village, taking only Old Jerry and those goods. Link remembered clearly that those goods weren’t valuable, which was strange—abducting Old Jerry could be explained by a secret he held, but why take away all those worthless goods without leaving a single one behind?

As he pondered this, Link Aliman effortlessly traced the assailants’ hideout.

It was the Luoye Ruins, once adjacent to Daoxiang Village, now occupied by a swarm of Calamities. These Calamities had launched a ferocious attack, decimating the entire Luoye in no time.

"F-100-500-001 Underground City? Entrance Fee Required?"

What did that mean? He didn’t understand.

Link looked at the wooden sign in front of him with the number written on it.

Before him was a cellar entrance sloping downwards. After a bit of hesitation, Link bit the bullet and stepped onto the cellar stairs, descending into the darkness.

Proceeding slowly downward, he saw a flicker of candlelight in the distance, signaling the end point.

Finally, reaching the candlelight, he discovered that a large iron door blocked his way.

On a table at the door lay a stack of odd papers.

Link picked up one of the papers, printed with an exotic pattern, and his expression subtly changed.

He silently read the content, "Underground City Entrance Strategy Guide: First, pay the fee—100 black stone coins—then open the door to start the adventure in the Underground City. Inside, one would encounter various dangers, but by defeating the final Dungeon Lord, you could loot the Lord’s treasures."

Following the bit about treasures, there was an illustration showing a chest filled with an assortment of gold, silver, jewels, armor, swords, and so on.

What was this all about?

Link didn’t understand but unexpectedly discovered there was text on the back as well.

"Do you yearn for vast wealth? Do you aspire to become a hero? Do you want to truly live? Join us! Join us!! Join us!!!"

The confusion in his heart not only failed to dissipate but grew more intense.

A hundred Blackstone coins were expensive for the average person, but they weren’t much to him, given that, as a Transcendent, his earnings each month were of course incomparable to those of ordinary people.

"What have you done with old Jerry!"

"Release the man!"

"Open the gate quickly!"

Link Aliman shouted for a good while, hearing no response, so he reluctantly took out a hundred Blackstone coins and dropped them into a small box nearby.

The next moment, the large black iron gate blocking his way swung open.

Standing before him was just one fully armed person.

"Someone finally shows up; I was getting bored stiff here," complained the other party, gesturing with a wave for Link to make the first move.

Link unsheathed Longsword with a clang, channeling Supernatural Power into both hands, coating the blade in a thin layer of sparse emerald energy, which began to spin rapidly.

The air itself seemed to grow sharper.

The emerald light grew brighter, and Link Aliman, stepping in rhythm, lunged forward, aiming a tricky thrust at the opponent’s head, which was rapidly blocked by a raised shield.

Link quickly tugged his arms, pulling the sword back. The emerald sheath wrapped around the blade retracted and gathered on the pommel’s counterweight, spinning rapidly and causing the entire sword to vibrate.

But as the opponent lowered the shield, attempting to cast a spell, the sword thrust anew. The emerald energy accumulated on the counterweight surged, in sync with the pulsing in Link’s veins, to the tip of the blade, landing a heavy blow to the opponent’s chest.

Boom!

The adversary was sent flying, the emerald energy drill still spinning, attempting to pierce through the Heavy Armor, and although not yet successful, it had chiseled a noticeable inward dent in the armor.

Suddenly, a searing light caught the corner of his eye. Link raised Longsword with both hands in front of him, but then an explosion erupted from the blade, knocking him several steps backward, and the weight in his heart sunk to its lowest.

The opponent wasn’t a melee warrior but a Wizard skilled in casting spells.

"Damn, I hide in the nooks and crannies, and yet I encounter an NPC this badass." The person also climbed up from the ground, his tone irreverent and casual, but his counterattack was unyielding.

He chanted rapidly, and with a sudden grasp of his left hand on the sword, the intense heat enveloped Longsword. The rolling magical heat wave caused Link much distress – such a Wizard, capable of wielding powerful magic, was not someone he could provoke, and even with sturdy physique, he was sure to be wounded by such a blow.

Encountering a Wizard skilled in melee combat made Link want to curse.

But he wasn’t one to simply await his slaughter. Facing the wave of heat and death, he took the offensive, charging forward as the roaring heat currents bellowed past his ears.

The emerald blade clashed with the scorching hot edge, and though the outcome of the battle remained uncertain, their fierce determination was evident in their faces, measured by the degree of their gnashing teeth, glaring eyes, and flaring nostrils.

It appeared that the so-called "Dungeon Lord" of this "Underground City" – really, more of a small cellar – possessed greater strength.

Link’s unease grew incessantly as he wildly speculated, "He’s weaker than me, his strength doesn’t compare to mine, but how does he always manage to burst forth with such overwhelming power at the most critical moments?"

"That’s called a critical hit, you don’t understand, huh? Plus, I have stacking attributes and magical gear," the opponent said with a smile, "You can’t beat me."

He certainly couldn’t understand, but one thing was clear to him – if the standoff continued, he was doomed.

"Where’s old Jerry?" Link quickly asked.

"He has already agreed to swear allegiance to me. You’ll get to see him after you pledge your loyalty to me."

As the fight progressed, its balance truly began to shift toward the other party. The longer the fight dragged on, the more evident this bias became.

Finally, Link had his weapon knocked from his hands and collapsed exhausted onto the ground.

"Fine! I agree to you!"

In the end, he chose to pledge his loyalty.

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