Chapter 27: The Grandmaster

The deepest layer of the Woma Temple.

Upon an altar built from obsidian, a dense, nearly impenetrable stream of dark energy flowed ceaselessly. Not far from the altar, a creature with a pair of massive fleshy wings on its back and four arms at its front knelt silently, its gaze fixed upon the altar. Aside from its heavy breathing, the chamber was wrapped in utter silence.

As the last Woma monster fell before Li Ren, the room of the Woma Chief was now within reach.

The breaths of those behind him grew noticeably quicker, and it was hardly surprising given their complex emotions at that moment. Never before had they been led across such a vast gap in levels to obtain something so important. They were likely—no, certainly—the first to reach this place and slay the Woma Chief. This creature was a nightmare for early players.

Official news had once revealed that the Woma Chief, as one of the first formidable bosses encountered by players, would drop one of the most critical items in the game: the Guild Founding Order.

The difficulty of obtaining this order would be exceptionally high in the early stages. In other words, to acquire it through legitimate means, players would have to wait until their levels reached around seventy and, with the attributes of seventy-level equipment, forcefully overpower the Chief. That would be the most feasible way.

This was, in fact, a way for the system to control guilds and manage resources. After all, the guild system in “Land of the Gods” was extraordinarily powerful.

Leaving these thoughts aside, when Li Ren and his party of twenty stormed into the Woma Chief’s chamber, the grand architectural style and the ancient, mysterious square altar deeply impressed them. Yet their hands did not falter; they began preparing for the battle’s opening.

Li Ren had deliberately stored all the converted blood essence from the last waves of Woma minions in his backpack. This essence not only granted experience but also restored five percent health. The creature before them was a level sixty elite boss, and even with his current attributes and equipment bonuses, Li Ren was still not quite on par with the original level fifty boss. Carrying these blood essences was a precaution.

He feared that the priestesses might not be able to cope with the frantic loss of health, which could spell disaster.

“Hey, it’s just a big lug, don’t be afraid. Just heal me and watch as I wreck it. If the Guild Founding Order doesn’t drop, don’t blame me—my luck’s low. Whoever’s luckiest, you go for it!” Seeing everyone tense, Li Ren let his quirky nature show, acting as if he were on the verge of a split personality.

He summoned twenty skeletal guards, shining with buffs, and strode toward the Woma Chief.

As soon as he summoned his minions, the Woma Chief turned its gaze upon him. In those pitch-black pupils, a flicker of confusion appeared, but vanished as quickly as it came. Li Ren noticed nothing amiss.

The obsidian altar’s dark energy continued to circulate. Sensing Li Ren’s hostility, the Woma Chief rose and stepped forward. With a mighty shout, Li Ren led his minions, brimming with momentum, and the Woma Chief, feeling its authority challenged, responded in kind with a thunderous roar, charging straight at Li Ren.

Neither would yield, and their rapid advance carried an overwhelming force.

Li Ren raised his colossal shield, short sword hidden behind it, his right hand gathering power bit by bit. The Woma Chief, with its four arms, wielded massive weapons entwined with silver lightning.

Luo Yue and her companions watched the scene with trepidation. Each priestess had their potent healing spells ready, waiting to unleash them at the moment of impact.

With a deafening crash, Li Ren and the Woma Chief collided fiercely. Li Ren’s shield blocked the Chief’s ferocious blow, while his lightning-charged sword stabbed deeply into the Chief’s body!

-5000! A crimson number appeared above the Chief’s head, but Li Ren did not fare much better. Even though he blocked the attack, two numbers flashed above him: -2000, -300!

He glanced at the damage notifications and realized that the 300 was from the Chief’s inherent lightning attribute, an unavoidable property attack. Each strike would inflict at least three hundred points of forced damage!

Fortunately, with his vast HP and the priests behind him, this was not overly concerning. Still, it illuminated why this boss was considered the strongest early-game adversary. No matter how good the equipment or how high the damage reduction, shield warriors would lose at least three hundred health per hit, making instant death a simple matter if HP was insufficient.

He ordered his minions to surround the Chief, and under their assault, its health began to visibly drop. Yet, those closest to Li Ren barely managed a few attacks before being reduced to rubble.

It turned out the Chief’s attacks carried an area-of-effect property, similar to a crescent slash, dealing the same damage to all minions within range. Without equipment and strong damage reduction, the skeletal guards were quickly destroyed.

Only about ten minions remained, hacking at the Chief’s rear.

“Thunderous Dance!” As the Chief’s health fell to eighty percent, a special skill struck Li Ren without fail.

Bolts of electricity snaked from Li Ren’s wounds, linking to the skeletal guards behind the Chief. The powerful area attack, combined with boosted speed, swiftly depleted their health.

Seeing this, Li Ren realized there was no point in summoning more minions—they would all die regardless, wasting souls. Better to wait.

Even without their help, his own attack damage was more than sufficient.

The equipment he’d gathered from Woma minions, granting attack bonuses, defense penetration, and more, augmented his own power substantially.

“Hah, this thing takes a beating, not easy at all. Come on, Luo Yue, keep my health up; Ruoshui, use your spells at your leisure; Cang Yue, just cheer for me, hahaha.” Li Ren laughed as he fought, provoking Cang Yue to roll her eyes.

The group agreed that the cold aloofness Li Ren displayed upon their first meeting was merely an act. Now his true self emerged—a quirky homebody, almost split in personality...

Yet they laughed, too, knowing that this side of him only appeared when he felt trust and comfort. He trusted them.

He unleashed three-stage slashes one after another, one of his favorite skills, thanks to its near-zero cooldown.

Dazzling sword flashes poured onto the Woma Chief, the relentless blade light leaving it struggling to defend itself. The duel between two bosses was tipping in favor of Li Ren and his band of priest players.

“Congratulations, your one-handed sword skill has broken through to level 2. You gain a bonus: one-handed sword damage increased by 10%. You acquire a weapon skill: Five-Star Strike (passive effect: 1% chance to ignore all defense attributes for 2 seconds).”

After the system notification, Li Ren’s skill bar showed that his three-stage slash had become Five-Star Strike.

A quick glance was enough for him to sense the skill’s overwhelming power.

Indeed, switching from three-stage slash to Five-Star Strike, not only could he deliver five consecutive attacks, but the 1% chance to ignore all defense was devastating.

Rows of -1000 damage numbers appeared above the Chief’s head, until suddenly, a shocking number stunned everyone.

-10000!!!

In the next two seconds, two Five-Star Strikes shaved a full hundred thousand health from the Woma Chief!

“Damn! I’m going superhuman! I’m too fierce, too strong, can’t take it!” The group rolled their eyes, but none could argue.

Li Ren was amazed at the damage, and even more surprised at breaking through the second level of one-handed sword skills.

“Land of the Gods” featured myriad weapon skills, but increasing proficiency was extremely difficult. Most people could only reach level two, with no way to progress further.

Li Ren had been stuck at level two for ages, thinking it was the limit. Yet now, he’d broken through—gaining a near-unmatched attribute!

A hundred thousand HP! For a level sixty boss like the Woma Chief, that was no trivial number.

Its total HP was only three hundred thousand. This single strike had taken a third, and earlier he’d removed another twenty percent. The Chief now had barely half its health remaining.

And the battle had barely begun! Li Ren hadn’t even used the blood essences he’d saved.

Suddenly, the Woma Chief howled, its eyes turning blood-red. The dense dark energy on the altar split, a thread flowing into its body.

Upon absorbing the darkness, the Chief grew taller, its muscles bulging explosively, the surrounding lightning crackling like a writhing nest of serpents.

“Attention, rotate damage reduction skills, maximize healing!” Luo Yue’s experience fighting bosses was unmatched, and the priestesses worked together smoothly.

One after another, damage reduction skills were layered onto Li Ren. Though the Chief’s attack speed doubled, and the lightning attribute increased to 800 per strike, Li Ren’s health stubbornly stayed above eighty percent!

The frenzied Chief’s attack speed gradually slowed, the dark power’s effects waning. Yet the assault remained terrifying.

Truly worthy of its title as the ultimate early-game boss, the Woma Chief!