Chapter 35: The Formidable Phantom Assassin

This Phantom Assassin named Sarah bowed slightly to Cao Xing, the two Shadow Blades in her hands emitting a chilling light.

Cao Xing nodded: "Welcome to the team, Sarah Blade Dance."

Sarah did not react.

Liu Muxue also said softly at this moment: "Welcome, Sarah."

Upon hearing the voice, this aloof Phantom Assassin turned her gaze toward Liu Muxue and responded: "Thank you, beautiful lady, Sarah Blade Dance is at your service."

Cao Xing rolled his eyes from the side.

This Phantom Assassin was a bit aloof; she only responded to Liu Muxue and ignored him.

However, he was already accustomed to the cold reactions of these newcomers when they were first recruited, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Then, Cao Xing checked the attributes of this Phantom Assassin.

[ Phantom Assassin: Sarah Blade Dance ]

[ Race: Dark Elf ]

[ Level: 20 (7613/100000) (Tier 2 Elite Creature) ]

[ HP: 6713 (Equipment Bonus) ]

[ Attack: 731 ~ 754 (Weapon Bonus) ]

[ Armor: 134 ~ 151 (Equipment Bonus) ]

[ Attributes: Strength 234, Agility 307, Spirit 227, Constitution 251 ]

[ Skills: Crippling Dagger (Throws a dagger, dealing 130% damage to the enemy and reducing their Agility by 135 points, Cooldown 180 seconds.) Phantom Form (Blurs her figure and hides her presence. While in Stealth, increases Evasion probability by 30% and Movement Speed by 20%. Duration 5 minutes, Cooldown 8 minutes) Coup de Grace (When attacking, has a 30% chance to deal 225% damage, a 15% chance to deal 315% damage, and a 5% chance to deal 432% damage.) ]

[ Talent: Shadow Body (While in Stealth, gains an additional 15% Evasion rate.) ]

[ Bond: Assassin (When there are 3 or more Assassins in the party, the trigger probability of Coup de Grace increases by 5%; when there are 10 or more, the trigger probability increases by 10%) ]

[ Satiety: 63 ]

[ Loyalty: 59 ]

…

Unconcealable astonishment appeared in Cao Xing's eyes.

Obviously, this was a terrifying existence.

With an attack power of nearly seven hundred, a random critical hit from a single strike could even compare to a shot from a [Barrett].

If [Coup de Grace] was triggered, the damage from that single strike could directly slice off an enemy's skull.

Cao Xing sighed at this moment: "How is this an Assassin? This is practically a Berserker, taking out a kid with every slash!"

However, although Sarah was already very strong now, with the addition of Cao Xing's permanent talent buffs, she could be elevated by several more tiers.

Thus, Cao Xing looked at Sarah with interest and said: "So, Sarah, I am going to apply blessing effects to you now; are you willing to accept them?"

Sarah parted her lips slightly and asked with confusion: "Blessing?"

Cao Xing nodded: "Yes."

Sarah did not answer, appearing somewhat hesitant.

One reason was that she did not trust this new Lord, and the second was that she felt, given the other party's weak strength, what kind of powerful blessing could he possibly apply to her?

After waiting for a moment, Sarah still nodded gently: "Very well, please apply the blessing to me."

Then, without needing Cao Xing to say anything more, Ilena applied [Snake-kin Frenzy] and [Scale Armor] to her.

Sarah's body trembled; she could clearly feel the power of this strength.

Her thin lips parted slightly, and before she could speak, Cao Xing also cast [Ice Healing Art] and [Ice Armor Technique] over, along with Liu Muxue's [Aurora Blessing].

After five consecutive permanent buffs were applied, Sarah froze in place.

Then, Cao Xing saw her shoulders trembling slightly.

As an Assassin who frequently carried out assassination missions, Sarah knew better than anyone the terrifying nature of these permanent statuses!

Not only could they significantly increase her endurance, but they could also increase her survivability.

Especially Ilena's [Snake-kin Frenzy], which was a percentage-based buff.

Sarah could feel her movement speed and attack speed surging by another notch.

Beneath her helmet came the sound of heavy breathing.

Then, she placed the Shadow Blades in her hands against her chest and bowed respectfully to Cao Xing.

"Thank you for your blessing, great Lord."

"Sarah Blade Dance is willing to offer her loyalty to you!"

This bow was from the bottom of Sarah's heart.

A system notification also appeared in Cao Xing's ear.

[You helped your follower: Sarah Blade Dance improve her strength, Loyalty has increased, current Loyalty is 71]

A smile appeared on Cao Xing's face.

Then, he looked at the others in the territory. "Alright, let's continue. Destination, Mole-man Mine!"

Assam and Andrew responded in succession: "We follow the Lord's will."

The aloof Sarah also said softly at this moment: "The Shadow Temple will guide my path forward."

Cao Xing nodded with satisfaction.

Then, he took Liu Muxue with him.

The group of five figures walked out of the camp and headed into the boundless snowfield.

…

…

One hour later, the group appeared in the vast ice field.

A long trail of footprints was left in the snow behind them.

The weather forecast said it would snow tonight, and these footprints would soon be covered.

Cao Xing stopped.

Because they had arrived at the location marked on Assam's map.

It was a snow-capped mountain covered in white snow, and at the foot of the mountain, there seemed to be a passage leading underground.

Assam spoke first: "Lord, that is the mine I discovered yesterday."

Cao Xing nodded and continued to lead the group forward.

When they got closer, a system notification appeared before them.

[Mole-man Mine: Special Area (A large number of Mole-men are active inside, along with some special dangers; please approach with caution).]

[Danger Level: Extremely Dangerous]

Another Extremely Dangerous. However, Cao Xing did not care. Compared to when he was at the Hunter's camp, his strength had improved significantly.

Cao Xing waved his hand and said: "Let's go in."

The others understood and headed into the mine together.

Andrew, who had the highest defense, walked in front, and Assam entered second.

As for Sarah, when she entered the mine, she concealed herself in the darkness.

Cao Xing could not sense her presence at all. But he knew Sarah was right beside him.

Liu Muxue held her shield, watching her surroundings vigilantly. She knew her mission was to protect Cao Xing from harm.

When they stepped into the mine, a system notification appeared,

[You have entered a special area: Mole-man Mine.]

[Current Temperature: -34℃]

The temperature inside the mine was a bit higher, gradually dispelling the chill in their bodies.

On the walls of the mine, Cao Xing saw one or two torches emitting blue flames.

"Assam, help me take these torches down."

Assam obediently did as told.

[Obtained Magic Energy Stone Torch * 1]

[Magic Energy Stone Torch: A low-energy lighting tool. One Magic Energy Stone can provide up to half a year of lighting time.]

(Note: You can remove the Magic Energy Stone from the torch.)