The gate of the Mermaid Queen's palace swung open, releasing a peculiar breath that swept into the air.
An azure light enveloped the space, and with it appeared the mermaid queen—noble, elegant, and breathtakingly beautiful. Though she did not belong to the human race, her beauty was undeniable.
"What a beauty," Ning Yiyi breathed, her eyes misty and unfocused as she unconsciously stepped toward the mermaid queen.
"Wait!" Lin Moyu called out, pulling her back just in time.
It wasn't just Ning Yiyi who was entranced; even the cross-jump players were affected.
Lin Moyu, Miao Yu, and Duan Gao remained relatively unfazed.
"It's a deception technique!" Miao Yu exclaimed, quickly releasing her skills. Several beams of light cascaded down upon them.
Skill: Sober.
Ning Yiyi jolted awake, blinking in confusion. "What's wrong with me?"
Jiang Taotao shook as her senses returned. "What happened?"
Miao Yu fixed her gaze on the mermaid queen. "She has her own enchantment. Both you and Yiyi were affected. I dispelled it with my Sobering skill."
Lin Moyu, Duan Gao, and Miao Yu had sufficiently high spiritual power to resist the mermaid queen's self-confusion technique.
Ning Yiyi shivered, her eyes wide with fear. "That's terrifying."
Jiang Taotao took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "It's a BOSS, after all. Special abilities are to be expected. I've faced many bosses in dungeons, some with tricks that catch you off guard. This time, we almost fell victim ourselves."
The mermaid queen's gaze swept over the fallen elite soldiers, landing on the skeletal warrior among them.
Suddenly, a chilling scream erupted from her lips.
Though the mermaid queen was stunning, her scream was bone-chilling, sending shivers down everyone's spine.
The force of her wail created waves that rolled through the cavern, blowing away the corpses strewn across the ground.
Lin Moyu tensed. He had planned to use the Corpse Explosion skill but had not anticipated her scream would clear the battlefield first.
The skeletal warrior advanced against the gale.
In stark contrast to the mermaid queen, who towered at least five meters tall, the skeleton looked minuscule. Yet, the skeletal warriors withstood the onslaught of the queen's wind.
As he summoned the detection technique, a screen appeared before him:
[Mermaid Queen (Boss Monster)]
[Level: 24]
[Power: 5000]
[Agility: 6000]
[Spirit: 5000]
[Physique: 6000]
[Skills: Horror Scream, Huge Waves, Queen's Cry]
The mermaid queen's attributes were shockingly high, surpassing those of the skeletal warrior in agility and physique.
Jiang Taotao gasped, eyes widening as she absorbed the information. "Compared to other dungeons, the Mermaid Queen has significantly higher attributes."
"If we were to fight her the traditional way, it would take at least an hour to bring her down."
Her mention of the traditional approach referred to a well-balanced team: six damage dealers, one tank, and two supports, which could gradually whittle down the boss's health.
But now, the scenario felt uncertain.
Lin Moyu was shattering her preconceived notions of what was possible. Could the gap between classes be so vast? She couldn't comprehend it.
Twenty skeleton warriors charged at the mermaid queen, who wielded a massive trident, sweeping it in a powerful arc.
Each time the skeletal fighters were knocked back, they rose again to continue their assault.
Lin Moyu could feel the injuries mounting on his skeletal warriors; the mermaid queen's strength, with a power attribute of 5000, was formidable enough to inflict damage. Her physique, a staggering 6000, greatly diminished the damage the skeletal warriors could inflict upon her.
The scene resembled wolves trying to bring down a lion—a daunting task, to say the least.
After several exchanges, the bones of some skeletal warriors splintered, their movements slowing.
Jiang Taotao's eyes sharpened as she noticed. "Duan Gao, we need a boost! Get ready to fight!"
She planned to take the lead when the skeletal warriors could no longer hold their ground.
"No need," Lin Moyu replied softly.
A glimmer of light appeared in his palm.
Skill: Slow Curse!
The mermaid queen's head was ensnared in a net of red shackles, her speed halved and combat effectiveness drastically weakened.
Feeling the curse's weight, she glowed ominously and screamed once more.
Ability: Huge Waves!
The azure light intensified, summoning monstrous waves that swept through the battlefield, instantly washing away the skeletal warriors.
As the waves surged skyward, they engulfed the skeletons, tossing them in the air like leaves caught in a storm.
In the chaos, several skeletal warriors were severely injured, bones cracking under the immense force.
Lin Moyu quickly retracted his spell.
Jiang Taotao tightened her grip on her sword and shield, preparing to take action when the moment arose.
Once the skill expired, the massive wave receded, and the skeletal warriors plummeted from the sky.
Lin Moyu pointed, summoning his remaining 88 skeletal warriors.
As they emerged, they surged toward the mermaid queen like a storm of vengeance.
"There are so many!" someone gasped.
"Why are there so many summons?" another exclaimed.
"It's terrifying!"
It dawned on them that Lin Moyu hadn't unleashed all his summons previously; he had only sent part of them forth.
Jiang Taotao realized if Lin Moyu wished, he could effortlessly eliminate the mermaid monsters blocking their path.
With a few well-placed explosions, it would be over in moments.
Nearly a hundred skeletal warriors besieged the mermaid queen, their numbers overwhelming.
In an instant, they swarmed her, launching a relentless barrage of attacks.
The mermaid queen's skin tore under their assault as she screamed in agony.
Her trident flailed wildly, but under the influence of the Slow Curse, she struggled to shake off her attackers.
Suddenly, a heart-wrenching cry pierced the air.
Skill: Queen's Cry!
The mermaid queen unleashed her power, and Jiang Taotao and Ning Yiyi felt its effects immediately, their pupils glazing over.
Miao Yu hastily activated her Sobering skills, but this time it fell short.
"No, my level is too low. I can't offset the boss's skills," she admitted in frustration.
"It's okay," Lin Moyu whispered reassuringly. As long as he remained unaffected, they would be fine.
He held Ning Yiyi back while Miao Yu pulled Jiang Taotao to safety.
Lin Moyu's high spiritual energy shielded him from the mermaid queen's skill.
The skeletal warriors, devoid of emotions, pain, or fear, continued their assault with unwavering determination.
The queen's skills failed to deter them, and her trident was used ineffectively against the relentless onslaught.
As her skills faded, Ning Yiyi and Jiang Taotao regained their focus, both showing signs of fear.
That ability was too potent; they felt utterly powerless against it.
Azure light flared once more as huge waves crashed into the battlefield, some skeleton warriors being lifted away, while others clung tightly to the mermaid queen, unyielding.
With one hand, the mermaid queen brandished her trident, retaliating against the skeletal warriors attacking her.
This time, the effect of the waves wasn't as devastating.
The battle raged on for a full three minutes, the mermaid queen finally collapsing to the ground with a final, anguished scream.
[Kill the Mermaid Queen, experience +80000]
[Obtain a silver-level weapon: the Mermaid Queen's Long Sword]
[Obtain a silver-level weapon: the Mermaid Queen's Staff]
*[Acquire Mermaid Tears 1]
[Mermaid Queen's Long Sword: Silver rank, Strength +50, Constitution +50, warrior skills increased by 10%, available after level 20.]
[Mermaid Queen's Staff: Silver rank, Spirit +50, Constitution +50, mage skills increased by 10%, available after level 20.]
Seeing the notification, Jiang Taotao's fists clenched with excitement.
Not only had they obtained Mermaid Tears, but they had also secured two silver-level weapons, far superior to bronze ones.
The 10% skill power bonus promised a significant boost to each profession's combat effectiveness.
Ning Yiyi jumped with joy. "Yes! We've completed the trial mission!"
"We're one step closer to establishing a seminary," she cheered.
Jiang Taotao smiled. "As long as we complete a few more trial tasks and level up, we'll definitely enter the seminary."
"Thanks to Lin Moyu this time. Without him, we likely wouldn't have finished the trial," she acknowledged.
Miao Yu nodded, adding, "Yeah, the worst person to deal with is Ling Zhen."
"Let's not talk about him. I never want to team up with someone like him again," Jiang Taotao gritted her teeth, disdain evident in her expression.
Lin Moyu calculated the time; roughly half an hour had passed since they entered the dungeon.
There could still be confrontations occurring outside.
Even if other teams entered the dungeon, they would need time to reach this point.
In all likelihood, they could navigate through to the next area unimpeded.
"Let's move!" he urged. "We should take the treasure and go. We can discuss it more later."
Everyone nodded and swiftly gathered the spoils from the battlefield, including the Mermaid Tears and weapons.
[Item obtained: Mermaid Tears. Special item, acts as a currency in the ocean realm. Can be exchanged for rare items.]
The mermaid tears glistened in the light, giving off a sense of tranquility amidst the chaos of battle.
With weapons in hand, they pressed forward, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.