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Chapter 43: Undead Brand
Continuing up the stairs, the group arrived at the second floor of the prison. This was a high-tower type of prison, and the higher one went, the more formidable the inmates held there. Moreover, the guards on the second floor were also stronger than those below.
Upon reaching the second floor and slaying a squad of guards, Lena felt the difficulty gradually increasing. The most frustrating part was that the second floor was like a maze; they kept going in circles, unable to find the way to the third floor. Fortunately, Mina discovered a prison map in one of the rooms. Led by Mina, the group finally reached the staircase to the third floor. As before, there was certainly an elite guard here.
Sure enough, an elite guard appeared, holding a gun in his left hand and a scimitar in his right.
"Someone actually broke through to the second floor. Too bad, this is as far as you go."
"[Encountered Elite Guard James.]"
"Judging by your attire, you're pirates, aren't you? Tsk tsk tsk, I miss the old pirate days, but the Warden was kind enough to take me in, so I can't let him down. Therefore, you all shall die here."
James fired his flintlock repeatedly, and everyone quickly sought cover behind the damp stone pillars. One of the team members was too slow and was shot in the leg, falling into a crippled state. James showed a cruel smile: "Weaklings are not worthy to stand before me."
Just as he raised his gun to kill that player, Bruso pulled the trigger. Although this elite guard was not wearing armor this time, there seemed to be mysterious runic brands glowing on his skin. A brand flashed, and the bullet passed through James's body without causing him any harm.
James immediately activated his execution animation, brutally killing that player.
"What's going on? Why did the bullet pass through his body?"
"What was that green light just now?"
Seeing this, Lena picked up her flintlock and fired a barrage of shots at James. Just like before, the bullets penetrated James's body; he seemed to dodge the bullets like a ghost.
"Hahahaha, the Warden bestowed great power upon me! How could I be killed by you ants!"
James was like a walking killing machine; his movements were swift. He would approach a player, and even at full health, he could directly activate an execution animation. Scimitar execution, flintlock execution. Lena frowned, carefully observing James's body. She found that he had a total of ten brands on his body. Whenever a player's attack hit, one of his brands would disappear. A few seconds later, another brand would be replenished. As long as there was a brand present, no damage could be inflicted upon him.
Now she understood the mechanism of this monster.
"Everyone, focus fire! Don't stop!" Lena issued the command.
The remaining players began to continuously attack James. The brands on James's body rapidly decreased. Although brands were recovering every second, they couldn't keep up with the rate of decrease. Finally, all the brands disappeared. Seeing this, Lena activated her rapid-fire flintlock skill.
Three bullets flew out. Based on the agility attributes of both sides, one bullet successfully hit James's body.
"Cough!"
James staggered, unable to stand steady. Lena quickly moved forward and drove her blade into James's heart. At this moment, James's body had no brands, so he took true damage.
"No, impossible... Warden, I have failed!"
Thus, James was taken down by the group with great difficulty. This battle resulted in the loss of three team members, leaving six remaining. This time, a superb-quality scimitar, a superb-quality piece of clothing, and a superb-quality Duelist skill book, 'Execution Blade Art,' dropped.
There was only one Duelist in the team, so Lena took the skill book. For the remaining two superb-quality pieces of equipment, everyone started rolling dice. Ultimately, Mina was lucky enough to get the scimitar, while the clothing was taken by another player. Mina adored the scimitar. Although she was a Navigator, she also possessed certain combat abilities.
Execution Blade Art: Can be used when the opponent's health is below 20%. Attack speed slows down when using this skill. If the enemy is not hit, it will cause a significant stun to oneself. Please use with caution.
It seemed this skill was a double-edged sword, possessing the ability to instantly kill enemies while also having a terrifying side effect. Relatively speaking, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks.
After learning this skill, the group entered the third floor of the high tower, which was the top floor of the prison. The guards on the third floor were even fiercer, and everyone felt that each wave of combat was not easy.
"Let's all take a break and eat some food to replenish ourselves."
Everyone took out their food and began to eat. About ten seconds later, a 'satiated' status appeared above their heads, boosting all attributes by 10%. Just as everyone was about to continue, a deep voice came from a nearby cell.
"Let me out, I can help you."
Initially, Lena didn't intend to pay attention to that NPC, but Mina stopped in front of the cell.
"Uncle Saiques!"
"Hmm?"
Lena stopped, looking at the scene before her with some confusion. "Mina, you know him?"
Mina's emotions were a bit agitated at this moment: "Yes, it's Uncle Saiques. He's from Barbado Island, just like us. He left the town a few years ago. He's a famous pirate from our town!"
"Mina, is that you?"
"It's me, Uncle Saiques. I'll get you out right away."
Mina used her lock-picking skill and rescued Saiques from the cell. Saiques had a full beard, wore prisoner's striped clothes, and his hands were bound by shackles.
"Thank you for saving me. It seems my life isn't over yet."
This pirate named Saiques was strong, with sharp eyes, and looked quite extraordinary.
Lena said, "We're looking for Captain Jack Sparrow. Do you know his location?"
"Jack Sparrow, you mean? That fellow, he's imprisoned on this floor, in the deepest part, right next to the Warden's room. It won't be easy to rescue him," Saiques said.
"Can you tell us about that Warden?"
"Of course. He's the one who captured me, and Jack too. That guy isn't human."
"Not human?"
"You could say that. He's a Necromancer. I heard a long time ago, he was adventuring on the high seas and encountered a shipwreck. In his moment of crisis, he prayed to the Sea Goddess Calypso and received her response. The Sea Goddess saved his life, but the price was to turn him into an undead and permanently guard this prison."
So that's how it was. James, the guard on the second floor earlier, was branded by the Warden. Necromancer was also a new second-tier class added in this version.
"Do sea gods really exist in this world?" a player asked.
"You might not have believed it before, but you will after you meet the Warden. This world is full of many things we cannot comprehend," Saiques said.