Chapter 19: Unlocking the Shackles, A Brutal Slaughter!

The A-rank skill was useless to Li Yao, so he tucked it directly into his storage ring; he could trade it or sell it for money later.

However, the upper-body armor known as the "Proof of Courage" left Li Yao feeling incredibly excited. It was a percentage-based attribute bonus—the kind of stat that grew more powerful as one leveled up, making it extremely rare.

Li Yao was a Summoner, and Strength was his most useless attribute. But he had not forgotten that he possessed the "Shackle" skill, which allowed him to share the attributes of his Void Mantis for a short time. The Void Mantis’s Strength attribute was already shockingly high due to its practical combat training, and to add another 30% on top of that would surely create an effect where one plus one was greater than two.

However, the wearing conditions for this equipment were extremely harsh; it was clearly designed for Berserker warriors who stacked Strength.

"I wonder if the attributes from activated skill bonuses count..." Li Yao murmured softly. If they didn't, he would have to dump his attribute points into Strength to wear this gear, which wouldn't be worth the trade-off.

"I'll find out when I hit level 15." Li Yao stopped dwelling on it. The Goblin Warlord, as the first boss cleared in the Nightmare-level dungeon, had already provided rewards that left him extremely satisfied. If all else failed, he could still sell it for a staggering price.

For the next while, Li Yao followed the same routine, clearing out the remaining Goblin tribes in one go. Because the Void Predator had devoured the previous boss, it had gained a massive boost to its max HP, allowing it to easily tank the Goblins' attacks. Consequently, Li Yao didn't need to lure them; he simply slaughtered them without restraint, his clearing speed far exceeding that of the first tribe.

The Goblins from the three tribes not only dropped a large amount of Bronze and Black Iron gear but also pushed Li Yao’s experience directly to 13th level at 57%. It took a total of two hours. If he were still out in the wild, he wouldn't even dare to dream of such an upgrade speed.

The only disappointment was that Li Yao did not find another Goblin Warlord in the other three tribes.

"There should be another boss further ahead; no rush." Li Yao glanced at the pyramid-shaped structure in the distance, his eyes solemn. Without hesitation, he walked toward it.

Along the way, a nauseating stench hit his face, forcing Li Yao to cover his nose. Yet, aside from scattered human bones, he didn't encounter a single Goblin. After walking for about ten minutes, the Void Mantis and the Void Predator had restored their health to its peak. The dense forest began to thin out, and the stench became so pungent it began to sting his eyes.

At the edge of the forest, an open space about the size of a soccer field appeared. Countless Goblins clad in armor and wielding long spears patrolled the area. Behind them, a Goblin wearing a crown and draped in a blood-red war cloak sat upon a throne at the base of the pyramid. Its blood-red pupils were already locked onto Li Yao.

[Goblin Vanguard]
[Level 18 (Reinforced Elite)]
[HP: 16,250]
[Strength: 321]
[Spirit: 118]
[Agility: 274]
[Endurance: 325]
[Skills: Goblin Charge LV5, Army Breaker LV3, Elemental Resistance LV5, Thick-Skinned LV5]

[Goblin King]
[???]

Li Yao frowned slightly at the scene. It was a bit troublesome, but not insurmountable. The enemy had spotted him but hadn't attacked yet, which meant he hadn't triggered the boss mechanism. The only things he had to face right now were these Goblin Vanguards. Their exaggerated stats, aside from HP, were not much weaker than the Warlord's. The real problem was their proximity; if he attacked one, all of them would swarm him in an instant. Luring them individually was simply not realistic.

"Well then... let's test my power." Li Yao cracked his knuckles. Not bothering to hide his aura, he walked step by step toward the group of Goblin Vanguards. At the same time, he issued a "stand by" command to the Void Predator.

"Screee!"

Catching the scent of human flesh, the Goblin Vanguards let out ear-piercing shrieks. Wielding their spears, they leapt and charged toward Li Yao, as if they were afraid of missing out on a bite of meat.

"Void Mantis, looks like we’ve been mistaken for food," Li Yao chuckled, speaking to the void beside him. The Void Mantis possessed high intelligence, but since it couldn't speak, it simply brandished its sharp claws to express its fury.

[Shackle: The Summoner can designate one summoned beast to connect with a soul shackle. The Summoner can share all attributes and skills of that summoned beast. Duration: 20 minutes. Cooldown: 12 hours.]

"Designate... Void Mantis."

[Designation successful!]

"Activate!"

In the next instant, an inexplicably powerful force surged through every fiber of Li Yao’s being. The sudden explosion of strength made it difficult to control at first; he took one step, and with a "bang," the solid ground shattered beneath his feet. Yet, within seconds, the power felt as if it were his own, with no hint of awkwardness.

Li Yao’s lips curled into a smile. "Truly a skill every Summoner dreams of."

The next second, Li Yao stomped the ground and blasted toward the swarm of Goblin Vanguards! As he approached, he used Void Assault to vanish into the air, then slammed a punch into one of the Vanguards. He didn't need to stay hidden to avoid attacks; he only needed the damage bonus from the "Break Stealth" strike.

[-5017]

It wasn't over. Turning his fist into a palm, Li Yao grabbed a Vanguard by the neck, and with the massive disparity in strength, threw it behind him. "Isolated" triggered.

"Taste Their Fear!"

Li Yao activated the skill. He didn't need to physically mimic the Void Mantis; runes emerged in his hands, and a phantom of the Void Mantis appeared behind him, its dual claws crossing in a strike.

[-11532]
[Killed Goblin Vanguard, EXP +0.7%]
[Practical Combat Training triggered, Void Mantis Strength +1]

With a single blow, the Goblin Vanguard exploded into a mist of blood!

"Hahaha, exhilarating!" Li Yao roared at the sky in delight. The experience of killing enemies himself was vastly different from watching someone else do it! Furthermore, after connecting to the Void Mantis via Shackle, the enemies he killed were counted toward the Void Mantis’s training. An unexpected joy!

With no more worries, Li Yao dove straight into the pile of monsters. Behind him, the Void Mantis was no less impressive. With Li Yao acting as an invincible vanguard, it could attack without restraint. Whenever it emerged from stealth and the cooldown wasn't up, Li Yao would appear by its side, intercepting all enemies.

Just like that, man and mantis charged into the center of the monsters, moving like a whirlwind, as if they were in an empty field! Dark green blood turned into a torrential downpour, coating the ground.

Li Yao grew more and more ecstatic as the number of Goblin Vanguards dwindled.

[Killed Goblin Vanguard, EXP +0.7%]
[Practical Combat Training triggered, Void Mantis Strength +1]
[Level reached 14, gained 10 free attribute points]

After the level-up, Li Yao looked at the few remaining straggling Goblins and stopped his assault. He left the rest to the Void Mantis.

Li Yao’s gaze fixed intently on the Goblin King sitting on the throne. Drenched in dark green blood, he radiated an imposing, murderous aura.

The Goblin King rose slowly, locking eyes with Li Yao with an evil, twisted gaze.

[Shackle remaining time... 3:59]