Chapter 74

Long Teng's curses were already on the verge of spilling out, but when he heard Xu Yuan's words about personally attracting the monster, he swallowed his harsh words alive. 

He clenched his teeth, forced himself to endure the burning anger, and forced out a very unnatural smile. 

"Okay, you be careful," he said, though his voice trembled slightly. 

But inside, Long Teng was tangled in a storm of conflicting emotions. On one hand, he desperately wished Xu Yuan would be killed immediately—after all, that would be a glorious victory. On the other hand, he knew that if Xu Yuan were truly eliminated, no one would be left to clean up the mess of Withering. 

Xu Yuan heard Long Teng's insincere words and chuckled softly. 

"Don't worry, Wither's anger shouldn't be as big as yours," he said with a reassuring tone. "It's fine—just don't worry about me." 

Before Long Teng could react, Xu Yuan swiftly equipped himself and strode into the main city of the Dragon Teng Guild with everyone following closely behind. Only a red-faced, furious Long Teng remained standing, glaring after him. 

Meanwhile, the spectators watching this scene tried to hold back their laughter, though their internal injuries threatened to burst. They dared not laugh aloud, knowing the high status of the Dragon Teng Guild in the game. 

"I think Steve is really suited for crosstalk," someone whispered. 

"I'm about to die of laughter—this is too funny, I can't hold it in…" 

"Hahaha, who can say such things as Steve?!" 

"I really like Steve's personality—approachable and bold, though his mouth is a bit owed, hahaha." 

"His mouth is so owed it's an art—others' mouths are owed, and they get asked if they've eaten enough." 

Despite the chatter, everyone's eyes were on Xu Yuan's equipment. 

"Groove! Look at Steve's gear—diamond set, shining purple halo!" 

"Wow, Steve is so low-key, yet his equipment is so good, it's never been shown before…" 

"Yeah, some guilds are so flashy—they wear all their gear all the time, just to show off…" 

After arriving at the main city of the Dragon Teng Guild, Xu Yuan turned to Ken and said, "Don't go near the boss. I'll lead it, and you can follow me carefully." 

The guild members were stunned. 

"Isn't it, boss? You're going alone to lead?" 

"Boss, we know you're strong, but can you really handle this boss alone? It's just a creeper-level drop—can you do it all by yourself?" 

"Boss, think twice—if you die, we're all finished!" 

"Come on, what's not dead?!" 

Hearing their concerns, Xu Yuan felt a warmth in his heart. 

Ken, standing beside him, spoke confidently. 

"All that nonsense, Steve boss still needs to worry?!" 

"We just need to do what the boss commands!" 

Though Ken's words sounded confident, he was secretly worried. But he trusted Xu Yuan's judgment—he knew that Xu Yuan wouldn't do anything reckless. 

The guild members nodded silently, then quickly prepared for the battle. 

Xu Yuan nodded in acknowledgment, then headed straight toward Wither. 

The desolate ruins, shattered buildings, scorched ground, and scattered corpses formed a grim battlefield. In the middle of the chaos stood Wither—a towering, vicious boss. 

A lone figure, vastly smaller than the monster, strode confidently toward the center of the battlefield. The scene was so heroic that players couldn't resist taking screenshots. 

Xu Yuan moved to a position about ten yards from Wither. The moment he appeared, the boss immediately detected him and launched an attack. 

Xu Yuan swiftly adjusted his stance, positioning himself in front of the Dragon Teng Guild's territory. Wither swung its massive head toward him repeatedly, blowing up terrain and making dodging difficult. Each time, Xu Yuan managed to evade its head just in time, causing the players to hold their breath with every narrow escape. 

After a series of dodges, Xu Yuan retreated to a slightly flatter area. Suddenly, a blue head shot toward him—an attack that looked different from the black heads. 

Seeing the blue head flying close, the players' hearts tightened. 

"It's over! Steve missed!! Run!!" 

"Steve, don't die!!" 

Everyone's eyes were glued to Xu Yuan, their spirits tense, praying he wouldn't fall under Wither's relentless assault. 

At that critical moment, Xu Yuan looked at the approaching blue head. When it was almost within reach, he raised his diamond sword and waved it. 

The head was suddenly struck back by the reaction force of his sword, flying toward Wither. 

Xu Yuan was momentarily stunned—he knew he was dealing with an undead creature. His upgraded *Order of the Dead* skill inflicted quadruple damage on undead monsters, making this attack particularly effective. 

The players watching this scene were stunned. 

"What?! Did Steve just knock back the boss's attack?!" 

"Unbelievable! He's playing so cleverly!" 

"Is it a coincidence, or does Steve already know how this thing hits?!" 

"Wow, the black head falls much faster than the blue one—Steve even dodges the black heads, but not the blue?" 

"Lying groove! Did he wait for the boss to attack him on purpose?!" 

"Nima, this guy is terrifying…" 

From the analysis, everyone realized Xu Yuan was deliberately waiting for the blue head, demonstrating an extraordinary level of control and anticipation. 

He kept retreating from the black heads while repeatedly sending back the blue head with precise timing, gradually leading the Withering into a position where it couldn't easily attack him. 

Finally, Xu Yuan brought the Wither into the land of the Dragon Teng Guild, where terrain destruction was minimal. 

Ken's team swiftly followed, surrounding the boss. 

"Disperse!" Xu Yuan ordered. 

The guild members scattered immediately, surrounding Withering. 

He then gave a clear command: "Aim! Fire!" 

Dozens of arrows were loosed simultaneously, striking Withering's body. Xu Yuan, wielding his enchanted bow, shot precise shots that inflicted heavy damage. 

After the first volley, Wither's HP dropped to about one-fifth. Thanks to Xu Yuan's high-level undead hunter title, his damage output was significantly higher. 

He then swiftly adjusted his position, attacking again, and the second volley reduced Withering's HP by another fifth. 

By the third round of attacks, half of Withering's health was gone. Recognizing that it would explode soon, Xu Yuan ordered, "Retreat!" 

The guild members obeyed immediately, pulling back from the battlefield. 

As Withering's HP neared zero, it summoned four skeletal minions—wither skeletons—that instantly rushed forward, attracting hatred. 

"Ken, Xiaoyu, Awang, Ahao—one each!" Xu Yuan commanded. "Pull them away!" 

The four elite players quickly lured their respective skeletons away, fighting them in different areas. 

Seeing that, Xu Yuan ordered, "Switch to melee swords—attack it directly! Be careful—if it lies flat, everyone move away immediately!" 

The guild members obeyed, attacking relentlessly. 

Under coordinated assaults, Wither's HP steadily decreased. It occasionally released collision attacks, but everyone had prepared in advance, avoiding damage effectively. 

As Withers health approached death, Xu Yuan raised his hand for a final signal. 

"Stop attacking!" 

The players paused instantly. 

"Who hasn't gotten the first kill?" 

"Come on! Finish it!" 

Some players, still eager, continued their attacks, trying to claim the final blow. 

Finally, Withering's HP dropped to zero. Its body gradually vanished, leaving behind a shining silver star—*Nether Star*! 

A system prompt rang out loud and clear: 

**[Congratulations to player POUL for delivering the first kill of Withering!]** 

Poul stared in astonishment at the contents in his backpack—the Nether Star, a title deed, twenty gold coins, and a broken drawing with four words written on it: **Twilight Forest**.