Chapter 28: The Despicable Player

The towering Dungeon Guardian began to advance. With a rhythmic, dull thud, it strode toward Xiao Yang. The tunnel was not wide enough, nor was it long enough, to accommodate such a presence.

This Dungeon Guardian was nothing like a common skeleton. Skeleton warriors, or even the Skeleton Champions from the first floor of the Skeleton Dungeon, could not compare to this entity in any regard.

It was merely a reanimated pile of bones, and its condition was wretched to the extreme. Yet, the moment it began to move, the moment it closed the distance, it exuded an oppressive pressure that made it hard to breathe.

Xiao Yang took a deep breath, trapped in the narrow corridor, caught in this perilous situation.

*So what? I will defeat you!*

The thought ignited in Xiao Yang’s mind, instantly shattering that suffocating sensation.

He tore the Unstable Essence Cluster from his belt and hurled it violently at the approaching Guardian. With a thunderous boom, a pink mist—sweet, cloying, and carrying an indescribably foul stench—filled the corridor under the force of the shockwave.

It was a peculiar, nauseating odor, reminiscent of corpses mingled with highly concentrated life essence. Once these compressed reserves were released all at once, they manifested in this state. It was a sickly sweet, rot-like stench. Fortunately, in terms of effect, this extreme saturation did not render the essence toxic.

Amidst the tremors, the dense pink clouds triggered two rounds of recovery checks for Xiao Yang.

[Wind of Life blowing: Recovering massive health!]
[Wind of Life blowing: Recovering massive health!]
[Within the Field of Life: Recovering minor health!]

Two massive bursts of healing, followed by a persistent, minor trickle of vitality. For Xiao Yang, a living being, the sweet pink mist provided healing and restoration; but for the Dungeon Guardian, an undead creature, this life-saturated fog acted as the most virulent of poisons.

The Guardian, already sluggish and creaking with every step, slowed further, its entire frame stained a deep, peach-like hue.

It did not stop, but it was not enough. A single Unstable Essence Cluster was insufficient to fell such a powerful, albeit weakened, enemy.

Fortunately, Xiao Yang had come prepared.

Cluster after cluster of unstable life essence was thrown.

It was a despicable tactic, devoid of honor, but Xiao Yang did not mind. He was a player. Players do not concern themselves with glory or fairness. Ambush, specialized items, calling for reinforcements, manipulating the terrain—no matter the method, as long as a powerful enemy could be defeated, it was a good strategy.

Step by step, the weakened Dungeon Guardian failed to reach Xiao Yang. It could not land a single attack. Frustrated and helpless, it collapsed with a loud crash into the pink mist, just a short distance from him.

Everything had been easier than Xiao Yang imagined, or perhaps it was simply because he had fought too ruthlessly, with no regard for the code of combat.

Now, it was time to collect the spoils. Xiao Yang was not feeling particularly composed; in this short span of time, he felt as if the sweet, pink mist had soaked into his very pores. While the game panel indicated that the Unstable Essence Cluster did not deal damage to living organisms, he felt as if the concentration was becoming something akin to a toxic gas.

He dared not linger. He reached out and looted the Guardian’s corpse, which lay slumped in the corridor. A flash of purple light appeared in his hand. Without checking the details, he stuffed the loot into his backpack and bolted toward the end of the corridor.

It was at that moment, as Xiao Yang sprinted away, that a small figure suddenly darted from his shadow. A tiny hand reached out, snatched a purple glimmer from the scattered remains of the Guardian, and pulled it to its chest.

Simultaneously, a sharp, sizzling sound erupted from the little creature. Such a high concentration of the Life Field was lethal to all undead, but unlike the unfortunate Guardian, this creature did not have to endure it—it vanished back into the shadows.

Huangzhu Village.

It was a small town nestled on the edge of the mountains. In a quiet, two-story house backed by a bamboo forest, some strange noises began to stir.

Xiao Yang rushed out of the basement, clutching his nose, and collapsed onto the ground, feeling utterly drained. He was saturated with the pink mist, smelling as if he had been pickled in it.

He silently made a decision: if possible, he would use the Unstable Essence Cluster as sparingly as possible in the future. It might not deal physical damage, but the psychological toll was immense.

He looked up. He was back in his home, staring at the yellowing ceiling.

For the past month, while sleeping on cold, hard stone bricks, he had often longed to be back in his own home, eating a bowl of hot noodles. Yet, now that he was truly back, he felt a strange sense of unease.

He quickly lifted his head and looked behind him. The basement door stood wide open, revealing the cold, deep corridor and the lingering pink haze he had created with his reckless use of items.

The past month was not a dream. He had returned to his old home, but the Skeleton Dungeon remained, its entrance fused seamlessly with his basement.

*Fine, fine, I can rest easy now,* Xiao Yang nodded, then collapsed onto the floor, motionless.

One thing was for certain: Xiao Yang had learned a lesson! Never blindly trust the game panel descriptions!

Although the "God Game" hadn't technically lied, his current state wasn't poisoning—it was simply the result of being over-healed. To put it in simpler terms, he was suffering from "healing-induced intolerance" due to the extreme, excessive recovery.

His eyes rolled back in his head. If the Dungeon Guardian had taken a moment longer to fall, Xiao Yang would have been the one to collapse in the corridor from a "healing overdose."

In essence, this state wasn't damaging, and it even had its benefits. But if Xiao Yang were to rate it, he would definitely have some "words" for the God Game.

[Obtained trait: Life Saturation.]
[Life Saturation: Health recovery +1.]

Of course, this wasn't the only thing Xiao Yang gained. The event that occurred when he arrived at the Heavens Trading District repeated itself.

[Dungeon Delver activated...]