Chapter 144 – Confronting the Nightmare Difficulty Again

Chapter 144 – Confronting the Nightmare Difficulty Again

Liu Hao couldn’t refute Cheng Yang’s words. Surviving in this apocalyptic world was inherently a gamble. For every combatant, it was a constant struggle against the current—advance or be left behind. To remain at the forefront of human evolution, one had to take risks and fight relentlessly.

“You call this thing docile? Who sees it as docile?” Liu Hao quipped, trying to steer the conversation away from the heavy topic.

As they bantered, someone brought over a plate of roasted meat and some porridge. The constant diet of meat had grown tiresome for everyone, though no one complained. Cheng Yang had decided to supplement their meals with stored grains. So far, he hadn’t purchased any food from the general store. Everything they ate was either scavenged from ruins or obtained from slain demonic beasts, a practice that had significantly reduced the burden on their territory.

However, the stored food was limited. For a population of 100,000, it would only last three to four months. This was only possible because the combatants from Luofeng Village had discovered a small grain storage facility beneath the ruins of Xiangcheng City. Cheng Yang now prayed for the gods to unlock the farming function soon. Even if they started planting immediately, it would take at least four to five months before they could harvest anything.

During the meal, Liu Hao asked, “Lord, you mentioned clearing the Nightmare difficulty dungeon earlier. Are you confident?”

Cheng Yang replied, “I’d say I have an 80% chance of success. But I’ll need you to find me a healer with strong healing capabilities to be safe.”

Liu Hao nodded. “The highest-level healer in my Windchaser Battalion has reached mid-tier. With her equipment, she can heal nearly 70 HP per second.”

“Only 50? That’s a bit low,” Cheng Yang mused. “But it should suffice.”

Liu Hao sighed. “Lord, the strongest healer in our territory is only mid-tier, right?”

Cheng Yang grinned. “Your information is outdated. Liu Xiyue just advanced to high-tier apprentice today. With her abilities, each cast of Healing Light can restore over 120 HP.”

Liu Hao chuckled. “Lord, that’s practically cheating! I bet the new village chief of Crane Mountain Village is Liu Xiyue, right? But it’s the best choice—her innate skills are too powerful.”

After finishing their meal, Liu Hao summoned the healer. This was indeed the top healer of the Windchaser Battalion, one of the first to be class-changed. Her Healing Light skill was nearing level 4, surpassing even Liu Xiyue in that regard.

However, this healer wasn’t female but a man named Zong Qiu.

“Lord, are you sure you only need Zong Qiu? No one else?” Liu Hao asked before they set off.

Cheng Yang shook his head. “No need. Although the boss in the Nightmare difficulty dungeon is strong, its strength lies mainly in its HP. In other aspects, it’s just a second-tier early-stage demonic beast, no more formidable than Little White. As long as the healer can keep Little White alive, we can clear it.”

With that, Cheng Yang and Zong Qiu formed a team and teleported to the Abandoned Castle.

Cheng Yang had been here multiple times before. They fought their way through to the fourth floor, easily dispatching even peak first-tier mini-bosses along the way. Zong Qiu simply followed, providing support when needed.

Soon, they reached the top floor, where a second-tier early-stage demonic beast awaited. Without hesitation, Cheng Yang commanded Little White to charge forward.

Little White clashed with the dwarf chieftain. Their strengths were evenly matched, and neither could overpower the other.

The battle was fierce, with both sides relying on instinct. Little White’s Fatal Bite had a crippling effect, and soon, chunks of flesh were torn from the giant dwarf’s body.

The dwarf was intelligent enough to avoid Little White’s deadly attacks, but Cheng Yang wasn’t idle. He didn’t immediately use his Frostbite spell, opting instead to whittle down the enemy’s HP with Ice Bolts.

The dwarf had around 3,000 to 4,000 HP. With Cheng Yang and Little White working together, they could only deal about 150 damage per round. In contrast, Little White, with only 480 HP, could barely withstand ten rounds of attacks.

Fortunately, Zong Qiu was there to heal. Every time Little White lost HP, Zong Qiu would restore it almost instantly.

In a human-versus-human battle, the enemy would have targeted Zong Qiu immediately. With only 40 HP, he would have been killed instantly if the dwarf had focused on him. But as a demonic beast, the dwarf’s aggression was solely directed at Little White. Whenever it tried to bypass Little White to attack Cheng Yang, Little White’s superior speed blocked its path.

When the dwarf’s HP dropped to half, it suddenly roared and slammed its staff into the ground. The floor shook violently, and Little White’s vision went dark. Through their shared consciousness, Cheng Yang realized Little White had been blinded by a skill.

Blinded, Little White could no longer attack. The dwarf seized the opportunity to bypass it and charge at Cheng Yang.

The dwarf’s strength and speed far surpassed Cheng Yang’s. If it landed a hit, Cheng Yang would be helpless. Yet, he still refrained from using Frostbite, as the dwarf still had half its HP. Who knew what other tricks it might have?

Cheng Yang fired an Ice Bolt, which the dwarf tanked. Before Cheng Yang could dodge, the dwarf’s staff struck his shoulder.

The impact felt like it shattered half his body. Cheng Yang was sent flying, but Zong Qiu’s Healing Light arrived just in time, restoring the 60+ HP he had lost.

Cheng Yang struggled to his feet, only to be struck again before he could retaliate. He narrowly avoided a blow to the head, but his chest took the brunt of the attack, sending him flying once more. The pain contorted his face.

Zong Qiu’s healing was timely once again.

Cheng Yang couldn’t help but think of a cruel torture method—beating someone to the brink of death while healing them just enough to keep them alive. But now, he prayed this “torture” wouldn’t go too far. If he died, it would be a tragedy.

In the next two seconds, Cheng Yang was sent flying twice more, and his defensive equipment’s durability dropped significantly. Thankfully, Zong Qiu’s healing kept his HP above 200.

Finally, Little White recovered from the blindness and roared, charging at the dwarf. The top floor of the castle wasn’t large, and Little White closed the distance in an instant.

The earlier scene repeated itself. Little White tanked the dwarf’s attacks while Cheng Yang steadily fired Ice Bolts, gradually reducing the dwarf’s HP.

As the dwarf’s HP neared the final 10%, Cheng Yang grew increasingly tense, fearing it might unleash another unexpected skill.

But after a few more rounds of attacks, the dwarf fell to the ground, defeated. Cheng Yang realized he had overthought it. Although the dwarf was a Nightmare difficulty boss, its enhancements were limited to HP. Having one powerful skill was already significant. If it had more, it would have been impossible to defeat.

With the Abandoned Castle’s Nightmare difficulty cleared, Cheng Yang received the rewards.

In addition to the four silver-tier equipment pieces obtained along the way, the most important reward was the first-clear prize. As expected, it was another statue enhancement stone, confirming that the first-clear rewards for wilderness dungeons were consistent. This stone was specifically for the Archer Statue, something Cheng Yang had already anticipated.

After exiting the dungeon, Cheng Yang took a necklace that boosted magical attack from the loot and rode Little White to continue his sweep of the area.

Originally, Cheng Yang planned to stay nearby, hunting demonic beasts until after midnight, when he would clear the dungeon once more before returning to Luofeng Village. But it was still early, not yet 9 PM. Calculating the time, Cheng Yang decided to head straight to Xiangcheng City.

He intended to claim the first-clear reward for the Valley of the Dead’s Hard difficulty dungeon tonight.

In truth, Cheng Yang had been capable of clearing this dungeon’s Hard difficulty for some time. With Yu Kai and Liu Hao’s assistance, along with a few skilled healers, they could have done it without casualties. However, Cheng Yang hadn’t been in a rush for the first-clear reward. Not because it wasn’t valuable—it was extremely so—but because it required second-tier early-stage strength to use, which he hadn’t reached yet.

But now that he had the strength to clear it easily, there was no reason to wait. It was safer to have the reward stored in his spatial ring than to leave it unclaimed.

PS: Seeking subscriptions and monthly tickets. Everyone, the New Year is approaching—let’s bring some festive cheer! Hehe… (To be continued. Please search for “Piao Tian Literature” for faster updates and better novels!)