Chapter 24: King!

Deep within an unnamed cave, an eerie silence reigned.

The five students landed one after another. Though unharmed, the moment they regained their footing, they sensed the bone-chilling wrongness permeating the surroundings.

This was only natural. In the peril-laden Secret Realm, a single misstep in choosing a landing point often meant deadly peril—a lesson learned instinctively.

Moreover, the place was cold and damp, the air thick with an overwhelming, nauseating stench of decay and rot—hardly a welcoming place.

A few faint rays of light filtering through the collapsed opening high above proved utterly inadequate against the oppressive darkness, barely enough to illuminate the terrifying piles of remains underfoot and the pale outlines of their nearby companions.

Beyond this meager illumination, layers of inky blackness swirled in, like a slumbering leviathan poised to devour them whole.

The five students stood back-to-back in the center of the bone-strewn "plaza," as small and vulnerable as lambs straying into a devil's lair, seemingly fragile and utterly defenseless.

"Fire," Ke Lu heard a voice murmur beside her.

A faint flame suddenly sprang from Bai Yu's fingertip, piercing the oppressive darkness.

The flickering light banished the bone-chilling cold and the unknown, restoring their vision and bringing a measure of security. Ke Lu could now clearly see her teammates' expressions.

Pale and distressed.

Su Rou fared the worst. The instant the flame illuminated the darkness, the sickeningly putrid bones and blackened, viscous flesh were laid bare.

Assaulted by both sight and smell, Su Rou doubled over, clutching her nose with one hand and her abdomen with the other, but she still couldn't suppress her nausea. She turned her head away and vomited violently.

The other teammates fared slightly better than Su Rou, but their faces grew increasingly grim. Shi Lei's lips were pressed into a tight line, his Adam's apple bobbing incessantly, while Bai Yu's flame-holding fingers trembled slightly.

Seeing this, Ke Lu began chanting an incantation, casting her self-taught Skill, Clear Heart, once more. A cool, calming aura enveloped the group, barely suppressing their intense physical and psychological discomfort and allowing them to regain a semblance of normalcy.

"What the hell is this?" Su Rou frowned, her voice sharp. The mountain of corpses before her struck her deeply.

"The Mountain Tiger's lair," Ke Lu replied, halting her spellcasting. She retrieved several Spirit Recovery Pills from her Space Ring to replenish the Spirit Power drained by her repeated spellcasting. "It's the strongest creature known in this Secret Realm—the overlord here."

Su Rou's expression darkened, her tone accusatory. "Shi Lei, look what you've done!"

Shi Lei rubbed his nose, knowing he was in the wrong. "At least we're not going to die."

He quickly changed the subject. "Little Bai, can you shine the light a bit clearer?"

Bai Yu's lips twitched, and he rolled his eyes, his voice exasperated. "You think I'm some kind of genie's lamp, granting wishes on demand?"

"In this situation, Light Magic would probably be more effective. It covers a wider area and could even dispel some of the lingering resentment from these corpses. But I haven't learned it."

As he spoke, Bai Yu's gaze lingered briefly on Ke Lu. "Unlike some... big shots around here."

He recognized it too. The two skills Ke Lu had just used weren't in the textbooks.

At the same moment, Ma Fei, who had been scanning the depths of the darkness, suddenly felt the hairs on his neck stand on end. His machine gun locked onto the exact spot that radiated danger.

As a ranged attacker, Ma Fei had poured considerable effort into honing his passive skill, Crisis Perception.

He could say with absolute certainty that a threat they needed to treat with extreme caution lurked there—possibly the very "big boss" Ke Lu had mentioned.

His voice tense, Ma Fei growled, "Careful! Left front! Something's there! A very strong threat!"

The others reacted instantly, purging all extraneous thoughts as they swiftly adjusted their formation into combat stances.

The air in the cave seemed to freeze, leaving only the crackling of the leaping flames and the heavy pounding of their hearts.

In their minds, the Secret Realm Overlord might launch a silent ambush from the shadows, striking with the deadly precision of a seasoned hunter;

or it might burst forth with a tempest of blood-soaked winds and earth-shattering force, crushing them with overwhelming power.

But the situation unfolded in ways none of them had anticipated.

Roar!

From the depths of the darkness came a low, terrifying roar, like a battle horn signaling the final clash.

Following the roar, a voice spoke in the language of intelligent beings: "You... have also come... to challenge me?"

Instantly,

At the far end of the abruptly lit cave, in its deepest recesses, stood a monstrous and majestic throne forged from colossal beast bones and an unknown metal.

Upon the throne, a colossal figure slowly shifted its posture. Its crimson eyes, like two burning blood lamps, locked firmly onto the five intruders below.

The Mountain Tiger. Even without any grand gestures, its sheer size and presence exuded overwhelming pressure.

Its crimson eyes seemed to spew flames, its nostrils flared with crackling lightning, and a supremely domineering "王" (King) character was emblazoned on its forehead.

Piles of bleached bones littered the ground, serving as its grim backdrop.

Yet what truly captivated attention—so much so that it made one almost forget the creature's terrifying appearance—was the bizarre and majestic crown atop its head.

It was a twisted, skeletal construct inlaid with a peculiar gemstone that radiated a crimson glow.

That gem... something's off about it, Ke Lu thought instinctively.

The moment the gem came into view, a strange sensation gripped her—a mix of fury and a sense of authority being challenged.

As the boss materialized, a cold glint flashed before Ke Lu's eyes.

Shi Lei's massive sword reflected the suddenly illuminated cave, carving a sharp arc through the air. He lunged forward, leveling the blade at the Mountain Tiger perched on its throne.

"So you're the Big Cat? Come on, let me give you a taste of my skills!"

Yet the Mountain Tiger's burning crimson eyes completely ignored Shi Lei's taunts, even sweeping past the other combat-ready figures. Its gaze pierced through everything, locking firmly onto Ke Lu at the center of the group.

The colossal beast lowered its massive head slightly, nostrils flaring as if confirming something.

Then, its thunderous voice reverberated through the cave once more:

"Human, the scent on you... it's quite... peculiar."

The words were laced with barely concealed avarice and a hint of disbelief.

Those burning crimson eyes remained fixed on Ke Lu, as if gazing upon a priceless treasure. A lethal desire almost materialized into substance.

The massive head leaned forward again, inhaling deeply, as if savoring the intoxicating aroma in the air.

The next words dripped with a chilling, fanatical craving:

"If I could devour you... perhaps... I could truly escape this prison!"