F-class thief? Sorry, I can steal anything.

The battlefield had become a meat grinder, a mixture of flesh and ice.

Mu Wanqing had no time to pay attention to what Chen Yifan was up to.

The frost giants she summoned were drained of endless life by the Heartless Demon Mother Tree.

Its size has shrunk by nearly a third.

Its body was covered with pits corroded by the venom, and its movements became sluggish.

The shield wall led by Zhao Hu was in dire straits.

The elemental mage's psionic energy seemed to be running low, and the pale blue energy shield flickered intermittently.

It may collapse at any time.

As for the remaining shield warrior, his stamina was also greatly depleted.

The muscles on their arms bulged high, veins bulging, and every block felt like being rammed head-on by a siege beast.

"This can't go on! We can't hold out much longer!"

With red eyes, Zhao Hu roared at Mu Wanqing behind him.

The firepower network composed of tens of thousands of hearts is virtually endless, showing no signs of exhaustion whatsoever.

They were like a small boat in a storm, about to be smashed to pieces by the giant waves.

"Shut up! Follow orders!"

Mu Wanqing's voice was even colder than his, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Maintaining command of the Frost Giant and the battlefield was a huge drain on her mental strength.

It's gotten too big.

She hadn't expected that this BOSS was far stronger than what a King-level boss should be.

Nevertheless, she knew that she absolutely could not afford to make a mess of things now.

If the formation falls apart, everyone will die.

"What is he doing?"

The archer with the broken leg endured the pain and numbly drew his bow to shoot an arrow.

His gaze fell on Chen Yifan, who was not far away.

At this moment, Chen Yifan was lying behind the corpse of the monster he had killed.

Shivering.

His back was covered in blood and gore, the wounds he sustained while "heroically saving people."

He pulled out the cheapest medical ointment from his backpack and smeared it haphazardly on his back, wincing in pain as he did so.

"What a loss, a huge loss... If I had known that saving someone would result in a mangled back, I would never have done it..."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears amidst the chaos of the battlefield.

Zhao Hu and the others' eyes twitched as they listened.

What time is it? This guy is still thinking about this little bit of physical injury.

The archer who was rescued turned pale and then flushed.

The initial feeling of gratitude was instantly washed away by this mercenary nagging.

Only Mu Wanqing felt her heart skip a beat when she heard these words.

She gave the guy, who was still feeling the pinch, a deep look in her eyes.

What kind of trick is this man up to?

Just then, Chen Yifan seemed to have made up his mind.

He gritted his teeth, poked his head out from behind the corpse, and shouted with all his might in Zhao Hu's direction:

"Hey! You big guy! This won't do!"

Zhao Hu almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

A big guy?

Who the hell are you calling?!

"Spit out your nonsense!"

Zhao Hu roared in annoyance.

"That tree...that tree's roots! Hitting its trunk won't do you any good!"

"When I fell just now, I saw that its roots underground seemed to be glowing!"

Chen Yifan pointed to the base of the giant tree, his voice trembling slightly with a hint of "thinking on his feet".

root?

Everyone's gaze instinctively turned towards the roots of the giant tree.

The area was covered by mountains of white bones and thick green fungal carpets, making it impossible to see anything.

"You're mistaken! There..."

Zhao Hugang wanted to refute.

"Let him speak!"

Mu Wanqing suddenly interrupted him.

Her gaze also fell on the roots of the giant tree.

Chen Yifan seemed encouraged and continued shouting:

"Look, those hearts are spraying venom, and it's not just spraying randomly!"

"Every time there's a flash of light under that green carpet on the ground, they spray!"

"If you just break that blanket and cut off the glowing thing underneath, it'll definitely shut down!"

These words were incoherent and illogical.

How could a cowardly teenager observe the attack patterns of a King-level BOSS in such a chaotic battlefield?

That's simply a fantasy.

Zhao Hu's face was full of "Are you kidding me?" expressions.

But Mu Wanqing believed it.

Or rather, she chose to believe.

Because she knew this boy better than anyone else.

Just how terrifying are their observation and judgment abilities?

He would never make baseless accusations at a time like this.

"Zhao Hu!"

Mu Wanqing's voice was resolute.

"Abandon frontal defense! Use your Shield Bash and Charge to blast that pile of bones apart!"

"What?!"

Zhao Hu was shocked.

"If we remove the shield wall, what will happen to the mages and archers? Won't that just send them to their deaths?"

"Execute the command!"

Mu Wanqing roared without room for argument.

"The Frost Giants will provide cover!"

As she finished speaking, the already dilapidated frost giant let out a tragic roar.

It abandoned its struggle with the giant tree trunk and instead swept its massive ice battle axe horizontally, creating a moving ice wall that forcefully blocked the venom barrage.

"Boom boom boom!"

Countless venoms slammed onto the axe, exploding into bursts of green fireworks.

The frost giant's body was melting at a visible rate.

This is using its last bit of energy to create an opportunity for Zhao Hu and others!

"Damn it, they're insane! They're all fucking insane!"

Zhao Hu watched the Frost Giant's resolute back.

He glanced again at Mu Wanqing's eyes, which held a willingness to pay any price.

He knew he had no other choice.

"Brothers, follow me!"

He roared and simultaneously retracted his tower shield along with another shield warrior.

Its body glowed with an earthy yellow light.

Like two heavy tanks at full power, they charged fearlessly toward that mountain of bones!

[Collision]!

An advanced skill for charging.

It possesses immense offensive capabilities.

"Boom—"

The three bodies crashed heavily onto the pile of bones.

The bones that had accumulated for countless years were instantly shattered.

Bone fragments flew everywhere.

At the same time, a huge hole was torn in the thick green fungal carpet.

The sight revealed beneath the opening made everyone gasp in horror.

That's not a tree root at all!

Instead, it is a vast network woven from countless thick, writhing tubes of flesh and blood that emit a ghostly green light!

These pipes, like aortas, are deeply rooted in the earth.

At their other ends, they are connected to the beating human faces and hearts on the tree trunk!

Every time the pipes glow, a massive amount of life energy is transmitted upwards.

Then, those hearts will spew out deadly venom!

That kid... he's right!

This is the true core of this monster!

"Mage! [Firestorm]!"

Mu Wanqing's voice carried a hint of barely suppressed excitement.

The mage whose psionic energy was almost depleted.

At this moment, we also see hope.

He pulled a bottle of dark blue medicine from his pocket.

He gulped it down.

The next second, an unnatural flush rose on her pale face.

He raised his staff high and chanted obscure incantations.

The next second, a huge meteorite burning with raging flames fell from the sky and crashed precisely into the exposed network of flesh and blood tubes!

Rank B Skill - [Flame Storm]!

"Boom—Zzzzz—"

Flames erupted, and the terrifying heat instantly ignited the flesh and blood vessels.

A burnt smell filled the air.

The pipes twisted and struggled wildly in the flames, like tens of thousands of live snakes thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil.

"Awooo—!!!"

For the first time, the Ten Thousand Hearts Demon Mother Tree let out a truly meaningful wail filled with extreme pain.

Its attack paused briefly at that moment!

On the tree trunk, the attack frequency of thousands upon thousands of hearts dropped by more than 90% instantly!

"It works! It really works!"

The ruthless archer shouted with wild joy.

The arrows in his hand shot at hearts weakened by insufficient energy supply with unprecedented speed.

"Well done!"

Zhao Hu was also greatly encouraged.

He glanced at the boy in the distance who was still lying behind the corpse, looking "fortunate."

For the first time, genuine admiration appeared in his eyes.

This kid is timid, cowardly, and incompetent.

But being young and having a sharp mind... is really effective!

At the crucial moment, he actually found a way to break the deadlock!

However, nobody knows.

Beneath that "fortunate" expression, Chen Yifan's heart was churning with turbulent emotions!

He took advantage of the moment when everyone's attention was drawn to launch no less than thirty [surveillance] attacks.

This time, it's finally different from before.

A randomly generated list.

The content has not only changed, it has even increased!

[Target: The Source of Corruption - The Myriad Hearts Demon Mother Tree (Boss-level - Affliction State)]

[Rank: Lv.35]

[Status: Core power network exposed, vitality decreased by 17.4%, mental connection disrupted.]

[List of items that can be stolen:]

【1. Concept: The 'painful' emotion of the Ten Thousand Hearts Demon Mother Tree (extremely high probability)】

2. Energy: Life energy within the core energy supply network

【3. Rule Fragments: Life Absorption】

4. Item: Fragments of an unknown crystal that it devoured

5. Talent: ...

When Chen Yifan saw the third option, his heart skipped a beat.

Fragments of rules?!

It's not talent, not skill, not attribute... but... the rules?!

Above all skill systems, the very laws governing the world?!

As a time traveler, how could he not know what those four words meant!

In an instant, an indescribable surge of ecstasy and curiosity overwhelmed all his composure.

He knew that this was the real good stuff!

It is something that can bring about a qualitative change in him.

This is even ten thousand times more precious than all the talents he had previously stolen combined.

As for the fourth option, [Unknown Crystal Fragment]?

Although it feels like a good thing.

But in the face of "rules".

It instantly appeared dull and lifeless.

Chen Yifan's gaze was fixed intently on the third option.

His breath became scalding hot from extreme excitement.

Finally, his gaze fell on his own fingers.

The Ring of the Thief God.

come on.

A silent roar erupted within him.

As long as you can trigger it.

I... will burn incense for you every day from now on!