I am the Arcane Archer, and all my skills are self-created.

Li Wu's voice was frighteningly calm.

He did not immediately attack the melee mermen who were besieging Hua Zitong.

His target was the murloc priests in the back row who were casting spells with impunity!

To catch the thief, first catch the king!

Shoot the horse before shooting the man!

Once these annoying ranged units are dealt with, Hua Zitong's pressure will be greatly reduced instantly.

Om-!

Two more [Explosive Burning Arrows] shot out with a whoosh!

This time, the arrows were aimed at the murloc priests who were standing in the most densely packed positions in the distance!

boom!!!

Another violent explosion occurred!

Flames shot skyward!

Those murloc priests, being elite monsters, had slightly more health than ordinary murlocs and weren't instantly killed by an arrow.

However, they were all blown to bits.

Li Wu, however, did not stop at all.

Draw the bow, focus your energy, and shoot!

He had repeated this action thousands of times, and it had long since become an instinct of his body.

Another [Explosive Burning Arrow] followed closely behind!

The target remains the low-health murloc priests!

boom!

Another loud bang.

This time, the merman priests could no longer withstand the flames and turned to ashes.

Having dealt with the threat from the back row, Li Wu turned his attention to the melee murlocs who were still besieging Hua Zitong.

"Hua Zitong, step back! Lure them over here!" Li Wu shouted.

"clear!"

Hua Zitong immediately understood. She feinted a move, forcing back several fishmen in front of her, and then immediately turned around and ran towards where Li Wu was.

The merfolk, like sharks that have smelled blood, roared and chased after them relentlessly.

Hua Zitong perfectly stretched them into a straight line.

Looking at the vast, dark mass of mermen charging towards him, Li Wu revealed a cruel smile.

"Come on, little ones."

"Try this!"

He drew the bow taut once more.

This time, he wasn't aiming at the swarm of murlocs, but directly in front of their charging path!

Predictive firing!

boom--!!!

The explosion's flames, like an insurmountable wall of fire, instantly rose from the ground in the path of the murloc's charge!

The few mermen at the front charged headfirst into the wall of fire and were instantly burned to a crisp.

"pretty!"

Hua Zitong's eyes lit up when she saw this.

What followed turned into a one-sided massacre.

Li Wu stood at the bow of the ship, like a tireless war machine, precisely launching one [Explosive Burning Arrow] after another to every corner of the battlefield.

Hua Zitong, on the other hand, was like a top-notch commander, perfectly executing the tasks of pulling monsters, gathering monsters, and controlling aggro.

One is the main attacker, and the other is the main tank.

One is responsible for destruction, and the other for protection.

The two worked together with perfect coordination, as if they had fought side by side a thousand times.

In the face of overwhelming strength, quantity has lost its meaning.

In less than five minutes.

More than twenty shadow merfolk, including the elite priests, were slaughtered by the two of them working together.

At the same time, the two of them leveled up again, reaching level 12!

They quickly added all their attribute points and began rapidly collecting the loot on the ground.

The entire mudflat was a mess, with charred pits and scattered spoils everywhere.

Besides some materials and a few copper coins dropped by the murlocs, the murloc priests also contributed two pieces of equipment.

One was a pair of ordinary quality leather gauntlets, and the other was a staff that shimmered with a yellow light.

【Rotting Coral Staff (Fine)】

[Level Requirement: LV10]

[Class Requirement: Mage]

[Attributes: Intelligence +10, Spirit +5, Magic Attack +15]

[Special Effect: Your shadow and poison spells deal 10% increased damage.]

"Not bad, it can sell for some money." Li Wu shared the staff's attributes with Hua Zitong.

After a short rest, once they had recovered enough, the two continued their journey deeper into the island.

The further you go in, the more eerie and terrifying the environment becomes on the island.

On the dead trees hung some tattered strips of cloth and dried bones.

The ground was covered with thick, black sludge; when you stepped on it, purple bubbles would even appear.

Along the way, they encountered several more attacks from shadow fishmen, but the two of them easily dealt with them all in the same way.

Soon, a dilapidated altar made of huge piled stones came into their view.

In the center of the altar was a huge pool of water, the water of which was as black as ink, and purple mist was constantly rising from it.

The miasma that permeates the entire island seems to emanate from this pool.

"This is it." Hua Zitong's expression became more solemn than ever before.

"The BOSS is in that pool."

She took a deep breath and looked at Li Wu.

"Are you ready?"

Li Wu nodded heavily, nocked an arrow, and stared at the bow with eyes as sharp as knives.

"We can start anytime!"

The two did not approach rashly.

Hua Zitong took out another [Rock Guardian Scroll] from her backpack, held it in her hand, and was ready to activate it at any time.

Li Wu also checked his status. His mana was full, and all kinds of potions and scrolls were in the most convenient positions.

"I'll go up and engage the monsters first. You find a good position to deal damage and be careful to dodge skills," Hua Zitong gave as a final instruction.

"clear."

Hua Zitong nodded, no longer hesitating. Carrying her sword and shield, she walked step by step toward the ominous altar.

As she approached, the water in the black pool at the center of the altar began to churn violently.

Glug... Glug...

It's as if an ancient behemoth is about to awaken from its slumber.

A chilling, powerful aura, filled with evil and resentment, suddenly erupted from the depths of the pool!

Hua Zitong's steps suddenly stopped.

That aura alone made her feel immense pressure.

This is definitely the most powerful enemy she has encountered since entering the Realm of Origin!

Crash—!!!

The black water in the pool suddenly shot into the sky, forming a water column that was more than ten meters high!

Immediately afterwards, an enormous monster composed of endless black water and resentment slowly rose from the water column!

It has no fixed shape; it's like a huge, constantly wriggling black slime.

Inside its liquid-filled body, one can see countless distorted, tormented human faces, screaming and struggling silently.

Thick, muddy tentacles danced wildly around its body.

【The Polluted Lake Spirit (Elite Leader)】

[Level: LV15]

【Life: 50000】

Attack: 146

[Skills: Sludge Spray, Resentful Tentacles, Filthy Aura]