Chapter 267: Why Force Me to Act?

The only thing that disrupted the serene atmosphere was the colorful orb of light that burst forth from the BOSS's corpse, accompanied by two golden orbs.

At that moment, the alien woman was still in disbelief, lost in thought—

Was this third-class player seeking death? Wait...

The BOSS was dead, taken down in one blow.

What did I just witness?

The third-class player hadn't shown any signs of otherworldly presence, yet he had instantaneously killed the legendary high-tier Beast of Iniquitous Flame?

Standing there, the woman realized that even in the Hall of Valor, a place known for producing talents far surpassing their peers, there had never been anyone as ruthless as this.

A more reasonable explanation would be that this third-class player was actually concealing his strength.

Could it be...

The woman suddenly recalled an urban legend about the Assembly Hall.

There was a demigod who enjoyed disguising himself as a third-class.

Could it be that I have encountered this demigod??

...

Meanwhile, Sterl was oblivious to the thoughts of the woman beside him.

He stepped forward quickly, and within a few seconds, a hint of joy appeared in his eyes as he opened the BOSS's loot. His luck was surprisingly good this time.

[Breath of Transformation], [Soul Solidification Gem], and [Heavenly Canopy Core]—he had obtained all three items again. However, the colorful treasure orb had been consumed, and the remaining two golden orbs yielded some unused equipment skill materials.

Sterl collected everything into his pocket dimension.

Just as he was about to leave, he heard a voice from behind.

"Wait... you... aren't...?"

"Thank you for saving my life."

"It wasn't me who saved you; you saved yourself. You were the one who wanted to draw the monster away, right?" Sterl replied casually, intending to continue farming the remaining BOSSes and not wanting to engage in small talk with another player.

"Well... can I trade for a material?"

"The material dropped from that BOSS should include some Eternal Burning Bones."

"I want to develop towards Flame Law and need this material to craft the Play the Role of Law item."

Sterl paused for a moment, then checked his pocket dimension. Sure enough, he had three pieces of that material. It was likely because he had nearly soloed the entire BOSS, which increased the drop rate significantly.

"What price can you offer...?"

Since he intended to sell these materials anyway, Sterl wouldn't mind selling them to this alien woman.

He couldn't help but feel a bit amazed that someone would go to such lengths for just one material, especially a legendary high-tier who dared to confront this BOSS solo.

The woman's expression brightened at his words.

She hadn't expected that there might be a silver lining after all.

Originally, the life-saving items granted by the deity had all been used up, and yet they hadn't managed to kill the Beast of Iniquitous Flame—

Because this woman had been betrayed, her items had been taken by a group of guild players.

Now, on the run, she unexpectedly encountered a big shot.

Successfully acquiring the materials was a stroke of luck.

However, being able to exchange contribution points or other resources for Eternal Burning Bones seemed almost too easy.

But just then...

From the name, this guild seemed to belong to a group of demigods with a focus on war and combat. They were more concerned with making a name for themselves than with killing a third-class player.

"Hand over the drops, and we'll spare your life." The members of the BOSS raid team began to close in on the alien woman.

The woman couldn't produce any so-called drops. She couldn't help but want to betray Sterl, but after thinking about it, she realized that the third-class player's desire to retreat at this moment indicated that he also couldn't fight against this raid team.

Even if she revealed that the drops weren't in her possession, the raid team wouldn't believe her. They would just capture both her and that third-class player.

There was no point in harming others without any benefit to herself.

At that moment, a glint of cold light flashed in the woman's eyes.

She waved her hand and sent flying blades hurtling through the air, each blade shining with a flame-like brilliance.

They looked simple and unassuming, but clearly, the members of the BOSS raid team had suffered from such attacks before.

Their expressions changed slightly as they began to evade. A few frontline players rushed forward to activate their shield skills, while the priests in the back preemptively cast healing spells.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

After three violent explosions, the blades erupted into a dazzling display of flame, but they were easily deflected by the BOSS raid team.

"Damn it." The alien woman had somewhat expected this outcome but still felt a wave of despair rising within her.

Even against BOSSes that far surpassed players, the well-coordinated team could take them down...

Let alone the fact that she had no advantage in strength.

"Attack!" The leader of the BOSS raid team said coldly.

Immediately, several players specializing in crowd control launched their skills—

Golden ropes, shimmering in the light, flew toward the alien woman as if they had a tracking effect.

The woman reacted quickly, her form flickering as she forced herself to dodge. However, her expression changed dramatically when the branch beneath her feet revealed its true nature, transforming into a massive mouth lined with sharp fangs that suddenly clamped down on her.

"Ugh!" The alien woman let out a scream.

She had clearly lost her ability to escape and was now caught. Accompanying the bizarre red glow emanating from the giant mouth was a curse-like power that surged into her body, causing her immense pain and twisting her features in agony.

"I advise you to hand over the drops quickly," the raid team leader said, slowly advancing and applying pressure with his aura. "Otherwise, even if you wish for a swift death, it won't be possible."

At that moment, the previously empty control ropes suddenly sprang back to life, darting towards a corner of the jungle. They aimed directly at Sterl, who had been preparing to retreat.

Swish!

Once again, the control attempt fell short.

Sterl's face darkened as he looked at the members of the BOSS raid team. He was just about to go after the next BOSS; he didn't have time to waste here!

But then, the lazy young man, who had been eyeing him with disdain, sneered and said, "I've changed my mind. He's just a third-class player; I'll just kill him since he annoys me."

His expression was somewhat peculiar as he spoke.

The members of the raid team looked at him with puzzled expressions; it wasn't that this third-class player was so important to spare or eliminate.

The issue was that the leader had already given orders—was he trying to go against that?

Was he not afraid of the repercussions after this operation?

However, since the young man had already made his move, the others didn't bother to publicly reprimand him.

Immediately, several players casually launched their skills, attempting to take Sterl down.

But as the skills were about to hit the third-class player, their effects suddenly extinguished.

The members of the BOSS raid team were taken aback, only to see that third-class player's expression had turned cold.

"Why are you forcing me to act? Why are you wasting my time?"

Those were just two seemingly ordinary sentences, yet they sent chills down the spines of the raid team members, leaving them feeling unnerved.