“Ding! Special inheritance quest triggered—‘Trial of the Relic Guardian’.”
The moment Qingcheng’s voice faded, the system notification chimed in sync.
This so-called special inheritance quest stood out starkly—the entire interface glowed a chilling, blood-red crimson.
A clear warning: the danger level far exceeded what Bai Xia could handle right now. Those scarlet letters screamed caution.
Bai Xia ignored the prompt and locked eyes on the towering figure wreathed in flame nearby.
Whether due to Qingcheng’s interference or not, the giant’s full stats instantly materialized before her.
Then…
“You damn well did this on purpose, didn’t you?! Make me beat *this*?! Are *you* insane, or am *I*?!”
One glance at the header, and Bai Xia nearly choked on her words.
Thess the Lava Colossus. Level 15 Lord Boss.
She shot a glare at the woman lounging innocently on the throne, barely suppressing the urge to storm over and slap her across the chest.
[Lava Colossus Thess]: Level 15 Lord Boss. HP: 15,000. Once a Level 50 Monarch Boss and royal flame giant of the Western Molten Abyss, he angered the Relic Guardian centuries ago. Stripped of power and imprisoned for nearly a millennium, his strength recovered agonizingly slow. Yet traces of his royal lineage remain.
Trait: King of Giants – Immune to 50% physical damage; ignores critical hit bonuses.
Molten Body – Ignites nearby foes continuously; all attacks inflict burn damage.
Skill: Furious Smash – Slams arm down, dealing massive damage and stunning target for 2 sec. Cooldown: 5 sec.
Molten Cannonball – Fires molten projectile; explodes on miss, causing wide splash damage. Cooldown: 20 sec.
Earth-Shattering Impact – Channels molten force into ground slam: massive damage, 100% knockback. Fully charged: stuns all nearby enemies and triggers underground eruptions for secondary damage. Cooldown: 3 min.
Flame Storm – Unleashes full flame power, spinning into a massive fire tornado. Slows enemies, fires flame projectiles for 10 sec. Cooldown: 20 min. Drains flame energy for 30 min after use.
Thess the Lava Colossus was, without question, the strongest boss Bai Xia had ever faced. No contest.
So… how the hell was she supposed to win?
Staring blankly at the stats, Bai Xia fell silent.
Sure, she’d just beaten the Level 10 Goblin Lord—but that thing was a total pushover. Due to interrupted evolution, its stats barely deserved the “Lord” title. “Fraud” was too kind.
Even then, she and Tianzheng barely scraped victory after a nerve-shredding fight.
But this? A genuine Level 15 Lord Boss—five levels higher. And once a Level 50 Monarch? Every stat still dwarfed ordinary bosses.
Five-level gap. Total stat suppression. Her attacks wouldn’t even scratch its defense. Less than a tickle.
Worse—high-tier bosses auto-regen. With 15,000 HP, even if it stood still, hacking all day might not kill it.
One casual swing? She’d be one-shot. What was the point? Might as well lie down and take the hit. Save time. Save coins.
This was a “trial”? Pure sabotage!
Bai Xia seethed. She knew nothing came free—not even in-game—but offering zero hope crossed a line.
This wasn’t an inheritance trial. It was a death sentence.
On the throne, the so-called Relic Guardian had slouched back into lazy ease. Watching Bai Xia’s frustration, she murmured calmly, “Think I’m joking? I’m not. Defeat it, and the prize is yours. This is the *easiest* trial, little one.”
“Easiest? What’s the hardest—world explosion?”
Bai Xia rubbed her temples, voice tentative. “What if… I forfeit the inheritance? Can you just let me leave?”
Tempting as it sounded, it was utterly out of reach. No choice but to walk away.
Qingcheng tilted her head, silent for a beat. “Sure.”
Before Bai Xia could exhale—
“But are you *certain*? Flee without fighting, and your level resets to zero. All gear. All items. Permanently destroyed.”
“…What?”
Ice flooded her veins. Cold sweat prickled her skin.
Level wiped? Gear gone? Son of a bitch—was this really necessary?!
Qingcheng let out a cold laugh, eyes narrowed like a sly vixen. “What did you expect? Did you think my domain was a casual stroll-in, stroll-out spot, little one?”
Bai Xia swallowed hard. Honestly? Yeah, she did. But escape was off the table now.
With a helpless sigh, she surrendered.
“Fine. Whatever makes you happy.”
She wanted to scream *Go to hell!*—but under another’s roof, pride had to bend. This woman was clearly a hidden NPC of terrifying power. Best not provoke her.
Looks like dying today was inevitable. This trapped, powerless feeling? Absolutely, utterly loathsome.
