Chapter 81: A Good Day to Buy a Lottery Ticket

“There’s a rare elite sandworm on the other side of the dune. If we kill it, it’ll drop an item that greatly boosts poison resistance. That way, melee classes can withstand the boss’s toxic mist and keep dealing damage.”
Lu Kuan didn’t hide anything; he explained his plan succinctly.

Everyone was even more surprised. Before Heaven’s Twilight could speak, someone in the team couldn’t help but ask, “How do you know all this so clearly? No guild has killed the Three-Headed Serpent in Echoes of the Gods yet, right?”

That was the question on everyone’s mind, and so they all fixed their eyes on Lu Kuan.

“Zero Guild in Europe has wiped on the second boss countless times. Once, by chance, they encountered this sandworm and discovered its secret. As for how I know…” Lu Kuan grinned mysteriously. “Heh, I have my own sources. As for the details, I’ll keep those to myself~”

His answer caught everyone off guard. They glanced at each other, uncertain whether to believe him.

Finally, Heaven’s Twilight spoke. “Lu, it’s not that I don’t trust you. Last week, we wiped here forty or fifty times, but we never saw any sandworm.”

Lu Kuan sensed the shift in Heaven’s Twilight’s tone; it was softening. He smiled confidently. “Because it’s a rare monster. Teams all over the world are trying the second boss, but so far only Zero has encountered it once.”

He wasn’t lying. In his previous life, players calculated the sandworm’s spawn rate at about 0.1%—only the truly lucky would ever see it.

The team began to voice their opinions, most unwilling to take such a risk.

In the dungeon, while rare monsters weren’t as strong as bosses, they were far tougher than ordinary elites. Whether they could defeat it, how much time it would take, and whether it would delay their progress against the main boss—all these were serious concerns.

But unexpectedly, Heaven’s Twilight made a swift decision. “We’ll do as Lu says. Everyone, cross the hill!”

Once the leader gave the order, individual opinions no longer mattered. The group quickly tightened formation and headed straight for the dune Lu Kuan had indicated.

“I thought you’d hesitate a bit longer~” Lu Kuan said, admiring Heaven’s Twilight as he walked over.

Heaven’s Twilight smiled confidently. “Simple. I can’t think of any reason for you to lie to me, so I choose to trust you.”

Lu Kuan understood and smiled inwardly. Luck is on your side; I was only fifty percent sure we could kill the Three-Headed Serpent. Now, it’s at least eighty.

From the top of the dune, the view below was nothing but endless sand—no sign of any monster.

“Where’s the monster?” Ah Kui shaded his eyes and looked around, seeing nothing but sand. He eyed Lu Kuan skeptically.

Lu Kuan smiled, raising his hand to point to the base of the dune. Only then did everyone notice a half-meter tall sapling growing there.

The trunk was as thick as a grown man’s arm, topped with a cluster of lush green leaves—fresh and inviting, especially in the arid desert.

“That sapling is the sandworm’s lure. The sand nest below is its trap, so we shouldn’t approach.”

Lu Kuan asked everyone to stay at the dune’s peak and patiently explained, “We’ll use ranged attacks to draw the sandworm out. It will randomly use a crushing skill—if you get hit, it’s instant death. I’ll direct the melee fighters on how to dodge.”

He glanced at Heaven’s Twilight, who nodded decisively.

“Alright, let’s bring out the sandworm.” Lu Kuan said, taking out his hunting bow.

“That’s easy—let me try!” Before Lu Kuan could act, an orc ranger in the group volunteered. Heaven’s Twilight smiled; this was the main ranger of the team, who never quite understood why he valued Lu Kuan. Now he saw his chance to shine.

Heaven’s Twilight didn’t object and nodded at the orc ranger.

Receiving approval, the orc ranger drew his bow, aiming at the sapling below. He waited five or six seconds before letting the arrow fly—“whoosh!”—but his calculation was slightly off. The arrow was swept aside by the wind and landed several meters from the sapling. The sandworm below didn’t react.

The orc ranger’s face flushed; he scratched his head in embarrassment. Heaven’s Twilight didn’t mind and gestured for Lu Kuan to try.

“Let me give it a shot.”

With little time to spare, Lu Kuan didn’t hesitate. He drew his bow, paused briefly to judge the wind, then released.

“Thud!”

The arrow traced a perfect arc through the air, riding the wind just enough to shift left, and struck the trunk dead-on with a muffled thump.

“Nice!”

Lu Kuan’s skill was so impressive that someone couldn’t help but exclaim. The orc ranger’s eyes widened, and everyone had the same thought: Damn, if that wasn’t luck, it’s downright monstrous!

But their shock didn’t last. As the arrow hit, the sand below suddenly erupted.

“Screech—crunch!”

With a teeth-grating sound, the flat sand trembled violently. The “sapling” sprang up, revealing the monstrous beast beneath.

It was a worm nearly two meters wide, its body covered in gleaming scales. Its head bore a gaping maw lined with countless sharp teeth—just a glimpse made your scalp crawl.

Above its head floated the name: Wandering Sandworm Shattered Fang.

“Charge with me!”

Heaven’s Twilight had already drawn sword and shield, roaring as he became a streak of fire, rushing for the sandworm’s belly—a warrior’s advanced class, the Iron Vanguard’s fearless charge!

Lightning flashed, flames erupted, and everyone unleashed their skills on the sandworm without restraint.

Shattered Fang had high attack and health, and could spit poison, but it couldn’t move—only burrow in and out of its lair.

As long as they prevented it from fleeing underground at the last stage, the challenge wasn’t too great for Dark Paradise’s main team.

Pressed for time, Lu Kuan held nothing back, pouring out all his power.

While the other rangers kept moving, trying to match their arrows to the wind, Lu Kuan stood firm, firing non-stop. Though the wind nudged his shots, they always landed true, striking the sandworm.

Numbers exploded above Shattered Fang’s head—critical hits blooming wildly, dazzling everyone’s eyes.