Chapter 10

Chapter 10

At the doorway, the Witch Queen did not step over the threshold.

Instead, she leaned against the doorframe, her expression kind as she gazed at Qin Han.

"Finally, someone has come. I thought I’d never see a living soul again. Wonderful! Come here, child. I need your help with something."

An ordinary player might have truly believed they’d stumbled upon an NPC’s quest.

But Qin Han merely nudged his horse slightly, refusing to fall for the trap.

The Witch Queen was a master of both curses and poisons. Entering her domain would spell disaster, likely leaving him in a dire predicament.

Qin Han said, "My horse is too large to enter. Why don’t you come out instead?"

The Witch Queen’s expression faltered, surprised that the young man wasn’t fooled.

Had she been at her weakest, she might have needed more effort to lure him in.

But now, having regained much of her strength, she saw this level-zero, fragile little thing as nothing more than an easy meal!

Suddenly, her eyes turned crimson as she spoke in a slow, hypnotic tone, "Child, you must be tired. Come down from your horse and rest inside. The bed is very comfortable."

Immediately, Qin Han’s gaze grew vacant, his eyes unfocused.

An inexplicable urge compelled him to obey her words—to dismount and enter the house.

Yet, his experience from his past life in the game had honed his instincts to razor sharpness. With a shudder, he snapped back to awareness.

"Oh? How interesting. You actually broke free from my hypnosis. Impressive. The flesh and blood of someone with such strong willpower must taste even more delicious."

At this point, the Witch Queen discarded all pretense, her expression twisting into something monstrous as she lunged from the house.

Her speed was nothing like that of a middle-aged woman.

Now!

Qin Han’s spirits soared.

If the Witch Queen had remained inside, killing her would have been far more difficult.

But now that she was out in the open, things had just gotten much easier.

"Nightmare, block her! Don’t let her cast any spells, and don’t let her return to the house!"

With a shout, Qin Han leaped off his horse, immediately putting distance between them.

He raised the Godslayer Bow, taking aim from afar.

True to its legendary nature, Nightmare understood instantly and charged straight at the Witch Queen.

"Hmph! A mere horse dares to stand in my way? Ridiculous!"

She conjured a swirling mass of poisonous mist in her palm and hurled it at Nightmare’s charging head.

In the clearing, the toxic cloud was about to strike Nightmare—

but the divine steed was faster. Its front hooves reared up and lashed out, kicking the Witch Queen off-balance and interrupting her spellcasting.

Staggering back, the Witch Queen attempted to cast again, only to be disrupted once more by Nightmare.

"What kind of horse is this, unfazed by my strikes?"

"Good job, Nightmare!"

Qin Han was elated.

Though Nightmare’s attack stats were negligible, its infinite health and stamina allowed it to continuously disrupt the Witch Queen’s movements, leaving her no room to retaliate.

Suppressing his excitement, Qin Han steadied his aim, waiting for the perfect moment before loosing an arrow.

Thunk!

The arrow struck the Ancient Witch Queen’s shoulder, and a bright red number floated up: -101!

At the same time, the Ancient Witch Queen’s name was revealed, followed by a gleaming golden skull emblem.

Qin Han’s eyes narrowed.

A red skull denoted an ordinary monster, while a silver skull marked an Elite Monster.

The Golden Skull represents a Leader-level Monster.

A Normal Level 10 Monster has 3,300 HP, while an Elite Monster has twenty times that, roughly 66,000 HP.

A Leader-level Monster, however, boasts fifty times the HP of an Elite Monster—a terrifying 3.3 million HP.

High HP often signifies formidable attack and defense stats.

An average Level 10 player facing a Level 10 Leader would likely fail to even breach its defense, let alone secure a kill.

Fortunately, the Godslayer Bow possesses the ability to ignore defense, granting Qin Han a chance at victory.

Steeling his resolve, he unleashed a relentless barrage of white energy arrows like a downpour, aiming for the head! Throat! Heart!

Each arrow struck the Witch Queen’s vital points!

A flurry of yellow numbers, "-1,010," floated up in succession.

The Witch Queen writhed in pain, her movements slowing.

Furious and alarmed, she longed to bypass the Nightmare and tear Qin Han apart, but the steed’s speed left her no opening, forcing her to endure the assault.

Seizing the opportunity, Qin Han fired three arrows per second, nearly every shot piercing a weak point.

The Witch Queen’s HP visibly plummeted.

Ten minutes later, a piercing shriek echoed as the Witch Queen collapsed, seemingly lifeless.

Yet, the air grew heavier, as if a monstrous presence was about to emerge.

"Nightmare, return now!"

Qin Han swiftly recalled his mount, leaping onto its back and retreating ten meters, his guard at its peak.

The Witch Queen, now at half health, had entered her second phase. Dragging the fight with the Nightmare would be futile.

Ten seconds passed, and the fallen Witch Queen began radiating a dense green light, her body undergoing a grotesque transformation.

Vines sprouted from her flesh, some burrowing into the soil, others whipping through the air.

The airborne vines bore fleshy buds, which bloomed into pink flowers in less than a second.

As the vines lashed, the flowers released clouds of pink Pollen, dyeing the entire space in a rosy haze!

[You have been poisoned, HP -50]

[You have been poisoned, HP -50]

Qin Han’s heart raced.

With only 10 Constitution, his HP capped at a mere 30.

The Pollen’s toxicity was unavoidable, dealing 50 HP per second—enough to kill him instantly.

Luckily, he had consumed a Red Snake Fruit earlier, boosting his HP by 1,000 and granting a healing effect of +10 HP per second for one minute.

His pockets were still stuffed with Red Snake Fruits, so this minor drain didn’t faze him.

"Damn you! You’ve forced me into this state! I’ll tear you to shreds, imprison your soul, and ensure you never know peace!"

The Witch Queen’s voice, now twisted and cruel, rang out as she morphed into a Vine Monster.

She lashed her vines at Qin Han like a tempest, while the ground trembled, subterranean tendrils erupting to form gaping maws that snapped at him.

Thankfully, the Nightmare’s keen reflexes and unmatched speed dodged the onslaught with ease.

Qin Han steadied himself, raising the Godslayer Bow to continue firing.

Damage numbers flickered incessantly, and the Witch Queen’s HP steadily dwindled once more.

The central clearing was quite spacious, and the number of vines was ultimately limited. No matter how furious the Witch Queen was or how swift her attacks, she couldn’t lay a finger on Qin Han.

Time passed slowly.

The Witch Queen’s health had dwindled to just one-tenth—victory was within reach.

But at this very moment, a dark cloud drifted across the sky, plunging the surroundings into gloom.

A fierce wind howled through the forest, stirring up leaves and dust, obscuring vision.

The Nightmare was a divine steed, naturally capable of seeing in the dark—a trivial ability for such a creature.

But Qin Han was only Level Zero, and in this environment, his sight was far from clear.

To his eyes, the Witch Queen’s figure became a blur, forcing him to rely on vague outlines to aim his shots.

His consecutive attacks struggled to hit vital spots, reducing his efficiency tenfold.

Fortunately, the Witch Queen’s remaining health was already meager.

Qin Han persisted, firing at her indistinct silhouette and even relying on sound to gauge her position.

With the occasional lucky critical hit, fifteen minutes later, another despairing shriek echoed through the air—

the Witch Queen was finally on the verge of death.

"To think… I’ve lost in the end, defeated by a mere mortal."

"But even if I die, you won’t live to see another day."