Chapter 39: The Eye of Imprisonment! Confronted by Despair?!

"The bone serpent is still alive?!" Wang Chen sighed inwardly.

"That's right, I never heard the notification for a successful kill earlier—why did I even think it was dead?" he wondered. "It must be that golden scroll, which destroyed the Dark Guardian so overwhelmingly that I became convinced of its power," he reflected. Of course, the sudden attack from the Scavengers was also one of the reasons he had been distracted and overlooked the details.

"You mean you still haven't managed to kill it?" Scarhead Biao shuddered at the sight of the massive figure.

"Indeed," Wang Chen replied with a mocking tone. "It's been battered so miserably, it must be desperate to snack on something small. Compared to me, you're a bit closer—and have more meat on you."

Scarhead Biao's face turned ashen. He gripped his broadsword before his chest. He had considered turning and fleeing, but after witnessing the speed of the bone serpent in its battle with Wang Chen, he realized he had no confidence he could escape the temple. Besides, if he turned his back, he would have no way to defend against the serpent’s assault.

Wang Chen found his terror amusing. Having used a golden scroll before, he knew better than anyone the extent of its power. The bone serpent was only a few levels stronger than the Dark Guardian; there was no reason it could have survived unscathed. Even if it did, it would only be hanging on by a thread—Wang Chen was fully confident he could finish it off with a bit of maneuvering.

What truly concerned him were the Scavengers lurking nearby, waiting for an opportunity. That was why he resorted to intimidation—to free his hands and focus on the battle with the bone serpent.

"The serpent has no flesh left—perhaps after this water pillar attack, the battlefield will be the cleanest it's ever been," he mused.

Once more, mist began to swirl at the tip of the Forest Gale Staff.

But suddenly, the serpent burst from the sea of flames. The hollow sockets of its skull glowed red for an instant, and Wang Chen felt his body seize up, paralyzed.

"Damn! That’s one of the bone serpent’s abilities—the Eye of Imprisonment!" he thought.

"Rebel Eye, help me counte—" Wang Chen started, but then realized: when he first encountered the bone serpent, he had used the Beast’s Eye to read its skills! The Eye of Imprisonment had a special note: while it rendered the target immobile, the victim remained conscious!

If he countered the effect...

Wouldn't he regain movement, but lose consciousness at that very instant? He’d be killed before he even understood how.

Wang Chen fell silent.

So reversal wasn’t omnipotent after all?! He had never expected this.

"What’s going on? Why can’t I move? Was it you, boy? Using dirty tricks doesn’t make you a hero—fight me fair and square if you dare!" Scarhead Biao’s shouts rang out beside him.

But Wang Chen couldn’t turn his neck to look at him. It wasn’t just the two of them; the other Scavengers had also been immobilized, shouting in panic.

Wang Chen was speechless. They certainly gave him too much credit! If he had an instant immobilization skill that could affect multiple targets, he’d be delighted.

He was about to explain, since with the bone serpent poised to kill, Scarhead Biao at least deserved to know why he was dying. But before he could speak, a violent tremor shook the temple. Alarmed, Wang Chen wondered, "What now?"

His focus had been on the Forest Gale Staff, so he hadn’t seen where the tremor came from. One of the Scavengers, with an unobstructed view, shouted out, "The bone serpent is ramming the pillars! That pillar is about to collapse—"

Wang Chen’s heart sank. During his earlier battle with the serpent, many pillars in the temple had already fallen, and there weren’t many load-bearing points left. If the serpent brought down a few more, the temple would collapse.

And they were all standing on the side with the dome overhead. If the roof came down, their brains would be splattered in an instant.

"It’s hit it! It’s going for a second pillar!" The same Scavenger narrated the situation as though broadcasting a live event.

"Looks like it’s out of strength! It’s fallen over—this is truly the blessing of Lady Luck! Happy birthday, Lady Luck!" The Scavenger’s voice was jubilant.

Wang Chen couldn’t help but think, Why are you in this line of work? You should just stick to prison—being a football commentator might suit you better.

A prompt sounded in Wang Chen’s ear:

[Successfully killed the Bone Serpent. Current status prevents you from gaining experience. Please complete your class advancement quest as soon as possible.]

"So, it’s finally over—but how do I break this Eye of Imprisonment? Normally, when the caster dies, the effect should wear off automatically," Wang Chen thought.

He tried moving his joints, but his muscles felt like set concrete—there was no response.

All he could do was wait in silence. Surely the Eye of Imprisonment wouldn’t keep him frozen forever? Once its duration ended, he should be able to move freely again.

But accidents have a way of happening; in fact, they’re so certain, you might as well call them certainties.

Suddenly, the commentator-Scavenger’s voice trembled: "No good! Even though the bone serpent didn’t bring down the pillar, it’s already teetering! No, not just that pillar—the entire building is about to collapse!"

Wang Chen didn’t need his commentary anymore; his own eyes saw the temple swaying, as if the whole structure was about to come crashing down.

His mind raced. What trump cards did he have left?

He could use magic scrolls—a few more silver-level scrolls would definitely keep the falling rubble at bay. Or perhaps use the power of Swiftstride to dodge the debris. Maybe he could cast Immobilize on inanimate objects and move the falling stones aside, if that was possible.

He thought furiously, but could only smile bitterly in his heart. Whatever the method, being able to move was the first prerequisite—only then could he retrieve scrolls from his storage ring or wield the Forest Gale Staff.

But if only he could move, what threat would a collapsing temple pose?

"The Dark Guardian couldn’t tear me apart, the bone serpent couldn’t crush me, and now falling stones are going to smash my head in. If this is how I die, it’s really quite humiliating," Wang Chen thought.

Naar’s face flashed through his mind, and he whispered an apology. "Looks like I won’t be able to bring you the Spring of Life after all."

He thought of Fatty, too. It had been non-stop chaos since his class awakening, no time to rest, peril at every turn. Now, he suddenly missed that guy.

His mind was a jumble of memories, like a lantern reel spinning in the dark, though in reality only a moment had passed.

He was suddenly yanked from his reverie by Scarhead Biao’s desperate, guttural cries.

"Big Li Yong—Big Li Yong—" Scarhead Biao seemed to be calling someone’s name. "What the hell are you doing—can’t you hear me calling you?!"

Terror-stricken, Scarhead Biao suddenly remembered there was someone left outside the temple—a laborer who had come with Huang Ba.

Originally, they had wanted a reliable brother to guard their belongings, but since they had ventured so deep, leaving the laborer to watch over things seemed fine. Who knew what monsters might appear out of nowhere?

If a laborer with a non-combat profession encountered any monsters, he’d be torn to pieces and wouldn’t dare run. Besides, with Wang Chen carrying an unknown number of magic scrolls, the battle ahead was bound to be tough.

Compared to that, guarding the luggage was the easiest job—and who wouldn’t want to be assigned to such a post?