Chapter 116: Permanent Stealth, Ghost Shadow

The onlookers sneered at the sight.

"Has Xu Han lost his mind? Using wind blades against rock giants?"

"Everyone knows rocks are the natural counter to wind. No matter how powerful a wind blade is, its effect on a rock giant is negligible."

"Wait, something's not right. Look at the rock giants' health bars—why are they still dropping?"

"You're right. Does Xu Han's wind blade carry poison?"

"Are you stupid? Rock giants are immune to poison. I think it must be the tearing effect caused by the blades."

"Tearing? That’s an additional attribute that only appears on wind blades above level 5. Is Xu Han’s wind blade already at level 5?"

The crowd stared at Xu Han, completely dumbfounded.

Impossible!

This guy’s skill leveling speed was far too fast. For a first-tier professional, reaching level 2 in a skill was already an impressive feat. Yet Xu Han had somehow managed to level his up to 5? Did he only ever use this one skill every single day?

Just as the crowd was lost in confusion, Xu Han lifted a hand. Brilliant electric light danced in his palm.

Boom!

Two lightning chains, like venomous snakes, shot toward the rock giants. The giants, already stiff by nature, were instantly paralyzed by the electricity and frozen in place, unable to move.

Xu Han followed up by launching an Explosive Fireball at them.

Boom!

The fireball erupted violently. Roaring flames turned into a wave of fire, spreading in every direction. The nearest rock giants were charred black, their health bars plummeting significantly.

Xu Han truly felt like shouting in satisfaction. Dealing with these rock giants required no effort at all. Before they could even get close, they were bombarded by his magic and slaughtered completely.

While the corpses of the rock giants remained, he hurried forward to use "Devour All." He consumed a boulder from one of the giants, and a warm current surged through his entire body. His depleted mana was more than half restored.

This was the effect of the Gourmet's Ring: Gluttony. As long as he consumed delicacies, he could rapidly recover from injuries. Although he wasn't wounded, his mana consumption counted as a form of drain.

The system notification sounded: "Host has devoured a second-tier rock giant for the first time. Gained 15 points of Strength and 15 points of Constitution."

He didn't gain a skill this time, but Xu Han was already satisfied. If he gained a skill every time he devoured something, wouldn't that be too heaven-defying?

He looked up at the big screen. The text changed to: "Beast Tower, Second Floor, Third Wave." A thirty-second countdown began. He waited patiently for the next wave of beasts.

Outside, the audience was silent.

"So, the rock giants were resolved by Xu Han that easily?"

"Is this the strength of this year's top freshman? He’s basically a magical turret! He used so much magic without chugging a single potion—does he really have such immense mental power?"

"It seems we underestimated the top freshman."

"No, I think he just got lucky both times. These beasts weren't strong, but the next wave will be different."

"Exactly. The next wave consists of Ghost Shadows, which are incredibly annoying. They’re squishy, but they can turn invisible! Even a full team would struggle against them. I suspect Xu Han is in for a rough time."

The audience shifted their focus to the screen showing Qiao Chao’s team. Qiao Chao and his group had tightened their formation, watching their surroundings with intense focus. Transparent figures seemed to be moving rapidly around them.

One transparent figure silently appeared beside Huang Xinyu. A sharp dagger thrust directly toward her heart!

"Ah!"

Huang Xinyu screamed in terror, her face turning pale as she instinctively raised her ancient zither to block.

Clang!

The dagger easily pierced the zither and struck her, but thanks to the instrument's obstruction, the force was significantly dampened, leaving only a shallow scratch on her skin.

Wang Mo reacted instantly, slashing his blade toward the transparent figure.

Swish!

Silver light flashed, and blood splattered. A monkey-like beast was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground. Huang Xinyu trembled, her heart still racing. She had felt the breath of death! If not for the zither, she would have been killed.

Qiao Chao furrowed his brows and said in a low voice, "Dong Yan, have the Frost Spirit use snow!"

Dong Yan blinked, then immediately understood. He nodded heavily and issued the command to the Frost Spirit. The spirit raised its hands, and the temperature in the arena plummeted. Everyone couldn't help but shiver. Thick, dark clouds gathered above, and soon, heavy, goose-feather snow began to fall. Within moments, a thin layer of snow covered the ground.

As the Ghost Shadows moved, they stepped on the snow, revealing their footprints.

A smile appeared on Qiao Chao's face as he roared, "Kill!" He swung his giant axe and charged straight at the shadows. Wang Mo followed closely, swiftly closing in on the monsters.

The audience outside was astonished.

"Qiao Chao’s reaction time is top-notch. Using the snow to force the Ghost Shadows to leave tracks was a brilliant way to pinpoint their positions."

"The kid has tactical sense; he's no brute."

"It's a pity he joined the Warrior Academy. With that kind of mind, he would have achieved great things in the War Academy."

Zheng Gang, sitting in the chief seat, nodded slightly with a growing smile. "Qiao Chao has a sharp head. Not bad; he reminds me of myself back in the day."

Meanwhile, Xu Han stared at the countdown on the screen. Once the thirty seconds passed, a flash of white light appeared on the field, followed by transparent figures emerging in the center.

Xu Han was stunned for a moment before realizing what they were. Stealth?

Stealth was different from invisibility. Invisibility could hide one’s form entirely, leaving no trace unless special methods were used. Stealth, however, left a transparent silhouette visible. Even so, these silhouettes could obscure one's vision, making them easy to overlook if one wasn't careful.

Xu Han’s lips curled upward. The third wave consisted of beasts that could use stealth. For others, this might be a major headache, but for Xu Han, it couldn't be simpler.

A faint golden light covered his eyes. "Eye of Truth" activated!

Those transparent figures had nowhere to hide in his sight. They were all monsters that looked like monkeys, draped in tattered cloaks and clutching daggers. They resembled creatures from legends: Goblins.

He checked their information:

[Name: Ghost Shadow]
[Race: Undead]
[Level: 22]
[Skill 1: Stealth LV.3 (Passive: Ghost Shadows remain in stealth as long as they are not attacked.)]
[Skill 2: Poison Coating LV.1 (Coats the dagger in venom. Afflicted enemies suffer from poisoning, reducing all attributes by 30% and taking continuous damage. Cooldown: 5 minutes.)]
[Skill 3: Deathblow LV.1 (Strikes the target's vital point for double damage and applies a Vulnerable status, increasing incoming damage by 10% for 1 minute. Cooldown: 3 minutes.)]
[Skill 4: Dash LV.2 (Instantly lunges at the target to deal damage. Cooldown: 5 minutes.)]