Chapter 32: A Skill Book Drops!

With a thunderous crash, the monstrous catfish spirit, over three meters long and weighing more than sixty jin, slammed heavily to the ground. It convulsed violently as blood gushed from its wounds, and above its head blazed a large, red number: -666!

Chen Yun’s eyes glowed red as he fixed his gaze on the catfish spirit’s health bar. The creature, which had possessed 2,500 life points, now clung to a mere 3!

My goodness, this is a level 10 boss! If I kill it, how much experience will I gain?

With this thought, Chen Yun hesitated no longer. He strode forward and kicked the catfish spirit right on the head.

Bang! The sound that rang out wasn’t from his kick, but from Chen Yun himself, who had slipped and landed unceremoniously on his backside.

“The boss-level monster Catfish Spirit has activated the skill ‘Slippery’! Player Chen Yun’s normal attack was evaded. This attack is invalid.”

“Player Chen Yun’s buttocks were attacked by the ground, losing 5 life points.”

Damn it! Chen Yun’s face flushed an ugly purple with rage. He didn’t bother to stand up, but sat there, kicking at the catfish spirit’s head.

“The boss-level monster Catfish Spirit has activated the skill ‘Slippery’! Player Chen Yun’s normal attack was evaded. This attack is invalid.”

“The boss-level monster Catfish Spirit has activated the skill ‘Slippery’! Player Chen Yun’s normal attack was evaded. This attack is invalid.”

Hell! Chen Yun pointed at the catfish spirit and cursed aloud, “Damn you! Does your Slippery skill have no cooldown? Does it cost you no mana? Is it invincible or what?”

Standing to the side, the three men with Li Xin stared in bewilderment at Master Chen, who was sitting in a pool of blood, flailing and swearing at the catfish spirit. What was wrong with Master Chen? Why was he ranting about slippery skills, mana, and invincibility? Had he been frightened into delirium and started talking nonsense?

“Player Chen Yun used a normal attack on the boss-level monster Catfish Spirit. The boss-level monster Catfish Spirit lost 1 life point.”

“Player Chen Yun used a normal attack on the boss-level monster Catfish Spirit. Critical hit triggered! The boss-level monster Catfish Spirit lost 2 life points.”

“Player Chen Yun has slain the level 10 boss Catfish Spirit, gaining 500 experience points, 10 silver coins, a Lightning Talisman, and a purple skill book. The skill book has been placed in your inventory.”

“Because Player Chen Yun defeated a boss seven levels above, all experience, money, and items are doubled. Player has leveled up—now level 4. Player has leveled up—now level 5.”

With Chen Yun’s relentless kicks, the catfish spirit’s last 3 life points were finally depleted, and it died.

A loot drop and a skill book! Chen Yun was delighted to hear the system notification. In the world of games, the rarest treasures are not items or equipment, but skill books. Items and gear are replaced too quickly, but skills last forever. The value of the two is incomparable, and skill books are even less likely to drop than equipment. To get a skill book on his very first boss kill—his luck was certainly not bad.

“Master Chen, are you alright?” Li Xin and his companions hurried over, helping Chen Yun to his feet.

“I’m fine. The catfish spirit’s fall startled me, so I kicked it a few times to vent my anger,” Chen Yun improvised, just as he was about to examine the Lightning Talisman and skill book dropped by the boss.

“I want to kick it too. That huge catfish scared me half to death when it fell,” Xiao Wang, eager to please, went over and gave it a couple of kicks.

“Alright, let’s not let your stinky feet tarnish such a big catfish,” Li Xin joked. “Master, the smell of blood here is overwhelming, and you’re covered in fish blood. Hurry back to the hotel and clean up.”

“If you hadn’t mentioned it, I’d have forgotten. This catfish blood is truly pungent—let’s go,” Chen Yun said, his mind still on the skill book and his leveling up, but Li Xin’s words made him feel the stench all the more.

They had barely taken a few steps when Chen Yun saw Zhang Lang and Captain Li leading a squad of special police officers out of the hotel.

The moment Zhang Lang emerged, he saw Master Chen, supported by Li Xin and drenched in blood. His vision went black and his knees nearly buckled—had Captain Li not caught him, he would have fallen hard.

“Ambulance! Call an ambulance!” Zhang Lang broke free from Captain Li’s grip and sprinted to Chen Yun with record speed. “Master Chen, I’m so sorry. I’ve let you get hurt and bleed so much…”

“Master Chen isn’t hurt, that’s not his blood. It’s from the catfish spirit that fell,” Li Xin quickly explained, both for Master Chen and for himself—after all, Zhang had specifically instructed him to look after Master Chen. If this blood was really Master Chen’s, he might as well pack his bags and go home.

“Whew, what a relief! As long as Master is alright. Li Xin, quickly take Master Chen back to the hotel for a bath and a change of clothes.” Zhang Lang exhaled deeply, his nerves finally relaxing. In his eyes, Master Chen was a precious treasure, his ticket to the future. Anyone else could have an accident—except for Master Chen!

“Captain, we can confirm that the catfish spirit is dead,” reported two special police officers after inspecting the corpse.

“Yes, after taking so many bullets and falling from the third floor, there’s no way it could survive. Tell the bureau to send a pickup truck,” Captain Li ordered.

“Wait!” Chen Yun took advantage of a lull to check the two identical skill books in his inventory, then called out.

“Is there something you need, Master Chen?” Captain Li asked.

“Captain Li, do you intend to take the catfish spirit back with you?”

“Yes, the catfish spirit has high research value. I plan to bring it back for the technical department at the bureau to study,” Captain Li replied honestly.

“Captain Li, though the catfish has become a spirit, it is still the hotel’s property. Isn’t it inappropriate for you to take it away just like that?” Chen Yun said with a smile.

“And what do you mean by that, Master Chen?” Captain Li asked, puzzled.

“Captain Li, the meat of this catfish spirit is unlike that of ordinary catfish. It’s a rare delicacy, and will be of great help to my culinary skills. I hope you’ll reconsider taking it to the bureau,” Chen Yun said seriously, though he thought to himself that this was no lie—the catfish spirit really would benefit him, not just in cooking, but also with his newly acquired skill, Gathering!

“Captain Li, Master Chen is right. No matter what it’s become, this catfish spirit is still the property of my hotel. If you take it away, I’ll have to discuss it with your bureau chief,” Zhang Lang chimed in, instantly siding with Master Chen upon hearing he wanted the catfish for culinary practice.

“Come now, General Manager Zhang, there’s no need for that. Since Master Chen wants it, I’ll stay out of it—you may handle it yourselves. General Manager Zhang, Master Chen, I’ll take my leave. Squad, withdraw—back to the bureau!” Captain Li said with a cold smile, leading his officers away.

As Captain Li and his men departed, Chen Yun, somewhat uneasy, remarked, “General Manager Zhang, I get the feeling Captain Li isn’t too pleased…”