Piaoling, observing from afar, also turned pale. She was more than ten meters away from the Queen of Silence, and even if she used her Shadow Shift skill, she couldn't reach Xiao Hua in time to help before the Queen killed him. Given the Queen's current breakneck speed, even if her magic had tracking capabilities, it wouldn't hit the Queen!

Seeing the Queen of Silence with just a sliver of health left, Xiao Hua felt an intense sense of frustration. Yet, he had no way to deal with her in her rampaged state.

Just as despair began to set in, the red light formed by the Queen's rapid movement suddenly stopped. The Queen reappeared among the flowers, her body, which had swelled with power during the rampage, rapidly shrank. The red glow faded from her skin, and her eyes dimmed, returning to their hollow gray color. Her hair, which had been floating, fell back onto her shoulders.

At this critical juncture, the battle took an unexpected turn. Xiao Hua, who had almost given up, was stunned by this incredible change. But in the next moment, he lunged toward the Queen!

Blind!

This was the only skill with a disruptive effect that Xiao Hua had been saving for emergencies. Now, with nothing left to lose, he used it to blind the Queen.

Blind successful!

Seeing the skill work, Xiao Hua wasted no time, plunging his dagger into the Queen's body.

-3500! -3433! -3670! -1199! -3460! -3589!

Six attacks, five critical hits! After the rampage effect wore off, the Queen's stats dropped dramatically, allowing Xiao Hua to reduce her HP to zero!

When the Queen's HP reached zero, she didn't immediately fall but slowly lifted her head, looking up at the sky with her empty eyes. Suddenly, her closed mouth opened, emitting a shrill whistle!

The sound was piercing, penetrating deep into their minds. Xiao Hua and Piaoling both covered their ears, but the sound continued unabated. It felt like needles pricking their brains. More alarmingly, Xiao Hua noticed his HP draining at a rate of -1, -1, and saw similar numbers floating above Piaoling's head.

Was she trying to drag them down with her even in death?

Xiao Hua grimly wondered, knowing the Queen was capable of such tactics. However, after his HP dropped by over three hundred points, the Queen's whistle ceased. Instead, a glowing black sphere the size of a fist emerged from her mouth and ascended into the sky.

Seeing this strange object emerge from the Queen, neither dared to move, focusing their attention on the black light in the sky.

The black light circled twice, then dispersed silently, forming six black lights and one green light. Two of the black lights descended rapidly toward Xiao Hua and Piaoling.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Not knowing what the black lights were, they tried to dodge, but the lights moved too fast. Before they could react, the black lights struck them and disappeared.

System Prompt: You've been branded with the Mark of the Dark Blossom!

Mark? What was this thing?

Confused, they received the system prompt. Despite their gaming experience, neither had heard of such a mark before.

While they pondered, the remaining four black lights circled the green light several times, as if searching for something, before separating and flying toward Xiao Hua and Piaoling.

Knowing they couldn't avoid the black lights, they allowed them to merge into their bodies.

System Prompt: You've been branded with the Mark of the Dark Blossom! System Prompt: You've been branded with the Mark of the Dark Blossom!

The green light, freed from the black lights, joyfully flew toward the horizon, vanishing from view.

Both stared in disbelief at the bizarre events unfolding. From the moment the Queen started whistling, they couldn't comprehend what was happening.

With the black and green lights gone, their focus returned to the Queen of Silence.

"Please fall already, and don't forget you're a boss—leave us some souvenirs!" Xiao Hua thought, hoping for some valuable loot to make up for the three mysterious marks he'd received.

The Queen stood still, her hands hanging loosely by her sides, gazing at the sky. Her body began to turn gray, then transparent. A gentle breeze blew, and her body dissipated like sand, leaving no trace on the ground. Two items appeared where she had been standing.

Though few, experienced players knew that powerful bosses often dropped fewer but more valuable items. Xiao Hua, whose eyes had been fixed on the Queen, recognized the items that dropped: one was the Queen's dagger, and the other was a small black object.

Ignoring the black object, Xiao Hua ran to pick up the dagger, feeling a surge of excitement. Piaoling, equally excited, joined him, marveling at their unexpected victory.

Xiao Hua picked up the dagger, admiring its translucent, slightly holy glow. Holding it, he felt an indescribable joy, then reluctantly checked its stats.

Queen's Blade (Dark Gold): A dagger once wielded by an unknown queen, exceptionally sharp and imbued with mysterious power. Stats: Physical Attack: 270-340, Level 40 to equip. +20 Constitution +30 Strength +30 Agility Additional Skill: Whirling Throw. Whirling Throw: Rapidly spin and throw your weapon at an enemy. If it hits, it causes multiple strikes, with the number of hits dependent on agility. Requires 400 agility to use, cooldown two minutes.

Holding a level 40 dark gold weapon, especially one suited for him, Xiao Hua felt a great satisfaction. Staring at the blade's stats, he chuckled contentedly.

"Wake up, don't drool," Piaoling said, patting Xiao Hua's shoulder.

Drooling? Xiao Hua subconsciously wiped his mouth, realizing he had been tricked. There was no drooling in the game, but he was too elated to mind.

Piaoling picked up the black object, examined it, and handed it to Xiao Hua.

"Forgetful Realm Emblem: An emblem dropped from the Queen of Silence, made of unknown material, with ancient symbols carved on it, suggesting it has significant importance."

"I haven't heard of it. Without stats, it's likely a quest item," Xiao Hua shrugged, admitting he wasn't much help.

"Let me see the weapon's stats; you look so happy," Piaoling said, eager to see why Xiao Hua was so pleased.

Handing the dagger over, Xiao Hua watched Piaoling scrutinize it, grinning widely.

The stats were impressive, typical for a dark gold weapon. What stunned Piaoling was the additional skill. Having witnessed the Queen's use of the skill, she knew Xiao Hua wouldn't be as powerful, but the dagger would give him a significant advantage, turning him into a semi-ranged attacker.

"Laugh it up, you can't use it until level 40. That's a long wait," Piaoling teased.

"That's true, but it's quicker than level fifty," Xiao Hua countered, referring to Piaoling's Water Guardian Staff.

Piaoling paused, understanding the reference.

"So, what happened with the boss at the end? Why did the rampage disappear?" Xiao Hua asked, changing the subject to avoid further teasing.