Even an experienced swordsman like Sun Ge didn't know where the last monster was hiding, but his mindset was calm. He spoke to comfort the group: "It's alright, no need to rush."
"This dungeon isn't that big. Where else could a monster be hiding? Maybe we just didn't search carefully enough. Perhaps it's hiding inside one of the bungalows."
Qin Qiu nodded and said, "Then let's do a carpet search throughout the village again. As a Holy Light Mage, I can sense that there's still a dark attribute energy present nearby."
"The last monster has to be close!"
The others nodded in agreement, feeling that was their only option.
When everyone was ready to move out, they noticed Lu Fan standing still, seemingly deep in thought.
"Little brother, what's up? Any new discoveries?" Sun Ge approached and patted Lu Fan's shoulder.
After several battles, Sun Ge admired Lu Fan and had grown closer to him than before.
Lu Fan shook his head, signaling he had no new findings, but then he said, "I think we might have overlooked something."
"What is it?" Qin Qiu showed interest and asked proactively.
Lu Fan opened the quest panel and showed it to everyone, then pointed at the text, saying: "Look here—the quest description says this Village of Despair initially had villagers infected with a plague, and their bodies were piled by the lakeside."
"Three days later, those corpses mutated into zombies."
"So I'm wondering, maybe the real problem isn't the village itself, but the small lake beside it?"
Lu Fan's words brightened everyone's eyes.
Indeed, there was a small lake next to the Village of Despair.
The lake wasn't large—more like a big pond—with foul-smelling, stagnant black water, so no one had approached it before.
If there were no monsters left inside the village, then the last one was very likely hiding at the bottom of this lake!
Sun Ge was delighted and said, "Lu little brother is right, we really haven't checked if there's a monster hiding in the lake."
"I'd say the plague's source in this village might be coming from the lake bottom. The dungeon's Boss could be hiding right there!"
Qin Qiu nodded in agreement, smiling slightly: "Then let's go check out the lake."
The group moved quickly and soon arrived at the small lake beside the Village of Despair.
The lake's surface was calm like a mirror, making it hard to imagine what might lurk beneath.
Qin Qiu waved her staff, conjuring numerous white fireballs in midair that then rained down like hail, covering the lake's surface.
Not only Qin Qiu, but the two other mages in the team also cast Fireball, bombarding the lake. Suddenly, dense steam mixed with the stench of rot rose, causing many to furrow their brows.
Disturbed, the lake suddenly changed.
A whirlpool appeared in the center, and a burst of black mist exploded upward from the bottom, scattering the flames cast by Qin Qiu and the other two mages.
"Sure enough, the last monster is here!" Sun Ge's heart tightened as he gripped his greatsword, stepping to the front.
"Everyone be careful—this should be the dungeon Boss. It won't be easy!"
Before Sun Ge finished speaking, a loud explosion came from the whirlpool's center. A pitch-black figure shot out of the lake like a cannonball, surrounded by swirling black mist, crashing directly into Sun Ge.
"Bang!" The impact sent Sun Ge flying backward, blood spewing from his mouth—the difference in strength was obvious.
As Sun Ge flew back, the dark figure quickly targeted the rear of the team. Xiao Jia, with lower agility, couldn't intercept it in time.
Qin Qiu's face went pale watching the terrifying shadow rush toward her, feeling her blood freeze.
At that moment, another figure dashed forward at almost the same speed.
Lu Fan couldn't just watch the monster slaughter his teammates in the backline. Reacting quickly, after Sun Ge was knocked back, Lu Fan dragged the Ink Dragon Scale Greatsword and intercepted the shadow.
"Kneel before me!" Lu Fan growled, unleashing Dragonfang Strike and smashing down on the shadow.
A massive dragon head roared as it struck, covering the shadow and halting its movement.
Dragonfang Strike didn't kill it outright, but Lu Fan's sword left a deep, bone-visible wound on its shoulder, forcing it to kneel on one knee under the heavy blow.
This brief pause revealed the shadow's true form to the team.
It was also a zombie, but far more terrifying and grotesque.
Its entire body was pitch black, like a humanoid blob of sludge. Its face lacked clear features, resembling a corpse soaked in water for years without rotting.
Around its wrists were two rusty iron chains, thick as wrists.
Lu Fan immediately cast Identify on it and instantly saw its stats.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。