"Blood Progeny Overlord... Old Gu, did your summon get promoted?" Lin Yuan stared at the figure in the dark red formal suit, utterly astonished. Hearing this, Lin Qingqing and the others turned their heads in unison. They had just cleared one Hard Mode dungeon, and his summon had already advanced again? Who would believe such an exaggerated growth speed? They looked closer. Indeed, this was no longer the familiar Dracula. His posture seemed taller, more imposing. An unsettling aura of gloom and chilling cold emanated from him. Just meeting his gaze sent a wave of intense fear washing over them, creating an almost unbearable sense of suffocation. Wu Ziyi narrowed his eyes, instinctively trying to inspect the Blood Progeny Overlord's stats, only to be met with rows upon rows of question marks. Gu Chen had set his summon's information to private; outsiders could only see its name, level, and health bar, not even the specific HP value. After all, the stats of a Legendary-tier summon were too shocking. At only Level 6, its primary attributes were already over 100, and its HP neared 9000—this wasn't a summon, it was practically a BOSS placed inside a Novice Dungeon.

Facing their questioning looks, Gu Chen didn't bother explaining. He simply issued a command to the Blood Progeny Overlord, and it began walking towards the main temple gate. Simultaneously, the first wave of Sunken Guards emerged from behind the gate. Possessing the enhanced Blood Progeny Instinct of a Legendary creature, the Overlord had already locked onto a figure deep within the gray mist the moment it began to move. It raised a pistol and fired. BANG! A fatal blow! Damage exceeding three thousand! A Sunken Guard within the mist, barely having revealed itself, had its head blown off.

[Killed Sunken Guard LV.5, EXP +113]

"Damn! That was a Level 5 Guard! It got one-shotted?" Lin Yuan was so shocked his jaw nearly hit the floor. While Lin Yuan was still reeling, a towering guard clad in black heavy armor and wielding a massive golden greatsword emerged. This guard stood over three meters tall, like a small hill, the golden greatsword in its hands radiating a sharp, imposing aura. Following it was a group of Level 5 guards.

[Otherworldly Race: Sunken Guard · Elite] [Level: LV.6] [HP: 11500] [Attributes: Strength 80, Agility 73, Constitution 92, Spirit 75] [Skill I: Gray Mist Curse] [Skill II: Iron Guard] [Skill III: Sword of Oath] [Skill IV: Final Judgment]

"Are you kidding me? An Elite Guard?!" Horror flashed across Lin Qingqing's face. "Heavens, over ten thousand HP! Is this really just a guard?" Su Ran covered her mouth, shocked beyond words. Wu Ziyi spoke up in a timely manner, "Hell Mode dungeons replicate true historical scenarios. So... this Elite Guard with over 10,000 HP... was just a gatekeeper?" Hearing this, everyone's eyelids twitched. If even an Elite monster was just a gatekeeper, how terrifying would the later stages be?

Just then, the Elite Guard roared, swinging its golden greatsword and charging towards the Blood Progeny Overlord like a moving mountain. The Overlord's eyes narrowed, killing intent surging. It raised a pistol and fired. BANG! The gleaming silver bullet struck the pitch-black heavy armor but was deflected. The damage dealt to the Elite Guard was pitifully small, only about 300 HP—barely 2% of its health.

[Iron Guard: Heavy armor allows the Sunken Guard · Elite to resist 90% of incoming damage. Total damage absorbed cannot exceed 50% of its own maximum HP.]

A powerful skill! Unfortunately for the guard, it had encountered the Blood Progeny Overlord. 50% of the Elite Guard's maximum HP was 5750. For other challenger teams, breaking through this much damage mitigation would be like trying to take down a veritable 'blood bull' (high HP tank). Even if the Elite Guard stood still and didn't fight back, they likely couldn't break through this skill's defense threshold. The only way for ordinary challengers to kill the Elite Guard would be to kite it, wearing down the skill's duration until it entered cooldown. However, for the Blood Progeny Overlord, shattering this heavy armor required only two shots. Without the slightest hesitation, BANG! The second bullet screamed through the air and slammed into the Elite Guard. The massive figure shuddered, and cracks instantly spread across its heavy armor—it was broken.

With its defense shattered, the Elite Guard let out an enraged roar. It raised its golden greatsword towards the sky, the blade erupting in blinding golden light. Skill [Final Judgment], activated! With a thunderous crash, a colossal golden blade descended from the heavens, cleaving down towards the Blood Progeny Overlord with devastating force. But the Overlord, being a Legendary summon, had already perceived the incoming attack with its heightened senses. Just as the golden blade was about to strike its head, its figure blurred like a phantom, retreating over ten meters and effortlessly dodging the skill. BOOM! The massive golden blade slammed into the ground, sending stone fragments and dirt flying in all directions. Simultaneously, the Blood Progeny Overlord's attack arrived once more. BANG! With the heavy armor broken, this single shot instantly erased over three thousand of the Elite Guard's HP. Immediately following, another bullet whistled forth, accurately striking between the Elite Guard's eyes. BANG! The massive damage to the head triggered the stun effect again. The Elite Guard froze in place, momentarily helpless. Seizing the opportunity, the Blood Progeny Overlord unleashed a storm of bullets, a dense rain of projectiles pouring onto the Elite Guard's body. Not necessarily aiming for vitals, but with the Overlord's current strength, even basic attack damage was frighteningly high. Bang! Bang! Bang!... The Elite Guard's health bar plummeted rapidly. After just a few shots, the mountain-like figure collapsed with a crash, its HP completely depleted. In merely three to five breaths, the Elite monster with over ten thousand HP had been slain.

With the greatest threat eliminated, the Blood Progeny Overlord's figure flashed, charging directly into the surrounding group of Level 5 Guards. Its hands raised, the black and silver heavy pistols fired relentlessly. Gunshots echoed like dense raindrops as the surrounding area filled with the exploded corpses of guards. Within moments, the entire first wave of guards was annihilated.

[Killed Sunken Guard · Elite LV.6, EXP +468] [Loot Obtained: Steel Platemail1] [Loot Obtained: Healing Potion3] [Killed Sunken Guard LV.5, EXP +111] [Killed Sunken Guard LV.5, EXP +118] [Killed Sunken Guard LV.5, EXP +115] [Killed Sunken Guard LV.5, EXP +109]

A blue gleam dropped from the Elite Guard's corpse. Gu Chen's eyes instantly lit up. Getting an equipment drop from the very first wave wasn't easy. He picked up the Steel Platemail to examine it.

[Steel Platemail] [Quality: Superior] [Level Req: 6] [Attributes: Constitution +30, Strength +5] [Effect: Steel Platemail reduces damage taken by the wearer by 15%.]

A piece of Level 6 Superior-tier gear. +30 Constitution, +5 Strength, and 15% damage reduction—not bad at all. Heavy armor like this was typically worn by Warriors or Knights. Listing it on the trading platform after leaving should fetch a good price.