I am the Arcane Archer, and all my skills are self-created.

As the two ventured deeper into the mine, the scenery on both sides of the tunnel underwent a dramatic transformation.

Dwarven rune murals began to appear on the walls, depicting grand scenes of dwarven craftsmen mining, smelting, and forging. Rusty iron rails were laid on the ground, with abandoned minecarts and tools scattered around them.

The air temperature rose higher and higher, and the smell of sulfur and engine oil became increasingly strong.

"Clang...clang...clang..."

The heavy knocking sound seemed to be right next to my ears, making my eardrums ache.

Finally, after rounding a huge bend, an incredibly magnificent underground space appeared before the two of them.

This is a huge cave, the size of several football fields, with a dome hundreds of meters high, inlaid with countless magical crystals that emit a ghostly blue light, illuminating the entire space as bright as day.

In the center of the cave was a huge forging furnace, which looked like a steel behemoth.

The furnace is tens of meters high, with countless thick pipes and complex mechanical structures wrapped around it. Crimson magma flows slowly within it, radiating suffocating heat.

The heavy knocking sound came from the core of the furnace.

There, a giant mechanical arm was hammering a red-hot metal ingot, each strike sending sparks flying everywhere.

The entire scene is filled with the violent aesthetics of the industrial age, magnificent and awe-inspiring.

"This is... the Black Iron Dwarves' forging hall?" Li Wu was so shocked by the sight before him that he was speechless.

He couldn't imagine that such a masterpiece could be hidden so deep underground.

"That's right." Hua Zitong's tone also carried a hint of amazement. "Legend has it that in its heyday, eighty percent of Ironforge's weapons and equipment came from here. Unfortunately, it was completely abandoned after a plague caused by a mining accident."

As she spoke, she cautiously glanced around.

The entire forging hall was empty and deathly silent; apart from the tireless mechanical arm, there was no trace of any living thing.

But neither of them dared to be careless in the slightest.

The calmer a place is, the greater the danger it often hides.

"Where is the Boss?" Li Wu looked around but didn't find any monster-like creatures.

"Don't worry, they'll be out soon."

No sooner had Hua Zitong finished speaking than a sudden change occurred!

"Buzz—"

Suddenly, dark red rune arrays lit up the floor of the entire hall.

Immediately afterwards, four huge steel platforms slowly rose from the ground in the four corners of the hall.

On each platform stands a giant mining golem that is over three meters tall.

But unlike the ones they had encountered before, these four puppets were much larger, covered in thicker armor, and no longer wielded pickaxes, but instead carried huge drills and cutting saws.

Their eyes gleamed with a cold, scarlet light, filled with an aura of violence and slaughter.

【Black Iron Guardian (Elite)】

[Level: LV24]

[HP: 8000/8000]

Attack: 250

【Skill:???】

[Description: The last line of defense abandoned in the forging hall; they will tear apart any living being that dares to intrude.]

"Four level 24 elite monsters?" Li Wu frowned slightly.

This force is far more formidable than any wave of monsters we've encountered before.

"Be careful, they're different from the ones outside," Hua Zitong warned in a low voice. "Their attack patterns are more complex, and... they can coordinate their attacks."

"Cooperate?"

Before Li Wu could ask any further questions, the four Black Iron Guardians had already made their move.

"Creak—"

A piercing metallic scraping sound rang out as the two guardians, located in the southeast and northwest corners, suddenly raised their massive drills, aiming them at Li Wu and Hua Zitong.

The next second, two thick, high-pressure steam-driven drills, with a piercing whooshing sound, shot towards the two like cannonballs!

"It's a ranged attack!" Hua Zitong's expression changed, and she immediately raised her shield to block in front of Li Wu.

"clang!"

With a loud bang, one of the drill bits slammed into the Guardian Barrier, the immense impact causing Hua Zitong to involuntarily take a half-step back.

-288!

A not-so-low damage number appeared above her head.

The other drill bit was narrowly dodged by Li Wu with a nimble sidestep.

"boom!"

The drill bit grazed past his clothes and slammed heavily into the wall in the distance, leaving a deep crater.

"Such high damage!" Li Wu was shocked.

Hua Zitong's physical defense is already frighteningly high, yet he still lost nearly 300 health points. If that hit him, he'd probably be half dead.

However, the crisis is not over yet.

While they were dealing with the ranged attack, two other guardians wielding cutting saws took heavy steps and flanked them from the left and right.

Although they are not fast, each step they take is powerful and heavy, giving people a strong sense of oppression.

"We can't let them get close!" Hua Zitong immediately judged. "Their cutting saws have armor-piercing effects. Once I'm entangled, my shield won't hold for long!"

"clear!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Wu unleashed a Chain Lightning Arrow.

"Crack!"

Lightning bolts leaped back and forth between the four guardians, causing a series of damage.

-1389! (Weakness Critical Hit)

-1401! (Weakness Critical Hit)

……

However, to Li Wu's surprise, the health of these four guardians had decreased significantly.

However, their total health is higher than that of the previous monsters, with each one having a full eight thousand points.

Moreover, while Chain Lightning Arrow can cause a group slowdown, its effectiveness is greatly reduced against enemies with clear divisions between ranged and melee combat.

The two ranged guardians continued to output damage comfortably from the rear, while the melee guardians, though slightly slower, steadily advanced towards them.

"This won't do, we have to take care of those two in the back row first!" Li Wu immediately adjusted the tactics.

He abandoned using area-of-effect attacks and instead focused his attention on one of the ranged guardians.

Lightning Bolt!

"Whoosh!"

A condensed bolt of lightning shot out and struck the guardian's head precisely.

-1455! (Weakness Critical Hit)

An astonishing damage number popped up, and the guardian's health bar was instantly emptied by a large portion.

"It works!" Li Wu's spirits lifted.

However, just as he was about to deliver a second arrow to kill it instantly, another unexpected event occurred.

Suddenly, a yellowish-brown light shone from the weakened ranged guardian.

Immediately afterwards, another ranged guardian next to it, at full health, also lit up with the same light.

The next second, the low-health guardian's health began to rapidly increase!

In just two seconds, the Guardian's health was fully restored!

"What kind of skill is this? It directly restores health?" Li Wu was dumbfounded.

"It's Life Resonance!" Hua Zitong's face turned extremely ugly. "This is a unique skill of the Black Iron Guardians. All four of them must be killed together."

"Kill all four at once?" Li Wu's face also darkened.

This means that his tactic of focusing fire on and instantly killing one of them has completely failed.

"This is troublesome."

As Li Wu watched the cutting saws approaching from both sides and the remote guardian raising the drill again from behind, he experienced a sense of unease for the first time.