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

Li Wu looked up and saw Hua Zitong looking at him. On her face, there was no sign of retreat or embarrassment. Instead, her eyes shone with a light he couldn't understand, a light that was a mixture of wisdom and confidence.

"No." Hua Zitong shook her head and said clearly, word by word.

"You are not a burden at all."

"You are the only key to whether we can defeat this boss!"

Li Wu was stunned.

He didn't understand what Hua Zitong meant at all.

How did I, an archer completely countered by the BOSS, become the key to breaking the deadlock?

Was she trying to comfort me?

Seeing Li Wu's confused and disbelieving expression, Hua Zitong's lips curled up slightly.

She knew Li Wu would never expect this.

"Li Wu, listen carefully." Hua Zitong's voice was very low, only the two of them could hear it.

"That boss only reflects ranged attacks with a 'physical' attribute!"

"It not only doesn't reflect ranged attacks with 'magic' attributes, but it also takes more damage than normal monsters!"

"In other words, it has a hidden attribute of magical vulnerability!"

Physical ranged attack?

Magical ranged attack?

These two words swirled and collided rapidly in Li Wu's mind.

Then, he suddenly realized something!

he……

He's an arcane archer!

The core source of damage for the arrows he fires, whether they are [Burning Arrow] or [Explosive Burning Arrow], is not the physical penetration of the arrow itself, but the arcane power attached to it!

That was pure magical damage!

As soon as this thought crossed Li Wu's mind, he felt the blood in his body begin to boil.

His eyes lit up instantly, and he stared intently at Hua Zitong.

"You mean..." His voice trembled slightly with excitement.

"That's right." Hua Zitong nodded heavily, confirming his guess.

"For ordinary archers or rangers, their arrows cause physical damage, so they will be perfectly reflected by the BOSS."

"But you are different."

"You are an arcane archer; all your damage is magical damage!"

"So, that boss, who is a nightmare for all archers, is... for you?"

Hua Zitong paused for a moment, then, with a smile in her voice, gave her final conclusion.

"He's a sitting duck, completely vulnerable!"

A sitting duck!

These three words made Li Wu's heart pound wildly.

He got it!

He understood completely!

So that's how it is!

"Of course, this boss isn't just about ranged reflection," Hua Zitong added. "That boss also has an aura skill called [Filth Aura]."

"Once affected, all players will be afflicted with a debuff that causes them to continuously lose health and mana every second."

"Players with low levels and poor equipment will die from just a few debuffs; they simply can't survive."

"The ranged reflection, coupled with the continuous health and mana drain debuff, makes the [Contaminated Lake Spirit] the most difficult boss to defeat in all level 10 dungeons in the early game, without exception."

"In the early stages, when players generally lacked detoxification, purification skills, and recovery potions, the difficulty of clearing this dungeon was simply hellish."

Hua Zitong recounted all the terrifying aspects of this BOSS in one breath.

But since they can explain the specific mechanism, there must be a way to deal with it.

After they finished accepting the mission, Hua Zitong reverted to her usual bossy demeanor and began to lead the conversation.

"Next, we should prepare to enter the dungeon!"

"Come on, I'll take you to a great place!"

Hua Zitong stood up and, without saying a word, pulled Li Wu along, heading towards another direction of the trading area.

The two soon arrived at the entrance of a pharmacy.

This shop is much larger than those run by other players, but the highest-level potions it offers are only basic.

"Boss, give me 50 bottles of basic mana recovery potions and 50 bottles of health recovery potions!" Hua Zitong's words immediately stunned the other players nearby.

"One...one hundred bottles?"

A player next to him, who was haggling over a bottle of basic potion, almost popped his eyes out.

A basic potion costs 50 copper coins per bottle. One hundred bottles would cost 5000 copper coins, which is a full 5 silver coins!

Is this guy drinking medicine like water?

Li Wu was also taken aback; this was spending money way too much.

"Don't worry about it," Hua Zitong saw through his thoughts, "The place we're going to next will consume a lot of magic power, so it's better to have these potions on hand."

After paying, Li Wu's backpack instantly contained a large number of blue bottles.

Then, Hua Zitong took him to a general store that specializes in selling scrolls.

"Boss, what's the most expensive defensive scroll you have here?"

The grocery store owner was a lean old man. He raised his eyelids and pointed to a scroll on the counter that gleamed with an earthy yellow light.

"【Rock Guardian Scroll】, Fine Grade. After use, it forms a shield on the body that absorbs 500 points of damage, lasting for 30 seconds. Price: 2 Silver Coins."

"hiss--"

Li Wu gasped.

Two silver coins for a single-use scroll? That's highway robbery!

"Give me five." Hua Zitong didn't even blink.

"Five...five?" The shopkeeper was taken aback for a moment, then his face lit up with a smile. "Alright! Ten silver coins in total!"

Li Wu felt as if her heart was bleeding.

I hadn't even had a chance to enjoy those 80 silver coins before I spent 15 of them.

"Why did you buy so much of this? It's too expensive," Li Wu muttered under her breath.

"These are for survival." Hua Zitong carefully put away the five scrolls. "The boss in the dungeon we're going to is very strong. I need these to ensure I can survive. Only if I survive can you safely deal damage. This investment is necessary."

Li Wu fell silent; he knew Hua Zitong was right.

Under Hua Zitong's command, they bought some scrolls to increase agility and other items, spending nearly 3 silver coins in total.

Looking at the "team funds" in his backpack that had shrunk considerably in an instant, Li Wu realized for the first time what it meant to spend money like water.

"Alright, the preparations are almost done." Hua Zitong clapped her hands, a satisfied look on her face.

The two found a quiet corner to sit down, preparing for a final rest before setting off.

Hua Zitong checked the equipment and supplies, while Li Wu closed his eyes and immersed his mind in the secret world of his mind.

Hua Zitong just mentioned that the dungeon boss has an annoying aura that causes continuous damage to health and mana, and it also applies various negative status effects to the tank.

This gave Li Wu a new idea.