Chapter 314: Ancient Tomb Full of Crises
Cold dripping water landed on the tip of my nose, emitting a faint smell of mud and sand. Fortunately, perhaps because the Horadrim often undergo trials in these Stone Tombs, the Magic Torches burning on the walls were very bright, providing much better illumination than ordinary Stone Tombs.
Four Ghost Wolves were on alert nearby, guarding against any potential enemies. I glanced around slightly; the situation didn't seem great. We had just entered and were already at a Three-way Fork. Which way should we go?
Right, isn't Tia here?
Speak of the devil, and she shall appear. Urgent footsteps came from behind, and then my sleeve was gently tugged. Turning my head, it was Tia right behind me, followed by Little Four, who entered like a Ghost.
"Fanfan~~"
Tia's voice was charming but carried a hint of weakness. This was something I had never heard in the few days I had spent with her. In my impression, her voice had always been full of vitality and Confidence. Even when occasionally acting spoiled, the smile on her face was incredibly cheerful. Her bright, pearly teeth always showed with her sunny smile. When had she ever been like this, like a delicate little woman?
"What's wrong, Tia?" I tilted my head and asked curiously.
"Ugh~~, it's nothing..."
Tia stuck out her little tongue and smiled brightly. She let go of the sleeve she was tightly gripping. Actually, she wanted to say that the surrounding Ghost Wolves were scary, and that my current Appearance was also a bit scary, but she felt it would be losing Face to say so. The Self-esteem of the Horadrim made her keep silent.
"Oh, I see. Right, which way should we go now?"
Seeing Tia show an unprecedented hesitant Appearance, a trace of doubt flashed in my mind, but I didn't press further.
"Hmm~~ to the left."
Tia came back to her senses and pointed to a thick Wall on the left. After observing with wide eyes for a while, I finally discovered that the Wall she was pointing at had a hidden Mechanism Door. If you didn't look carefully, you wouldn't find it at all.
Wow, this is a bit too insidious. Generally, Adventurers who just enter would be attracted by the other three obvious Fork in the Road. How many people would notice that the real path is actually hidden in the Wall on the other side? Deception within plain sight. The Wisdom of the Otherworlders cannot be underestimated.
"Alright, Tia, make sure to follow closely behind me."
Before opening the Mechanism Door, I repeated, still feeling uneasy. Although I knew she was a Class Changer and a future Strongest Expert who had received Soul Inheritance, this Stone Tomb was also extraordinary. It was somewhat similar to the third and fourth levels of the tombs in Rogue Encampment. It was an Outpost Battle for a Boss, several times more dangerous than ordinary Terrain. If something happened to Tia, given her Status, the relationship between the Adventurer's Guild and the Horadrim would likely become strained. Thinking of this, I couldn't help but complain about Sakhrul a little. Why didn't he send someone more Ordinary Person?
"Okay. Fanfan, you be careful too."
Tia also knew her limits. Although she often came here before, it was always with several people, and they had seamless cooperation. But now there were only two of us, and we weren't familiar with each other's Battle methods, so it was better to just obediently listen.
I smiled and nodded. My hand on the switch applied a little Strength. With a swish, the heavy stone door slowly rose.
As an Ancient Tomb serving as a Boss Outpost Battle, the Quantity, Type, and Strength of the Monsters were naturally much stronger than other places. According to Tia, this place not only had the three terrifying Monsters of the Desert Kingdom: the shocking Steel Scarab, the Mage-type Vampire Lord, and the Sand Maggot, which Mages feared the most. It was a Monster with a huge Physique, holding a Club. Its Normal Attack had a Stun Effect. It was said to be a Warrior enhanced by Evil Alchemy ten thousand years ago. If a Mage with weak Vitality was accidentally surrounded by two or three such Monsters, there was basically no way out.
Besides these, there were also the Wraith (Second Progression of Wraith), which are Ghost-type, the Ghoul Lord (Second Progression of Hollow One) that could resurrect Skeletons. Where there's a Ghoul Lord, there are naturally plenty of Skeletons colluding with it, and the Undead Stygian Doll (Third Progression of Mummy), Mummy Sarcophagus (Coffin that can infinitely produce Mummies). None of these were easy Monsters to deal with, so even I had to be extremely vigilant, to avoid losing Face in front of Tia.
The stone door opened, and a few scattered translucent Wraiths flew over from the Passage ahead. It is said that many Ordinary Persons were lured by their beautiful Appearance, and didn't even know what happened when they died.
Light Snow , leading the way, flashed a hint of disdain in her Eyes and charged forward first. The other four Ghost Wolves remained dutiful, surrounding us... or rather, surrounding Tia.
Can one Ghost Wolf handle them?
Tia saw only one Ghost Wolf step forward and couldn't help but open her mouth wide. Although that Ghost Wolf was the largest and seemed to be the Leader of the other four Ghost Wolves, its Strength should not be weak. And the Wraith's Attack Power wasn't considered very strong. But they had very high Physical and Magic Defense. Their stacked Attack when numerous was also very terrifying. Previously, she and her Comrades would use Cold Element to control their movements, and then laboriously wear them down one by one.
Just as she was about to speak up and advise me, lest I underestimate the enemy, I softly said.
"Alright, let's keep going."
Huh?
Tia subconsciously looked ahead. Only to realize that at some unknown point, the few Wraiths that had just been charging aggressively had already turned into a pile of crystalline Corpses. The victorious Ghost Wolf returning yawned boredly, showing an extremely relaxed Expression.
Huh? Huh? Huh?
What happened? When did it end? How long had she just been spacing out? A minute? No way! Ten seconds? Impossible! At this moment, Tia's Brain was full of Question Marks, and her Eyes were spinning like whirlpools.
"Ghosts are really poor."
I picked up the few Gold Coins and a bottle of minor Life Potion dropped by the Wraiths and muttered to myself, almost making Tia stumble again. This is called poor? Normally, it would be good enough if she got one Gold Coin from killing ten Wraiths.
Of course, our Little Ghost Saintess also erupted at the same time, flailing her limbs in the Necklace, threatening me to take back that sentence and apologize to the vast number of Ghost individuals dedicated to promoting world Peace. Sigh, who told her that she and Wraiths were the same Type of Creature?
"Fanfan~~, um, are all Druids that powerful?"
My sleeve was pulled again. Tia pointed at Light Snow and asked again in a delicate voice. She was severely shocked. Yes, she definitely hadn't spaced out for more than ten seconds. In other words, just one Ghost Wolf had taken care of five Wraiths in these ten seconds, which would have taken her and all her Companions at least half a minute to deal with.
"Hmm, about that..."
I scratched my Chin and pondered. I also knew that Light Snow 's Strength just now had scared her. Truth be told, being able to eliminate the enemies in such a short Time also involved some Luck, because Light Snow had consecutively unleashed Giant Claw Tear several times just now. Otherwise, it would have taken at least... uh, 15 seconds to eliminate the enemies.
However, although I was indeed very different from Ordinary Druids, I felt embarrassed to boast about myself. So after thinking for a while, I answered implicitly.
"It's probably because I'm a bit special. Otherwise, given my Age, how could I sit in the Elder's position?"
This was indeed the truth. If it weren't for my Strength, I absolutely wouldn't be able to get along with Akara and the others, let alone become an Elder. In some ways, the people of Sanctuary were more worldly and realistic. Strength is Strength. If you don't have the Strength, you don't have the Power.
"Ugh~~, so that's how it is..."
Tia seemed to understand my meaning very well. She let out a big sigh of relief. Just now, the Horadrim pride in her Inner Heart was almost shattered. If Adventurers from the outside world all had such Strength, then what excellence could the Horadrim still claim?
So only Fanfan is that powerful. Good, good...
Uh, looking at her Appearance, it seems she misunderstood excessively. Actually, there are still quite a few Geniuses in the outside world. Although they can't compare to a freak like Tal Rasha, they won't be much inferior to you Horadrim. I originally wanted to say this, but I thought better of it. It would be better for her to see it for herself after she goes out.
There were relatively few Monsters near the Entrance. It was like an appetizer before a tough Battle. After clearing out the few "Kittens" in the Stone Tomb Corridor, we finally encountered a decent number of Enemies.
Mummy Sarcophagus.
This disgusting Non-living Object didn't have Attack Power, but it could continuously produce Mummies. Of course, just like a Blood Hawk nest, the Mummies produced were not unlimited. A single Sarcophagus could release a maximum Quantity of one hundred Mummies, and could only produce more after the released Mummies died. But even so, it was enough to be disgusting. One Sarcophagus could create a hundred. If several Sarcophagi were lined up together, wouldn't you kill until your hands were sore?
Therefore, the Existence of Mummy Sarcophagi was extremely annoying. Although the Strength of Mummies wasn't great, in the minds of Adventurers, they were only equivalent to the Fallen in Rogue Encampment. But their advantage was their large Quantity. Grinding Experience was fine. But if hundreds of Mummies happened to block the way while traveling, and there were Sarcophagi continuously producing more behind them, it would be enough to make you feel sick for a while.
In front of us was such a large group of Mummies. The Filthy Bandages on their Bodies hung down, and the exposed parts were crawling with disgusting Maggots. The entire Passage was filled with the Foul Smell they emitted. Judging by the Quantity, there were at least two or more "Bases" behind them.
"What should we do? Fanfan."
Observing the Mummy group from afar, Tia asked while pinching her nose. Normally, they would bypass them. Of course, if there was a Tier 3 Mage in the Party, using Blaze to deal with these Mummies would also be a good Method. It was just a pity that she hadn't reached Tier 3 yet, and was still slightly weak in Ranged Area Attack.
"What else can we do? Just kill our way through."
I didn't know we could bypass them. I inexplicably glanced at Tia, and seeing her pinching her nose, I couldn't help but shake my Head.
It's true that girls like to be clean, but as an Adventurer, if you have to pinch your nose even for this little bit of Foul Smell, that's not good. Of course, I know Tia wasn't unable to bear this Foul Smell, but this was an Attitude problem. You could judge a person's Mentally state from a small Action. At least I was sure that if Lin Ya were standing next to me, she definitely wouldn't pinch her nose. It seems the Horadrim have been locked up for a thousand years, and their Combat Awareness has begun to gradually decline.
"Tch~~, Fanfan is so strict."
Tia wrinkled her little nose at me and said. In her opinion, instead of spending a lot of Energy dealing with these Mummies that didn't give much Experience, it would be better to take a detour. However, she who always did things her own way, didn't dare to protest now. In the matter of the weak obeying the Strongest Expert, the Horadrim were no Exception.
"Stop complaining and get to work."
Feeling both annoyed and amused, I flicked her little nose that was sticking out and charged forward first.
"Ugh~~"
Her delicate nose was Sneak attacked. Tia let out a Wail, made a face behind my back, and followed me.
"Hiss—"
The leading Mummy had already discovered our whereabouts. It couldn't help but let out a strange cry with its rotten mouth. Its empty eye sockets filled with foul Blood looked over, and stepping with a swaying Pace, it surged towards us to kill.
Uh~, so it's not that I underestimate these Mummies. Their Speed is really too slow. Even if an Ordinary Person encountered them, they could escape if they weren't surrounded. Besides being a bit thick-skinned and numerous, they have almost no praiseworthy Advantages.
"Hah~~"
There were still dozens of meters Distance from the Mummies. Tia next to me made her move, with a soft shout. Two Ice Arrows as thick as arms condensed in her outstretched palm. The Ice Arrows spun at high Speed, emitting bursts of Chill, but didn't shoot out. After a Pause of one second, they suddenly split into three. Six Ice Arrows, one size smaller than the previous two, floated in Mid-air. Accompanied by bursts of ice crystals, it looked quite spectacular. Then, Tia gently waved her hand, and the six small Ice Arrows shot towards the Mummies opposite.
"Not bad..."
I gave Tia a Thumb up. Early Cold Magic was not known for its killing power. Its biggest effect was controlling the Battlefield. The power of Freeze could slow down the Enemy's Speed. And Tia splitting one Ice Arrow into three, although the killing power was reduced, could simultaneously slow down the Speed of three Enemies, fully utilizing the Ability of Cold Magic. Such a Technique. Let alone me, I estimate even Lin Ya couldn't do it yet. The effect of Soul Magic is indeed extraordinary. It's conceivable that as their Strength increases in the future, the Strength Gap between Tia, who has Soul Magic, and Lin Ya will widen further.
"Hehe... needless to say, although I can't compare to Fanfan, my Strength is still quite strong." Tia made a gesture full of Vital Energy towards me. Her cheerful smile looked naive and very cute.
Looking back, the six Ice Arrows didn't land on the Mummies. Instead, they fell in front of them, freezing a small section of the Passage into an Ice Surface. The Mummies stepping onto the Ice Surface all slipped and fell. So that's how it is. This is indeed more practical.
At this moment, Tia had already prepared her second Magic—Charged Bolt. Concentrating for a moment, more than ten Charged Bolts were unleashed from her hand, charging towards the Mummies opposite with roaring Lightning Glow. The Charged Bolts touched the Ice Surface and immediately spread out, and the Mummies standing on the Ice Surface immediately emitted a smell of burnt roasted meat.
Cold Element + Lightning Element, truly an excellent combination.
Seeing Tia skillfully manipulating the Enemies in the palm of her hand, I smiled slightly—we can't let the Horadrim underestimate the Adventurers from the outside, can we? I continued to charge forward, until I was less than five meters away from the foremost Mummy. Only then did I release the Magic I had been preparing for a long time.
Triple Firestorm.
A sea of Blazing Flames ignited from under my feet, roaring as it spread towards the Mummy group. In an instant, a large row of Mummies in front fell into the sea of fire, constantly wailing and turning into Ashes.
"Fanfan's Magic is not bad either."
Seeing me release Triple Firestorm, Tia blinked her bright, watery Eyes in surprise and sighed.
That's natural, I also received Soul Inheritance. Although I can't compare to freaks like you Horadrim, I can still manage this little Technique.
I never told Tia about Tal Rasha's Matter. One reason was the Horadric Cube issue. Although it was personally entrusted to me by Tal Rasha, and I wasn't worried they would shamelessly ask for it back, there was still a knot in my Inner Heart. And the most important point was, if I told her, guess what the straightforward Tia would say: "Lord Tal Rasha's Inheritance! To gain his Acceptance, Fanfan's Magic must be very powerful. Teach me too!"
How should I answer you? I couldn't possibly say that I was entrusted with the mission in a crisis, and Tal Rasha had No Choice but to pass on the Soul Magic to me, a Magic Idiot, right? As the saying goes, your Head can be cut off, your Blood can flow, but you cannot lose Face.
"Ugh~~, impossible, is this still Firestorm...?"
When she saw dozens of Mummies fall in my Firestorm, Tia wailed again. The number of times she was surprised today was perhaps more than in a whole year.
Of course it's Firestorm, just an eight-Level Firestorm. I rolled my Eyes and decided to continue maintaining my tall and Mysterious Image.
Tia also followed. The two of us simply exchanged opinions, deciding to quickly deal with this group of Mummies. Thus, the Ice and Fire Dual Heaven combination was born.
Polar Storm.
A biting cold Frost air mass sprayed from my hand, sweeping over the Mummies in the front few rows, instantly freezing them into half ice pops.
Inferno.
A blazing Flame mass capable of melting iron and gold shot from Tia's Staff, landing gracefully on the "ice pops". After the Flame, only a puddle of boiling water remained on the ground.
We chatted and laughed while taking turns casting Blizzard and Inferno to push forward. It was indescribably relaxed and pleasant. The Feeling of having Teammates cooperate is really nice.
In less than half an hour, hundreds of Mummies fell under the Offensive of Ice and Fire Dual Heaven, turning into a puddle of Sewage. Behind the Mummies, three Mummy Sarcophagi were revealed, still stubbornly producing Mummies. I shook my numb Brain. With a gentle wave of my hand, Light Snow and the others immediately swarmed forward, tearing the three Mummy Sarcophagi to shreds.
"Fanfan, your Mental Power is still not good enough."
Seeing me shaking my Head, Tia, who was great at Magic, naturally knew what was going on. She couldn't help but giggle. Hmph, so you have Weaknesses too.
I chuckled, took out a bottle of Mental Power Potion and drank it, immediately feeling greatly refreshed in Spirit.
"Huh? Huh? What is this?"
Seeing me take out a Bottle and drink the transparent Liquid inside, my Mental Power immediately recovered. Curious baby Tia couldn't help but lean closer, snatching the Empty Bottle from my hand. She sniffed it, then gently licked the bottle opening with her pink tongue.
Hey, hey, don't you know what an indirect kiss is?
"This is a Mental Power Potion."
Feeling Helplessness, I had to explain, which earned me Tia's Dumbfounded Gaze. This thing was a blessing for Mages. But anyway, I would be producing a large Quantity later, so giving a share to the Horadrim wouldn't hurt. I simply gave her dozens of bottles, of course, still "borrowing".
"Right, let me see your Staff."
My Gaze fell on the Staff in Tia's hand. I simply gave her a major equipment change. Firstly, we were both Teammates, and I quite liked her straightforward Personality full of Vital Energy. Secondly, she was the Elder's Granddaughter, so this Favor was worth it.
Taking Tia's Normal Staff and looking at it, as expected, it only had a +1 Fire Bolt Stat.
I searched in my Inventory and finally taking out a Magic Grade Two-Handed Staff. Its Stats were +2 Warmth, +1 Frost Nova, Cold Resistance +12%, +12 Mana. It was dozens of times better than her original one.
"You can borrow this."
I shoved the Staff into Tia's hand. Anyway, I had plenty of Magic Equipment. What, you mean unique/set Equipment? That's naturally for my wife. You really think I'm a Sucker?
"Wuwu~~"
Unexpectedly, Tia, who received the new Staff, didn't seem very excited. Instead, she was drawing circles on the ground with her toe and holding out five fingers, calculating something in distress. After a while, she weakly raised her Head and said shyly with a red Face.
"What should I do? Now my Body is probably not enough to pay you back."
"Pfft—"
I spat out Blood and collapsed.
The road ahead became increasingly dangerous. Even I put away my relaxed Demeanor. I naturally wasn't afraid alone, but Tia was still here. If anything happened, let alone the Horadrim, I'm afraid Akara would be the first to flay me.
Ahead were more than ten Sand Maggots. Just seeing their Figures, Tia's pretty Face began to turn pale, and her Body trembled. No wonder she was so afraid. The Stun Attack of these Sand Maggots was truly terrifying for Mages with weak Vitality. It was almost a 100% Stun Chance. Once entangled, there was no other choice but death.
"Roar—"
My figure, which had been lurking for a long Time, leaped forward. I let out a Roar and approached the foremost Sand Maggot Leader in my massive Werebear Form. The sound of air breaking rang out behind me. Six small Ice Arrows, launched later, arrived first, accurately dyeing six Sand Maggots Blue.
Well done. Mentally, I secretly gave Tia a Thumb up. To be able to maintain Accuracy under such a State, the Talent of the Horadrim is truly not to be underestimated.
The irritable Sand Maggot Chieftain had already charged up with its subordinates. Letting out a Roar, it raised the Club in its hand high above my Head. These Sand Maggots had exceptionally tall Figures. Even when I transformed into Werebear Form, I was only half a Head taller than them.
Not so easy. I suddenly accelerated and lowered my Body, slamming hard into the Chieftain before the Club fell, making it stumble. Then I punched it in the Face, letting it also taste the feeling of Face deformation.
Grabbing the Body of the stumbling Chieftain and swinging it, making it collide with another approaching Sand Maggot. Suddenly, my vision darkened. The Sand Maggot behind the Chieftain charged towards me with a ferocious Face. Unfortunately, before its Club could fall, it was pounced on by Light Snow from the side. Her Giant Claw Tear ripped off a piece of flesh from its waist and ribs. After landing, she pushed off with her front paws, leaped back, and bit its right hand. Blood spurted out, the Sand Maggot screamed, and the Club in its hand fell to the ground.
The subsequent two Ghost Wolves and Poison Creeper also pounced. The fierce Battle officially began. The scene was chaotic, with smoke and dust rising everywhere. After a while, only one person and three wolves were standing on the Battlefield.
It hurts. I rubbed my shoulder. Even if the Sand Maggots' Movements were clumsy, I was still inevitably hit by the Clubs a few times. That Strength was no joke. Even my Werebear Form had nearly a % Chance of being stunned. Let alone a Mage.
Cleaning up the Battlefield, hmm, there's a Cracked Gem. Huh? Huh? There's also a Magic Grade Ring. As expected of Sand Maggots, the more Powerful their Strength, the richer their Net Worth. Using Identify, it's a Ring of the Lizard: +7 Mana.
Useless. I'll give it to Tia. She also contributed quite a bit just now. If it weren't for her Ice Arrows restraining them, I would have been hit several more times at least.