"Light! There's light up ahead!"
A soldier at the front shouted.
Leilin looked, and sure enough, at the very end of the passage, a glowing opening had appeared.
"Go in!"
The others followed close behind.
Light! Blinding rays poured down without cease!!!
Leilin's eyes stung fiercely, tears streaming out involuntarily, and he hastily covered them with his palms.
"Ah!" "Monsters!" "Watch out!"
All manner of shouts erupted, and at the same time, a cacophony of cries mixed with the sounds of weapons being swung filled the air.
"Warning! Attack detected ahead! Optimal response: retreat and duck!" The Chip's alert sounded, projecting a pale blue screen.
On the screen, a claw the size of a human palm was reaching straight for Leilin's face!
Leilin quickly dodged backward, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Screams continued all around, and faintly, he could hear Viscount Jackson's furious roars.
Through the Chip's scanned imagery, Leilin could see that many creatures resembling the earlier lizard were exploiting their territorial advantage, carrying out a massacre on Viscount Jackson's squad.
The ambush had come so swiftly that by the time Jackson and the others had finally gotten their bearings, the entire team had already suffered devastating casualties!
Leilin opened his eyes, now readjusted, and scanned the surroundings. The ground was covered with corpses, many of which bore the marks of having been gnawed upon by the creatures.
Of the party, only Viscount Jackson, his two Knight-level squad leaders, and the gray-robed figure who had been trailing behind Jackson remained.
As for the
At the top of the cavern, white jellyfish-like creatures were floating and drifting about — it was from them that the blinding light moments ago had emanated.
"The bioluminescence on these jellyfish can intensify in an instant, producing an effect similar to a flashbang. And the creatures are coordinating with each other — there's definitely a fairly intelligent creature directing them from behind, which is why the casualties were so severe!"
After releasing that burst of intense light, the jellyfish seemed somewhat lethargic, drifting in the air above. Though they still emitted a glow, it was no longer blinding. It seemed the flash had been a one-time attack.
"These are flash jellyfish — a subterranean species. That earlier attack can only be used once. They'll need a day of rest before they can unleash another bright-light assault!"
Meierfeile had, at some point, retrieved a book from somewhere and was holding it against his chest.
"The ones we need to deal with aren't these parasites all around us — it's that thing in the middle!" Lei Lin pointed toward the center of the cavern with a bitter smile.
The cavern Lei Lin and the others had just entered was enormous, its ceiling studded with stalactites and flash jellyfish, giving him a clear view of everything inside.
Within the cavern were numerous mutated creatures similar to ones they had seen before — lizards, brown bears, elk, and the like — at least a dozen in total. And right in their midst, a massive yellow serpent sat enthroned like a king, surrounded by all the other monsters.
"It's a Manxter — the Blight Serpent Manxter!" The book slipped from Meierfeile's hands and hit the ground with a soft thud.
"Chip, scan!" Lei Lin called out inwardly.
"Blight Serpent — Manxter (Juvenile). Strength: 11.9 Agility: 6.5 Constitution: 14 Spirit: 8.
Skills: 1. Parasite — The Manxter can generate highly contaminating seeds within its body, which parasitize other organisms to create subservient minions.
2. Blight — Everything the Manxter passes over will have its life force completely drained, converting the remains into nourishment for the Manxter. A fully mature Manxter possesses power on par with a Wizard-class mage, capable of reducing an entire forest to withered ash."
"Data sources: Monster Compendium; Niguel's Travels"
The Chip relayed the information to Lei Lin's vision in an instant.
"A juvenile? So it hasn't reached maturity yet!" Lei Lin let out a breath of relief, then shouted: "Meierfeile, don't be deceived by its appearance — this is still an immature Manxter. We still have a chance!"
"Correct!" Meierfeile studied the yellowish-brown serpent carefully and finally regained his composure. "A mature Manxter is at least a hundred meters long. This one is clearly far short of that, and the number of parasites it's spawned doesn't match either!"
"Is this great serpent the true culprit behind the blight?" Viscount Jackson stared at the massive snake, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed.
"That's right! Manxter feed on plant sap. They're extremely cunning and lazy — they hate moving around and generally let their parasites do the gathering and such!"
Years of extensive experience had given Meierfeile a thorough understanding of the Blight Serpent Manxter's habits.
"Then! As long as we kill it, the Dark Night Forest's herb yield will recover?" Viscount Jackson thrust his longsword toward the yellow serpent, which was being shielded by numerous parasitic creatures.
"In theory, yes — as long as you kill it or drive it away, the forests that have already died cannot be revived, but all the other forests that haven't yet fallen within the Manxter's hunting range will return to normal!"
A bitter smile appeared on Meierfeile's face.
Hiss! The Manxter serpent coiled at the center of the cave flicked its tongue, producing a serpentine whisper.
It was a sound like two pieces of worn-out leather being rubbed together ceaselessly — disgusting and grating to the ear.
The creatures surrounding
Leylin glanced around casually. "Too many monsters, and the mother body hasn't been dealt with yet — I need to conserve my mana!"
"Chip! Simulate the optimal kill plan!"
Leylin drew his Cross Sword.
"Beep! Arena data uploaded. Modeling subject data!"
"Simulating combat. Calculating optimal plan!" The Chip continuously exposed the possible attack patterns of the surrounding monsters to Leylin's vision.
Leylin shifted his feet, dodging a brown bear's attack, and the Cross Sword in his right hand traced a strange arc, sweeping aside the bear's claws before driving straight into its skull.
Boom! The massive brown bear's corpse crashed to the ground, and even the Manxter serpent was drawn over, casting a glance at Leylin.
Leylin's scalp prickled with alarm, and he hastily retreated a certain distance.
"Well done!" Viscount Jackson shouted his praise, his body seemingly transforming into the wind as he surged wildly through the horde of monsters, trailing great splatters of blood.
"It seems Viscount Jackson has also activated his Knight's secret art! His secret art should be enhancing speed!"
Several Wizard Apprentices also cast their prepared Zero-level Spells, assisting in the slaughter of the monsters.
Leylin took only a single glance, then paid them no further attention.
Ssss! The brown bear's corpse killed by Leylin rapidly decomposed, and from its bones emerged countless tiny blood vessels that formed into the monster Leylin and the others had been tracking earlier, crawling toward the Manxter's mouth.
The Manxter serpent opened its great maw, revealing its razor-sharp fangs, and with a flick of its tongue, swallowed the red creature whole.
"Recycling the parasitic species?" Leylin was inwardly shocked.
After swallowing the parasitic species, the Manxter serpent that had been coiled finally straightened its massive body. Its scarlet eyes fixed on Leylin and the others, who were slaughtering the monsters, and a furious expression appeared in them.
Boom!! The huge serpent body sprang, causing the entire cavern to tremble.
The Manxter serpent's enormous form leapt with astonishing speed, hurtling toward Jackson's position.
"Too fast! With 6.5 Agility, I can only see a blur!" Leylin retreated frantically while raising his Cross Sword to block his chest.
A colossal force slammed into him, and the Cross Sword in Leylin's hand was sent flying, twisting completely out of shape in mid-air.
"What incredible power, and that was just a graze!" Leylin's pupils contracted sharply.
The Manxter serpent opened its great maw, its sharp fangs lunging directly at Jackson, bringing with them a gust of foul wind. If Jackson were bitten, there would absolutely be no remains left.
"My Lord!" The two remaining Knights and the grey-robed figure screamed in desperation.
"Hah! Trying to kill me!" At this critical juncture between life and death, Jackson finally erupted with all his potential. His longsword thrust out at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, striking the top of the giant serpent's head.
The sharp longsword only left a white mark on the serpent's scales. Using the momentum from this strike, Jackson twisted his waist and dodged away just as the serpent's jaws snapped shut.
"Protect the Lord!" The two Knights charged forward. The Manxter let out a tremendous roar and swallowed both Knights whole in a single gulp.
"Minor Fireball!"
"Corrosive Arrow!"
At this moment, the other apprentices also unleashed their prepared spells, bombarding the giant serpent's body.
Boom!!! Yellow flames and black arrows exploded upon the serpent's earth-yellow scales, revealing two scorched, blackened pits.
The giant serpent let out a roar tinged with pain. Its scales shifted, and its tail swept toward several Wizard Apprentices!
"The serpent's constitution is too high! The damage from ordinary Zero-level Spells doesn't affect its movement at all!" A sharp light flashed in Leylin's eyes.
The massive serpent tail slapped down. Several Wizard Apprentices who couldn't dodge in time were instantly flattened into meat paste, blood seeping out from beneath the serpent's body.
"No! Delk! Lancel!" Meierfeile wailed in grief.
"We can't win! We retreat first!" The remaining few gathered together. The grey-robed figure standing behind Jackson suddenly spoke, his voice deep and resonant.
"No! This damn reptile actually killed Delk and the others! I will never let it get away with this!" Bloodshot veins appeared in Meierfeile's eyes.
"I have a spell that can temporarily restrict its movements — the rest is up to you!"
Meierfeile stepped forward, took the single-lens monocle he had always carried with him, and flung it hard at the giant serpent.
Crash! The glass lens shattered against the giant serpent's scales, and one by one, dim runic letters suddenly surfaced.
The dark red runes grew in number, forming long chain-like strips that locked the giant serpent inside them.
"A Strengthened Paralysis Spell!" Rayne's eyes lit up. "It won't be able to move for at least half a minute — use whatever you've got, now!"