Volume 1 Chapter 44: New Skill: Elemental Titan

Li Chuan stood among the ranks of archers, raising his Ferre Crossbow.

Fire Element Enchantment!

An orange-yellow flame covered the arrow nocked on Li Chuan's crossbow.

Lock-on Strike!

Whoosh!

The burning arrow shot straight into the pitch-black passage, momentarily illuminating the scene inside.

It revealed terrifying, distorted faces.

[Disease Pathogen (Lizard Type): Green]
[HP: 2000/2000]
[Level 20, a beast controlled by a virus, possessing highly corrosive skin and claws. Weakness marked.]

Judging from the appraisal results, this monster's threat level was not particularly high.

"All archers, fire stun arrows in three seconds! All warriors prepare level-ten crowd control skills, then engage in free combat!"

"Three! Two! One!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Six arrows flew into the passage.

[Stunned! —43]
[—42]
[Stunned —39]
...

A total of three arrows successfully triggered the stun effect.

The front-row monsters, previously charging at full speed, abruptly collapsed to the ground, their bodies tumbling forward due momentum. The rotting lizards behind them instantly tripped over one another, their entire charge directly interrupted, and they sprawled out in disarray across the corridor.

Fewer than five monsters managed to rush out of the corridor in the initial wave!

"Try not to touch the skin of these monsters! Kill!"

Eighteen or nineteen players besieged the five monsters, each possessing crowd control and damage skills. In less than a minute, the five monsters' HP hit zero and they went down.

"No one is allowed to pick up the dropped loot!"

A warrior was eager to scoop up the coins and materials on the ground, but Li Chuan instantly barked a command to stop him.

The plump woman looked unconvinced.

"Why not? We're the ones tanking these monsters, why aren't we allowed to pick them up?"

Li Chuan replied in a cold voice.

"Because the players in the rear are contributing just as much! Let me say it again, battle spoils must not be picked up! They will be distributed together after the battle ends!"

Some archers rejoiced.

"Fair enough! I agree."
"I agree too."
"Exactly, that's only fair."

...

Seeing all the archers and assassins voicing their agreement, the slender-waisted woman could only cast a resentful glare at Li Chuan, not daring to speak further.

Stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp—

Some of the monsters in the passage climbed back to their feet, roaring as they charged at the players once more.

This time the number was somewhat larger, around eight or nine in the front and back.

Under Li Chuan's iron-fisted policy, none of the warrior players dared to desert in the face of battle for the time being. They had to bite the bullet and meet the monsters head-on, cooperating with rogues and archers to cut them down.

Li Chuan noticed that one warrior among them was exceptionally strong, single-handedly holding back two rotting lizards all by himself.

The appraisal skill triggered.

[Lin Shang (Supreme Fungal): Human]
[HP: 100/100]
[Level 14, a human warrior with fine physique, weakness marked.]

Hmm, this person strikes decisively and responds calmly; I need to prioritize cooperating with him.

Li Chuan began consciously using his crossbow bolts to help relieve pressure for him.

On the other side, Lin Yaoyao moved with agile grace among the three warriors on the left, managing to land the final blow on almost every single monster, so the experience points naturally went into the shared pool for her and Li Chuan.

[Ding, Phantom Spirit Master experience is full, level +1, current sub-profession level: Level 10.]
[New skill learned: Elemental Giant.]
[Elemental Giant: Green]
[Proficiency: Novice 0/10]
[Active skill, summoning type. Upon use, summons an elemental entity imbued with elemental aura at the designated location.]
[Skill cost: 5 Mana]
[Duration: Until HP reaches zero or the skill is terminated. (Note: Maximum concurrent elemental entities: 3)]
[Cooldown: 3 minutes]
[Evaluation: Oh, elemental spirits wandering between heaven and earth, please heed my summon...]

His sub-profession was finally level ten, and he had a new skill.

Elemental Giant—just the name sounded like it could take a beating, which was precisely what they currently lacked.

Li Chuan was pleasantly surprised, and hurriedly used the new skill 'Elemental Giant' toward the entrance of the passage.

Elemental Giant!

A white magic array materialized, followed by a rapid convergence of liquid metal, ultimately forming a one-meter-tall humanoid metal warrior.

Li Chuan: "..."

This is a giant? This is a bloody dwarf, isn't it?

[Elemental Entity (Gold): Green]
[HP: 1200/1200]
[Level 15, primary metal elemental entity! Possesses high armor and destructive power.]
[Evaluation: Come on, hit me with your fists!]

Some players noticed the strange creature that had suddenly appeared in the corridor.

"What the hell is that? A new type of monster has appeared!"

Li Chuan quickly shouted out.

"It's not a new monster, it's my skill, don't attack it!"

The short iron lump clumsily lumbered into the middle of the passage and was slammed square in the body by a charging rotting lizard.

Clang—

The impacted iron lump merely wobbled, while the high-speed charging rotting lizard was thrown airborne by inertia and then crashed heavily onto the ground, losing a full third of its HP from the fall alone.

"Holy cow! Rock solid!"

Li Chuan's expression shifted from disappointment to pleasant surprise.

So what if it was small! Small meant high mass! High density!

With the iron lump upfront disrupting the situation, the pressure on the eight front-line warriors lessened even further. Coupled with the fact that no one dared to squat down and loot, thereby throwing off the rhythm, the battle situation on Li Chuan's side steadily stabilized.

However, the situation at the other fissure opening was not nearly as rosy.

Although Donghe Liushui and Zhao Gao were not weak and their command had no obvious flaws, they simply couldn't command enough authority to keep the other players in line.

Lacking that crucial three-word title above their heads, no matter how much they warned people not to grab drops first, someone would always disobey.

Gold coins, materials, and equipment were snatched away by the front-line warriors and assassins, and naturally, the archers in the rear refused to sit idly by. One by one, they crept closer to the battlefield, sacrificing output time just to snatch gear.

Human nature was selfish; no one was willing to put in effort without receiving their due rewards.

Back and forth it went: the players failed to kill lizards as fast as the lizards rushed out of the corridor, causing the rotting lizards at the frontline to pile up. Soon, several rotting lizards trampled over knocked-down players and burst directly into the trial grounds.

Gao Han frowned deeply.

She had originally brought her subordinates to guard behind Li Chuan and his group.

This was because, whether judged by player level, the quality of their gear, or sheer numbers, Li Chuan's side was at a disadvantage.

Yet less than ten minutes into the battle, the players led by Li Chuan not only held the line, but were actually brimming with enthusiasm as they watched the pile of gold coins and equipment growing larger on the ground.

In stark contrast, Donghe Liushui led a force of nearly thirty players, including over a dozen front-line warriors and as many as nine high-output archers, yet they were the first to have their defense line breached.

"Donghe! Take your people and shift laterally to the left. I'll take over the battlefield, you go to the rear and regroup!"

Donghe Liushui was so angered by the players under his command that he could grind his teeth, but at this moment, he could only submit in humiliation.

"Alright!"

A few minutes later, Donghe Liushui, having retreated from the fissure, brought his players back to the center of the trial grounds.

Just as he was about to vent his frustration, Zhao Gao beside him suddenly patted his shoulder, gesturing for him to look toward Li Chuan and the others.

When Donghe Liushui saw that Li Chuan was not only effortlessly holding the fissure with a dozen players, but that not a single person was touching the thick piles of gold coins, materials, and props littering the ground, he grew even more furious.

"I am truly, utterly frustrated!"