In the distant woods, West silently withdrew his earlier look of admiration.
His expression gradually shifted from “These God-Chosen Ones have some real skill,” to “Do these God-Chosen Ones actually have any skill at all?” and finally settled on, “Never mind, pretend I never thought that.”
Seven Level 10s fighting three Level 7s, and it turned out like this...
“While I must admit the God-Chosen Ones possess remarkable talent in construction and impressive wisdom when planning beforehand, their actual combat abilities... leave much to be desired.”
He shook his head, much of the admiration in his eyes instantly dissipating.
Through Mikael's perspective, Iluvia was actually watching with great interest, a faint smile gracing the corners of her lips.
She knew full well this was merely because the players were encountering kobolds for the first time and were unfamiliar with their fighting style.
She didn't have West step in to help.
After all, letting these guys suffer a small setback to take the wind out of their sails was a good thing. Otherwise, they would always act so reckless and carefree.
Though at the moment, it seemed like the only thing suffering was the kobolds' intelligence.
However, before long, the tide of battle began to turn.
After a bout of chaotic flailing, the players finally recovered from their initial fluster and gradually grasped the kobolds' agile yet sneaky attack rhythm.
Their teamwork gradually smoothed out, and although a few of them suffered minor scratches, they slowly gained the upper hand.
After all, the kobolds were only Level 7. No matter how rich their combat experience was, they couldn't withstand being gang-beaten by seven people, and their movements gradually slowed down.
“Their speed is dropping! They must be getting staggered!”
“Great chance! Everyone unleash your skills, blast them to death!”
“Cross Slash!”
“Starlight Slash!”
“Fireball!”
“Wind Blade!”
Several players quickly pulled back some distance, throwing out a flurry of colorful skills that instantly engulfed the front two kobolds.
Before those two kobolds could even scream, they disintegrated into ash amidst the light effects, leaving behind a pile of loot on the ground.
The third kobold was scared out of its wits on the spot, triggering its cowardly nature. Its legs turned to jelly, nearly wetting itself, and it turned to flee on all fours, its stubby little legs churning as fast as they could go.
“Oh crap, it's running!”
“Stop it, quick!” a player shouted anxiously.
Hao Bai's eyes sharpened at the sight, his figure instantly blurring.
Skill—「Stealth」 activated!
The next second, he appeared behind the kobold like a phantom. Without a shred of mercy, he drove his wooden dagger deep into its neck.
Skill—「Windpierce Thrust」 activated!
Pfft—
A faint squelch echoed as the final kobold collapsed stiffly in sheer terror, its body disintegrating into ash.
At the same time, Hao Bai felt a comfortable surge of energy flood into his body.
Passive—「Sacred Light Siphon」 activated.
The entire field went silent for a second.
Then—
“Holy shit! Big Boss Hao Bai is awesome!!!”
“That final hit was way too cool, Captain!!!”
“I hereby declare that MVP of the match!”
Hao Bai sheathed his dagger expressionlessly, gave a faint “Mm,” and bent down to pick up the gear dropped by the kobolds.
By now, all seven of them were bruised and scraped to varying degrees, with one player even collapsing directly onto the ground in exhaustion.
Seeing this, Energetic Foxfox quickly trotted over, waving her small hand as a gentle healing glow enveloped everyone.
“Unbelievable. Those two kobolds focused entirely on me!” Bruce rubbed his rear with a resentful expression.
“No shit! Who told you to charge in so far ahead? Who else were they supposed to hit?”
Bruce: “...”
“By the way, I have a question. Momozi, did you hit me with your skill on purpose just now?”
“Take a guess,” Momozi chuckled.
Bruce: “...”
Just then, Bruce and the others saw Hao Bai walking over, holding a bunch of kobold gear in his arms.
The crowd burst into laughter at the sight:
“This spiked club is so huge and thick! It's definitely gonna pack a punch!”
“Ugh... Even though it looks like it has higher attack power than a wooden sword, it just feels way too tattered. I'm kind of grossed out by it.”
“Make do with it. Anything's better than starter gear. It's a huge profit no matter how you look at it.”
The players chattered animatedly.
Rubbing his arm, Nan Cheng let out a sigh. “I didn't expect these silly-looking kobolds to be so tricky to deal with.”
“Mainly because our teamwork was complete garbage at first. The infighting was worse than the kobolds!”
“Next time, don't spam skills recklessly. Focus on one target at a time, and stop friendly-firing! Especially you, Energetic Foxfox.”
“Ah... huh?”
“Summary: Kobolds are annoying, but they lack stamina. Don't panic, stay steady, and we'll win!”
“Though speaking of which, isn't a kobold's nature supposed to be cowardly? I didn't see much of that.”
“Hmm... Maybe the devs forgot to assign that trait properly? After all, they're just common wild mobs, and the game is still in closed beta.”
Everyone chimed in with their grievances, speaking straight from their hearts as gamers.
Right at that moment, a flash of teleportation light suddenly flared up in the distant forest.
It was the teleportation array Bing Lin had set up not long ago.
The large crowd of players who had been waiting in the Temple Plaza for so long finally teleported over en masse through the completed array!
Before long, over a hundred players flooded into the forest like a surging tide, their raucous clamor instantly bursting through the trees:
“Holy crap! We finally made it! Where are the kobolds? Where are my XP packs!”
“Brothers, charge! My big sword is thirsty for blood, I just need mobs to slash!”
“Don't steal! The mobs are mine! I'll fight anyone who tries to steal my kill!”
“I've been looking forward to this for so long! Watching the livestream earlier got my blood pumping!”
“Did those top players up ahead really take ages fighting a 7v3? Hahaha, I'm dying!”
The originally quiet forest turned boisterously lively in an instant. The wild wilderness became a crowded mob-farming hotspot, filled with noise and joy.
Every single player was bubbling with excitement and thrill.
Seeing this scene, Nan Cheng couldn't help but say:
“Don't let your guard down, guys. These kobolds are surprisingly tricky.”
Hearing this, the players didn't care in the slightest:
“Don't worry! If we can't beat them 1v1, we'll just gang up on them!”
“Strength in numbers! I refuse to believe five of us beating up one mob won't work!”
“By the way, Bruce and Momozi, remember to go aggro the mobs for us!”
Bruce: “...”
Momozi: “...”
Meanwhile, seeing that the main force of players had arrived, Iluvia prepared to add fuel to the fire.
With a subtle thought—
A crisp system notification prompt echoed in the players' ears—
【Main Quest "Our Home" Progress: 20%】
【EXP +100】
【Resurrection Coin +1】
The moment this notification sounded, the hundred-plus players erupted in excitement once again.
“Charge!!!”
“For the EXP!!!”
“For the Resurrection Coins!!!”
The crowd surged toward the ruins like a tidal wave, though before leaving, some players didn't forget to remind Bruce and Momozi not to forget their mob-aggroing duties.
The seven-person team left behind exchanged looks with one another.
Nan Cheng sighed. “Why do I feel like the upcoming scene is going to be even more chaotic?”
“Be confident. Drop the 'I feel like',” Momozi said expressionlessly.
Bruce looked up at the surging tide of people in the distance and suddenly grinned:
“Let's go, brothers! We need to hurry too! I can't wait to go all out again!”
“Who was the one getting beaten up by two kobolds just now?” Energetic Foxfox deadpanned.
“That was just an accident!”
Bruce waved his hand grandly. “Besides, we have experience now! We know how to fight kobolds!”
“Know my ass, weren't you fighting like a hot mess earlier?” Momozi dismantled his boast ruthlessly.
“That was a warm-up! A warm-up, do you hear me?!”
Everyone rolled their eyes in unison.
Yet in the next second, they all raised their weapons in unspoken unison and dashed off toward the ruins.
There was no helping it—that's just how players were.
Complaining ten thousand times in words, but their bodies were always honest.
Rate on N.U.
