Chapitre 65: The final time
The atmosphere on the island was saturated with humidity, permeating every breath with a rich fishy odor. The humidity was oppressive, enveloping the whole man as if he were immersed in water and making him restless.
"Such an unpleasant place, foul and disgusting," Ning Yi Yi muttered, pinching her nose disdainfully. She detested the stinking atmosphere in this place.
In the heart of the island stood an eye-catching mountain peak, where the entrance to the mermaid instance was located. The colossal waterfall cascading down the mountainside could be seen from afar. At the summit, the entrance to the mermaid instance resembled a whirlpool from the depths of the ocean, spinning incessantly.
Jiang Tao Tao's gaze scanned the mountain peak and got his bearings. The vastness of the island was beyond their imagination; once they had crossed the curtain of water, everyone dispersed. There was nothing left of the once dense crowd.
"We must act quickly, our destination is the mermaid instance," Jiang Tao Tao explained in a stern voice. "If possible, we'll avoid taking on insignificant opponents," she added. Determined, she led the attack, and her companions promptly followed suit.
The area was littered with pools of water in which numerous monsters were cavorting. These creatures, half human, half fish and covered in scales, had none of the charm of the mermaids from fairy tales. Their protruding fangs gleamed sharply in the sunlight and revealed that they could break through steel with ease. No doubt their teeth were strong enough to split iron.
Without a doubt, their teeth were strong enough to split iron. Channels formed between the pools of water, through which the group moved together.
Suddenly, amidst the rushing water, a mermaid monster burst out of a pool and rushed towards them. Jiang Tao Tao reacted immediately and unleashed her ability: provocation, the characteristic move of a knight. The mermaid monster seemed very offended by the provocation, quickly turned around and charged at Jiang Tao Tao, its eyes glowing with madness.
Lin Mo Yu's detection spell synchronized with the creature.
[Merfolk Soldier]
[Level: 19]
[Strength: 300]
[Agility: 150]
[Spirit: 200]
[Constitution: 320]
[Skills: None]
Looking at the attributes, it was up to the standards of a level 19 monster. Neither fearsome nor equipped with skills, such a wild creature posed no significant threat to them.
Jiang Tao Tao wasted no time and advanced with her shield raised. Using her attack skill, she quickly closed the distance and collided with the mermaid monster, knocking it several meters backwards. In the ensuing chaos, a fireball rose up and hit the monster squarely, causing it to burst into flames.
Despite the onslaught, it stopped and staggered towards Jiang Tao Tao. But a shadow flitted behind it: Ning Yi Yi had secretly approached. Her dagger, glowing with a faint light, struck with deadly precision as her ability was activated. The blade plunged into the mermaid monster's vulnerable spot, shattering its scales and causing it to collapse with a painful cry.
Then an arrow of ice shot out, completely encasing the creature in ice and immobilizing it.
[Defeated: Level 19 Merfolk Soldier, Experience +1500.]
[Jiang Tao Tao received a fish scale *1.]
Lin Mo Yu received the notification of the monster's end. Due to the team of six, the experience gained wasn't very high. As the leader of the team, Jiang Tao Tao would receive all the dropped items.
Since this was a test and not a leveling expedition, Lin Mo Yu wasn't worried. After quickly eliminating the mermaid monster, the group continued on their way.
Along the way, they encountered several waves of enemies whose number and level gradually increased the closer they got to the mountain. Level 21 monsters were already appearing behind them, which could only be defeated with greater effort.
After defeating one such monster, Jiang Tao Tao looked at the mountain. "At this rate, it'll take us at least another three hours to reach the central part of the island," she remarked. "And the climb up the mountain will also take time"
"We're too slow," she complained. "If we encounter monsters, Miao Yu, you take control from now on. Avoid fighting whenever possible," Jiang Tao Tao ordered in a stern voice. "Let's pick up our pace towards the instance."
Determined to ignore the monsters, Jiang Tao Tao sped up the group's progress. Miao Yu nodded in agreement. The group rushed forward, and when they encountered monsters again, Miao Yu immediately used her control skill.
"Binding Winds!"
This skill subtly manipulated the wind element and bound the monsters like shackles. With a duration of one minute, they were long gone by the time the skill ended. This sped up the group's progress considerably.
Barely twenty minutes later, they could already see the foot of the mountain. Just as Jiang Tao Tao had predicted, they fell behind. Other teams had already reached the foot of the mountain and gained a considerable lead.
A waterfall tumbled down from the top of the mountain, and there was only one narrow path up, which was anything but spacious. The waterfall and the path were teeming with mermaid monsters. Especially at the foot of the mountain, where the waterfall plunged into the depths, the pools of water grew close together. These interconnected pools formed a winding path. Mermaid monsters swarmed everywhere, making it almost impossible to avoid them.
At this moment, another team had arrived at the foot of the mountain and was busy clearing away the monsters in preparation for the ascent. Jiang Tao Tao gritted his teeth. "Do we stand a chance if we charge straight up?" she inquired. Miao Shu shook her head.
"There are too many of them. I can't control them all," she admitted. "Besides, these monsters are all level 22, higher than me. There's a risk that my abilities will fail."
If the monsters went beyond Miao Yu's level, her abilities might fail. They had experienced several failures along the way, but back then, there was only one monster, and a failed control attempt could be quickly fixed by elimination. Here, however, the monsters were too numerous and resembled a military camp.
Jiang Tao Tao frowned. Clearing the path would take at least an hour and set them back considerably. But rushing through without Miao Yu's control would be dangerous; they could be surrounded and put the team in danger.
For a moment, Jiang Tao Tao was caught in a dilemma. Lin Mo Yu looked at the path and suddenly spoke up.
"Allow me," he said.
Ling Zhen scoffed, almost instinctively. "You, a level 17 guy, what can you do?" Throughout the journey, Lin Mo Yu hadn't lifted a finger and had only followed behind. Apart from Ning Yi Yi, no one knew his abilities.
Ning Yi Yi snorted. "Ling, shut your disgraceful mouth." Jiang Tao Tao gave Ling Zhen a warning look, signaling him to be quiet. Then she turned to Lin Mo Yu. "What do you suggest?" she inquired.
Lin Mo Yu replied, "I'll use a skeleton warrior to divert the attention of the mermaid monsters."
Jiang Tao Tao's
eyes lit up as she remembered Lin Mo Yu's profession as a necromancer. Although she didn't understand what exactly a necromancer was and what skills he possessed, the fact that he could summon creatures was undeniable. Using a summoned creature to distract the mermaid monsters was indeed a viable strategy. This realization also made Jiang Tao Tao realize that among the teams that had already reached the foot of the mountain, there were also summoners who were probably using summoned creatures to distract the monsters.
"Leave it to you," she said, "the rest get ready. We'll charge through while the monsters are distracted."
Lin Mo Yu's spirit stirred, and the skeletal warrior started moving with an unmistakable clattering sound.
"So fast!" Jiang Tao Tao's eyes widened in surprise. The skeleton warrior's speed far exceeded her expectations. In the blink of an eye, he had covered several dozen meters and was standing in front of a group of mermaid monsters. The creatures let out sharp cries and immediately pounced on the skeleton warrior. The skeleton warrior ignored them, turned and ran to lead them away. He scurried to another pool of water and lured the mermaid monsters into it. Then he went to another pool. In no time at all, about a dozen mermaid monsters were after the skeleton warrior. With this horde of monsters in tow, the skeleton warrior ran further and further away.
When the path ahead of them was clear, Jiang Tao Tao breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's go!" she shouted. The group made quick progress, the skeletal warrior blazing a trail and luring away the monsters along the way. The walk went remarkably smoothly. Only a few minutes later, they had reached the foot of the mountain. At this point, the horde of monsters chasing after the Skeleton Warrior already numbered over a hundred. Under Lin Mo Yu's control, the skeleton warrior continued to run, increasing the distance further and further.
Suddenly, the skeleton warrior disappeared as Lin Mo Yu called it back to his summoning room. The mermaid monsters were left confused, each of them completely disoriented.
Jiang Tao Tao let out a long sigh of relief. "Well done," she praised. Ning Yi Yi giggled. "Impressive." Duan Gao and Miao Yu also looked at Lin Mo Yu with admiration and acknowledged his contribution to their success.
Ling Zhen's voice was cold. "Why didn't you do this from the beginning? If you had, we'd have been at the top long ago."
Lin Mo Yu turned his head and looked at Ling Zhen as if he was a moron. Wasn't he a mage? Mages were supposed to be smart, weren't they? Why did this guy seem a little stupid?
Ning Yi Yi's voice cut icily through the air. "''Ling Zhen, shut up and stop talking nonsense. If you're so capable, why don't you go alone?"
Lin Mo Yu's gaze turned cold as he stared at Ling Zhen. "This is the last time."
Ling Zhen's face was full of contempt. "Relying only on summoned creatures..."
Jiang Tao Tao intervened and interrupted Ling Zhen. "That's enough now. Shut up."
Ling Zhen repeatedly aimed at Lin Mo Yu. Lin Mo Yu rarely spoke, and every time he did, it was Ling Zhen who made trouble. Anyone with any sense could tell who the problem was.
Suddenly, screams rang out from the top of the mountain. Everyone looked up and saw a large number of mermaid monsters descending from the peak. Meanwhile, the teams that had climbed up earlier were making a hasty retreat down the mountain.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone