After traveling for around 30 minutes, Izroth and his party arrived at the very outer section of the mountain region. It was at this point that they were no longer within the jurisdiction of Amaharpe and instead in an area that belonged to the various monsters and small tribes living in the mountain region.
As the tank, Halls was naturally in the very front of the group to make sure any monsters they came across would aggro onto him first. Izroth was not too far behind Halls walking at his own leisure pace. Luna and Scarlet were at the very back of the group which was the natural position for ranged playing styles.
Not too far ahead of them, Halls spotted what seemed to be a group of rocks bundled together moving around. At first, he believed that his eyes were playing tricks on him, but the more he looked the less it seemed to be so.
"Get ready" Izroth said in a low voice to Halls.
...
Around one hour ago back when Izroth was still inside of the Combat Master class building speaking with Terminus, at the headquarters of the gaming company who made RML were two people in a small room.
The room was crowded with all kinds of computers, wires, and monitors running all over the place. A man with glasses and messy hair sat in front of a desk which was surrounded by the electronics. Behind him was a woman with bright red hair and a small frown on her face.
"Are you sure we should involve regular players in this? I would be lying if I said I didn't feel bad leading a group of players to their potential death. I have no problem going in but... What exactly is it that you want me to discover...?" the woman with bright red hair said.
"You don't have to do much really... Just act like a friend but play the enemy in secret. The goal is only to confirm my theories and for that to happen I need you to witness it first hand. Your character is already set up and ready to go." the man in glasses spoke while not looking away from his computer screen. The data in front of his eyes was too amazing to turn his head away from! He'd never seen anything like it before in this world.
The woman let out a sigh, "I don't see what's so interesting about one player... But, since I owe you I suppose I'll play the villain as repayment" she said reluctantly.
The man let out a small laugh, "I'll shamelessly accept that repayment. Don't worry, just login on to your character and follow the plan. Even if he figures you out that's fine as well. Just remember, don't break your character, the more you believe it to be true the more accurate the data. You are the villain in this scenario, after all, it is a roleplaying game".
The woman with red hair nodded and silently walked off.
"Let's see exactly what makes your character so special..." the man sitting in front of the desk said with a slight smile on his face.
...
When the party arrived around 15 meters away from the group of bundled together rocks, it began to shift and move. A few seconds later a pair of lifeless blue eyes stared at the group of players that stood before it. It was a type of rock monster!
Name: Mountain Golem(Normal)
Level: 15
HP: 5,000/5,000
ATK: 280
DEF: 100
AGI: 20
MAG: 0
Skills:
Tremor(Active): Deals 100% of the golem attack as damage to all enemies within 10 meters.
Stone Toss(Active): Tosses a large stone up to 25 meters at a target enemy dealing 150% of its attack as damage and stunning them for 3 seconds.
Earth Magic Resistance(Passive): Earth magic used against this golem has its damage reduced by 90%.
What high HP and attack! Its defense stat was also fairly high. Not to mention it also had a skill which could stun a target for 3 seconds. But the thing that made it bearable to deal with was its incredibly low agility stat. That meant it wouldn't be hard to land an accurate attack on it because it lacked the speed to avoid it. As for its magic resistance passive, only a fool would use earth magic on something made entirely from earth.
Halls was the first to step forward, unsheathing his 'Shadow Fang Sword' that he acquired from defeating the first world boss and holding his shield out in front of him. His shield lit up a bright red color as a strange aura rushed out enveloping the 'Mountain Golem'. Halls used the skill 'Taunting Aura' to lock the focus of the 'Mountain Golem' onto himself.
Skill Name: Taunting Aura
Skill Level: MAXED
Skill Rank: C
Requirements: Level 10 Warrior
Mana Cost: 20
Active: Releases an incredible battle aura towards a target enemy making them focus their attacks on the user of this skill. Increases 'Threat Level' by 50%.
Cooldown: 25 seconds
The Mountain Golem let out a deep roar and slowly moved forward.
Halls rushed forward to meet the monster swinging his 'Shadow Fang Sword' outward striking against the golem's tough stone skin.
-40 HP!
4,960/5,000 HP Remaining! (Mountain Golem)
"What tough defense...!" Halls was shocked by how little damage he dealt with his attack. Even though he was a tank, he was still proud of his above average attack due to possessing the 'Shadow Fang Sword', but this golem had such incredible defense that it was difficult to even scratch it!
Wooooooosh!
A strong wave of heat invaded the air as a ball of flame slammed into the body of the 'Mountain Golem' causing it to halt its steps for a moment.
Scarlet used the skill 'Fireball' on the golem. Since she dealt magic damage instead of physical damage, the amount of her 'Fireball' did much more than Halls basic attack. This made her feel proud of herself because Scarlet knew that she would be the most useful out of everyone here.
Skill Name: Fireball
Skill Level: MAXED
Skill Rank: C
Requirements: Level 10 Mage
Mana Cost: 50
Cast Time: 2 seconds
Active: Shoots out a fireball infused with highly concentrated mana dealing 150% of the user magic as damage to an enemy within 20 meters.
Cooldown: 5 seconds
-293 HP!
-4,667/5,000 HP Remaining! (Mountain Golem)
Halls and Luna were surprised by the amount of damage Scarlet dealt with only one skill. With just one blow she managed to knock off more than 5% of that golem's ridiculous HP! However, after remembering who else was in their party, they couldn't help but feel as though it was still lacking in comparison.
Izroth moved in a natural manner, as he unsheathed his 'Nameless Blade' and slashing right at the 'Mountain Golem'. His sword was surrounded by a light milky blue aura accompanied by its trademark oppressive force. Izroth used the skills 'First Baneful Sword: Destruction' along with the weapon skill 'Sword Force'.
Ziiiiiiiiiiiing! Slash!
-1,160 HP!
3,507/5,000 HP Remaining! (Mountain Golem)
Battle Alert: Player Izroth has 'Feared' Mountain Golem for 3 seconds!
Izroth was pleasantly surprised, this was the first time his 'First Baneful Sword: Destruction' activated its 'Fear' effect.
Halls and Luna were much better prepared for a ridiculous damage number, however, Scarlet was completely dumbfounded! Izroth dealt over 1,000 damage to a monster which high physical defense, that was insane!
Scarlet shivered to feel a cold sweat run down her back. What was that damage?
"He's a Combat Master... How can he deal such high damage...?" Scarlet eyes filled with shock. At some point, a feeling of doubt started rising up within her. Scarlet felt as though even if her group had two level 15 rogues and one level 16 ranger, they may not be able to deal with such monstrous attack damage.
While the golem was under the 'Feared' effect, Izroth did not let up on his assault. Concentrated energy converged on the tip of his finger. Just a moment later he struck straight towards the neck of the 'Mountain Golem', Izroth was attacking with one of his newer skills 'Fissuring Point'.
Izroth's finger pierced through the stone golem defenses with relative ease.
-140 HP!
3,367/5,000 HP Remaining! (Mountain Golem)
"As I thought... The neck of this golem is not considered as a vital point..." Izroth thought to himself. He expected as much, but still thought it was worth testing on the off chance that he was incorrect.
Scarlet was not sitting back and relaxing during that time. She was already charging up her next spell, "Flaming Spear!". Fire formed in the shape of a spear directly in front of Scarlet. A strong aura of mana danced around the spear before firing off towards the 'Mountain Golem'.
Skill Name: Flaming Spear
Skill Level: 2/4
Skill Rank: B
Requirements: Level 15 Mage
Mana Cost: 150
Cast Time: 3 seconds
Active: Fires off a spear infused with highly concentrated mana converted into a powerful fire aura dealing 275% of the user magic as damage to an enemy within 25 meters.
Cooldown: 45 seconds
-536 HP!
2,831/5,000 HP Remaining! (Mountain Golem)
Although her damage was not as high as Izroth's, it was still an impressive amount.
The 'Feared' effect on the 'Mountain Golem' had finally ended as it lifted its fist up into the air. When Izroth saw the golem do that, he instantly retreated backward to a safe distance. Soon after Izroth retreated, the 'Mountain Golem' slammed its fist onto the ground causing a tremor to occur.
-180 HP
1,320/1,500 HP Remaining! (Halls)
Halls lost his balance a bit from the sudden tremor caused by the 'Mountain Golem'. As he was regaining his balance, the golem did not halt its attack as it lifted up a stone into the air and tossed it right at Halls! He managed to get his shield up in time to block part of the attack damage, but still took quite a hit.
BLOCKED!
-240 HP!
1,080/1,500 HP Remaining! (Halls)
Battle Alert: Mountain Golem has stunned Player Halls for 3 seconds!
+225 HP!
1,305/1,500 HP Remaining! (Halls)
Luna used 'Cure' on Halls to keep his HP above 75%. As usual, her heals were timed with precision.
Izroth kicked off his right foot and rushed back in towards the 'Mountain Golem'. His right foot suddenly seemed to transform and move as though it were slithering, imitating the movement of a snake striking out to attack its prey, 'Serpent's Bite', Izrot's foot slammed into the body of the 'Mountain Golem' shaking it to its core and stopping it from moving altogether!
-35 HP!
2,796/5,000 HP Remaining! (Mountain Golem)
Battle Alert: Player Izroth has 'Paralyzed' Mountain Golem for 1.5 seconds!
Even though the damage on the skill was incredibly weak, that wasn't Izroth's main focus when learning this skill. It was because of the Paralyze' effect that this skill shined amongst the heavenly laws he learned on his way to Amaharpe.
With that window of time given to Halls, he did not take any more damage before finally being rid of the golem's stun effect! The golem itself also managed to free itself of Izroth's 'Paralyze' effect around the same time as Halls broke free.
Woooosh!
Scarlet hit the golem head-on with another 'Fireball' spell! Halls followed up as his sword turned into the form of a shadow releasing a terrifying pressure. This was the weapon skill attached to his 'Shadow Fang Sword' called 'Shadow Pressure'.
The same time that Scarlet and Halls attacked, Izroth arrived behind the 'Mountain Golem' slashing outward with his 'Nameless Blade'. His sword appeared to have a shadow tailing just in the back of it as Izroth spun rapidly connecting yet another strike onto the golem. 'Phantom Strike'.
The HP of the 'Mountain Golem' dropped rapidly falling close to 40%. The group did not halt their assault, relentlessly chipping away at the HP of the 'Mountain Golem' before them.
35%...
25%...
10%...
The 'Mountain Golem only had around 500 HP remaining, but before it could get another skill off Scarlet had just finished casting the killing blow, 'Flaming Spear'.
Woooooooosh!
A spear engulfed in fire with mana concentrated around its entire form, pierced through the body of the golem completely making it crumble into nothing but dust.
-536 HP!
0/5,000 HP Remaining! (Mountain Golem)
Ding! Congratulations, you have defeated 'Mountain Golem'!
Ding! You have been awarded 600 EXP!
Loot Drop:
-x6 silver coins
-x2 Tough Natural Mineral
The 'Mountain Golem' gave a total of 2,400 EXP, but since they were in a party it divided it amongst all of them and so they only received 600 EXP each. Though, 600 EXP for defeating a monster in around 1 minute give or take was quite a lot. If they continued to farm these monsters for an entire hour then they could gain a potential 36,000 EXP and level up multiple times! However, they came here for a quest and so would not lose track of the main focus.
Halls was the party leader and naturally divided the loot fairly amongst the party. Each member received 1 silver and 50 bronze coins. As for the x2 'Tough Natural Mineral', the group rolled for those items. One of them went to Halls himself while the other found itself in the possession of Izroth.
Crafting Material: Tough Natural Mineral
Details: The natural toughness of this mineral makes it ideal to use in crafting low to mid ranked armor. Adding this material to certain formulas can greatly enhance the overall defensive capabilities.
Another surprise double release brought to you by a new Patreon: MillerDaOne
If you would like to further support DaoistZenFeng.
https://www.patreon.com/DaoistZenFeng
After the group finished their fight with the 'Mountain Golem', they came across five more on their way towards the main area of the mountain region. Their current party combination was strong with Izroth and Scarlet dealing damage, Halls receiving the damage, and Luna healing near flawlessly.
The group had no issues defeating the other five 'Mountain Golems' gaining a total of 3,000 EXP as well as 7 silver and 50 bronze coins each.
Izroth narrowed his eyes as the party was traveling towards the mountain region, but something strange was taking place. "We aren't getting any closer..." Izroth thought to himself. He was not entirely sure before, however, after walking for another 10 minutes straight they weren't any closer to the main mountain region. A light fog formed on the ground beneath their feet.
It wasn't long until the other three realized that something strange was going on as well.
Halls frowned, "Why do I feel like we aren't getting any closer?"
"Because we're trapped in some type of illusion" Izroth responded to Halls while maintaining his usual carefree facial expression. From the moment they defeated the first 'Mountain Golem' Izroth felt as though all of them were confined to a limited area. He was very sensitive to changes within the atmosphere and so when he felt a major shift he could guess that something was wrong. This whole time Izroth was actually looking for a way out. Usually, things like this had a core that needed to be destroyed or someone secretly controlling it from the shadows.
"An illusion? How do we escape?" Halls was startled by the revelation. Since when did they step into an illusion?
"I thought there was something weird about this... Although, I wasn't absolutely sure until Izroth just confirmed it." Luna spoke in a low voice as though she were concentrating on something else while speaking.
Scarlet, on the other hand, was busy keeping in touch with the other members of her group making sure they did not get lost in illusion. If that happened and they couldn't find a way out, her entire purpose for being here would be useless.
"Wait" Izroth came to a sudden halt. Soon after everyone else stopped to turn and look at him with a curious look on their faces. Did he discover something about the illusion?
Izroth quickly kicked off his right foot, unsheathing his 'Nameless Blade' and charging straight towards Scarlet.
Scarlet did not have any time to react, "Wa-!" she was shocked by Izroth suddenly turning around and rushing at her. Did he realize see through her and so was taking this chance to remove the threat? She witnessed firsthand how powerful Izroth's attacks were and so even if she used a barrier it would be destroyed in one hit along with all of her HP. Scarlet closed her eyes tightly awaiting her certain death.
Pluuuuck! Eeeeeeeeeggggghhhhh!
There was a loud high pitched screaming sound that pierced the eardrums of everyone present.
Scarlet slowly opened her eyes and discovered that she was still surprising alive. Then she was shocked when she felt something slithering and squirming around near her feet. A shiver ran down her spine as she slowly looked downward. When she saw the creature, her entire face turned deathly pale. It was a strange monster that resembled a mixture of a 'Blatta orientalis' the size of a cat with a weird group of worm-like feelers upon its back. It was the creature that released that ear-piercing noise just a moment ago.
Name: Illusionist Mountain Bug(Normal)
Level: 15
HP: 0/150
ATK: 50
DEF: 20
AGI: 120
MAG: 150
Skills:
Illusionist Pact(Passive): This bug always travels within underground mountainous regions in a group of 10 or more. While doing so they produce a strong illusion that can trap travelers inside unknowingly and wearing them out mentally before devouring them. This skill is only effective when there is at least 5 'Illusionist Mountain Bugs' present.
Earth Swimming(Passive): This creature can travel through the earth as though it were a fish swimming in water.
Devour(Passive): As long as enemies are trapped within the 'Illusionist Pact', this creature deals 100% of its magic damage as bonus attack damage. This skill ignores all defenses.
Ding! Congratulations, you have defeated 'Illusionist Mountain Bug'!
Ding! You have been awarded 50 EXP!
These creatures were incredibly weak but were also very numerous. If what its skill said is true, that meant there were at least nine at the very least stalking them underground. They did not give much EXP but since there were at least ten of them total it would add up to 500 EXP.
Scarlet wanted to scream but swallowed it back down and quickly moved away from the bug-like creature. She did not want to appear weak, but her face had already lost all its color and she was wobbling as she walked. Scarlet possessed a natural hatred and disgust for bugs.
Even Luna who was usually calm and collected couldn't help but slightly shiver when she saw the creature squirm around pierced through with Izroth's sword, her face also lost a bit of color.
When Halls saw how Luna and Scarlet reacted he couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Hahaha, relax it's just some weak little bugs. You can let us guys handle this. Hahaha!".
Luna and Scarlet gave Halls a death glare that immediately shut him up. He rubbed the back of his head and avoided direct eye contact with both of them.
Izroth noticed that the earth beneath them kept constantly shifting as though something below was changing and moving it around. Whatever was doing it was fast and difficult to pinpoint accurately. That's why Izroth was waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike once he discovered them.
"There's still 9 more, we need to eliminate 5 of them to break the illusion" Izroth spoke in a calm manner as he swiftly moved a few meters to his right piercing his sword into the ground once more.
Eeeeeeeeeggggghhhhh!
-160 HP!
0/150 HP Remaining! (Illusionist Mountain Bug)
Ding! Congratulations, you have defeated 'Illusionist Mountain Bug'!
Ding! You have been awarded 50 EXP!
In but a moment Izroth had eliminated two of them with ease. If it were someone else these bugs would be tricky to lure out into the open before defeating them due to their high agility stat, however, Izroth possessed an astronomical amount of battle experience and could make accurate predictions to their next movements.
Izroth then sprinted in the direction to his left, "Halls, in 3 seconds strike the ground next to your left leg using your weapon skill. Scarlet, aim your first fire spell 10 meters directly in front of you, start casting it in 2 seconds. Luna, try to prevent any bugs from burrowing back into the ground once they reveal themselves if you're able to".
Izroth commanded as if he were used to leading a group into battle. In fact, back in the seven realms in the days of his youth, he used to be the leader of an elite small group of cultivators that would go on highly dangerous missions for the kingdom he fought for at that time. However, because the king feared their power was growing too strong and he would no longer be able to control them, he ordered their deaths. Izroth was the only one who survived and managed to escape from that kingdom, holding onto his life by a single thread.
As those memories slowly crept into the mind of Izroth, he could not help but let out a sigh of regret. If only he were strong enough to protect everyone at that time, they would not have needed to sacrifice their lives in order for him to survive. There were not many people Izroth trusted or respected outside of his teacher, however, every member of that small elite group held both his trust and respect.
Even though Luna and Scarlet were disgusted by the bug type monsters, they still followed through with Izroth's instructions. Halls also took action, following Izroth's exact orders and stabbing his sword into the ground. He released the skill attached to his weapon called 'Shadow Pressure' and a dark oppressive aura spread out 10 meters from his 'Shadow Fang Sword'. It wasn't long after Halls heard three high pitched screams and 3 seconds later all of them stopped. He eliminated three of them in one go leaving only 5 remaining. The group gained a total of 150 EXP from that attack alone.
Just soon after Halls struck his sword into the ground, Scarlet fired off a 'Fireball' spell at the location Izroth gave her beforehand. Internally she frowned because it would be a waste of her mana if there was nothing there, but after seeing that Halls was successful it made her feel like maybe it wouldn't be a waste after all.
Woooooooosh!
A ball of fire streaked towards the ground smashing into it as yet another 'Illusionist Mountain Bug' eliminated and incinerated in the fire. Scarlet defeated the last bug required to break the illusion and soon the fog beneath their feet cleared out completely. The group could see a few things actually moving in the distance, they had successfully broken the illusion of the 'Illusionist Mountain Bug'!
The last remaining 4 'Illusionist Mountain Bugs' tried to group together and flee, but why would Izroth let go of free EXP? Although they were fast, Izroth was still slightly faster and felt their movements underground by the shifting of the earth. When they all converged onto one point, Izroth struck out with his palm causing a myriad of illusions to form in the shape of his palm smashing into the ground where he targetted! He used one of the new skills he learned while traveling to Amaharpe, 'Myriad Elusive Palms'. Not only could this skill attack multiple targets, but it also possessed an increased hit rate and was difficult to avoid, making it perfect for fast creatures like these bugs.
Eeeeeeeeeggggghhhhh!
A group screams came from the ground beneath as Izroth's palm struck each of the four points where the 'Illusionist Mountain Bugs' were located.
Ding! Congratulations, you have defeated 'Illusionist Mountain Bug'!
Ding! You have been awarded 50 EXP!
Ding! Congratulations...
Izroth eradicated the last remaining creatures gaining 200 EXP in the process! They did not drop any coins or other loot, so that was a bit disappointing. On the bright side, they were finally free of the illusion.
The party reorganized and continued their journey towards the main area of the mountain range.
After traveling for around 15 minutes, the group finally arrived before a dark and desolate valley. They could only see darkness and nothing else, not even a single stone within the valley.
"Is this the only way inside? There's no way we can see inside, if we're attacked we may not even be able to defend ourselves let alone find our way out" Halls frowned while examining the valley. There were no other entrances nearby and if they traveled too far away only to not find another way in, then it would waste too much time.
"It's fine" Luna spoke as her staff lit up brightly with an illuminating light. "It's one of the first skills all clerics learn called 'Illuminate'. This should give us enough light to travel inside without issue".
Skill Name: Illuminate
Skill Level: MAXED
Skill Rank: F
Mana Cost Per Second: 0.2
Cast Time: Instant
Active: Creates a bright light that illuminates the surroundings within 5 meters of the user.
Description: Even in the darkest of nights, the light remains a beacon of hope.
"It only cost 0.2 mana per second to maintain, so it should be more than enough to last until we find another source of light" Luna also had 'Lesser Mana Potions' on her so she was not worried about running out of mana even if it did take a while to find a light source.
Halls nodded, "In that case, we'll need you closer to the front just behind us".
Luna moved forward closer until she was only a few steps away from Izroth and Halls.
"Let's go" Izroth started walking forward towards the valley which made Halls also start moving to maintain the frontal position as a tank.
Ding! You have discovered a new location 'The Valley of Death'!
This double release is brought to you by the newest member of the Patreon family: Marius Arnesen
Thank you for the love and support! :)
P.S: If you can't support me on Patreon but would like to do so here, the gifting option has been unlocked for this novel! :)
Consider Patreon if you would like to further support the fellow DaoistZenFeng and have more chapters released. This is a journey!
https://www.patreon.com/DaoistZenFeng