Chapter 197 – Ten Men Massacre!
Bubbles of volcanic gas trapped beneath the Kiln Fire Woods would occasionally find their way to the surface, erupting forth into the atmosphere as scorching jets.
The temperature here was much higher than in other regions. It was similar to arriving near the crater of an active volcano. Only the hardiest of plant life could grow in this harsh environment, such as the resilient iron palm trees, lush with dense canopies that seemed to cover the earth and hide the sky.
It was said that magma regularly flowed beneath the Kiln Fire Woods, ever-ready to erupt.
Level 20 Molten Rock Monsters spawned inside the Kiln Fire Woods. They possessed high health and defense. A player would even take fire damage if they got near them. However, they were relatively slow and lacked long-range attacks. Add this to the fact that they gave good experience, and it became clear why they were the perfect mobs for Mages to level on.
Molten Rock Monsters were covered in thick plates of stone, roughly two meters in height, and resembled bulldozers when they moved.
A dense cluster of one hundred Unhindered players was currently battling over twenty Molten Rock Monsters in a corner of the map. With the Warriors forming a human wall, the Mages in the rear let loose a wave of spells which arced through the air before bombarding the group of monsters.「Boom! Boom! Boom!」
The concentrated shelling of magic killed over ten Molten Rock Monsters.
Before long another wave of spells rained down from the sky, annihilating the survivors.
The Mages who were low on mana took out various consumables or sat down to recuperate. Those who didn’t expend as much prepared for the next bout.
Roughly five seconds later, about twenty Molten Rock Monsters appeared in the previously cleared area.
The spawn rate of these mobs was astonishing!
Evidently, Unhindered didn’t lack people with good taste; they secured such a top notch levelling spot.
Five Mages sat on the ground, resting and chatting together. They were at the very end of the backline, far away from any action.
“Boss, our former brothers over at Asskickers United are telling us to join them. Should we go?” a skinny Arcane Mage with a slightly wretched appearance asked the Holy Mage beside him.
The Holy Mage called Bird Person1 shook his head. “Joining Asskicers United? That’s suicidal! Didn’t you see that Hei Zhuo joined forces with Victorious Return to deal with them? Unhindered doesn’t amount to much, but do you think Victorious Return is a good guild to provoke? Asskickers United is doomed. Skinny Strip, we might not mind you talking about this since we’re a tight-knit group, but under no circumstances should you bring it up to other members in the guild!
Skinny Strip awkwardly chuckled. “You definitely won’t find me doing something that stupid. Forget it, let’s rest some more. We still get experience either way.”
They chatted in a relaxed manner, completely unaware of the imminent danger.
Nie Yan and Sun snuck up on the group. Their daggers flickered with a cold light while hidden within the shadows.
The Unhindered players in the distance were leisurely fighting the mobs.
Following the plan Nie Yan drew up earlier, Edgeless, Monochrome, Undying Scoundrel, and the others were already in position.
Seeing that everyone was ready, Nie Yan shouted in the party intercom.「KILL!」
All ten players moved in unison.
Nie Yan pounced on Bird Person. His actions were lightning-quick, and his dagger pierced through the air, streaking towards the back of the target’s head in a brilliant flash of light.
Smothering Strike!
Bird Person suddenly felt something odd, as if an alarm bell was going off in his head. It was an enemy attack!
But before he could even get up, it was long over. After stunning him, Nie Yan ended his life with a slash to the throat.
Bird Person went limp and collapsed to the ground!
In a panic, the Mages in the group stumbled to their feet.
Nie Yan turned, dashing towards them. With a Vital Strike, he stabbed one of them in the neck.
It was a critical hit! The target was instagibbed!
Another Mage fell to the ground. Nie Yan moved on to his next target. He activated Assassinate, stabbing the third Mage in the stomach, and promptly followed up with Lacerate, disemboweling him. The Mage let out a shocked gasp, mouth wide open in horror as two huge damage values floated up above his head. He crumpled to the ground like a wet rag.
On the other side, Sun’s movements weren’t slow either. He took down one of the Mages with a Dashing Strike, then pounced on the last member of the group that wanted to escape. With a Smothering Strike followed by Assassinate, his dagger pierced through the cloth armour protecting the Mage’s chest, causing him to drop dead!
From the moment Nie Yan and Sun emerged to them taking down all five Mages, no more than a few seconds had passed. It was practically like a flash of lightning or the strike of a matchstick! They were direct and efficient.
Nie Yan and Sun reactivated Stealth and dashed towards the next group of squishy targets. In particular, they aimed for the Priests!
Meanwhile, from every direction, Monochrome, Edgeless, Blue Yarn Thread, and Resplendent Bladelight were each charging down a slope. Clad from head to toe in thick plate armour, they resembled tanks as they steamrolled through all obstacles.
“Heroic Strike!” Edgeless roared. The blow sent a Mage flying outwards. Flame Slash! His blazing greatsword transformed a Priest into rays of light. He resembled a god of slaughter, tearing through everything in his path. In the blink of an eye, he had already killed six players. Who could’ve imagined that this normally reserved boy would release such a formidable, murderous aura in the middle of battle!
The others weren’t weak either. As they slaughtered a path open, unimpeded, a head would roll with every ten steps taken. They swept up everything before them!
Numerous spells ruthlessly bombarded them, streaking through the air like tongues of fire. Yet they were fearless, radiating an awe-inspiring aura.
Blue Yarn Thread fetched an Intermediate Health Potion from his bag. Drinking it, his health instantly restored to full. Divine Strike! His sword lit up, shining with a brilliant light, as he cleaved a Priest in half. He also cast a Lesser Heal on Monochrome.
All the while, Leader Young Seven never stopped supporting them from the rear. Rays of gentle light fell over them. On top of the healing from the Health Potions, they didn’t lose the slightest bit of momentum under the concentrated bombardment of magic.
In a short span of time, more than twenty Unhindered players died!
Seeing these ten players that seemed to resemble living embodiments of death, the nearby Mages felt their insides churn in horror, as they frantically turned tail and fled.
“The enemy is attacking!”
“It’s Asskickers United!”
As the Mages in the backline cried out for help, the Warriors who were holding off the Molten Rock Monsters hastily turned back to rescue them.
Charge! Charge!
With no one locking the Molten Rock Monsters down, they charged out into the fray. It was a scene of utter chaos. A few Molten Rock Monsters sent several Mages flying with a sweep of their enormous forelimbs.
The players moved about the area hectically. While the Mages wanted to flee, the Warriors wanted to rush in. On top of that, the Warriors had unintentionally brought several dozen Molten Rock Monsters with them.
On a nearby hilltop, Miracle Dancer killed a Mage who ran over in his direction with a Holy Smite and a Holy Strike. He turned to Undying Scoundrel beside him and asked, “Are you done yet? It’s been so long already. How are you still not finished!?”
A horrifying, boundless amount of fire elemental energy was gathering around Undying Scoundrel. It was enough to make anyone pale with fright.
Blowhard Summer Bug cast an Arcane Flame Burst followed up with an Arcane Fireball at an enemy in the distance.「Bang!」They were sent flying. He made short work of them!
Witnessing the deluge of fire elemental energy flooding towards Undying Scoundrel, the nearby Unhindered Mages wore blank expressions. Giving up all hope, they turned tail and ran, despising the fact that they couldn’t grow another pair of legs.
Just where did these bunch of killing gods come from!?
Undying Scoundrel was still in the middle of casting a frightening area-of-effect spell, and at this point, no one was capable of stopping him. The Unhindered players were running around like headless chickens. Most of them didn’t have the mind to notice Undying Scoundrel on the hilltop. Some Paladins more mindful of their surroundings charged over, wanting to kill him, but they were all blasted away by the magic of Miracle Dancer and Blowhard Summer Bug.
Nie Yan and Sun also gave a hand, clearing away any player who drummed up enough courage to try and stop Undying Scoundrel.
「Edgeless, Monochrome, get out of the way!」
「Bladelight, Blue Yarn Thread, quickly retreat!」
After the four of them received the early warning, Edgeless, Monochrome, and Bladelight activated Charge, fleeing the area. Blue Yarn Thread activated Indomitable Will. He wasn’t the slightest bit slower than the three Warriors. The four quickly withdrew from the battlefield.
In that moment, Undying Scoundrel finished making two sets of incantation gestures and chanting two sets of incantation syllables. An enormous sphere of fire emerged over the battlefield. It churned and rolled before smashing down to the ground like a giant meteor.「BOOM!」A massive explosion engulfed the several dozen Warriors from Unhindered caught at the center of the spell. After the giant sphere of fire struck the earth, it blossomed into countless embers that rained down on the players in the surroundings.
It was gorgeous like a display of fireworks in the evening.
The scattered embers were the same as Fireballs, killing over sixty Unhindered players at once and scorching the earth clean of any life.
The raging fires of hell would devour every creature in its path.
After the flames subsided, only ten or so players remained, somehow surviving by a lucky fluke. Staring at the land swept clean of life, they wore foolish expressions.
Almost nothing was left, save for a giant crater that was made by the impact of Hellfire. The nearby surroundings were burnt black. Over sixty players were killed all at once. Not even the twenty or so Molten Rock Monsters were spared. They were turned into ashes, swept up by the blowing wind. Not a single trace of them could be seen.
What a dreadful spell!
If this sort of spell was used in a large-scale battle, as soon as the giant sphere of fire fell, at least six to seven hundred players would perish!
From being completely white, Undying Scoundrel’s name was instantly branded a deep crimson. It was breathtaking.
His kill count was sixty-seven!
“Damn! You’re going to be famous! That Hellfire brought you to a whole new level of red names!” Blowhard Summer Bug cried out.
“What an awesome spell…” Miracle Dancer was almost speechless. Hellfire was simply too frightening. It was his first time witnessing the destructive might of an advanced magic.
The ten or so survivors wanted to run, but Nie Yan and the others quickly caught up to them. Blood-curdling screams rang out, filling the air. Most of them died trying to escape. They were simply no match for Nie Yan’s group in terms of speed.
In just two to three minutes, nothing was left of the group of one hundred Unhindered Players.
They had killed a ghastly number of people. Besides Leader Young Seven, everyone else had red names!
“How many escaped?” Nie Yan asked.
“Two!”
“Did you record the video?” Nie Yan asked Blowhard Summer Bug. He had the best view up on the hilltop. There, he was able to get a clear picture of the events on the entire battlefield.
“Recorded!” Blowhard Summer Bug nodded.
“Good! Now we can post a reply to those Unhindered players calling us out on the forums.” Nie Yan coldly smiled. This was the most effective way to strike back at Victorious Return and Unhindered!
Only a hundred players were killed. This was merely the beginning!
1. The characters for Bird Person is “鳥人” which is also slang for “Fucker,” but I’d much rather a Rick and Morty reference than getting vulgar on you guys though.