The two Treants, aggroed by the Slowing Curse, predictably charged toward the team.
But to everyone’s surprise, the other monsters, which should have been pulled via the aggro-linking mechanism, stood still like NPCs watching a maxed-out hero, completely ignoring the two Treants.
Though no one understood why, the two underleveled, or isolated, Treants were quickly dispatched, turning into experience points and even dropping a shiny piece of equipment.
“Bronze-tier ring, +10 Spirit. Anyone want to bid?” I announced, picking up the loot.
No one responded, their gazes fixed on me with a mix of curiosity and expectation.
They clearly wanted to know what just happened.
Even Nightwish, who trusted me implicitly, was curious about the mechanics behind it.
“Alright, alright,” I said, sticking out my tongue. “You want to know why the other monsters didn’t get pulled, right?”
I wasn’t keen on dragging out the suspense.
The last thing I needed was these loli enthusiasts “educating” me under the guise of caring for a minor’s mental health—complete with head-pats, cheek-pinches, and the full loli-con package, free for a limited time with a three-year minimum sentence.
“The aggro-linking mechanism has a maximum alert range, which varies by monster type.
I don’t know the exact range for Treants, but there’s a pattern,” I explained, smiling at the attentive team.
“While levels matter, at the same level, humanoid monsters have a longer aggro range than beast-type monsters, which in turn have a longer range than plant-type ones.”
“Obviously, Treants and Flower Sprites are plant-type.”
“Even so, at that distance, a mage or archer attack would still trigger the aggro chain. But certain actions are different.”
Some team members caught on. Doran whispered to Red Coral and Watermist, Autumn Waters exchanged a knowing glance with Nightwish, and Fallen Sunny had suspected as much from the start.
Like a teacher explaining a problem, some still looked confused, but the “top students” stepped in.
Morning Season glanced at the baffled Otaku Source.
“That’s why you had Source cast Slowing Curse?”
“Exactly,” I nodded.
In my past life, players discovered months later that skills with purely negative effects, like Slowing Curse, triggered a shorter aggro-linking range than damage-dealing skills.
Among these, movement-restricting skills had the smallest range.
Few skills fit this category in standard classes, but a Warlock’s Slowing Curse was one, which is why I’d confirmed with Otaku Source.
With the initial arrows pulling the monsters apart and the Slowing Curse isolating their aggro, we successfully separated the two Treants from the chain.
The team was impressed by the detailed breakdown of such a niche mechanic, left with little to say but admiration.
Basking in their gazes, I puffed out my tiny chest proudly, only for Yoyo to voice a doubt.
“You figured all this out, Tongtong?” Her suspicious look suggested she’d never known her niece to be this capable.
“No way! I saw it in a forum post and thought it was useful, so I memorized it,” I said, covering my tracks to avoid further probing. “But the post seems to have been deleted.”
That explanation settled their doubts.
Such a mechanic likely required extensive testing, not the work of one person. A studio post made sense, perhaps deleted for internal reasons.
“Connecting it to this strategy is still clever,” Autumn Waters said, smiling warmly. “Want me to tutor you for your exams?”
Before I could respond, Yoyo jumped in.
“Perfect! Tongtong hasn’t touched her summer homework. Autumn, help me keep an eye on her!”
Don’t air family laundry, you dumb aunt! I cringed, mortified.
Her words sparked an enthusiastic response from the others.
“I’ll join! I can teach Tongtong math!” Mushui chimed in.
“With your failing math grades from last semester?” Scarlet Rain teased.
“Hey, I’m great at elementary math!” Mushui protested.
“Reduced to elementary level already?” Dream Cradle quipped.
“If Mushui can teach math, I, a literature major, can handle language arts no problem~” Elk added.
“That clashes with your warrior vibe,” Weaving Night pointed out.
“Says the shady law major playing a holy knight!” Scarlet Rain shot back.
Doran ignored the playful bickering, still mulling over my explanation.
“This method’s way simpler than the forum guide, but that pulling technique isn’t easy to learn.”
“No, that was just to lure the Flower Sprite away,” Red Coral said seriously. “For Treants alone, it’s less complicated.”
Doran realized the Flower Sprite’s skills had been accounted for, deepening her curiosity about me. “This kid’s got more secrets than I thought. What do you think, Watermist?”
“Watermist?”
They noticed Watermist staring at me, surrounded by Mushui and the others, her gaze tinged with… jealousy? Doran whispered, “Is Watermist into the kid’s vibe?”
“Probably. We’ve known her forever and barely got used to her, but Tongtong’s already got her jealous after a short time,” Red Coral said, sounding hurt.
“Are we just not charming enough?”
Guess it’s not just guys—girls prefer younger ones too, they both thought.
Using this method, the team steadily cleared the clustered Treants and Flower Sprites, yielding four bronze-tier items and some white gear.
After a quick auction to distribute the loot, we reached the Shadow Swamp in the Black Prison Forest.
“Time to prep,” I said, standing at the edge of the misty, eerie swamp, pulling items from my inventory.
The team watched curiously, especially Yoyo, Red Coral, Fallen Sunny, and Weaving Night, who remembered my claim that fire mages were the stars of this plan.
They were eager to see what “starring role” meant when other teams shunned fire mages.
Expecting special equipment, they were surprised when I pulled out a pile of bottles and vials.
“What are these?” Morning Season asked, unfamiliar with them.
“Redstone Potions. They boost fire resistance, much stronger than standard ones,” I explained.
The team hadn’t heard of them and had no frame of reference for their effectiveness.
“Is Teacher planning to boost the backline’s fire resistance to avoid getting one-shot?” Nightwish guessed.
Doran glanced at her. “If that’s the case, it’d be easier to just bench the fire mages.”
“Maybe it’s to prevent accidents,” Autumn Waters suggested, smiling. “Everyone gets one, right?”
“Half right, but these aren’t for you all,” I said, shaking my head.
Instead of distributing them to everyone, I handed them to the four fire mages.
“Little Aunt, Sister Coral, Sister Weaving Night, and Sister Sunny. Oh, and Sunny, your spell damage is high, so hold onto this cross for now.”
The four exchanged uneasy glances, a bad feeling creeping in.
Fallen Sunny, clutching the quest-item cross, felt an especially ominous premonition, as if something terrifying was about to unfold.