In just four rounds, the team effortlessly cleared over a dozen Withered Man-Eating Flowers and Vine Monsters.
Though other classes contributed damage, everyone knew the main output came from one side.
The forum discussions and personal experiences had given them a rough idea, but this brutal method gave the team a deeper understanding of the fire mages’ “explosive” damage.
The fire mage quartet—victims of this strategy—understood it even more profoundly, though their experience included other aspects.
“Tongtong, is this what you meant by starring roles?”
Yoyo asked, her beautiful eyes glaring with a demand for an explanation. Red Coral, Weaving Night, and Fallen Sunny cast similar looks, like heartbroken maidens betrayed by a scoundrel.
They had imagined their starring roles as something glamorous—heroic, triumphant, dazzling.
Instead, they got this—explosions, chaos, and more explosions.
The gap between expectation and reality was so vast it genuinely stung.
Even with pain settings minimized, the sensation of facing explosions up close was far from pleasant—like blowing up a balloon until it bursts.
“It’s pretty awesome, isn’t it.” An Tong replied, feigning innocence with wide, pure eyes.
“Defeating those monsters is all thanks to Little Aunt and the sisters’ efforts.”
Yoyo instantly melted, defenseless against her adorable niece’s charm. “Am I really that amazing?”
“Yoyo-jie, check the damage meters,” Nightwish said coolly.
“Heh, I never realized your output was this high.” Autumn Waters added smoothly, her tone like a teacher encouraging a struggling student to regain confidence.
“Yeah, Yoyo-jie, you looked so brave charging in!” Scarlet Rain chimed in.
“Leafy’s the real star, wiping out multiple monsters in one go,” Dream Cradle added.
“Sunny’s spell damage is insane, way ahead of second place,” Elk praised.
The team showered the fire mage quartet with compliments, acknowledging their sacrifices.
Yoyo and the others felt a pang of guilt for earlier dragging the team down due to their own issues.
Compared to clearing the dungeon, this method wasn’t a big deal.
Fallen Sunny, having faced rejection as a fire mage before, appreciated contributing, even if she grumbled a bit.
The quartet accepted their roles, taking the team’s praise as a graceful way out.
Got away with it. An Tong thought, breathing a small sigh of relief.
She shot grateful glances at Nightwish and Autumn Waters.
The former returned a slight smile, while the latter winked back playfully.
“Good work, Coral.” Doran said briefly, consoling her teammate.
Red Coral noticed Doran’s barely suppressed smirk and rolled her eyes, her charm evident.
“Laugh if you want. I finally got to pump out damage, but I didn’t expect to blow myself up too.”
“Honestly, I didn’t see this strategy coming.” Doran said, her smile fading as she narrowed her eyes.
“Boosting fire resistance to avoid one-shots, using Elemental Shield to reduce same-type damage, and leveraging explosion AOE to clear monsters—it’s a clear division of labor. Turning a negative effect into an advantage for players… I’m getting more intrigued by this little one.”
Doran recognized An Tong had accounted for every factor.
Fire resistance was crucial, but querying everyone’s spell damage was key too, selecting the highest-output skills without risking instant death.
Positioning was precise—warriors used Shield Wall to reduce frontal damage, placed to cover most monsters.
Coordinating other warriors to chain aggro and arranging holy knights’ and priests’ healing order were additional details.
It screamed seasoned game experience.
Yet this came from a seemingly harmless, adorable loli—an intriguing contrast that piqued Doran’s interest.
Her gut told her someone else in the team was equally curious about An Tong.
“Pretty much, but aren’t you curious about these Redstone Potions?” Red Coral said, pointing out the strategy’s linchpin.
She hadn’t noticed earlier, but checking now, she saw a faint explosion resistance buff. “Have you ever seen a potion with special resistance like this?”
“No.” Doran admitted, shaking her head. “I’ve asked Xiao Yu and the others to check the market for its recipe.”
Red Coral nodded, but neither dwelled on it.
The method only sped up dungeon progress, not affecting much else.
With the fire mages’ maxed-out damage, the team quickly cleared several waves of Shadow Swamp monsters, securing Corrosive Vines.
Even knowing the fire mages’ explosive output, Doran was amazed at the pace.
Roseheart’s best reclamation team had only reached the swamp’s depths after burning through four Fog Lamps, while this team still had two lamps with over half their duration left.
Unlike Doran’s measured reaction, the rest of the team buzzed with excitement, their first time reaching this progress.
But as they prepared to leave the swamp to meet Sien and others at the agreed spot, their tiny captain, An Tong, headed in a different direction.
“You’re going the wrong way, Little Tong.” Mushui said, puzzled.
Shuiyan, usually quiet, tugged at An Tong’s sleeve.
An Tong smiled at Shuiyan, holding a Fog Lamp as she walked deeper into the Shadow Swamp, stopping at a corner.
“Guess why most teams on the leaderboard are stuck at 80% completion?
Because they don’t know about the hidden quest here.”
Illuminated by the Fog Lamp’s dim glow, the team saw a narrow path hidden among bushes and low trees.
There’s a place like this?
Everyone was stunned.