The news about the strategy post had also reached Zhiye and the others through Xiaoquan, sparking a lively discussion.
“Didn’t expect such a legit strategy group,” Zhiye said, scrolling through the forum post.
“Probably laying the groundwork to build some hype early on,” Galaxy Vast, whose family ran a business, mused, echoing Yichen’s thoughts.
Otaku Ayuan got excited. “Doesn’t that mean we could aim for the leaderboard?”
Is this guy dreaming too big?
Zhiye and the others shot him skeptical looks. They all knew it was impossible.
Even with the strategy post, their team paled in comparison to the dedicated pioneering squads of major guilds, both in coordination and gear.
Putting the strategy post aside, the team pressed forward toward the Shadow Swamp as Sean had directed.
Along the way, they encountered a few obstacles—small groups of two or three treants or flower demons—but nothing that threatened the team. They were dispatched with ease.
Morning sunlight filtered through the layered canopy, bright and clear from the clouds above, but it took on a muted, somber tone in the Black Prison Forest, lending a faintly eerie atmosphere.
Galaxy Vast raised his shield, working with Bullhead to push back a gnarled treant. A blazing fireball from behind struck the treant, exploding and wiping out its nearly depleted health bar.
As he lowered his weapon, Galaxy Vast’s sharp eyes caught a glint beneath the treant’s collapsed body. He quickly picked it up.
“Bronze-tier Radiant Ring: +3 Constitution, +5 Spirit, +10% healing potency.”
Having just finished off their own monsters, Trigonometric Function overheard Galaxy Vast announce the item’s stats, and his eyes lit up. “Can we have that ring? We gave you the two white-tier items earlier, and I’ll throw in a bronze-tier warrior belt.”
As the team’s core, the priest’s gear was a priority. Accessories were rare, and the +10% healing potency was a game-changer.
It might seem like just a slight boost to healing, but those extra points could keep a frontline tank alive, potentially saving the whole team. Plus, the healing potency boost applied to all healing skills, making it viable up to level 20.
That’s why Trigonometric Function was willing to trade a bronze item and two white-tier ones—a steal, even with the exchange.
“Of course, we don’t need it,” Yichen said. Though he knew the ring’s value, their team lacked a priest, so keeping it would only mean selling it. Better to let Trigonometric Function’s group have it.
Yichen didn’t stand on ceremony, taking all three items. They’d agreed before entering to split loot evenly based on value.
“This drop rate’s insane. You’d be lucky to see a few items after hours in the wild,” Trigonometric Function remarked, handing the ring to their priest.
Yichen did a quick calculation. Three items from a dozen monsters was indeed a high drop rate. “Don’t get too excited. It might not stay this lucky,” he said coolly.
As if he’d jinxed it, things did take a turn for the worse—not with drops, but something else.
“Fifteen treants, four flower demons. This is trouble,” Trigonometric Function said, eyeing the cluster of monsters ahead with a headache.
Behind the group was a grove of purple cedars, clearly the entrance to the Shadow Swamp. But defeating these monsters was the only way through, and their team could handle maybe six or seven treants at once. Fifteen was a death sentence.
Worse, the treants were supported by flower demons, whose healing pollen restored treant health while lowering the defense of players affected by it. Combined with the treants’ tough, tanky nature, this wasn’t a simple one-plus-one equation.
The more Trigonometric Function thought, the worse his headache grew. Just as he was about to ask for ideas, unable to come up with a solution, he noticed Yichen swiping through something.
“What’re you looking at?”
“The strategy guide.”
Trigonometric Function mentally facepalmed. How had he forgotten that?
While the guide wouldn’t cover every detail of the dungeon, it should at least mention a small checkpoint like this monster group, offering tips if not outright solutions.
Otherwise, the guide’s value—and the studio’s early publicity efforts—would be diminished.
Clearly, the Irresponsible Guide Team understood this, as the guide detailed precise steps for passing the Shadow Swamp entrance.
But after reading it, Trigonometric Function frowned. “Will this method actually work?”
Yichen paused. “We won’t know until we try. Got a better idea?”
Trigonometric Function was speechless. The guide’s steps seemed dubious, but they offered a shred of possibility. Just looking at the monster count gave him a headache, so he had no better suggestions.
He thought for a moment. “Is your team’s damage output enough? If not, we can take one of the four flower demons off your hands.”
“My magic damage is decent, and worst case, Ayuan and I can kite for a bit. Leave the last one to Yezi.”
Trigonometric Function nodded and went to brief his team.
“Yezi, Xiao Tang, you two take position at coordinates 2450.710. Bullhead, you guys come with me.”
“Won’t that be dangerous?” Galaxy Vast asked, clearly skeptical of the plan. His chivalrous nature wouldn’t let him put girls in harm’s way.
“If nothing goes wrong, their spot’s actually the safest,” Trigonometric Function reassured.
“And if something does go wrong?” Galaxy Vast glanced at the two girls.
“Stop being such a worrywart, Ahao. Girls like decisive guys,” Otaku Ayuan teased, elbowing him.
“No wonder Ayuan’s still single,” Bullhead chuckled, scratching his head.
Grabbing Otaku Ayuan before he could debate the merits of 2D waifus, Yichen adjusted his imaginary glasses. “If it gets dangerous, they can just retreat and disengage.”
Galaxy Vast considered it. “Fine.”
At that moment, Trigonometric Function called out, “How’s your side doing?”
“Ready. We’re at the coordinates.”
“We’re set too. Let’s do this.”
Like a fuse igniting a powder keg, three magical attacks from different directions roared toward the treants and flower demons. But the attacks seemed off-target, landing on the nearby grass like stray arrows.
Even so, the noise drew the monsters’ attention.
The first to react were three flower demons closest to the attack points, followed by the treants gathered around them, their roots slithering toward the magic’s landing spots. This caused a slight delay, disrupting their formation.
Most notably, the flower demon and three treants untouched by the attacks were now separated from the others by a significant distance.
As the distracted monsters lost their alertness and began returning to their aimless state—
Boom.
A blazing fireball suddenly struck, exploding on the flower demon that hadn’t been drawn away.