The attacked flower demon instantly drew aggro, lashing out with its thorn-covered vines as it charged forward.
The three nearby treants, triggered by the chained aggro mechanism, locked onto Zhiye and followed with heavy, lumbering steps.
Perhaps because the earlier three misfired attacks had disrupted their formation, the aggro chain of this group was clearly separated from the other flower demons and treants. In simpler terms, it was a classic case of pulling monsters.
“Success!” Seeing she hadn’t accidentally drawn the aggro of the entire mob, Zhiye felt a surge of excitement. But as the monsters charged toward her, she couldn’t help but swallow hard.
Even so, recalling the steps from the strategy guide, she steadied herself. Retreating, she and White Rabbit Candy unleashed a fierce barrage on the leading flower demon, completely ignoring the three trailing treants.
“Ayuan!” Yichen called out.
“Hold on, hold on!”
Otaku Ayuan, who’d started chanting before Zhiye’s attack, slapped a Warlock’s Pain Mark on the flower demon they were targeting. A 20% increased damage debuff instantly appeared above its head.
Without pausing, he began preparing another spell.
Slow.
A dark gray glow enveloped the flower demon charging at Zhiye and White Rabbit Candy, drastically reducing its speed. The two breathed a sigh of relief, quickly pulling back to a safer distance.
Meanwhile, Galaxy Vast and Bullhead acted the moment Ayuan’s Pain Mark took effect, charging the aggroed flower demon.
Bullhead, the shield warrior, led the charge, slamming his massive shield into the flower demon, staggering it. He then lowered his stance, planting his shield to adopt a defensive posture, successfully blocking attacks from the treants drawn in.
Holy Baptism.
Galaxy Vast, arriving behind, cast a defense buff on himself and Bullhead before taking the other side. In a spare moment, he swung his heavy hammer, delivering a crushing Holy Sanction to the stunned flower demon.
Ice Crystal Burst.
A dazzling pale blue ice crystal exploded midair, dealing damage while its scattered shards cloaked the monsters in a thin mist, noticeably slowing their movements.
In just one exchange, the flower demon’s health plummeted by 40%.
But the situation for Zhiye and White Rabbit Candy was precarious. Zhiye narrowly dodged a flower demon’s thorn attack, only to be cornered by a treant’s swinging vines.
Even with a last-second Flame Shield absorbing some damage, her health still dropped by 20%.
White Rabbit Candy, benefiting from agility-focused stats, was slightly better off, but being cornered by two treants wasn’t much better.
“Achen, we can’t hold out!” Zhiye called.
Yichen glanced at their situation, frowning. Just as he was about to tell them to retreat, a low, wailing cry suddenly echoed from nearby.
Most of the treants on the field, hearing the call, abandoned their current targets and swarmed toward the flower demon that had cried out—including the three chasing Zhiye.
The pressure on Zhiye and White Rabbit Candy eased instantly.
“Finally, a breather,” Yichen said, looking toward Trigonometric Function’s group, who were tanking three treants while whittling a flower demon down to 30% health.
That flower demon was the one that had wailed, and the treants drawn by its call were now rushing toward Trigonometric Function’s battlefield.
According to the strategy guide, flower demons had two abilities: healing pollen and, when their health fell below 30%, a cry to summon nearby treants for protection. The cunning demons would then hide behind the treants’ high defense, healing themselves with pollen.
But they had no idea their usually foolproof skill was being exploited by this player team.
One key factor was the disrupted formation, which greatly delayed the treants’ reinforcement.
“Achen, hurry!”
“Got it.”
Before the treants could surround Trigonometric Function’s group, Yichen’s team ramped up their damage, barely dropping their flower demon’s health below 30%.
The familiar wail rang out again.
Bound by the skill’s effect, the treants lumbered toward Yichen’s group for reinforcement.
Since the wail had a range limit, some treants didn’t join the “race,” left behind to be tanked by paladins or warriors and taken down by backline DPS.
Through the efforts of the four sub-teams, the dozen-plus treants and flower demons were gradually worn down.
“Finally got them all,” Zhiye sighed, plopping unceremoniously onto the ground. She pulled out water and bread to slowly recover her health and mana.
“Zhi-Zhi, share some!” White Rabbit Candy scooted closer.
While the others rested, Trigonometric Function and Yichen collected the loot dropped by the treants and flower demons. Perhaps Yichen’s earlier words had jinxed it, but the dozen monsters only dropped a bronze-tier Ironblood Boots and a skill book, prompting Trigonometric Function to glance at Yichen.
“What’re you looking at? Don’t you know luck balances out?” Yichen adjusted his nonexistent glasses.
Trigonometric Function coughed awkwardly, changing the subject. “Can we have the Ironblood Boots? I’ll add thirty copper coins. That’s all I’ve got for now.”
He’d checked the skill book—a passive that ignored 10% fire resistance. While the boots weren’t remarkable, they were decent for warriors, and the value gap was significant.
If he weren’t broke, thirty copper coins wouldn’t cover it.
To his surprise, Yichen didn’t haggle. “Take it.”
So straightforward? Trigonometric Function, opening the trade window, grew curious. “Is there something special about that skill book?”
Yichen didn’t hide his reasoning. “Didn’t you notice Yezi and Da Wei’s damage seemed off?”
Da Wei was the other fire mage in the team.
Trigonometric Function thought back and realized something unusual. “You mean the monsters here take extra fire damage?”
Slapping his forehead, he groaned at being outplayed. He decided to collect fire mage gear after clearing the dungeon, knowing prices would skyrocket once this hidden mechanic became public.
Yichen shrugged. He’d noticed Zhiye’s damage output while dealing with the treants and flower demons, and after reviewing the team’s damage breakdown, he’d pieced together the fire-damage boost.
With a skill ignoring fire resistance, they could deal explosive damage in this dungeon. Combined with the thirty copper coins, it was a steal—hence his quick decision to take the skill book.
Trigonometric Function didn’t lose out either; the intel gave him an edge over other players.
After resting, the team, led by Trigonometric Function, stepped into the Shadow Swamp Sean had mentioned.
This mysterious area was perpetually shrouded in fog, its towering red canopy and thick mist blocking most sunlight, making it far darker than the rest of the Black Prison Forest.
If the fog was a terrifying mask, the swamp’s muddy ground was a devouring maw hidden behind it, ready to swallow the careless—hence the many chilling tales.
A forbidden zone for travelers, it was a paradise for monsters and dark plants. Their target, the Corrupted Vines, lay hidden in a secretive corner deep within the Shadow Swamp.
“This fog’s thick,” Trigonometric Function said, barely able to see his hand in front of him. He pulled out the four Mistshadow Lamps Sean had given him. “How do we split these?”
“Keep two as spares. One for the front, one for the back,” Yichen said without hesitation.
“Got it.”
In the end, Trigonometric Function, holding a crystal orb and currently the tankiest, took one lamp and led the frontline with Bullhead and other melee classes. The other went to Zhiye.
The lamps could be hung at the waist without hindering movement, illuminating a radius of about twelve meters. To maximize visibility, the front and back lines stayed roughly twenty meters apart.
Yichen, after a moment’s thought, called Galaxy Vast to the back for extra protection in case of trouble. Even so, a vague unease lingered in his mind.
A few minutes into their cautious trek through the Shadow Swamp, they encountered three or four withered man-eating flowers clustered together.
Trigonometric Function signaled the others to hold off, turning to Zhiye and the other fire mage. “Da Wei, Yezi, use AoE magic to test your damage.”
“Test damage?”
“He wants to see how much your damage is boosted,” Yichen clarified.
With the hint, the two caught on and acted under Trigonometric Function’s command.
Yichen shifted his focus back to the strategy post, but as he scrolled to the next section, he instinctively adjusted his nonexistent glasses.
“What’s up?” Galaxy Vast, idle nearby, asked curiously.
“The guide says it’s best not to bring fire mages to the Shadow Swamp,” Yichen said, his unease growing. “Something’s off. Captain Sean also warned us to be careful with magic.”
“Why not? Didn’t we establish the monsters here take extra fire damage?” Galaxy Vast half-joked. “What, is this place full of flammable gas that’ll explode?”
As soon as he spoke, both noticed a sudden flare of light nearby.
Boom.
Trigonometric Function and the frontline, hearing the blast, turned back to see a chaotic scene and a pile of downed teammates.
“Can someone tell me what happened…?”
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