Chapter 55 - 50: So Big, So Fierce, and So Many Resources Rolling In

Chapter 55: Chapter 50: So Big, So Fierce, and So Many Resources Rolling In

Half an hour later, Shen Xing led his soldiers back to his territory.

He once again distributed the Soul Stones earned that day for his troops to absorb.

They repeated this process, grinding for two consecutive days.

During this time, Shen Xing also used Sacrificial Evolution to raise the Little Skeleton Black Arrow to Elite Three-Star and the Warg to Elite One-Star.

They respectively unlocked the Skills: [Dark Arrow Rain] and [Wolf Pack Call].

The former, as its name suggests, could unleash two to three waves of arrow rain, dealing corrosive piercing damage to enemies.

The latter, when activated, could summon three to five phantom wild wolves to assist in battle.

All in all, they were both very practical Skills.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, which was Shen Xing’s thirteenth day in the game.

Today, they had once again run to the Black Water River first thing in the morning and fiercely grinded a wave of monsters.

If it weren’t for the Horse Lantern’s limited exploration time, they would have wanted to stay here for twelve hours a day.

"They’re coming again. Quite a few this time," Xia Wanyin said, hiding behind a large rock with her eyes closed, sensing the movements from the riverbank.

"Got it."

Sitting in his wheelchair, Shen Xing waved his arm. "Blood Roar, Dahou, go!"

"WAAAAAAGH!!"

The two Beastmen roared and charged out in an instant, like beasts unleashed from a cage.

The Wolf Cavalry charged one after another, like a sharp dagger, scattering the enemy’s formation.

The Dual Axe Berserker turned into a small spinning top, continuously and madly executing Blade Storm.

As for where he learned [Blade Storm], it was of course by copying Hellish Roar.

After all, Soldier Types with decent Talent like him had a certain capacity to learn.

Although he had only learned the basics so far and hadn’t grasped the essence of ’Blade Storm’.

But this guy Dahou was the craftiest.

Relying on his great Power and speed, he used brute force to imitate Hellish Roar’s spinning, insisting that what he was performing was the genuine Blade Storm.

"Hahaha! I really am a genius! I’ve already completely mastered [Blade Storm] so quickly, and I can spin even longer. Not even Hellish Roar is better than me!"

Dahou looked at the corpses scattered around him, a proud smile on his face.

The battle ended, and as usual, they began to clean up the battlefield.

Just then, Dahou walked over holding his Dual Axes and reported, "Boss, I found something strange on the back of a Great Naga!"

"What is it?" Shen Xing asked, puzzled.

"A black stone, and it seems to be alive!"

"A living stone?" Shen Xing’s interest was piqued. "Let me see!"

"Yes, sir!"

Dahou opened his right hand, revealing a black, flat, round, clam-like object about the size of an adult’s palm.

The corner of Shen Xing’s mouth twitched. ’Isn’t this damn thing a river clam? What stone!’

He took the clam. It was heavy in his hand, quite substantial.

The black shell was smooth and glossy, with no marks on its surface, as if it had been polished.

Through the shell, he could sense a faint movement inside; it was indeed still alive.

’Inside? Could there be a Pearl hidden in there?’

Shen Xing lifted it up and peered into the gap between the shells, but he couldn’t see anything.

"Shen Xing, the lantern oil seems to be running out," Xia Wanyin said softly.

Shen Xing casually put the clam into the cloth pouch at his waist, then glanced at the Horse Lantern. "Yeah, there’s about a fifth left. Enough to get back."

He thought for a moment, then continued, "Let’s grind one last wave, then we’ll split the loot and head back."

"Okay."

Xia Wanyin nodded lightly, then asked with some confusion, "But we’ve been grinding here for four days and still haven’t found the Naga wearing the bracelet."

After a pause, she spoke again. "Shen Xing, don’t you think this quest is a little strange?"

"It feels like that merchant is hiding something from us."

Shen Xing’s expression flickered. "Oh? So you’ve noticed too?"

"Huh?" Xia Wanyin said blankly. "You knew all along?"

Shen Xing chuckled and explained, "The merchant initially said his deceased wife’s bracelet was picked up by a Dark Naga, but then told us to find a Naga wearing the bracelet. That in itself is pretty illogical."

"After all, the Dark Naga we’ve encountered so far are all creatures of low intelligence, no different from wild monsters. What kind of Naga would steal someone’s bracelet and wear it?"

"And then he insisted that we had to kill it, which is even more abnormal."

Listening to his analysis, Xia Wanyin also realized the problem. "So... is he lying to us?"

"I wouldn’t say he’s lying, but there might be a deeper secret."

Shen Xing shook his head. "But it doesn’t matter. Even if this quest is fake, we’ve earned more than enough these past few days."

Grinding here for four straight days was more profitable than the previous one or two weeks. Just in Soul Stones alone, the two of them had obtained nearly a thousand.

With so many resources, what more could you ask for?

"SPLASH... SPLASH..."

A series of splashing sounds rang out, and the two immediately ended their conversation.

Apparently, the Dark Naga in the river had been attracted by the bait again and were starting to come ashore.

However, the commotion this time seemed a little different.

More than half a minute had passed, but the sound of splashing water continued.

A dense slithering sound also rose from the shallows, as if a large group of Dark Naga were approaching the bank.

"Be careful. Something’s not right," Shen Xing warned in a low voice.

"Okay." Xia Wanyin also nodded gravely, her expression growing serious.

They carefully sensed the movements ahead.

But when the figures with human torsos and fish tails stepped into the firelight, the scene before him made Shen Xing’s eyes widen instantly.

Rows upon rows of Dark Naga were gathered in formation, their numbers growing. As they drew closer, they exuded an immense sense of pressure.

"Shen... Shen Xing, I can sense the auras of so many monsters," Xia Wanyin’s voice trembled slightly.

Shen Xing swallowed. ’Damn, this isn’t just "so many," this is a small legion!’

A quick glance revealed that the number of these Naga already exceeded a hundred.

What was even more shocking was that there were several Elite Level auras among them.

And just then, Shen Xing noticed a special figure standing at the very front of the Naga legion.

Her upper body was that of a human female, her skin as pale as paper, like a corpse that had been soaked in water for a long time.

The scales on her lower body were a deeper color, as if pieces of Black Crystal were attached to her body.

A head of dark green hair was draped over her shoulders, and she wore a metal mask on her face.

But when Shen Xing’s gaze shifted downward, he was suddenly startled.

’This woman is huge... no, I mean ferocious!’

[Dark Naga Priestess: Hilia]

[Level: Level 9]

[Potential: Boss ★]

[Attributes: Power 134, Spirit 195, Agility 157, Constitution 162]

[Skills: Water Flow Bomb, Black Water Tornado, Corrosive Rain, Black Wall, Dark Frenzy]

[Talent: Blessing of Black Water (When fighting in water terrain, Casting Speed +30%)]

[Bonds - Naga Legion (100 members, activated): Armor +10%, All Attributes +20%, Legion Skill: Overturning the River and Sea (activated)]

...

Shen Xing: Σ(⊙▽⊙"a!!!

It appeared! A Level 9 Boss creature, a peak powerhouse of the sixth grade!

Before he could be surprised by her strength, something even more shocking happened!

"You wretched members of the Human Race, it was you who slaughtered my people!"

The Naga Priestess actually spoke human words, her voice bone-chillingly cold from beneath the mask.

"Kill them!"

The next second, the swarms of Naga surged toward them like a flood released from a dam.

"Run!"

Shen Xing quickly stored the bait from the ground into his backpack, then had Dahou pick him up and break into a frantic sprint.

Xia Wanyin, beside him, was also terrified. The Naga’s assault was so ferocious it left no room for discussion.

Without a moment’s hesitation, she also led her other Light Elves to turn and flee.

The two groups, each carrying a Horse Lantern, scrambled to escape through the Fog!

However, the group of Naga clearly had no intention of letting them go easily and continued their relentless pursuit.

Furthermore, they had activated their 100-member Bonds, increasing all Dark Naga Attributes by 20%!

What did that mean?

You have to understand, after breaking through to the Elite Level, each star increase only boosted Attributes by 10%.

This Bonds bonus alone was equivalent to a two-star increase.

The distance between them was closing rapidly, and they could even feel the chilling aura from behind.

"Wretched humans, die and be buried in the cold river water!"

A low, banshee-like voice echoed beside them, accompanied by the RUSHING sound of water.

Looking back, a massive Water Tornado was spinning rapidly, rolling toward them with the power to sweep away everything in its path.

Shen Xing’s scalp went numb.

Just as he was about to have Blood Roar use [Charge] to carry him away, Xia Wanyin’s Shield of Light stepped forward again, casting a shield of light to desperately block the attack.

"CRACK! CRACKLE!"

The massive Water Tornado slammed into the Light Barrier, creating a series of shattering sounds.

The Attack Power of a Level 9 Boss was truly terrifying. In a single exchange, it blasted cracks all over the light shield, which looked like it was about to shatter completely.

"Shen Xing, let’s run toward the shore," Xia Wanyin said quickly. "These Dark Naga can’t go too far from the water."

"Okay."

Shen Xing responded quickly, then abruptly raised his right hand. A ghostly green flame rose from his palm as his Spiritual Power rapidly drained.

Immediately after, a Hellfire Ball, trailing a fiery tail, broke through the dense Fog and smashed toward the center of the pursuing Naga legion!

When the Naga Priestess saw the attack coming from above, a trace of hesitation flickered in her eyes.

In the end, she canceled the Water Tornado attack, raised her Magic Staff, and condensed a ball of black water, blasting it toward the sky.

The extremely compressed water ball collided with the Hellfire Ball, instantly erupting with a violent HISS as thick smoke billowed.

Taking advantage of this moment, Shen Xing and the others had already pulled away by a large distance.

"You can’t escape!"

This very large and very ferocious Naga Priestess clearly wasn’t going to let them go so easily and continued to wave the Magic Staff in her hand.

In an instant, a low-hanging dark cloud suddenly appeared above everyone’s heads, and a fine drizzle began to fall upon them.

—Corrosive Rain.

Covered by this strange black rain, not only did their skin feel a stinging, Scorching sensation, but their movement speed also visibly dropped by a large margin.

The Beastmen cried out, their entire bodies burning with pain.

Fortunately, Shen Xing promptly took out a wolf pelt and draped it over his head, otherwise he would have been drenched by the black rain as well.

But during this time, the Naga Priestess caught up again, the distance between them closing rapidly!

Just then, Xia Wanyin suddenly took out a golden Scroll and flicked her right wrist.

"VMMMM!"

A blinding golden light instantly erupted, as if a sun had risen on the spot, illuminating an area of several hundred meters in a flash.

Whether it was the Corrosive Rain in the sky or the Fog shrouding the surroundings, everything was obliterated by this wave of golden light.

Shen Xing was inwardly shocked.

’This power... it has to be at least a Tier Two Extraordinary Level Magic Scroll!’

Magic Scrolls like this start at six figures on the market.

"Let’s go, quickly."

While the enemy was suppressed by the golden light, they accelerated again, rushing deep into the Fog.

By the time the group of Dark Naga recovered from their "blinded" State, the surroundings were already empty.

The pale-skinned Priest leading them stood in place, her pair of ghostly green pupils under the mask staring fixedly in the direction the two had fled.

...

...

「More than ten minutes later.」

The two groups finally came to a stop near a ’Black Crystal Tower’.

Recalling the scene they had just experienced, their hearts were still pounding with fear.

Being chased by over a hundred Naga, including a Level 9 Boss—the feeling was truly thrilling.

"Phew... We finally shook them off."

Xia Wanyin patted her rather ample chest, and color gradually returned to her pale face.

She looked at Shen Xing beside her. Seeing him silent, she thought he had been frightened by the recent scene.

"Shen Xing, don’t worry. Although these Dark Naga hold a grudge, it won’t be that easy for them to find us."

Xia Wanyin comforted him softly, "Worst case, we just won’t go there to grind for a few days. We can find another spot."

However, Shen Xing shook his head and said, "I’m afraid that won’t work. We have to go back."

"Huh?" Xia Wanyin asked in surprise. "Why?"

"Because our quest item is on that Naga Priestess we just saw."