Chapter 175: Figure on the Second Floor of the Tomb
"Whoosh—"
The Ratman's dark, blurry figure swiftly slid past my side. A 180-degree turn at high speed wasn't difficult for their short bodies. In less than half a breath, the Boning Cleaver flashing with sharpness in its hand had circled around and stabbed fiercely into my back.
"Hmph—"
I let out a light snort. It was too late to Dodge or turn back now. Relying on judgment and the Battle Intuition cultivated over the past year, I swung the Tail behind me without hesitation, whipping it fiercely. With a "snap," the physical sensation transmitted from the Tail and the sudden disappearance of the chill behind me told me I had guessed correctly this time.
That's right, I was currently in Werewolf Transformation. To deal with these short, slippery Ratmen, if I were in Werebear Form, I would definitely be beaten senseless. Only the Werewolf Transformation was most suitable, and the Tail Attack could be considered one of the unique Attack methods of the Werewolf Transformation. After Kashya's Teachings and my own practice, I could now occasionally Dodge an Opponent's Attack or seize that fleeting Weakness with my half-baked Battle Intuition. This was especially true for using every part of my Body as a Weapon; I had already gained a basic understanding.
Of course, there was one part – the Mouth – that I wouldn't specifically use unless it was a critical moment. After all, a modern person's perspective remained in my heart, and I found the act of tearing enemies apart with my Mouth relatively unacceptable.
Thoughts flashed by in an instant, but my Movement didn't stop at all. After whipping away the filthy Ratman behind me, I didn't have Time to chase after it and beat it while it was down. Suddenly, three more Ratmen popped out from both sides. The two Cleavers and one Spear in their hands swung towards me with a sharp whistling sound...
And in some dark Corner opposite, at least three more Ratmen were hiding, eyeing me covetously with their strange Blowgun Darts. If I wasn't careful, they might very well let me experience the thrill of "an old doctor with trembling hands who can't hold a syringe steady and whose eyes are blurry, giving you an injection while mistaking your knee for your Buttocks" for free.
Of course, I didn't want to experience that Feeling, not even for free, not even if they paid me. Fortunately, their technique wasn't very skillful; as long as I didn't stop or move in a straight line towards them, the chances of getting hit wouldn't be very high.
Looking at the three sharp weapons flanking me with whistling sounds, I wisely chose to retreat. If I continued to Battle them in place, who knows how many Blowgun Darts would stab at my entire Body from the shadows.
Leaping back low, the attacks from both sides immediately missed. Unfortunately, because I Dodged too early, these three flanking Ratmen didn't have a "collision incident." The ample Distance allowed their agile bodies to trace a 90-degree arc on the ground and continue charging towards me head-on.
If I had Dodged a little later, they might have crashed into each other due to being unable to turn in Time, but that might also have given the enemies hiding in the shadows enough aiming Time. For this dilemma, I could only attribute it to my lack of Experience. If I knew the aiming Time required by the enemies in the shadows, I could better grasp the Time and opportunity.
While reflecting on my shortcomings in my Brain, Ghost Wolf and the others also followed my Command from earlier. They shook off the Ratmen they were entangled with and swept towards me.
"Swish swish—" Five consecutive whistling sounds. Five Ghost Wolves, including Light Snow , swept past me. The Ratmen behind them also shrieked, waving their weapons, and charged towards me with extreme Speed and aggressive Presence. Good heavens, I counted them. Including the three just now, there were over twenty Ratmen in total, two of which were Chieftains. Adding those hiding in the dark Corners, if an Ordinary Person Adventurers encountered this group of Ratmen, they would likely have a tough Battle. A Party with slightly weaker Strength might even have to pay a certain Price/Cost to eliminate them.
While canceling my Werewolf Transformation, I retreated at the fastest Speed. The rolling Fire Element in my hand let out a "whoosh" roar. The dazzling Fire Magic even illuminated the Ratmen's strange, Bat-like faces in the dim Tomb.
Following my Intuition, I suddenly stopped. The Fire Magic, ready to be unleashed in my hand, instantly condensed into a huge Boulder dripping with Molten Lava. Then, I gently waved my right hand. The Molten Boulder, under my control, whistled and flew towards the charging Ratmen.
"Wah—ji—"
The few Ratmen at the front faced the Molten Boulder, which was more than ten times larger than them. Unable to Dodge in Time, they instinctively blocked with their hands, struggling futilely.
The Molten Boulder mercilessly dissolved the hands they used to block, then rolled over their bodies, leaving not even a speck of Ashes. They watched in horror as their hands gradually vaporized, and then a blinding red Light pressed down directly from above their Heads. Everything went black, and before the intense pain in their hands could reach their Brain, they lost all sensation...
Seeing this, the Ratmen behind were greatly alarmed and shrieked, dodging the path of the Molten Boulder. Just as they began to celebrate, the entire Boulder exploded with a "bang." Countless Stone Fragments burning with Flame engulfed all the Ratmen within a few meters. I had already switched to the Divine Language Staff (+3 Fire Skill) in my hand. The Power of the Level 11 Molten Boulder was simply something these fragile Ratmen couldn't withstand. Even the scattered Stone Fragments, if they merely touched them, these Ratmen could only meet their demise on the spot.
When the Flame on the ground extinguished, the area within a few meters was blasted into a black, shallow pit. The pit was filled with scorched Corpses, at least ten of them. Adding the Ratmen who were directly reduced to Ashes, one Molten Boulder had wiped out more than half of them. The remaining ten or so Ratmen stood around the scorched ground, Dumbfounded and trembling as they looked at the Corpses of their Companions...
However, their leaders – the two Ratman Chieftains – did not die. Incited by the Chieftains, they saw me standing there motionless, seemingly believing this was the Aftermath of exhausting my Strength after unleashing a powerful Skill. After a few seconds of daze, they charged towards me again with red eyes, planning to take my life while I was "sick."
I let out a few sneers. The Divine Language Staff waved again, and an Instant Cast Firestorm immediately ignited fiercely from the ground. The violent Fire Element roared and Devoured the Ratmen. This time, the two wicked Ratman Chieftains were caught squarely. Already covered in dirt and Ashes from the Molten Boulder's Offensive, they could no longer withstand the Trial of the Firestorm. Their small bodies were completely swallowed by the Fire Magic in the next moment. In the deep red Flame, only two Shadows could be seen constantly jumping, struggling, and rolling inside, emitting sharp shrieks from their Throats. The screams slowly shifted from high-pitched to low-pitched, finally gradually disappearing into the raging inferno.
Besides the two Ratman Chieftains, five Ordinary Person Ratmen were also swept into the Firestorm and ultimately turned into Ashes.
The seven or eight Ratmen who miraculously survived the two attacks paused their Movement in Mid-air. Their faces were twisted with unprecedented Fear. Then, just as I expected, having lost their Chieftains, they only paused for a moment before immediately turning around, ready to scatter. Unfortunately, before they could take a few steps, five tall figures had already blocked In Front of them, baring their Teeth and waiting for them to deliver themselves.
"Hoo~~ That was quite a Consumption!"
When the last Ratman's Screams subsided in Light Snow 's sharp Mouth, I let out a slight breath. I conveniently took out a bottle of Minor Mana Potion to replenish myself.
"Grrr grrr—" Light Snow 's crimson Teeth were still holding the Ratman's Corpse, like a cat carrying a Mouse. It shook it desperately dozens of times until it was sure the enemy in its Mouth was dead beyond dead, then fiercely flung it, throwing it into some unknown Corner.
Poison Creeper also drilled out from the shadows, twisting its slender Body. At my instruction, the Ratmen hiding in the shadows had been assigned to it. However, based on the Time Poison Creeper took and its look of complete satisfaction, I knew there were definitely more Ratmen in the shadows than the three or two I had guessed. Because normally, Poison Creeper would need to eat at least four Ratmen to show such a joyful Mood...
"Alright, done."
I took the last Gold Coin from Lazy Crow's Mouth, swept my eyes across the entire Battlefield, and after confirming it hadn't missed anything, I patted my Buttocks and left.
This was a scene that occurred almost daily on the second floor of the Tomb. That group of Ratmen just now wasn't really troublesome because they were all a single species. Even if there were more of them and they were a bit more Powerful, they weren't difficult to handle as long as you understood their pattern. The most troublesome were mixed species groups.
For example, Wrath in semi-Entity form, Corrupted Monster, and Bone Archer, Bone Mage mixed together, with Wrath, which has extremely high Physical Attack resistance, leading the charge, Corrupted Monster, which is excellent at Melee Combat and can spit Lightning Bolt, standing in the middle, and Bone Mage and Archer at the back. If you also encountered narrow Passage Terrain, just thinking about it made my Brain hurt.
The combination of Dark One and Ratmen was also a big problem. These Ratmen were interspersed among the numerous Dark Ones. The Dark Ones became their Protection. Only by first eliminating the Dark Ones could the Ratmen mixed within be forced out. However, while you were diligently harvesting the Dark Ones, these cunning Ratmen would occasionally suddenly pop out from some Crevice, fiercely strike you, and then slither back before you could react, leaving you wanting to cry without tears.
Although they were a bit troublesome, these weren't what bothered me the most. What depressed me the most was that Alice had been sleeping for four whole days without any sign of waking up. In the past few days, without Alice's noisy chirping like a yellow oriole, I realized how much I had come to rely on her Existence.
Simply put, I was lonely now, more lonely than before. It was like a person who had become accustomed to hunger, after experiencing a few days of full meals, could no longer accept the life they had taken for granted before.
While searching for the Entrance to the third floor, I counted the minutes and seconds on my fingers, waiting for Alice to wake up. I couldn't bear to be without her Voice anymore. "This willful Little Ghost, isn't she afraid of sleeping like a Pig? I must discipline her more when she wakes up," had become a catchphrase I muttered at least dozens of times a day.
Such days continued until I reached Level 21 and had almost walked around the entire second floor. Today, something unexpected finally happened.
Unfortunately, it wasn't Alice waking up, nor was my ear playing tricks on me. A series of Battle sounds were indeed coming from a corridor not far away.
This was something worth being surprised about for a few seconds. The number of Adventurers who could operate in the Tomb definitely didn't exceed ten Parties. Distributed across four floors, plus those resting in the Rogue Encampment, and then imagining the vast Labyrinth area of the Tomb, one could reach a rough conclusion – the probability of Adventurers meeting in the Tomb would definitely not exceed 1%.
Curiously, I crept closer, quietly hiding my Body in the shadows. Turning a corner and looking down the straight corridor ahead, the intense Battle sounds instantly became clear before my eyes.
What appeared before me was a Party consisting of a Barbarian, a Sorceress, a Paladin, and an Assassin. Their enemies were a mixed group of Arach and Dark One monsters.
Arach, a new type of Monster on the second floor of the Tomb. If you were a standard Otaku, upon hearing this Name, your first thought might be to associate it with elements like "Ultraman." Unfortunately, Reality isn't that kind. Aside from its huge Physique, Arach has absolutely no connection to Ultraman or other Justice Heroes. On the contrary, it is a Giant Spider with a huge Physique, ugly appearance, and is utterly disgusting.
Just considering its size, it's already close to the chest height of an adult. Its furry red Belly, four pairs of black hard legs like steel claws, and its eerie green compound eyes and ferocious Mouth can give you the most direct visual impact, definitely more effective than any horror movie. Its external horror index far surpasses Zombie and is close to Crippled Fiend, making it one of the few monsters that can directly scare an Ordinary Person to death.
As for Strength/Power, it's easy to imagine that with its massive Body, it's absolutely impossible for it to hang in Mid-air and Sneak Attack. Very good, your judgment is not wrong. Their Weight indeed prevents them from crawling on their webs like Ordinary Person spiders. But if you take it for granted that they can't spit silk and weave webs, then you are greatly mistaken. They can weave webs, and at a considerable Speed. The difference is that the webs they weave are not in the air, nor are they for their own use, but are scattered on the ground, waiting for you to step on them.
The webs they weave are transparent and colorless, making it impossible to tell from the appearance whether the ground has been covered. Therefore, when these Big Spiders called Arach feel they are no match, they will retreat while scattering webs. These strong and sticky webs, even the most Powerful Barbarian has to expend quite a bit of Effort to walk through. Watching these monsters that are about to fall under your hand slowly disappear from your sight, even the most Calmness Adventurer would be furious.