LWGP - Chapter 79
Chapter 79: Fox Den
Wang Jiu checked the Mountain Bear's progress bar. After the explosion, it was already near death with only a quarter of its health left. But that last quarter was easy to deal with because the Mountain Bear wasn't just critically injured—its combat ability had been crippled by the blast. Its body was severely wounded, its fur was scorched, and its eyes had been blown out.
This would amplify the damage Wang Jiu and her team dealt. After all, with its defenses breached by the severe injuries, its entire body was now a collection of fatal weak points.
Its 180 Stamina was no longer an intimidating threshold. She watched the Mountain Bear's health drop lower and lower, nearing its berserk phase. She glanced at her puppet; it had five minutes left.
Suddenly, Wang Jiu's sharp senses picked up a disturbance. Someone had entered.
There was someone in the woods below.
Liao Luo.
She didn't even have to think to know it was Liao Luo.
That bastard had probably been chopping down trees.
"Hurry up. My puppet only has two minutes left."
Wang Jiu shouted, and Qiao Xuejing and the others naturally quickened their attacks. In the woods, Liao Luo lay in wait, biding his time.
He had attacked the large banyan tree, creating a hole to enter the vortex dungeon. But since he had never done it before, he could only tackle the simple difficulty by himself.
He found it empty, which meant Wang Jiu's group had entered the normal difficulty.
That wasn't surprising, considering that Wang Jiu had already cleared the simple version.
Running a dungeon alone was a bit troublesome, but his attributes were so high that he managed to chew through it, though it cost him some time.
After clearing simple, he entered normal and found Wang Jiu's team fighting the boss. He was surprised to see no one else there, which led him to two hypotheses.
1. The two women's strength had improved immensely, allowing them to take on normal difficulty with so few people.
2. The difference between normal and simple wasn't particularly large, so it wasn't strange for them to have reached the boss.
Liao Luo was a cautious person. He didn't jump to conclusions, instead choosing to enter the forest and sneak closer.
After closing the distance, he saw the heavily wounded Mountain Bear.
It was a coincidence, really. This was his first time in a normal difficulty dungeon. Having cleared simple, he of course knew the boss was the Fishman Chieftain, but his first instinct was the same as Wang Jiu's had been.
The difference between normal and simple shouldn't just be the number and strength of the mobs; there should be a more significant, phased change.
So, when he saw the Mountain Bear, he immediately assumed it was the boss of the normal dungeon, never considering it might be the second boss.
If he had, his assessment of Wang Jiu's team's strength would have been completely overturned, and he would have altered his strategy. But now, he was certain about the Mountain Bear's role, and he observed the damage on its body.
It wasn't the kind of damage that could be inflicted by the weapons these people possessed. It was likely a special item.
Something explosive and incendiary.
That was their trump card, and they had already used it up, leaving only a puppet boss.
But could she be saying that on purpose?
Liao Luo ultimately dismissed this judgment, because he had observed her agility—around 100.
Higher than his used to be, but no match for his current self. Therefore, it was impossible for her to have detected his arrival.
In that case… it was time to make his move.
Liao Luo could have waited for them to finish off the boss and loot the body before killing them and taking their things, but the drops wouldn't be complete that way.
He wanted to monopolize everything, so the best way was to steal the boss kill directly.
Besides, that puppet only had two minutes left.
No, now it was only one minute.
Just as Liao Luo prepared to strike, he saw the berserk bloodlust begin to emanate from the Mountain Bear, and he watched as Wang Jiu and the others suddenly intensified their attacks.
The time had come!
Liao Luo burst out of the woods, blade in hand, and rapidly approached the pool.
Over a distance of a dozen meters, his figure was like a phantom.
This time, even Qiao Xuejing saw him. Her delicate brows furrowed, and a hint of nervousness flashed in her eyes. "It's Liao Luo!"
"That bastard!"
After all the hard work to take down the boss, Wang Shu gritted his teeth. His archery speed increased; under the extreme pressure, it was as if his meridians had suddenly been cleared.
The puppet's attacks also quickened. The Mountain Bear's health bar grew tougher in its berserk state, but it was still ticking down from 5%…
But Liao Luo was here!
This time, he didn't attack the others. He was charging straight for the boss.
He ran with a ferocity that resembled a wild dog that hadn't eaten in centuries.
It was so frightening that it forced Wang Shu and the others to act like starving huskies, terrified of having the food in their bowls snatched away.
Not enough time, not enough time, comi—
Just as their attention was half-distracted by Liao Luo, the crippled, berserk Mountain Bear suddenly had a deathbed rally. It shot out of the pool, ferociously swiping a paw at Wang Jiu to kill her.
But Wang Jiu suddenly threw a bottle, which smashed against the Mountain Bear.
Bang!
It exploded a second time.
Kill confirmed.
The impact this time wasn't as great, but it was enough to instantly drain the Mountain Bear's remaining 2% health.
Killed? Just like that?
At the same time, a system prompt popped up, notifying everyone in the party.
The dungeon was cleared. No one paid any attention to the specific stats. Wang Shu's bellyful of flowery compliments went unused; the situation was too tense. Liao Luo was here!
The bloody water sizzled with the chemical residue from the explosion. She dodged it, put away her bow, drew her Tang Knife, and turned to charge Liao Luo.
Qiao Xuejing was stunned for a moment before she had an epiphany: the alchemy materials Wang Jiu had found to kill the Mountain Bear were never just enough for three bottles. The small alchemy treasure pouch was in the party inventory, and she must have taken another one out at some point, preparing it for the final blow when the Mountain Bear was berserk and near death.
But it was also possible she was preparing for an accident—like a grave-robbing bandit such as Liao Luo showing up to steal the boss.
Her mind was meticulous. She never revealed all her cards to others.
"Loot the corpse. Everyone get out after. Qiao Xuejing, support me."
Wang Jiu charged toward Liao Luo with her Tang Knife, the puppet following close behind. Liao Luo was annoyed. He hadn't expected Wang Jiu to have another trump card hidden away. Now that the boss was lost, revealing himself early left him with only one thing to do.
As their blades met, it became a contest of Strength and Stamina.
Clang! The clash of steel produced a stunning shower of sparks. Wang Jiu's Tang Knife trembled and was forced back.
At that moment, Wang Jiu looked up and saw right through Liao Luo's attributes.
She could calculate that when he had tried to assassinate her before, his stats were roughly 100 Strength, just over 80 Agility, and just over 80 Stamina.
But now, his stats were 130, 110, 90, and he was level 9.
He had clearly consumed a large amount of resources. If she hadn't obtained the Fish Abyss Badge, she would be no match for him.
Logically, Wang Jiu's attributes should have been slightly higher than his, but the agility and strength she was currently displaying were weaker than her true capabilities.
It seemed that ever since the Mountain Bear was near death and about to go berserk, Qiao Xuejing had noticed that the power of Wang Jiu's attacks had started to weaken, and her firing frequency had also decreased. Why?
At first, Qiao Xuejing suspected she was trying to feign weakness to lure Liao Luo out. But now that he was here, why was she still acting weak?
However, since Wang Jiu had asked for her support, there had to be a reason.
Qiao Xuejing cleared her mind of distracting thoughts. As Wang Jiu narrowly dodged one of Liao Luo's slashes, she swiftly fired an arrow. Whether it was intentional or a coincidence, the arrows she shot were aimed at either his eyes or the vital points below his waist.
Dao Dao: "???"
My elegant, gentle, and reserved master, what has happened to you?!
Liao Luo glanced at Qiao Xuejing and sidestepped to evade. The blade in his hand twisted, its silver gleam slicing toward Wang Jiu's throat.
Qiao Xuejing realized it—right, this man's Weapon Mastery seemed even more terrifying.
Level 2?
Clang! The blade was blocked by the Tang Knife, but the immense force still sent Wang Jiu stumbling back. A trickle of red appeared at the corner of her mouth. She was bleeding!
"We're done for!"
Dao Dao was frantic, immediately using Ground Slam to provide support while yelling at Wang Shu to hurry up.
Wang Shu's forehead was beaded with sweat. "I-I-I'm speeding up! This is killing me! Is this big bear's hide too thick? Why does it feel so slow!"
Liao Luo narrowed his eyes, his blades spinning, gradually tearing apart the coordination between Wang Jiu and Qiao Xuejing as he tried to break through to Wang Shu.
But the Fishman puppet was formidable, and Wang Jiu and Qiao Xuejing were sticking to him like glue. The teamwork between those two seemed to have grown stronger again, and the degree of their improvement was astonishing. Especially this Wang Jiu—she must have gained seventy or eighty attribute points.
Wait, two minutes had long passed. Why was this Fishman Chieftain still here?!
Was she lying to him? Did she know he was here all along? But that didn't seem right either. If she had known he was here, her agility should be higher than his, and her combat power shouldn't be at this level.
Was there any need to hide it?
Under such a relentless assault, no one could afford to keep splitting their focus to ponder feints and truths. Liao Luo realized this line of thought was affecting his combat performance, so he cut it off. He decisively did what was most advantageous for him—no matter how many schemes she had, they were no match for true strength!
Who knew how much time the Fishman Chieftain had left? Rather than wasting time fighting it, it was better to up the ante and settle things once and for all!
Swish! Liao Luo pulled out a card.
"Careful, a puppet!" Dao Dao exclaimed, but the card had already hit the ground, transforming into a Xueju Chieftain wielding a large blade.
Wang Jiu glanced at it.
120, 110, 90.
15-minute duration.
This guy had lost one puppet to her homestead trap, and now he was throwing out another. Plus, he must have fought his way up from the simple difficulty alone. To save time, he must have used another puppet there as well.
That made three cards.
Did he have more?
Boom! The Fishman Chieftain and the Xueju Chieftain clashed, greatly reducing the pressure on Liao Luo. He was just about to force his way through their blockade…
Suddenly, Wang Shu, who had claimed the unlocking was slow, finished in an instant. The damn fatty didn't even look, just swept up all the dropped items into the party inventory like a ravenous beast and howled, "Master, the wind is high, let's flee!"
"You guys go first. I must fight him to the death," Wang Jiu said, calm and composed, her bearing grand and righteous.
Like an unparalleled expert.
This is a true leader!
Dao Dao and Qiao Xuejing, knowing Wang Jiu's true strength, didn't doubt her words. They immediately followed Wang Shu and chose to exit the dungeon.
Liao Luo suddenly realized he had been tricked. That damn fatty had been saying that on purpose earlier.
His expression turned icy, but he wasn't particularly enraged. He simply intensified his attack, unleashing a Charge followed by a Heavy Strike!
His Weapon Mastery was level 2, but his Heavy Strike was also level 2.
Therefore… she must die!
Boom!
The puppet moved to block the blow.
Bang!
It collapsed.
And disappeared.
Killed? Was he that incredible, to kill the puppet boss in a single hit?
Liao Luo himself was skeptical, but then he reacted sharply—its time limit had been up anyway.
What infuriated him even more was that Wang Jiu had run. The same Wang Jiu who had righteously declared she would fight him to the death had fled without a second glance.
The burst of agility she displayed was much higher than he had estimated—120! She had 120 Agility! That was 10 points higher than his, again.
He still remembered the first time he tried to assassinate her; the difference had been agility.
And now, damn it, there was another 10-point agility gap!
She had planned it all. She had detected his arrival long ago and had deliberately acted this way and that…
And now she had tricked him out of another puppet.
Don't be fooled by the number of people he had killed; those he could kill wouldn't possess many good resources. Puppet Cards were one of the best items that could drop from simple dungeons at this stage. How many could he possibly have?
To have wasted two on Wang Jiu's group with zero return made his heart bleed!
This damn master and disciple!
Liao Luo was about to give chase when he discovered that once the party that cleared the dungeon had all left, the dungeon entered a cooldown period. Since he wasn't part of the clearing team, he couldn't leave directly. He had to run all the way back to the entrance to get out.
How could he possibly catch up now?
Damn it all! He and this team were now mortal enemies!
On the other side, the usually unflappable Wang Jiu was also on the verge of freaking out. What was going on?
The moment she stepped out of the tree-hole dungeon vortex, the first thing she saw wasn't just her homestead. A musky odor assaulted her nostrils, and there was… a huge pack of foxes!
A huge pack of foxes wasn't a big deal. The important thing was that in the middle of the pack was a small fox, shimmering with silver light and looking extremely fierce. Don't be fooled by its small size; its body was flashing with silver light!
In the instant it turned its head to look at her, swish! Wang Jiu fled into her homestead as if her life depended on it. In that same instant, swish! A massive, ferocious silver claw pursued her from behind, stopping just inches from her back, blocked by the homestead's light barrier. Still, she could hear the scalp-numbing sound of claws scratching against it.
Inside the homestead, Wang Shu, Qiao Xuejing, and Dao Dao, who had also taken refuge, met up with Wang Jiu.
Wang Shu: "Master, didn't you go for mutual destruction? This is great, you're not dead!"
Dao Dao: "It's good you're back."
Qiao Xuejing: "Are you okay?"
Wang Jiu: "Which one of you poked the fox den?"
Just look at that. They were concerned for her safety, and the first thing she did was demand to know who had caused the trouble…
Oh, right. Who did it?
"It really wasn't us. We were shocked when we came out, too. Luckily, Sister Qiao reacted quickly and pulled us in here."
Wang Jiu thought for a moment, then turned to look at the large banyan tree. "This must be the living quarters for the little red fox clan. Liao Luo probably chopped the tree, which angered them and drew out the silver-grade little boss."
Wang Shu's eyes lit up. "Can we fight it?"
Wang Jiu glanced at him and relayed the stats of the little silver fox she had just scouted.
"Silver, level 5. All three attributes are 500."
Fuck, fight my ass!
Its stats were that insane at only level 5?! Was it cheating?
"It must be that inhuman bastard Liao Luo!" Wang Shu couldn't help but curse. But they were also worried about their own situation. What were they supposed to do now? With such a terrifying boss blocking their way, they couldn't escape.
"We can only hunker down. See when it leaves, or wait for other players to gather and fight the boss."
Wang Shu didn't care if other players came to die, as long as his own group found a chance to escape.
But Wang Jiu suddenly looked at the sky and frowned slightly. "It's getting dark."
So what if it was getting dark? They could only wait anyway. It was a good time to sort through their loot; they hadn't even had a chance to look at it yet.
Two bosses!
They hadn't even seen their dungeon rating.
Just then, the system suddenly sent them a notification—no, it was an announcement for all players.
System: "Announcement. Night is approaching at 6 PM. When night falls in the world of Wilderness Civilization, it is a night of slaughter. Unforeseeable dangers will also descend. All players are reminded to return to a novice village or territory, or other safe zones protected by game rules, before 6 PM. Otherwise, you will be responsible for the consequences. You will be responsible for the consequences."
There was a rule like this?
Wang Shu and Dao Dao couldn't help but comfort themselves: "It's fine, Master/Captain has a homestead."
System: "Homesteads will be the primary targets of these dangers."
Fuck!
That was a huge bucket of cold water, comparable to a Siberian waterfall!
In other words, they had to leave this place before 6 PM, but there was a little silver boss right outside.
Wang Jiu put her head in her hand. She had still underestimated the depravity of the system's dog-shit planners.
Qiao Xuejing: "The situation is very dangerous. How about we take a risk? Can we store our valuable items with you? If we die, we should just lose a level or some equipment. It's fine if we don't drop other things. The main thing is you have to get away with the homestead."
That could work.
However… Wang Jiu had already thought of a solution. "It's not like there's no chance to escape. In a moment, when the person these foxes hate the most comes out, they will definitely attack him. That's when we can escape."
Her mind worked so fast. Especially when it came to plotting against someone's life, it was particularly flexible.
That bastard Liao Luo was still inside. Calculating the time, he should be out soon.
The group got ready, dumping all their belongings into the homestead.
Just as they finished, Liao Luo indeed emerged. Although they were facing their own life-threatening crisis, seeing this guy appear still made them all excited.
Beat him, kill him, let him die!
He was indeed the target of their hatred. The moment Liao Luo appeared and saw the pack of foxes… the little fox attacked.
Liao Luo was shocked and was about to die under its claw in an instant. But in that brief moment, bang! Liao Luo's puppet rushed out to block. Just one hit, and the puppet boss exploded like a melon.
The claw continued downward, swish!
Liao Luo disappeared. No, he turned into an afterimage.
A skill's light halo appeared under his feet.
It was the skill Evasion, and it was level 2. The speed gave him a sudden burst.
Perhaps because the little fox was young and inexperienced, it failed to fully utilize its 500 Agility. It also hadn't expected this weak human to be stronger than it estimated, allowing him to dodge. It grew angry, let out a shriek, and led the pack of foxes in pursuit.
In that same instant, the homestead vanished, and Wang Jiu's group madly sprinted in the opposite direction.
Fleeing for their lives, a mad dash!
Meanwhile, in Huize Mountain, other players had also received the system's notification. Six o'clock?
That son of a bitch, it was already five!
The worst off were those still in dungeons. Only one hour left. It sounded like a lot, but after subtracting the travel time back to the novice village, it was only thirty or forty minutes. Subtracting more time for unexpected delays, how were they supposed to finish the dungeon? The system's warning was too formal; they didn't dare risk it.
Retreat, or not?
However, those who had already escaped the mountain never expected to run into a pack of foxes. Right, that fox spirit was pretty fierce, huh? One swipe, and a whole swath of trees fell.
Run!
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