GAMMT - Chapter 27
Chapter 27: The Decisive Kill
There were eight of them in total, all looking sharp and capable, but none of them were old—mostly in their late teens or early twenties. From her vantage point, Fu Chuan could see their stealthy approach, their positioning revealing a seasoned cunning.
A person's movement techniques, habits, and agility could all be discerned from the way they positioned themselves when up to no good.
To Fu Chuan's experienced eye, unless these eight had focused solely on stacking agility like her, their current level of nimbleness suggested they were all over level ten. Based on the current experience progression, reaching level ten by killing people alone was impossible. At low levels, you couldn't kill that many people, and even if you did, you'd be constrained by the law and wiped out by the relevant authorities in minutes. Therefore, looking at this world beyond a game-like perspective, killing people and "killing players" were two different concepts. The latter could only happen within dungeons.
However, with the limits on dungeon party sizes and regional access, not everyone could participate. This meant that being level ten implied this group had taken part in at least two dungeons.
This was likely their third.
But as she watched for a moment, she suddenly raised an eyebrow.
From her angle, she could see the eight people advancing from two directions. The four on the left were clustered tightly together. On the right, the man in the lead had put some distance between himself and the girl behind him, while the person following that girl was sticking very close to her…
There was something wrong with this team.
As Fu Chuan mulled it over, she suddenly saw one of the eight pull out a pair of binoculars…
Fu Chuan immediately pushed herself back, simultaneously pressing down on the head of Groundhog, who was happily sorting through his loot.
The touch was furry, like feeling a ball of soft cotton.
Groundhog, his head pushed down, was confused. "?"
But he quickly realized the people below might also be scouting the terrain.
At that moment, one of the eight, Yan Shangjun, was indeed using binoculars to survey the surroundings. His expression changed when he saw the ground littered with corpses up ahead.
"They're gone, and the BOSS is dead. Did they run away?"
Surprised and unwilling to give up, he naturally scanned the area, his gaze sweeping over the top of the mountain wall, which was over a dozen meters high.
But it was just a quick glance. The cliff face was smooth, and it was unlikely any low-level player could fly up there at this stage.
"That's not right, boss. Are we too late? Did they get away?"
"Impossible, right? There were two BOSSes. Was it a ten-person team?"
The group emerged from their hiding spots in the tall grass, discussing the situation as they moved closer to the BOSS corpses.
The massive bodies were too eye-catching; the carcasses alone were worth a small fortune.
Yan Shangjun's gaze was sharp. He had already reached the corpses and, after a quick inspection, said, "They've been looted, but they left in a hurry. They didn't even take the claws."
"Yeah, these claws are worth at least a million copper coins. No one would be that wasteful. So they grabbed the loot and left immediately? You don't think they sensed us coming, do you?"
The group immediately went on alert, fearing the other party might have set a counter-ambush. But a scan of the surroundings revealed no one. The only cover on their way in was the tall grass, and there wasn't much else around.
Except for one place.
That wind tunnel.
"Ah Qi, you have high agility. Go check it out," one of them said. The others agreed, offering to provide cover.
Ah Qi didn't speak, looking instead to Yan Shangjun. He seemed to hesitate, then frowned and said, "I'll go with you."
Ah Qi lowered her head and said woodenly, "No need. Captain, you keep an eye on the surroundings. I'll go by myself."
With that, she headed toward the wind tunnel, her eyes scanning the area.
Her angle of observation was different from the others. She glanced at one of the BOSS corpses, though it was unclear what she was looking at, then swept her gaze across the side and up the cliff face before looking away. She said nothing, merely approaching the wind tunnel. But before she even entered, she heard it.
A buzzing sound.
Her expression shifted slightly, a faint light flickering in her eyes. She took a few steps back and said to the others, "There's a monster swarm inside, but I don't know how many. Captain, what do you think?"
The others were surprised. More monsters?
There had already been over five thousand minions here, plus two BOSSes.
"There are probably some pregnant, egg-laying female locusts inside, hence the noise. Boss, this is a great opportunity!"
"Those people probably ran off because they sensed us coming. They didn't even have time to go inside."
"And these kinds of nests usually have locust treasures. We can go in and loot the chests."
The group grew excited, and Yan Shangjun's mood improved. "Then let's go take a look."
The group didn't forget to collect the corpses outside, netting an income of no less than three million copper coins, before gathering at the entrance of the wind tunnel to prepare.
Anyone who could clear two dungeons and reach level ten was no fool. They all knew to set up an ambush at the entrance for a mass kill and were now laying out various items.
Scrolls, explosive traps, toad poison nets…
Watching their preparations from above, Fu Chuan felt a pang of envy.
Damn it. She had arrived late and gathered fewer resources. But these people were natives with plenty of resources on hand. She had managed to work wonders with just a Feathered Spider Silk Ring because she had nothing else. But look at them.
She estimated that with this barrage of resources, they could probably KO over three thousand locusts. What happened after that was anyone's guess.
"By your estimate, there are definitely more than three thousand. If there are too many, should we run? After all, these locusts can fly, and their biology means they'll be able to smell us," Groundhog asked.
Fu Chuan said, "We'll see how capable they are. If they're strong, they'll protect us. We're all human, so naturally, we're one big family."
Groundhog was speechless. "…"
Cultured people really knew how to make things sound nice.
Just as they were speaking, the locust swarm emerged from below. The initial bombardment was a great success. The cave entrance was only so wide, and two or three thousand locusts swarming out were wiped out in a single wave.
The group received the experience notification and were rejoicing when they saw another massive wave behind the fallen bodies.
They were horrified.
So many. There had to be over ten thousand.
"Fall back! Quickly!"
"We can't retreat! If we do, they'll all pour out. We won't be able to stop them or escape. Block the entrance!"
"Use everything you've got! I'm guessing this is the last wave. After this, everything inside is ours."
Yan Shangjun's face had turned pale, but he managed to stay composed and make the right call.
Indeed, they couldn't retreat. If they did, their offensive formation would crumble, and they would be surrounded and annihilated by the swarming locusts.
They had to hold this chokepoint.
In this moment of crisis, the group had no choice but to unleash all their skills and resources. Though the fight was brutal, they at least weren't wiped out in one go.
Fu Chuan watched with greedy eyes.
"They're quite rich, and everyone probably has green equipment. Otherwise, their defense wouldn't be this strong, able to withstand a siege from so many locusts. Good thing we avoided them, or we'd be no match," Groundhog muttered, but then, not wanting to boost the enemy's morale, he added critically, "But it's all just consumable resources. Not as impressive as my racial talent, nor as sophisticated as your use of that spider silk. They don't have much of a future."
Even someone as unrefined as him knew what made a promising Arcanist.
Fu Chuan said, "Praising me? Then I'll praise you too."
Groundhog replied, "There's no need, that's so embarrassing… What are you going to praise me for?"
His little ears perked up.
Fu Chuan said, "Your tail is quite soft, and your butt is rather perky."
Groundhog: "?"
He froze, then his face turned red as he said indignantly, "Are you subtly calling me fat again? It's because of my race, I'm not fat myself… Forget it. As the team leader, you're just watching the show below. Aren't you going to distribute the resources?"
For teammates, loot couldn't be hidden, no matter who held it. The dungeon system would tally everything at the end.
But the team leader could distribute it beforehand.
Groundhog thought Fu Chuan would pick what she needed and then negotiate the distribution with him. Instead, without even looking at the types of loot, she chose automatic distribution.
Automatic distribution favored allocation based on individual contribution. For example, since they had each killed one of the two BOSSes, the items dropped would be skewed toward the respective killer.
This method wasn't always rational, as it didn't allow for the most effective use of resources to strengthen the team as a whole.
Groundhog was stunned at first, then he understood and pursed his lips.
She was being distant. Because they weren't familiar with each other, she chose a method that left no room for dispute to avoid potential conflict.
"Aren't you afraid you won't get what you need?"
"If I need something you don't, would you be unwilling to trade with me? If you need something that I also need, would you be willing to trade with me?"
Groundhog was speechless. "…"
She had a point. It was true. So her choice wasn't wrong, and it saved them the social awkwardness of having to ask for trades when they barely knew each other.
At that moment, both were looking at the loot they had received.
Groundhog's haul: Three types of skill books (12 copies of the wind arcane Arcane Missile, 1 copy of the earth arcane Earth's Ferocity, 5 copies of the earth arcane Sandstorm Prison), one piece of green equipment (gauntlets), 6 pieces of bronze equipment, 3 basic level-one constitution gems, 3 basic level-one agility gems, a special green-tier support item "Subterranean Sigh," and 1 S1 Gene Key.
Fu Chuan's haul: Five types of skill books (2 copies of Azure Radiance Feather, 16 copies of Arcane Missile, 1 copy of Locust's Stun, 5 copies of Sandstorm Prison), one piece of green equipment (legguards), 8 pieces of bronze equipment, 4 basic level-one constitution gems, 3 basic level-one strength gems, a special top-grade green-tier skill book "Terror of the BOSS," a bronze support item Mask of Disguise, and 2 S1 Gene Keys.
All in all, the rewards were abundant, even exceeding both of their expectations.
Groundhog was delighted. "I was surprised when I was counting it just now. I suspect it's because we had a small team and defeated a stronger enemy, so the system defaults to giving better rewards. And with fewer people, we each get more. By the way, do you have any use for Sandstorm Prison? I see you haven't learned any earth arcane arts. If you don't need it, I can trade you Arcane Missile for it. I'll pay you the difference in value, since Sandstorm Prison is more expensive. I've been wanting to learn it, but I can never find it on the black market. A lot of students have been buying them up lately."
Fu Chuan tossed the skill book over and matter-of-factly calculated the price difference at three million copper coins. He decisively paid her with copper notes without batting an eye, then began studying the headpiece.
"This 'Subterranean Sigh' actually lets me attack from underground! It's perfect for me! Not bad, not bad at all. It's worth more than an S1 Gene Key, the most precious item here. What's yours?"
In his excitement, he asked casually, completely off-guard. But after asking, he realized his mistake and quickly covered his mouth with his paw, his big eyes staring at Fu Chuan with some embarrassment.
Fu Chuan didn't mind and handed the skill book over for him to see. "They're both rare arcane items. Yours is a piece of equipment that affects yourself, while my skill affects a BOSS."
Curious, Groundhog took a closer look.
Terror of the BOSS: A status-type skill, a curse originally refined by an alchemist. When activated, it can cause a BOSS no more than 5 levels higher than the user to enter a state of rigid fear, unable to attack you. Duration: two seconds.
The skill book in her hand emitted a faint green glow, clearly indicating its grade. Like the headpiece in Groundhog's hand, it was a special item with a rather powerful effect.
While 2 seconds was short, combined with her incredible survivability, it could very well be a lifesaver at a critical moment.
Both items had special uses. In terms of direct power progression, the S1 Gene Key was more straightforward, but these items were certainly rare. Fu Chuan had now defeated three BOSSes and only obtained two S1 keys. As for the green equipment, its stats were similar to the clothes she had gotten before, just with a bias toward strength.
But their choices now clearly had a focus.
Groundhog didn't rashly use his resources. Instead, he looked at Fu Chuan and asked politely, "Is there anything you need?"
Fu Chuan: "Yes. Are you giving it to me for free?"
Groundhog: "In your dreams."
Fu Chuan smiled and gave him her constitution gems in exchange for his agility gems.
"Ah, you're going all-in on agility?"
Fu Chuan: "Yes, the current situation calls for it."
She had just been thinking that the spider silk's Steel Transformation and the fear skill would ensure she could pursue a technical-style path. At the very least, she now had a slight advantage against mini-BOSSes below level 12. Since she had taken an unconventional route in terms of attack, she had to continue building on her existing strengths. No matter how hard she tried to catch up now, she couldn't match the attack power of the people below, let alone the ruthless group from the airship earlier.
Groundhog was direct about it. While his agility was a weakness, he wasn't desperately lacking in it. It was better to enhance his strengths.
They happily exchanged gems and then started equipping their gear.
All the gems were socketed into the green equipment, and then they began to use the S1 Gene Keys.
"The fight below should take a while, but I don't know if we'll have enough time to absorb it," Groundhog said with some worry. Fu Chuan comforted him, "Don't be afraid. If you fail right away, you won't need to spend time absorbing it."
Her tone was quite gentle.
Groundhog: "?"
You're a person, why don't you speak like one?
Groundhog grumbled as he consumed the S1 Gene Key, and then… it lit up.
One success.
Fu Chuan saw three points of light flash across his body.
Huh, he lit up three branches?
No wonder his strength and constitution were so high, and even his weakest stat, agility, was no less than a thousand.
Watching him, Fu Chuan also used an S1 Gene Key on herself.
Pop.
It failed.
Groundhog: "Uh… can I laugh at you?"
Fu Chuan held her breath and said with the calm of a seasoned veteran, "What's the rush? I have one more. Just you watch… Okay, you can laugh now."
Because with another pop, the second one failed too.
Fu Chuan frowned. Although she had been mentally prepared, she was still a bit frustrated, mainly because the little fatty had succeeded on his first try.
Groundhog covered his mouth but couldn't hold it in, rolling on the ground with laughter.
He was considerate enough to cover his mouth, though, afraid that his pig-like squeals of laughter would be heard by the people below.
Although they failed, the two S1 Gene Keys weren't wasted. Their energy nourished her body and Gene Tree.
Groundhog comforted her, "The more you fail, the more it accumulates. Eventually, the success rate will be 100%, though it might take a dozen or two… The third branch needs about that many. Why are you looking at me like that? I'm comforting you."
Fu Chuan grabbed his furry tail, calmly moved him aside, and started leveling up her skills. She had enough Arcane Missile skill books to push it directly to level 8. Azure Radiance Feather was rarer and more difficult, only reaching level 2. She hadn't gotten any skill books for Flame Blast or Forest Thorns. But the most precious was Locust's Stun. Fu Chuan saw it emitting a faint green light and knew this skill was quite rare, as it was a talent skill dropped by a BOSS.
"These bronze and green equipment pieces seem to be matched for the locust race, a set. There might be a set bonus. Let's trade and see if we can complete it."
They checked but found that no matter how they distributed the pieces, they were still missing the boots.
The green set was definitely incomplete, but they couldn't even finish a bronze set.
Damn it. They had killed nearly ten thousand locust minions. Was this set that hard to get?
"Don't worry, our friends below will help us," Fu Chuan said with calm composure. Groundhog was convinced. Right, we have friends!
Fu Chuan directly spent a skill point on the BOSS's stun skill, then sorted through the bronze gear and replaced all her old equipment. The new gear was higher level, and she was conveniently level 8. The stats were also stronger. Then she put on the gem-socketed green equipment.
Level: 8.
Main Attributes.
Mental Power: 1010 (Initial Mental Power 1+99)
Strength: 1634 (Initial Strength 1+18)
Constitution: 1912 (Initial Constitution 3+15)
Agility: 5000 (Initial Agility 2+25)
Skill Points: Arcane Missile LV8, Flame Blast LV2, Forest Thorns LV1, Locust's Stun LV1.
A scream came from below. Someone had clearly died, but Fu Chuan only glanced down before calmly organizing her equipment. Groundhog didn't pay it any mind either, saying cheerfully, "My strength is at 5500! My damage output is going to be insane later!"
That high!
Her high agility was mainly due to the development of her spider silk ring.
Fu Chuan was surprised but quickly figured it out. Groundhog's base aptitude must be high, and with three branches of his Gene Tree lit, the amplification was significant. Plus, he probably had more green equipment than her.
It was understandable.
Once she lit up three branches, she would probably be even stronger than him.
After understanding each other's stats, Fu Chuan put on the mask. Once activated, the bronze-tier disguise mask turned transparent. Its only effect was to allow her to adjust and hide her stats and level.
The screams from below grew more intense. The human and the rat exchanged a look and peered down.
The slaughter was now nearing its end.
When pushed to the brink, this group was truly formidable. After unleashing all sorts of resources and techniques, they had managed to wipe out two-thirds of the ten-thousand-strong locust swarm.
Of course, three of their own had died in the process.
Covered in blood, they fought on, growing fiercer with each passing moment. It looked like they were about to finish off the remaining third.
Groundhog said, "This isn't good. I thought they'd end up mutually crippled, but it looks like they've retained at least half their strength."
They had underestimated this group.
How did such a strong team end up in this small dungeon?
Fu Chuan said, "It's fine. Their team has internal problems. That half will soon be split. But is your strength really that high?"
Huh?
Fu Chuan: "Do you know how to chop down a tree?"
Groundhog didn't understand what she meant but did as he was told, huffing and puffing as he felled a large tree. Then, just as they were about to wipe out all the locusts, Fu Chuan silently targeted one of the people below and used her stun skill.
One of the fighters below was, of course, stunned and nearly devoured by the remaining minions. He was severely injured.
"Zhang Qi, what are you doing!"
"What's going on!?"
"No, I think I was just stunned by someone."
"What?"
The situation had been looking great. Although three of their companions had died, at least they had survived, and… they could divide up the inheritance.
They didn't look particularly sad on the surface. With this sudden turn of events, they were momentarily bewildered. The man named Zhang Qi suddenly glared at someone. "Was it you?"
The girl he was staring at turned her head and frowned. "What?"
"It was you!"
The girl, Ah Qi, was speechless. She patiently explained, "I'm on the same team as you. How could I attack you?"
"Not an attack, a status effect. Stun isn't restricted by team affiliations, right? You damn well did it on purpose!"
Zhang Qi exploded, lashing out.
Hearing this, the others glared at Ah Qi.
The remaining minions were no longer a threat, so they collectively confronted her.
Ah Qi's face was impassive. "I said it wasn't me. I don't even have a stun skill. Captain, please…"
Suddenly, she received a notification that she had been kicked from the team.
"Ah Qi, you've disappointed me greatly."
After Yan Shangjun spoke, he assigned two people to handle the remaining minions while he focused on Ah Qi. His words were like a signal; the others seemed to have been prepared and attacked her together.
But what they didn't expect was… as soon as they kicked Ah Qi from the team, she turned invisible and then threw a skill at the remaining minions.
Fu Chuan was suddenly stunned.
Berserk Pull?
That was hailed as one of the most coveted bug-like skills for players, known as the ultimate tool for undercover agents and troublemakers, a perfect method for sowing chaos and stealing kills. It could temporarily redirect the aggro of some monsters, and even BOSSes, while also making them go berserk.
If one had to put a price on it, it would be worth about three S1 Gene Keys, and even then, it was priceless because it was never on the market.
And with that one pull… the group of minions gained a 30% power boost, instantly devouring the two unprepared men before surrounding the three who were about to attack Ah Qi—Yan Shangjun and his two remaining followers.
Yes, only three were left.
After Ah Qi turned invisible, Fu Chuan said to Groundhog, "Down!"
Groundhog: "?"
Weren't they going to wait for them to finish each other off?
But Groundhog didn't question her. He leaped up, ready to fight, but was immediately grabbed by the tail. Then… Fu Chuan shot out a strand of spider silk, anchored it to a tree on the mountaintop, and swung down.
Whoosh!
Groundhog plummeted like a drop tower ride, his fluffy fur flying upward, the flesh on his face squished upwards…
As he landed, he released some of his power to avoid splatting to his death and to shake off the dizziness. The mortal Groundhog just bounced on the spot before quickly burrowing into the ground, while Fu Chuan remained invisible and moved stealthily.
"Watch out, there are people here!"
Yan Shangjun had indeed noticed them. He was theoretically the strongest here, with the highest level. Neither Fu Chuan nor Groundhog could beat him in a one-on-one fight, but things were different now…
And there were two of them?
No, three!
The moment Fu Chuan and Groundhog descended, the invisible Ah Qi decisively made her move!
One second, two seconds, three seconds!
As Groundhog opened fire from underground, Fu Chuan leaped out and hit Yan Shangjun with a stun. The two invisible figures, Ah Qi and Fu Chuan, appeared on his left and right, far in front of and behind him. Neither of them engaged in close combat.
Because Yan Shangjun's melee ability was formidable; up close, none of the three could handle him.
They had to apply buffs first!
Ah Qi had probably been silently chanting while hidden in the grass. Now, her left hand directly activated an arcane art, and a cold blue energy suddenly spread over Yan Shangjun's body.
Ice Arcane: Frosting!
Freezing, slowing, and weakening armor defense.
An incredibly NICE skill, perhaps only rivaled by Fu Chuan's stun, packed with negative buffs. Following that, Fu Chuan set the surrounding wild grass ablaze with fire and Forest Thorns. The spreading sea of fire created a temperature conflict with the frosting effect, directly forcing Yan Shangjun's green equipment to trigger its defensive skill. This was equivalent to blowing his positive status effect first, forcing it out.
One second, two seconds.
Yan Shangjun broke free from the stun. With an angry roar, elemental energy surged from his body. metal element covered him, instantly cleansing the two negative effects. But in that instant, both Fu Chuan and Ah Qi launched their attacks.
Azure Radiance Feather and a frost arrow!
Struck from both front and back, Yan Shangjun staggered and coughed up blood. Damn it, if his equipment's strongest defensive state hadn't been triggered, he would be in a weakened, low-defense state right now, and their attacks would never have pierced his armor!
Of course, the main issue was Ah Qi's damage. It was too strong!
She had landed a critical hit… dealing five times Fu Chuan's damage!
Fu Chuan was shocked, thinking to herself that this person's strength was probably on par with Groundhog's.
However, even under Ah Qi's powerful assault, Yan Shangjun only coughed up blood. The next second, his body blurred into an afterimage… an upward slash!
Clang!!
Ah Qi was sent flying by the sword strike. In mid-air, she was caught by a strand of spider silk. Swish! She was pulled to the side, narrowly avoiding the sigil on Yan Shangjun's palm that he had aimed at her the next moment.
Boom!
A cannon-like blast of fire erupted where she had been in the air just a moment ago.
The intense damage was higher than both hers and Groundhog's. She might have been instantly killed just now.
Fu Chuan estimated that with her own constitution and defense, she might have been vaporized before the blast even got close. The damage from that fire cannon was too high.
So his sigil was a direct attack type.
This guy was strong.
Ah Qi landed without a hint of disarray. She glanced at the spider silk, then exchanged a look with Fu Chuan. She suddenly used Frosting again, and this time it was a higher-level version, consuming more mental power to sustain the freeze…
But what was clever was that she controlled the frost to target Yan Shangjun's neck. Fu Chuan was a little surprised by her quick thinking and mused: This person probably knew we were on the mountaintop all along.
Caught off guard, Yan Shangjun only felt an icy coldness on his neck. He was about to raise his hand to cast a cleansing arcane art on his neck, but two strands of spider silk had already entangled him. He gritted his teeth, about to break them.
On the other side, Fu Chuan suddenly pulled on one strand of silk, then released the feathered effect on it. The others only heard the tree on the clifftop, which Fu Chuan had instructed Groundhog to move to the edge, come tumbling down with a heavy thud, falling under the force of gravity. At the same time, the other strand of silk, which she held taut with both hands, was already wrapped around that tree… As it fell, the line snapped straight.
What?
Yan Shangjun, who was struggling against the silk on his hands, suddenly realized there was another strand around his neck. And this strand was hardening, glowing with a silvery light. He saw it.
His pupils dilated. Perhaps only in that instant did he realize he might actually die.
"No!"
He forcefully raised his hands to tear at the spider silk on his neck…
It was too late. The two-ton tree was falling too fast. The pulling force generated by its kinetic energy was enough to tear apart an elephant.
And in that instant, his neck, stiff and frozen, made a cracking sound.
Snap.
His entire neck was torn clean off by this immense force.
It was just a squelch.
The blood vessels inside his neck hadn't been frozen, and blood gushed out like a fountain…
The decisive kill!
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