Chapter 306 – Marquis (1/2)

Chapter 306 – Marquis

The surroundings were dimly lit by crystal ores. From time to time, Nie Yan and the others saw shadows dance along the cavern walls. They likely belonged to the monsters that lurked inside these caverns, Crystalline Molemen!

Crystalline Molemen dropped rare ores upon death!

Nie Yan’s group retreated deeper into the Crystal Caverns while the Thieves from Bloodlust Blades spared no effort in chasing after them. Up ahead was a large open chamber. It would be troublesome if they were allowed inside.

There were Crystalline Molemen to the front while the Thieves from Bloodlust Blades were hounding them from the back. Nie Yan’s group was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“They just won’t give up. What do we do?” Smoke Stub and the others looked toward Nie Yan. It would be hard to deal with the Crystalline Molemen up front with the constant threat of being ambushed looming over them.

Nie Yan pondered for a moment. “Let’s lure the Crystalline Molemen into blocking up the entranceway.”

“That sounds good and all, but we can’t guarantee the Crystalline Molemen will do what you want. It’ll be troublesome if they end up turning on us instead,” Smoke Stub said.

Smoke Stub’s worries weren’t unfounded. There was no way all the Crystalline Molemen would stay on the Thief that pulled them. They would surely split up and attack the other group members. Add this to the fact that the Thieves from Bloodlust Blades were nipping at their heels, and it would most likely lead to a wipe.

“The crux of the problem is aggro. Do any of you have Blizzard?” Nie Yan asked. His plan would be much simpler with this spell.

“I do,” Undying Scoundrel replied. Blizzard was one of the very first area-of-effect spells an Elementalist learned. How could he not have it?

“Good. Do any of you have a Basic Invisibility Potion?” Nie Yan asked. With this item, he would have everything he needed for his plan. Otherwise, he would have to think of another way.

Basic Invisibility Potions temporarily put the player in a state of invisibility. They would turn into a ball of mist, becoming immune to physical attacks. However, they would take 300% bonus damage from magic attacks and their movement speed would also be greatly reduced. This sort of potion was fairly rare. It would only show up occasionally in the hands of top-class experts.

“I have one,” Bladelight replied. His gaze fell on an azure bottle in his bag.

“I do too. I got it as a reward from a class-related quest,” Lofty Shadow pitched in. Luckily, he also had an Invisibility Potion. He kept it in his bag just in case it might be of some use one day.

“Give your Invisibility Potions to Undying Scoundrel. Scoundrel, follow me. The rest of you stay put,” Nie Yan ordered. Just the two of them sufficed to enact his plan.

Undying Scoundrel received the Invisibility Potions from Bladelight and Lofty Shadow, then followed behind Nie Yan.

Nie Yan and Undying Scoundrel quickly approached the large chamber.

“Stay put for now. I’ll go aggro the mobs…” Nie Yan explained his plans to Undying Scoundrel before darting off.

Nie Yan activated Shadow Waltz and dashed into the large chamber, passing one group of Crystalline Molemen after another.

Crystalline Molemen were covered in dark green crystals. Their heads were oversized while their appendages were wiry. They wielded pikes, and they moved around in groups of 50–60.

Crystalline Moleman: Level 50

Health: 8,000/8,000

From what Nie Yan recalled, these mobs were naturally resistant to physical damage. Physical attacks couldn’t do much damage to them, but they were vulnerable to magic. For every strength, there was also a weakness. Because of this, it was easier for Mages to attract their aggro. An Elite or Lord-class Crystalline Moleman abruptly shifting targets mid-battle would spell disaster for any team facing it. This was why no guild had cleared the Crystal Caverns yet.

Nie Yan travelled to the far edge of the chamber. When he saw a group of Crystalline Molemen up ahead, he took aim with the Dullahan Cavalry Crossbow and fired a round of bolts at them.

「Put! Put! Put!」Five bolts struck a Crystalline Moleman, immediately attracting the aggro of the entire group.

Nie Yan quickly turned around and fled back toward the chamber entrance. He attracted the attention of multiple other groups along the way. He was like a railroad engineer, and the train he was leading quickly grew to almost 300 Crystalline Molemen in size.

Seeing the surging tide of Crystalline Molemen, Undying Scoundrel’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest.

“Start casting Blizzard!” Nie Yan shouted.

Undying Scoundrel immediately began chanting. An icy mist formed around him as he gathered ice elemental energy, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet.

Before long, a few snowflakes turned into a blinding blizzard that swallowed everything in the immediate vicinity.

When the Crystalline Molemen entered the spell’s range, a blanket of damage values rose up into the air. Although they were only taking 10–20 damage with every tick, it was enough for them to shift their aggro onto Undying Scoundrel.

Undying Scoundrel abruptly turned tail and fled into the passageway.

「The Crystalline Molemen are aggroed onto Undying Scoundrel. Don’t attack them!」Nie Yan informed through the voice chat. He placed himself in the path of the fastest Crystalline Moleman.