novelraw Chapter 253: The Unlucky Academy Team
Chapter 253: The Unlucky Academy Team
Just as everyone had begun collecting the spider silk, a commotion of piercing sounds suddenly came from deeper within the cave.
Lin Mo immediately looked up and saw three or four spiders nearly two meters tall and about five meters wide.
Covering the bodies of these spiders was a shell resembling crystal, making them look like meticulously carved works of art.
Of course, if you ignored these crystalline exteriors, the actual appearance of these magical creatures was nothing to write home about.
These must be the Crystallized Spiders, right?
"Looks like individuals left behind to guard the nest."
After saying this, Dirk looked at Lin Mo. It wasn't that he was being lazy, but Lin Mo had been far too proactive throughout this journey. If anyone dared suggest wanting to help, he would practically get into an argument with them.
As if killing magical creatures was some kind of strange performance metric...
Dirk truly couldn't understand why Lin Mo seemed to "hate magical creatures with a passion." Unlike last time, before starting this mission, they had already agreed on the distribution method for the rewards.
It was still the same as last time: Lin Mo would take 6.5 shares, and their side would take 3.5 shares.Although Lin Mo indeed took the lion's share, they could still get a decent amount of rewards. That's why Luke and the others, seeing Lin Mo always taking the initiative, felt somewhat embarrassed and had suggested wanting to help.
After much thought, the only explanation seemed to be that perhaps he simply enjoyed the feeling of combat.
While Dirk was pondering these things, Lin Mo had already charged forward.
[Blazing Fire Spear]!
Starting with this familiar skill again, a fiery red spear wrapped in raging flames was hurled towards the massive spider ahead.
Without any suspense, Lin Mo's Blazing Fire Spear directly pierced through its opponent, pinning it to the wall. Under the scorching flames, the Crystallized Spider let out a shrill, miserable scream.
The other nearby Crystallized Spiders attacked Lin Mo.
Lin Mo brought two fingers together and, with a backhand motion, instantly cast [Demonic Light Piercing Kill].
Powerful Sword Energy instantly left a huge hole in one of the Crystallized Spiders.
Black blood continuously flowed out, forming a stark contrast with its dazzlingly beautiful exterior.
Two Crystallized Spiders remained.
Lin Mo originally intended to try out his newly acquired skill.
But upon second thought, if he used it and it directly leveled up to 3, it seemed his level would be stuck.
So he had no choice but to give up and continue using [Blazing Fire Spear].
A spear composed of fire took shape once more. Lin Mo threw the spear in his hand, killing another one.
The last one was dealt with in the same manner, feeding all the proficiency to this skill.
[Blazing Fire Spear] proficiency +50
[Demonic Light Piercing Kill] proficiency +50
[Blazing Fire Spear] proficiency +100
Eight consecutive prompts appeared.
[Demonic Light Piercing Kill] had already reached Level 3 earlier when Lin Mo, in a rather comical turn of events, killed that Crystal-Eating Grub mother.
As an Epic Level skill, reaching Level 3 once again granted Lin Mo 5 points of base Strength attribute. As for the Evolution Route choice, naturally, as previously thought, he selected Evolution Route 2, which he hadn't chosen the first time.
Currently, this skill's proficiency progress is Lv3 (75/80), only 5 points of proficiency away from the next level.
As for [Blazing Fire Spear], it smoothly leveled up to 6.
"Skill [Blazing Fire Spear] Lv5 (180/180) upgraded!"
"Current skill [Blazing Fire Spear] Lv6 (55/300)"
Only 245 more points of proficiency are needed to complete the evolution. By then, the Mage profession will be just one step away from the Elite Level.
"Alright, now nothing should disturb us while we collect the spider webs."
"Let's get to work! Get to work!"
"Everyone, move quickly. The cries of those Crystallized Spiders just now might have already sent a message out."
Dirk reminded them.
Everyone immediately sped up, carefully removing the spider webs from the walls.
10 sheets, 20 sheets, 30 sheets...
Before they knew it, the team members had completely removed a full 50 sheets of spider silk, each one two to three meters in size.
However, these webs were very sturdy, so there was no need to worry about them breaking. They could be completely folded up, so they didn't actually take up much space.
"There are still so many..."
"Yeah, altogether there might be over a hundred sheets!"
Dirk nodded, a trace of excitement in his voice.
If they pulled off this job, combined with the income from the previous C-grade mission, it would be enough for him to relax and take it easy for a while.
Of course, he didn't let his guard down because of this.
Even though there currently seemed to be no suspicious movements, he was still constantly considering the possibility of the out-foraging Crystallized Spiders returning.
"Speed up, try to finish early."
"Okay!"
......
Just as everyone was busily collecting these spider webs, not far away, about two or three kilometers distant, students from the Royal National Academy found themselves in a bitter battle.
"Damn it, why would this kind of monster suddenly appear here?"
A warrior narrowly dodged an attack from above, looking at the thick limbs before him, his scalp tingling with fear.
*I remember there is indeed a Crystallized Spider nest nearby, but logically, at this time, these creatures should be foraging far away!*
An Assassin Professional beside him was also sweating profusely, though thanks to his speed advantage, he didn't seem as perilously situated as the warrior.
"What should we do? Should we fight?"
Another warrior looked towards the team leader, Eve.
Eve's face remained calm as she observed the spider monster before her.
"We can fight."
As she spoke, she drew that long, thin sword, holding it upright before her.
"Is it coming? The team leader's ultimate technique!"
Accompanied by the expectant voice of the Ranger in the team, a golden light flashed on the sword blade, shooting upwards.
Eve's figure flashed rapidly, charging straight towards her opponent. She easily dodged the assault of the massive spider leg, flashing past the side of the Crystallized Spider Queen.
In the next moment, golden light flared, and a gigantic sword shadow descended from the sky, landing upon the Crystallized Spider Queen before them.
"*Crunch—*"
The sword shadow pierced through the thick carapace, accompanied by a teeth-grating sound of cracking.
Black blood splattered everywhere, and the Crystallized Spider Queen's massive body slumped slightly.
However, an attack of this level was clearly still insufficient to kill it.
The Crystallized Spider Queen quickly recovered, glaring furiously at the tiny human before it. The next moment, it opened its huge maw and spat out a crystal-colored strand of spider silk, attacking Eve.
Eve was very fast, easily dodging this attack, and countered with a slash of Sword Energy that landed on her opponent.
This Sword Energy slash broke through the crystalline armor on the Crystallized Spider Queen's leg. While it breached the defense, it clearly didn't cause any significant damage.
Eve frowned. The Crystallized Spider Queen swung its thick limbs, continuously stomping towards her.
The ground cracked open, fissures appearing everywhere. The massive body wreaked havoc, causing the earth to shake and the mountains to tremble for a moment. The members of the academy team struggled to keep their footing.
"What a terrifying monster!"
A battle of this level was no longer something they could intervene in.
Although their own strength wasn't bad either, mostly above Level 5, with some even reaching Levels 6 or 7, facing a Level 10 monster like the Crystallized Spider Queen, it was truly difficult for them to pose a threat.
"No good, can't pierce through at all..."
The Ranger drew his bow and arrow again. A full-powered arrow shot landed on the creature's body. While it did pierce that crystal-like armor, it couldn't penetrate much deeper.
"Not good, look over there!"
The Assassin in the team suddenly noticed something, pointing into the distance.
At the edge of their vision, a group of Crystallized Spiders was advancing towards them in a mighty formation. Looking over, there were at least a dozen!
"No, we need to leave quickly!"
Milun instantly realized this was not a situation they could handle.
"Eve, we can't keep fighting. More Crystallized Spiders are coming!"
She shouted a reminder.
Eve frowned, also noticing the situation over there. Moreover, after fighting for so long without gaining the upper hand, it was truly difficult for her to kill the monster before her.
So she could only temporarily give up and withdraw.
Actually, with her strength, she had a decent chance against a normal Level 10 monster, at least a 60-40 or even 70-30 split in her favor.
But the Crystallized Spider Queen was simply not a normal monster.
Not only was it inherently powerful, but it also possessed an extremely massive body.
This made the difficulty of inflicting fatal damage upon it much higher.
For example, Eve's initial attack was an Epic Level skill. If it were a normal Level 10 monster, taking that head-on would definitely cause injury, more or less affecting subsequent combat, allowing Eve to seize the advantage.
But for the Crystallized Spider Queen, although that move breached its defense and caused significant damage, it didn't really affect the subsequent fight much.
"Let's go!"
She returned to her companions' side, turning to flee the scene.
But just as they tried to retreat along the path they came, they discovered that direction also had figures of Crystallized Spiders appearing, and in even greater numbers!
"Oh no..."
Milun bit her lip, starting to panic.
In this situation, breaking out would be extremely difficult for them.
They were surrounded!
The Crystallized Spiders weren't slow. The encirclement grew tighter, forcing them to retreat backwards, towards the direction of the Crystallized Spider nest.
But everyone knew this was clearly a dead end!
"Eve, maybe you should escape by yourself?"
Milun said despairingly.
"With your strength and speed, you should be able to break through and leave here..."
Everyone fell silent.
All eyes gathered on Eve in the center. They all knew Milun wasn't wrong. With Eve's strength, if she wanted to leave, she had at least a ninety percent chance of escaping alive.
But if she stayed to fight, judging by the scale of the monsters before them, the chance of survival was probably less than ten percent.
But what about them?
If Eve remained, they at least had a ten percent, or even just a five percent, chance of surviving. But if Eve left, for them, the outcome held no suspense—only death.
Under the weight of these gazes, Eve finally shook her head. "I am the team leader. I cannot abandon my team members and leave."
"Everyone, retreat towards the Crystallized Spider nest! Kill the Crystallized Spiders left guarding the nest ahead of time to prevent being attacked from both front and rear!"
Even in such a moment, her thinking remained exceptionally clear, quickly finding the optimal solution for the current situation.
Inside the Crystallized Spider nest, they would only need to face monsters from one direction. Moreover, fighting in the monsters' own home, there was a certain possibility they might be hindered, unwilling to destroy the nest they had painstakingly built.
"Okay!"
A warrior student named Dorton beside her immediately responded.
"As expected of Big Sister Eve! Let's fight these beasts to the death!"
"The fire is lit! It's not yet decided who will emerge victorious!"
"......"
Instantly, the previously dejected atmosphere became lively again. These academy students were young people, full of vigor and spirit. They were all geniuses from their respective regions, each possessing their own pride.
Such people would not easily admit defeat in the face of difficulty.
They divided tasks and cooperated with practiced skill. Those with high Agility led those with lower Agility. At the fastest speed possible, following Eve's strategy, they charged towards the Crystallized Spider nest.
"Almost there!"
Finally, they saw the huge, pitch-black entrance.
Just as they were about to charge inside, they found a group of adventurers walking out to meet them.
"Huh?!"
Dorton's steps halted at the nest entrance, instantly stunned.
Why were there adventurers here?
"Whoa, I said why those Crystallized Spiders would suddenly return during their supposed foraging time. Turns out someone was ransacking their home!"
The Ranger student reacted the fastest, immediately speaking up.
For a moment, the looks these students gave the adventurers before them became filled with resentment.
Luke scratched his head awkwardly. "Boss, what do we do?"
Dirk didn't see any particular problem with this.
Wilderness adventuring was like this, full of many unexpected dangers. Encountering such a situation could only be called a coincidence, or they were just unlucky.
Of course, it might not necessarily be unlucky yet...
"Looks like these spiders returned much faster than we thought."
Lin Mo also walked out of the cave, looking at the students before him.
"Quite a coincidence, meeting again."
"Ah, it's those people from the camp last night!"
Seeing Lin Mo, Milun finally realized these adventurers were the ones they had just met last night, even sleeping together (meaning on the same open ground).
"Not a small number..."
Lin Mo looked at the mighty, approaching formation of Crystallized Spiders and stroked his chin.
Eve watched his reaction, somewhat curious.
It seemed he didn't consider the monsters before them a threat at all?
Not a trace of nervousness, even somewhat pleased.
Including the adventurers beside him, they were chatting and laughing, all looking very relaxed.
Although those who could adventure in the middle layer of the Boulder Mine certainly weren't weak, the Crystallized Spider Queen was practically the strongest monster in the middle layer. Coupled with so many Crystallized Spiders, even for an Elite Level Powerful Expert, dealing with them probably wouldn't be easy.
Were these people's strength really that formidable?