Chapter 136 - Rotational Battle
Chapter 136: Rotational Battle
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After some deliberation, the group all agreed with Yang Ling’s opinion. Without wasting time, they immediately split the warriors within the valley into four teams, preparing to rotate between them as they did battle.
After smothering their weapons with the snake venom brought over by the Medusas, the first team started to take action. Ogres, Bullmen, barbarians, and Medusas were responsible for close combat, while the Elf archers and Dogmen were tasked with long ranged attacks. They charged in, killing all that was in their path, and secured the area deep within the cave, outside the hall where the white fog billowed.
Roar…
Seeing the large group of warriors that had charged in, the Spider Monster within the hall let out a loud roar, continuously summoning spiders to aid it in battle. Wave after wave, the spiders launched fierce, frenzied attacks on the group outside the hall.
Even though they could not see the Spider Monster, the group was still incredibly nervous after hearing its sky-shaking roar and seeing the horde of spiders that were swarming them like the tide. Luckily, under the leadership of the Fox Elder, they managed to push back the attacks of the other party with difficulty, slowly solidifying their position.
Each team of warriors was paired with at least five Spellcasters. Their main mission was to join hands and cast a magical protective barrier, defending the group against the poisonous attacks of the Giant Crab Spiders.
Strictly speaking, the Gnomes couldn’t be classified as Spellcasters even though they could use magic spells, as they were only relying on their Magical Spell Formations. But in terms of the speed in which they could cast spells, they did not pale in comparison to the experienced Foxmen Spellcasters, much to the shock of the Fox Elder.
Under the protection of the protective barrier, the group intentionally fell back to the entrance of the hall, maintaining a safe distance between themselves and the Spider Monster that could not approach the white fog. They also did this to lure the ordinary spiders toward them, like moths to a flame.
After the Dogmen, Elf archers, and Spellcasters dealt with the Giant Crab Spiders that could spew venom, the Bullmen, Ogres, barbarians, and Medusas swarmed forward, manically dispatching the sieging Twin-headed Horse Spiders.
The snake venom refined by the Medusas was powerful indeed. Even though they had only applied a thin layer of the poison on their weapons, mere contact would cause the spiders to turn numb immediately, free to be killed.
Just like that, the Fox Elder, Ox Chief, Medusa leader, and Goode took turns leading the warriors into battle, continuously exhausting the abilities of the Spider Monster.
Even though they could not severely injure the Spider Monster that was hiding behind the ordinary spiders due to the thick fog, nor did they catch a glimpse of its true appearance, they did indeed manage to exhaust its abilities. It had not been too obvious at the start, but after two days, the roars of the Spider Monster became noticeably weaker, and the gaps between its attacks increased. The number of spiders it summoned also decreased as time went by.
Two days later, almost all of the warriors from the tribe had arrived. The original four groups were split into eight teams, attacking in rotation. They could not only continuously exhaust the abilities of the Spider Monster, they could also guarantee that the warriors got enough rest, so as to prepare for the final battle.
Slowly, the Spider Monster became more and more exhausted, and the number of spiders swarming out decreased. The group finally saw a hope of victory!
Over these few days, Goode, the Fox Elder, and the rest had taken turns to enter the fray, while the Heavenly Fox Yuna and Yang Ling sat quietly at the side to train.
Ever since she evolved to take a human form, Yuna had made breakthroughs rapidly, both in terms of Magical Energy and mental energy. She now had enough of a resistance against the Dolphin Sonar Wizard Amulet, and her abilities were much more powerful than they used to be!
Furthermore, through the research of the records left behind by her clansmen, her Petrifying Spell also improved by leaps and bounds. Originally, she had only been able to petrify a Bullman for a few minutes, but after two days of training, she was able to render a ferocious Bullman unable to move for a full hour.
Yang Ling also gained much after silently training for two days.
The Wizard Core in his body grew from the size of a grain of rice to the size of a peanut, officially stabilizing him at the level of Earth Wizard. He now had a massive amount of Wizard Power and mental energy. Previously, he would feel waves of piercing pain in his head when he heard the roar of the Spider Monster which carried with it a Soul Attack. Now, even though he would feel a little discomfort, the attack was not too much of an obstacle for him.
With the improvements of his mental energy, he realized that the abilities of the mid-low level Magical Beasts such as the Horned Bee Beasts, Evil Eyes, and Tarantulas were all boosted significantly. In the past, even if they were outside the cave, they would experience chaotic thoughts, some even spitting blood and dying on the spot when they heard the roar of the Spider Monster. Now, even though they were inside the hall deep within the cave, they could last a few hours under the furious roars of the Spider Monster.
After repeatedly confirming that the roars of the Spider Monster could no longer severely damage his own soul or those of his Magical Beast army, he was now even more confident about this attack. As long as he summoned his Magical Beast army at the critical time and launched a fierce offensive, Yang Ling believed that he would definitely be able to severely injure the Spider Monster with the army’s fierce attacks and impeccable coordination.
As there were many Bullmen and Dogmen present, Yang Ling wasn’t willing, nor did he have the need to summon his Magical Beast army to aid in battle. There was no need for him to expose his trump card to exhaust the abilities of the Spider Monster.
Compared to the Ogres, barbarians, and Elf archers, Yang Ling was more unwilling to let his Magical Beast army suffer heavy injuries or deaths. After all, no matter the circumstance, the Magical Beast army would definitely not betray him. The evolved Horned Bee Beasts, Evil Eyes, and Red-haired Tarantulas were the basis for his standing in this world.
Three days passed in a flash. The group had finished their preparations before the full moon!
To the Spider Monster whose abilities were deep beyond comprehension, the attacks of ordinary warriors were basically ineffective. Thus, under Yang Ling’s command, the group formed a true commando squad.
The Ox Chief, Medusa leader, and Twin-headed Ogre Braska were responsible for close combat and attracting the attention of the Spider Army. The Fox Elder would lead a dozen of the most powerful warriors to protect Goode and Yuna, and these warriors were also responsible for long range attacks. Yang Ling would lie in ambush and look for an opportunity to deal a fatal blow.
After the days of continuous battles, the cave was covered in blood, the corpses of spiders littered everywhere. In fact, they could even see the exposed Essence Crystals of the spiders. These low level Essence Crystals might be worthless to the Beastmen, but they were treasure to Yang Ling.
After ordering Argus and his men to collect the Essence Crystals of the spiders and the blood that had not dried up, Yang Ling quickly followed the Fox Elder and the rest of his group. Today, he intentionally changed into a white shirt that blended into the white fog. Even though the Spider Monster had exhausted a large amount of its energy over the three days of battle, Yang Ling did not dare be careless.
Through the memories of Yuna, Yang Ling knew a little about the Heavenly Fox that had battled the Spider Monster. That Heavenly Fox hadn’t been as powerful as a Sage level fighter, but it was definitely stronger than a Sword Saint or a Magical Tutor. In other words, the abilities of the Spider Monster back then were already far superior to an ordinary Sword Saint or Magical Tutor. After thousands of years, no one knew how far its abilities had grown!
A moment’s carelessness might cause the army to be exterminated. They could not afford to be reckless!
The hall deep within the cave was built with table-sized, rectangular blocks of stone, its interior black. The stones were strange, releasing a bone piercing chill. Even the Fox Elder, who was familiar with the historical records, had never seen stones like this, much less Yang Ling who had only arrived in this world not long ago.
The hall was large. It looked like a monastery, or a so-called divine temple of this world. Looking from outside, Yang Ling felt that it was about the size of the lecture hall in his college, able to fit three to four thousand people.
As there was a white fog in the air, they could not see the situation deep within the hall. No one knew where the Spider Monster was hiding. Out of caution, the group stood carefully at the entrance of the hall, no one daring to charge in recklessly.
Roar…
Perhaps the Spider Monster it had exhausted a good portion of its energy, or perhaps it had understood the intention behind the rotational battle. Either way, the Spider Monster did not summon any more spiders to do battle despite its repeated roars. Its furious roaring reverberated around the hall, sometimes at the left and others at the right. No one could pinpoint its exact location at that instant.
“Braska, if things don’t go as planned, make sure to retreat in time!”
After instructing the rash Twin-headed Ogre, Yang Ling summoned his Unicorn to protect himself, then sat down cross-legged and slowly closed his eyes. Even though he had never seen this hall in his life, he for some reason had a sense of familiarity.
That feeling was as if he had come back to a place that he had been to before, or returned to a place that he had lived in when he was young!
Could this be a relic left behind by an Ancient Wizard?
Thinking back to the Wizard Formation at the entrance of the cave, Yang Ling had a thought. He released a fine shred of mental energy, carefully investigating the secrets of this hall. According to what Yuna had said, the Spider Monster was unable to escape, but it still paid to be careful.
He soon discovered a secret after his mental energy extended out following the side of the wall.
Within the hall, both the ground and the walls were carved with mysterious symbols, releasing streaks of strange energy. It was different from spirit energy or life force. If this energy was breathed in, it would immediately seep through one’s muscles, its icy cold penetrating the bones!
Out of curiosity, Yang Lng tried to inhale a few streaks of this strange energy, but he soon suffered for it! His muscles contracted greatly. In that instant, he felt as though his blood was about to freeze. He consumed a few Magical Beast Blood Orbs, and with some difficulty, he managed to dispel the chill that threatened to freeze even his brain matter.
Even though he was almost frozen solid, it was not to say that there was no benefit!
Calming down, Yang Ling noticed that the strange energy had caused his muscles and bones to become finer. His skin had also become finer and more sensitive. It was as if that ice cold energy had greatly strengthened his constitution.
The white fog outside the hall was also very weird. The Beastmen did not feel discomfort when breathing it in, feeling that it was no different from air, while the Elf archers experienced a great benefit. After consuming it for a few days, they all had a considerable improvement in terms of vision and strength.
The Ogres were a little worse off. After breathing in the white fog, they felt discomfort all over their bodies, and little blisters even formed on their skin. It was as if the white fog harbored an unknown energy that had varying effects to the different people who breathed it in, or even touched it.
Breathing in a few mouthfuls of the white fog as a test, Yang Ling felt his body release streaks of chilly energy. The energy circulated around his body once before slowly being absorbed by the spinning Wizard Core. At the start, he felt that this white fog was similar to the white fog released by the Wizard’s Pagoda, but after close observation, he realized that there was a larger difference.
The white fog within the Wizard’s Pagoda seemed to be able to encourage the evolution of the human body and Magical Beasts, and it could strengthen mental energy. But the white fog within the hall seemed to be able to boost the Wizard Power within the body. The effects of the two were direct opposites of each other.
With the moon becoming rounder, the Magical Spell Formation outside the hall slowly released a large amount of white fog, slowly enveloping the entire hall.
Roar…
Breathing in the ever present white fog, the Spider Monster deep within the hall let out loud roars. But different from the past, its voice had a little quiver, sometimes even letting out a few pathetic howls, as if it had been injured by the white fog.
Slowly, as the white fog became thicker, the cries of the Spider Monster became longer and longer, more and more pathetic. It felt like pain straight into the bones, or a cry straight from the soul, as if it had received a fatal attack.
Perhaps because of the struggles of the Spider Monster under immense pain, there were agitated sounds of collision coming from deep within the hall, sometimes to the right, and at others to the left. As there was a thick fog around them, no one could tell exactly where it was.
But one thing was for sure! Just like the Heavenly Fox Yuna had said, the Spider Monster would be gravely injured and become drastically weaker when it inhaled a large amount of the white fog! Otherwise, it would definitely not let out such a painful, pathetic cry.
The final battle was about to begin!