Phi-Fic Chapter 65 The Power of the Gluttonous Beast, Immune to Toxins
Chapter 65 The Power of the Gluttonous Beast, Immune to Toxins
Lei Zhan and the members of the Seventh Squad maintained their defensive and charging stances, but their target had been reduced to a pile of mud.
The channel was deathly silent, save for the gurgling sound of bubbles bursting in the mud.
"Cleared...cleared it?" A young member of the Eighth Squad broke the silence with a trembling voice.
"it's over?"
"Is that all?"
Lei Zhan turned his head and looked at Jiang Xiaorou as she emerged from the poisonous fog. Her Bulwark Guardian suit still bore traces of venom corrosion, but she herself was unharmed, and her health bar was even full.
He opened his mouth, wanting to ask something, but found his throat dry.
He had studied the Stitched Giant Corpse boss. The chief tank of the S-rank guild "Expedition," clad in legendary plate armor, had his armor melted through by that direct venom spray, leading to a chain reaction of corpse explosions and ultimately wiping out the entire guild.
But Jiang Xiaorou, a tank class in the third team, actually withstood the poison and burned the BOSS to death.
"What are you standing there for? Pick up the stuff." Xiao Qianyu's voice rang out in the channel, pulling everyone back to reality.
Zhao Leiguang was already whistling as he started packing up his spoils, his movements as practiced as if he had done it countless times before.
"I've already said, times have changed." He tossed a piece of dark gold plate armor to Lei Zhan. "Team Leader Lei, take this."
Lei Zhan caught it instinctively. The plate armor felt heavy in his hand, and its attributes were so good that his eyelids twitched. In their seventh squad's warehouse, this was a valuable item that could be given as a reward to a core member.
But here, it's just like a stone thrown casually on the roadside.
He glanced at the shimmering lights on the ground, then at Lu Yan, who stood not far away with his hands behind his back, as if on a picnic.
Lei Zhan silently stored the plate armor in his storage compartment, saying nothing, but only giving a low order in the queue channel: "Everyone, tighten your defenses, stick close to the first squad, and don't fall behind."
The team continued its advance.
With the experience gained the first time, clearing out the subsequent mobs became exceptionally smooth. Jiang Xiaorou's "Judgment Fire" aura had a huge range, so she didn't even need to lift a finger. Just by clearing a path in front, the corrupted creatures that rushed out of the peach grove would be burned to ashes by true damage as soon as they got close.
The seventh and eighth squads, which were initially the main force, were completely relegated to the logistics role of cleaning up the battlefield.
The atmosphere was a little awkward.
Lei Zhan, in particular, carried that legendary heavy shield covered in battle scars, and didn't even have a chance to raise it to block once along the way.
"Team Leader Lei, don't overthink it, it'll be alright," his deputy whispered, "The First Squad... is from a completely different dimension from us."
Lei Zhan didn't speak, but he tightened his grip on the shield.
Soon, they arrived at the second open space.
The scene here was even more terrifying than before. The ground was covered with a thick layer of purplish-black fungal carpet, which felt soft and spongy underfoot. With each step, a cloud of spores would explode from beneath one's feet, producing a strong hallucinogenic effect.
In the center of the open space stood a huge nest made of countless corpses and intertwined peach wood. At the top of the nest, a giant spider, as big as a small truck, was coiled.
Its body is translucent, and countless densely packed eggs can be seen wriggling on its abdomen. Its eight segmented limbs are like sharp spears, leaving deep marks on the hard rock with each movement.
Second leader, the [Corpse Nest Spider Queen].
"I know that, let me explain!" Lei Zhan spoke up before Xiao Qianyu could, determined to regain some ground. "Its core mechanism is egg-laying! The eggs in its abdomen continuously hatch into highly venomous spiderlings, an endless stream. Moreover, the spider queen has extremely high physical resistance, and its venom has strong corrosive and mental paralyzing effects; our shields can't withstand mental attacks!"
This is a firsthand summary of their seventh squad's previous annihilation.
Xiao Qianyu glanced at him but didn't refute him, which was considered an admission of his statement.
"So, the core of the tactic is to take it down as soon as possible, without giving it time to lay eggs," Lei Zhan said in a deep voice. He looked at Xiao Qianyu and said, "Let our team go. I'll use 'Holy Shield Barrier' to hold the front line, and you guys focus your fire."
As he spoke, he took a step forward, holding his heavy shield horizontally in front of him, ready to engage the monster.
"etc."
Lu Yan's voice came from behind.
Lei Zhan turned around, his brows furrowed. It's that support player again?
Lu Yan walked through the crowd, stood in front of him, and pointed to the shield in his hand.
"Captain Lei, use your shield to protect your teammates. Leave the front to us."
"What do you mean?" Lei Zhan's anger was starting to get out of control.
"Literal meaning." Lu Yan smiled. "This BOSS doesn't require you to risk your life."
He turned to look at Zhao Leiguang.
Zhao Leiguang understood, took a few steps forward, and whistled loudly at the Spider Mother in the distance.
"Hey, girl, look this way!"
Enraged by this provocation, the Corpse Nest Spider Queen let out a sharp screech, and with a burst of strength from its eight limbs, its massive body transformed into a black shadow as it pounced towards Zhao Leiguang!
"Old Zhao!" Lei Zhan exclaimed in shock, instinctively raising his shield to protect him.
Zhao Leiguang neither dodged nor avoided the attack; he didn't even raise his shield, just stood there casually.
Just as the spider mother's sharp limbs were about to pierce his face, the grotesque beast-face buckle on his [Taotie] belt flashed red.
Swallow.
The target was an inconspicuous elite-level "plague spreader" hidden in the fungal carpet beneath the spider mother.
Almost at the same time the red light appeared, a light green halo appeared on Zhao Leiguang's body, and two new temporary entries popped up in the status bar.
[Plague Immunity]: Immune to all toxin damage and negative effects.
[Toxin Backlash]: When attacked by toxins, 50% of the damage will be reflected back to the attacker.
The spider queen's attack has arrived.
It sprayed out a large amount of dark green venom from its abdomen, soaking Zhao Leiguang from head to toe.
Lei Zhan's heart was in his throat.
However, the expected scene of armor being melted through and health bars being emptied did not occur.
Zhao Leiguang stood unharmed in the poisonous rain, not even losing a single hair.
Instead, the once-fierce Spider Queen let out a painful cry, her massive body trembling violently. Above her head, a terrifying damage number floated up.
That was its own venom damage, which was bounced back by the [Toxin Backlash].
"That feels good." Zhao Lei shook the venom off his head and cracked his neck. "This sauna is nice."
He raised the shield in his hand and slowly walked towards the still convulsing Spider Mother.
The spider mother's prized venom became her own death warrant. Every attack she launched hastened her demise.
Zhao Leiguang, on the other hand, simply stood there from beginning to end, without moving an inch.
Lei Zhan and the members of the seventh squad behind him were all dumbfounded.
They stood there, weapons in their hands, like a group of wooden stakes frozen in place.
He glanced down at his legendary shield, which he had once been so proud of. The scratches on its surface, which symbolized his glory, now seemed somewhat ironic.
So this is what battles can be like.
It turns out that the mechanism they couldn't crack no matter how hard they tried was just a joke to others.
Lu Yan walked over to Lei Zhan and patted his heavy shoulder armor.
"Do you understand now?"
Lei Zhan slowly turned his head and looked at Lu Yan.
Was this newcomer, whom he had always regarded as a burden and someone who needed to be protected, actually referring to himself?
Lei Zhan remained silent for a long time. Finally, he put down the heavy shield in his hand, bowed his head to Lu Yan.