Leo looked at that hand for a moment, lost in thought, until he felt someone watching him. Turning his head, he found Incest looking at him indifferently. He awkwardly retracted his gaze, pretending to scout the terrain while secretly using his map app to find the way.
"I have a great sense of direction; follow me." Leo slid down from the tree and hurried a few steps to the front of the group to lead the way.
In the tree, Incest glanced at her own hand and slowly clenched her fist.
After passing through the forest before them, a valley appeared in their sight. The valley was wide, flanked by two sheer, steep cliffs, with a riverbed occupying the vast majority of the floor below. There were few places suitable for walking, at most accommodating four people side-by-side. The valley looked like a thin black crevice, extending upward until it vanished into the snowline between the two great mountains.
Encountering monsters in such a narrow place was extremely dangerous. Leo brought out his weapon and led the way, with Majesty and Gerdie following in order, and Incest bringing up the rear. The journey was smooth, and the group's stamina far exceeded that of ordinary people; two hours later, they entered the snowline. The sudden drop in temperature caused some trouble, as they were all wearing metal armor and losing body heat quickly.
Leo estimated the altitude here was about 5,000 or 6,000 meters; the small river had long since vanished, replaced by solid ice underfoot. He activated Resist Cold, and a warm aura enveloped the group. The end of the valley was now visible; it seemed they would soon scale these two mountains.
Ten minutes later, they finally reached the top of the valley. Leo stood at the highest point, looking back to admire the view of the Blood Moor. It was nearly noon, and though the Blood Moor was still covered by dense dark clouds, golden rays of sunlight pierced through the layers of clouds like stubborn swords, revealing the contours of the vast plains below.
No matter how thick the darkness, it could not withstand the penetration of sunlight. This is how a real man should be. Leo's chest swelled with emotion; he felt like letting out a long roar to vent the feelings built up in his heart. He held his wine bag high and poured it out, half-drinking and half-spilling—it was utterly exhilarating.
Gerdie saw Leo's sudden outburst of madness, followed his gaze, and smiled softly. She snatched the wine bag and mimicked Leo's wild behavior.
Majesty rolled her eyes, took the bag, and learned to gulp down two mouthfuls, which left her choking with tears and snot streaming down.
Seeing this scene, Incest silently turned away, her eyes carrying a slight hint of yearning.
Leo finished his wild moment and turned back; only this "One-Line Sky" passage remained. Passing through it, they should see the Cold Plains below. The passage was unexpectedly long, winding and rugged. They felt they had walked over 10,000 meters before finally seeing the light shining from ahead.
Full of anticipation, they rushed out of the passage, but as he looked down, Leo saw the situation was wrong. He immediately ducked back into the passage, bumping into Majesty and knocking her onto her backside.
He quietly poked his head out to observe. On the mountainside below, a red ocean was spreading upward. He estimated thousands of Fallen and Fallen Shamans were gathered there. Although the numbers were too great to see where Bishibosh was, such a gathering of Fallen could only be his handiwork. Perhaps the Fallen who escaped the cave brought news to their boss, and now this Shaman had come to avenge his friend.
He put a finger to his lips in a "shhh" gesture and let the women see the situation one by one.
Fortunately, the Fallen's discipline was terrible, and they were very lax in their climbing; otherwise, the group would have been blocked on the mountainside. He estimated the speed of these Fallen; it would take at least an hour for them to reach the passage entrance. Since they held the high ground and the terrain was so narrow, they could completely hold out for a period to let the Rogue Encampment send reinforcements and kill a large portion of the demon forces.
"Incest, as a warrior, your role in this situation is limited. You go back to report the news; we will wait for you here for two hours. If we truly can't hold this entrance, we will retreat into the passage to stall for time.
Move fast. If the Fallen break through this pass and surge into the Blood Moor, the consequences will be severe. The lives of countless class members are in your hands."
"I will report the news immediately, but open a Town Portal in thirty minutes to let me come back first to assist the defense." Incest's voice was as cold as ever. Seeing Leo nod, she immediately tore open a scroll and headed for the encampment.
Leo and the other two tested their weapons; Rare-grade weapons could cut through rock like felling timber. They quickly hacked some protruding boulders from the cliff walls and carried large stones from the ground, piling them at the narrowest part of the passage.
Soon, Incest returned with a Rogue squad of seven to help, and the squad leader was a familiar face.
Sike said with rare seriousness: "Warrior Leo, we are acting on Lady Kashya's orders to help you defend first. Lady Kyoko is already assembling the Rogue army."
With everyone's efforts, they managed to pile a stone wall one meter high, half a meter thick, and one and a half meters wide. The Fallen had also reached the passage and, seeing the group, began a full-scale charge.
Leo brought out his shield and short mace, activated his Might aura, and stood behind the stone wall. The wall was about twenty meters from the exit; the Fallen couldn't use their numbers to their advantage. At most, two or three Fallen reached Leo at a time, and the one-meter height was perfect for them to expose their heads.
Leo used Zeal, his short mace blurring into afterimages. He hammered the Fallen like a game of whack-a-mole; his kill efficiency was perfect.
Gerdie maintained the Shout buff and continuously used Find Item to destroy the Fallen corpses. Once destroyed, the corpses became mangled messes; when the Fallen surging from behind stepped on them, they all turned into bloody sludge.
Simultaneously, she brought out her new weapon and shot at the Fallen at the entrance whenever she had a moment. Gerdie's shots now dealt explosive damage. Although the damage wasn't high, exploding in such a narrow place meant every hit knocked many Fallen out of the passage, sending them rolling down the slope.
Majesty had the easiest time. If too many Fallen entered, she would place Lightning Sentries on the small platforms carved into the stone walls; large amounts of Charged Bolts ravaged the passage. She also laid Shock Webs across the path; many Fallen were turned to charred husks before they could even reach Leo.
Left with nothing else to do, Incest looked somewhat helpless. She awkwardly cast Enchant (Note 1) on everyone, then switched to a bow and began shooting as well.
The Rogues stood on the high ground behind them. Sike was commanding them, and the group concentrated their fire, shooting ice and fire arrows from time to time; the Fallen fell one by one like sitting ducks.
Leo suddenly felt that leveling up this way was great—monsters were coming in an endless stream to deliver experience. He soon reached Level 18, and his fatigue was swept away.
Leo took a moment to open his skill panel and immediately learned new skills.
> Concentration Aura: When active, increases damage and reduces the chance of your attack being interrupted. Damage +60%. Radius: 10.6 yards. Prerequisite: Blessed Aim.
> Blessed Hammer: Summons a flying spectral hammer that spirals outward, striking enemies. Deals 150% damage to Undead. Magic damage: 12-16. Mana cost: 5. Prerequisite: Holy Bolt.
>
Immediately after learning, he switched to the Concentration aura. A ring of light-blue film appeared at his feet, contracting inward. He felt the added strength was even more powerful, and a certain force made his mind calmer, increasing his tolerance for pain.
(Note 1: Enchant is a Level 18 Sorceress skill that adds fire damage to melee weapons and one-third fire damage to ranged weapons. It receives bonus damage from Warmth.)
•
Today updates! You can found advanced chapter on my Patreon here—↓
patreon.com/EBBYRITH.
—feel free to visit it!↑