Chapter 222: Summoning Surprise

Before ever encountering the Earth-Enchanted Spider, Qin Ruo had already worked with Slayer’s Heart and the others to devise a variety of contingency plans in case of any emergencies.

Yet no one could have predicted that a fearsome Tier 4 max-level Elite Boss such as the Earth-Enchanted Spider would be so easily incapacitated with a Compressed Frost Bullet from Qin Ruo.

Slayer’s Heart and Little Apple rushed up to it and began unleashing every skill they had on the Boss monster, not merely seeking to damage it but also to keep it occupied while Qin Ruo closed the Twelve Frostramparts Formation around it.

Of course, a Tier 4 max-level Boss would not go down that easily…

Even under with the effects of the Compressed Frost Bullet lowering its defenses, the furious assault from Slayer’s Heart and Little Apple barely scratched the impossibly hard shell of the Earth-Enchanted Spider, with their most powerful attacks not even managing to reach 150 damage.

Compared to a casual Frost Bullet Explosion from Qin Ruo, dealing close to a thousand points of damage… the two warriors worked up quite a sweat just trying to keep up.

Badly hampered by the magical Chill, the Earth-Enchanted Spider’s movements were exaggerated and sluggish, as it struggled to move limbs that had been caked with a thick layer of frost. Obviously this meant that it was not able to pose any threat against the two warriors, with Slayer’s Heart immediately batting away the spider’s attacks whenever it tried.

With unprecedented ease, Qin Ruo brought in the Twelve Frostramparts Formation and easily trapped the spider!

Curling tendrils of mist spilled out all over. The system informed him once again that the Earth-Enchanted Spider had been subjected to the Chilled effect, with its overall speed reduced by 50% for an indefinite duration.

“Good!” Seeing how well the Boss was behaving itself, Slayer’s Heart gleefully called out, “Attack!”

Dinosaurcerer and Little Arrow launched their long-ranged attacks. Paralyzed with fear and uncertainty until now, Wang Da finally joined the fight against the Boss, boldly demonstrating the rapid-attack techniques he’d learned from Little Apple.

It seemed that the Earth-Enchanted Spider truly was vulnerable to Freezing, with essentially zero resistance against it. Hemmed in by the Twelve Frostramparts Formation, it was like a dithering old lady, helpless to defend itself against the combined long-ranged and close-quarters assaults, and its cries of pain rang out again and again.

With Slayer’s Heart holding off the monster’s counter-attacks, Qin Ruo steadily found his calm. While maintaining the Frostramparts Formation, he also began alternating Mana Drain and Compressed Frost Bullet on the Boss. Although this meant he could not attack that often, each hit from him was worth seven from Slayer’s Heart, so he was nevertheless making substantial contributions to the damage being dealt.

In this way, the Earth-Enchanted Spider was confined by Qin Ruo and party for nearly half a minute. Though it kept trying to find the opportunity to prepare its skills and retaliate, it was crippled by its own weakness to the cold, as well as Slayer’s Heart disrupting what few moves it tried to make.

There was nothing it could do. It was simply dumb luck that Qin Ruo had just happened to use a Darkfrost Potion at that time, and thus discovered the monster’s fatal flaw.

After multiple failed attempts to strike back, the Earth-Enchanted Spider pulled out another nasty surprise.

Hiss!

Hiss!

Its great and terrible maw opening and closing several times, the Earth-Enchanted Spider emitted a series of odd tones, and then four pillars of shadow descended from the ceiling, somehow painful to look at, and touched the floor within the Frostramparts Formation.

Everyone tensed.

Summoning! This damned Earth-Enchanted Spider was able to use summoning magic!

Every one of them regarded this new development with apprehension.

“Rose! Dino! Scrolls!” Standing further away from the action, Violet Orchid had assumed battlefield command, rapidly snapping off orders, “Little Arrow, binding!”

Burning Rose and Dinosaurcerer complied instantly, abandoning their attacks on the Boss and pulling out magic scrolls. Little Arrow already had the spell ready on the next arrow, and turned to aim it instead at one of the black pillars, waiting to fire at the first monster to step out. First, they would use everything they had to eradicate this unknown new threat.

Locked in close combat with the Earth-Enchanted Spider, Little Apple and Wang Da were re-assigned by Violet Orchid to deal with the monsters being summoned by the Boss.

The five of them rushed to take up the appropriate positions, eagerly making ready for battle.

And yet, whatever lurked within those shadowy columns refused to come out. It was only when the summoning pillars had faded away that they saw the four enormous black spiders, taking their first unsteady steps upon the battlefield. Seeing this, the entire party sighed their relief in unison.

Ah… not so bad.

Similarly hampered by the Twelve Frostramparts Formation, these Level 48 common monsters, Blackjaw Spiders, were utterly no threat to the party at all.

Burning Rose and Dinosaurcerer could not help but take a ragged breath, thinking about how they almost wasted their Tier 4 Magic Scrolls.

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Little Arrow was not burdened by such worries. Letting the shot fly, her Moonlight Shackles had a Binding effect which turned out to be very effective against one of the Blackjaw Spiders, especially now that its resistances had been lowered so much. It held the monster in place, keeping it in check for the moment.

Little Apple and Wang Da showed no hesitation either, charging in to tear apart another one of the unfortunate Blackjaw Spiders, which couldn’t even put up a fight.

And then the situation changed.

The other two Blackjaw Spiders, left unaccounted for, suddenly dashed away in separate directions: one ran over to a deserted part of the corridor, while the other made for the safety of the wall. Then they both kept still, and began channeling their magic.

“Oh crap, that’s not good!” Violet Orchid and Qin Ruo felt an urgent sense of danger welling up in their throats.

By the time the two of them had figured out the Blackjaw Spiders’ target, they were too late to interrupt the attack. Two gobs of black goo flew through the air…

Schlorp! Schlorp!

Two of the Frostramparts were hit with the black liquid. Its strong corrosive properties swiftly ate through the ice, half a meter thick, and reduced it to nothing.

Just like that, two of the Twelve Frostramparts had been destroyed.

Boom!

The Twelve Frostramparts Formation had been continuously generating the debilitating chill that had been keeping the Earth-Enchanted Spider under control. Just for these two balls of spider spit, its effect was canceled right before their very eyes!

The air temperature rapidly began to rise back up again!

In contrast, the ten of them somehow felt a chill coming on.

Burning Rose and Dinosaurcerer looked back with regret on their hesitation to destroy those Blackjaw Spiders, mere moments ago. Drowning in guilt and shame, they unleashed their magic—too late now—upon the two culprits, consuming them in flame.

But the fox was in the chicken coop now. It was already too late.

Freed at last from the effect of the Twelve Frostramparts Formation which had kept it constrained for a good thirty seconds, the Earth-Enchanted Spider gave a cry of rage, and slashed viciously with two of its bladed legs. Slayer’s Heart couldn’t respond in time to such a drastic change in circumstances, and was sent flying by the Boss.

“Qin Ruo!” Ignoring the two grievous gashes across his chest, Slayer’s Heart called for aid even as he sailed across the corridor.

But things could only get worse. Freed at last, the Earth-Enchanted Spider gave him no quarter, this warrior which had made himself into its most hated enemy. As soon as the monster had knocked him into the air, its jaws opened, a yawning abyss devoid of light.

Snap!

Right before Qin Ruo, Burning Rose, and Dinosaurcerer, a mass of spines one meter long stabbed up from the floor, filling up the entire width of the corridor with a razor-sharp thicket. Although it caused no great harm to the three spellcasters, they could see half a dozen Frostramparts crumbling away as a result.

Ah, it was too much! Qin Ruo was spitting mad with frustration. He had just been gathering his mana to bring up a couple of Aquaramparts to repair the Formation, but to think that the Boss would not even allow him this respite, straight-away smashing its way out of the icy enclosure. With only four Frostramparts remaining, there was no way he could bring back the Frostramparts Formation as before in a hurry.

Alright, let’s do this!

Frost Barrier and Darkfrost Shield at the ready, Qin Ruo used the two Aquaramparts he had already prepared, and furiously drew them into a tight ball of water thirty centimeters across.

***

Seeing another six Frostramparts collapse, Slayer’s Heart realized there was no longer any hope of restoring the twelve-fold Formation. Gritting his teeth, he gulped down an MP Potion (L) and, counting upon Violet Orchid and Violetmoon Devilite to keep him healed up, charged back into the fray.

The Earth-Enchanted Spider recognized that Qin Ruo posed the greatest threat to it. Having soundly demolished the Twelve Frostramparts Formation, it clattered forward on limbs like reaping scythes, lunging in for the kill.

Even as it came, it hurled an earth magic attack at Qin Ruo, still frantically preparing his next spell!

This was no big deal. With dual defense active, Qin Ruo was currently enjoying a Magic Defense of 110. After reducing the Magic Damage by 12%, his other two spell defenses each absorbed another 5%, and then after all that, the Darkfrost Shield blocked the incoming attack for him. The shield jolted violently for a bit, its Endurance fell ever so slightly, and Qin Ruo continued his spellcasting without interruption.

However, everyone could clearly see that one more attack of that magnitude would shatter the Intermediate Darkfrost Shield. Without it, there would only be a Frost Barrier to keep Qin Ruo safe from the monster.

The situation was dire!

With a fury he had never shown before, Slayer’s Heart sprinted to intercept the headlong charge of the Earth-Enchanted Spider. At the same time meanwhile, Qin Ruo finished preparing his Compressed Frost Bullet, and without a moment’s pause, flung it at his enemy!