Chapter 69: Curiosity

The biggest difference between a clan party and a party that was put together by ordinary players would be their ability to cooperate as a team as well as their ability to separate public from private interests. The strength of a clan, which had parties that could execute all orders without fail and march in step next to each other was not to be underestimated.

Whether it was their equipment or their morale, the players who were engaged with the Spectral Army remained inferior to the most renowned party known to everyone as the “Hundred Regiment” via the game’s official website…

However, judging only from the party’s line-up, how they alternately arranged the positions of different Classes within the formation, and the number of Elementalists present in their party, it was obvious that this was not the first time the party had laid siege to a Boss.

The ten Berserkers who were equipped with giant shields on the forefront of the formation were all exclusively Beastblood Berserkers. All of them possessed high Defense and tremendous amounts of HP. Under the protection of several Radiant Priests, even a Tier 4 Elite Boss would not have been capable of wiping them out so easily.

There were more than twenty Bowmasters standing neatly in two rows right behind the first row of Beastblood Berserkers.

Standing behind the Berserkers and Bowmasters were Summoners, Swordmasters, Bandits and other Classes. They had ten players for each Class. The remaining players on the party other than those mentioned were the Elementalists. There were exactly thirty of them. They all activated a Tier 4 Barrier at the same time. By doing so, the party entered their dual defense mode as they began to march forward, approaching their enemies with murderous intent!

In the face of the Skeleton King and its army of Specter, the can party seemed to have an absolute advantage on the battlefield.

Mainly because, the Tier 3 Specters could no longer cause much effective damage on them. Those ordinary monsters would even probably be completely wiped out by the first wave of AoE Spells from the Elementalists…

Hence, their only concerns were the Skeleton King and two Minibosses—the Skeletal Spirits, which were so weak that they could probably be ignored anyway. Having over fifty players from the main DPS Classes battling against one Skeleton King, and provided that the commander of the party was not an imbecile who would mess simple things up, their victory was certain!

When the clan party revealed themselves on the battlefield and began to push forward, Qin Ruo moved his attention away. He knew that the Skeleton King was about to meet its doom—even though it had over 100,000 HP and an army of Specters that seemed extremely powerful, the Skeleton King would only be able to battle against the players all alone. It was impossible to turn the tide of the situation anymore.

Seeing that the Bandits were already making their move towards the passage in Death Valley, Qin Ruo remained quiet as he backed himself into a shadowy corner and activated his Aquamorph. Without any hesitation, he followed them quietly from behind.

Gathering herbs?

“Hehe, do they really take all the players around here for idiots?”

Qin Ruo was not convinced by their words at all. Even though Black Dragonfly Herbs were rare to come by, it was not necessary for them to burn their money like that just to get some of it. If they were truly so rich, why did they not just hire a bunch of powerful mercenaries and branch them out into several groups to concurrently explore the different routes of Centipede Cavern? What good would it bring to only have a few Bandits along with them in the cavern? Not only were Bandits unable to perform well in combat, they could not kill monsters in the cavern efficiently. They would also be incapable of picking up the Black Dragonfly Herbs and Earth Essence even if they managed to spot them somewhere in the cavern.

Instead of locating the Black Dragonfly Herb as well as Earth Essence, their agenda seemed much closer to scouting for paths and routes in the cavern…

A moment ago, some players in the area had mentioned it: the Stygianlock Centiking in Centipede Cavern had just been respawned. Many more clan parties were estimated to join in on the battle soon. Perhaps… that was the Bowmaster’s true purpose for putting so much effort into recruiting people, before they entered Centipede Cavern.

Qin Ruo was not so much of a busybody.

Even though he had been disturbed by so many people to the point that he could no longer continue his personal training, it would be ill-advised for him to join the spectacle on the grand battlefield. Hence, Qin Ruo decided to satisfy his curiosity, which had been highly aroused by the Bowmaster much earlier on—speaking of which, he had never actually seen an Overlord with his own eyes. How could he pass on the opportunity to have a look, knowing that two Overlords had respawned that day? Furthermore, Qin Ruo had also never set foot in Whitewater Town’s Centipede Cavern the entire time he was there…

***

The appearance of the Skeleton King had caused all of the Specters in Death Valley to be summoned over to the battlefield. Seizing the opportunity while the Skeleton King was distracted outside the valley, the Bandits did not encounter a single obstacle along their way as they moved towards their destination—the entrance of Centipede Cavern. They worked their legs and arms to the fullest as they frantically sprinted towards Centipede Cavern, which was located in the deepest part of the valley.

As long as they could locate the Black Dragonfly Herbs and notify the people who hired them for collection, they would be paid handsomely. So, of course they wanted to get into Centipede Cavern as soon as possible. Because, the sooner they arrived at the cavern, the more Black Dragonfly Herbs they could find. And naturally, the better the reward they would get.

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Their desire was second to none as the eight Bandits sprinted straight towards the cavern. They did not even show any interest in looking at the situation behind them…

Qin Ruo was merely a Tier 3 Aquamancer. He would definitely not be able to match the speed of the Bandits. Even though he tried his best to sprint forward, he could only witness as the Bandits slowly left him behind, bit by bit.

Having to experience being left farther behind with each passing second, Qin Ruo could not help but feel very depressed.

While the Bandits swiftly entered Centipede Cavern one after another, Qin Ruo could merely curse at those bastard Bandits, who only worked for money and benefits. He regretted making the decision to follow them.

Motherf*ckers…  It was a truly difficult task to complete. It seemed almost impossible for an Elementalist to follow a Bandit. Even if I really get into Centipede Cavern, I’m afraid that before I can even see one of those Bandits, I’ll become snacks for a bunch of giant centipedes.

After feeling depressed for a brief moment, Qin Ruo decided to turn the other way and go back.

Right when he was about to turn around, he suddenly saw the last Bandit in the group halt his footsteps. Out of nowhere, he instantly turned in the other direction and ran straight to the left of Death Valley…

The Bandit’s sudden movements instantly caused Qin Ruo to cast away his thoughts of returning.

He was able to recognize that the Bandit who suddenly broke away from the others was actually one of the Bowmaster’s party members. That player only broke away from the others the moment the rest of them entered the cavern. Obviously, he had something to hide from the others.

Hehe, as expected, there’s something suspicious going on behind the scenes!

Qin Ruo smiled quietly to himself. He moved silently in the Bandit’s direction. The lighting in Death Valley was darker than ordinary dungeons. The environment made it suitable for him to use his Aquamorph. As long as he did not make any loud noises, he would definitely be able to sneak around without being noticed by others.

Coincidentally, the water element would not make the slightest sound even when one was running. Qin Ruo did not have to worry about accidentally making some noise, whether it was kicking into stones or other small obstacles on the ground unintentionally…

When Qin Ruo was only fifty meters away from the Bandit, the Bandit suddenly looked around cautiously. He seemingly observed the valley’s surroundings and squatted down swiftly after that.

“Huh?”

Qin Ruo quickly slowed down as he moved a few meters to the side. From a different angle, he was only able to see that the Bandit was actually picking herbs…

A few bunches of herbs with crimson leaves were seen growing atop a small patch of earth, which bulged up across the surface of the ground. It looked a little like a small tomb. Its presence in the gloomy valley seemed particularly eye-catching. The plant was moving along with the sway of the wind as it appeared to be brimming with vigor and vitality. It was obvious that the plant was not some low-grade magic Herb.

The duration required for the Bandit to pick up the herb also verified the thoughts Qin Ruo had in his mind…

Higher grade Herbs required longer process time before they could be picked up by players. After the Bandit squatted down, his hands appeared to emanate with a vague purplish light. He was occupied with the task of picking up one bunch of the herb for over ten seconds. Only then was he able to put the herb cautiously and happily into his backpack. He moved on to pick up the second bunch after that…

Qin Ruo glared at the Bandit as he felt his chest trembling a little.

This Bandit also has Advanced Gathering like me. Yet… he actually took such a long time to pick up the Herb… What grade does that herb actually belong to then?!  Qin Ruo asked himself.

After all, gathering Grade 6 herbs such as the Black Dragonfly Herb only took approximately six to seven seconds. Even gathering Grade 5 Earth Essence required less than ten seconds. Was it possible for the Bandit to be picking an extremely rare Grade 4 Herb? It was probably one of the herbs of the best quality, which was worth thousands of gold coins on the market…

When did this type of high-tier Herb start to grow on the soils of Death Valley?

Qin Ruo could not help but feel an overwhelming excitement as he gradually understood the situation!