Chapter 14: Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole
“How about we try smoke?” Endless Sea suggested.
“Smoke?”
“Yeah, I just checked, and I found that bats are afraid of it. I’m not sure if the bats in the game are different.”
“Well… it’s worth a try, let’s go!”
…
They arrived back at the mouth of the cave.
Endless Sea was holding two pieces of dry wood he picked up along the way.
“Brother Hai, can you start a fire?” Zane suddenly asked.
“No.”
“What now, go back again?”
“Just follow the tutorial, and it will work out! You guys find some leaves or branches,” Endless Sea confidently declared.
Although doubtful, there was no other option.
“Alright.”
Zane and Starry separated to gather burnable materials.
Endless Sea stood alone, lost in thought, holding the two pieces of dry wood.
“Starting a fire by drilling wood… means rubbing a hardwood stick against wood or drilling into it… relying on friction to create fire… these branches don’t look sharp enough.”
“Come on, can’t my speed from being single for 23 years handle this?” He then began to rub the wood frantically.
Twenty minutes later, Zane and Starry returned with branches and leaves about half his height.
“Brother Hai, are you okay?” Zane asked, looking at the still motionless wood.
“A man cannot say he can’t do it, just wait a moment, it will work soon!”
Another ten minutes passed. Endless Sea was covered in sweat.
“…”
“How strange, this tutorial can’t be fake, right? It’s been half an hour and still nothing.”
“I think focusing sunlight would be more reliable than this,” Zane said, pouting.
“Where are you going to find sunlight in this ghost place?? Just wait for me…”
“No need, I have a way,” Starry said, holding a torch as she approached.
“…” Endless Sea felt like a fool.
Zane had previously thought that drilling wood for fire was unreliable, so he had Starry go back to buy firestarter.
…
They tossed the dry leaves and branches at the edge of the cave and sprinkled some slime and poisonous fangs on top, along with some burlap and xuan paper, which they had just purchased. Fortunately, these materials weren’t expensive; a silver coin could buy a lot.
After lighting the torch, the three of them quickly backed away to observe from the edge of the nearby woods.
The fire gradually grew larger, and the smell of the mixed slime and poisonous fangs was simply deadly.
It even overpowered the blood smell in the air, thick black smoke billowing outward.
“What a disgusting smell!” The three of them covered their mouths and noses.
Before long, there was movement in the cave.
A swarm of black shadows burst out through the smoke!
The Blood Bats, having been choked by the smoke, were disoriented.
They circled and scattered, apparently losing their basic instincts.
“What an opportunity!” Endless Sea spotted a lone Blood Bat and flew over to stab it with his sword.
-67
The Blood Bat’s health bar dropped significantly.
In pain, the Blood Bat lunged at him viciously, seeming intent on sucking his blood.
-156
-48
Starry dealt over 150 health points to the Blood Bat with one strike, and with Zane’s damage, the Blood Bat’s health had already plummeted to 79 points.
“Not good, it’s going to drain blood! Brother Hai, run!”
It was too late; the bat moved exceptionally swiftly, flying onto Endless Sea’s neck and biting down decisively.
-130
-30
+30
-30
+30
-30
+30
It hurt so much, one attack already took a third of his health, and the following blood-draining effect was even more brutal, dealing draining damage every half second!
Starry quickly aimed at the draining bat.
-154
No good, the Blood Bat had 169 points of health left after draining. If not killed in time, Brother Hai would be drained dry!
Zane’s main body initiated an attack too.
-43
Fortunately, the next blood-draining damage hadn’t come out yet; otherwise, Endless Sea would definitely not withstand the next wave of blood-sucking attacks.
The Blood Bat lost its life, wobbling and falling to the ground.
“My head is spinning; that Blood Bat is too vicious,” Endless Sea said, looking at the battle notification with a racing heart.
“This blood-draining is deadly; we must not let them touch us again, or we might drop levels and return to the village,” Zane remarked.
“Our damage output isn’t enough; we’re bound to take at least one hit,” though he wanted to suggest Starry take the front line; he felt he needed to maintain his pride as a skilled man. “How about this? I’ll lure one back, and after the first hit, I’ll keep running, leaving the remaining health to you. Is that okay?”
“I’ll do it. With that speed earlier, I can dodge,” Starry responded.
“No, no, no, why use a sledgehammer to kill a chicken! Don’t worry, I can handle these small monsters!”
“…Alright then. Just be careful.”
“Just wait for my performance while I draw one in!” Endless Sea strode out.
He stepped forward cautiously, testing the aggression range of the Blood Bats, careful not to lure more than one at a time to avoid a wipeout.
Suddenly, a bat charred by the smoke zeroed in on Endless Sea, diving at him aggressively.
“Damn it!” There was no time for an attack, just run first!
He retraced his steps along the way they came and encountered another Blood Bat.
…Could it be that their movement patterns weren’t fixed?
It made sense; weren’t these things driven out by the smoke?
In a pinch, he accelerated towards the Blood Bat ahead of him, its attack direction aimed at—his left neck!
Lowering his center of gravity and tilting his body to the right, he essentially threw himself downwards at an angle.
They brushed past each other!
And he successfully returned behind a tree.
-156
-45
The first Blood Bat, after being hit, immediately shifted its aggro.
Starry fearlessly twisted past it.
-155
She took down the Blood Bat without taking any damage!
“Heroine, be careful! There’s another one!”
Starry didn’t have time to change tactics, so she had to send her main body to engage!
-47
The second Blood Bat was attacked but didn’t rush to bite; instead, it paused for a second or two.
Sound wave attack!
Zane felt dizzy and staggered backward.
Seeing Zane about to be drained, Endless Sea hurriedly launched an attack.
-65
The Blood Bat’s aggro instantly shifted away.
Just as the Blood Bat was about to attack him, Starry struck.
-251
She hit its head, dealing weak spot damage and securing a kill!
“Huff… huff,” their breathing echoed as they caught their breath. Just two Blood Bats had them exhausted, but fortunately, there were no casualties.
…
“Their patterns aren’t fixed, it’s hard to deal with. Let’s try a few more times. The experience from level 10 monsters is high; once I reach level 9, I can use the Shattering Hammer, and then one hit will take out a little bat!”
“Yeah, while the smoke hasn’t dissipated, let’s catch them all at once!” Zane said with enthusiasm.
