Chapter 16

Very quickly, the five gathered, and Cheng Yang prepared to enter the instance. It wasn't that Cheng Yang didn't want to bring more people; it was just that the Blood Church instance could only accommodate a five-person team.

To enter an instance, a team is required. If not together, they would not enter the same instance. After the village upgraded to level three, a mercenary guild would appear, where mercenary teams could be formed. As long as the team members were within ten meters of the instance, the rules would default them to the same team and teleport them all to the same instance.

Now, not to mention a wilderness settlement like Luofeng Village, even the main city did not have a mercenary guild. According to Cheng Yang's experience from his previous life, only when a wilderness settlement upgraded to a level two village would the main city have a mercenary guild. Not only the mercenary guild, but also a series of buildings like the Trial Hall.

However, Cheng Yang had his methods, which were explored by countless people in his previous life. After all, people entering the same instance were not always from the same guild. What to do then? Simple, just hold hands.

Immediately, the five stood in a circle. Under Cheng Yang's mental control, everyone felt a flash before their eyes, and the surrounding environment had already changed dramatically.

This was a vast Western building, giving the impression of a church. However, this church was far from peaceful and serene; it was filled with chaos and filth.

Cheng Yang and the four others stood outside the church, where two strange creatures were pacing at the entrance.

Dark brown skin, pointed heads, standing on two legs, hunched bodies, and holding short spears.

These were Lesser Imps, the lowest tier of demonized creatures, similar to Green-skinned Monkeys. Their individual strength was slightly weaker than other demonized creatures of the same level, but their intelligence was much higher. For humans, such monsters were easier to kill.

Yu Kai and the others did not know the specific situation of the church, but Cheng Yang did. The church covered an area of about one square kilometer and had three sections, all of which were completely occupied by Lesser Imps. At the end of the first two sections, there was a mid-level first-stage monster guarding, and in the deepest part of the church, there was a late-stage first-stage monster.

"Yangzi, what place is this?" Liu Hao looked around and was immediately stunned. He knew that there were no such Western buildings around Xiangcheng City.

Cheng Yang said, "This is not the space where Earth is located. I can't explain it clearly, but you can think of it as a game instance. Once we clear this instance, we will definitely get great rewards."

Liu Hao and the others naturally had no doubts. After all, whether in games or reality, the first to try something always gets some unexpected surprises, right?

This time, Cheng Yang did not lead the way. Instead, he let Yu Hao and Li Wanshan, the two warriors, take the front, while he and Yu Kai, the archer, walked in the middle. As for Niu Bing, his summoned Ghost Wolf charged ahead, while he himself hid at the back. Currently, the summoner class, apart from the summoned creatures, had no significant difference in combat power from ordinary people.

Two monsters rushed over, and the Ghost Wolf immediately charged out to attract their attention. In the early stages, summoners were more like tanks than warriors, especially since there were no potions to buy in Luofeng Village. The recovery speed of warriors was much lower than that of magic users, making summoners more capable of withstanding the attacks of demonized creatures. Although the warriors' shields could block attacks, they were not always successful, and the attack frequency of demonized creatures was very high, making it difficult for warriors to keep up. Otherwise, a line of warriors standing at the front would be an unbreakable wall, but this was impossible.

The two Lesser Imps rushed towards the Ghost Wolf and immediately started tearing at each other. Perhaps due to the rules of the world, demonized creatures had a high level of enmity towards summoned creatures and pets. Without specific skills to interfere, demonized creatures would target summoned creatures or pets first.

Currently, due to their low levels, neither the summoned creatures nor the demonized creatures had powerful skills. The fighting mainly relied on physical strength, with teeth and claws as their only weapons.

A Ghost Wolf naturally could not defeat two Lesser Imps, but don't forget that Cheng Yang and the others were around. Immediately, magic missiles and arrows flew out, followed by attacks from Liu Hao and Li Wanshan. In just a few seconds, the two Lesser Imps were reduced to corpses.

"Go! Inside!" After dealing with the two guards, Cheng Yang immediately instructed, "Don't go too fast; we need to advance steadily."

The other four nodded, and the group entered the gate in an orderly manner.

This was a circular corridor, with rooms on both sides, numbering no less than a hundred. The corridor surrounded a spacious courtyard, about 700 to 800 square meters in area. In the courtyard, about ten Lesser Imps were scattered.

"This is troublesome. There are at least ten monsters inside; we can't withstand so many!" Liu Hao stuck his head out and immediately pulled it back. Although the Lesser Imps were scattered, they knew that as soon as they showed themselves, these creatures would rush over. Although the world had been gamified, many real-world rules still applied, such as the lack of a detection range for monsters. As long as they were within the monsters' line of sight, they would be attacked.

Cheng Yang smiled calmly and said, "Don't worry, these are just ordinary monsters. Although they are slightly smarter than beasts, they are far inferior to us. From the layout of the buildings, there should be many rooms. As long as we enter one room and hold our ground, we can quickly kill these creatures."

Liu Hao's eyes lit up, "That's a good idea. Wait, let me check which room is the best." He quietly stuck his head out, took a look, and quickly pulled it back.

"There's a room about ten meters to the left of the entrance, but the door is closed. I don't know if we can get in," Liu Hao said quickly.

Cheng Yang said calmly, "Even if it's locked, it's no problem. With your and Old Li's strength, pushing open the door should be easy."

Liu Hao clenched his fists, and his round face broke into a smile, "That's true; I'm in the superhuman category now."

Then, Liu Hao briefly described the distribution of the monsters inside and began to formulate a strategy. The strategy was simple: Niu Bing's Ghost Wolf would charge in and lure the two Lesser Imps closest to the entrance, and then they would quickly rush to the designated room.

Everything went smoothly. After Niu Bing controlled the Ghost Wolf to charge in, Liu Hao led the charge, heading straight for the room.

Li Wanshan and Cheng Yang followed closely. After Liu Hao punched open the door, everyone rushed in.

At this moment, the brave Ghost Wolf had been killed by the Lesser Imps, dissipating into the most basic energy in the air, a unique way for summoned creatures to die.

The Lesser Imps, now without a target, quickly focused on Cheng Yang and the others, surrounding them in just a few seconds.

"Hold them off!" Cheng Yang shouted. Liu Hao and Li Wanshan, without a word, immediately held their shields at the front.

The intense battle began. The most challenging part was for Liu Hao and Li Wanshan, who could not afford to counter-attack and could only hold their shields with both hands. Cheng Yang and the others, on the other hand, unleashed their powerful attacks from inside the room.

At this moment, Cheng Yang couldn't help but marvel at the advantages of warriors in the early stages. The shield was incredibly powerful. Although it had no additional attributes, it had an unparalleled advantage over any future equipment: it had no durability. In other words, it would never break.

This attribute was not particularly significant on other equipment, but on a shield, it was extremely powerful. Imagine a shield that could protect the people behind it from harm. Future shields, however, could not be used indefinitely; their durability would decrease rapidly under frontal attacks, requiring the skill and technique of the warrior to manage.

The door was not very wide, only wide enough for two people to stand. The Lesser Imps were about the same size as humans, so only two could attack simultaneously.

After a series of battles, all the Lesser Imps were eliminated. Liu Hao and Li Wanshan, who had been at the front, were pale with pain. Although the Lesser Imps' attacks on the shield did not hurt them, the repeated impacts made their hands numb. After killing the ten Lesser Imps, their arms felt as if they were broken.

Now, they dared not move forward and sat on the ground to recover. Liu Hao and Li Wanshan performed the Spirit Accumulation Technique several times, and the pain in their arms finally subsided.

This was just the first courtyard of the first section. They continued through the side doors to the next courtyard, repeating the same battle.

After about ten minutes, they had cleared all eight courtyards and finally saw a large gate.

This was the only way to the second level of the church, where a mid-level first-stage Lesser Imp waited behind the gate.

Cheng Yang did not feel much pressure, even if he were alone. He was confident he could kill the Lesser Imp.

Cheng Yang rushed into the gate, and a Lesser Imp, similar in size to the previous ones but with darker skin, was wandering nearby.

The creature immediately noticed Cheng Yang, let out a roar, and charged over. Cheng Yang did not stop, threw a magic missile, and turned to run.

PS: Brothers, can you give me some motivation? The number of favorites is growing too slowly. I beg for your support...