Chapter 90: Target, Tamoe Highlands!

After a brief rest at the entrance of the fourth level, we cautiously stepped into the fifth level. Indeed, as Druf had said, the fifth level was a sea of monsters. Almost every room was filled with a group of monsters, making it difficult for us to move forward.

Despite the arduous journey, we still looked forward with hope, advancing towards the few locations where the Countess was most active. To our excitement, we encountered two elites and four bosses along the way. Although they only dropped some potions and gold, this was a sign—a sign that the Countess was still alive. Elite monsters and minor bosses have a longer respawn time, so if the Countess had been killed recently, they would not have appeared so frequently.

Soon, we were approaching the end of the fifth level. At this point, Druf stopped and said solemnly, "If the Countess is still alive, she should be in the last room. From now on, we need to clear all the monsters ahead, leaving none behind, to avoid attracting them during a battle with the Countess."

We nodded in understanding. The journey ahead was even more challenging. Even a few teams of ghosts led by elite monsters were eliminated through our meticulous planning and hard fighting. Fortunately, this section was not long. After several hours of intense battle, we finally reached the last room.

What was called a room was actually more like a hall, as it was much larger than any other room. We approached the hall quietly and peeked inside. A pungent smell hit us, and what we saw was a scene that made our eyes widen in shock.

In the center of the hall was a large pool, but it was not filled with water. Instead, it was filled with thick, bubbling blood, emitting a strong, foul odor. Floating on the surface were severed limbs, immediately suggesting whose blood filled the pool—how many people must have been killed to fill such a large pool?

What shocked me even more were several monsters I had never seen before, standing by the blood pool with grim faces. One of them held a corpse in one hand and a large knife in the other, swiftly chopping off the limbs and head of the corpse, allowing the fresh, still warm blood to spray into the pool. Beside them were several more corpses, including a young child, an emaciated old man, and a fair-skinned woman. Their faces were twisted in fear and agony, their lifeless eyes clearly expressing their hatred of their fate. At the top of the hall, the Countess sat coldly, watching her minions prepare the blood pool for her. Her eyes, shrouded in black mist, were unfathomable. She was our target.

We had heard that the Countess bathed in blood to maintain her youth and beauty, but we thought it was an exaggeration. Seeing this horrifying scene and hearing the monsters' cruel laughter, we were stunned.

"Damn it..."

I clenched my fists tightly, my eyes bloodshot, and my teeth grinding. I wanted to rush in and tear those monsters to pieces. Druf and Marton were no better, and the kind-hearted Yihana shed tears, unable to bear the sight. She lowered her head and clenched her fists.

Druf, the most composed among us, was the most rational. He quickly snapped out of his shock, gently patted our shoulders, and signaled us to calm down. We gradually regained our composure, the madness in our eyes replaced by a deeper anger. Our fists remained clenched, ready to charge at the monsters at a moment's notice. Even though the people were already dead, we would not allow these monsters to desecrate their bodies in front of us.

The plan was already set. The monsters were called Dark Stalkers, and from their name, we knew they were not good. As evolved from the best evil hunters, they were formidable, and as the Countess's minions, their strength was further enhanced, making them almost as powerful as minor bosses.

Seeing the Dark Stalkers about to grab the remaining corpses, the four of us charged in. The battle began with the Countess's angry shout.

Following the plan, Druf, with his Fire Resistance Aura, approached the Countess. His Fire Resistance was now over 60%, so the Countess's fire sea was no longer a significant threat to him.

The three of us, along with the ghost wolves, attacked the four Dark Stalker minions. Yihana summoned her Venomous Vines, and I transformed into a Werebear, determined to eliminate the minions as quickly as possible.

Marton used his martial arts skills, I used my Bear Claw, and Yihana transformed into a Werewolf. The five ghost wolves joined in the fierce attack. After the shocking scene, we held nothing back. Anger enveloped us, and even with the strength of elite monsters, they were no match for us, let alone being on par with minor bosses.

In no time, the four minions fell under our relentless attack. Without pausing to check their drops, we turned to where Druf was battling the Countess.

Druf, the most solid of us, fought steadily and methodically. Though not the strongest, his fighting style was the most reliable. His task was to hold the Countess, so he did not rush into a direct confrontation. Instead, he carefully shielded himself from the Countess's attacks and gradually forced her out of the fire sea. His calm and composed style was the best among us.

However, the Countess, though not highly physically damaging, was still a minor boss. Her attacks were stronger than those of elite monsters, and her fire sea still inflicted damage on Druf. The biggest difference was her health, which was much higher than Druf's. If we did not provide timely support, Druf would not last long.

Fortunately, we eliminated the minions faster than Druf expected. Seeing us charge in, he visibly relaxed, indicating that the battle had been tough for him.

Next, Druf forced the Countess out of the fire sea, and the three of us, along with the five ghost wolves, charged in. Druf took the opportunity to step back, quickly switching to a Prayer Aura and drinking a few health potions to recover.

When the Countess's fire sea was about to cool down, he moved in again. Once she used the fire sea, we immediately scattered, and Druf forced her out of it again. This cycle continued, wearing down the Countess.

After a while, the Countess was panting heavily, her health visibly low. Seeing her state, our expressions turned serious. When Druf forced her out of the fire sea again, we did not charge in. Instead, I transformed into a Werebear and blocked the Countess, while the others scattered and switched to bows, firing arrows at her. The accuracy of their archery was impressive.

Soon, the Countess was on the verge of collapse. Druf suddenly shouted, "Wu, back off quickly!"

I turned and, unable to run, bear-tackled out of the way.

The Countess, realizing her end was near, let out a mournful cry.

"Lord Andariel..."

Her voice was filled with pain and sorrow, making my heart ache. Then, three arrows hit her chest, and time seemed to freeze.

"Boom..."

It felt like an eternity, yet it was just a moment. The Countess's body exploded, a powerful flame blast throwing me into the air. The intense heat seared my back, and despite my Werebear form's heavy weight, I was thrown several meters, rolling and crashing into a wall, stars dancing in my eyes.

This was the most despicable trait of fire-enchanted monsters—they had a 50% chance to explode upon death. Among us, I had the highest health and defense in my Werebear form, and the worst archery skills, making me the best shield. Even I felt it was my destiny, though it was tragic.

My back was probably a mess of blood and flesh. I stood up, the pain excruciating. Checking my health, I was shocked to see I had lost over 100 points, a fifth of my total. If it had been Marton, he would have been killed instantly.

Druf walked over, seeing my grimace, and chuckled, patting my bear waist. "Young man, you're quite sturdy, still able to move around."

"Uncle Druf, you're not bad yourself. How about you try next time?" I rolled my eyes, forgetting I was still a Werebear, making my expression comically amusing. The others laughed, and the tense atmosphere in the hall lifted.

After canceling the transformation and resting a bit, Yihana began to count our loot. She soon shouted excitedly.

"Ah, a military dagger dropped from a minion! Amazing!"

We gathered around and saw a white military dagger. Though not valuable to us, it was rare to drop from a regular monster.

What frustrated me was that the minion was killed by Marton, not me. His smug look clearly said, "See, you only drop potions and gold." Though it highlighted my low drop rate, why did I still feel so annoyed? Ah, ah, ah!

Next, the Countess gave us another surprise. Though I did not kill her, she still dropped two blue items, a rune, and a cracked blue gem, along with several potions and gold.

One of the blue items was an Assassin's wrist blade. Seeing Marton's delighted expression, the three of us were speechless—was today his lucky day?

"By the way, let's fill in that blood pool; it's disgusting."

After clearing the area, I suggested, and Marton and Yihana agreed.

"No, we can't fill in the blood pool," Druf suddenly stopped us.

"Even if we do, the Countess will kill more people to refill it when she respawns. If you really care, focus on training and enter the third world to kill her for good."

We hadn't thought of that. Druf was right; filling it would only lead to more innocent deaths. We reluctantly left the blood pool, and Marton and I spat into it before quickly leaving.

As we left, I thought about the Countess's dying words. She had called out "Andariel," a chilling sound. Could they have a connection? My otaku mind raced.

At the entrance of the fifth level, we unexpectedly met another team of five Transcenders: an Amazon, a Sorceress, two Barbarians, and a Paladin. Their equipment was excellent, almost on par with ours, clearly a high-level elite team.

Seeing us return, their expressions changed. However, the expected cliché did not happen. The leading Paladin, Sarc, looked disappointed but then patted Druf's shoulder. "Druf, looks like we lost this time."

"Ha, Sarc, it's been a while. We just got here a bit earlier."

They knew each other. With only a few thousand Transcenders in the Rogue Encampment, it was not surprising that high-level Transcenders were familiar. They might even have been training camp classmates.

Sarc looked at us, focusing on me.

"Druf, I didn't expect this. When did your team get a new expert? Can you introduce us?"

Sarc was surprised. Generally, established teams rarely let others join due to established teamwork, especially elite teams like Druf's.

"He's an excellent Druid named Wu Fan. You might have heard of him."

"Is he the lone Druid who trained alone like Lady Shalana? Impressive, impressive..." Sarc was clearly impressed.

"Mr. Sarc, you flatter me. I still have a long way to go compared to you." I shook his hand, smiling. It was easier to communicate with someone of similar strength.

Since the fifth level was already cleared, Sarc's team had no interest in the leftovers. We chatted for a while and then parted ways. Adventurers generally avoid large groups to maintain training and experience.

When we returned to the teleportation point, almost ten days had passed. The rich experience almost pushed me to level 16, but I deliberately killed fewer monsters in the last few days to avoid revealing my four-times experience attribute.

In the luxurious room of the Black Marsh teleportation station, we sat on the floor, filled our stomachs, and began dividing the loot. Yes, it was time to split the spoils.

The loot from the tower was substantial, but most were potions and gold, easily divided. Next were a few white items, two blue items—a blue leather armor and an Assassin's wrist blade—and the rune the Countess dropped, which was the Ral rune.

Ral

Weapon: +5-30 fire damage

Armor: +30% fire resistance

Shield: +35% fire resistance

Required level: 19

Finally, there were a few cracked gems.

These items were valuable, especially the Ral rune and the Assassin's wrist blade.

Marton chose the wrist blade, offering a few cracked gems as compensation.

I picked the rune without hesitation, offering four cracked gems in return. The rest of the items were their concern. We were not a team, just a temporary alliance to kill the Countess.

After dividing the loot, we fell silent, the atmosphere feeling off. I muttered to myself, and Druf finally stood up, extending his hand. "Wu, though I know it's unlikely, I still want to invite you to join our team, to fight together, to share life and death."

Seeing their sincere and passionate eyes, I was moved, sighing inwardly. Such an excellent team was rare, and I admired their personalities. But it was impossible.

However, seeing their eager looks, I didn't know what to say. I couldn't refuse but also couldn't accept. Seeing my struggle, Druf laughed heartily and patted my shoulder. "Wu, no need to explain. We expected this. If you were interested in joining, you would have been recruited long ago. You must have your reasons."

Though disappointed, they did not hold any grudges. That night, the kind Yihana treated me like a younger brother, teaching me basic training tips. They noticed my strong skills but weak fundamentals, whether in close combat or minor details. It was not my fault; I hadn't undergone the years of training they had, and I was already doing well.

Marton, meanwhile, played with his new wrist blade, muttering about surpassing me and eventually reaching the legendary Assassin's level of Natya. A good goal, but by then, I might have surpassed the strongest, Tal Rasha. Hoho...

We talked all night, only sleeping in the early hours. The next morning, Druf and the others bid me farewell, entering the teleportation point to the first level of the prison. Seeing the empty teleportation pad, I felt a sense of loneliness. I didn't like being alone...

Leaving the castle and summoning Xiao Xue and Lazy Crow, I shook off my low mood. I wasn't alone; they were with me. I mounted Xiao Xue, and she neighed excitedly, galloping through the Black Marsh. Lazy Crow flew overhead, occasionally landing on my shoulder to preen, never resting.

Under my command, Xiao Xue ran west—my final destination. The once-glorious monastery stood tall on the Tamoe Highlands, with the camp, prison, corridor, and even Andariel's lair—the cemetery—all there. Ral and the others were likely in the Tamoe Highlands. Thinking of this, I shouted excitedly, and Xiao Xue sped up, a white blur racing westward.