Chapter 62

Looking around, the scene of the werewolf infestation had not changed much.

What had changed was the atmosphere inside the instance.

As soon as they stepped in, a dark and oppressive feeling enveloped them, making their hearts heavy. The entire instance was shrouded in a grayish hue, with a fierce wind carrying a fine rain that stung slightly. The scenery gradually blurred from near to far, and the end of the field of vision was not far away, dark and deep, as if someone had splashed ink, heavily staining it.

Low and terrifying sounds came from the surrounding forest and bushes, occasionally accompanied by the sound of wood breaking and debris falling.

In short, the feeling was very unpleasant.

【System: Your level has been adjusted!】

A system prompt pulled Yang Ye's thoughts back. He glanced at it and nodded silently. He knew about the system's level adjustment; it was impossible for a level 30 character to easily clear a level 10+ abyssal instance.

Ichi Taoshi, who also received the message, looked deeply at Yang Ye and asked, "Can we make it?"

This question drew the attention of Li Yanxin, Wu Di, and Cheng Jun, who all turned their gazes to Yang Ye. "It should be fine... I'll do my best, but I haven't cleared it before," Yang Ye said.

The four nodded, indicating their understanding.

"Xiao Ye, you're really something. Xiao Di and I haven't even entered this instance, and you're leading us to the hardest one," Li Yanxin laughed, but despite his words, he showed no worry.

"I won't take responsibility for a full wipe. It's all due to unfamiliarity, and I reserve the right to final interpretation," Wu Di quickly said, fearing he would be blamed for a wipe.

"Same here!" Cheng Jun added.

Yang Ye smiled helplessly, "Come on, it's just an abyssal instance. It's not a big deal if we can't clear it. Don't worry, I won't blame you. Besides, I'm just here to try it out. I've wanted to try it for a long time. And Xiao Di, do you even know what 'final interpretation' means?"

"Whatever, I won't take responsibility for a wipe, and I still reserve the right to final interpretation," Wu Di called out, not caring about the interpretation, as long as he wasn't blamed for a wipe.

"Agreed, agreed," Li Yanxin and Cheng Jun quickly chimed in.

Yang Ye looked helplessly at Taoshi and then at the somewhat strange werewolves nearby, saying, "Let's test the small monsters first."

In the abyssal mode of the werewolf infestation, the small monsters had not turned into anything else; they were still werewolves, but they were clearly different from the werewolves in the nightmare mode.

The werewolves in the abyssal mode had sharper and more frequently trembling wolf ears, indicating a much larger hate range. Their eyes, unlike those of the werewolves in the normal instance, were blood red, with a fierce gaze. Their nostrils sniffed constantly, and their fangs were longer, with saliva dripping from their bared teeth. The claws on their paws glowed with a cold light, and their fur stood slightly on end, emitting a black aura, giving the impression of being corrupted. And indeed, they were.

Corrupted Werewolf (Abyssal)

Level: 15

...

Skills:

Sharp Claws: Using my sharp claws, I'll scratch you. How does that sound? The werewolf uses its sharp claws to attack enemies, causing damage and potentially inflicting a bleeding state.

Keen Scent: I... I smell the scent of a little lamb! With the keen scent of the wolf clan, the hate range is increased by 20%, and damage is increased by 3%.

Description: A member of the Fangtooth Tribe, with an extraordinary physique, astonishing speed, and keen scent, but still just a cannon fodder, no hope!

Additional: Abyssal Mode: The werewolf, corrupted by the abyssal aura, has undergone significant changes in appearance, with all attributes increased by 3% and skills enhanced by 3%.

(Drop: None)

"Hey, old friend, you've changed quite a bit," Yang Ye said, looking at the "Abyssal Mode" attribute under his miner's hat.

"Indeed, tsk tsk, they look quite scary, wonder if they're just paper tigers," Taoshi also said, having come this far. The werewolf infestation was the first instance in "TTOS," and everyone had a memory of it.

Li Yanxin and the others remained silent, showing no fear. After all, they hadn't experienced the difficulty of the nightmare mode, so they had no clear concept of the difficulty of the abyssal mode.

"Let's not worry about them, Taoshi, pull one over to practice and test the damage," Yang Ye called out. Pulling monsters was usually the job of an archer or assassin, but since the players of these classes were not reliable, Taoshi, the mage, had to do it. Yang Ye could have done it too, but it was better to keep a control skill in reserve.

Taoshi, being straightforward, walked a few steps forward, pointed his staff, and a small spatial rift appeared, precisely grazing the head of a werewolf.

Yang Ye marveled at how skilled Taoshi had become with these abilities.

The werewolf, hit by the skill, became even angrier, its eyes glowing red. Its claws grew longer, and it roared, charging at Taoshi with razor-sharp claws gleaming.

As a spatial mage, Taoshi was not afraid of 1v1 fights, except for a few specific cases. He calmly used spatial cuts to block the werewolf's path, and when the werewolf was about to reach him, he cast a spatial collapse, twisted his body, and teleported back to the group.

Although the series of skills seemed numerous, the actual time was very short, and the system's adjustments to the characters were significant.

When the werewolf reached the group again, its health was down to about 80-90%.

Yang Ye immediately dashed forward, taking a direct hit from the werewolf, then quickly followed up with a normal attack, a disengage, another normal attack, and retreated two steps before re-engaging with more normal attacks, drawing the werewolf's hate.

At this point, he didn't dare to be overconfident; he just wanted to test the damage to make better judgments later.

"OK, that's enough. The monster's attributes are quite high, and it's a bit tough to fight. Let's be cautious," Yang Ye called out, turning to stab the werewolf again.

Following his instructions, Li Yanxin and the others excitedly began to attack. This was their first time in an instance, and they were quite looking forward to it.

Thus, the five of them steadily began the abyssal instance. Meanwhile, a video was gaining popularity on various forums and video sites, with clicks soaring and various sensational headlines flying around, all with a unified theme—

Follower: Lilina!

Indeed, the video of Lilina's battle after activating her nuclear-powered booster had been exposed!

The uploader was someone from the Dayu Studio, who originally intended to complain to the game operator about the follower being too overpowered. However, the game company bluntly stated that the characters and modes in the game were fine, leaving them frustrated. Even more infuriatingly, the company bought the video from a member of the studio, added some censorship, and posted it online.

Shameful! Too shameful!

Although the Dayu Studio was angry, they were helpless.

However, this push brought the topic of the powerful follower Lilina back into the spotlight. The video of Lilina's battle became a hot topic among players.

A follower with combat power comparable to top players and far surpassing ordinary players, a follower capable of aerial combat, and a cute, soft, and adorable follower—these were what many players dreamed of...

For a time, news and posts about followers flooded the internet...

[On the Importance of Followers! Game Experts Explain the Economic Benefits of Followers!] Go to hell, experts, a bunch of armchair theorists.

[I Have a Follower with Powerful Attributes, Boss, Black People and Journalists, Step Aside!] Holy crap, this guy has a follower and is selling it?! When people clicked in, damn, it was indeed a follower, but with a broken leg and a missing arm. Is this even a follower? Can it walk? No! Can it fly? No! Damn, what are you talking about!

[Request Analysis of the Follower in the Battle of Promises! Why Can It Fly?] This was what many players wanted to know, and the post received the most replies. It even attracted official staff to join the discussion. Flying is just a skill, everyone understood, but it was all for fun.

The forums were lively, and the major video sites were no different. Videos about Lilina were quickly featured on the homepage and other prominent positions, attracting a surge of new players to the game.

Lilina, the sensation!

All of this was unknown to the few people struggling in the abyssal instance. After clearing all the small monsters on the way, they finally reached the end of the instance, beyond the nightmare mode. In the normal mode, defeating an elite monster here marked the end of the instance, while in the nightmare mode, they had to continue forward and defeat Fangtooth to complete it.

But, the abyssal mode was different!

After clearing to this point, they circled around but found no elite monster. Was there none? Could they just pass? They tried, but it didn't work. They had to wait.

The four stood there, restoring their health and mana, waiting for the elite monster to appear.

After waiting for a while, they didn't get the expected elite monster but heard a familiar voice: "I have already given you the chance to retreat, but you did not take it. Therefore, I must follow the orders of Lord Night Lynx and take your lives, and then... throw your corpses out!"

As the words ended, magical light filled the area, and a magic circle suddenly appeared in the center. A massive figure gradually materialized...