Chapter 97

Vicari, who rushed out at an incredible speed, didn't give Yang Ye any time to react. Even if he had time to react, he wouldn't have been able to dodge; this skill was simply undodgeable.

"Puff!"

A soft sound echoed as Vicari burst out from under Yang Ye's feet, throwing him high into the air. A damage number appeared first—

-1499!

Then, Vicari, emerging from the mud, continued his attack without pause. His tentacles aimed at Yang Ye, who was floating in the water, unable to move. Two massive tentacles grew immediately, and he shouted, "Vicari... Vicari tentacle... no... tentacle attack!!"

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" Two sounds of breaking water came as the tentacles pierced towards Yang Ye like steel needles...

Even though Sakura Rain and the others were prepared, they couldn't react in time. By the time they turned around, Yang Ye was already in the water, with the two large tentacles almost touching him.

"Apricot Flower, heal!" Sakura Rain called out anxiously, guessing that Yang Ye would probably be killed instantly, but still asked Apricot Flower to heal, hoping to save him.

Apricot Flower had already started using healing spells before Sakura Rain called her, but it was too late. Vicari's two tentacles had already landed on Yang Ye—

-2322!

-2459!

Nearly 4,700 damage! Combined with the previous 1,500 damage, Yang Ye had only a little over 1,000 HP left.

However, he didn't die!

Yang Ye recovered from being thrown and floated back down. Apricot Flower quickly came over to heal him, continuously restoring his health.

"I was so scared, I thought you were going to die." Sakura Rain patted her chest, her two peaks trembling slightly—this was what they called a healer!

"It's fine, let's continue." Yang Ye smiled.

After the intense moment, the group resumed their attack on Vicari. Strangely, when Sakura Rain and the others had previously cleared this dungeon, Vicari had never used a combination of skills like this. The damage from being thrown and then attacked by tentacles was ruthless. If it weren't for Yang Ye, any of the other three squishy players would have been killed instantly.

This situation also made Nightfall look at Yang Ye with more respect. He had always been proud of his HP, and at this stage, few warriors could have 7,000 HP. This Promise of Battle could withstand over 6,000 damage, and from the remaining HP, it seemed his maximum HP was probably over 8,000?

While the group was thinking, Vicari's HP was already low.

"Vicari... Vicari doesn't want to be hit anymore, Vicari won't fight anymore!!" Shouting, the submarine-shaped eel Vicari turned and swam into the cave, his speed astonishing.

"Here we go again..." Lotus Rain sighed, clearly frustrated by Vicari's tactic.

"Ah. Let's follow. Promise, it's up to you. If it works, great; if not, we'll retreat." Sakura Rain took a deep breath. Her plan was to continue if it worked, and if not, to switch healers and try again. She never wanted to give up on conquering this dungeon.

The group swam weakly to the entrance of Vicari's cave. Inside, Vicari was cowering, trembling as he looked out. Lotus Rain cast two spells at him, but there was no reaction.

Under his miner's helmet, Yang Ye also saw something new. After Vicari returned to his lair, he gained a buff called "Return to Nest," which increased his health regeneration. This was the reason players found it difficult. The narrow cave entrance only allowed one person to attack Vicari, and at this stage, players' equipment wasn't good enough to offset Vicari's regeneration.

Of course, there were players with high enough attack to offset it, but they needed two healers to support them. Equipment that could do this was considered top-tier. For example, someone with a "Dragon Chaser" could easily kill the eel by themselves, and Yang Ye estimated he could do it too, but as a warrior, melee combat was more challenging.

"Promise, give it a try." Sakura Rain took a deep breath.

Yang Ye nodded and crouched outside the cave. The entrance was too low to see inside without crouching. He then extended his right hand towards Vicari inside and spread his fingers—

"Gravity Manipulation!!"

A familiar golden stream emerged and rushed towards Vicari. Vicari had no way to avoid it and was hit again. The powerful force made Vicari thrash wildly, spreading muddy water that enveloped the group. They stepped back slightly and waited...

A few seconds later, the golden stream dissipated in the water, but Vicari didn't emerge from the muddy water.

"Did it fail?" Sakura Rain sighed. If so, they would have to use the second plan.

Everyone felt disappointed, even Yang Ye. They had worked hard, but were stuck here again.

"Let's go back." Sakura Rain said, already thinking about which priest to call.

As they turned to leave, they heard a low, growling voice from behind: "You... You are too cruel! Bullying me, Vicari!?"

Suddenly, everyone's spirits lifted—It worked!!

It did work. Although the method was extreme, it was effective. Vicari was tormented by Yang Ye's Gravity Manipulation and was angry!! When he was angry, he needed to vent, and the only targets were the players in front of him. So, Vicari, attack!

Yang Ye watched as Vicari charged at him again and couldn't help but laugh. After all the trouble, this guy was still a stubborn one, only coming out when hit. But it was good that he came out. The group shook off their low spirits and resumed the fight.

Although Vicari roared that he was angry, he didn't do much. He didn't transform or gain any attributes. Could this be called anger? For an elite monster, it was embarrassing!

After a long and busy fight, the group finally sank the submarine, and it dropped two pieces of equipment before dissipating into data fragments. Strangely, Vicari didn't use his "emerge from the mud and tentacle attack" combo again, as if it was a special favor for Yang Ye...

After defeating Vicari, the group reorganized. They healed, and those who needed it, refreshed their minds. After a short rest, they passed through Vicari's cave, turned a corner, and reached the huge stone ruins. It was strange that Vicari didn't retreat further.

Beyond the ruins, there was another path, but this one looked much more beautiful. The small creatures swimming around were not the dark tadpoles and eels from before, but colorful fish—red, gold, and various other colors. They gently swam in the water, darting in and out of the seaweed, playing and chasing each other...

"So beautiful!" Apricot Flower, being a young girl, instinctively liked the bright colors.

"They are pretty, but I wonder how many are monsters. Do they eat people?" Nightfall asked. Yang Ye hadn't noticed, but this guy was also a bit of a killjoy.

"Hmph, if they eat people, they'll eat you!" Apricot Flower huffed.

"Alright, no more arguing. Let's continue and aim to clear this dungeon this time!" After overcoming the troublesome eel, Sakura Rain was in high spirits and laughed lightly.

The eerie mansion was right in front of them. Yang Ye looked up and sighed. Time flowed like water, erasing everything. From the structure of the mansion, it must have been magnificent in the past, but now it lay submerged, a playground for fish and monsters, its original appearance lost.

There was a distance from the ruins to the mansion's entrance, which they needed to overcome. After passing this path and pushing open the mansion's door, the final boss should be inside. For now, they had to clear it step by step.

Nightfall, as the powerful MT, led the way.

As soon as the group stepped onto the path, the beautiful little fish around them instantly turned into monsters with gaping mouths, baring sharp teeth and attacking the group. Nightfall's words were proven right—these fish were indeed man-eating monsters.

These monsters weren't hard to fight, but the key was their large numbers. Each monster slowed the group when it attacked, making it difficult to move. They also had a buff that reduced damage from non-water attacks, which was strange. In the water, monsters reduced damage from non-water attacks, not water attacks. Was this because they were more aware of their own weaknesses?

Regardless, Lotus Rain, the water mage, proved to be very useful. In the "Deep Freeze Pond" dungeon, water mages were the most valuable because their attacks were enhanced in water. So, everyone preferred to bring a water mage over a fire mage, even though the fire mage's damage wouldn't change, but it was in the water, after all.

Lotus Rain dealt explosive damage. Although she wasn't the most powerful or best-equipped mage in the Summer Palace, she was still in the top five. With the water attack bonus, her damage was very high, and the hate management was chaotic but manageable.

Even with Lotus Rain's output, she was still one person, and the monsters were numerous, so the progress was slow. The group took their time, and after a considerable effort, they finally passed the path.

Stepping onto the few steps leading to the mansion's entrance, Yang Ye stood in front of the massive door, covered in seaweed. He could faintly see its former outline—

A main door at least fifteen meters high.

"Alright, the final boss is next. Everyone, get ready, heal, and don't forget your breathing potions! Especially you, Promise, how many times have you forgotten?" Sakura Rain called out excitedly.

Yang Ye rubbed his nose. Was it really that many times? Only four times, right?

He obediently checked the remaining time of his Water Solvent NC100. It was still enough! He nodded at Sakura Rain, indicating no problem.

After confirming everyone was ready, Sakura Rain turned, placed her hand on the tightly closed mansion door, and said with a slight nervousness, "Let's go!"