Chapter 45

After all, the chrysanthemum can also be considered a vital part. The brown bear had less than a thousand health points left, and after running for a dozen steps, it was already swaying, barely able to stay on its feet, and lay diagonally on the riverbed, leaving itself to be slaughtered by the thief behind it.

The experience prompt in the team's adventure log indicated that Fang Yi had dealt with the trouble. The Golden Right Hand confidently pulled the remaining two brown bears to a safe distance, and only after Fang Yi returned to the team did everyone start to attack the bear monsters with all their might.

At this distance, there was no danger, and the few of them attacked with ease. The brown bear that had run away halfway was taken care of by Fang Yi, who was at the front of the team. The subsequent groups of small monsters were dealt with in the same way. The five-person team spent half an hour clearing the last wave of brown bears and finally left the annoying leech river, stepping onto the true ground of the Emerald Forest.

As soon as they landed, a mist enveloped them. The Emerald Forest, shrouded in dense fog, appeared unusually dark. Compared to the still somewhat green trees at the entrance of the dungeon, the trees here were almost black, with dark green branches and leaves mixed with grayish-white fog, creating a dizzying effect.

To prevent being ambushed, the team formed a spherical formation, with the bard in the center, and only Fang Yi slightly ahead.

After bypassing a chaotic area of black locust trees, a small clearing appeared before Fang Yi. The mist here was very thin, and without much effort, Fang Yi could see the road extending to the center of the clearing and ending there. On the other side of the clearing was a dense forest wall, just like on both sides of the road.

Fang Yi sent a message in the team chat, asking everyone to wait in place, and then moved clockwise toward the opposite side alone.

Since entering the dungeon, Fang Yi's skills of investigation, listening, and detecting traps had been continuously active. With the generous support of the Golden Right Hand, the team's supplies were very adequate, and Fang Yi had no qualms about taking 10 bottles of mana recovery potions.

The ground was dry, and the corner was clean, with not a single fallen leaf on this clearing, forming a stark contrast to the surrounding silent jungle and the damp, decaying leaves nearly a foot thick. Fang Yi slowed his steps as much as possible, his nerves taut, using his eyes and ears to gather as much information as possible about the surrounding environment, but still found nothing.

At this moment, the bard noticed that the team's buff was about to expire. With the captain's approval, the bard raised his hand slightly and uttered two clear syllables. The magic symbol representing the Ironskin spell—a small shield emitting a bright white light—gently landed on everyone.

Almost at the same time, Fang Yi keenly felt a slight tremor under his feet. This coincidence made Fang Yi momentarily think that the bard's spell had a vibration effect?

In the next moment, the thief, whose nerves had been taut for a long time, reacted to what was happening, rushing toward the source of the tremor, which was behind the team.

The team's reaction was also quick. The carpenter, responsible for the rear guard, stepped back to block behind the bard, knowing that before the Golden Right Hand arrived, he was the first line of defense for the healer.

The carpenter, who had turned around in the first moment, only managed to see a huge black shadow emerging from the ground where they had just walked. The carpenter, who was in stealth mode, had just prepared to parry when he felt a massive force hit his arm, sending him flying into the air. Everyone in the team, including Fang Yi, clearly saw a large -77 appear above the thief who had been knocked out of stealth.

Originally, this attack was aimed at the team's bard. The monster, covered in mud, seemed confused about why it had randomly thrown something into the air, pausing for a fraction of a second before its second attack was barely blocked by the Golden Right Hand's shield.

"Mage, Concealment Fog! Bard, Illusory Sound!" Fang Yi, who had already rushed into the battlefield, caught the carpenter, preventing the thief from taking fall damage, and shouted to the others.

Fang Yi, being farther away, had the clearest view of the ambushing monster and immediately thought of a strategy. At this point, Fang Yi had already become a more stylish expert than the captain in everyone's eyes, and the mage and bard subconsciously followed the thief's instructions.

The monster, trapped in the Concealment Fog, was confused by the Illusory Sound spell cast by the mage, and the team took the opportunity to retreat to an open area. The carpenter had only suffered severe damage but no broken bones and could soon move freely. Only then did everyone get a chance to see the full appearance of the ambushing monster.

This disgusting monster looked like a hybrid of a crustacean, insect, and snake. A pair of giant pincers, almost as long as its body, continuously waved in front, clearly the culprit that had sent the carpenter flying. Under the orange-yellow carapace, it had four long, webbed, segmented legs, and a thick tail that reminded one of a large lobster. The most nauseating part was its mouth, which had many wriggling tentacles, like a stuffed octopus.

Fang Yi subconsciously touched the stubble on his chin, thinking, "How did we run into this thing..." Everyone's detection spells were cast immediately, but apart from getting the name "Carapace Monster" and its level 15 elite status, all other information was a question mark, causing some mutual glances.

The bard had already cast a spell to heal moderate damage on the thief, and the carpenter's health returned to normal. The Golden Right Hand, who had never seen this monster before, gave Fang Yi a questioning look.

"How much strength do you have, and is your shield blue?" Fang Yi asked quickly.

"Strength 17, Constitution 19, and the shield is a level 12 green item," the Golden Right Hand answered, knowing that Fang Yi was about to set up a strategy.

Fang Yi, lacking experience with this type of monster, tried to recall the information in his mind and said, "This is a Carapace Monster. According to the level of the Emerald Forest, it should be a challenge level 16 or 17 elite."

By this time, the effect of the Concealment Fog was gradually fading, and the Carapace Monster quickly discovered the team hiding in the distance. The four long legs made a creaking sound as it crawled toward the clearing where the team was.

"I'll keep it short," Fang Yi knew time was tight, checking his skill cooldowns while speaking faster, "It's very slow! Right Hand, try to dodge; its strength is much higher than yours. Except for the knight, no one should approach the Carapace Monster's head or tail, be careful of the cleave attack. Also... be careful of its tentacles; they have a paralyzing effect."

Fang Yi filtered the information about the Carapace Monster in his mind, ensuring nothing was missed. Seeing everyone's tense expressions, he knew that facing a new and formidable monster for the first time could be nerve-wracking. He smiled and said, "This guy is just a warrior with a paralyzing needle, nothing special, just takes some time." Fang Yi, holding a curved sword, and the carpenter moved to the sides and got into position, then signaled to the Golden Right Hand, "Go!"

* Perhaps due to a bad mood, the writing state has not been good these past two days. I wrote and deleted, and the plot was unsatisfactory, and I didn't feel good about the word count, so the word count has been a bit low these past two days. Please bear with me.

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