Chapter 73: Simple Strategies
Translated by Karai of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Addis
“Was he just targeted?”
“Should we rescue a few?”
For a moment, the voice channel lost its commanding voice, and the skill reports that were previously constant stopped. The healers, always attentive to the team’s status, immediately noticed the absence of personnel. ScarletFruit was about to speak when another voice took over the command in the voice channel, “Momo was targeted.”
“No waves underwater, Giant Mountain Shield for Yellow Peach, Physical Swordsman prepare for the Great Sword Formation.”
At this moment, those on the surface were enduring the scorching effects brought on by the blazing sun, while underwater, melee fighters and the main tank were enduring the powerful attacks of the mermaid. With unknown targeting, waves, and the impending phantoms, the sole countdown command had disappeared.
In this instant, the rhythm of the skills became unknown.
ZenSlasher asked nervously, “Should we rescue the commander?”
Just then, a text popped up in the team’s chat channel: “Do not rescue.”
At the same time, Yu Zhen spoke up, “Do not rescue.”
The voice and the text appeared simultaneously. Yu Zhen glanced slightly in the next moment and saw the numbers ‘5’ and ‘Get on the pavilion.’
Counting down 5 seconds, get on the pavilion.
Yu Zhen immediately reacted, “Underwater, be ready to get on the pavilion and handle the phantoms.”
The mermaid raised its hand in the water, and its tail instantly whipped up huge waves, accompanied by numerous phantoms and splashes. There was no room left on the pavilion, so the four melee fighters who came later could only barely avoid being swept away by holding onto their teammates’ hands. Everyone watched the intimidating underwater phantoms, which were much more powerful than those on the surface.
“Ranged, keep attacking; melee, hold off for a moment.”
At this moment, the boss’s health was at 95%. After experiencing over a minute of chaotic initial phase, with irregular and unpredictable skills, the commander was singled out, and the rhythm of the skills became erratic. Fortunately, another person in the team promptly took over the command, preventing the situation from deteriorating.
Underwater, Su Mo calmly listened to Yu Zhen’s commands in the team’s voice channel. The text channel was mostly closed or unnoticed, and in the familiarity of voice commands, text reminders would often be delayed. In the recent situation, he was the only one in the entire team counting down. If they had chosen to rescue or take refuge underwater, they would likely have been caught by the phantoms, resulting in a loss of 3-5 people, around 40% of the team.
At that time, he had counted down 5 seconds in advance, and fortunately, his reminder was seen in time, and Yu Zhen made a timely decision.
Su Mo’s nervous heart finally settled down. Sitting in the stone cage at the bottom of the lake, he looked at the faint figures above him. He glanced at the underwater structures and took the opportunity during the time he was designated to re-observe the areas that had not been fully explored before.
However, after only about seven or eight seconds, his eyes began to feel uncomfortable. Even though players were equipped with the skill “Water Adaptation,” for someone like Su Mo who rarely dived deeply in reality, this environment was still challenging, especially for his eyes, making him extremely uncomfortable.
He decided to close his eyes altogether, helping with the countdown while organizing all the details about this boss.
From the beginning until now, their approach was too chaotic. The only predictable skills were the illusions and the boss’s two stance changes. However, the most threatening skills like the wave slam and the targeted attacks showed no warning signs at all. The pavilion was too small, accommodating at most four melee fighters, leaving the other six members virtually stranded without a position. Trying to pull the boss to the shore was impractical and would cause aggro issues.
Going underwater for the fight wasn’t feasible either. Skills underwater slowed down, and the boss’s enhanced stance changes would pose a problem. In the blink of an eye, 15 seconds had passed, and Su Mo opened his eyes to post a 3-second reminder in the text channel.
At this moment, he heard his teammates discussing in the voice channel.
“In fact, it’s easier to deal with when it’s underwater. The burning effect is equivalent to AoE damage, so just focus on healing.”
“Yeah, and when it’s underwater, the wind generated by the illusions won’t affect us standing above.”
Wait… The wave slam is caused by the vibration of the mermaid’s tail underwater, which creates waves that displace everyone. In severe cases, it can even knock people in the pavilion down into the water.
As for the illusions, they generate winds and waves centered around the mermaid. If they only affect underwater, could it be a horizontal effect?
Su Mo suddenly had a new strategy in mind. If there were no positions available, they would have to create them. Just then, he heard the mermaid’s voice again, calling out another player.
In the adjacent cage, it seemed there was an additional person. Glancing over, it appeared to be FireworksAndLanterns. Having identified the person, they awaited rescue, but due to the illusions, the rescue might be delayed… He was thinking this when suddenly he heard the sound of a lock being opened.
Su Mo abruptly opened his eyes and saw Yu Zhen in front of him, gripping his wrist firmly and pulling him out of the cage with swift movements. Movement speed buffs were applied to him.
Yu Zhen used the cage’s leverage, pushing him up with force and swiftly turning to unlock the adjacent cage to rescue FireworksAndLanterns. Su Mo had no time to ponder why Yu Zhen had arrived so quickly. He remained calm and continued the countdown, though his slightly erratic heartbeat affected his efficiency, forcing him to glance at the countdown timer for [Scorching day] next to him.
At this point, only three minutes had passed since the boss was engaged, and there were still three minutes until the next equipment restriction would be imposed.
Su Mo emerged from the water and summoned the bear without hesitation. The massive bear landed in the water, creating a splash, leaving only its head and shoulders above the surface. “3 seconds until Phantoms, bear up,” Su Mo commanded.
Beside him, Apple hesitated for a moment seeing the large bear, but upon hearing the familiar command, his body reacted instinctively. After confirming the bear’s position, he used a light skill to leap up.
“Jump.”
Everyone else: “???” Jump??? What kind of jump? Jump in place?
At the moment when the Phantom appeared, Su Mo almost simultaneously jumped. Apple, who was beside him, foolishly followed suit. The mermaid had already reached the shore, and as its Phantom emerged, a gust of wind swept out. Those who had jumped directly avoided the momentary shock and landed steadily on the bear.
However, several others who hadn’t reacted in time were blown quite far by the wind. They hastily used light skills to dodge or went straight into defense.
Apple was stunned, “Wow, can we really do that?”
“Both the Tail Sweep and the wind are horizontal skills. With sufficient height from the jump, theoretically, we can avoid the damage,” Su Mo explained. “That’s also why just now, when it was in the water, those on the shore weren’t affected.”
FireworksAndLanterns surfaced just in time to witness the scene. “I’ll release the bear too.”
“Stop the bear,” Su Mo saw this and his gaze hardened slightly. “The bear can’t float, its large size underwater will affect rescuing and swimming to reach people. It’s also difficult to target the underwater boss.”
The bear was tall, and while it was fine to place it far away for wind-blocking purposes earlier, once it was in the heart of the lake, its size on the surface would shrink. While sinking doesn’t affect its taunting abilities, its reduced size above water isn’t sufficient for multiple people to stand on, and it may affect ZenSlasher’s ability to dive for rescues.
Moreover, with a boss that’s highly agile, they need quick attacks, and the bear’s presence could hinder visibility.
It’s fine for emergency use, but it’s not suitable for prolonged use in this scenario.
“Retreat from combat first; I have an idea,” Su Mo continued. “Let go of ScarletFruit. Everyone else, return to the shore.”
Upon hearing this, the others hesitated for a moment but quickly obeyed the command, swiftly returning to the shore. They waited until ScarletFruit was killed by the boss before completely disengaging from combat.
***
Back on shore, everyone listened to Su Mo as he outlined a new strategy.
“We need to re-evaluate its mechanics and skills. Note that we can temporarily evade the effects of the waves from both the slap and the phantoms by jumping at a sufficient height. With the damage at 1% per second, within the range our healers can manage, we won’t dodge.”
“But how are we going to stand on the water’s surface? Didn’t you say we shouldn’t use the bear?”
Apple thought carefully for a moment, “I just tested the Frost Sword Technique, which can create ice temporarily. However, the freezing effect only lasts for 5 seconds with a skill cooldown of 7 seconds. Two magical swordsmen can seamlessly alternate, but I can’t manage it alone.”
Su Mo chuckled at this, “You forgot that FireworksAndLanterns has the Thousand-Year Ice.”
“Ice has low density and can float. Moreover, FireworksAndLanterns’s ice is large enough to accommodate two people standing on top without any issues.”
The team members were stunned.
“Wow, you can use it like that?”
FireworksAndLanterns’s eyes lit up, immediately placing the Thousand-Year Frost on the water’s surface. “I told you bringing me along for this dungeon wouldn’t be a waste.”
“But the waves and illusions affect the water’s surface, and the ice will also move,” ZenSlasher pointed out.
Others agreed. Even if they could find a landing point, it wouldn’t be fixed, and they could drift away.
“Then let’s secure the ice.” Su Mo looked at Yu Zhen. “I remember you have a sky rope that can extend infinitely?”
Yu Zhen took out the rope. “I can completely tie up the ice and then secure the other end to the pavilion.”
“Can you secure it properly?” Su Mo asked.
“Yes,” Yu Zhen confirmed.
The others exclaimed, “Wow! Can we really do that!?”
Apple suddenly realized, “I remember chatting privately with ChatMasterWu at noon. I asked him what he was doing, and he said he was chopping trees… I suddenly realized why the main brain left us such a large forest.”
FireworksAndLanterns added, “Now that you mention it, there’s also mountain vine in the forest. If we run out of rope, we can use the mountain vine as well!”
Even with the Thousand-Year Ice, it could only accommodate about two people. Considering the casting needs, what about the other four ranged players? Should they stay in the water? Or should they also go chop trees and make a raft?
Hearing their concerns, Su Mo replied succinctly, “No need. We have two summoners who can summon Black Tortoise.”
The summoned creature Black Tortoise had only one skill, typically used by summoners as a damage reduction skill. Essentially shaped like a turtle, it was adept in water and could float on the surface. Moreover, its skill acted like a damage reduction tether, controlled by its master to firmly attach to a target up to 3 meters away.
“Isn’t this damage reduction tether just like an invisible rope?” remarked FireworksAndLanterns. “You’re so clever; you’ve found ways to innovate even with summoned creatures.”
“Just now you mentioned there’s mountain vine in the forest. With that said, the Sky Rope has another use,” Yu Zhen added, “It can be tied to the cage. It only takes 2 seconds to unlock and rescue someone from underwater, saving time spent swimming.”
The rest of the team was amazed. While the other group relied on chopping trees in the scene to make rafts, their team now had ice ships and turtle vehicles, and even a direct underwater elevator.
After finalizing the plan, everyone set about their tasks with clear assignments. Tying the ice ship was straightforward, especially since it was Thousand-Year Ice that wouldn’t melt in the water.
The challenge lay in cutting the mountain vines. These were special vines that required seven or eight cuts to sever, clearly indicating their special purpose.
After about ten minutes of preparation, they were ready. Everyone used light steps to reach the Pavilion Vicinity, tying the mountain vines to spots on the pavilion that were less likely to come under attack. They also prepared some spare ropes.
“I can’t get close to the cage right now. I’ll go rescue, when someone’s called,” said Yu Zhen. “Unless I’m called, I’ll handle rescues in all other situations.”
“ScarletFruit, come with me. Yellow Peach, go with FireworksAndLanterns. Array master and magical swordsman, get on the ice,” Su Mo instructed, directing Black Tortoise to link its damage reduction tether to Bitter melon. “Firework, tether with Watermelon for damage reduction. Pay attention to the summoning time of the summoned creatures and refresh it in advance.”
ScarletFruit immediately climbed onto the back of Black Tortoise. “This is so cool!”
“Yellow Peach, steady yourself,” FireworksAndLanterns held onto Watermelon, steering carefully. “Don’t worry, I’m a professional driver.”
Watermelon felt a bit strange. “Although I’m happy to have damage reduction while being tethered, it still feels a bit off.”
“Relax, buddy,” ClearWind reassured him. “Aren’t you the most fragile one? Having damage reduction is already good.”
This time, initiating combat became extremely simple.
Just as the battle began, a wave surged forward. With a swift command, everyone immediately noticed the boss’s movements. As soon as its tail lifted, they all jumped in place. The wave pushed the ice and Black Tortoise back several paces, but thanks to the mountain vine and damage reduction tether, they didn’t drift away. Everyone successfully avoided the wave.
Now they were completely at ease, and everyone went all out with their attacks.
“Good job. Next should be the phantom images and target calling. Everyone, pay attention,” Su Mo said briefly. “The phantom images are signaled by a raised hand, the wave by a lifted tail. Watch the timing, 5 seconds.”
As the 5 seconds passed, the phantom images arrived. Everyone dodged the fierce winds, and underwater, the phantom images stirred up the lake surface, with some even leaping onto it, their fish tails glistening in the sunlight, almost whipping against the people.
“These shadows are becoming tricky.”
“That tail almost knocked me down.”
“Keep your balance, don’t fall off,” Su Mo instructed ScarletFruit, urging them to crouch low and lower their center of gravity. “Healers, keep healing.”
ScarletFruit’s healing focused on the ice block, boosting the health of those around it. Meanwhile, Yellow Peach’s AoE healing was cast on the pavilion, raising the health of several people who were dangerously low due to burns.
The boss lifted its tail again, prompting everyone to jump up simultaneously, but nothing happened.
Everyone wondered, “Huh? What’s going on? This boss is playing tricks.”
Su Mo explained, “Jump whenever the tail lifts, whether there’s a wave or not.”
“Target call, ScarletFruit, array master, rescue mission,” Su Mo reminded. “Phantom images in 11 seconds.”
The array master on the ice block leaped into the water and swiftly swam to the underwater cage. After securing the flying rope, ScarletFruit was immediately rescued within 10 seconds.
In just a short span of 10 seconds, all operations were completed, bringing cleric ScarletFruit to the vicinity of Black Tortoise.
The boss swung its tail, and Su Mo promptly commanded, “Phantom images, jump!”
Everyone jumped up together. “Lower your center of gravity! Boss targets magical swordsman!”
Under the orderly command of Su Mo, the previously irregular skills seemed to become extremely simple. Their attack efficiency increased, and by the time the second equipment was banned by the scorching sun, they had already reduced the boss’s health to 65%.
Next, the second piece of equipment was banned. Defense, attack power, movement speed, and skill effectiveness all decreased again at this moment. The attack efficiency slowed down as well, but no one panicked. Their focus remained entirely on the boss, and whenever there was an opportunity to attack, they didn’t hesitate.
The boss’s health gradually dropped. Su Mo refreshed Black Tortoise, and the health was about to reach 50%. Just then, FireworksAndLanterns was targeted. Black Tortoise lost control, and the mermaid boss’s tail swung again, knocking FireworksAndLanterns’s Black Tortoise far away.
“Yellow Peach, use light steps to reach the ice ship,” Su Mo said. “Array master, rescue FireworksAndLanterns.”
The array master went underwater to rescue, and at that moment, the boss’s health reached 50%. Su Mo’s heart tightened—50% was the critical point to watch for any change in tactics from the merman boss.
Suddenly, the mermaid in the lake halted its attack, its deep blue eyes peering into the depths of the water. Immediately after, it transitioned into its underwater state and plunged into the lake.
It had gone underwater earlier than expected.
Author’s note: Later, a certain team’s scene of a vacation resort in the second level was suddenly posted in the exploration group.
Team A: Pavilions, air conditioning, ice ships, turtle ships!
Other teams: … Is this reasonable???
Lumberjack ChatMasterWu: Hehe.
Thanks for the chapter!