Genius Chapter 90: The End

Chapter 90: The End

Translated by Karai of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

At that moment, Momo successfully climbed onto the platform on the opposite mountainside. The flying rope stretched out in a long line through the chaotic vines. It appeared to be the only foothold, yet it also posed a great challenge, leaving the teammates who had just witnessed the perilous climb deep in thought. The first person had made it across, but how would they get over without a second flying rope? Maybe they could tie themselves with a regular rope to add a bit of security, but would an ordinary rope hold up against the wild thrashing of the vines?

Su Mo reached the platform and turned back to his teammates on the other side. “It’s ready.”

Yu Zhen turned to face the mountain wall behind him. Using his lightness skill, he jumped to a certain height and then firmly lodged a single blade into the mountain wall.

“Brother, a bit higher,” Su Mo said.

CloudTraveller quickly understood their plan. “You can use a secondary weapon from the weapon slot.”

However, Yu Zhen did not use a secondary weapon. He pulled out the single blade and landed back down. He then used his lightness skill to jump up again. The steep mountain wall seemed to pose no difficulty for him, with slightly protruding scattered rocks serving as footholds. Finally, he reached a position about five meters above the ground, and as he descended, he once again lodged the single blade into the mountain wall.

The man’s movements were swift and precise, instantly creating a noticeable height difference at both ends of the rope. “Is this the right position?”

In just a few seconds, the two of them understood each other’s intentions. Su Mo also used his lightness skill to climb higher, finally stopping at a point about 2 meters above the ground.

They chose suitable heights on either side of the mountain wall, then used the original height difference between the two mountain platforms and the flying rope to create a long rope track in the air.

“What are they doing?” The others stood on the ground, looking up at the high-flying rope.

“Using the height… Are they expecting us to slide across?”

“Wow, this is amazing! Is this really possible!?”

“At this height… the vines can’t reach us, right?”

“I don’t think they can.”

Su Mo quickly asked, “ClearWind, do you still have any leftover vines from the last Departed Souls dungeon?”

ClearWind replied, “Yes! I’ll cut some out right away.”

“There’s no time. Array master and summoner, use your weapons directly. Use staffs and judge’s pens as makeshift rails to slide down,” Yu Zhen instructed, extending the flying rope and gripping the middle section. He lowered part of the rope below, saying, “Don’t waste time. Melee and healer, go first. The ranged players will provide cover.”

ScarletFruit said, “I’ve got plenty. I have leftover crafting materials, including staffs and pens.”

As a proficient high-level blacksmith, he had an ample supply of materials on him.

Yu Zhen continued, “Those without weapons, get one from ScarletFruit. Those who have weapons, go first.”

The flying rope could be infinitely extended and retracted. Yu Zhen grasped the middle of the rope and used its retractable feature to create a loop, making it a helpful tool for raising and lowering teammates.

ScarletFruit was stunned. “Whoa, Brother Wanderer, you’re really getting creative with this flying rope.”

“Momo, are you ready?” Yu Zhen called out to the slender figure on the opposite mountainside.

Su Mo quickly replied, “It’s secured, come on over.”

Fifteen minutes had already passed, leaving them with limited time.

The livestream viewers had just seen Momo’s daring cliff jump, and the next moment, they watched as this group of pros built an aerial slide track within a minute. Using weapons, ropes, and the height difference, they constructed a temporary long track in the air. Players sent up by UnchainedWanderer with the flying rope placed staff-like weapons horizontally on the rope, and once they balanced, they slid down using the height.

In-game, time was simpler than in reality. Players who had undergone physical tests knew exactly how to handle such a setup. They understood how to maintain balance under these conditions, knowing that as long as they held on tight, only being struck down by the vines would cause an accident.

The accumulated height difference created nearly two meters of clearance between the flying rope and the ground. The first to slide down was Apple, who perfectly crossed the chasm. The swinging vines couldn’t reach him, and he safely landed on the opposite mountainside platform.

Apple said, “Come on over, the vines can’t hit you.”

[Wow, amazing!]

[Should I say it’s not surprising from a pro team? Their execution is impeccable.] Now they didn’t even need the ranged professions for cover; everyone could get across.

Yu Zhen looked at the people on the other side. The load was almost entirely on him and Su Mo. The most obvious sign was their noticeable stamina drop. In this scenario, their stamina consumption rate increased, and the more stamina they used up, the fewer bonuses the game provided to the players.

Once their stamina was fully depleted, they would need to recover it. Otherwise, they would be playing with their unenhanced physical bodies.

By then, it would be hardly different from their real-life physical condition… His physical fitness was okay, but Su Mo’s was F-class. If their stamina was entirely depleted, Su Mo would be at greater risk.

However, switching people now would waste too much time. Su Mo must have had his own considerations.

Yu Zhen said, “Two people at a time. We’ll take a bit more time to be safe. Watermelon, you’ll go last, on your own.”

Watermelon finally understood what Momo meant when he said he would be the last. He had inherited the panel with high defensity and was the heaviest among them. In this situation, he counted as two people, so he naturally had to go last.

At the 20-minute mark, everyone had successfully crossed the chasm.

The cliff obstacle wasted too much time, but it was currently the safest option they could choose. Once everyone arrived, Su Mo didn’t scout ahead this time. Looking at the map, the endpoint was behind the mountain they were on, indicating that the difficulty might only be concentrated on the final stage.

“Black Tortoise, for those with slow movement speed,” Su Mo said directly. “Two summoners will tether Black Tortoise to the assassin. The assassin will run, and the flying rope can take one person. Everyone else relies on the array from the array master.”

Everyone was racing against the clock, with the final ten-minute countdown displayed on each person’s interface.

The assassin took the lead, causing Black Tortoise’s speed to instantly increase. After the cliff, they encountered a winding downhill path. Because it was downhill, it was much easier to walk than before. After circling the mountain, they faced a relatively flat downhill road. Everyone was running, and there was a noticeable decline in stamina consumption once again.

Su Mo monitored his stamina. If the upcoming paths were all like this, he estimated he could only hold out for another seven or eight minutes before he couldn’t continue on his own and would have to rely on his teammates.

Time passed second by second. By the 22-minute mark, they encountered two large mountains. More accurately, it was a mountain road sandwiched between the two mountains. The tall mountains on both sides and the exposed cliffs gave a strong sense of oppression. Danger seemed to lurk everywhere. Su Mo halted at the entrance and picked up a stone from the ground, tossing it forward. The ground immediately trembled, and rocks of various sizes tumbled down from both mountain walls.

The stones seemed to appear out of nowhere, as if they had detached from the cliffs, creating huge pits on the ground where they landed.

Based on their previous movement distance, they were only about 200 meters away from the endpoint. From Su Mo’s perspective, he could vaguely see the endpoint marker in the distance. “This is the last place. We have to pass through this rockfall road.”

CloudTraveller said, “We can only tough it out. We’re running out of time.”

Yu Zhen stepped forward to test the damage. The amount of damage taken from the falling rocks was substantial. It mainly depended on their own defense. Those with a high stature like warriors could probably withstand the damage from 5 to 7 falling rocks. However, someone with a physique like an assassin would likely be killed by just two hits.

“Focus on defense and run through.” Su Mo quickly calculated in his mind. Apart from his own individual defense, they relied on collective defense skills: the defensive array from the array master, the large sword array from the magical swordsman, defensive symbols from the Doaist priest, and the area shield from the warrior. The timing for the Doaist priest’s defensive symbols needed to be predicted, and the operation for the array master’s defensive array… But their panels were disrupted, and players holding panels like the array master were not necessarily proficient in their professions.

In other words, their defensive array could possibly only have two layers at most, and the Doaist priest’s defensive symbols couldn’t completely cover all players. They needed to consider the risks brought by these errors, while also looking at the adaptability of the two warriors and three healers.

CloudTraveller asked, “Can the skill cooldowns keep up?” Su Mo replied, “In theory, yes, but we need to consider how familiar everyone is with their skills.” Yu Zhen added, “The strength of the defensive array may be reduced, increasing the pressure on the healers.” Other players watched as the three veterans discussed. As the countdown continued, one minute passed, leaving them with only six minutes to clear the stage.

“What are they discussing?”

“I’m getting confused just listening. Can these skills really hold up to defend us?” 

“It’s hard to say. The large sword array can’t be moved, and we can’t run into it.”

“What about the defensive array?” 

“It depends. If it’s placed on a single player, it can move, but if it’s supposed to protect all of us, it has to stay under our feet.”

“Doaist priest, are you using your protective charms?”

“For one team it’s manageable, but you want one Doaist priest to cast charms for 14 people? What are you thinking?”

“I’m baffled.” 

“I have no clue what CloudTraveller and the others are discussing.” 

“I’m different—I understood every word. I’m just amazed that pros like Apple are considering so much, even discussing skill movement.” 

“I’m more of a reckless gamer. I’m really afraid they won’t make it in the end.”

With little time remaining, Su Mo and the others quickly discussed a simple plan and decided to push through.

CloudTraveller voluntarily relinquished command, and Su Mo took over, “Let’s simplify the plan now. We have a total of 15 people, each equipped with damage reduction or defense skills. Save these single-target skills for gaps in between phases. For the main stages, we’ll advance using the defense arrays from the array master and the physical swordsman’s Great Sword Formation.”

“Since the defense array from the array master has the shortest cooldown, it will be our primary link. The placement of the Great Sword Formation will depend on the position, and during movement, we’ll rely on the defensive shields of the two warriors,” Su Mo continued, “Doaist priest’s charms and summoner’s Black Tortoise will be reserved for the professions with lower health pools—assassin, magical swordsman, and Doaist priest will be the priority.”

ClearWind started feeling nervous, “This is my first time playing as a healer.” FireworksAndLanterns reassured, “Don’t worry, I’ll stabilize with the Great Sword Formation.”

“I’m also new to playing as an array master.”

“Is there a trick to the physical swordsman’s Great Sword Formation?” The passerby player, who wasn’t accustomed to it, became nervous. “How do we handle the movement?” “We’ll pave the way ahead. Everyone, stay close to the main group. Activate your skills for defense the moment they drop, and heal when needed,” Su Mo said seriously. “Rest assured, our two warriors are very skilled. If there’s any issue, they’ll immediately use their shields to protect everyone.”

Watermelon, praised for his skill, instantly perked up. “I’ll be responsible for activating shields and adding defense, right?” 

“Yes, UnchainedWanderer will assist with the flying rope to keep you up to speed,” Su Mo said. “There’s no time to hesitate. Everyone, follow UnchainedWanderer closely.”

[Attention, players: There are 5 minutes remaining to traverse the mountains.]

As everyone gathered close together, Yu Zhen, wielding CloudTraveller’s panel, immediately rushed out.

CloudTraveller’s panel had balanced attributes with slightly above-average mobility speed. Right at the outset, Yu Zhen proactively activated the warrior’s defensive shield. This shield was mobile, offering protection to everyone within its range.

The distance of 200 meters wasn’t long, and under normal circumstances, they could easily reach the endpoint by running. However, with the barrage of falling rocks, everyone’s speed slowed down as they relied on defensive skills. They had to endure the thunderous sounds of rocks hitting the defensive shield, creating a tense atmosphere.

At this moment, a calm voice emerged on the voice channel.

“Magical swordsman, use the Great Sword Formation.”

FireworksAndLanterns immediately stepped forward and placed the Great Sword Formation in front. Just as everyone moved into position within the Great Sword Formation, Yu Zhen’s defensive shield vanished instantly.

Su Mo continued, “Next person, get ready. Time the countdown based on the taskbar timer. CloudTraveller, take over the array, open in 45 seconds.”

Everyone shifted to the edge of the Great Sword Formation, entering CloudTraveller’s defensive array as the countdown reached zero.

CloudTraveller had a good understanding of the defensive array. While placing one array, he simultaneously connected another at the opposite edge. “Keep moving, don’t stop.”

In total, three arrays were stacked, and the defensive array was about to enter its cooldown.

“Physical swordsman, take the Great Sword Formation in 25 seconds.”

When it was the turn of “My Heart is Cold” among the random players to handle the Great Sword Formation, he hesitated for a second, causing everyone to inadvertently get hit by falling rocks. Some players’ health dropped below the acceptable level.

“My Heart is Cold” instantly became nervous. “Sorry, it’s my first time playing as a physical swordsman.”

ZenSlasher was equipped with the Doaist priest’s panel. Although she was playing for the first time, she had been reducing damage for her teammates by applying symbols after understanding their principles.

Thanks to her symbols, another assassin survived being hit twice without dying. However, they had little time left to recover from their mistakes.

“No big problem, the healing can hold up,” Su Mo said, looking towards another array master. “Little darling, get ready. 17 seconds until you take over the array.”

After watching CloudTraveller’s demonstration, Little Darling from the Cold family also tried to stack the array, but due to limited skills, she could only manage to stack two arrays in the end. Su Mo checked the time and distance and realized they were a bit slow. They wouldn’t make it to the finish line at this rate…

“Everyone get ready to activate your defense skills. Start running at 9,” Su Mo decisively changed his mind. Before the array was finished, he rushed out first. Seeing this, others understood and immediately activated their defense arrays to follow suit.

At 00:04:05, Su Mo shouted, “Watermelon, activate the shield!”

“!!!”

Just as everyone’s self-defense was about to end, the danger of falling rocks was getting closer. Watermelon immediately activated the shield and was carried out by a powerful force in the next second, landing safely among the crowd.

At a critical moment, Yu Zhen used the flying rope.

“Healer, top off the health. Watermelon, let’s move,” Su Mo’s health was reduced to only 36% by the scattered rocks, but he was quickly healed by the healer.

For the first time, Watermelon found himself at the center of the group. In all his years as a fragile assassin, this was the first time he had such a tough body and such a strong sense of responsibility, especially being at the heart of the team, supporting his teammates.

He muttered softly, “I suddenly feel like warriors aren’t that bad…”

“This moving speed is a bit slow.”

“Hey, don’t step on my heels.”

“I tripped!”

“We’re running out of time.”

“Brother Wanderer, speed up a bit. Watermelon is still too slow.”

Watermelon was speechless. Forget it.

Time was running short, and everyone became increasingly tense, leading to several instances of skill mistakes.

In the latter half of the journey, rockfalls became more frequent. Despite the protection from defensive skills, there was a noticeable decline in everyone’s health. Moreover, due to the frequent use of skills, all players experienced a sudden drop in stamina, causing their movement speed to slow down gradually.

Su Mo said, “Next, Little Darling, take over the array.”

Just then, Little Treasure made a mistake in linking the arrays, “My array seems to be on cooldown… I accidentally activated the movement speed array twice earlier. Could that be the reason?”

“The cooldown got messed up,” Yu Zhen immediately reminded.

Su Mo paused, realizing the problem had arisen.

The array master’s array linkage was extremely meticulous; once arrays were stacked incorrectly, the cooldowns would change.

Changing player panels and having them use unfamiliar profession panels would inevitably lead to problems.

There was less than 50 meters left.

“Bitter Melon, toss healing flowers, everyone charge forward,” Su Mo immediately ordered, “healer’s protection and major healing skills, keep them up, heal through.”

Within 50 meters, everyone pushed forward with all their might. While losing health, the three healing skills landed on the ground and restored their health.

“Activate defensive skills, keep running, don’t look back.”

After the healing skills ended, everyone rushed forward with their own defensive skills. A 5-second interval shortened the distance by about 20 meters.

“It’s too chaotic! Can’t cover everyone!” Watermelon grabbed a shield to protect the surrounding teammates. However, with too many falling rocks and the narrow path, it couldn’t completely shield all teammates, and the health of others showed significant fluctuations…

Su Mo ran while calmly commanding… As he counted the seconds, he suddenly realized a problem— the speed was insufficient, and some people might not make it through. His gaze immediately fell on the few individuals lagging behind, catching sight in the corner of his eye of an assassin’s skill.

“We’re here, scared me!”

“Darn it!! I can’t make it!”

“Healer, help!!”

“Anyone got a defensive skill? Hold on!!”

Old Daoist Doesn’t Understand Love rushed past the finish line, followed by HealsFor25000, CloudTraveller, UnchainedWanderer, and others who passed one after another.

The fast-moving teammates rushed to the finish line amidst chaos, barely clinging to their remaining health. However, some teammates were stuck behind, including the magical swordsman, Doaist priest, and healer.

The slower-moving squishy professions saw the protective effect of the last layer of Doaist priest symbols on their bodies about to expire. Suddenly, a strange aura fell around them, altering everyone’s movement speed.

“[Chase of Death: Sacrifice 10% defense and 10% health, to boost own and nearby friendly units’ movement speed by 50% within a 5-meter radius.]” — It was the assassin’s health-sacrificing movement speed skill.

Watermelon immediately recognized this skill, “Damn, you’re using Chase of Death? Are you crazy?”

Su Mo’s health was down to just 10%. In the next moment, he quickly swallowed a red potion from his pouch. However, he still had 10 meters left to reach the finish line.

The remaining four people behind included the healer, whose resurrection cooldown was far from ready. Without saving them, the teammates faced a high probability of failing the challenge; there was no time to wait for the healer’s next cooldown.

Suddenly, a flashing red alert popped up. “He’s out of stamina.”

The teammates who had reached the finish line realized something was wrong. “Wait, Momo is lagging behind.” 

“That’s not right, he should be the fastest!” 

“We’re running out of time.” 

[Countdown: 10 seconds]

CloudTraveller’s pupils dilated. “He’s out of stamina.”

In this stage, Momo’s stamina was the most depleted among everyone, and he even ran back to accelerate his teammates.

The countdown timer sounded in his ears, the urgent voices of his teammates close by. Su Mo brushed past his teammates, narrowly avoiding two falling rocks. It felt like his heavy body came back to him in an instant.

Getting closer now, at least dying within range where his teammates could save him, there was still time.

As time grew closer, the 5-second countdown had already begun. Su Mo took heavy steps forward, his health about to give out. Suddenly, he remembered the quest skill “Link.”

Just as he was about to use it, “Link” flashed.

Someone suddenly embraced him, a large hand pressing against the back of his head.

The world seemed to quiet down at that moment. As the rocks fell, that person lunged forward with him, stumbling into the finish line in the last two seconds.