Chapter 66: Venturing into Stellar Rift (Part-5)
Lin Fang blinked in confusion at those orders. "But... It’s just a Lord Tier monster, isn’t it? Shouldn’t we fight?" He couldn’t help but ask.
In response, Fan Yujing shook his head grimly. "Not this one. It was not only the undead defensive type, but it also has psychic abilities—it can deal mental shocks, but because it is an undead, it doesn’t possess any five senses that a monster does, the only thing it can sense is the mana, and its senses only have a roughly a hundred-meter range. As long as we are out of its range, we are fine. But the problem is that." He pointed at a horde of undead skeletal monsters that surrounded the couple who were already clutching their head in agony as if something was ripping at their minds.
"Help us!" As the woman shrieked in the end upon spotting the gro,up, Fan Yujing ordered. "Hurry! We grab them quick and get out of here!"
The monsters scrambled into position and started clashing against the horde to make way for Li Ying and the Wyvern to grab them.
"Quick! Get on!" Fan Yujing, who was standing behind Li Yin, was helping them to get on.
*Thud* Thud* Thud*
The undead elephant let out a trumpet of roar, sensing the apearance of the Wyvern and other monsters. It started rushing toward him. Trendils of its aura exploded from its body to give powerful mental shocks to the enemies. At the same time, its undead horde collapsed into lifeless bones to the ground, for some unknown reason.
"Hurry, it is coming. Quick. Let’s go. Grab onto the aerial beasts..." Fan Yujing shouted in a hurry.
Lin Fang instinctively clutched the direwolf cub against his chest and made a dash for the Mantis, seeing that it was still grounded. But just as his foot pressed on the insect’s shell, the creature jerked in pain, struck by a sweeping bone club.
"Wha—!" Lin Fang slipped. His balance broke. Both he and the direwolf pup tumbled hard to the ground.
"Lin Fang!" Fan Yujing screamed from above. "Help him."
Sora’s Red fox and the Firebird charge at the monster, but the Elephantine Skeletal Demon, towering with its hollow eyes and jagged tusks, shoved aside the wolf and Firebird like mere toys. Its towering leg raised, preparing to crush him flat into the earth.
But then—
ROOOOAR!
The direwolf pup in Lin Fang’s arms burst with light. Its body swelled, bones lengthening, fur bristled, and muscles ballooned. In an instant, the helpless cub became a Commander Tier giant wolf. With a single swing of its paw, the direwolf struck the skeletal demon’s leg, sending the towering beast stumbling backward in a shower of dust and bones.
Bo Mokong, watched from a distance, as the giant Mantis flew high. "What the...?" His eyes widened in disbelief.
Lin Fang, however, wasted no time. His fingers flew over the system interface. He pulled open the Nursery Pen, scrolled, and tapped.
Ding!
[Level-31 Tempest released from Nurture.]
The moment the beast appeared, Lin Fang merged with it.
[Combat Merge Activated.]
[Absorbing Stats... Done.]
[Tempest forced into Hibernation Mode.]
Power coursed into Lin Fang’s veins, his muscles tightening with borrowed strength. As he pulled out the amulet, mana surged through his body, strengthening his power even more.
"Come..."
He yanked a pair of twin daggers from the inventory, their metallic sheen glinting under the battlefield’s pale light.
"Let’s go, Black."
*Awooo*
Letting out a howl, the giant direwolf charged forward at the Lord Tier monster, its massive paw tearing through bone fragments like paper.
At the same time, its purple tendril aura, released by the Skeleton Demon, struck both of them but dispelled right away, while Lin Fang received a pair of notifications from the system.
*Ding!
[You were hit by a mental attack. Resistance successful]
[Black has been hit by a mental attack. Resistance successful]
"Good."
As a grin appeared on his face, stretching his arms widely with the daggers flashing with mana, he darted forward. Together, man and beast struck the undead giant from two sides.
"This... A spirit king?" Fan Yujing muttered, clenching his fists as his gaze turned darker in shock. As his eyes glowed, he saw the Nemesis spirit hanging onto his body like a ghost. "I didn’t expect someone like this to be hiding in our guild. Now, it perfectly makes sense why Li Xue is dating him and why he is a part of the guild, even though he is not even a licensed hunter. The spirit kings are the assets of the guild. It cannot be taken by outsiders."
Bo Mokong was also in a similar state, but he was more surprised by Lin Fang’s mana reserves and the wolf. "This brat... he fooled us quite a bit. Trying to be a pig to eat tiger? How dare he..."
Meanwhile, as Lin Fang almost reached the monster, he put more strength in his legs, and his movements blurred as he slid beneath the towering skeletal beast. His dagger then thrust upward, aiming for the monster’s ribcage. The blade scraped bone, sparks flying as the strike scratched its bone. However, the beast barely noticed—its empty sockets turned down only for a brief moment.
At the same time, Black moved in a zig-zag pattern, attacking it left and then right. The undead beast staggered back, its attention shifting from Lin Fang to the wolf.
From above, the rest of the group continued to watch in awe, each responding differently to Lin Fang’s daring.
Li Ying’s eyes gleamed with admiration. He’s so strong and handsome...
Fan Yujing whispered, almost to himself, "This guy... earlier I thought he was special because of the spirit king. But he wasn’t even using its power, and yet, he could contend against the lord Tier. He also seemed to be resistant to its mental shocks. Moreover, he doesn’t seem to be afraid at all." The captain couldn’t help but smirk in the end.
Bu Mokong clenched his jaw, anger and humiliation twisting his features as he glanced at Li Ying.
Keith’s expression hardened, narrowing his eyes. "He is fast."
And the pierced girl, Sora, leaned forward, licking her lips with intrigue. "So this isn’t just some handsome figure after all... No wonder you fell for him, Li Xue..."
It was Bu Mokong who broke the silence, shouting, "Hey! Lin Fang is buying us time. Why are you all just standing here? Let’s go while we can!"
"What?" Li Ying snapped, glaring at him. "You’re abandoning him? We should join the fight!"
Mokong shook his head. "We can’t. Isn’t this why we were running in the first place? He’s stalling it for us. Don’t waste it."
Fan Yujing’s fists tightened around his sword. He stood at the edge, breathing heavily, torn between duty and survival. Finally, he exhaled and leapt down. "Lin Fang’s our guildmate. As the senior and the captain of this team, I’m responsible for his safety. I’ll remain here! You all go! Now..."
Keith jumped down right after him, landing with his saber drawn. "I’m also staying back. The rest, leave."
"Idiots..." Bu Mokong scoffed, but he didn’t jump after them. Instead, he barked at the others, "Take the injured and leave! Even with three of them, they can’t kill that thing. All they can do is buy time. That’s enough."
Reluctantly, the rest of the group turned away and retreated deeper into the cavern. Li Ying looked back one last time, conflicted, before following.