The Combat Gap

The Unreturning Marsh was a small monster den on the road from the new stronghold to Iron Wall City.

It was mainly populated by various giant carnivorous plants, corrupted beast zombies, and blood-sucking mosquitoes hidden at the bottom of the marsh. The encyclopedia recommended level was Lv37.

However, unlike Endemic Plague Village, besides the difficult-to-deal-with mobs, there were also three Boss-level tentacle vines here, making it one of the toughest monster dens among the quest objectives.

Under normal circumstances, such troublesome monster dens would be left for last by players.

But with the example of Endemic Plague Village still fresh, no one knew if these Boss-level monsters would respawn after being killed.

In the first playthrough of the game, apart from "World Bosses" that required all server players to tackle together, other wild Bosses only respawned once a week.

This led to limited material output from Bosses, easily driving up market prices.

And in the second playthrough, where production restrictions were even more severe, materials essential for crafting "divine gear" might truly be one-of-a-kind.

It was possible that after the official launch, even the "school uniform" that everyone had in the first playthrough might not be obtainable by anyone.

"Level 8 Great Gale" flew back from above the marsh and landed beside the other three players. Its body, composed of blue cyclones, emitted the sound of howling winds.

"It's more troublesome than I expected. The monster distribution is more aligned with their ecology."

He conjured wind blades and drew a simple distribution map on the ground, analyzing it for the team:

"The attributes of these three Boss-level vines are confirmed. It's best to prepare different equipment. For the electric one, wear insulated armor; for the one with paralyzing poison, wear full-coverage heavy armor; and the last one's strength attribute is close to four digits, our Tank definitely won't be able to withstand it."

"Amulet Owl," who had already transferred to become a "Divine Scholar," closed the monster encyclopedia entry and agreed:

"Let's clear the small monsters first. My skills aren't leveled up yet, I can only heal 500 per bite. If Old Bull gets caught by the Boss's grab skill, I probably won't be able to maintain his health... unless Old Bull can guarantee he won't get hit by the grab skill."

The Minotaur Paladin named "Pure Love War God" immediately waved his hands and said, "I'm too big, I can't manage an evasion build."

"Why don't we go back?" suggested "Humorous Old Man." "Sell the dropped materials at the merchant guild, get some better equipment, and stock up on potions and scrolls. It's better than being in rags like this."

"Amulet Owl" objected, "The game doesn't have a teleport function. Going back and forth takes four to five hours, and it would cost about 70 stamina points. Going back now is too much of a loss."

After listening to everyone's opinions, "Level 8 Great Gale," as the team leader, pondered for a moment and decided:

"Let's grind for a bit longer. We'll clear the outer vines first, get a feel for the new monster AI mechanics, and then head back when our stamina is almost depleted. That way, we can also log off to rest after updating our gear."

This was considered the optimal solution for the current situation, and the others agreed.

Players who intended to resupply had already left by truck. The fact that the four of them could form a team meant they planned to grind for a while longer.

"Pure Love Warrior," the main tank, was the first to enter the marsh. As a level 30 Paladin with no armor, he cast buffs like "Divine Blessing," "Flawless Body," and "Slow Heal" on himself.

The levels of these skills were all Lv1, so the stat boosts were negligible.

The Priest in the middle was "Humorous Old Man." As a professional player, his role was to act as a secondary tank and fill in gaps.

The last one, "Amulet Owl," was a second-tier Divine Scholar. This profession abandoned melee capabilities and focused mainly on casting Divine Arts, specializing in various golden AoE spells.

And "Level 8 Great Gale," flying in the sky, was still a Lv30 Novice Divine Scholar, having not undergone the second-tier transfer.

Each profession in Expedition had a tree-like structure for subsequent advancements.

For example, "Amulet Owl's" desired "Time Palace Knight" could also be advanced from professions like "Mage" or "Priest." However, the transitional professions along the way determined the final stats and skills.

With the Wind Elemental providing aerial reconnaissance, the group soon encountered their first mob, a giant "sunflower" lying on the marsh.

As they stepped into the mud, sinking deep with each step, the Tentacle Sunflower Lv31 immediately "stood up." Its six to seven-meter-tall body stood silently, creating a visually oppressive presence.

Swish!

A tentacle shot out from the marsh, carrying a "whoosh" of wind, and lashed out at the closest Minotaur.

"Pure Love Warrior" had no armor and no shield. He could only raise the spear in his hand, seize the opportunity, and strike the attacking vine like playing baseball.

"Crack!"

This powerful, sweeping attack was perfectly parried by the Minotaur. Coupled with the decisive difference in strength, the lashing tentacle was dented and fell limply to the ground.

The three behind immediately followed up with attacks. Three golden javelins made of light accurately hit the monster's weak point, piercing the sunflower's seeds.

"My skills aren't leveled up, the damage is too low!"

"Don't worry about the damage for now. Let's focus on familiarizing ourselves with the monster. We'll speed-grind next time!"

The game didn't display damage numbers, but monster information could be scanned in real-time.

These three critical hits with "Spear of Retribution" dealt over 3000 damage to the giant sunflower, about one-fifth of its health.

Severely wounded, the sunflower immediately entered a berserk state. Seven whip-like vines emerged from the muddy marsh, forming a "whip wall" within the fan-shaped area the team occupied.

Normally, with the players' mobility, they could completely avoid the whip's range.

This was commonly known as "walking the grid."

However, the poor environment of the marsh greatly restricted the players' mobility, forcing them to take the attack head-on.

The Minotaur, at the forefront, swung his spear and deflected four consecutive whip lashes. When facing the fifth whip, he accidentally missed his swing and was hit on the shoulder by the vine.

The human Priest beside him quickly moved to cover, his longsword slashing at a tricky angle, severing the subsequent two lashes and saving the Minotaur, who was now at half health.

"Little brother, parrying is the most basic of basics. If you want to be a good main Tank, you need to practice more in your own time."

Hearing this from a professional player, "Pure Love Warrior," who was just a student, blushed and shamelessly said, "Godly Ascent, why don't you teach me?"

"Teach you?"

Li Yuan unleashed a Magic Beam Lv30, shooting straight up into the sky. Its precise trajectory predicted the approaching Wyvern, instantly vaporizing it mid-air while it was still at full health.

After receiving the experience points, she lowered her heart-shaped magic staff and said to the red-clad girl flying beside her:

"You're different from us. You don't need to participate in the fight."

"That's so unfair!" the red-hued Magical Girl said, her voice trembling with tears. "I've made my resolve too! As a Magical Girl sworn to protect justice, I should contribute my strength to this world... Even if you're a senior, you have no right to exclude me!"

"Is that so..." Li Yuan flew ahead of the girl, turned to face her, and said, "Do you know that your life is only one, while I can revive infinitely?"

As she spoke, she pointed the tip of her staff to her own neck and continued, "Do you want me to prove it to you?"