With a crisp crunch, the Forest Wolf was pinned beneath the Clay Golem. Blood immediately gushed from its mouth and ears. It let out a mournful cry and desperately clawed at the golem's body, but the golem stood firm, pressing down with all its strength as its massive fists rose and fell like Wu Song Fights the Tiger, every blow landing solidly on flesh.
The other two Skeleton Warriors met the remaining Forest Wolves head-on, their Bone Blades flashing. Only then did Li Shaolin notice that one of them was equipped with a Bone Shield. It was clearly the Skeleton Warrior that had advanced to Tier Two. It raised its Bone Shield in its left hand and blocked the charging wolf's head, knocking out a mouthful of teeth and leaving its jaws dripping with blood. Then its right-hand Bone Blade thrust forward, instantly carving a wound into the wolf's body. The effects of the Venomous Dagger Li Shaolin had cast earlier had yet to wear off. The wound turned blue, showing that the poison had taken effect. The Tier One Skeleton Warrior was clearly not as formidable. Though its Bone Blade left two wounds on the wolf, its ribs were bitten, snapping one of them.
With two sharp hisses, two Bone Fangs shot out and struck the poisoned Forest Wolf. The wolf yelped in pain and staggered two steps before the poison flared up. It collapsed to the ground and could no longer rise. At Li Shaolin's command, the Tier Two Skeleton Warrior turned around and joined the Tier One warrior in surrounding the last wolf. A few slashes were enough to finish it off.
"Right, didn't my Raise Skeleton reach Level Three? I can summon another Skeleton Warrior!" He hurriedly chanted a spell over the Forest Wolf that had died from poison. As flesh churned, another Skeleton Warrior rose to its feet and walked behind him.
He could not be bothered with the wolf corpses on the ground, nor did he put away the skeletons. Letting them follow behind, he had the Clay Golem and the Tier Two Skeleton Warrior lead the way as they slowly went searching for the traitorous brown horse. They had only taken a few steps when the smell of blood reached them.
He hurried forward and peeked ahead. Beyond the trees, a tranquil lake came into view. On the shore lay that timid horse, its body riddled with wooden spears, while a group of Murlocs tore at its corpse.
"Fuck, I hadn't even owned that horse for a day, and you bastards got to eat it!" Li Shaolin's heart ached terribly. It had cost a whole one and a half gold coins! He had been too focused on fighting the wolves to hear that dead horse's cries.
Looking at the Murlocs frantically tearing into the carcass, there were around ten or twenty of them. He probably could not handle them. Should he send the Clay Golem over to test them? But the golem moved slowly and feared water, while the Skeleton Warriors could not take much punishment. How was he supposed to deal with this? Li Shaolin felt a headache coming on.
Just as he was considering whether to fight the Murlocs, he failed to watch his step. With a crunch, he stepped on a fallen branch, immediately drawing the attention of several Murlocs. One Murloc raised its head and cried, "Mua..." before hurling a wooden spear. The Clay Golem moved, raised a thick arm, and caught the spear in its hand. It seemed that after leveling up, the fellow's reactions had improved considerably.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! The Clay Golem's action instantly enraged the Murlocs by the lake. Those holding wooden spears all threw them, while those wielding blades and other weapons charged over amid the Murlocs' distinctive cries. Green figures surged forward one after another like waves.
"Fuck, are you trying to get yourself killed?" Li Shaolin could not help worrying. He quickly called his summons back several steps. The wooden spears pierced the Clay Golem's body, only to fall to the ground amid shifting earth. One Murloc that had charged particularly fast had already reached them. Since Murlocs were naturally short, its body, less than a meter tall, was blocked by the branch it had stepped over earlier, halting its advance. At that moment, two Bone Blades came down and finished it off.
"Huh, this terrain is a huge advantage!" Only then did Li Shaolin notice the fallen branches and thorny brush everywhere. With their short bodies, it would be extremely difficult for Murlocs to move through them, while the Clay Golem and Skeleton Warriors were unaffected. This discovery immediately dispelled his thoughts of retreating. He ordered the Clay Golem and the Tier Two Skeleton Warrior to meet the enemy.
Several Murlocs rushed at them. The ground around the Clay Golem churned, instantly turning into mud. Though Murlocs were amphibious creatures that lived by the lake, the mud's pulling force still hindered them slightly. With branches strewn everywhere to obstruct them, they found it difficult to move freely. The Tier Two Skeleton Warrior swept its Bone Shield, knocking several Murlocs down. Before they could get back up, the Skeleton Warrior waiting nearby drove its Bone Blade downward and stabbed one of them. As blood sprayed, the Murloc's body turned blue. It had been slowed by the Clay Golem's mud and could not move.
"That's right, just wound them. With the slow effect, once they fall, they can't get back up. Sooner or later, the poison on the blades will kill them!" Li Shaolin slapped his forehead as the realization struck him. He immediately directed the newly summoned Skeleton Warrior beside him to help. At the same time, he ordered the Tier Two Skeleton Warrior to focus on defense while the other two injured the enemies. He refreshed Venomous Dagger, then stayed at the rear and used Bone Fang to lock onto any Murlocs that tried to circle around. The moment they came close, he attacked.
The Murlocs surged forward one after another, but all were affected by the slow. Once struck by the enormous Bone Shield, their feet could find no purchase on the soft ground, and they fell one after another. The other two Skeleton Warriors raised their blades and brought them down, not seeking to kill but simply switching targets after each hit. Before long, the ground was covered in Murlocs glowing blue. Meanwhile, the Clay Golem's fists flew wildly. As the foremost tank, with Earth Recovery and the Murlocs' low damage, it alone held back most of them. The injuries it suffered were repaired in the blink of an eye by fresh mud surging over its body. Like a tireless robot, it attacked with all its strength.
By then, the other Murlocs in the Murloc village had heard the sounds of battle. Amid cries of "Mua..." even more Murlocs poured out and charged toward the battlefield. Li Shaolin took one look and immediately fired Bone Fangs, but not at the Murlocs. Instead, he aimed at the Elwynn Ancient Trees overhead. Amid flying wood chips, branches and leaves came crashing down over the battlefield, blocking the Murlocs rushing over.
Without stopping, he continued firing until several larger branches fell. Only then did he stop. Checking inwardly, he felt that more than half his mana had been consumed, so he stopped wasting it. He drew his Infantry Sword and stood at a distance, ready to flee quickly in case anything went wrong.
Murlocs continued rushing in from behind, as though the entire Murloc village had been alarmed. The slaughter continued without end. The poisoned Murlocs struggled a few times before falling still. Li Shaolin was beginning to feel numb. When he noticed the blue glow on the Skeleton Warriors' Bone Blades starting to fade, he guessed the duration was nearly over and immediately cast another Venomous Dagger. The poisonous glow brightened once more. However, after nearly an hour of recovery, his mana had replenished considerably, so he did not have to worry about exhausting it. A brief white light rose over there. Another Skeleton Warrior had advanced to Tier Two.
"Something's not right. I remember that after Skeleton Warriors are injured, they can't keep fighting outside for too long. They have to be put back into the Book of the Dead or level up to restore damage to their bones. They've been fighting for so long now, so why haven't any of them been damaged? It's impossible for them not to have taken hits, isn't it?" Seeing a Skeleton Warrior level up reminded him of the anomaly. He walked forward a few steps and began observing carefully.
Only after looking closely did he discover wisps of black vapor drifting from the dead Murlocs into the air. Whenever they touched the bones of the three Skeleton Warriors, they were absorbed. With each one absorbed, the Skeleton Warriors' bones became a little whiter, as though their bone quality had become purer. Their injuries were actually being repaired automatically, leaving them unharmed despite the prolonged battle.
Li Shaolin was secretly astonished. This was probably some kind of Death Force formed from the Murlocs' souls or corpses after death, and the Skeleton Warriors could actually absorb it. Their leveling up was probably caused by absorbing this stuff. If that was the case, could Skeleton Warriors level up if he left them in a graveyard? He could not help looking forward to the idea. If it really worked, then once his Raise Skeleton skill reached a higher level, he could summon more Skeleton Warriors and leave them in a graveyard. Perhaps in a few days, they would become absurdly powerful and terrifying. Heh heh, the thought was so satisfying that he nearly started drooling. Right, wasn't the largest graveyard in this area located in Town of Dusk? It was not too far away. He could go take a look in a couple of days and visit that girl Aili while he was at it.
Just as he was enjoying the thought, a Murloc's shout reached his ears, followed by a thin short blade slashing at his waist! After walking those few steps, he was no longer far from the battlefield. One wounded Murloc had struggled forward and happened to reach him. Gathering its remaining strength, it tried to injure him!
Smack! A white Bone Shield appeared in midair and knocked away the short blade. Fortunately, though he had been idle, he had not forgotten to protect himself. He had kept Bone Shield active at all times, narrowly avoiding the danger of being cut. Even so, he broke out in a cold sweat. White light gathered at his fingertips as he fired two Bone Fangs, striking the Murloc on the top of its head. Its brains burst out, and it died on the spot.
"Better stay farther away!" He immediately moved back to his original position. By then, the Murlocs seemed to have realized the problem after their frenzied assault. Several had already fled back, and gradually, fewer Murlocs came.
Finally, after the last two Murlocs were dealt with, no more came. Corpses littered the ground. Most had died from poison, while some had been cut down or smashed to death by the Clay Golem. Blood and mixed entrails were scattered everywhere, creating a gruesome sight.
Li Shaolin looked around. He had not felt much earlier, but now his throat began to itch and waves of nausea rose within him. "Sigh, why did you have to make things so difficult for yourselves?" he said with a touch of compassion.
Before you continue