Withered Cultist

"Aura Effect - Thorn Force Field: When you encounter a close-range Physical Attack, you will absorb a portion of its power and reflect it back to enemies within the aura's radius as a force field spell."

After reading the detailed introduction of the Thorn Force Field.

Roger's eyes brightened.

The effect of this attribute was stronger than he had imagined.

The "Thorn Force Field" damage reflection effect doesn't require taking damage.

All the enemy needs to do is perform a close-range Physical Attack!

This means in close combat.

Even if Roger dodges and parries the enemy's attacks.

The power generated by the opponent's attack will also be reflected.

And it's in the form of force field magic! "As long as I keep getting hit, I'll be a mage?"

Roger instantly conceived a variety of new tactics.

Without a doubt.

"Thorn Force Field" is definitely a Tier 1 attribute! The only thing to consider now is the number of Rampaging Thorn.

But Roger wasn't too worried.

He had his own considerations deep down:

"A brother who loves to stab people."

"The quantity will not be too small."

After the Rampaging Thorn died.

All that remained were a pile of withered branches and a thin, needle-like object.

This thing is called a "Thorn Spike".

"Thorn Spike" are the only offensive organ on the entire body of the Rampaging Thorn.

With the insight of Qi Divination Technique and Extraordinary Perception.

Information about the Rampaging Thorn kept flooding into Roger's mind.

The level of the Rampaging Thorn is between 42 and 45.

Their health points are usually above 600, and their Defense Value are 30.

It has 4 traits.

Two of these effects significantly increase defense, health, and various resistances.

This is why Roger took so long to chop.

The remaining two are "Plants Also Go Berserk" and "Greedy Feast".

"Plants Also Go Berserk: Rampaging Thorn has an extraordinary movement speed. Most of the time, it disguises itself as a normal thorn, but when it enters Berserk State, its movement speed increases to over 200 points."

"Greedy Feast: After killing its prey, the Rampaging Thorn will entangle it and secrete a large amount of yellowish-green mucus. This mucus is extremely Corrosion and is how the Rampaging Thorn digests its food."

I glanced through it once.

Roger was fully aware of the Rampaging Thorn ' behavior patterns.

This monster takes down its enemies by secretly stabbing them.

Then entangle it and release "Greedy Feast".

Finally, a hearty meal was completed.

It's somewhat similar to spider-like monsters.

The difference is...

The Thorn Spike of the Rampaging Thorn thorns are even more ferocious!

The neurotoxins he released were extremely lethal.

Most people experience this after taking one injection.

They all died on the spot!

Even the strong and robust Quasi-Horned Demon immediately lost consciousness.

If Roger hadn't prepared various antidotes in advance...

This young man will probably die on the spot.

even so.

After taking the antidote and other medicines.

The Quasi-Horned Demon that had been stabbed still appeared dazed and was in very poor condition.

Judging from his appearance.

It will take at least a week to recover.

Roger had no choice but to temporarily put him into the Black Coffin.

The monsters in the Southern Tomb Wilderness are incredibly powerful.

This is just one example.

After this battle.

The squad advanced more cautiously.

They have in particular strengthened their defenses against bushes and brambles.

Roger also maxed out his Extraordinary Perception.

Although doing so would subject him to some incomprehensible ramblings.

However, it can effectively reduce the probability of being attacked.

that's all.

It took them two days to find their way out of the misty path.

A vast plain came into view ahead.

At the exit of the path.

A heavily guarded fortress rose from the ground.

At dawn.

The thick fog was dispersed by the sunlight.

Large crowds In and Out at the city gate.

A bustling scene.

Hint: You have discovered Autumn Creek Fortress.

Roger breathed a slight sigh of relief.

But he did not enter Autumn Creek Fortress.

Instead, he led his men around Autumn Creek Fortress and headed further south.

This fortress is controlled by the floating islands and is the southernmost point of the Truth Society's influence.

Centered around "Autumn Creek Fortress".

An invisible "Prohibition Barrier" spread out in the east and west directions, reaching unknown lands.

This is also a result of the Ether Society era.

It was this barrier that prevented the possibility of large-scale northward migration of monsters from the Southern Tomb Wilderness.

Due to long-term disrepair and the interruption of its transmission.

This barrier cannot completely prevent the infiltration of demons.

There will always be some that slip through the net—like the Rampaging Thorn that Roger killed before.

But overall...

The Prohibition Barrier is the most important protective shield for Gem City.

It is also the barrier that the residents beneath the floating island are most grateful for.

However, everything has two sides.

The Prohibition Barrier prevented the monsters from heading north.

This also prevented the northward migration of humans living in the Southern Tomb Wilderness and further south.

The information Roger collected indicates that...

The Southern Tomb Wilderness is teeming with human activity.

They are distributed in various settlements.

These humans have evolved some adaptations to the Aether Aberration.

at the same time.

They still maintain their independent personalities and normal intelligence.

A significant portion of them wanted to enter Gem City.

But this is not an easy task.

Unless they can find a gap in the barrier, the northernmost point they can reach is "Autumn Creek Fortress".

And Autumn Creek Fortress.

It just so happens to be a base established purely for trade between the North and South!

According to Shar.

80% of the food resources consumed by the floating islands come from the trade channels of Autumn Creek Fortress.

Southerners, on the other hand, want to move north.

It is also necessary to complete the registration and pass the inspection in Autumn Creek Fortress.

That's why this fortress is so bustling.

In the eyes of the surface inhabitants of the floating island.

Autumn Creek Fortress is a natural barrier.

He is the guardian deity of Gem City.

But in the eyes of the Southern Tomb Wilderness.

It is the entrance to heaven.

It is also an insurmountable wall of despair.

But in Roger's eyes...

It's nothing more than a tool for the wealthy landowners to fleece the people.

Someone has to farm the land, right? The land near Gem City isn't suitable for large-scale agricultural production.

But the Southern Tomb Wilderness is quite the opposite.

The soil there is very fertile.

And it is said to have the magical power to increase the growth rate of plants! As for this rumor...

Roger hopes it's true.

After leading the team around "Autumn Creek Fortress".

Roger used his Sixth Sense to find a loophole in the barrier.

After passing through.

The group then officially set foot on the land of the Southern Tomb Wilderness.

This place is much more dangerous than the area north of the barrier!

To prevent a recurrence of the previous accident.

Roger simply put all his underlings away.

Extraordinary Perception at Full Firepower.

He carried the Black Coffin and the Ghostfire alone.

They ran through the thick fog of the Southern Tomb Wilderness.

10 days later.

The middle section of Autumn Creek Corridor.

In the familiar Underground Camp.

The tough young man, bursting with a sense of crisis, is working hard behind the scenes.

On the plains 6 kilometers away.

Roger was sitting on a tall walnut tree, quietly waiting for something.

Not far from the walnut tree.

It is a human farm covering a large area.

The farm grows okra, onions, carrots, and corn.

All the plants are growing very well.

"Once this is all over, we can buy some corn and okra from the farmer."

Roger yawned, looking somewhat bored.

After 10 days of investigation and deliberation.

He finally pinpointed the location of the temporary camp.

Not only are there signs of "Rampaging Thorn" in this area, but there are also numerous human farms scattered around.

The objective of the advanced quest is the "Wither Cult".

Roger currently lacks information about this cult, so he needs to find someone to inquire about it.

He tried to negotiate with the people on the farm.

But the other party was very wary.

They simply kicked Roger out.

Roger was not discouraged.

We continued to wander around this area.

Yesterday afternoon.

He saw a man who appeared to be a member of the Withered Cultist loitering near a farm.

Roger sensed a strong malice emanating from him.

So we decided to just wait here and wait for them to come to us.

"It should be arriving soon, right?"

That's what he was thinking.

In the thick fog not far away.

Sure enough, one after another, men in yellow appeared.

They flocked to the farm in droves!

I heard a noise.

Six strong, muscular men rushed out of the farm.

They were carrying weapons.

He shouted angrily, "Get out of my way!"

"You withered parasites!"

The men in yellow rushed forward without regard for anything else.

A fierce battle soon broke out between the two sides.

The fighting strength of the people on the farm was quite impressive.

He single-handedly stopped the attack of the group of men in yellow shirts from outnumbering them.

But in corners they don't notice.

Another group of people in yellow appeared quietly at the edge of the thick fog.

They tiptoed toward the farm's backyard.

Roger saw it clearly.

Behind that flimsy wall were two little boys, holding short swords and trembling with nervousness.

The next second.

He jumped silently down from the walnut tree and ran swiftly towards the back of the farm!

Outside the wall.

A large group of men in yellow began to ram the flimsy wooden door with their bodies.

But on the edge they hadn't noticed.

A cold, gleaming light flashed by.

A man in yellow suddenly had his head slid off his neck and land on the ground.

"You killed a Withered Cultist."

"You have gained 18 XP points and 10 Xia Yin Value."

"You have obtained Strength Shard *1 (Quest Item)"

Note: Strength Shard are special quest items during the advancement period.

You will randomly receive a certain number of Strength Shard each time you kill a member of the Wither Cult.

In the final settlement of advanced tasks.

Every 100 Strength Shard can be exchanged for 1 additional point of the attribute: Strength.