Rare Elite Rubus

After that, Sun Busong devoted himself to making items, while the people around him worked hard at learning.

Time was running out, and Sun Busong was so anxious that sweat covered his forehead.

By now, the area outside town was utterly different from what it had been during the day. Black, sinister winds raged, and not a trace of moonlight or stars could be seen in the sky. The town's outskirts should have been pitch-black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Yet even though they couldn't see their hands, they could see those pairs of eerie ghostly flames!

The Undead had arrived. They surrounded the entire town. Their levels ranged from 25 to 35, and they carried all kinds of weapons. Nearly one-fifth of the Undead soldiers were spellcasters. They were all skeletons, as if they were corpses that had been buried for decades and then dug back up.

Behind the Skeleton Soldiers, they could just make out some higher-ranking Scourge Soldiers—zombies and abominations!

"Don't be afraid! Everyone, stay calm. As long as we hold the defensive line, they'll never break through!"

"Right! We can't be afraid. If we are, their attacks will only get stronger. I heard my grandpa say the Undead grow stronger by absorbing our fear!"

"Don't worry, we're here. Our leader has already sent supplies to support us. Have faith, everyone. We can definitely drive these piles of bones away!"

Sun Busong was still rummaging through his bag, searching for anything else that might be useful.

Dragon's Breath Red Pepper: Required Level 25

Use: For 10 minutes, your attacks may cause you to breathe flames when you hit an enemy, dealing 30 points of Fire Magic damage.

He'd actually managed to find another one—and it was a cooking recipe!

"Get the mayor here right away! Have him ask around and find out who has a Fire Sac!"

Sun Busong was thrilled. Dragon's Breath Red Pepper was easy to make; any Fire Element monster could drop the ingredients. Another advantage was that anyone level 25 or higher could use it.

He paced around excitedly, rubbing his hands together and muttering, "There's hope! There's hope!"

"Hey, which of you knows cooking?" He suddenly stopped and looked at the six people.

"My lord, cooking is a secondary profession. We all know a little. We usually just practice a few dishes we're good at," one of the leatherworkers replied with a sycophantic grin.

"Good. Put down what you're doing and come here. I have a recipe. Learn it quickly, and once you've mastered it, start making it."

Sun Busong opened the Dragon's Breath Red Pepper recipe and carefully taught it to them. The things and recipes he'd brought out today would have been worth at least a million Gold Coins at the Auction House!

The mayor soon came rushing in, looking frantic.

"My lord! My lord! They've started attacking!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Sun Busong felt the ground shake beneath his feet. Then he heard the distant clamor of battle and cries of fighting.

"They're here! They're here!"

"Ah! Skeletons! Walking skeletons! Mom! I'm scared!"

"Hold steady, everyone! Use the fortifications and stay here. Don't charge out!"

"Keep those shields steady. Yes, just like that! You spellcasters, don't get carried away. These are only the lowest-ranking skeletons. Don't waste your powerful magic or you'll run out later. Use Magic Missile! Use the spell that costs the least!"

That was Usop's voice!

As expected of his right-hand man. With that kind of battlefield sense, he was sure to become a great commander one day!

Hearing Usop's voice, Sun Busong nodded slightly.

Then he turned to the mayor, whose face was clouded with worry. "Mayor, I've taught them everything I know. Now I'm going to join the battle. I'll leave things here to you."

"How can you do that? No, don't go! Stay here. We need you here!" The mayor tried to persuade Sun Busong to stay. He'd truly seen it all today. He'd never imagined one person could know so much!

"No, I don't belong here. I belong on the battlefield! I need to be with my subordinates! I'm counting on you to handle things back here!"

"Salute!"

After speaking, Sun Busong gave the mayor a Warrior's salute, then turned and left the room!

Watching him go, the mayor murmured, "What an extraordinary man! If only he'd come to Night Town two years earlier!"

"Hm? Why do I feel like I've said that before?"

After leaving the office, Sun Busong hurried to the road guarded by Heavy Fist.

Mr. Heavy Fist was a melee fighter. His job right now was to shout—yes, just shout. He wasn't a trained professional like Usop. The Tauren didn't know much.

"Be careful! Watch out for their Skeleton Archers!"

"Over there! Hold the line! Don't let them chop down the pillars! Hunters, where are you? Shoot them! Aim for their eyes!"

"Don't just stand there like idiots! Do what I'm doing—throw rocks! Look how accurate my throws are!"

When Sun Busong reached the road, Humar was the first to notice him. Humar wasn't much use in the current battle. Seeing his master arrive, he wagged his head and walked over.

"Humar, don't wander off. Do you want to get yourself killed? Quick—boss! Boss, you're here!" Heavy Fist was a big, rough man, but he was attentive. Even while directing everyone, he kept an eye on Humar.

"It's fine. You get back to what you were doing. Don't worry about me; I have my own business to take care of." Seeing Heavy Fist about to leave his post and come over, Sun Busong immediately stopped him.

"All right, boss. You, come over here! Someone's hurt and needs bandaging!"

The battle had only just begun. The enemy didn't seem to be in a hurry; they'd only sent the lowest-ranking Skeleton Soldiers to attack, and there were very few Skeleton Archers.

Seeing that there wasn't much danger here, he took Humar and moved to the road Usop was commanding.

This place was nothing like Heavy Fist's position. The fighting here was fierce. Usop was dealing with a group of werewolves and beasts! The werewolves were level 27 Night Wolfmen.

There were also some level 26 Hungry Terror Wolves, Web-Spinning Spiders, Green Lone Spiders, Black Destroyers, Black Widow Spiders, and other monsters.

Their levels weren't high, but there were an astonishing number of them. They also seemed to be under the Undead's control, attacking the fortifications relentlessly. The battle had barely begun, yet more than a hundred corpses already lay outside the defenses.

"Sir, everything's fine on my end. There are a lot of them, but their levels are too low. They can't get through our defenses."

As soon as Usop saw Sun Busong, he went over to report.

"Good. I have some supplies here. Take them and hand them out. There are less than four hours until dawn. The Undead necromancers are sure to retreat by then, so you have to hold on."

"Understood!"

This position was even easier to defend than the road Heavy Fist was guarding. Sun Busong was about to go check on the Night Watchmen's position.

But just then, Humar arched his back. His eyes were fixed fiercely on a certain direction, his fangs bared as he let out a series of growls.

Humar was warning him! Something powerful must be coming. Sun Busong hurriedly looked toward the direction Humar was staring.

Soon, Sun Busong spotted the creature that had triggered Humar's warning!

A pack of level 26 Black Destroyers (wolves) was racing toward them, led by an enormous Wolf King.

As they drew closer, Sun Busong immediately saw the leader's information: a level 26 Silver Elite Wolf King, Rubus!

Among the pack of black wolves, Rubus's silver fur stood out. It was twice the size of the other wolves. Its fierce eyes and protruding fangs were terrifying. It hadn't even reached the fortifications yet, but some of the more timid people inside were already trembling under its intimidating presence.

A level 26 Silver Elite Wolf King had more than ten thousand Health Points. From its claws and fangs, its attack power was sure to be formidable. It was now about 50 meters from the defenses. It raised its head and let out a howl, and all the Black Destroyers charged forward.

"Hold the line! Don't retreat! Their levels are low. We can hold them off! Don't be afraid!"

Usop grabbed a large shield and charged to the weakest part of the defenses. The others also gathered their courage and began fighting the wolves.

But there were too many wolves. They had no concept of fear or death. As long as their Wolf King was still there and still alive, they wouldn't stop attacking.

Wave after wave of wild wolves charged out of the black fog deep in the forest. Sun Busong saw several sections of the defenses on the verge of collapsing under their assault.

These wolves weren't like Skeleton Soldiers. They moved quickly and had some intelligence. Most importantly, they were beasts—and they could jump!

Several wolves were about to leap over the fortifications and into the village. A group of elderly people, women, and children handling the logistics work in the rear shrieked in terror and ran in every direction.

Whoosh! A shadow flashed by.

Sun Busong sprang into action!

"Die, you bastards!"

Charge: Range 8–25 yards.

Instant cast. 60-second cooldown.

Charge at an enemy and stun it for 1 second. Cannot be used in combat.

The skill activated! Sun Busong seemed to teleport, appearing in front of a wolf in an instant. He casually swung his axe, and the wolf's head rolled to the side.

Then he let out a furious roar!

Skill: Challenging Roar. Instant cast. 3-minute cooldown.

Force all enemies within a 10-yard radius to attack you for 6 seconds.

The wolves that had leaped into the village to ambush the villagers immediately changed targets and pounced at Sun Busong.

Humar stopped staring at the Wolf King. With a fierce growl, he sprang into the air and clamped his jaws around a wolf that had leaped toward Sun Busong. A crack rang out, and the wolf was bitten clean in half. It was stone dead.

"Holy shit!"

Even Sun Busong was shocked. Since when had his little cat become so powerful?

But now wasn't the time to think about that. Sun Busong's two axes flashed like streaks of light. In less than ten seconds, the ground was covered with wolves cut apart.

"My lord, long live! My lord, long live!"

The villagers who witnessed this couldn't help shouting in excitement.

"Sir, you're awesome!" Usop and the two Fidia Black Guards shouted. After spending so much time with Sun Busong, even the Imperial Guard had picked up most of his catchphrases.

Sun Busong waved a hand. "Keep it up, everyone! We can definitely hold them off!"

"Yes!!!"

He looked at the bodies sprawled across the ground, then turned to Humar. His companion had performed well today; he ought to give him some encouragement. But when he looked, he found Humar making eyes at that Rare Elite Wolf King!

"What's this? Are you picking a fight?"

Sun Busong watched Humar bare his teeth and taunt the Wolf King, then smiled slightly.

"Go on, take it down! I'll cover you!"

Humar only understood the command to attack. He still didn't understand any of the others, but knowing that one was enough.

Humar leaped out of the defenses. After biting several wolves to death, he faced the Wolf King and let out a deep, growling roar.

The Wolf King responded to Humar's provocation with a howl of its own. At the sound, the wolves that had been preparing to attack Humar parted to make way.

"Oho! So it's a one-on-one fight!"

Sun Busong also jumped out of the defenses. His twin axes never stopped moving as he cut down every wolf that attacked him, keeping Humar in the corner of his eye. He didn't want his pet torn to pieces.

The area between the Wolf King and Humar cleared. A battle was about to erupt, while wolf corpses piled up all around Sun Busong.

He couldn't retreat now, and he didn't want to. There were plenty of wolves, but each one could only take off at most 30 points of his health. That little damage was nothing to him.

A wolf's howl heralded the battle between the two kings of beasts.

This was Rubus's first time seeing a lion. Its opponent was smaller than it, so why did it feel as if its bloodline was being suppressed whenever they faced each other? The feeling oppressed the Wolf King and made it furious. It would never allow such a creature to live.

Humar heard the Wolf King howl and charged straight at it. A king would never tolerate another king. When kings met, one had to die. Kill! Only the survivor could be king!

Just as Humar was about to reach the Wolf King, the latter, which had been waiting in place, suddenly opened its jaws. Three Magic Missiles shot from its mouth and struck Humar square in the face!

Shadow Magic Missile!

"Holy shit! That damn wolf's a spellcaster!"

The Magic Missiles knocked Humar back several meters. The fur on his lion's face was scorched. If he hadn't dodged in time, they would have burned his eyes.

Humar growled low and crouched down, then roared at his opponent again. Without caring about the pain, he charged once more. He couldn't just take a beating without hitting back.

Sun Busong watched the fight closely. Although all three Magic Missiles had struck Humar in vital spots, together they had only taken off 420 of his health.

If they'd hit any other target, that attack would have taken off at least half its health.

Humar lunged and bit at his opponent, and the Wolf King fought back without hesitation. The Shadow Magic Missiles had probably been one of its Talent Skills. Now that the two were fighting at close range, the Wolf King's melee attack and defense were almost on par with Humar's.

Sun Busong cut down the wolves swarming around him and shouted to Usop, "Don't worry about me! Use ranged attacks! These wolves can't do anything to me. You know what I can do!"

Of course Usop knew. His commanding officer was seriously uncanny. The more monsters the commander killed, the more his Health Points increased. Once, they'd encountered a tribe of more than three hundred Mossy People. The commander seemed to have a grudge against them. He wouldn't let Usop or Heavy Fist help and charged in alone.

Less than two hours later, the commander came out covered in blood. Afterward, Heavy Fist went inside to look. Not one enemy had survived. While treating the commander, Usop discovered that his Health Points had suddenly increased by more than 600!

What did that mean? A level-twenty-something Warrior, even one with a Defense Talent and full blue gear, wouldn't have more than 1,500 health.

And the last time the commander was injured in a dynamite-making accident, his health had dropped to 10%. Usop had been so frightened that he thought the commander was going to die. He healed him frantically, over and over, until he ran out of mana and even drank three potions.

Once he'd refilled the commander's health bar, he'd nearly thought he was going mad! He'd seen something that could drive anyone insane!

The commander had more than 50,000 health!

That health bar was way too damn long!