There were now fewer than a hundred Black Widow Spiders left beside Nalakhsis, the Spider King, along with a few level-30 Green Lone Spiders. That was only a few hundred Kill Points for Sun Busong.
Since he was going to fight it one-on-one, Sun Busong at least had to clear some space for them. Charge! Thunder Strike! Whirlwind Slash!
After that three-move combo, only a few Green Lone Spiders with a sliver of health remained. All the lower-level Black Widow Spiders had been turned into Kill Points.
The Spider King was furious. Seeing all its underlings killed by that human, it raised its legs and lunged at Sun Busong.
If it wanted a fight, Sun Busong was happy to oblige. He immediately parried its leg with his axe, then landed a mighty strike.
Mighty Strike: Melee range 1.5-second cast time; 2-minute cooldown Requires a melee weapon Strikes the enemy, dealing weapon damage plus 32 damage.
Next came another move: Rend.
Rend: Melee range Instant cast; 60-second cooldown Requires Battle Stance or Defensive Stance Requires a melee weapon Causes the target's wound to bleed continuously, dealing damage over 15 seconds, for a total of 70 damage plus weapon damage.
Finally, Hamstring slowed the Spider King's Movement Speed.
Hamstring: Melee range Instant cast; 60-second cooldown Requires Battle Stance or Berserker Stance Requires a melee weapon Cripples the enemy, reducing its Movement Speed by 50% for 15 seconds.
That was a three-move combo against a single target. With three more basic attacks on top of it, Sun Busong had taken over 3,000 Health Points from the Spider King in one go.
The Spider King's health bar had clearly dropped by a fifth. Sun Busong had been about to hit it a few more times, but he hadn't expected blood to spray from its injured leg and splatter all over him.
"Poison!"
Green smoke immediately began rising from his armor, forcing him to retreat. This little boss's blood was poisonous, just like its mouthparts. No wonder it was a Rare Elite.
As he hastily fell back, Humar taunted the Spider King again and successfully drew its attention. The lion and spider clashed.
From the sidelines, Sun Busong sized up their strengths and decided not to interfere in their fight.
The Spider King had fearsome Attack Power and was poisonous, but Sun Busong had already chopped away a fifth of its Health Points. It had just over 10,000 left. After gaining a level, Humar's Attack Power and defense had also increased, and its Health Points had reached 13,000. (Warrior skill Commanding Shout: +4,200 Health Points!)
If Humar still couldn't beat it, there was nothing he could do but step in himself.
The battle behind him at the fortifications was at a stalemate. The ogres, who had been huddled in a corner, regained their confidence when the Spider King joined the fight and began attacking the Night Watch's position again.
Since Humar was fine, Sun Busong switched targets and began his frenzied slaughter!
Not a single monster below level 30 could withstand one swing of his axe. The only real danger came from the ogre casters, who were the easiest to kill but also dealt him the most damage.
Almost every second, a monster fell to Sun Busong's axe, and his Health Points dropped just as quickly.
Five minutes later, Sun Busong still had over 20,000 Health Points, but the Night Watch's position was strewn with enemy corpses.
All by himself, Sun Busong had repelled yet another enemy attack!
There were still spiders scuttling out of the hidden grass, but there weren't enough left to threaten the Defense Point.
He glanced at Humar, still locked in battle, and made sure it wasn't in any danger before returning to the fortifications, covered in wounds.
"Sir, you've worked hard. Quick, quick! Come over here and rest. We've prepared food and drink for you. If there's anything else you need, just tell us."
As soon as they saw Sun Busong, several Night Watch members responsible for logistics and healing hurried over to help patch him up and treat his wounds.
"I'm fine. I'm just exhausted and a little weak. I'll be all right after a short rest. Also, stop bandaging me. A few healing spells will do. I got a little carried away in that last wave, haha. Those damn things took more than half my Health Points."
Sun Busong was covered in wounds, and his blue Plate Armor was practically ruined. Luckily, he still had several spare sets in his bag. As he spoke, he began taking off his gear.
"Your defenses here shouldn't be in any real danger now. I'll head over to check on the other two spots after I rest a bit. Does anyone know what's happening at those Defense Points?"
Sun Busong asked the logistics staff beside him as he changed his gear.
"Sir, the west should hold. Those low-level Skeleton Soldiers aren't much of a threat, but there seems to be trouble at the pass the Paladin is guarding in the south."
A healer cast a healing spell on him, then stood in front of him and reported on the fighting elsewhere.
"The south?"
Sun Busong was a little puzzled. He had killed a Wolf King in the south just half an hour ago. Without their Wolf King to keep them in line, the remaining wolves had scattered and fled long ago.
Seeing the Imperial Guard officer look at her in confusion, the healer immediately explained.
It turned out that new enemies had appeared at the place Usop was guarding!
And there were two of them—two Elite Werewolves!
"Two werewolves? And they're Silver Elites?" No way! Sun Busong felt sure he'd stumbled into a wolf den. Otherwise, why would two more have shown up?
"Yes. And our Night Watch commander, Altaia, has already gone over there to reinforce them."
Sun Busong looked around and, sure enough, couldn't see Altaia.
Since there was trouble over there, he couldn't stay here and rest.
With the healer's help, he quickly changed his gear. "Since there's no real danger here anymore, I'll go support them. Thanks for your healing and help."
Sun Busong's words made the level-32 Female Priest blush. "We're the ones who should thank you, sir. We might have died already if it weren't for you."
"Hahaha, it's nothing, it's nothing! But I really appreciate you looking after me. I'm heading out!" Sun Busong gave the Female Priest a hearty smile, then picked up his axe and walked straight out of the fortifications.
The Female Priest gazed at his back, almost entranced. Beautiful women loved heroes. It was a rule.
"Sir, come visit sometime!"
Sun Busong had been striding steadily toward Humar, but when he heard the priestess call after him, he nearly stumbled. There was a big difference between one kind of "visit" and another!
The fight between Humar and Nalakhsis, the Spider King, was almost over. The Spider King had less than 15% of its Health Points left, while Humar still had over 10,000.
That was all thanks to the healers. Humar was already popular with women, and on top of that, it was Sun Busong's pet, so several of the healers had kept a close eye on its Health Points since the fight began.
Execute: Melee range Instant cast; 60-second cooldown Requires Battle Stance or Berserker Stance Requires a melee weapon Attempts to kill a wounded enemy, dealing 93 damage plus the combined damage of all equipped melee weapons, plus damage equal to 120% of Attack Power. Only effective against enemies with less than 20% Health Points.
Sun Busong Charged in and landed a basic attack, then leaped into the air and used Execute!
The Spider King was dead!
He had been on his way to support Usop, but had stepped in to help Humar with its one-on-one fight and killed the Spider King. Suddenly, a green light shone from Humar!
"Huh? Did it level up? No way, it hasn't been that long! Impossible!"
Seeing the green light from Humar, Sun Busong thought it had leveled up, but when he looked closely, Humar was still level 26.
As he hurried toward Usop with Humar, he opened its attribute panel to take a look!
"Holy crap! It advanced!"
After seeing Humar's panel, he stopped in his tracks. This was a huge surprise. Without realizing it, he and Humar had already killed ten Silver Elite enemies.
Lion King Huma: A battle pet with exceptional Growth Degree. It will be your most loyal comrade and family. Huma, level 26, Green Grade, growable (0/20), loyalty 100%. (Status: Happy) Health Points: 2,440 (level 26 x 50 = 1,300 + 1,140 Stamina). Strength 114. Agility 114. Intellect 114. Spirit 114. Stamina 114. (Master Attribute Boost: +5,812 Health Points, +35 Strength, +8 Agility, +8 Intellect, +5 Spirit, +5 Stamina.) Skill 1: Cower (Reduces your pet's presence, causing enemies to ignore it). Skill 2: Prowl (Makes your pet enter stealth, but reduces its Movement Speed. Its first attack after entering stealth deals 50% bonus damage. Attacking an enemy or being hit by an enemy cancels the stealth effect.) Skill 3: Dash (Increases Movement Speed by 80% for 15 seconds. Can be used while stealthed.) Growth-type pets can absorb the Soul Energy of other Rare Elite Monsters after killing them, allowing them to advance. (Huma's attributes grow by 4 points per level as a Green Grade pet. Every 10 levels, it will randomly learn a Pet Skill.) (Pets must be fed promptly when injured or hungry. Check their current status in the Status Bar. If killed, they will die; resurrecting them requires 1,000 Kill Points.)
The panel left Sun Busong stunned. Humar's attributes were now much higher than his own!
Aside from his primary Strength Attribute, his other attributes—such as Agility and Stamina—were only 63. His Intellect and Spirit were even lower, at just 26. Humar's were more than four times higher!
"Which one of us is the protagonist here?"
Sun Busong looked at Humar with envy.
"(^w^) Meow!" Sensing its master looking at it, Humar greeted him with a slightly bashful meow.
That bashful meow left Sun Busong completely flustered!
You're male, for crying out loud! Don't make such an ambiguously sweet sound!
Humar's strength had increased dramatically after advancing, giving Sun Busong even more confidence in the coming defense battle.
"When we get there, go straight for those two werewolves. Your dad's going to collect some Kill Points. If I don't keep working, you'll surpass me."
"Roar!"
"Ah~~~! That's more like it. Keep roaring like that from now on, got it? Hahahaha!"
"Roar!"
"Not bad, not bad. You're smarter after advancing, too. You've got potential. I like it!"
The Southern Defense Point had suffered heavy losses. Usop, a hybrid of defense and healing, barely had any uninjured flesh left on his body.
"Hold on, everyone! It'll be dawn in a little over two hours, and our Imperial Guard commander will be back to reinforce us soon. Once he gets here, those two werewolves will retreat."
"He'll be back soon! Give it everything you've got and don't let these wolves and werewolves break through our fortifications!" Altaia, Usop, and two Elite Warriors stood at the front, holding large shields.
If Altaia hadn't arrived in time with reinforcements, the south might already have fallen. She was glad she'd trusted her instincts.
A few dozen minutes earlier, Sun Busong had been like a god of war, charging in and out of the spider swarm and ogres, leaving a river of blood in his wake. He had single-handedly turned the tide in the north. As commander, she couldn't abandon her post, but with Sun Busong there, she felt her role was no longer all that important.
So she had brought several people to check the other two Defense Points. The fighting in the west was tense, but only low-level Skeleton Soldiers were harassing them, and there had been almost no casualties. So she had gone south. Sun Busong had told her the south was safe when he left, but—
No one could control how a battle unfolded. Things could change at any moment.
Sure enough! When she reached the south, she found two Silver Elite Werewolves charging toward the Southern Defense Point with over a thousand wolves and werewolves.
As she watched her comrades get wounded one by one, and several even die, Altaia silently screamed one person's name over and over in her heart: Sun Busong!
Perhaps her prayers had worked, or perhaps he had sensed her determination. Just as she happened to turn around, Altaia saw a black lion racing toward her in the distance, with the man she had called out to countless times at its side!
"Commander! I'm over here! Hurry and help us—we can't hold out much longer!"
Usop's voice was almost breaking into a sob. He had thought things would be safer after the commander killed the Wolf King, but he hadn't expected the wolves to call for reinforcements after their king died. And two of them had shown up—two Silver Elite Werewolves!
Fenros, Gray Werewolf, level 32 Rare Elite.
Nefaru, White Werewolf, level 34 Rare Elite.
Sun Busong leaped straight into the fray, unleashing a four-move combo!
Heroic Leap!
He came crashing down from above, landing on six werewolves' heads and killing them instantly!
Next, Challenging Roar!
With a mighty shout, more than a dozen werewolves and wolves around him were drawn toward Sun Busong against their will.
Again!
Thunder Strike!
Once the enemies had gathered around him, lightning flashed beneath Sun Busong's feet. He stomped the ground, leaving a deep crater, and the enemies within range of Thunder Strike lost nearly half their Health Points.
The final move!
Whirlwind Slash!
Sun Busong spun violently, wielding an axe in each hand. Every enemy he touched was slashed with fresh wounds. Those with little Health left died outright, and even the ones with plenty couldn't withstand more than a few turns.
In half a minute, Sun Busong had descended from the sky and killed over thirty enemies. He stood like a god of war among a pack of wolves and werewolves!
"Commander, you're amazing!!!"
Usop was genuinely crying. The commander had arrived just in time, and his moves had been so cool! He wanted to introduce his leader and commander to every person here. This was his boss, his commander!
"Sir, you're incredible!"
"Sir, you're back! Hahaha, we're saved!"
"Sir, kill those two wolf pups! I'm good at bone carving. I'll carve their teeth into keepsakes and give them to you!"
Sun Busong stood firm in the middle of the battlefield, looking down on the two Silver Elite Werewolves, who were as tall as he was. In the eyes of his allies and the werewolves alike, he was a figure who inspired awe!
Only Sun Busong knew that he was exhausted again!
Hang in there! As long as I keep my expression steady, as long as my body doesn't tremble, as long as they don't attack me and I can recover a little more strength, I can keep putting on a show a while longer!
Before you continue