No Brothers, No Dark Souls

This campaign against the Crystallized Old Man naturally ended in failure.

After the second phase of the battle has lasted for a certain period of time, the large crystal ball that the Crystallized Old Man has been making will smash to the ground, turning the entire area into spiky crystals, making it impossible to step on, let alone chase after the enemy.

Moreover, Crystallization Magic can be enhanced on this ground, and a single charged attack can take down Lu Lu Wo.

This means that even after the second phase is completed, you can't let your Bubble Shield down, no matter how long you wait to wear down the enemy's health. You still have to take them down as soon as possible.

This means that in addition to mages, the recruits must also be high-speed professions, such as rangers and assassins.

Recruiting staff can be as simple as it seems, or as difficult as it can be.

Given the reputation of the Skyrim Strategy Team, posting recruitment information should get a lot of responses, but how many of those responses are actually competent?

Lu Lu Wo initially thought forty people would be enough, but to be on the safe side, she decided to increase the number of recruits to fifty.

As for the reward, besides splitting the prize money after defeating the Crystallized Old Man, is there anything else we need to add? Shouldn't the organizer add something as well?

Why not just use the Merfolk Race magic she obtained as a bonus?

In addition to the [Bubble Shield], the magic she acquired also included a spell called [Fish Communication]. Judging from the name, it seems to allow one to understand the language of fish, but in reality, it involves making sounds that attract fish.

It seems like it can be used for fishing, but it doesn't seem to be very useful for adventurers. Maybe it's effective against seafood-related dungeons?

Hmm. This doesn't seem very appealing. I need to think of something else. Maybe I should go to the Adventurers' Guild and try to freeload.

Before leaving, Lu Lu Wo went to the campfire to check if her soul was strong enough to level up, but it turned out she was far from it, so she ended up spending her money on Ka Lie.

Everyone else remained in the lake district, while she, Bei Er Tuo, and Tu Erqi appeared outside the dungeon via a large teleportation Magic Array that appeared in the center of Academy Gate Town.

It would be more sincere for her to personally take charge of recruiting people.

The griffins, on their mounts, live quite comfortably under the care of dedicated staff. They can ride them without any problems and return to Bede City in the time it takes to eat a meal.

That's right, they haven't returned the griffin they took from Earl Ka Rong yet. Since the Count didn't want it back, they'll just keep using it for now.

Lu Lu Wo was prepared for a protracted battle, but the recruitment process went even more smoothly than she had imagined.

She initially headed straight for the Adventurers' Guild, but on the way she encountered Leon and his group who were returning from hunting the Great Jaggi.

She got the Strategy Team to join the fight against the Crystallized Old Man with almost no effort!

Just as she was feeling energized and ready to keep up the good work, things took an unexpected turn.

Leon went to find Jia Paer but couldn't find him. However, Malu brought Da Er, and Da Er brought the entire Farron Guard.

During this period of development, the Farron Guard have begun to take a more serious approach, especially after the battle of Spring Sun City, when everyone's pent-up anger was released and they trained even more diligently.

Moreover, the quantity has doubled compared to before!

Under Earl Ka Rong's propaganda offensive, the Farron Guard made their grand debut as the top star organization in Bede City!

Not long ago, they traveled thousands of miles to eliminate a small group of wandering demons, which further solidified their reputation and attracted many people who wanted to join. After screening, they achieved their current scale.

Delu and Te Er sought out their old acquaintances, a group of mages and Warrior. Soon after, other self-proclaimed "Strategy Team" arrived, requesting to join in the fight against the leader.

Within just one day, the number of high-quality available personnel reached over a hundred.

Tu Erqi had no chance to use her connections at all; the people she had now were enough to chop the Crystallized Old Man into wonton filling!

Tu Erqi: Sometimes I feel like I'm superfluous.

Because there were too many people, Lu Lu Wo's selection process became rather rough. She explained the Crystallized Old Man's techniques, battlegrounds, battle plans, and so on, and also revealed the [Bubble Shield] spell for free.

What she found was a tattered magic book containing the magic of the Merfolk Race, not a book page that could instantly teach someone magic.

The former is a magic book obtained by Gong Qiying through a trade with the Dark Blue Sea Dungeon. Naturally, it cannot possess the unique privilege of "instant learning" that magic from other worlds has. Adventurers can only learn it through the magic book.

Fortunately, the Bubble Shield spell is simple enough, and the mages who joined this battle are all capable enough to learn and use it in a short time. As long as they "don't make mistakes," they don't even need to be "proficient," since it's only used when fighting the Crystallized Old Man.

The manpower issue was resolved in just one day, so the remaining issues were the Transfer Certificate and the Academy Glintstone Key.

The Transfer Certificate is not a problem, but the Academy Glintstone Key only appears once every two hours in the Glintstone Dragon Nest, and each key can be used by five people.

It took hundreds of people two days to collect all twenty-four keys in the dragon's lair, scaring the Glintstone Dragon Smarag so much that it dared not return and could only circle in the sky howling in despair.

Finally, everything was ready, and the adventurers united like never before to form a massive army, marching in a mighty force toward the Crystallized Old Man. Everyone felt the power of the collective.

As a result, after wasting so much time, we only discovered a problem when we got to the main gate.

[Limited to 50 people]

A large line of magic runes was slapped onto everyone's faces.

Lu Lu Wo was dumbfounded. Why didn't this rule appear before? Why did it only appear after everyone had arrived?

So it's because the previous number of people didn't reach the limit!

Left with no other choice, she apologized to everyone. After a long and tedious argument that would make anyone dizzy just describing it, she finally selected fifty people.

Even the wolves Farron Guard are taking up a spot.

Some people were initially unconvinced, but after the wolf howled and grew from its normal size to the size of Sif, no one spoke up.

They are still no match for the giant wolves Farron Guard.

Fifty elite adventurers, selected from the best of the best, strode confidently into the Crystallized Old Man's boudoir. Many of them were fighting alongside a large group for the first time, and while they felt a sense of novelty, they couldn't help but feel excited.

It felt like this was going to be an epic, mythical battle of heroes!

"Chase him! Cut him down! Charge!"

"You son of a bitch, don't run away! If I catch you, I'll make you fucking come out!"

"Where's the mage? My protective shield is broken! Help!"

However, ideals are often lofty, while reality is often harsh.

When the fighting actually started, the entire battlefield was filled with shouts and screams, resembling a chaotic marketplace.

Neither the organizer Lu Lu Wo nor the other adventurers had any experience leading a group in combat. The most organized group was the Farron Guard, who rode their giant wolves and ran over the Crystallized Old Man. The others were used to fighting in small groups, and their coordination when they came together was terrible.

But this combination is enough to deal with the Crystallized Old Man. The chaos of the battle scene is not scary; what is scary is having no objective.

Fortunately, everyone's goal was clear: to kill the Crystallized Old Man.

Many people were disgusted by this old man who liked to wander around everywhere when they first met him, and they even wanted to leave their own marks (meaning scars) on him.

"It's so lively!"

Looking at the chaotic yet somewhat exciting battlefield before her, Lu Lu Wo couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

Fighting together with a large group of people is a completely different experience from fighting in a small group!

It's really addictive!

The battle was so intense it needs no further explanation; the sounds of "boom, pop, wow, ga" echoed everywhere, lasers shot out in all directions, and the entire arena was filled with reflective soap bubbles.

With an arrow from Si Telan and Farron Dart from the Farron Guard, the Crystallized Old Man's last bit of life force was finally exhausted!

"Ah"

He helplessly reached out his hand towards the crystal sphere that hadn't yet fallen from the sky, and then turned to ashes.

"He's dead just like that? I haven't even had a chance to vent my anger!"

"I never want to run again in my life!"

While many adventurers were still indignant, Lu Lu Wo was already concerned about whether the rewards would be enough for so many people to share.

What if a rare reward drops? Should we sell it and split the money equally?

Just then, a die appeared in front of each of the surviving people.

Depending on the number of points rolled, everyone received different rewards.

"Four o'clock, I have obtained the magic [Crystal Scatter]." Lu Lu Wo looked at the page that appeared in front of her and reached out to touch it.

"One point, Nameless Warrior's Large Soul?" It seems that those who contribute the least amount of effort can only throw the fewest points.

"Three o'clock, the Crystallized Old Man's hat, what is this thing?" Tu Erqi held a large, somewhat shabby-looking Big Hat, at a loss.

Si Telan stared at the dice in front of her, lost in thought.

Because she didn't roll a number, the die actually stood upright in the air by its edge!

What's this? I'm not going to get no reward, am I? No way! I spent ages building up my power to snag that kill!

Just as she was feeling down, a striking golden light appeared before her, and something somewhat familiar came into view.

[Painting Fragment "Waste Stone" Part Two]

Wow, it's a hidden SSR!

The second fragment of Topus' Painting Fragment!

Si Telan cheered in a low voice, and two other people in the scene also emitted the same golden light.

Although they didn't know what rewards the Painting World of Waste Stone would bring, everyone still cast "Oh my god" looks at the three people who emitted golden light.

Envy, jealousy, and hatred!

After everyone had received their rewards, Lu Lu Wo shouted:

"I declare the battle against the Crystallized Old Man a victory!"

Regardless of whether the rewards were satisfactory, the participants in the battle raised their arms and cheered.

The feeling of team battles is something I'll probably never forget.

"What are your plans for the future?" Lu Lu Wo, looking at Si Telan and the other elves.

"Let's go upstairs." Si Telan weighed the Painting Fragment in her hand. "I want to collect them all."

"Yeah, maybe we can get other fragments from the next boss." Lu Lu Wo thoughtfully. "After we collect them all, can I borrow them to take a look? I can pay for them."

"No problem."

The fight is over, those who want to continue can leave, and those who want to stay can remain. After the boss's arena door is closed, the Crystallized Old Man might resurrect.

Lu Lu Wo felt responsible for those who hadn't gone into battle, so she stayed behind and waited with everyone for the leader to reappear.

The elves, including Si Telan, went straight to the second floor. Some adventurers made the same choice, and they even planned to travel together, since there's strength in numbers.

This was the first time so many adventurers had appeared at the magic academy, and the place, which had been quiet for a long time, suddenly became lively.

The scene on the second floor has changed slightly; the beams and chandeliers suspended in the air now seem to be able to accommodate adventurers walking on them.

People were still in a state of excitement after the great battle, feeling that everything here seemed to be within their grasp. After all, they had just defeated such a powerful Crystallized Old Man, and they could be proud for a while.

Even Si Telan felt a little lightheaded, repeatedly thinking to herself, "I got the golden light, I got the golden light, hehe, nobody else did!"

"Look what that is!"

Just then, Mei Erjia suddenly pointed ahead, and in the distance appeared a figure dressed in Magician Set, but wearing Big Hat and mask, just quietly watching them.

It shouldn't be an adventurer, could it be an afterimage?

Just as they were about to greet each other, they suddenly saw the other party conjure a magical bow and aim it at them.

Magic Professor Miriam has her eye on you.

A line of text appeared in front of each person.

What has locked us down?

My friend told me that this recruitment and combat storyline could easily fill three or four chapters, but I think it's better to just end it cleanly.

I bought the Skyrim VR during the fall sale, and tonight I'm back to my Dragon Ball adventure!