Soon, more and more monsters-Fallen, Dark Huntresses, Gargantuan Beasts...-joined the "parade," as if they were about to hold a massive end-of-the-century celebration, chasing relentlessly after Sun Fei.
By the time Sun Fei reached the border between the Blood Moor and the Cold Plains, an army of no fewer than three or four hundred monsters and demons had gathered behind him.
"Damn, I searched high and low without finding them, and now they've practically fallen into my lap!"
Sun Fei looked back at the huge crowd of monsters, so delighted he could hardly contain his grin.
The vast mass of low-level demons posed little threat to Sun Fei at his current level. In his eyes, every last one of them was a pile of fucking experience points.
He eagerly stopped and waved the necromancer's wand in his hand.
The necromancer skill Teeth activated.
Whoosh!
A sinister stream of milky-white death energy surged wildly.
Three sharp, barbed teeth, surrounded by milky-white halos, whistled out along strange paths and tore the thirty Fallen scampering at the front to pieces without fail.
He waved the wand again.
Another stream of sinister, icy white death energy appeared.
The necromancer skill Raise Skeleton activated.
Clatter!
Blood and flesh sprayed from a Fallen corpse on the ground. Incredibly, a fearsome Sword Skeleton suddenly rose from it, a bone blade in its right hand and a bone shield in its left. Its small frame happened to block the monster army's path. The Sword Skeleton swished its bone blade several times, cutting down a few more Fallen closest to it.
While the summoned skeleton briefly held back the monster army, Sun Fei frantically unleashed Teeth again. Wave after wave of white light, carrying the chill of death, plunged into the horde.
The crowd of monsters was such a large target that Sun Fei didn't even need to bother aiming carefully. He could simply fire in their general direction and easily tear several apart. Teeth had a piercing effect, and a single tooth could often pierce several demons.
Five or six seconds later, Necromancer Sun Fei's summoned skeleton was surrounded and beaten to bone fragments by the monsters.
Sun Fei turned and sprinted away.
After opening up a little distance, he used Raise Skeleton again, letting the little skeleton block the monster army while he fired off another barrage of white Teeth projectiles.
He repeated the process.
Although he encountered several dangerous situations along the way, Sun Fei's quick reactions and the effects of more than ten Minor Healing Potions and Minor Mana Restoration Potions allowed him to pull through without serious harm.
Five minutes later.
The last monster howled and fell into a pool of blood.
Severed limbs and shattered organs littered the ground as far as he could see. The blood of monsters and demons had dyed the earth red, and the rain washed it into scarlet pools everywhere. A foul, bloody stench rushed at him.
It had been a one-sided massacre, and the bloody scene had already left Sun Fei numb.
Sun Fei realized that he was growing more and more accustomed to scenes of slaughter. His state of mind had changed from that of a delicate shut-in who fainted at the sight of chickens or pigs being killed in his previous life to that of a "super butcher" who could now slaughter hundreds or even tens of thousands without the slightest emotional disturbance.
Besides the monsters' corpses, there were piles of glittering gold coins and strange pieces of equipment glowing in various colors.
However, most of these monsters and demons were the very lowest-level creatures in the wilderness, so the equipment they dropped wasn't anything good. Pressed for time, Sun Fei checked the loot, picked up four pieces of blue equipment and tossed them into his backpack, leaving everything else behind. Then, without stopping for a moment, he hurried on his way.
Less than fifteen minutes remained.
As he entered the Cold Plains, a piercing chill struck him head-on.
There were more kinds of monsters and demons here, and they were even more vicious.
Sun Fei downed a Stamina Potion and started sprinting again.
As before, the surrounding monsters were alerted by Sun Fei and came roaring after him, quickly forming another vast monster army. It was quite a sight.
For the first time, Sun Fei discovered that sprinting through the Diablo World at night could have this effect. This world was more real than the simulated world of the computer game in his previous life, and its monsters were far more adaptable than the computer game's program code: they knew how to give chase.
Halfway there, Sun Fei had to stop luring monsters and turn around to fight.
If their numbers kept growing, Sun Fei wouldn't have much confidence in taking them all out in one go. Although they were all low-level monsters with no powerful bosses among them, even a fierce tiger couldn't withstand a pack of wolves, and a hero couldn't fight off too many hands. With enough numbers, ants could kill an elephant.
Sun Fei stopped and resorted to his old method-
He summoned a low-level Sword Skeleton to hold back as much of the monster army as possible, then opened up some distance and fired off a barrage of Teeth projectiles while dodging.
The first three or four minutes went smoothly.
Under Sun Fei's shameless hit-and-run tactics, the monsters fell howling into pools of blood like wheat before a scythe, their numbers dwindling rapidly.
But after a while, things changed-
Perhaps hearing the sounds of battle and the howls of their own kind, more and more monsters converged from every direction and joined the fight.
Because the monsters and demons were coming from all directions this time, the single skeleton warrior produced by Raise Skeleton could no longer hold them back. Sun Fei had to flee, taking potions and dodging as he went, occasionally summoning beams of Teeth to counterattack.
"Damn it, why do these guys get so fierce at night, like they've taken aphrodisiacs?"
Sun Fei gradually began to struggle.
Although his life wasn't in danger, he couldn't afford to waste the time. If this continued, he wouldn't be able to reach the Burial Grounds and kill Blood Raven before hitting the time limit for this session. It would probably be a little difficult to reach level six and learn Corpse Explosion before that mysterious, icy voice forced him to leave the Diablo World.
At the thought, Sun Fei sped up his attacks.
But there was no end to them.
Whenever two or three monsters fell, more would immediately stream out of the distant darkness to replace them. In the end, although Sun Fei had killed quite a few, more and more monsters were howling and pursuing him.
"Banana your eight peppers! It's not like I dug up your ancestors' graves!"
Sun Fei grew furious as he fought, swinging the necromancer's wand in his hand like a club and using Teeth and Raise Skeleton nonstop. Fortunately, classes in the Diablo World had no skill cooldowns; as long as he had enough mana, he could use them without limit.
Sun Fei guzzled Healing Potions and Mana Restoration Potions as he fought a running battle against the monsters surging at him like a tide.
The monsters on the Cold Plains were all low-level, and relatively few of them had ranged attacks. Under these circumstances, Sun Fei actually managed to hold on.
"Fuck your uncles! If this keeps up, I can forget about killing that damned traitor Blood Raven before the game time limit..."
Sun Fei calculated the time and reckoned there were only a few minutes left.
Sure enough, after he held on for another five or six minutes, the mysterious, icy voice rang out in his mind-
"Player, attention. Today's game time limit has been reached. Please prepare to leave the world of Diablo. Ten-second countdown commencing... 10... 9... 8..."
Sun Fei felt helpless.
He hadn't expected to fall short at the very end. He had now reached level five and was only a little way from level six and learning Corpse Explosion. Then he would have had a better chance of dealing with the enemies surrounding the city. Who could have known...
"It's all the fault of these aphrodisiac-popping bastards."
Furious, Sun Fei disregarded the fact that his mana was almost depleted and cast Teeth again and again. Countless milky-white projectiles, trailing shrill whistles, plunged into the densest cluster of monsters, followed by countless howls...
Just then, something unexpected happened-
Ding!
A clear chime suddenly rang out.
Then a curtain of milky-white light descended from the sky and enveloped Sun Fei. A comfortable, tingling sensation spread through him as the minor wounds all over his body slowly healed, and his health and mana instantly returned to full.
He had leveled up!
He had actually leveled up at a time like this.
Sun Fei was overjoyed.
With time running out, he couldn't concern himself with anything else. He immediately opened his skills with a thought and added the skill point he had gained from leveling up to Corpse Explosion.
"Banana eight peppers! Looks like my luck's still holding strong. I actually pulled it off at the crucial moment!"
Sun Fei was immensely pleased with himself.
At that moment, darkness swept over his vision, and everything he could see twisted like an old television that had lost its signal. Then a sensation of weightlessness came over him, and Sun Fei left the world of Diablo.
Chambord City.
It was finally noon.
Although autumn had already arrived, the midday heat was still unbearable. The dark city walls were scorching under the sun, and the armor and weapons radiated heat as well. Some of the soldiers guarding the walls were so exhausted that they had slumped to the ground.
Weariness pressed down on everyone's body and mind like a towering mountain.
Across the river, the black-clad enemy still held its position.
But the black torrent and its surging, bone-chilling killing intent reached them from afar. Whoever glanced at the enemy army on the stone bridge, stretched out like a black snake, felt a chill in their heart, even beneath the blazing sun.
No one knew when this suffocating atmosphere would end.
No one knew when the battle, with flesh and blood flying, would suddenly erupt in a frenzy.
No one knew whether Chambord City would still be the same after the battle, or whether they themselves would walk down from the walls alive and see the parents, beloved wives, lovers, and children waiting anxiously at their doors...
Brook paced back and forth along the city wall, doing his best to bolster morale.
But the results were disappointing.
The soldiers' physiological and physical exhaustion wasn't something a few words from him could resolve.
The squadron leader of the King's Guard soon discovered that his ability to sway people was far inferior to King Alexander's. The young king could often set the soldiers' blood boiling with just a few words, but Brook had said dozens, even hundreds of sentences to little effect.
The fat pig Gejir sat on the ground, panting heavily from exhaustion. Fortunately, a family warrior held a parasol over his head. The herald Bazel stood calmly behind his son, eyes narrowed, his thoughts unknown.
Warden Oleg sat at the battle position Sun Fei had assigned him. He had taken off his breastplate and was using it to fan himself constantly. Muttering under his breath, his expression shifting, he glanced from time to time at the enemy below the city, then toward the ruined stone house in the gate tower, and then at Chambord City's greatest fighter, Frank Lampard. He seemed to want to do something, but whenever he saw Conca, the military judge still pinned to the stone wall, he shrank back in fear.
The white-haired powerhouse Pierce paced outside the stone house with the King's Sword on his back.
As time passed and the temperature rose, he grew increasingly anxious. Pierce didn't know what His Majesty was doing inside the stone house; it had remained utterly quiet, without the slightest sound. If Alexander's earlier performance hadn't completely won the burly man over, Pierce might well have rushed inside long ago to demand a full explanation.
Just then, suddenly-
Three-Star Warrior Frank Lampard was startled. He had suddenly sensed a powerful fluctuation of energy, full of sinister, icy chill, coming from the ruined stone house in the gate tower. The discovery shocked Chambord City's greatest fighter.
At the same time, One-Star Warrior Oleg, sitting on the ground, sensed it too.
He felt a terrifying pressure sweep over him, far beyond what he could withstand as a One-Star Warrior. The bone-chilling sensation was as if the god of death had suddenly opened his eyes behind him and fixed him with a stare. He had only ever felt this way when facing an enraged Lampard, but this clearly wasn't Lampard. Could it be... Alexander?
One-Star Warrior Brook also sensed the energy fluctuation.
He looked toward the stone house, unable to suppress his delight.
The magic apprentice Gejir, who was closest to the stone house, also reacted at that moment as though he had encountered something terrifying. He suddenly jumped up from the ground, gasping for breath, his calves beginning to cramp. Seeing his son's reaction, the herald Bazel, standing nearby, suddenly opened his eyes, looking thoughtful, but soon closed them again.
Of course, apart from these experts who had made some progress in cultivating Dou Qi or magic, the ordinary soldiers felt nothing.
That included the white-haired powerhouse Pierce.
He was only an ordinary strongman. Although he instinctively sensed a slight change in the atmosphere on the city wall at that instant, Pierce had no idea exactly what had changed.
Inside the ruined stone house.
Sun Fei opened his eyes.
He peered through the collapsed window at the distant scene below the city.
Four hours had passed, and the battle situation at Chambord City was much as he had anticipated before entering the Diablo World. The enemy's mysterious commander, like a cobra lying in wait, still hadn't launched an attack, patiently waiting for the best opportunity instead.
The situation remained locked in a suffocating stalemate.
Clearly, in a situation like this, the contest came down to the quality of the soldiers.
Compared with those well-trained black-armored soldiers, Chambord City's defenders-whether the King's Guard or the civilians-were far, far inferior. As time slipped silently by, the gap between the two sides would widen without limit, and the balance of victory would quickly tilt toward the black-armored soldiers.
If Sun Fei's guess was right, the enemy's mysterious commander was waiting for a particular moment: just after lunchtime, when an ordinary person was at their most tired and sleepy during the day. That was when the enemy would launch an attack like a raging storm.
He checked the sky. There were probably less than twenty minutes until lunchtime.
The battle was about to begin.
It was time to start the plan.
Sun Fei slowly rose from the stone.
However, he didn't rush straight out of the ruined stone house.
Instead, he closed his eyes and quietly sensed the power he had brought back from the Diablo World. Based on Sun Fei's previous experience, after leaving the world of Diablo this time, he should now have the powers of a level-three sorcerer, a level-three paladin, and a level-six necromancer in his body, in addition to the power of a level-twelve barbarian.
Sun Fei closed his eyes and concentrated on sensing it.
Gradually, he began to feel something.
A faint, sinister, icy field of power slowly appeared, flickering in and out of existence, mysterious and profound. Fluctuations of energy surrounded Sun Fei.
It was a very familiar sensation.
With a thought, Sun Fei turned over his hand.
In an instant, a vortex of milky-white death energy visible to the naked eye appeared in his palm. It spun and shifted constantly with a soft whistle, like a tiny tornado reduced countless times over, slowly forming in Sun Fei's hand.
"This is... the necromancer's death energy."
Sun Fei was delighted.
But soon, his brow furrowed.
Apart from the necromancer's power, he couldn't sense any of the power he should have had as a barbarian, sorcerer, or paladin. No matter how hard he tried to sense or summon it, there was no response whatsoever.
"What's going on?"
Sun Fei closed his eyes and pondered.
His heart tightened. "That shouldn't be... Damn, could there have been something wrong with my earlier thinking?"
Just then-
"Reminder: You may possess the powers and skills of only one character at a time. To use another character's abilities, please switch character modes."
The mysterious, icy voice suddenly rang out in Sun Fei's mind.
Switch character modes?
Sun Fei was taken aback. After a little thought, he quickly understood what the phrase meant.
"So that's how it works."
With a thought, Sun Fei quietly called out in his mind, Switch to barbarian character mode.
Whoosh!
In the next instant, a marvelous change occurred-
The necromancer's white death energy in Sun Fei's palm vanished instantly, and the faint, icy field of death energy surrounding his body disappeared without a trace in the same instant, as if it had never existed.
Immediately afterward, Sun Fei could no longer access the slightest bit of the necromancer's power. In its place was the infinitely terrifying physical strength of a level-twelve barbarian.
We're back in the real world. I promise there definitely won't be descriptions this detailed and lengthy in the Diablo World from now on.
Because everything that needed explaining has been explained.
Please add this to your favorites and vote.
Even though there were fewer than 1,000 red votes today, Daozi still delivered an 8,000-character burst.