As [ Howling Pothos ] shouted this, he forcefully pushed his hands out at his two companions beside him, causing them to fall to one side. [ Howling Pothos ] himself also staggered back two steps due to the reaction force.
The moment the three left the settlement, the ground where they had been standing suddenly Shattered, and several sharpened wooden splinters pierced through the air above.
The three looked closely and saw that the wooden spike was shaped like Hang Upside Down wooden stake driven into the ground, or a weapon that an old hunter would set in a trap. The tip even had traces of blood on it, which made the three of them shudder.
Following the direction of the cracks in the ground, one could see milky-white roots emerging from the fissures in the Shattered earth, all of which ultimately led to the same place—
Below the magician's hut.
Having missed their target, the splinters quickly retracted along the crack they had come from, like poisonous creatures lurking in the darkness, waiting for their next opportunity.
Zhongde, slightly shaken, exhaled, his face instantly contorted with rage.
"Old silver coin! I thought the cutscene wasn't over yet, but it turns out this dagger is already charging up for a skill..."
After saying that, he looked at the two reliable players beside him:
What do we do now?
[ Howling Pothos ] looked at [ Zhongde ], and instantly recalled the scene when they dealt with the Rat King. The opponent's four dimensions also appeared in his mind -- 5555.
The good news is that it's a quadrilateral shape; the bad news is that it's a bit small.
On the other side, [ Great Wei Boxing Champion ] has a Strength of only 3 but a Constitution of 8.
Thinking of this, [ Howling Pothos ] quickly came up with an idea:
"I'll go up and draw their attention. [ Zhongde ], you find an opportunity to attack. Boxing Champion, go to the castle to report and bring all the reinforcements you can!"
He looked at the monster, which was almost entirely made of wood, and finally gave a word of advice:
"An axe might be more effective against this guy."
Having said that, he threw down the short spear, picked up the initial axe hanging on his body with one hand, and began to move randomly around the BOSS.
With their leader in mind, the remaining two immediately began to act. [ Great Wei Boxing Champion ] started throwing off the equipment that would consume extra stamina, preparing to sprint towards the castle like a marathon messenger.
Zhongde then tossed the corpse of Do Some Farm Work to the village elder Kaping, who had been shoved to the ground, and shouted:
"Retreat with the bodies!"
Just as [ Great Wei Boxing Champion ] was about to begin his sprint, Kaping suddenly shouted in his hoarse voice:
"I can contact Bishop Adrian!"
"Ah?"
Upon hearing this, all three were startled, and even [ Howling Pothos ], who had already started moving, made a momentary lapse in concentration.
The three looked at the old man, who was almost old enough to be buried, and were surprised that he did not seem to be an ordinary NPC.
Seeing this, [ Howling Pothos ] quickly revised its plan:
"Alright, I'll draw its aggro. You two find an opportunity to attack and see what skills this guy has!"
The hurried [ Good Times Don't Last ] shattered the long-lost tranquility of the castle. At that moment, Seraphina, having finished her class, was sleeping behind the bank counter, while Ed was browsing player questionnaires in a private area of the castle.
As he heard the footsteps, the message Kaping conveyed also appeared in his mind:
"Your Excellency Bishop Adrian, a terrifying monster from the legends has appeared in Upperstream Village. One of your four elite knights has already fallen, and the remaining three are fighting desperately. Please send reinforcements immediately!"
?
Upon hearing this news, Ed was filled with questions and quickly used the leaf that had become part of Kaping's flesh and blood to see the current battlefield.
One of the three players was dodging spikes that kept emerging from the ground, while the other two were wielding axes to trim the feet of a suspended wooden house. In the distance, there was a headless corpse...
He really is a boss!
The players were repairing the roof just fine, so why did another boss appear?
First it was the Rat King, now it's the "Wooden House"—the trigger condition for these bosses can't be "a player appears," right?
After replying with "Okay," Ed heard the footsteps again.
He quickly put on a human-machine expression and went to the hall, only to find [ his Good Times Don't Last ] panting as he said:
"My Lord, there is a dragon-man, no, a human-dragon, uh, a half-human-dragon, no, no, a human-half-dragon..."
"Half-dragon."
"Yes, yes, half-dragon, there is a half-dragon who wants to see you. He says their village chief has something important to tell you."
Where is he now?
Ed looked around the hall but couldn't find any trace of the Dragonborn.
[ The Good Times Don't Last ] The corner of his mouth twitched as he said:
"He's kneeling in front of the bank counter, saying that his great master is nearby, and he dares not go up to the castle; standing higher than his master would be an overstepping of his bounds."
Ed covered his face with his hands and strode towards the castle gate.
There was nothing he could do; if the person wouldn't come up, he'd have to go down himself. He didn't know what urgent matter it was.
After a brief moment of dizziness, he saw a face he had met once before—a guard on the wall when he visited the Dragonborn Village.
What does your village chief want to tell me?
The young guard said in a low but quick voice:
"The village chief said that the fools of the Tree Worship Church have bypassed Dragonborn Village and headed towards Midstream Village."
Another group of people?
Why is it so lively today?
Ed felt a bit confused. This world was indeed not so simple. At the same time as the new BOSS appeared, the Tree Worship Church also arrived. It was as if all the troubles had piled up at once.
Considering the rustic appearance of the wooden house and the "story" Kaping told, Ed roughly believed that it wasn't some kind of combination technique used by Tree Worship Church.
Based on the timing of the half-dragons' encounter with the Tree Worship Church and the speed of the Many-Footed Hoofed Beast, Ed vaguely sensed that a major battle was about to erupt in the Upperstream Village.
Chaos is great! For the weaker side, chaos is the best opportunity!
Thinking of this, Ed waved his hand and said to [ Good Times Don't Last ]:
"Gather all the Soul Returner in the vicinity, whether they're from the Tree Worship Church or monsters, we need to go and lend a hand!"
As soon as the words were spoken, not only [ Good Times Don't Last ], but also [ Dawn Ah ], who was observing the seed's growth, [ Dark Archmage ], who was carrying the Vine Sheep to the vicinity of the castle, and [ Shit Appraisal Master ], [ Litang's Supremely Fierce Tiger ], and [ Pond Fish and Old Abyss ], who were several kilometers away on their way to Shangyou Upperstream Village to meet [ Zhongde ] and the others, all had two semi-transparent notification boxes appear in front of them at that instant.