Biting Wind Protection

Xiao Yu had already made some predictions about what skills he could learn at level 15. Based on the skills unlocked at levels 5 and 10, the Water Elemental skills and the fire element skills were clearly corresponding.

At level 5, fire elementals have Fire Bolt, and Water Elemental have Frostbolt.

At level 10, fire elementals have Fire Nova, and Water Elemental have Frost Nova.

He remembered that fire elementalists could learn Fire Shield at level 15, so Water Elemental would probably learn Ice Barrier. He just didn't know what kind of skill would mutate from combining the two.

Sure enough, when he opened the skill bar, the skills inside were exactly as he had guessed.

Skill 1: Ice Barrier. Unleashes icy power to surround you, increasing your armor and slowing enemies who attack you at close range.

Skill 2: Fire Shield. Unleash the power of fire to surround you and protect you, causing continuous fire damage to nearby enemies.

Skill 3: Biting Wind Protection - Cold and hot air currents swirl around you, the intense temperature difference creating Enrage airflow that repels enemies that approach you and deflects ranged attacks flying towards you.

Hmm, this third skill surprised Xiao Yu a bit. He originally thought that the Fire Shield would turn into a steam shield (although he didn't understand how steam could turn into a shield) or something like that when it met the Ice Barrier. He didn't expect it to turn into a wind skill directly, which was a bit unexpected.

However, judging from the skill description, this Biting Wind Barrier seems more powerful than the other two skills. First of all, the knockback effect on melee enemies makes it impossible for ordinary enemies to get close.

The knockback effect against ranged attacks essentially eliminates the threat posed by bows and crossbows. As a result, whether it's melee classes like Warrior, rogues, and feral druids, or ranged classes like hunters and rangers, there's almost nothing to fear. It's estimated that only spells can directly hit him, making him practically immune to physical attacks.

The reason for saying 'almost' is that in the Sky World, there is never anything absolute. In Xiao Yu's opinion, this knockback effect should only be effective against enemies below a certain size. If a giant dragon were to pounce on him, Xiao Yu did not think that this Biting Wind Barrier could withstand it. Similarly, ranged attacks should also have a defensive limit.

Even so, it's still quite powerful. At least for the average adventurer, it should be more than enough. After all, for a boss, the biggest enemy is still the adventurer.

With that in mind, Xiao Yu decisively chose the third skill.

System notification: New skill learned - Biting Wind Protection.

Having learned his new skill, Xiao Yu naturally wanted to test it out. He looked around and noticed several bioluminescent crabs that came out at night. "Alright, you're the ones."

These bioluminescent crabs prefer to forage at night. They are about two meters in diameter and have a pair of huge claws. Judging from their size, they should be considered medium-sized creatures.

Frostfire Bolt!

Xiao Yu fired a long-range attack, and with a snap, it almost cooked a luminous crab. The crab and its companions immediately swarmed towards Xiao Yu, raising their large claws high, looking fearless.

With Biting Wind Protection, Xiao Yu suddenly circulated the Frostfire Power within his body. In an instant, the power of ice and fire flowed around his body simultaneously, neutralizing and repelling each other. The temperature difference caused the airflow to accelerate, turning into a whirlwind-like flow that swirled around Xiao Yu, emitting a howling sound.

The glowing crabs rushed towards Xiao Yu, but before they were even a meter away, they were swept up, circled around him twice, and then flew more than ten meters away before falling to the ground.

The remaining glowing crabs, upon seeing this, were unsure whether to advance or retreat.

Since you're not coming over, I'll go over there myself. With that thought, Xiao Yu rushed over.

Like Tornado crashing into the amusement park, the glowing crabs flew into the sky one after another, and even the water in the pool beneath their feet was lifted up by the whirlwind, like a mist, and a light rain suddenly began to fall from the sky.

Haha, this skill is quite interesting.

Xiao Yu laughed as he thought about it, until he felt somewhat tired, at which point he deactivated the effect of the Biting Wind Protection.

Elemental creatures do not need mana to use skills, but rather stamina, because elemental energy comes from themselves. This Biting Wind Protection can generally last for about 30 seconds.

However, whether or not to upgrade this skill into a BOSS skill was a dilemma for Xiao Yu. After thinking about it, he decided against it. He now had a restriction skill, a defensive skill, and a single-target attack skill. What he lacked most was a summoning skill and an AOE skill. Among them, the AOE skill was the most important because as a BOSS, he would eventually have to enter dungeons, facing 1v5, 1v10, or even 1v20 or 1v40. At that time, it would be almost unimaginable to do without a powerful AOE skill. Therefore, Xiao Yu decided to save his second BOSS skill for his next skill. If his current skills were synchronized with the fire element, he should be able to learn the Flame Dragon Wave at level 20. That skill was very suitable for upgrading into a BOSS skill.

After a period of excitement, Xiao Yu felt somewhat tired, not physically, but mentally. It was time to sleep.

System notification: You have received a chat invitation.

"Huh, who could it be?" Xiao Yu thought to himself as he returned to the character selection screen, opened his contacts, and saw a stranger named Lantian Yunuan.

Xiao Yu: Who are you?

Lantian Yunuan: I'm Liu Xiaoyu.

Xiao Yu: Liu Xiaoyu? How come you're in the game too?

Lantian Yunuan: Of course I want to play games with you! You forgot? We made a bet last time. If I could advance to the BOSS template within a month, you would take me to play games and become a professional player. I just bought a game pod and officially entered the game today. Our bet starts today!

Xiao Yu was speechless for a while. He had only said it casually, but he didn't expect Liu Xiaoyu to take it seriously. However, what's said is said, so it seemed he could only give her some pointers. But he didn't think Liu Xiaoyu could advance to the BOSS template in a month, so he wasn't too nervous.

Xiao Yu: Okay, so what template are you planning to play? Dragon? Demon? Celestial Realm creature?

Lantian Yunuan: What are you playing?

Xiao Yu: I play the Water Elemental.

Lantian Yunuan: Water Elemental, let me see... wow, it's so ugly. I guess it saw the picture of the Water Elemental on the game's official website.

Xiao Yu thought to himself, "Where is it ugly? Although the Water Elemental isn't exactly beautiful, it's still quite imposing, isn't it? How come it's ugly in your mouth?"

Lantian Yunuan: Let me see if there are any good-looking creatures in the water. Hmm, this one is nice.

After saying that, he immediately sent over a picture.

That was a picture of a mermaid. (Not a fish-man; they are two completely different creatures. A fish-man has the upper body of a fish and the lower body of a human, while a mermaid has the upper body of a human and the lower body of a fish.)

Mermaids were the earliest intelligent inhabitants of the Great Sea and held a dominant position in the ocean. They were challenged by the rise of the Naga race, and to this day, they basically share the ocean with the Naga.

Mermaids don't actually look like the mermaids in fairy tales, with the upper body of a half-naked beauty and the lower body of a fish. While the upper body of a mermaid is humanoid, it is also covered in scales. Although they are still pretty, they are definitely not sexy.

No wonder Liu Xiaoyu chose such a race.

Xiao Yu: Are you sure? I don't know much about ocean monsters, so if you're playing as a mermaid, I can't give you any pointers on how to play.

Lantian Yunuan: Hahaha, just kidding. A gaming genius like me doesn't need your guidance at all—you just need to teach me how to create a character.

Xiao Yu listened for a while speechless, thinking to himself, "Where does your confidence come from if you can't even create a character? But that's fine too, I'll be happy to let it go if I lose the bet." With that in mind, he still gave some pointers on the character creation process.

Lantian Yunuan: Okay, no problem, just wait for my good news. Then she went silent, probably going into the game.

Xiao Yu was also getting ready to sleep, but this time he didn't need to log out of the game. Thanks to the deluxe gaming pod, he could now sleep directly within the game.

Back in the game, Xiao Yu found a shallow lake nearby and slowly waded in. Feeling his body surrounded by the water, Xiao Yu felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation and comfort. In this comfort and relaxation, Xiao Yu drifted off to sleep.