Chapter Thirty-Four: Settled

What is happening?

From the vantage point of Scaly Arm and the others, they could only see Withered Vine and Old Tree hastily toss an object; they had no way of knowing the true situation inside the insect nest. However, once Withered Vine and Old Tree strode out and left his original position, only Lu Renjia could see the opponent retrieve a potion from his waist and then throw it with a flick of his hand.

"Oh no, we've been tricked!" Lu Renjia's eyes were grave.

"What's going on?" Scaly Arm asked hurriedly, and Not An Expert, Duke Thunder, and the others immediately looked over as well.

"They don't know where they got them from, but they have throwing items—and plenty of them!"

Just before Withered Vine and Old Tree moved out of Lu Renjia’s line of sight, the latter clearly saw a third unknown throwing potion appear in the opponent's hand. This scene immediately reminded Lu Renjia why Woman in the Water had specifically mentioned that there were no restrictions on items.

"What should we do now?"

Scaly Arm and Duke Thunder could not help but knit their brows. One did not need to guess the effect of throwing items; they would undoubtedly significantly increase Withered Vine and Old Tree's monster-clearing speed. Otherwise, he would never have dared to charge so recklessly into the insect nest. Now, Withered Vine and Old Tree only needed to focus on dealing with the Mantis Queen. It could be said that he had left Ember far behind right at the starting line.

"You think it's over? It’s far from it! Woman in the Water’s throwing potions are merely to create a favorable environment for damage output; the truly formidable factor is Withered Vine and Old Tree himself."

Just then, Death Song’s smug laughter rang out: "Forgot to tell you all, Withered Vine and Old Tree’s anomalous weapon doesn't just increase base damage; it also possesses a charging effect. Killing five minor monsters accumulates a burst of damage. Combined with his magic ring and 'Overdraw: Ice Spike,' he can one-shot the Mantis Queen in the blink of an eye! Sister Yu, thanks to you for bringing these people, otherwise, we might not have reached a consensus on cooperation until the assessment ended. Hahahaha!"

"Damn it!"

Death Song’s grating laughter made Scaly Arm curse under his breath. The thing he feared most had come to pass!

The opponent had indeed prepared a secret weapon to ensure victory, while they had no ability to help Ember. It could be said that if they ultimately suffered a defeat, it would by no means be Ember’s failure alone. Because Woman in the Water had calculated against the unprepared, the outcome was all but decided the moment she proposed the challenge. Even if they realized there was a trap, they had no way to defend against it. This feeling of helplessness made everyone feel as if they had swallowed steel needles—it was unbearable.

Was the defeat truly inevitable?

Scaly Arm and the others wished they had eyes that could see through the thick, dark curtain to witness the battle inside the insect nest. Meanwhile, on Death Song and Woman in the Water’s side, the atmosphere was relaxed, filled with laughter and chatter.

"President Death Song, in order to win this match, I’ve contributed all the Mantis Inhibitors I’ve painstakingly saved up. Even if there’s no credit, there’s at least hard work. When we divide the territory later, surely you’ll show some appreciation?"

Hearing Woman in the Water’s coquettish query, Death Song snorted with a cold, insincere smile: "Stop with the snide remarks! Rest assured, this time we only provided manpower and didn't exert effort; we won't take advantage of you. Twenty percent of the insect nest is fine, right? As for the rest, you and Withered Vine and Old Tree can split it fifty-fifty!"

"President Death Song is truly generous!" Woman in the Water immediately revealed a sweet smile.

Forty percent of the commercial district’s territory contained as many as ten small to medium-sized insect nests. As long as their luck wasn't too bad, they could reap massive profits. For Woman in the Water, who had entered Maple Island City relatively late, this was a great opportunity to significantly boost her squad's strength. She hadn’t been without the thought of seizing the commercial district earlier, but after several waves of chaotic player battles, she had been forced to put those plans on hold. Fortunately, Scaly Arm had suddenly arrived with people, directly facilitating a three-party coalition, which allowed her to obtain the insect nest resources she had long coveted.

Additionally, Woman in the Water wanted to use this opportunity to deflate Ember’s ego. A newcomer had stolen all the limelight, making established players like them quite uncomfortable. Moreover, Ember had killed Fire Marsh, which had long ago made her determined to eliminate him. Using Withered Vine and Old Tree to defeat him now was merely an appetizer before the main course.

However, at the thought of Fire Marsh’s sudden elimination, Woman in the Water’s smile faded slightly. She was very familiar with this Nine-Hex troublemaker, both in terms of equipment stats and his technical personality. According to her understanding, as long as Fire Marsh chose to take the initiative, he must have been confident in his victory. Fire Marsh had also been aware of the data analysis on Ember, yet the final result was that Ember survived. This likely meant that the top-ranked player possessed an unknown secret advantage.

And this advantage could only come from a Life Forbidden Zone rated above "Difficult."

"Could Ember’s Sun Emblem really be special? But even so, a single Sun Emblem shouldn't allow him to turn the tide, unless there are unexpected factors, and the effect of this surprise must exceed my anomalous items and Withered Vine and Old Tree’s damage burst."

After much thought, Woman in the Water did not feel that Ember had any chance of a comeback, so she set her mind at ease and waited quietly for the broadcast.

Then, the broadcast echoed across the entire field.

[Broadcast: Foundation reserve employee "D1106" has successfully destroyed a small insect nest!]

Ha!

That broadcast came quite early! As expected of Withered Vine and Old Tree—to have one-shot the Mantis Queen so cleanly and decisively!

Wait...

[Notification: University reserve trainee "U058" has successfully destroyed a small insect nest!]

Hmm?

Woman in the Water and Death Song could not help but lock eyes, both seeing expressions of disbelief in the other's gaze!

Why was Ember so fast? Even faster than Withered Vine and Old Tree? What on earth happened in that supermarket?

In an instant, the numerous players gathered around them fell into a deathly silence. The oppressive atmosphere that had previously hung over Scaly Arm and the others dissipated in an instant. Everyone looked at each other, bewildered. Wasn't it a foregone conclusion? How could the situation suddenly take such a turn?

The many players who could not see through the dark curtain were itching with curiosity, desperate to know the truth. Even the live audience who had witnessed the process—especially those beta testers who were certain of Ember’s defeat—still could not understand how Ember possessed burst damage that rivaled Withered Vine and Old Tree’s.

Rewinding time by twenty seconds, to when Withered Vine and Old Tree had just tossed the Mantis Inhibitor.

From Ember’s perspective, he was just in time to see the stun effect caused by the potion’s explosion. This made him immediately shed the last trace of hesitation in his heart. Especially when Withered Vine and Old Tree rushed toward the insect nest at such speed, Ember immediately knew that this contest was a race in the truest sense; victory or defeat would be decided in milliseconds.

*Whoosh!*

The Mantis Shadow-Eaters in front of Ember were unaffected by the potion, still diligently guarding the Shadow-Eater nest. However, he had no intention of stopping to clear out the minor mobs, even as two elite mantises lunged at him one after another.

*Bang!*

Another throwing potion exploded in the mantis swarm. The elite mantises caught in the gray mist were also stunned. Withered Vine and Old Tree waved his staff to release basic attack projectiles, killing young Shadow-Eaters to accumulate charge for his anomalous weapon, all while moving at maximum speed—without affecting his casting state—through the mantis swarm, heading toward the boss's lair.

What surprised him, however, was that even while besieged by mantises, Ember’s speed was not affected in the slightest. He simply used his anomalous weapon to shield his face and crashed through the encirclement like a speeding truck; even those two elite mantises could not slow his advance.

Because one of the mantis’s sickle strikes was countered in mid-air by the little mantis that had suddenly leaped from Ember’s shoulder, using a Reinforced Slash to block it. The other mantis became a stepping stone for the little one, who kicked it away and used the recoil to leap back onto Ember’s shoulder.

The entire process was as fast as lightning, causing Withered Vine and Old Tree, who had just caught a glimpse of this scene, to feel a tightness in his chest. He hurriedly killed the fifth minor monster, successfully activating his anomalous weapon's burst effect, and then strode straight toward the Mantis Queen inside the nest.

Although the two small insect nests in the supermarket showed signs of merging, the Mantis Queens remained on opposite sides. Once they entered the depths of the nests, the two players could no longer see each other. At this moment, Withered Vine and Old Tree’s mind was filled with the image of Ember pushing forward,闯入 the nest several steps ahead of him. He was certain that Ember would encounter the Mantis Queen first, but he could not believe that Ember’s attack power was sufficient to achieve a one-shot kill.

"That mantis pet has already grown to the boss level and is only one step away from breaking its life shackles. Although I don't know its exact stats, a Reinforced Slash should deal at least fifty damage. With the Mantis Queen’s total health of one hundred and forty, he would need an additional one hundred points of burst damage to pierce its ten points of defense and one-shot it. Could Ember... possibly possess such a powerful attack skill?"

Withered Vine and Old Tree calculated frantically in his heart while waving his hand to throw the Mantis Inhibitor, stunning the final wave of minor mobs blocking his path to the Mantis Queen.

"Assuming Ember possesses both a passive mastery (+50%) and the currently known best burst skill (+150%), it would allow his weapon damage—including equipment bonuses—to be tripled. But that would still require a base damage of thirty-three. Not only does that place extreme requirements on weapon stats, but it would also consume a massive amount of attributes. Furthermore, players who possess such melee skills are few and far between."

Successfully entering the core area of the Mantis nest, Withered Vine and Old Tree used his long-range vision to instantly capture the Mantis Queen’s exact location. He only needed to run a few more steps to enter attack range, and he would be able to kill it and win. But the closer he got to victory, the more uneasy he felt. No matter how he reasoned, he could not figure out how Ember could turn the tide, unless the other's character stats far exceeded those of the top players at this stage.

"As far as I know, any melee player with a skill damage exceeding seventy-five points basically has defense as a combat weakness due to a lack of resources. Yet, the way Ember charged into the nest doesn't look like he lacks defense at all. He truly is the top-ranked player! To be able to achieve both offense and defense with limited resources, scarce equipment, and rare drops. But the more balanced he is, the less likely he is to one-shot the Mantis Queen! Unless the skill he is relying on can jump outside the current calculation model!"

Thinking of this, Withered Vine and Old Tree finally felt a sense of relief. The reason was that combat skills directly affected by attributes were even harder to deal hundreds of points of effective damage with than conventional methods. He knew Ember’s rookie talent was Willpower Enhancement; if he could boost his Strength, there might be a slim chance, but such a chance was extremely remote.

Take "Charge," for example: to hit a damage cap of one hundred, one needed eleven points of Strength. This meant that to cooperate with the little mantis to kill the boss, one’s Strength level must be at least twelve!

But was that possible?

White Flag, the other top-ranked player and a premier Strength specialist who possessed a Strength talent, did not meet such attribute requirements. How could Ember have reached them?

There would be no surprises!

Withered Vine and Old Tree, only a step away from attack range, finally concluded at this moment that the fruits of victory were already in his hands. To be honest, not getting the Sun Emblem left him very unconvinced, so he wanted to prove through this match that even without it, he could defend the honor of a veteran player!

But the thought of the Sun Emblem reminded him of a very unfamiliar thing.

If one activated "Charge" while in a "Super Armor" state, how would the final damage be calculated?

If that fifty percent damage bonus could be applied directly to the Charge effect, would Ember have a chance to pull off a one-shot?

If even that wasn't enough, what if Ember had a "Reinforced Impact Booster" to increase his Strength level—how much would that increase the odds?

*Bang!*

An unknown object suddenly smashed through the nest wall and crashed in. Then, Ember, wreathed in a pale, luminous glow, charged into Withered Vine and Old Tree’s sight like a god descending.

[Broadcast: Foundation reserve employee "D1106" has successfully destroyed a small insect nest!]

Hearing the sudden broadcast, Withered Vine and Old Tree stared blankly at the mangled remains of the Mantis Queen and could not help but offer a bitter smile: "Calculated everything, yet in the end, I missed one variable..."