MMORPG: The Elementalist

With Qin Ruo’s warning, the nine other players jumped up from the floor immediately. They regained their composure and looked into the far end like Qin Ruo did, then immediately entered combat mode.

“…”

At the end of the long corridor, a faint radiance like starlight gradually became brighter and brighter. It was as if the Milky Way had appeared on the ceiling of the dungeon, a scene so breathtaking and mesmerizing…

However, it was also through these stunning stars that the ten of them felt an enormous pressure. Something very dangerous was coming toward them together with the approaching starlights.

Despite not making any sounds, the terrifying aura and the slight vibrations emanating from the darkness deeply unnerved the ten players at the scene.

Eerily, as the lights became more apparent, all they could see was the lights glowing and fading periodically, like a creature blinking its eyes.

“What the hell are these things?” Brother Da took in a deep breath and asked his comrades in a low voice. He did not dare to raise his voice, afraid that it might provoke the beast hidden in the dark.

Qin Ruo, too, had never witnessed such an odd occurrence. He shook his head and smiled bitterly while swiftly condensing four Aquaramparts around him. He gazed intently at the “Milky Way” that was alarmingly visible now and his expression turned grim. ‘A boss. This is definitely a Megaboss. Such aura does not belong to some regular Tier 4 Boss.’

Right until the crowded, slow-moving lights moved within two hundred meters from where they stood, iLittle Arrow finally lost her patience. She stepped forward and reached the front of the party, then retrieved an Illuminating Crystal from her backpack.

She then drew her bow and directed the crystal into the center of the “Milky Way”.

Green radiance whizzed through the air and the darkness of the corridor. Plink! The crystal landed on the other end of the corridor and gave out a crisp echo once it met the ground. The illumination from the crystal was completely activated following the impact as soft green light quickly lit up the dark dungeon in all directions.

A few seconds later, the sluggish celestial-like object finally came under the light and revealed its true self.

Gasp!!!

The sounds of a series of deep breaths were heard after the monster appeared.

Qin Ruo was unsettled. ‘For god’s sake! Something should be admired from far and never get too close or too clear—this notion has never been so true.’ The dreamy illusion was completely ruined once it came under the spotlight.

No way the slow moving object was any way close to the Milky Way.

It was apparently a giant spider with a few hundred pairs of eyes at a different size on its back. Those eyes released a faint radiance and blinked like stars when it was open and shut repeatedly. It was indeed beautiful to watch in the dark from afar.

However, once illuminated, no one would ever associate this giant monster to the term “beautiful”.

On the body of the ten-meter-long giant spider were hundreds of deformed eyes. Some were open, some squinted, while some were half open, and others close. The skin around the folded eyelids was filled with oily yellow liquid. It could not get any more disgusting.

The more terrifying fact was that the monster was actually moving across the ceiling. Its huge body completely defied gravity and moved slowly toward Qin Ruo and company from the top.

Spider Lord

Level 49 Overlord

Attack 400-400

Magic Attack 300-350

Magic Defense 180-220

HP 500000!

***

“Dear god, please tell me you are joking!” Brother Da opened his mouth and almost cried looking at the approaching Spider Lord from roughly a hundred meters away. “How could a spider grow so huge? If that’s it, fine. Now it’s even on the ceiling. Why torment the Warrior class this way?”

Qin Ruo had no words for it too.

‘This is the Spider Lord of Aricus Underground Ruins! The formidable Tier 4 Overlord! No wonder it has such a humongous body. From the looks of it, it is even more ferocious than the Stygianlock Centiking! Its strength most probably falls between that of a Tier 5 Elite Miniboss and Tier 5 Megaboss…’

‘So this is the fifth wave of attack in this Aricus Underground Ruins?’

Slayer’s Heart hesitated after he received the monster info, then ordered his party, “Let’s retreat.”

Judging on everyone’s current status and supplies, it was impossible to take on the Spider Lord that had the strength close to a Tier 5 Megaboss. Taking the opportunity that the Boss still had not reached the hundred-meter radius, retreating would be the wisest move.

Just after he uttered his order, Gold Digger Babe suddenly drew out the dark gold key and exclaimed, “Wait!”

The young girl asked urgently, “How about this key? It will disappear if we go back!”

“Why?”

Slayer’s Heart who had already taken out the Return Scroll stopped in his tracks and looked at her with a puzzled expression. “What?”

Gold Digger Babe grew anxious. She did not have the time for the details and could only explain briefly, “It’s true! Regional tools or items which do not have any attributes cannot be carried out of the mission area. Once we leave, it means we gave up on the mission and naturally the corresponding item will vanish too.”

After listening to the young girl’s quick explanation, the others who had also withdrawn Their Return Scrolls stopped their action as well and drew back simultaneously. They looked at Slayer’s Heart while keeping a distance from the Spider Lord. “What do we do now?”

Until now, they believed no other player had ever found the way to enter the mythical Buried City. This key might be the first clue to that…

‘If we leave now, will the key drop again next time we are in here? Will someone get to it first before us?’

At that moment, everyone hesitated!

“Well, Devilite and Qin Ruo, stay here and help me delay the Boss. Violet Orchid, you bring the others and try to go around the Spider Lord from another route. I guess the magic circle that the lassie mentioned must be in there. Overlords usually fight alone and do not have minions, so it should be safe in there. Try and see whether you can activate the magic circle while we distract the Lord!”

“It won’t work,” Xiaoxiao interjected, “The Boss should be guarding the magic circle. Since it initiated the attack, it must mean that this dungeon only has one exit. Don’t forget, this is an Overlord. It will not let us pass or go around it so easily.” Though this was only Xiaoxiao deduction, it was a rather accurate assessment. Slayer’s Heart seemed to agree judging by his grim expression.

“…”

“So what should we do now?”

Brother Da swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said, “Decide quick, everyone. I think the spider has sped up…”

“Two options. First, kill the Spider Lord and walk over its dead body. Second, retreat and hope for the best the next time we are here.” Xiaoxiao had provided two cruel choices. Retreat? This meant giving up on the opportunity to reveal the biggest secret and the final treasure of this Aricus Underground Ruins! But the first one was no less cruel either. This is because killing an Overlord would require a huge sacrifice.

***

Nobody could make the call instantly.

Then, someone reminded them again, “The Boss guys. It sped up again…”

All of them turned around, pale. “F*ck!”

“I have never seen such a cunning Boss.”

“Cheater!”

They all cursed angrily.

It seemed the Boss was feigning its speed prior to this. When it reached within a hundred meters of the human party, its Movement Speed suddenly increased drastically. The burst in speed allowed the Lord to move swiftly across the ceiling and was now less than seventy meters from them. More importantly, its speed still kept on increasing.

Based on this speed, at least five people with low mobility in the party would be caught up to after five seconds. It was way too late to retreat by now. The cunning Spider Lord had helped them to make the decision.

As everyone was chanting and activating Berserk or Combat Aura to prepare for the deathmatch, Qin Ruo swiftly took out a Mana Core from his backpack…”Since it chose the first, then we will take it on wholeheartedly!”

As soon as he finished the emotionless sentence, the relatively large Mana Core turned into a violet radiance in Qin Ruo palm, then took form and landed at his side afterward.

Roar!

The fierce howl broke out abruptly beside the party members. It amplified through the enclosed corridor and transmitted far into the dark end.

A powerful Boss with a familiar aura had arrived to the retreating party’s rescue.

Chirp chirp! Poochie chirped excitedly. The Shadowfox quickly leaped onto the giant body of its old friend—the Amethyst Orc.

***

The summoning of Amethyst Orc apparently shocked the Spider Lord. Its charging speed suddenly dropped tremendously. The Tier 4 Overlord had obviously sensed that the aura released by the summoned beast was not those usually found on common monsters or regular Bosses…

The Spider Lord’s hesitation turned the party’s fate around.

But Slayer’s Heart was still not too optimistic about their temporary protection. He glanced at the Amethyst Orc and muttered, “You only have this one last Sealed Mana Core… Sigh, such a waste!”

“Idiot, the Tier 5 Advancement Quest is very difficult. If you use this then, you will certainly complete the quest easily.” Brother Da lamented about Qin Ruo seemingly reckless decision as well.

Qin Ruo, who was controlling eight Frostramparts at the moment, remained poised and showed no regret. He stopped and turnaround in sync with Amethyst Orc, then stood still to face off the incoming Spider Lord. ‘It’s only a Tier 5 Advancement Quest, I will get through it without the Mana Core just fine.’