Chapter 80
When the monster tide broke out, the entire hot spring was plunged into panic.
The players who stayed outdoors fled in all directions, looking for the nearest buildings to hide in. Screams and cries were heard everywhere, and a strong feeling of uneasiness and despair enveloped the earth.
Among the guests of the hot spring, there are many players with low combat power, some of whom have never left the city. Faced with this scene, there is nothing they can do except wait for the disaster to come and pray.
At the same time, the members of the Pastors Association who were waiting in the restaurant heard the noise, but after a brief surprise they quickly calmed down.
This group of elite players were quite experienced, and they had enough manpower on their side, so they remained calm in the face of the aggressive swarm of monsters coming from afar. They even stood up by the window, looking down at the people fleeing in panic.
"I'm afraid it will be difficult to deal with the hot spring this time..."
"Yeah, gathering so many ordinary players in the advanced leveling area, the young boss probably never thought that he would encounter a monster wave by chance, right?"
There was even a hint of gloating in his words.
It was as if they had already withdrawn from the position of ordinary players and stood at a higher position.
The leading man sneered, "She should have thought of such a serious safety hazard before opening the business."
If something goes wrong at this time, you can't blame others.
His eyes flickered, and he suppressed the fleeting excitement.
At this moment, he even felt that even the game was on his side.
There are indeed many ways to make a hot spring unavailable. In addition to the methods that were circulated before the game started, such as hiring people to cause trouble, pretending to have a stomachache, secretly sabotaging facilities, etc., he can also fake the summoned beast to be out of control, and even create a monster riot in the surrounding area.
All it takes is one or two vicious incidents, and those ordinary players who are powerless will probably not dare to come again.
Even advanced players might have some concerns.
Who asked to open a hot spring in this place far away from the town? Provide them with endless opportunities.
Several people had made their plans and were full of bad intentions, but they didn't expect that the monster tide would arrive first.
If this continues, I'm afraid that even without me taking any action, the hot springs will suffer a serious blow when this disaster is over.
The man's eyes lit up.
After the monster tide subsides, we will count the casualties and hand them over to the town. How many people will dare to come to the hot springs in the future?
...This saves a lot of trouble!
He almost laughed out loud.
But the next second, that smug smile froze on his face.
The monster lying at the door of the inn suddenly raised its head, and its pointed ears twitched twice, as if it had received some kind of call. Then it suddenly jumped up and rushed out like a streak of white lightning.
It was lunch time at the hot spring when the few people arrived. They saw the monster when they passed by the door, but they only took a quick glance at it at that time. They vaguely saw it lying safely on the ground, crunching a chicken leg, and then they looked away.
There were some young girls and children around it, holding their cheeks with their hands, watching it eating without blinking. Some of them subconsciously thought it was an ornamental pet raised in the hot spring.
In the past, didn’t some B&Bs and hotels often use cute things as gimmicks to attract customers?
They instinctively classified this into one category, so they didn't even look at it carefully.
But at this time, everyone saw that this "ornamental pet" changed its posture while running. In an instant, its body expanded several times, but its speed remained unchanged. It crossed a distance of 100 meters in a few rises and falls. The snow dust blown up during the movement almost blinded the eyes of the people around it.
For the first time, the man's expression cracked. "This is..."
The people around him were shocked, "Beast Mimicry!"
They had heard about this incredible monster in the hot springs during their investigation. It is used to transport customers, and can carry nearly a hundred people at a time. I even paid special attention to it when I came.
This one mimic beast alone could take on their entire team, so they were extremely vigilant.
In their minds, such a powerful monster should be majestic, huge and powerful, with an obvious deterrent effect.
...But who could have imagined that it was the big white dog lying at the door, eating melon seeds and gnawing on chicken legs, being watched without dignity by a group of drooling children?
If a normal person had such a monster, they would want to worship it and use it as a trump card. But what was the thinking of this hot spring owner that he actually placed it at the door like a stone lion and started a food show? !
Several people were in disarray for a moment.
As they looked into the distance, they saw the mimic beast passing over the fleeing crowd, finally stopping beside a slender figure by the lake and lowering its huge furry head towards her.
The young woman waved her hands and opened and closed her mouth, and the tourists around her hurriedly got into the belly of the mimicry.
She is probably the owner of the hot spring.
The members of the Priest Association had made sufficient preparations before coming, and even found out about a conflict that had broken out in the hot spring in the past - it was said that a player who was a purchasing agent came to cause trouble and almost attacked the boss and the front desk staff, but was finally thrown out by an elite player who arrived in the hot spring in time.
They therefore deduced that Shu Mo's personal strength was not to be feared, and that he was able to gather a group of experts around him probably thanks to the mysterious hot spring. If you can catch her alone, you can even try to attack her directly.
Not to mention the hotel staff, among the customers, except for Jiang Qing and his wife, there are probably few who know Shu Mo's true occupation and strength.
The mimic beast is working in the hot spring, but who says it must be Shu Mo's summoned beast?
There is no necessary connection between the two.
Even when this group of people first heard that the person in charge of the inn was just a young woman in her early twenties, they became contemptuous of her.
Even if they are both summoners with S-class monsters under their command, their strengths may differ.
As the battle continues, summoned beasts, like wild monsters, can also be upgraded.
Unlike players who have extremely detailed level divisions, there are only a few levels of monsters, CBAS, and Super S. Therefore, every leap forward is a great leap in strength, and it is entirely possible to temporarily surpass the summoner's level.
Some players will deliberately look for A-level monsters with outstanding strength to subdue. As long as one of them can break through, he will become a summoner with an S-level summoned beast, which is much simpler than subduing it directly.
However, the S-class monsters evolved in this way have no innate special abilities and are just in name only, and are destined to be incomparable to natural S-class monsters.
Most summoners use this method to accumulate a few evolved A-level monsters before they dare to challenge real S-level monsters.
Although this is time-consuming and laborious, once you have an S-level monster, your strength will increase by leaps and bounds.
But monsters of the level of the Mimic are no longer on the same level as ordinary S-level monsters. They are powerful, agile, have a lot of health, and have special talents... I'm afraid we'll have to gather a few real S-level monsters before we dare to challenge them.
This measurement method can also reflect the strength gap between different summoners.
Being able to tame a mimic beast meant that one was stronger than most summoners who claimed to have an S-class summoned beast, but in fact were using evolved A-class monsters to fill in the gaps, or who only had one or two S-class monsters.
In their imagination, he should be a middle-aged player who is at least thirty years old and has sharp features.
Such an image could not be associated with the young and thin innkeeper at all.
Everyone in the association looked at the beast being obedient and submissive beside Shu Mo with interesting expressions.
...Has she been leveling up since she was in her mother's womb? !
The fact that a girl in her early twenties could possess such a powerful monster completely overturned their impression.
Recalling the titles they used to mention Shu Mo along the way, "little girl", "little boss"... their tone was full of arrogance and contempt.
A young woman running a store means she lacks experience and has weak capabilities, making her easy to deal with.
They thought that by bringing a team of elite players, they would be able to suppress the other party in the negotiation.
But who knew that the reality was not at all what they imagined.
A summoner of this level must have means to protect himself, and he would not be afraid of their threats at all.
The hired elite players behind them were already murmuring. Several high-ranking members of the association exchanged glances, and the vice president in the lead said in a deep voice, "Go down and take a look."
Several people hurried downstairs.
The bus transformed by the beast had stopped within the barrier and dropped off the players who were strolling by the lake safely.
Shu Mo was the last one to get off the bus. As soon as she showed up, the frightened players suddenly seemed to have found a backbone, calling out "Boss" and surrounding her.
The couple who just came to buy fish food were holding the little girl named Shanshan, their eyes red as they stepped forward to thank her, "You are the lifesaver of our family... If it weren't for you, I'm afraid we would have already..."
Shanshan huddled in her parents' arms, her face covered with tears, and she also said weakly, "Thank you, sister."
Before the monster tide broke out, she had just seen a beautiful little fish in the lake and ran after it, accidentally getting farther and farther away from the crowd, until they heard a noise and everyone started running. Her parents finally came over and held her in their arms and tried to escape, but they had fallen behind everyone else.
Shanshan's parents, the two elite players, felt a chill in their hearts as they recalled the scene just now.
If Shu Mo hadn't called the mimic beast, the three of them would have probably already...
They had no way of repaying this life-saving grace. The two felt that no matter how much they thanked him, it would not be enough. Meanwhile, another player next to them was also feeling a little scared.
He had just taken his parents for a walk by the lake when a beast tide suddenly broke out. The old man had difficulty walking due to his old age. The hotel was not far away, but he couldn't run there at all. In despair, he was also rescued by Shu Mo's bus.
Shanshan's parents and this player are all elite players. If they encounter an ordinary monster attack, they are fully confident that they can evacuate their families safely.
But this is a monster tide.
In a situation where they would be swallowed up by the beast tide if they were a step late, everyone was busy taking care of themselves, but Shu Mo chose to stop and give them a hand at this moment.
There were dozens of people staying by the lake just now, including hotel guests who were relaxing and quite a few campers. But now, all of them have safely retreated back to the barrier.
It's simply unimaginable.
It was at this moment that the first wave of monsters crashed into the "protective shield".
The earth was shaking, and everyone was standing at the place where they had just stepped into the barrier, which happened to be the group closest to it.
The fishy smell gushing out of the monster's mouth brushed across every hair on their faces, and its sharp fangs seemed to be about to pierce through their bodies in the next second. They took a step back in fear and screamed.
Shu Mo also turned his head and moved his lips slightly.
The next moment, the ferocious monster suddenly disappeared and was easily strangled by the barrier.
"No need to thank me, this is what the hotel should do."
The boss's cheerful voice brought everyone back to their senses.
They looked at Shu Mo in a trance.
…
In fact, Shu Mo was a little unsure at the beginning whether the barrier could resist the tide of monsters.
But the barrier was able to suppress the fire dragon's fierce resistance. No matter how powerful this wave of monsters is, a single attack should not be able to reach that level, at least it will not destroy the barrier immediately.
She had already been prepared. If the barrier could not hold up, she would immediately let Mo Bai take over. Even if the secret is exposed, it is better than watching the players die.
Feeling her nervousness, Mo Bai silently took a step forward, and the beastman's fur stood on end, his back slightly arched, and he vigilantly protected his master. Even the white fluff scattered around the inn appeared beside Shu Mo one after another.
Fortunately, the worst-case scenario she anticipated did not happen.
The barrier blocked this wave of attack, and it was even easier than the last time it suppressed Mo Bai.
——Shu Mo felt that he was okay again!
She looked at the monster in front of her with great pride.
As she stood up, she was once again surprised at the strength of the dragon clan.
At this moment, facing the surprised eyes of the guests, Shu Mo took out a candied haws from somewhere and stuffed it into the mouth of Shanshan who was still smoking.
"Since you have chosen to trust us and come to this remote leveling area, the hotel will naturally do its best to protect the safety of our guests."
She said it lightly, but in fact she made an extremely solemn promise.
Especially in the face of this disaster that has changed the color of heaven and earth, it seems even more powerful.
More players who had been hiding far away now gradually gathered around Shu Mo.
It seems that being closer to the boss will make you safer and more at ease.
The players looked at each other, their eyes filled with excitement that was difficult to conceal.
It is absolutely safe within the barrier, and outside the barrier, there are powerful summoned beasts to guard the guests - even when faced with a sudden wave of monsters, the hotel can quickly organize and bring back the players outside.
...Is there any place in the world safer and more reliable than hot springs?
The hotel promised to protect its guests, and it actually did it with practical actions.
The players looked at Shu Mo with eyes full of trust at this moment.
When the members of the association who ran out of the main building saw this scene, they felt something was wrong.
I thought the monster tide was a good opportunity for them to defeat the hot spring, but now it seems... the situation seems to be reversed?
It seemed that Wenquan was going to take advantage of this opportunity to soar to new heights.
Not only did the customers not lose trust in it, but they actually gained a lot of goodwill towards it. What on earth is going on?
The leading man, the vice president of the Pastors Association, finally found it difficult to remain calm upon seeing this.
"Boss." He called Shu Mo.
He and the people behind him were wearing long robes, and the cross pendants around their necks swayed slightly with their movements, making their identities obvious.
"you……"
Shu Mo finally recalled the incident that had been forgotten. She suddenly realized, "Are you the one that the employee just said he was looking for me?"
"Yes." A man stood up from behind the man, paused, and introduced himself complacently, "We are from the Senior Priests Association of Guangming Town. This time, we came here to discuss something with you."
He said attentively: "This is our vice president."
The man raised his chin slightly without making any expression.
"Oh, hello, hello."
Shu Mo replied very quickly, and I don’t know if he took the word “President” to heart.
This was obviously not what the vice president wanted to see. He frowned, and before he could speak, the girl in front of him said, "I'm sorry, you have seen the current situation..."
She pointed and everyone looked at the chaotic scene around them.
There was a hint of apology in Shu Mo's glass-clear brown pupils, "I'm afraid I don't have time to entertain you now."
"——Please make yourselves at ease."
After she finished speaking, she smiled sheepishly and really left.
Vice President: “?”
…She just left like that?
Before he could come to his senses, he looked at the back of the innkeeper whom he despised.
Several employees ran towards her and surrounded Shu Mo. After she gave a few hurried orders, they dispersed, looking ready for battle.
A ridiculous feeling of being despised suddenly arose.
Soon, two notices appeared in front of him, announcing that the hotel would be open 24 hours a day, and cheers suddenly broke out among the players around him.
Amid the jubilant noise, the expressions of several people silently became quite ugly.
"Fortunately, we have this protective shield to protect us. We can't camp outside at a time like this." An elite player who was hired stroked his chest at an inopportune time and said thankfully.
As soon as he said this, he was glared at by a senior executive.
He was startled and lowered his voice, but still a little unconvinced, "That's right, are you willing to go outside at this time?"
“……”No one responded.
Of course they are not happy about it, but can they say that?
In the silence, the vice president threw his hands and angrily ordered, "Set up camp where you are, and wait until the monster tide recedes before deciding anything else."
…
About an hour later, some players tried to step out of the barrier.
Led by a handful of elite players, the remaining high-level players also went out one after another. The former charged forward, and soon the roars of monsters could be heard from afar.
"What's going on?"
The priests were frightened and rushed out of their tents.
The eyes of those high-level monsters, whose desire to attack had already subsided, flashed with ferocity again, and because of the attacks, blood strips popped out of their heads one after another.
The leading elite player held a greatsword in his hand, with colorful light lingering around him. With a heavy leap and chop, he smashed a ferocious buffalo monster, forcing it to retreat several steps. The monster shook its head and wailed in pain.
The health bar above the monster's head was rapidly decreasing.
"It actually hit a critical hit!" He was delighted and called his companions to come over to have a look. "The Fuqi Feipian sold in the specialty area has the effect of increasing the critical hit rate by an additional 2%. Xiaotian, do you want to go back and have one before coming back?"
Seeing this, the player named Xiaotian was also somewhat tempted, but after thinking about it, he shook his head and said, "Forget it, I really can't eat anymore. I'll play for a while to digest it and then go back to eat."
He covered his throat, feeling that the large amount of food he had just swallowed seemed to rush out of his esophagus, so he quickly smoothed it out.
But when he rushed forward to fight, he couldn't help but burp.
Great Sword Player: “…”
Why does it feel like this battle atmosphere isn't serious at all!
The players fighting all around had full bellies and their skin was smooth from soaking in the hot springs, just like clean boiled eggs. They didn't look like they were fighting on the battlefield at all.
During the one hour of preparation before departure, almost every one of them spent hundreds of points in the hot springs, and they were in a very happy mood.
With so many monsters gathered in front of them, there was no need to look around, and the killing efficiency was unprecedentedly high. During the few hours when the various buffs of the hot spring were effective, it was enough for them to earn much more points and materials than usual, and gain countless experience!
On the other hand, with the help of some life-saving effects, the player's chance of survival and safety factor when fighting monsters will be greatly improved, so you can just give it a go.
These few hundred points are definitely worth it.
Of course, the first group that came out were just those who were impatient and didn't want to waste time. There was also a group of players who were more pursuing limits and were still gritting their teeth and holding on in the sauna room.
Every minute, a large number of monsters fall.
Every minute, points are credited to your account.
The players raced against time and continued to advance, finally arousing the monster's wrath.
The monsters that had originally gathered together made way for a passage like Moses parting the sea, and a dark figure slowly walked out of it.
It was a humanoid monster similar to the Shadow Knight, but three or four meters tall. It looked like a giant and looked down upon the world. Its face was hidden under a large hood, and its long, bulky black robe dragged behind it. It exuded a gloomy and deathly aura, and anyone who saw it could not help but shiver.
It was as if its appearance had its own special effect, and time stood still at this moment. The surrounding players and even monsters all froze in place, feeling a chill rising from the soles of their feet.
It walked silently to the front of the monster army and raised its hand.
A dry hand stretched out from under the black robe, with gray skin covering the skinny frame, and a wand was grasped in the hand.
The skull on the tip of the staff opened its mouth with a crackling sound. Mist shrouded the translucent skull and a thick green smoke came out of its mouth.
Even Shu Mo, who was standing inside the barrier, was shocked by this impressive appearance. "What is this?"
At the same time, an elite player blurted out, "Necromancer!!"
Under the tide of monsters, even the boss will leave the territory and go to the human living area.
The Necromancer is an extremely powerful boss in "Abominations of Cold".
In the monster manuals compiled by some elite players, its strength can even be ranked among the top five bosses that have appeared so far.
Unexpectedly, it had also mixed in with the monsters that attacked the hot spring. Another player's face suddenly changed, and he said urgently: "Everyone retreat at least 20 units, watch your step, and move quickly!!"
But by the time this reminder was spoken, it was already too late.
Many players are currently fighting with monsters. How could it be so easy to temporarily escape from the battle?
High-level monsters already have basic intelligence, and when they see the players want to leave, they start to get entangled instead.
Although there was no wind, the fog spread strangely quickly on the battlefield, bypassing the monsters and accurately pouncing on nearby players.
Someone couldn't hold his breath and took a deep breath, and his face suddenly turned gray.
Appearing on top of head:
[Status: Poisoned (Curse from the Necromancer)]
[When poisoned, health value decreases by 4 points every 15 seconds; damage received from attacks increased by 10%]
【Duration: 14min57s】
[Can be stacked (maximum number: 3)]
What a vicious skill!
There were players who had never seen a Necromancer before, and they stared at the status bar with their eyes wide open.
If the Necromancer's strength can only be ranked in the top five, then his difficulty can definitely be ranked in the top three, precisely because of this skill.
Automatically tracked group attacks, increasing damage taken, and can be stacked...
Everything is aimed at killing the players.
When stacked three times, the enemy's damage will be increased by 30%. Some squishy professions will be scared just by looking at it.
But if you exit the skill range, can you avoid the stacking and just wait for the effect to wear off?
The necromancer tells the player the next moment that things are far from that simple.
At the moment of poisoning, a cold chuckle rang in their ears.
It has its own echo, which is another skill pre-swing.
The female player who gave the warning at the beginning yelled again, "Get out, quickly!!"
The next second, in everyone's field of vision, the earth surged, and countless skeletons struggled to drill out from the ground, with their dry white fingertips tightly grasping the player's legs.
"No!" The players were desperate.
The monsters have little health but are endless. It seems that their purpose of existence is to entangle the players and wait for the boss to deliver the final blow.
The monsters around let out excited gasps, eager to launch a counterattack.
At the critical moment, a long, murderous dragon roar came from the dense bamboo forest of the inn. The heavy sound waves extended all the way along the snowfield. The army of monsters suddenly resisted. Several skeletons that had already drilled out of the ground shook a few times and actually fell apart.
Players: “?!”
Before they had time to feel confused, they suddenly found that they could move.
Several fragile professions crawled out of the encirclement, and then a figure rushed in against the crowd. A cold light flashed, and several skeletons shattered into a pile of bones.
The mimic did not stop and rushed straight towards the necromancer.
Although his face was clearly obscured by the hood, players seemed to be able to see a huge bead of sweat sliding down his head through the Necromancer's sudden stagnant movements.
Necromancer: “…”
Don't come over here!
Without the protection of the monsters, the Necromancer itself is not that strong (can withstand beatings), not to mention that it is called a "mage", so once someone gets close to it, it is destined to be beaten.
As a top-level S-class monster, the Necromancer is completely defeated by the Mimic and cannot exert even one tenth of his power in front of the players.
After finally finding an opening and using a short teleport to create some distance, a huge sword suddenly struck it hard on the back, causing it to stagger a few steps.
The cold light gathered on the magic wand dissipated, and the mimic beast rushed over mercilessly, slapped it with one claw, and brought the situation back to its fighting rhythm.
Yao Yonghui took two steps back. After this period of training, he had now become extremely well coordinated in the battle with the beastman.
After the players broke free from the monsters one after another, they saw Yao Yonghui and the Beast Mimic fighting with the Necromancer.
"It's the boss's summoned beast!!"
"The boss sent someone to rescue us!"
They perked up when they recognized the familiar combination of "hotel bus" and "bus driver".
Others looked around, thinking they were hallucinating.
"What was that beast roar just now?"
"It should be the boss's doing." Someone speculated, "Otherwise the mimicry wouldn't appear at such a perfect time."
Another person had mixed feelings, "My boss saved my life again..."
"Never mind, go help."
The Necromancer is similar to the Beast Manipulator in that they are both extremely rare monsters, and no one expected that they would appear here by chance.
If there hadn't been the mysterious monster in the inn, as well as the mimic beast and Yao Yonghui to help, at least three or four players would have fallen by the end of this wave of attacks.
They were secretly grateful, looking back at the warm hot springs standing safely under the blue sky, and courage rose in their hearts.
Because the Necromancer was entangled by the Beast Mimic and Yao Yonghui and had no time to release any more skills, the players rushed back excitedly with their weapons.
The foreign aid that they had waited for so long was suppressed and beaten in the blink of an eye, and the monsters were depressed.
They looked at the necromancer who was so powerful when he first appeared but was now being beaten up by the beastman, and then they looked down at the bones that were shattered at their feet.
Monsters: “…”
Can you have some backbone? !
You are skeletons—
A group of guys with nothing left but bones!
The furious monsters were furious for a moment, but after the outburst they were even weaker than before. Seeing a group of humans rushing back screaming, they were in tears.
But thinking back to the dragon roar just now...
They looked at the human gathering area in front of them and felt fear for the first time.
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