Chapter 25: Villagers
Who could have expected such an outcome.
Only Midnight Pig Slayer, Street Slayer, Mad Blade Old Wang, and Chenxi remained at the scene.
Ye Li Meng's hysterical strike miraculously dealt critical damage, successfully killing the BOSS, but he himself was also taken down by the BOSS's dying attack, resulting in mutual destruction!
This game was truly thrilling and blood-pumping!
"Brother Meng is a true man! This was a real comeback from the brink!" Midnight Pig Slayer shouted in admiration.
Street Slayer's scarred face was also full of respect: "Awesome, awesome! I didn't expect we could overturn the situation!"
Since Ye Li Meng and the Skeletal Scorpion-Tailed Bull perished together, he had no time to pick up the loot; now only four players remained, and it was a huge windfall, but who would pick up the loot?
Materials and supplies were manageable.
However, Essence could not be traded.
Without signing an Essence Contract, whoever picked up the loot would own the Essence.
The ones who contributed the most in this battle were Black-Eyed Rui Ge, Lone Boat, and Ye Li Meng; logically, they should be the ones to get the Essence, but unfortunately, all three were dead, and even if they rushed over after revival, it would still take more than half an hour.
According to players’ experiments, the light orbs dropped by monsters containing materials could last for a very long time without disappearing, but the Essence would quickly dissipate completely after five minutes.
"No time!"
"Let's pick up the other small monsters' drops first."
Street Slayer said, "Let Old Wang pick up the BOSS drops!"
Midnight Pig Slayer nodded in agreement: "After all, Uncle Dao contributed greatly for us to even grind here, and his skills are not inferior to Rui Ge or Boat Bro. He can play a more important role in the future."
Chenxi, being part of the casual players group, had no objections.
Mad Blade Old Wang hadn't expected the two of them to let him have such a huge share of experience, but he was a straightforward person and did not decline; after thanking them, he kept the favor in mind and immediately stepped forward to pick up the loot.
【Abyssal Essence +850, Abyssal Magic Stone Fragment +1000, High-Quality Scorpion-Tailed Bull Hide +40, High-Quality Scorpion-Tailed Bull Meat +30, Skeletal Scorpion-Tail Stone +5!】
【Ding, you have leveled up to 4! Health +10, Strength +3, Agility +2, Spirit +1, Will +1!】
【Ding, you have leveled up to 5! Health +10, Strength +3, Agility +2, Spirit +1, Will +1!】
Mad Blade Old Wang directly leveled up twice in a row, from level 3 to level 5, surpassing Lone Boat, Black-Eyed Rui Ge, and other top players, becoming the second player after Ye Li Meng to reach level 5.
"Amazing!"
Although Mad Blade Old Wang had guessed that the loot from the Skeletal Scorpion-Tailed Bull would be extremely generous, he never imagined it would be this abundant, with a huge amount of experience points, and astonishing quantities of Magic Stones and materials.
【High-Quality Scorpion-Tailed Bull Hide】: Tier-One Material, White Mid-Grade, can be used to craft various white-quality armors.
【High-Quality Scorpion-Tailed Bull Meat】: Tier-One Food, White Mid-Grade, can be cooked into food that quickly restores stamina and provides a Strength boost for a period after consumption.
【Skeletal Scorpion-Tail Gem】: Tier-One Material, White High-Grade, a very rare enhancement material containing powerful poisonous energy, can be used to upgrade gray or white-grade equipment.
It was truly a massive harvest!
Of course, Mad Blade Old Wang would not hoard the resources selfishly; after all, he had already gained a lot of experience points, so the resources should definitely be shared with others to promote better development among the limited number of first-test players.
Midnight Pig Slayer, Street Slayer, and Chenxi had already picked up the small monsters' drops.
The amount of Essence dropped by more than a dozen small monsters was also considerable.
It allowed Chenxi to level up to 4.
"This wave is just too satisfying!"
"Totally profited big time!"
"Let's head back first!"
The four gathered their loot and prepared to return.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh — sharp whistling sounds split the air, as several black arrows shot toward them.
"Careful!"
Mad Blade Old Wang, with his sharp instincts sensing danger, quickly warned, but since the players had just finished an intense battle, they were in a relaxed state and too slow to react.
56!
101! (Critical hit!)
53!
205! (Deadly critical hit!)
……
Midnight Pig Slayer, Street Slayer, and Chenxi were all struck down before they could react.
"Who's there? Show yourself!"
Mad Blade Old Wang immediately activated his Iron Armor Technique, blocking several arrows but still suffering some injuries; he quickly locked onto the source of the sneak attack—near a reed thicket by the riverbank.
No response.
Several more arrows flew out.
Mad Blade Old Wang knew that even with Iron Armor Technique protecting him, he couldn't remain unscathed under such fierce attacks; he dodged skillfully and charged toward the reed thicket.
At that moment, a burly man with a face full of scars suddenly leapt out.
He wore rough hemp clothing, carried a black longbow and a quiver, and had a hatchet hanging from his waist — clearly the attire of a mountain dweller or hunter.
【Hexi Villager】: Level 4 Elite Unit... Description: ???
Mad Blade Old Wang initially thought it would be the Yellow Turban Fiend Soldiers they had encountered before, but now he realized the situation was entirely different; this man looked completely normal, not like a corrupted human.
An indigenous NPC?
Then should he attack or not?
The Hexi Villager, however, drew his hatchet without a word and slashed straight at him.
The villager had the strength of a level 4 elite; even compared to the Skeletal Scorpion-Tailed Bull, he was not much weaker.
Even under full strength, Mad Blade Old Wang’s chance of winning was slim, and he hesitated for a moment when it was time to strike.
The instant their weapons clashed—
A mountain-crushing force overwhelmed him.
Their strength and physiques were on completely different levels; just one exchange, and Old Wang’s weapon was deflected, his body staggering back several meters, barely able to stand.
The next moment, with a flash of cold light, he was beheaded by the second strike.
"Such a fast blade..."
Mad Blade Old Wang widened his eyes, feeling deeply unwilling.
What the hell? Even a random villager in this world was this strong?
At that moment, three more figures emerged from the reeds, all dressed like villagers or hunters, but their auras were clearly much weaker, no stronger than ordinary players at this stage.
"Li Niu!"
"Are you alright!"
"Where did these people come from?"
"They don't have the Abyssal Corruption aura; they don't seem to be corrupted!"
Several more villagers appeared.
Li Niu, the one who killed Mad Blade Old Wang, seemed to be their leader; he looked at the corpse on the ground, momentarily dazed.
"Although they're not monsters spilled from a Nightmare."
"The arrival of outsiders is just as dangerous!"
"The location of our village must not be exposed, or others might covet the Fate Stone!"
"Exactly, with Nightmare pollution everywhere, without the protection of the Fate Stone, we wouldn't have survived until now."
At that moment, a sharp-eyed villager shouted, "There's one still alive!"
Everyone turned to see a chubby figure creeping along the ground—it was Midnight Pig Slayer.
Perhaps due to sheer luck, or maybe his layers of fat cushioned the impact, he had avoided a fatal shot, and with quick healing, managed to survive.
"Kill him!"
"Eliminate all risks!"
Li Niu raised his hatchet, ready to strike.
Midnight Pig Slayer knew there was no escape.
He cried out, "Hey, hey, who the hell are you guys? We have no grudges, why attack us like this? This is an ambush—you're not playing fair at all!"
"Hold!"
An older villager stopped Li Niu from killing him.
"Their origins are suspicious; we'd better interrogate them properly."
"Let's capture him and take him back. Old Wei should have a look!"
Li Niu felt it made sense and immediately tied Midnight Pig Slayer up like a dumpling, then had two villagers carry him like a pig.
Soon after, the group quickly left the area.