The rock-grinding voice of the Shi Xu Earth Spirit still echoed throughout the cavernous stone hall.
Suddenly, a strange sound seeped out from a narrow, overlooked fissure behind the group.
The sound was viscous and slick—the "gurgling" of mud being stirred, mixed with the faint "hissing" of some liquid dripping and corroding the rock.
The sound grew rapidly as it approached from the distance.
"It's happening again!" the Caveman leader named Biezhao shrieked in terror, his pale face almost crumpling into a knot.
He led the other cavemen to scurry behind the Earth Spirits like frightened rabbits, trembling all over.
The stone faces of the Shi Xu Earth Spirit and the few craftsmen tightened instantly.
They put down their tools and, in perfect unison, grabbed the giant stone shields and menacing stone hammers leaning against the wall.
Their movements still possessed the steady composure of rock, yet they were startlingly fast, carrying the momentum of a landslide as they quickly formed an impenetrable defensive line in front of the fissure.
"It's those sticky things from the 'Erosion Cave'!" an Earth Spirit craftsman growled, his voice filled with suppressed fury. "The number this time... seems even higher!"
Celeste and Selene's eyes sharpened as they instantly entered combat stances.
Selene raised her shield, holy light shimmering across its surface, and stepped to the flank of the Earth Spirit defensive line, echoing their position from afar.
Celeste slightly lowered her pink staff, aiming the heart-shaped gem at the tip toward the deep, dark fissure, her gaze piercing through the gloom.
The next second, as if an evil faucet had been turned on, a colorful tide erupted from the fissure!
It was countless jelly-like creatures, the size of a washbasin, translucent, with cores of different colors encased within their bodies.
They writhed and bounced on the ground, making teeth-aching "squelch" sounds.
The scanning function on Celeste's bracelet activated instantly.
[Ordinary Slime Lv.10 - 15]
[Points: 15 / each]
[Characteristics: physical DMG effectiveness halved. Low probability of self-destruction upon death, causing small-area elemental splash.]
[Note: Moving experience packs for novice adventurers, but ants can kill an elephant if there are enough of them.]
These were just the vanguard.
The fissure stretched wider, and several behemoths the size of young calves squeezed their way out!
[Large Pyro Slime Lv.20]
[Points: 40 / each]
[Characteristics: Contains unstable Pyro element within, shoots small fireballs, will explode upon death, causing AoE Pyro DMG.]
[Large Cryo Slime Lv.20]
[Points: 40 / each]
[Characteristics: Shoots ice shards, inflicts slow effect, explodes upon death causing AoE Cryo DMG and Frozen.]
[Large Electro Slime Lv.20]
[Points: 40 / each]
[Characteristics: Releases chain lightning, explodes upon death causing AoE Electro DMG and paralysis effect.]
The colorful Slime army instantly filled a corner of the stone hall.
They writhed and bounced, exuding elemental fluctuations and the distinct stench of Slime. The scene was both disgusting and possessed a strange sense of "cuteness"—if one could ignore their lethal danger.
"Form up! Protect the shamans!"
At the Shi Xu Earth Spirit's command, the Earth Spirits' giant stone shields slammed into the ground in unison, producing a thunderous "thud."
An earthy-yellow halo spread from beneath their feet, connecting the light between the shields, and the aura of the defensive line became heavier and more solid.
Their innate stone skin and high constitution were the most perfect walls.
In the rear, several caveman shamans draped in crude feathers and bone ornaments, holding gnarled wooden staves, stepped forward.
They chanted in trembling, shrill voices, and faint elemental light lit up the tips of their wooden staves.
Stone spikes erupted from the ground, shooting toward the Slime horde.
Streams of gentle ley line energy also surged into the Earth Spirits in front, repairing their bodies.
Earth Spirits tanked in the front row, while the caveman shamans provided support from the back.
This tactic seemed to have been drilled countless times, barely holding off the first wave of impact.
But the problem was—the number of Slimes was simply too high!
Especially the ranged attacks and death explosions of those large elemental Slimes; for the slow-moving Earth Spirits, the threat was fatal!
"Boom!"
A large Pyro Slime was smashed by a stone hammer, exploding with a boom the moment it died!
Scorching Slime and flames splashed everywhere.
The shockwave sent two Earth Spirits stumbling backward, leaving charred marks on their rock-like bodies, and their movements became visibly sluggish.
"Heal! Heal quickly!" Biezhao shrieked from behind.
The caveman shamans were in a panic, but the healing light couldn't keep up with the rate of DMG, becoming intermittent.
On the other side, the ice shards spat by the large Cryo Slimes made the Earth Spirits' movements increasingly sluggish.
And the chain lightning released by the large Electro Slimes paralyzed several caveman shamans on the spot, interrupting their chanting and causing them to let out pained groans.
The battle line was being crushed, step by step.
This defensive circle composed of Earth Spirits and cavemen was already tottering.
The Shi Xu Earth Spirit smashed a small Slime that tried to bypass the line with a hammer, getting splattered with Slime.
It turned its head sharply, looking at Celeste and Selene, who had been observing from the side and had not yet acted. For the first time, an expression of urgency appeared on its rock-like face:
"Stranger warriors! Please lend us a hand!"
Its voice was resonant and powerful, carrying the texture of clashing metal and stone.
"These twisted elemental creations are causing corrosion to the foundations of the 'Cornerstone Hall.' If they break through, the consequences will be unimaginable!"
Its gaze swept over the somewhat ordinary equipment on the Lin sisters, and it promised in a deep voice:
"We Earth Spirits have forged for generations. As long as we can survive this catastrophe, we are willing to use our best ores and craftsmanship to custom-make suitable weapons and equipment for the two of you!"
[Ding! Emergency support mission "Surging Viscous Tide" triggered!]
[Mission Requirements: Assist the Earth Spirits and cavemen in holding the defensive line and repelling the strengthened Slime tide.]
[Mission Rewards: Friendship of the Earth Spirits and cavemen, qualification for custom equipment, joy value +200!]
[Host, the real test has arrived!]
"Sister!" Selene looked at Celeste, her eyes solemn, but her fighting spirit was rising.
Celeste took a deep breath. The viscous, seemingly endless Slime tide before her made her feel the pressure as well.
But, custom equipment?
This was a windfall.
She raised her staff, the pink heart-shaped gem at its tip shimmering with a light that felt out of place on the battlefield.
"We accept this mission."
"Charge!"
Selene let out a soft shout. Holy light erupted, and she activated [Devotion Aura], holding her shield as she pushed into the area of the defensive line under the most pressure.
[Sacred Shield Impact] knocked back several small Slimes, buying a moment of breathing room for a teetering Earth Spirit.
But her [Holy Strike] and [Hammer of justice] landed on the Slimes with less-than-satisfactory results, only serving to knock them back and provide weak purification, with very low killing efficiency.
Celeste, like a roaming assassin, held her pink staff and cut into the gaps of the battle line.
Thanks to the "Soft-Kler" characteristic of the black tassel spear, every one of her stabs, thrusts, and sweeps could deal effective DMG to the Slimes, and the "squelch" of breaking cores was incessant.
Her figure was nimble, weaving through the gaps of Slime and elemental attacks, her staff precisely sniping those large Slimes attempting to self-destruct, or interrupting their ranged attacks.
Her addition indeed alleviated some of the pressure, especially in clearing out the mobs, where her efficiency far exceeded others.
However, the number of Slimes was simply too high! No sooner had she cleared a small patch than more surged up from behind.
Those two Rock-Shell Slimes were ridiculously tough; Celeste's staff only chipped off a few stone fragments when she struck them. Their advance was slow, but they could not be effectively stopped.
The sisters' addition only temporarily stabilized the originally collapsing battle line at a precarious equilibrium point.
The Earth Spirits were still struggling to hold on, the caveman shamans' mana was bottoming out, Selene's holy light had limited lethality, and while Celeste was good at single-target elimination, she lacked a decisive AoE clearing method against this kind of tide.
"This won't do! We can't outlast them!" Selene parried a scorching fireball, a burning sensation coming from her shield. "My holy light is only moderately effective against them; I'm clearing them too slowly!"
Celeste thrust her staff through a Pyro Slime and retreated quickly before it could explode. Her gaze swept over the dense, writhing, advancing viscous army before her, her brows furrowed.
Her mana and stamina were being consumed at a high rate.
Facing this many enemies, single-target attacks were ultimately a drop in the bucket.
A thought uncontrollably surfaced in her mind—use the [venti trial card].
The Anemo Archon's power was undoubtedly the best choice for dealing with such dense, lightweight enemies.
A Skyward Sonnet might be able to clear an area, and the Song of the Wind God was even more of a divine skill for large-area crowd control and DMG.
As for the cost...
A shameful image flashed through her mind—wearing tight poet clothes, saying "Ehe" in a young boy's voice, and those completely uncontrollable words and actions...
On such a life-and-death battlefield, with everyone watching?
Her cheeks burned slightly, and her toes curled instinctively.
Just then, the left defensive line sounded an alarm again!
A Rock-Shell Slime, under the cover of several Electro Slimes' electric shocks, suddenly exerted force, knocking an exhausted Earth Spirit, along with its shield, sliding backward!
A dangerous gap instantly appeared in the defensive line, and several large Pyro Slimes took the opportunity to surge forward, rushing toward the caveman shamans behind the gap!
"Oh no!"
Selene, almost out of instinct, completely disregarded the enemies in front of her, and holy light burst from her feet!
[justice Leap]!
She forcibly twisted her direction, her silver-armored figure carving a blinding trajectory as she ferociously slammed into that precarious gap!
She chose the most direct and dangerous way—using her own body to forcefully block that death zone!
"Selene!"
Celeste's heartbeat stopped abruptly.
Her sister was trading her life for time!
She raised her hand almost reflexively—
[Veritas: Shield]!
Anxious at heart and with her focus exceptionally concentrated, mana flowed out smoothly, intending to instantly shroud her sister in that white-gold light of protection.
There was no time to care about that!
If it's social death, then so be it! Solving the current problem is more important!
Celeste had already made up her mind: after shielding her sister, she would immediately use the [venti trial card]!
However, the moment that familiar light shield formed on her sister—
Hum—!
[Overtones triggered!]
A wave of melody, indescribable and completely different from the holy light, suddenly spread out from Celeste as the center without any warning!
Celeste: "!!!"
It's over!
Celeste's mind went blank.
The social death experience, though late, had arrived!
And at such a critical moment, in such a completely unexpected way!
Hopefully... hopefully it won't be something even more embarrassing than the Venti outfit...