“But without using Meteor Shower, we’ll definitely wipe the team. How can twenty people deal with so many Manticore Scorpions?” Ban Xing De Hu Li still felt doubtful whether Nie Yan could eliminate sixteen Manticore Scorpions simultaneously without using large-scale magic.
“Actually, it’s possible without Meteor Shower, but my method has very high requirements for rogues,” Nie Yan replied. Since he had the confidence to bring Ban Xing De Hu Li and others here, he naturally had a plan to clear the instance. Skills like Meteor Shower could only be used one or two times; they couldn’t be relied upon constantly.
Ban Xing De Hu Li fell silent. If Nie Yan could indeed clear an entire Manticore Scorpion nest purely through skill and the combat capability of this group of players, without resorting to overpowered skills like Meteor Shower, wouldn’t that mean Nie Yan was more capable than himself?
“Then let’s give it a try,” Ban Xing De Hu Li said. He wasn’t someone who cared too much about saving face or held narrow-minded views. He admired talented individuals. There were many people more talented than him in the Holy Roman Empire, but he was the only guild leader!
“Leader, we just looted a piece of epic gear,” a team member exclaimed excitedly.
“What gear? Post the attributes,” Ban Xing De Hu Li replied.
Nie Yan and others glanced at the gear’s attributes. It was a piece of the Priest’s Divine Blessing Set, an epic item.
“There’s nothing surprising about it. The expert-level Ogmathor’s Mire Swamp currently has the highest drop rate for epic gear among all instances. There will definitely be more epic gear drops later,” Nie Yan said indifferently. Having seen so many legendary items, epic-level gear no longer held much appeal for him.
How Ban Xing De Hu Li and others would distribute this piece of epic gear had nothing to do with him. After completing the instance mission, he would naturally receive his share.
Ban Xing De Hu Li sensed that Nie Yan was well-informed and had strong independent thinking abilities—exactly the type of person hardest to control. It seemed nearly impossible to recruit him into the guild.
Ban Xing De Hu Li allocated this piece of epic gear to a priest within the team, and the group continued onward.
Soon, the group arrived in front of the second Manticore Scorpion nest, which housed seventeen Manticore Scorpions—about the same number as the previous nest.
Ban Xing De Hu Li looked at Nie Yan and said, “It’s up to you now.”
Nie Yan nodded and examined the terrain, searching for suitable positions. Under his command, the other three rogues moved to designated spots, labeled as numbers one through three.
The four of them formed a square pattern, each standing at a corner, and then Nie Yan detailed each person’s specific tasks.
The Manticore Scorpions were leisurely moving around their nest, unaware that a group of humans had already set their sights on them.
“Remember, don’t engage the Manticore Scorpions directly. If you see them chasing you, run immediately without hesitation. They’re too fast. If you don’t run quickly, you won’t be able to escape them,” Nie Yan carefully reminded them.
A sudden realization dawned on Ban Xing De Hu Li. It seemed Nie Yan intended to lure the Manticore Scorpions out one by one and defeat them individually. However, given the Scorpions’ incredible speed, luring them would be extremely difficult for his team’s rogues.
These rogues might be able to evade the Scorpions’ pursuit for a while, but not for long. If they were caught, wouldn’t that be certain death?
After confirming that all the rogues were ready, Nie Yan said, “Follow my command from now on.”
The three rogues focused intensely, each taking a deep breath. Nie Yan then raised his crossbow, aiming at the Manticore Scorpion leader.
Wait, weren’t all four rogues supposed to attack simultaneously? Ban Xing De Hu Li felt puzzled.
Nie Yan’s gaze passed through the crossbow’s sight, locking onto his target. Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—three arrows flew out, all hitting the Manticore Scorpion leader. Immediately, the Scorpion leader noticed Nie Yan, let out an angry roar, and leapt forward, charging directly at him.
The other Manticore Scorpions followed closely behind. Seeing this, Nie Yan immediately turned and fled.
Nie Yan had the audacity to draw so many Manticore Scorpions toward himself. Indeed, he had guts, Ban Xing De Hu Li thought. Unless Nie Yan had immense confidence in his skills, he wouldn’t dare attempt such a high-risk maneuver that was practically suicidal.
“Number three, attack the last three Manticore Scorpions!” Nie Yan shouted in the team chat. Upon hearing Nie Yan’s command, the third rogue wasted no time. He raised his shortbow and fired three arrows—thunk, thunk, thunk—all hitting their targets.
The three Manticore Scorpions at the rear redirected their attention toward the rogue and broke away from the main group, charging toward him.
The rogue immediately turned and ran back toward the main team, which was already prepared.
Nie Yan sprinted through the swamp, mentally counting the time—five seconds, six seconds, seven seconds—then shouted in the team chat, “Number two, attack the last three Manticore Scorpions!”
Following Nie Yan’s instructions, the rogue quickly raised his bow and fired at the three Scorpions. Another three Scorpions broke away from the main group.
Each rogue only lured three Scorpions at a time, so the main team’s pressure was minimal. The melee players stood at the front, while the mages at the back needed only three volleys to bring down these Scorpions.
Nie Yan ran swiftly, dodging the pursuing Scorpions. His incredible speed and nimble evasion tactics left the Scorpion group temporarily unable to catch him.
The three rogues took turns luring Scorpions away from the main group.
Magic rained down like hail. One by one, the Scorpions fell. Nie Yan’s method of eliminating the Scorpions was undeniably successful, but it relied entirely on his exceptional escape techniques and precise timing. Others likely wouldn’t possess the capability to execute such a strategy!
“What incredible speed!” Ban Xing De Hu Li watched Nie Yan darting through the jungle, skillfully evading the Scorpions, and couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.
“Leader, who exactly is that guy?”
The team members murmured among themselves, wondering where Ban Xing De Hu Li had found such an extraordinary player.
“Focus on dealing damage!” Ban Xing De Hu Li sternly commanded.
The team members immediately fell silent, ceasing their chatter. Several rounds of magic later, a few more Scorpions were eliminated.
“Damn, three more are coming. We’re running out of mana!”
“Use mana potions!”
To Ban Xing De Hu Li’s astonishment, just as they killed three Scorpions, another rogue would lure another three forward. Wave after wave, precisely timed and perfectly controlled.
Nie Yan’s timing was incredibly precise. Ban Xing De Hu Li felt shocked.
The team members weren’t fools. They understood how incredibly difficult it was to evade a whole group of Scorpions as Nie Yan did. Deeply impressed, they no longer dared underestimate Nie Yan as they had initially.
Initially, the players doubted Nie Yan’s ability to lead them through Ogmathor’s Mire Swamp. But after this battle, their trust in Nie Yan was firmly established.
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