The Treant King lifted his foot and stomped heavily downward.
War Stomp!
A powerful force struck the ground, causing violent tremors and forming cracks that spread outward, giving the illusion of mountains collapsing and the earth splitting apart.
From the cracks, surging waves of energy erupted upward.
The Treant King’s War Stomp displayed such overwhelming might that the melee team members felt a surge of fear. Had Nie Yan not ordered them to retreat, they would have been wiped out completely. Without the melee classes, the damage output from ranged classes alone wouldn’t have been sufficient, and a total party wipe might have occurred. Many times, a small difference in timing can completely reverse the outcome of a battle.
“Push forward! The boss is nearly dead. Everyone speed it up!” Nie Yan shouted. The final blow was about to be delivered to the Treant King. With just a sliver of health remaining, the boss wouldn’t be able to make much more of a difference.
Heroic Strike!
Holy Light Slash!
A series of magical projectiles soared through the air, exploding with loud bangs. The Treant King’s health dropped to zero. It let out a piercing shriek as cracks spread across its trunk, exploding into splintered branches scattered across the ground.
“The Treant King is dead!”
“We did it!”
The group erupted into joyous cheers. Clearing an expert-level dungeon was an unimaginable miracle for them.
At the moment the Treant King fell, a lingering sense of disbelief still clouded their minds, making everything seem surreal. Every member of the team felt a deep sense of admiration for Nie Yan. Before meeting him, they couldn’t even handle the easy-level Treant Grove dungeon. Under Nie Yan’s leadership, they had conquered the expert-level version, an unbelievable feat.
Seeing the joy and excitement on his teammates’ faces, Nie Yan smiled faintly. He remembered feeling exactly the same when he cleared his first dungeon.
Eight team members, including Tang Yao, Yaoyao, Bai Kaishui, and Yulan, all leveled up. Nie Yan gained 52% experience, illustrating just how generous the Treant King’s experience reward was.
Nie Yan rummaged through the debris and found two pieces of equipment. Brushing aside broken branches, he discovered a brilliant blue gem, his heart leaping with joy. This was exactly what he had come for!
This gem was unlike ordinary gems. It was a regular octagon in shape, radiating dazzling light.
He used Super Insight to identify it. Feather Fall Gem! Finally, it was his!
“We’ve looted two pieces of equipment and one gem. One is a Mage’s Silver-level hat, one is a Paladin’s Silver-level armor, and the gem I’ll keep for myself,” Nie Yan announced. He didn’t need to pay for the gear he took, but the other members had to pay the team when claiming equipment.
No one raised any objections.
The Mage’s hat was purchased by Huihun for a low price of one silver and fifty copper coins. He finally felt it was worth the trip. The Paladin’s Silver armor was bought by Yulan for two silver coins. With contributions from her team, she only needed to pay Nie Yan, Huihun, and Tang Yao a small amount in copper.
“What kind of gem did you get? Share the stats with me,” Huihun said. He was curious about the gem in Nie Yan’s possession. He now understood why Nie Yan had specifically come to the expert-level Treant Grove.
Nie Yan shared the Feather Fall Gem’s attributes.
Feather Fall Gem (Epic): Requires Level 0, usable by accessories.
Attributes: Defense 8–10, Strength +7. When equipped, activates Feather Fall, causing the wearer to fall from the sky at a speed slightly faster than a feather for 3 minutes. (Can be equipped in accessory slot or socketed.)
Weight: 1 pound.
Restriction: Usable by all factions.
Besides necklaces, rings, and medals, each player has five accessory slots. Nie Yan equipped the Feather Fall Gem into one of them.
“So it’s an Epic item. No wonder you were so focused on it,” Huihun exclaimed. The gem’s base attributes weren’t impressive, but the Feather Fall ability was extremely rare, which justified its Epic classification.
From this dungeon run, all their combined loot couldn’t match what Nie Yan alone obtained. Some members felt slight resentment, but they quickly realized that without Nie Yan, they wouldn’t have even gotten a single item, let alone cleared an expert-level dungeon.
“How much Team Glory did we gain?” Nie Yan asked Yulan.
“1200. Thank you,” Yulan replied sincerely.
“That much? We only got 800 when we cleared Black Flame,” Huihun was surprised. Expert-level dungeons were indeed impressive. This was only the Treant Grove, and rewards from expert-level Black Flame or Ogmat Mire Swamp would be even more rewarding.
“You can now attempt Black Flame and the Sunken Warlock Camp, but prepare well before going,” Nie Yan advised.
“Will you come with us?” Yaoyao asked Nie Yan.
Yulan and others listened intently for his answer, though she understood her team was too small to keep a big name like Nie Yan.
Nie Yan smiled faintly. “As I said earlier, I won’t join you for Black Flame. If I were to go with someone like Chen Bo again, it wouldn’t be pleasant. If you could get rid of Chen Bo, I might reconsider, but even then, I’d have to check my schedule.”
“Oh,” Yaoyao replied slightly disappointed.
“Nie Yan will be joining us in a few days for the Ogmat Mire Swamp dungeon,” Huihun said. He had complete respect for Nie Yan’s abilities. It was truly enjoyable to run dungeons with him.
Tang Yao looked at Nie Yan with anticipation, hoping to be invited along.
Nie Yan sent Tang Yao a private message. “Your skill isn’t quite there yet. The Ogmat Mire Swamp dungeon has high positioning requirements for Mages. Keep training with Yulan’s team for now. I’ll consider taking you along later.”
“Okay,” Tang Yao nodded. Nie Yan wouldn’t lie to him. If he went to Ogmat Mire Swamp unprepared, he might embarrass himself. He calmed down, deciding to keep running dungeons with Yulan’s team to improve his skills.
“Tang Yao can keep running dungeons with your team for now. As for Black Flame Forest and the Sunken Warlock Camp, I can offer you some guidance,” Nie Yan said.
Yulan nodded. “We’d be delighted. From now on, Tang Yao is part of our team.” Tang Yao’s magical damage was impressive, contributing greatly to this dungeon run. Having such a capable person stay in their team was exactly what she wanted. Moreover, with Tang Yao in the team, Nie Yan would likely offer them guidance without holding back.
After distributing the loot, Nie Yan’s earnings included a Silver necklace, the Feather Fall Gem, a skill book for Spirit Evasion, and three silver coins. Tang Yao earned his first substantial income, approximately sixty copper coins.
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