Chapter 284: Ancient Path
After everything had settled down and they had familiarized themselves with the environment of Lut Gholein City, Lars and the others began to consider the matter of Trials. After all, this was the main business of us Adventurers. While it wasn't a matter of immediate urgency, letting one's body become lax would be dangerous.
The four of us gathered to brainstorm. My suggestion to them was to go to the Sewer first, to get a feel for the Monster strength in Lut Gholein. Lars was a Paladin, and Doug and Gus were Barbarians. Combined, this Party was largely a Blood Tank Team. The Terrain of the Sewer was quite suitable for them. Even if they encountered the most troublesome Burning Dead Archer there, as long as the Quantity wasn't very massive, Lars could activate a Resist Fire Aura, and the three of them could charge forward, enduring the Fire Arrows. Once they rushed into the group of Monsters, wouldn't the Skeleton Archers, with their weak Defense, be like chopping vegetables?
Actually, a three-person Party like this was quite unreasonable because it severely lacked Ranged Attack and Magic Attack. A standard strong Party should have a combination of Ranged and Melee combat, and both Physical and Magic Output must reach a certain Standard. A Melee Warrior Team like the one Lars and the others formed could thrive when the Monsters weren't very powerful in the early stages, but once the Monsters' Strength increased later on, they would find it difficult to move an inch. This was like certain Games; in the Novice period, Warriors with high Health and high Attack were easier to manage, but it was different later on.
This deficiency in Lars's Party would surface sooner or later. As for Lars's own Idea, he planned to take a Mercenary Sword Mage with him when they reached Kurast Docks. This way, the issues of Ranged and Magic Output would be mostly resolved. Of course, if they could find a Transferred Wizard, it would undoubtedly be better and more Powerful than a Sword Mage, but it was difficult to recruit Class Changers after leaving Rogue Encampment. Everyone had their own Party, and mutual trust and Tacit Understanding were also issues.
After some consideration, Lars accepted my Suggestion, but the three of them looked a bit downcast. After all, they had to go into the Sewer; no one would willingly go to that terrible place unless absolutely necessary.
After finalizing the Plan, the few of us began to get dressed and prepared. My Equipment had been Mend by Charsi when I returned to Rogue Camp, but what surprised me was that the Divine Language Staff lost a Single Point of Durability Cap during the Mend. This caused Charsi to apologize profusely, her face red. Of course, I wouldn't care about such a small Matter, but after this, I finally Realized that High-Grade Equipment needed careful Maintenance and Use in the future. I couldn't just casually use it or show it off against every Mob I encountered. One had to know that even with the best Blacksmith, the Durability Cap would inevitably decrease after too many Repairs, which is why there was no such thing as Heirloom Equipment, unless you simply didn't use it, or the Equipment had the Indestructible Powerful Attribute.
At this moment, we were Training at the Lut Gholein Training Ground, planning to get back into the Feeling before we Departed. Lars and I were in one group, and Doug and Gus were in another. These two guys, each holding two Axes, were Madly attacking each other, as if they weren't Brothers but mortal enemies of many years. Of course, the Axes were Training Axes, so nothing could really happen.
After Hacking for a while, Gus was defeated first. After all, he was different from Doug; he didn't follow an extreme Route. His Route leaned more towards Balance and Transformation. In this kind of mutual Hacking Combat, he was naturally no match for Doug.
As for Lars and me, I, who was four Levels higher than him, was still suppressed by him. There was no way around it; this was the Gap between a Paladin trained formally and a Druid who started halfway. Compared to Lars, who had received formal Training since childhood, no matter how many ups and downs and Fortuitous Encounters I had experienced in the past three years, it was impossible for me to surpass him in Combat Skill so quickly.
"Wu, your Progress is truly amazing," Lars said with a sigh, wiping the Sweat from his forehead.
"Hehe, well, compared to me, you're still a little bit off," Doug and Gus, who had finished their Battle, also came over. The few of them seemed to recall the scene from three years ago, when that Level one Novice Druid was circling his first Monster ever—a Zombie. Compared to that time, my Progress now was undoubtedly astonishing.
"Hehe, that's right," I rolled my eyes at Doug, who had come closer, and replied proudly. I had survived the Old Drunkard's abusive Training, so fast Progress was only natural.
"Alright, let me test your Strength too. Later, I'll be in a group with Wu, and Gus, you Train with Big Brother," Doug clashed the two Axes in his hands, producing a crisp, iron-blooded sound.
"..."
Lars and I exchanged glances and let out a Bitter Smile in unison. Barbarians were the most unpopular Opponents in Combat Training, ranking number one.
Finally, the day of Departure arrived. With Auntie Shari and me seeing them off, the three of them successively entered the gloomy Sewer gate. Before departing, I replenished their Town Portal Scrolls and gave each of them a Rejuvenation Potion. As long as they didn't go to Radament's Lair on the third level of the Sewer to seek death, their Safety was absolutely guaranteed.
After the three of them left, the days became even more deserted. Even going to Aunt Shali's place to eat together seemed to lose its flavor. Aunt Shali was lonely by herself, so she simply moved in with me. With her overflowing Motherly Love, she seemed to have "taken a liking" to Marissa again. Speaking of which, Marissa was only slightly older than Sarah, equally beautiful in Appearance, equally petite in Figure, and equally... well, cough, I misspoke. In short, ignoring the huge Gap in their Temperament and Character, they had many common points. Now that Sarah wasn't here, coupled with the story of losing her mother at a young age and being degraded from a Princess to a Maid, it was no wonder that Aunt Shali, with nowhere to vent her Motherly Love, took such good care of her. However, Marissa didn't seem to be very receptive to Aunt Shali. Indeed, is only Sister Sharna suitable for you? You Kid who needs discipline.
After staying idle for more than ten days, feeling that my Body had adjusted to its peak condition, I also began to Plan to go out for Trials and Level Up. Hunting four Minor Boss Level Monsters, honestly, it wasn't that I was arrogant, but this Quest had no Challenge whatsoever. If everything went smoothly, it would take at most half a year to complete, then take a month's boat trip to Kurast Docks, see the Primeval Forest there, and spend another year completing the Quest. Then go to Harrogath...
Alright, dreaming time is over. Time to get ready to Depart.
In terms of Plan, my Targets were Fangskin (Claw Viper) on the second level of the Claw Viper Temple, and the Exploding Beetle (Death Beetle) in the Far Oasis. These two Mini-Bosses were the two with the highest Difficulty level among the six.
Of course, I wasn't thinking of challenging myself; it was just because it was difficult, so fewer Adventurers competed for it. Besides these two, there was also the Bloody Witch (Huntress) in Death's Sanctuary. For no other reason than that when I obtained the Divine Artifact Tal Rasha's Guardianship, Tal Rasha had left a message telling me to go there. After such a long time, it was time to fulfill it.
As for the last Mini-Boss, I hadn't decided yet. I'll talk about it then.
After saying hello to Marissa and Aunt Shali, I took the Waypoint to the Lost City. The Viper Valley was about a four or five day journey southwest from the Lost City. The Claw Viper Temple was inside the Valley. My first Target was here because I heard in the Tavern that Sister Sharna seemed to have appeared here recently. Nowadays, she was a big celebrity in the Western Kingdoms. Who didn't know the Reputation of the Queen of Lut Gholein? She had almost become the number one gossip figure in the Tavern. It really wasn't difficult to inquire about her whereabouts.
It had been so long since I returned to Lut Gholein, it was time to meet her. This would prevent Older Sister from complaining that I didn't care about her. Thinking of Older Sister's gentle embrace, her fragrant Aura, the sweetness of her jade lips, her golden long hair, her sea-blue eyes, her pure beauty face, her hot figure, whips, candles, ropes...
Ah...?! Did I just reveal information that shouldn't be revealed?
I wandered around the Tavern for two days. After finding out that no Adventurers were planning to challenge Fangskin recently, my Determination immediately firmed up. However, a strange smile then appeared on my face—could Older Sister's visit this time also be for Fangskin? Otherwise, if I stole her Monster again, I don't know how she would punish me in a fit of rage.
The Lost City, according to legend, was a huge ancient Battlefield. Countless Corpses were buried Underground here. Of course, along with them were a huge Quantity of unclaimed Equipment. This created a Class that wasn't afraid of Death—the Scavenger. This Class sounded quite mysterious at first listen, but to put it bluntly, it was worthless—it was just some Commoners who weren't afraid of Death running to the outside of the Monster-infested city, where wind and sand raged, to pick up the Ancient Equipment left behind. The Equipment in the Gambling Shop run by the shrewd merchant Aegis came from here. Damn it, a broken sword earned him 4000 Gold Coins from me. One can imagine how popular this Class was, provided you were willing to gamble with your Life.
Just after leaving the city, I encountered a vast stream of Scavengers. These people were both afraid of Death and wanted to make Money, so they started working near the city. Some were lying on the sand, carefully searching, hoping to find a Ring or Necklace that other Scavengers had overlooked. Some were holding iron shovels and desperately digging down, always believing that the deeper places had a greater Chance. In any era, Money could always make people mad.
After estimating that I had walked for about half a day, Monsters began to appear, and the Scavengers also decreased. Most of the Scavengers who appeared here were the reckless type. They continued forward, stepping on the Corpses of their companions underfoot, either getting rich or being swallowed by Monsters, or being buried by the wind and sand of the Great Desert.
The first batch that appeared within my Line of Sight was a group of Marauders. These Skeleton Monsters with four arms were actually the evolved form of Sand Raiders, just like the relationship between Fallen and Shamans. Although their Strength was a bit stronger than Sand Raiders, their Attack method was still old-fashioned. Four Greatswords would simultaneously Hack down from above your head without a word. If the Quantity was large, it really felt like an overwhelming cascade of blade attacks.
Besides the Marauders, there were also Night Tigers, the evolved form of Huntresses. They handled a Whip in one hand and a shield in the other skillfully, and their Attack and Defense were well-balanced.
Tomb Creepers, the evolved form of Sand Leapers. They still retreated upon contact and followed from afar to Harass, an extremely frustrating Attack method. They liked to hide under the sand the most to Sneak Attack Passersby. More than half of those Scavengers were killed by them.
Night Slingers, the evolved form of Stone Throwers. They held a shield in one hand and threw a spear in the other. Experts still haven't figured out where these Stone Throwers' spears come from. They throw and throw, seemingly without end. Do they also have an Inventory like us Adventurers? This is indeed a question with research value; let those experts worry about it. It's worth mentioning that Stone Throwers and Huntresses actually have no difference in Appearance; one just holds a Whip and the other holds a spear. As expected, they are common supporting characters. I suggest Blizzard Entertainment carve Alpha on the faces of one and Beta on the faces of the other in future Diablo Games to show the difference.
The last type of Monster was called Plague Spreader, the fourth form of the Zombie. Like Zombies, they moved slowly and posed little threat to Adventurers, but as the name suggests, they could spread Plague. Once they approached a crowd, the Plague could quickly spread through ordinary people, often exterminating all Life in an entire Village within a few days, and even affecting nearby Villages. Their harm was arguably the greatest among all Monsters.
Within the range of the Lost City, most of the Monsters were of these types. However, here, these Monsters were not the greatest threat to Adventurers. What was most terrifying was the Environment here. Being on the edge of the Western Kingdoms, the Zone closest to the Desert Center, the climate here was extremely harsh. The midday Sunlight could fry an egg. The late night cold wind could instantly freeze urine that had just been expelled. Even Adventurers found it difficult to endure this temperature difference. What was even more terrifying was the Desert Storm here. If one didn't react in time, even a Class Changer could be instantly blown away, swept tens of thousands of meters high, and suffocate to death alive.
Originally, when I returned to Rogue Camp, my Experience was already more than halfway to the next Level, and after killing that Hell Fallen, it increased by a large amount. Therefore, after walking southwest for three days, I unsurprisingly Leveled up to twenty-five. However, this wasn't something worth celebrating. The Skills I gained from Leveling Up couldn't be used, the Attribute Points were saved, and I couldn't learn new Skills. The Experience needed for the next Level became even more. The Feeling was really quite ordinary.
The blazing sun was overhead, the Air seemed swollen and distorted as if being roasted by fire. The burning hot sand could be felt even through my boots. Soaking Sweat was stifled out, only to be immediately evaporated. Every step I took felt like it weighed a thousand jin. Light Snow , walking beside me, stuck out its bright red tongue very long. This scorching weather was a great burden for it, but I had no Method. I could only hope the sun would set quickly and enjoy the brief coolness of twilight.
If nothing unexpected happened, I should see Viper Valley after walking for another day or two. Hmm, as long as I don't get lost, I thought, lacking confidence.
Eh? Is it a Mirage? Or is my Brain dizzy from the sun? Something seemed to suddenly appear not far ahead. I rubbed my eyes, perked up, and sped up my pace to move forward.
After getting closer, I confirmed that it wasn't my illusion. Several broken down Walls, as if they could fall with a gust of wind, appeared within my Line of Sight. It could be seen that these Walls, which vaguely had outlines, absolutely could not have been formed by wind and sand erosion; they were man-made.
After walking around the vicinity, I confirmed my Idea. This place should have been a Village N years ago. No, observing its architectural structure, it was more like a military outpost, just abandoned later for some unknown reason.
I searched carefully several times again, found several relatively intact jars, kicked and broke them, and several dirty Silver Coins dropped out. Besides this, there was nothing else, until the last Corner...
Don't you think this sign is an eyesore? I looked at this broken wooden sign standing alone stuck in the ground, swaying, just like the "No Trespassing" signs often seen on Grassland. The writing on it had long been corroded and couldn't be seen clearly.
What was even more suspicious was beside the sign, a thick "wooden board" "lying" on the Ground. This Layout always seemed like I had seen it somewhere before. I pondered hard for a while and finally Realized, wasn't this very similar to the Lut Gholein Sewer gate?
Inspired, I immediately imitated it and pulled up the wooden door. A dark Underground Passage was suddenly revealed. At the same time, I got the desired answer.
Ancient Tunnels.
This place, spoken of as very mysterious in the Tavern, was in the exact center of the Desert. To find it was like finding a ship on the vast ocean; it couldn't be done without some Luck. According to Adventurers who had occasionally entered it, the Monsters inside were generally a bit stronger, and correspondingly, the Experience and Drop Rate were also much higher. It was a good place for Adventurer Parties with enough Strength, but unfortunately, it could be encountered but not sought after. To find such a tiny place in the Desert was really too difficult.
However, wasn't the Ancient Path in the southeast direction of the Lost City? Viper Valley was on the southwest side. The angle seemed to subtly deviate from a right angle. Thinking of this, black lines immediately appeared on my forehead.