Chapter 204: Chapter204-Experience Soars!
By the time John arrived at the second fortress, he found a scene of utter chaos!
Isabella had already discovered yesterday that the six monsters possessed mutually countering attributes, yet they lacked high attack power and speed!
Even after consuming a potion to boost her speed, she could only barely dodge their attacks.
The supply of monkey wine John had given her was running low, so she had to ration it carefully!
She had already been hit by the Frost Giant's attacks twice recently, stacking her buffs quite high.
Drinking now would risk incurring a drunken debuff!
"Buff me!" she called.
Without any hesitation, John shouted a command to the Thorned Rock Serpent and then sprinted forward at breakneck speed!
Meanwhile, Rosalind was not idle, waving her staff and casting a full suite of buffs on John—speed, fury, continuous healing, mental enhancement!
Once all the buffs were applied, John unleashed a skill toward the Lava Behemoth.
As before, he drew the Lava Behemoth's attention along with the Golem's firepower, weaving in and out within the Frost Giant's range.
Though still slowed by a buff, this time he was accompanied by a priest, rendering many of the debuffs virtually ineffective for him.
Plus, he had monkey wine on hand for emergencies!
This time, quicker than before, he had already halved the elite monster's HP!
Isabella was no fool.
Observing John's actions, she quickly grasped what needed to be done and began to draw the monsters' fire, mimicking John's tactics.
Rosalind promptly cast a full set of buffs on Isabella.
Glancing in Rosalind's direction, Isabella could barely make out who it was due to the distance, but she knew it must be one of their own and unleashed her skills with even greater ferocity.
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With the trio's coordination, it took less than ten minutes to slay the six elite monsters.
However, because the lesser monsters around them had not been completely cleared earlier, those above continued to unleash skills downward.
Despite this, seeing all six elite monsters vanquished brought a surge of joy—they had been in despair at the sight of these emerald-tier elite monsters, which seemed beyond their capability to defeat.
It had seemed beyond their imagination, yet here were John and Isabella, astonishingly powerful, swiftly defeating these formidable foes together.
"My God, this is the strength of the top-ranked champions? This is incredibly impressive."
"I used to think John was nothing special, but it turns out I was the one who was nothing special."
"Oh... I suddenly think if John were at our fortress, we'd definitely have hope of surviving; it wouldn't have been so hard before."
"I really want to go to the first fortress, I'd feel so much safer with John there."
"Let's focus on clearing out these lesser monsters first, to avoid any slipping through the net. Otherwise, we're done for."
Everyone was fervently unleashing their skills, each person striving to clear the land of the monsters before them.
John took a moment to replenish his MP before checking on Isabella.
She was visibly exhausted yet continued to ferociously slay the lesser creatures surrounding her.
He glanced at the group chat and saw a message from Cecilia stating that she had already slain four elite monsters, and they could slowly grind down the remaining two.
Relieved, he sent out some cautionary advice and then turned back to Isabella.
"How are the casualties on your side today?" he asked.
After incinerating a small monster and clearing the area, Isabella responded, "The midnight raid caught us off guard, and nearly fifty people were killed or wounded. Even using Resurrection Spells, we couldn't revive so many in time."
Initially, everyone was thrilled yet terrified.
There had even been loud disputes over the sequence of using Resurrection Spells!
Many saw their friends among the fallen and worried about the problems that would arise if they couldn't be revived promptly.
"I'm holding up okay, don't worry, there won't be any major issues," Isabella reassured him.
Coming from a prominent family, she certainly knew how to command the situation.
She understood better than anyone what needed to be done and knew that showing too much mercy could only lead to trouble.
If she became too lenient, it would only invite more difficulties for herself.
Upon learning of some casualties at Cecilia's location, John fell silent.
After all, the Resurrection Spells on his side could revive more people compared to the second and third fortresses, which could only resurrect one person at a time.
Since midnight yesterday, Abby had managed to resurrect all the intact bodies.
John asked Archibald to inquire if Abby could assist in reviving some individuals from the second and third fortresses as well.
Although Archibald knew of the breathtakingly beautiful healer within their fortress, he always felt nervous when speaking to her.
Just a slight lift of Abby's eyelids would make everyone instinctively soften their voices!
She seemed like an angel from heaven, a sprite from the realms of earth! Speaking too loudly might frighten her.
"Yes, but for double the payment," she said.
John sighed in relief upon receiving this response.
Although reviving others would require more energy stones, it was worth it if it meant giving these people a chance to live.
"No problem, I'll cover all costs as long as you can help with the revival."
Even Isabella, who was always composed, felt a slight relief upon hearing this news.
Being able to revive five at once—although there was a strict requirement that the bodies must have been deceased for no more than five hours—greatly boosted their morale and their drive to survive.
Cecilia, having learned of the situation, did not hesitate to agree.
Between an energy stone and a human life, she knew well what to choose.
"Alright, now that you've resolved things here, I'll head back. Let's keep in touch and communicate promptly if any issues arise."
Cecilia had just finished clearing the battlefield when she learned John had come to help, which made her chuckle.
"It seems my charm isn't enough, Miss Zhu is still prettier than me." Cecilia had merely joked, but John suddenly felt awkward.
His decision to come and help had been a spontaneous one!
But now, with Cecilia's remark, it seemed as if he had come over on purpose.
That felt a bit... like betraying one for another.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," John muttered to himself, shaking off the strange feeling inside.
He had simply chosen this side because he had more interactions with Isabella, making it a subconscious choice.
Besides, Cecilia and her brother would surely have better coordination, while Isabella was alone.
Yes, indeed, he was just helping where it was most needed.
"Alright, let's head back," John said as he mounted the Thorned Rock Serpent once more.
Despite being an offensive skill, he had effectively turned it into a mount...
And it was incredibly useful, serving both as an attack and a means of transport.
Isabella continued to clear the battlefield, her eyes narrowing as she watched John's departing figure.
John...
What kind of person is he, really?
He didn't seem as terrible as the rumors suggested.
...
With the lessons learned from the previous night, everyone was on high alert.
Nearly every three steps there was a guard, every five steps a lookout.
Everyone voluntarily took turns standing watch.
They simply couldn't afford another round of casualties.
They couldn't bear to see their comrades die right in front of them, without even a chance of resurrection.