Chapter 1 The Entrance

The group passed through the narrow path between the swamps, heading south. The surrounding environment became dark, and since it was dusk, there weren't many players around, making the road seem a bit deserted.

A few minutes later, Nie Yan and the others entered the entrance of a swamp. Next to the road were two towering watchtowers, with two NPC hunters holding bows and arrows guarding the area.

"The area ahead is where the Manticore roam. No entry. You should go back," an NPC hunter stopped Nie Yan and said.

"We are adventurers heading to Ogmarta, seeking the Manticore King's eyes to heal Village Chief Monda," Nie Yan said, following the quest dialogue.

"I see. Respected heroes, Manticores are dangerous creatures. Please bring paralysis removal potions with you. We wish you good luck," the two hunters stepped aside and said.

Nie Yan stepped into the dungeon.

The temperature dropped sharply. A cold air permeated with the smell of blood and decay filled the air. Scattered animal bones could be seen everywhere.

The grayish, endless swamp reeked of decaying corpses.

A Manticore nest appeared in the distance. Manticores were social creatures. They often gathered in groups of ten or even dozens to hunt and raise their young. A Manticore nest usually had only one leader-level male Manticore, with the rest being ordinary female Manticores. These creatures were covered in brown fur, had sharp claws and fangs similar to lions, and a scorpion's barbed tail filled with venom. If hit by a Manticore's tail, one would lose a certain amount of health per second and have a chance of being paralyzed. Without a paralysis removal potion, the Manticores could paralyze you to death.

Generally, as long as the shield armor in the team paid attention to using paralysis removal potions, there wouldn't be any problems.

"How many Manticores are over there?"

"I scouted, there are about fifteen or sixteen," Nie Yan said. He wandered ahead of the team, responsible for scouting.

"Fifteen or sixteen? Good heavens!"

"On easy and normal difficulty, we only encountered five or six together at most."

The team members looked at each other. The Manticores had a lot of health, especially the leader-level Manticores. In the past, when they encountered five or six Manticores at once, they were often in danger and could be wiped out if they weren't careful.

And the Manticore nest ahead had a full fifteen or sixteen! Even with a 10% stat boost, they couldn't handle that many Manticores at once.

Nie Yan used Super Identification to check the stats of the Manticore leader and the ordinary Manticores.

Male Manticore Leader: Level 3 Leader, Health 1830/1830.

Female Manticore: Level 3, Health 620/620.

Since it was an expert-level dungeon, even ordinary monsters had significantly increased health and defense. If fifteen or sixteen Manticores charged at them together, they would definitely be wiped out.

"The Manticores seem to move together. Do you have any good ideas?" Ban Xing de Hu Li looked at Nie Yan. He admitted that Nie Yan's triple-shot crossbow technique was indeed skillful, but that trick didn't seem to work on these Manticores.

The Manticores' sensitivity was definitely not comparable to the Treants.

"If it were up to you, how would you deal with these Manticores?" Nie Yan asked, looking at Ban Xing de Hu Li.

Ban Xing de Hu Li frowned. He didn't want to show weakness in front of Nie Yan. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I do have a way."

Ban Xing de Hu Li had a way to deal with so many collectively acting Manticores? He had underestimated him a bit earlier.

"Oh? What method will you use to clear them out? You can lead first, and you can ask me to do anything," Nie Yan said, stepping aside. He needed to establish his authority in this team, otherwise, if someone in the team didn't respect him, it would be difficult to command, let alone face the Manticore King.

If Ban Xing de Hu Li had no idea how to clear the Manticore nest, Nie Yan would take action and speak with facts. Then the people in the team would naturally be convinced. Since Ban Xing de Hu Li had a way to clear the Manticore nest, Nie Yan was happy to relax.

"Okay." Ban Xing de Hu Li thought for a moment and began to mobilize the players, arranging formations. After all, there were fifteen or sixteen Manticores, and he was a little nervous. He looked at Nie Yan and said, "My men are no match for you. Please lure the Manticores over here."

Nie Yan looked at the formation that Ban Xing de Hu Li had set up, using nearby rocks and growing bushes as obstacles, allowing the melee to hold positions, the mages to occupy high ground, the priests to hide in relatively safe positions, and the paladins to provide support at any time.

Ban Xing de Hu Li was indeed skilled at arranging formations, capable of maximizing the team's damage output.

"Are you sure you can handle it?" Nie Yan asked worriedly. If they faced the enemy head-on, they would only be wiped out, unless Ban Xing de Hu Li had some kind of reliance to dare to deal with so many Manticores at once. He also wanted to see, after all, it was the elite team of the Holy Roman Empire, how could they not have some special means?

Ban Xing de Hu Li nodded seriously.

"Okay, then I'll go lure the monsters," Nie Yan responded, running towards the Manticores, holding his crossbow, and finding a suitable attack spot. He fired several arrows in quick succession. Two arrows hit the bushes far away, and the last arrow hit the closest female Manticore.

Three Manticores were the first to notice Nie Yan, and pounced towards him. The other Manticores were distracted by Nie Yan's previous two arrows. When they realized they had been tricked, they followed as well.

The three Manticores in front and the large group of Manticores behind were separated by a large distance. This was the best Nie Yan could do.

"Not bad." Ban Xing de Hu Li didn't hesitate to praise Nie Yan. Nie Yan moved quickly, reacted sensitively, and some of his special techniques were even more miraculous.

He secretly calculated whether he could recruit Nie Yan to become his subordinate by extending an olive branch. At that time, he would give Nie Yan a position in the Holy Roman Empire. But at the same time, after contacting Nie Yan, he also vaguely felt that Nie Yan didn't seem like the kind of person who would be willing to depend on others.

Nie Yan ran back, with three Manticores closely following behind, pouncing on him.