Chapter 1 The Scorpion Lions

The group traversed the narrow paths between the swamps, heading south. The surrounding environment grew darker. It was evening, and not many players were around, making the road seem a bit desolate.

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

"The area ahead is where scorpion lions are active. No passage allowed. You should go back quickly," an NPC hunter stopped Nie Yan and said.

"We are adventurers heading to Oghma, searching for the Scorpion Lion King's eye to heal Village Chief Monda's injuries," Nie Yan said, following the quest dialogue.

"So that's the case, esteemed warriors. Scorpion lions are dangerous creatures. Please bring potions to dispel paralysis. We wish you good luck on your journey," 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. Animal bones were scattered everywhere.

The gray, endless swamp reeked of rotting corpses.

A scorpion lion nest appeared in Nie Yan and the others' vision. Scorpion lions were social creatures. They often gathered in groups of ten or even dozens to hunt and raise their young. A scorpion lion nest usually had only one leader-level male scorpion lion, with the rest being ordinary female scorpion lions. These creatures were covered in brown fur and had sharp claws and teeth, much like lions. Their tails had scorpion stingers filled with venom. If struck by a scorpion lion's tail, you would lose a certain amount of health per second, with a chance of being paralyzed. Without anti-paralysis potions, a scorpion lion could paralyze you to death.

Generally, as long as the shieldbearers in the team paid attention to using anti-paralysis potions, there wouldn't be any problems.

"How many scorpion lions are over there?"

"I scouted it out. There are about fifteen or sixteen," Nie Yan said, wandering ahead of the group to scout.

"Fifteen or sixteen, heavens above."

"On simple and normal difficulties, we only encountered five or six at most."

The team members looked at each other. Scorpion lions had a lot of health, especially the leader-level ones. In the past, they had been surrounded by five or six scorpion lions and were often in dangerous situations, sometimes being wiped out by accident.

And the scorpion lion nest ahead had a full fifteen or sixteen! Even if their stats were increased by 10%, they couldn't handle so many scorpion lions at once.

Nie Yan used Super Appraisal to check the stats of the scorpion lion leader and the ordinary scorpion lions.

Male Scorpion Lion Leader: Tier 3 Leader, Health 1830/1830.

Female Scorpion Lion: Tier 3, Health 620/620.

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

"The scorpion lions seem to move together. Do you have a good plan?" Half Awake Fox looked at Nie Yan and said. He admitted that Nie Yan's triple-shot crossbow technique was quite skilled, but it probably wouldn't work against these scorpion lions.

The scorpion lions' sensitivity was definitely not comparable to that of treants.

"If it were up to you, how would you deal with these scorpion lions?" Nie Yan asked Half Awake Fox.

Half Awake Fox frowned. Not wanting to appear weak in front of Nie Yan, he thought for a moment and said, "I do have a way."

Half Awake Fox had a way to deal with so many scorpion lions acting together? He had underestimated him a little.

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

If Half Awake Fox had no idea how to clear the scorpion lion nest, Nie Yan would step in and speak with facts. Then the people in the team would naturally be convinced. Since Half Awake Fox had a way to clear the scorpion lion nest, Nie Yan was happy to take it easy.

"Alright." Half Awake Fox pondered for a moment and began to mobilize the players, arranging the formation. After all, there were fifteen or sixteen scorpion lions. He was also a little apprehensive. He looked at Nie Yan and said, "My men are no match for you. Please lure the scorpion lions over."

Nie Yan looked at the formation Half Awake Fox had arranged, using the nearby rocks and growing bushes as obstacles, with the melee classes holding their positions, the mages occupying high ground, the priests relatively hidden, standing in several safe positions, and the paladins ready to provide support at any time.

Half Awake Fox was indeed skilled at arranging formations, enabling the team to maximize their damage output.

"Are you sure you can handle it?" Nie Yan asked worriedly. If they faced them head-on, they would only be wiped out, unless Half Awake Fox had some trump card that allowed him to deal with so many scorpion lions at once. He wanted to see it too. After all, this was an elite team from the Holy Roman Empire, how could they not have some special methods?

Half Awake Fox nodded seriously.

"Alright, then I'll go lure them," Nie Yan responded, rushing towards the scorpion lions, holding his crossbow, and finding a suitable attack point. He shot out several arrows. Two arrows hit the bushes in the far distance, and the last arrow hit the closest female scorpion lion.

Three scorpion lions were the first to notice Nie Yan and pounced towards him. The other scorpion lions had their attention drawn by Nie Yan's previous two arrows and, realizing they had been tricked, also followed.

The three scorpion lions in front were a long way from the large group of scorpion lions behind. This was the best Nie Yan could do.

"Not bad." Half Awake Fox didn't hesitate to praise Nie Yan. Nie Yan had fast movement speed and sharp reflexes. His special techniques were even more miraculous.

He secretly calculated whether he could extend an olive branch and bring Nie Yan under his command, giving him a position in the Holy Roman Empire. But at the same time, after interacting with Nie Yan, he also vaguely felt that Nie Yan didn't seem like the kind of person who would be willing to live under someone else's roof.

Nie Yan ran back, with three scorpion lions close behind, lunging at him.