Chapter 17 The Spider People

Nie Yan searched the official website for some keywords, such as Bennett and Queen Phynnas.

There was a description of Queen Phynnas. She was the ruler of an ancient tribe that worshipped spiders and often lived underground. They were neutral evil creatures and frequently attacked other races. Humans, dark elves, and fallen humans were all considered food. They were a race of cannibals with sharp mandibles. Outsiders called them the Spider People.

This was a small piece of background information that Nie Yan only glanced at.

One after another, kobold guards fell to the ground, their corpses lining the path.

The entire team moved with a smooth, steady rhythm, advancing step by step.

Soon, after more than twenty minutes, only the last kobold guard remained. This one was blood-red, unlike the others, whose skin was more bluish.

"This kobold guard is different from the others. It might be a quest monster!" Brilliant Knife Light said from the side, landing a shield bash on the kobold guard with his heavy shield.

Intimidating Roar!

Brilliant Knife Light roared, drawing the kobold guard's aggro.

The mages in the back unleashed their spells, one after another, while Nie Yan circled behind the kobold guard, Zennarde's Sword flashing as it dealt over five hundred damage with each strike.

Magic exploded on the kobold guard's body, sending sparks flying.

Brilliant Knife Light slowly pulled the kobold guard to a large clearing nearby. The team members spread out. There were seven Warriors, one Paladin, three Thieves, six Mages, and two Priests, nineteen players in total. The team composition was a bit Warrior-heavy, but it was still reasonable. Having more Warriors meant a stronger frontline.

The kobold guard charged around, trying to break through the encirclement, but the Warriors held their positions perfectly, not giving it any openings.

Under the sustained assault, the kobold guard's health gradually approached the 20% threshold. The kobold guard roared, its body swelling and turning a vivid, eerie red.

The kobold guard swung its spear, unleashing a shockwave that stunned Brilliant Knife Light and the others, knocking them back.

As the kobold guard cast Shockwave, Nie Yan activated Gale Step, dodging the attack.

The kobold guard knocked Brilliant Knife Light and Water Color Smokescreen away, then charged towards the mages, spear raised.

Nie Yan suddenly appeared in front of the kobold guard, tossing Flashbang Dust. A blinding light erupted. The kobold guard shrieked in agony, its small eyes already weak, now completely blinded. It stumbled around like a headless fly.

Nie Yan's timing was perfect. If he hadn't reacted in time, the kobold guard might have started hunting down the mages.

"This elite is savage!" everyone thought, impressed. It was much harder to deal with than the previous elite kobold guards. The mages quickly scattered.

The kobold guard recovered from its blindness, only for another Flashbang Dust to explode in its face. The kobold guard was blinded again. Two Flashbang Dusts were effective, but a third might not do much.

The mages unleashed a barrage of spells, especially Tang Yao, whose magic attacks never stopped. They didn't care about aggro and focused on dealing as much damage as possible.

Brilliant Knife Light and the others recovered from the stun and converged on the kobold guard, blocking its path.

The kobold guard's health continued to plummet.

"It's almost dead! Everyone, hurry!" Nie Yan shouted in the team chat.

The team members increased their damage output. Tang Yao's final spell exploded on the kobold guard, who screamed shrilly. Its entire body turned red, and its head swelled like a balloon.

"Everyone, get back!" Nie Yan had a bad feeling.

Nie Yan, Brilliant Knife Light, and the others immediately scattered, running away.

The kobold guard's body swelled larger and larger until it reached a critical point. It exploded with a bang, sending blood and gore flying everywhere. A storm of blood swept through the group, instantly killing five Warriors, including Brilliant Knife Light and Water Color Smokescreen.

Even the mages far away felt a powerful shockwave.

At the center of the kobold guard's remains, a strange, alluring figure appeared. Naked, with sharp, hairy spider-like hands and hooked barbs on either side of its cheeks, it had been living inside the kobold guard's body.

Aside from these odd features, it was otherwise like a normal person. Seeing Nie Yan, who was closest and untouched by the kobold guard's explosion, it lunged.

Its hands were its deadliest weapons.

This was one of the legendary Spider People.

It moved with incredible speed, reaching Nie Yan in the blink of an eye.

Seeing the Spider Person leap at him, Nie Yan used Shadow Dance and vanished.

*Bang, bang, bang.* The mages' spells exploded on the Spider Person.

Spider Person Phynni: Level 50 Elite, Health 2200/2200.

Its health was low, only 2200, but its attack was unknown. It turned to target someone else, and Cold Arrogant Shadow grunted, rushing forward with Shield Bash, knocking it back.

It landed gracefully and quickly lunged at one of the mages.

Its sharp claws pierced through the mage, instantly draining over nine hundred health, killing him.

Before it could pause, Nie Yan tossed Flashbang Dust, causing its movements to falter. The blinding light disoriented it.

Nie Yan's dagger appeared at its throat, executing a Throat Cut. Blood spurted as a critical hit of over five hundred damage floated up, followed by a series of fire and bleed damage numbers.

After Throat Cut, Nie Yan followed up with a Backstab and Eviscerate. Tang Yao and the others bombarded it with spells, instantly depleting most of its health.

It turned to attack Nie Yan, who dodged its attack with Shadow Waltz, then used Vanish to disappear.

Damage numbers floated up from Spider Person Phynni's head as it roared and tried to find Nie Yan, locking onto his location and lunging.

It found him! Nie Yan ran, knowing that every meter he put between them meant more time for his teammates to deal damage and for the bleed and fire damage to continue ticking.

The Spider Person's health continued to drop.

It began to chase Nie Yan, quickly gaining ground. Its sharp claws reached out to stab him in the back.

The Spider Person's health was less than five hundred. Seeing the claws coming, Nie Yan rolled to the side, dodging the attack. "Vital Strike!"

Nie Yan's dagger slashed across the Spider Person's throat as he passed, a swift and decisive movement.

The Spider Person's speed and attack were much higher than Nie Yan's, but he was still able to dodge its attacks with his reactions and counterattack, something unimaginable for ordinary players.

Nie Yan's Vital Strike dealt over three hundred damage.

Because of Zennarde's Sword's ignore-level effect, his attack damage was still high even against a level 50 monster, much higher than the level 40 teammates.

*Bang, bang, bang.* Five or six spells exploded on the Spider Person, and it finally collapsed.

"Huff, that was tough," Nie Yan sighed in relief.

Seeing the Spider Person fall, Tang Yao and the others finally relaxed.

They had been terrified watching the Spider Person chase Nie Yan, unable to help. Several times they thought he would die, but he had miraculously survived and dealt so much damage.

Boss Seven and Drunk Maple approached.

Nie Yan glanced at the corpses and said, "Revive them."

They needed to revive the team members to continue.

"It was so hard to kill this Spider Person. Let's see what it dropped," Tang Yao said. Since it was so difficult to deal with, the equipment should be good. There might also be a quest item.

Nie Yan looked at the Spider Person's corpse. Several pieces of equipment had dropped. He bent down and picked them up.

There were three items in total. One was an accessory for arcane mages, and another was a necklace.

It was a peculiar necklace made of gray metal, adorned with three sharp teeth. It looked rather simple and unique.

Nie Yan examined the necklace's stats.

Deceiver's Necklace (Dark Gold): Special Item, Requires 50 Focus, 30 Stealth.

Item Properties: This item has two states: Lawful Good and Lawful Evil. When switching to Lawful Good, the player is displayed as Lawful Good. When switching to Lawful Evil, the player is displayed as Lawful Evil. All stats are reduced by 30% when using this item. Duration: 3 hours. Skill Cooldown: 1 natural day. (This skill can be identified by certain skills.)

Usable by: None.

Nie Yan's brow furrowed. A good item. He knew its value.