Chapter 1657: Continuous Clearance

Translator:

Exodus Tales

Editor:

Exodus Tales

Chapter 1657 – Continuous Clearance

The sounds of battle had filled the dark canyon, but as Zero Wing’s members reached the top, the various powers, which were still engaged in combat, fell silent.

“That’s actually possible?”

For a moment, everyone was at a loss for words as they stared at Zero Wing’s members.

They had invested a ton of effort and made numerous sacrifices during their previous raids to locate the best route up the canyon, and they would still suffer before they reached the safe zone at its top.

Yet, Zero Wing had run for the top of the canyon without sparing their surroundings a glance. Not only had the Guild team succeeded, but they had only lost a few dozen players, which was practically negligible.

“Sure enough, Zero Wing is extraordinary,” Praying Lotus muttered, her eyelashes fluttering as she watched Shi Feng, the commander of Zero Wing’s team.

No other Guild would dare to be so bold.

The two Skills Cola’s group had used were particularly powerful. Although they were not Invulnerability Skills, the combined effect had nullified the threat from both the ghosts and the heavy crossbows.

“They only got through thanks to powerful Attributes and Skills,” Wild Ocean said, clicking his tongue. “The next floors will be even more difficult, and Basic Attributes will become less important. If they try to pull another stunt like that, they’ll get themselves killed.”

“Mhm.” Praying Lotus did not rebuke Wild Ocean’s words this time.

After all, what the Shield Warrior youth had said was true.

As players delved deeper into the Primordial Divine Ruin, the trials they faced would become more difficult. They would also encounter more and different traps. Rather than simply relying on raw power, players would have to rely on their technical abilities in the lower floors.

The brute force method Zero Wing had used was only viable on the first floor. It wouldn’t be possible to clear the following floors with the same method.

Correspondingly, though, players would have higher chances of encountering opportunities and treasure the further they explored. There was practically nothing noteworthy in the ruin’s first underground floor. One would be extremely lucky if they even came across a Bronze Treasure Chest. Although players could also find combat techniques on the first underground floor, the chances of that were extremely slim.

If one wanted better loot, they’d have to reach the Primordial Divine Ruin’s third underground floor. Only the third floor and down offered Level 50-plus top-tier equipment. At the same time, the chances of finding combat techniques and other treasures also increased.

Shi Feng didn’t hurry towards through the ruin after reaching the top of the canyon. Instead, he had everyone rest in the safe zone.

Players’ Stamina and Concentration consumption were far more severe in the Primordial Divine Ruin than outside of it. If they did not rest, they might fail trials that should be passable. Meanwhile, the only places in which players could rest in the Primordial Divine Ruin were the system-established safe zones. Traps and monsters were present everywhere else, and if they relaxed, even for a moment, in these locations, they’d swiftly lose their lives.

After Zero Wing’s members had rested for some time, the various superpowers’ teams began to arrive in the safe zone, one after another.

However, unlike Zero Wing, the various superpowers only had around 80% of the 1,500-plus members they had entered the ruin with. The rest of their players had to wait for the system to resurrect them, forming teams with other players to search for opportunities and treasure on the first floor.

After everyone rested, they proceeded towards the second underground floor.

The second floor contained a primal forest. Visibility here was even worse than in the first floor’s dark canyon. Even Tier 2 players could only see up to 80 yards away. As players transversed the forest, they were bombarded by all kinds of Spell attacks from out of nowhere from time to time. These Spells packed a punch, and even Tier 2 MTs only survived after three or four direct hits. Tier 1 MTs were lucky to survive even two hits.

If players wished to reach the next safe zone alive, they would have to rely on their individual reaction speed and decision-making. They’d have to dodge or block an attack instantly when targeted. Only by doing so would the healers have a chance of healing them. All the heals in the world wouldn’t save them if a Spell struck them directly.

The ruin’s second floor was also much larger than the first, a testament to the Primordial Divine Ruin’s unique nature. As teams progressed, they’d encounter larger maps, forcing players to travel greater distances and face more danger.

Shi Feng didn’t have any special strategy to get through the second floor’s trial. He could only send in the Magic Light Team and Conqueror Parties to tank as many hits as possible, limiting the number of casualties the team suffered. Overall, Zero Wing didn’t fare nearly as well as the various superpowers.

Upon reaching the third underground floor, the increased difficulty was particularly evident.

The necessary method to clear the third floor wasn’t like the first two. The various attacks and traps players had to face had also changed. Now, players had to collect a sufficient number of Teleportation Stones to proceed to the fourth floor. Each Teleportation Stone could only transport 100 players, and only the third floor’s Grand Lord ranked monsters would drop them.

One could just imagine how difficult it would be to kill a Grand Lord ranked Boss in such a dangerous environment.

It’s no wonder why only the various superpowers have only gotten through the third floor thus far, leaving the first-rate Guilds’ alliance behind.

As Shi Feng stood at the third floor’s starting point and observed the barren wasteland before him, he could not help but frown.

Thunderclouds covered the sky above the plain as far as he could see. Lightning frequently descended, decorating the ground with scorch marks.

Not only did the lightning strikes contain a lot of power, but they were also extremely fast, significantly faster than normal Spell attacks.

When facing a normal Spell attack, expert players could dodge or block as long as the Spell was cast from a certain distance, but the lightning strikes from above were incredibly fast. This trial’s difficulty increase was tremendous. Furthermore, players had to kill Level 55 Grand Lords.

However, the various superpowers’ teams, which had just arrived, reacted as if they didn’t see the lightning bombarding the plain. They quickly split into two groups, leaving one behind in the safe zone while the other boldly strode into the barren wasteland in search of Grand Lord ranked Thunder Beasts and Thunder Elementals.

Lightning continued to descend from the sky, but the superpowers’ members swiftly maneuvered around the strikes. Aside from a few unlucky players, who had been targeted by multiple lightning strikes, most were able to dodge the natural attacks. Even if they failed to dodge in time, their team’s healers would quickly restore their lost HP.

In contrast, the first-rate Guilds and adventurer teams were unsure of how to continue.

If they only had to dodge the lightning strikes, most of their members would be successful, but with the addition of monsters, chaos would ensue. They’d either fall to the lightning, or the monsters would slaughter them.

“So what if they got a lot of players this far? They still won’t clear the third floor.” Wild Ocean could not help but flash Zero Wing’s team, which still occupied the starting point, a ridiculing smirk.

Player’s Basic Attributes were no longer the key to clearing the trial once they reached the third underground floor. Here, individual combat standards held greater importance. If a team couldn’t defeat the Grand Lord ranked Bosses while being showered by lightning strikes, it would venture no further in the Primordial Divine Ruin.

“Guild Leader, the lightning strikes’ attack rate and numbers are too high. I’m afraid that no more than 50 of our members will be able to fight while dodging the strikes. Should we grind the Bosses for Teleportation Stones with just a 50-man team? Although it will slow us down, we shouldn’t have a problem collecting the necessary Teleportation Stones,” Aqua Rose suggested.

If any other Guild, excluding the superpowers, encountered such a situation, they’d likely be stuck here. Even Zero Wing only had a few experts who could fight in this lightning zone. Not even the Conqueror’s Armor’s battle arrays would be very effective. Meanwhile, trying to raid Grand Lords with so few experts was impossible. This was also why the various first-rate Guilds, which had reached the ruin’s third underground floor previously, had never cleared it.

However, Zero Wing was different. Its team had over ten Tier 2 players and shouldn’t have a problem forming a 50-man raid team that could dodge the lightning while fighting the Bosses. Unfortunately, raiding Level 55 Grand Lords with only 50 members would take a lot of time, more time than the various superpowers’ raid teams, which had around 300 members each.

“No need; we’ll all go together!” Shi Feng said, smiling as he shook his head.

“Everyone?” For a moment, Aqua Rose thought she had misheard Shi Feng.

“Relax. If this were any other trap, we might not have a way to deal with it, but if we only have to deal with lightning, we won’t have to worry,” Shi Feng said. He then took a thick, ancient tome from his bag.

This item was none other than the Ancient Weather Book!