Diablo Destruction

…

Due to the geographical environment, there are patches of black swamps in a forest in the northeast of Kurast, so it was named Huge Wetland by the Kurast people.

To strangers, the huge wetland is like a deserted place of death. It has swallowed up the lives of countless travelers. Under the swamp, there are graves filled with bones.

But for those who are familiar with the swamp terrain, it is a paradise, especially the hunters of Kurast, who like to use the swamp terrain to hunt here. If adventurers are familiar with it, they can also use the terrain to deal with monsters.

Therefore, there is no absolute in everything, but a double-edged sword, it just depends on whether you can use it.

We didn’t plan to spend time getting familiar with the swamp terrain, so everyone happily agreed with the little ghost’s suggestion of a detour. Before the rainy day came, a group of six people hurried on and spent more than four days. When they saw magic on the intersection When the four big characters on the sign were "Skinned Forest", we knew that we had finally reached our destination.

The terrain of Kurast Forest is different from what we have walked in the past. For example, in Lugaoyin, we have to pass through the gravel wilderness before reaching the next area of ​​dry highland. Starting from the Spider Forest, we can either follow the gradual Spider Forest -The route from the Huge Wetland to the Peeling Forest to the lower level of ancient Kurast can also go directly from the Spider Forest to the Peeling Forest.

But if you want to reach the lower level of Ancient Gulast, you must go through the Spider Forest route. There may be other paths to take, but the Alliance has not discovered it yet and is too lazy to expend manpower and material resources to explore. This behavior is like knowing that it is open to the public. You can pee with a chain, but you have to take off your entire pants to show that you are an extraordinary person walking an extraordinary path.

"These dwarfs seem to be stronger."

Two hours after entering the Skinning Forest, we encountered five small groups of dwarves (about fifty in number) led by a boss-level dwarf mage and an ordinary dwarf mage, and eliminated them without any risk. Later, Vilas said with a slight frown.

These dwarfs are stronger than the dwarfs in the Spider Forest in terms of speed and life. The five little mages who were already familiar with the strength of the dwarfs in the Spider Forest calculated the best attack combination to deal with them. , a bit too busy, and were approached by the dwarves several times. Fortunately, the little ghost's exorcism was launched in time, allowing them to eliminate these monsters without any harm.

"Of course. The dwarf in the Skinned Forest is an advanced monster of the dwarf in the Spider Forest. It's called the Skinned One. It should be stronger."

Sitting on Xiao Jia's back, I walked up from behind, responded with a smile, and looked at her like a princess.

"Calculating the most appropriate and economical means of attack is indeed an essential quality for a good adventurer team. However, you are still a little inexperienced in responding to emergencies, so you cannot be like other teams and be too calculating. , I would rather spend more energy, but also have room for improvement. Not to mention that the same kind of monsters will advance, even monsters at the same stage have slightly different health and attack power."

"..."

Ah, she turned her head away. The little princess turned her head away as if nothing had happened. It was rare for my master to teach me kindly, but she didn't appreciate it. Is there really such an arrogant maid in this world?

Seeing Princess Sanwu, with her big and bright bright yellow eyes open, she suddenly turned her head to the side, completely ignoring my sight, I immediately gritted my teeth in anger, and countless ways of revenge flashed through my mind. .

Since it is called the Skinning Forest, even if I think with my toes, I know that the most monsters in this area are probably the Skinners. Even with such mental preparation, after hanging around here for a few days, I was still... Shocked and stunned.

Now we are still in the outer layer of the Skinning Forest. Before we go deep, we have already encountered many dwarves (because Skinners are the advanced level of dwarves, adventurers are also called dwarves uniformly). Those who go out to hunt The largest number of dwarfs we encountered in the Spider Forest was no more than two hundred.

But yesterday, we saw with our own eyes a group of thousands of dwarfs, densely packed and swarming, just like the overwhelming, stacked layers of ants, sweeping across from a distance with an astonishing momentum.

There are so many people in just one hunting team. It’s hard to believe how big the tribe that houses these dwarves is. I’m afraid there should be five or six thousand, or even tens of thousands. And if the leader of this tribe is a dwarf wizard, If so, the mini-boss level will definitely not be able to run away, and if it is a dwarf, it is not surprising that it is a demon king level.

I finally understand why when they first supported the elves, those dark wanderers were able to easily organize millions of dwarves. Most of them were probably gathered from this skinning forest.

We are only a few years away from supporting the elves in action, but the number of these dwarves is now growing like an ocean. If I still had that dwarf token, I would probably be able to walk around the Skinning Forest with it. , it would not be surprising to gather millions more.

It’s really a terrifying fecundity and vitality. For the first time, I understand so deeply why some people say that no matter how advanced the technology is, cockroaches and mice cannot be eradicated.

With the strength of the five Vilas, it is not a big problem to deal with dwarfs numbering less than two hundred. Especially after getting familiar with the strength of these dwarfs, they can almost do no damage within a hundred. If you encounter more than 300 of them at one time, your life will be in danger.

Fortunately, large groups of dwarf hunting teams are extremely powerful and can be seen and avoided from a distance. These large numbers of dwarfs usually target other hunting teams of dwarfs or even smaller ones. Dwarf tribe.

Although there are other monster animals in the Skinning Forest that can be preyed on, the dwarves, as the largest force in the Skinning Forest, have also become the largest source of food. For dwarves who are not picky eaters, there is no pressure at all to prey on the same kind. Even when there is a shortage of food due to too fast reproduction and excessive numbers, dwarfs in the same tribe will kill each other and eat their own brothers and sisters in order to reduce the number and maximize living space.

Moreover, only through such continuous tribal killings, these dwarfs will gradually advance from ordinary dwarfs to bosses, elites, mini-bosses, and even demon kings. The leaders of each tribe have gone through many cruel tribes. Excellent warriors who emerged from the internal competition for survival.

Along the way, we carefully avoided the larger dwarf hunting teams and tribes, and only selected some small teams, or attacked when two dwarf hunting teams were fighting each other, which felt a bit like a guerrilla attack.

This different fighting method made the five girls gradually become more flexible in their thinking. Methods such as tracking, hiding, getting rid of, and setting up ambushes were used more and more often.

Especially the little ghost. This little saint originally likes to beat sap and bricks in the background. She is even more comfortable with this kind of tactics. Once, she encountered a group of dwarfs (more than two hundred in number, five in number). (less than 100), it was this daring little saint who actually used her flying ability to deceive two dwarf hunting teams that were supposed to pass by each other. Finally, they met each other and started fighting, and then they were hidden aside. Vilas and the others used magic to blast them and made delicious dumplings.

So I have always felt that it would be more appropriate for the little ghost to become a witch.

Because of the strength of the dwarves, there are fewer other monsters in the Skinned Forest, but it is not without them. For example, there are swamp dwellers who can live underwater. They look like a fiery red strange fish with four limbs, somewhat like a fishman but Not exactly, but what is certain is that they look the same as fish-men... no, even more disgusting.

These swamp dwellers are obviously aquatic monsters, but they can use fire magic and can breathe fire bombs from their mouths. Their attacks include poison damage, which is also a big trouble. The most helpless thing is that if they feel that the enemy is invincible, they will rush to the front. They jumped back into the water, and the adventurers were extremely helpless about this. It was impossible to jump in with them. Adventurers had no advantage in the water, and there might be piranhas underwater.

When I mentioned this, I couldn't help but feel proud. I excitedly told Vilas and the others about my great achievements in the past. When I first practiced in Kurast, under the leadership of Feini, I was disgusted by these swamp residents. Once, in a fit of rage, he immediately caught one with a fishing rod amidst Fini's impossible cries, and whipped it to death a hundred times.

This is wisdom. If you don’t try, how will you know that you can’t do it? Taking the opportunity, I explained this truth to Vilas and the others over and over again.

There is also a kind of monster that is not affected by dwarfs, called winged nightmares. As the name suggests, they have wings and can fly in the sky. Naturally, they are not afraid of dwarfs, and they often even feed on lone dwarfs.

These winged nightmares are actually those damn advanced monsters of scavengers in the Lugaoin Desert, which are not much different from vultures. They just change their gray image. The whole body of feathers, including the bare neck, are all They are so green that they hide in groups in the trees, making them hard to detect.

These winged nightmares have a high IQ and are even more hated than vultures. After discovering adventurers, they know how powerful they are and generally do not attack them personally. Instead, they wander in the air, croaking and screaming to attract the dwarf hunting team, and then take advantage of them. When fighting the dwarf and the adventurer, he flapped his wings and swooped down, grabbed a lone dwarf and left.

Fortunately, Vilas and the others are all mages, and they can be accurate at long range. These winged nightmares had just taken off, and before they had time to scream, they were all shot down by a fire bomb and ice arrow, and then melted in Linya's mixed ice flame explosion. For ashes.

What makes me most dissatisfied is that these winged nightmares are like vultures. They have bald heads, necks, and pockets. They are very naked and don't have any clothes. With the current explosion rate of Vilas and the others, they can kill more than ten winged nightmares. , I just couldn't get a single gold coin from them.

I just don’t know what the three guys from Lal’s team should do when they encounter these winged nightmares. Thinking of this, I laughed unsympathetically.

A paladin and two barbarians, both of whom are not good at long-range attacks. No wonder when I chatted with them a while ago, I kept hearing them clamoring to sign a few long-range attack mercenaries. I guess they were often attracted by these. Winged Nightmare was depressed.

The number of dwarfs is so huge that along the way, we encounter one group almost every hour. Sometimes, even before we finish fighting with one group of dwarves, another group comes one after another.

Fortunately, these dwarfs also have a predatory relationship with each other, so the team of dwarfs that suddenly appeared treated Vilas and the others on the field equally with the team of dwarves. To put it simply, they wanted to kill each other, and the battle between the two sides suddenly turned into a three-way melee.

Since the first time they encountered this kind of emergency situation, and they were in a state of embarrassment due to lack of adaptability, the five girls have started to care about it. They encountered it many times later, and they gradually became able to deal with it skillfully. The simplest The best way is to withdraw from the battlefield and let the two teams of dwarves fight to the death, while you can take advantage of it, which is even easier.

Thanks to the sacrifices of batches of dwarves, the experience of the five people also increased rapidly, almost twice as much as in the Spider Forest. In the ten days of the Skinning Forest, each of them rose by more than one level. Less than a quarter of the experience left to advance to the next level.

Of course, the biggest gain is the increase in their combat experience and skills. As a bystander, I can feel this change the most, and I am very happy in my heart.

The bonfire was crackling and dancing at night, and the six people sat around the fire, smelling the fragrance wafting from the pot on the bonfire, swallowing their saliva, and discussing absentmindedly.

After a day of fierce fighting, everyone is hungry and physically exhausted. Fighting is the most physically demanding job, especially melee combat. Even adventurers must replenish themselves by eating a lot and sleeping. This is why he is known as the king of melee combat. The savages eat and drink and sleep to death.

After everyone had eaten and drank enough, everyone rubbed their eyes and discussed tomorrow's itinerary. Willas took out a large sheepskin map.

The map above is very simple. It roughly marks the topographic location from the seaport of Kurast to Trefank (the city center of ancient Kurast). There are also some rivers, roads, and signs of special places. You can buy them at the Mages Guild. , two hundred gold coins each is not too expensive for adventurers.

I bought this map when I first came to Kurast, but I never took it out to look at it at that time. After experiencing Lu Gaoyin’s Temple of Death, I already deeply understood the fact that the map This kind of terrain is simply a hindrance to me who is always trying to get lost and find adventure.

Therefore, during the time when Princess Sanwu followed me, I was very concerned about her memory. It should be noted that getting lost is one of the five events with the highest incidence of adventures along with cliffs, valleys, caves, and the bottom of lakes. How could I let this happen? What about the little princess who ruined her own fortune?

Fortunately, this little one seemed to be aware of my resentment. She never said anything along the way and allowed me to take the initiative to get lost. She never left me and served her attentively. On this point, I have to praise her for being a qualified maid.

But now it’s the experience of the five of them, so it’s not up to me to make the decision.

"Why don't we go see the skinning cellar."

The little ghost pointed to the Skinning Forest area on the map, a big red dot not too far away from where we are now, and said that the desire for adventure is like the rolling Yangtze River out of control.

To put it bluntly, the locations marked with red dots on the map are dangerous areas that non-elite adventurers dare not challenge. For example, Cui Fanke's parliament hall is marked with a red dot the size of a silver coin.

"this……"

Willas, who had adopted a casual and calm attitude along the way, smiled troubledly at the little ghost's suggestion for the first time. It was probably because she heard the rumor that the walls of the skinning cellar were made of human skin.

Veras is not afraid of spiders, mice or cockroaches, and can face any type of monster, but that doesn't mean she can accept the experience in a ghost place covered with human skin.

"Is little Vilas afraid of the human skin there?"

The little ghost is worthy of being the saint who claims to have a piercing eye. She can see through Vilas's mind at a glance. Sarah and Linya on the side also have uneasy expressions on their delicate and beautiful faces. As long as they are normal people, I believe that they will not You wouldn't be interested in a place like the Skinning Cellar.

Although Princess Sanwu is still expressionless and has nothing to do with her, I can clearly sense that the research enthusiasm in her heart is about to start.

"It's precisely because it's covered in human skin that we go there."

Suddenly, the little ghost stood up and waved his little hand forward with an awe-inspiring attitude. He looked like a heroine, and his face was filled with the aura of righteousness and determination to never return.

Come on, help me, the little ghost is possessed by an evil spirit... no, a good spirit! !

"Why...why do you have to go for this reason?"

Vilas, who was momentarily stunned by the little ghost's aura, asked hesitantly.

"With so many human skins attached there, there must be many resentful spirits that cannot be liberated. Don't you think that as a saint, I have an obligation to purify them and free their souls?"

Liar! !

For a moment, the five of us complained in our hearts at the same time.

"However, the rumor that the walls of the skinning cellar are covered with human skin is not true." Seeing Vilas and the others hesitating, I couldn't help but explain with a smile.

"Eh-eh——"

They all showed surprised expressions.

"It's true that skinners like to peel skins, but it doesn't necessarily have to be human skin, and it doesn't mean that they will stick the skins on the wall. The reason why it is called the skinning cellar is because there are a large number of skinners staying there, and there are stickers on it. The rumor of being covered in human skin is actually used to scare children, haha~~~"

"grown ups!!"

"Big brother!!"

"Brother Wu!!"

In an instant, the air above the camp was filled with the shameful and angry screams of the three girls.

This is one of the Seven Horrors of Kurast that Lal and I carefully prepared for them, and we specially chose to say it at night when the lights were dim. At that time, it scared Willas, Sara and Linya. They didn't dare to sleep, although they claimed that it was because they were so excited about chatting that they chatted all night in the brightly lit hall...