Chapter 203: Accelerated Progress
The performance of Team 4 exceeded everyone’s expectations, temporarily ranking second. After watching a few battles led by Chen Ran, the creative fighting style was the most enjoyable to watch. Cheryl’s super firepower seemed to be no less than the two students in Team 2. But because the environment they were in was not as favorable as Team 2’s, the limited number of Netherworld creatures affected their efficiency. Otherwise, they would very likely catch up to the throne of first place.
As for the efficiency of Team 1, the numbers on the surface didn’t seem slow, but looking at the cooperation of the few people in the team, it always felt a little strange, lacking the passion that a team of kings should have. In fact, the few people in Team 1 only cooperated briefly when dealing with the Sky Eye, and then they went back to hunting alone.
As for the other teams, their efficiency was average, but that didn’t mean anything about the result. After all, this competition could also be won through other “means.”
The competition was in progress…
After Dongfang’s ability reached the sixth tier, the efficiency of Chen Ran’s team obviously improved a lot.
Usually, the main output method of their team was Cheryl, the seventh-tier fire mage. To cooperate with the team, she had become a specialized fixed firepower turret. With Chen Ran’s series of support statuses, she only needed to pour out her powerful firepower to the greatest extent. Her powerful magic output technique was much more familiar than in the first few days.
Dongfang could summon a seventh-tier magic attack phantom beast. The little girl specially summoned a seventh-tier creature called a Thunder Beast, which looked a bit like a lion and was covered in purple scales. The attack of the heavenly thunder was powerful. Combined with Cheryl’s powerful fire magic, no Netherworld creature could last long under such dense firepower.
The only thing that troubled Chen Ran was that although he tried his best to find spots where Netherworld creatures were dense, the number of monsters in the area they were in was really limited, which limited their performance. For a long time along the way, they had been looking for suitable monster-fighting locations. Now, they were only barely faster than the other teams.
Looking for areas dense with Netherworld creatures, Chen Ran and his group continued to move forward.
Unknowingly, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky, but the transparent light passed through their bodies and fell to the ground without any obstruction, so light that there was no sound.
The rain in the Netherworld was very different from other places. The rain here was actually the energy transformed from the dead ghost warriors. After they died, they rose into the sky. The energy fell from the sky, nourishing the Netherworld creatures here.
The energy rain had no physical form and could only be absorbed by the local ghost creatures. And on rainy days, the injured Netherworld creatures could recover at a visible speed. Moreover, their individual strength also became stronger, as if they had been enhanced by some powerful support status.
On such a “rainy day,” the efficiency of fighting monsters couldn’t help but slow down a lot. Faced with some Netherworld creatures that recovered at any time, the progress couldn’t help but be dragged down.
Helpless, considering this thankless situation, Chen Ran rarely let everyone rest for a while during the day.
Chen Ran leaned against a ghost tree, looking at the scenery alone. He let the water droplets dripping from the leaves fall on his head, but they didn’t wet his clothes at all.
At this time, Cheryl walked over and sat down on the other side of the ghost tree behind Chen Ran.
“Teacher, under your guidance, the girls in the team are very motivated. Before the competition, I kept wondering if I was competent for the position of captain, because I have never been a person who is good at communicating with people, and I am not a girl known for seeing the big picture. I prefer to do things with my own personality, which is why I have such a team. If I were to command, I estimate that, as many people expected, Team 4’s ranking would very likely be at the bottom.”
Chen Ran turned his head and couldn’t help but smile. “At least you’re still very smart. You chose someone who does this kind of thing often. I’m curious, how did you pick me back then? You ruined the good vacation days I had finally managed to squeeze out.”
“I didn’t expect you to do so well either,” Cheryl said slyly. “At first, I just heard from Ella that you have the magic to make people around you better. And everyone has seen the ability of that little girl Dongfang. I was curious, and I just happened to see you, so I chose you. As for affecting your vacation, it was definitely not intentional. I’ll make it up to you when I have the chance.”
At this point, Cheryl shrugged her fragrant shoulders cutely, a rare smile appearing on her face. “Facts have proved that I really guessed right.”
Chen Ran just shrugged helplessly. Taking advantage of the free time, he asked boredly, “Your current strength is infinitely close to the eighth tier. Perhaps here, or perhaps not long after, you can complete another upgrade. At that time, the conditions of the academy will no longer be able to satisfy your need for strength improvement. What are your plans after that? Or, marry a reliable good husband?”
“I don’t plan to marry. If possible, I plan to be a traveler, alone, walking around, changing my mood in different places outside, and doing some things I think are meaningful. I don’t want anything to fetter my mood.”
Chen Ran smiled. “Hearing you say that, I estimate many people will be heartbroken.”
“If I make a choice, won’t there be even more heartbroken people?”
Cheryl’s answer was calm and interesting. She wrapped her arms around her legs, looked up at the sky with longing, and closed her eyes.
Looking at Cheryl’s clear and bright profile, her blinking eyelashes looked very vivid.
This girl always gave people a lazy confidence, as if she didn’t care about anything in the world, living in her own world, enjoying that unrestrained life.
Feeling the sky gradually clearing up, as Chen Ran had expected, this burst of energy rain did not last long. Cheryl quickly stood up and pulled Chen Ran up along the way.
“Teacher, the rain has stopped. It’s time to continue working hard. Solve the matters here early, and I can also have the belief to pursue my dreams early.”
Chen Ran was pulled up, adjusted the corner of his clothes, and said, “That depends on how hard you work. At least we can’t lose this match. I didn’t come here to fail.”
“Then as you wish.”
After several hours of energy rain, the creatures in the Netherworld were also much more active. Based on his judgment of the terrain, Chen Ran went to some places where energy rain pools could accumulate. Before the energy in those puddles evaporated back into the sky, there would inevitably be a large number of Netherworld creatures coming to absorb it.
Then, following the map, he found a dense group of Netherworld creatures.
This time, there were more than a hundred of them, and among them, the number of sixth-tier creatures also accounted for nearly 30%…
The swordswoman Lucy in the team habitually asked the omnipotent Chen Ran, “Teacher, what should we do next? There are so many monsters over there. Should we let Dongfang summon the Butt Pig and continue the previous strategy?”
“There are too many, it’s too risky. There are also many sixth-tier ghost creatures there. Even the fully buffed Butt Pig can’t withstand it. And you can’t dodge such dense shockwaves,” Chen Ran stroked his chin and pondered. “It seems we have to change our strategy this time. I haven’t tried the classic tactic of kiting for a long time.”
Chen Ran turned his head and said to Dongfang, “Can you summon any speed-type phantom beasts?”
“A seventh-tier unicorn pegasus, or two or three sixth-tier wind-chasing horses,” Dongfang answered truthfully.
“No need for flying phantom beasts, it’s too troublesome. Just two sixth-tier wind-chasing horses will do. It’s enough for me and your big sister Cheryl to ride.”
The other girls at the side said, “What about us?”
“You guys just watch. We can’t fight this head-on. We can only rely on wits. I can only guarantee to clear one by one. I estimate that when the number is about right at the end, I’ll let everyone carry out an annihilation operation. Clearing such a pile not only makes up for today’s shortage, but also saves tomorrow’s workload.”
“Then be careful, teacher,” the girls, knowing Chen Ran’s ability, didn’t say anything. They looked at the performance of the two with expectation. Dongfang neatly summoned two wind-chasing horses. The fully buffed Chen Ran neatly mounted the horse and said to Cheryl at the side, “Follow my rhythm. It’s showtime.”
The wind-chasing horses ridden by Chen Ran and Cheryl began to approach the dense group of ghost warriors as required…
Then, a dense crowd of ghost warriors swarmed out, a magnificent scene.
Chen Ran instructed Cheryl to start running…
Faced with a group of Netherworld creatures with not very high IQs, their intelligence was actually about the same as a child’s. The creatures here had experienced one sweep after another, one rebirth after another, immortal and indestructible. Now, those high-level Netherworld creatures were secondly the remnants who had not been cleared in several challenges and had gradually grown under the nourishment of the energy rain.
Now, the two riders began to circle in a very scientific circle.
Under Chen Ran’s instructions, Cheryl, under various statuses, kept throwing her explosive fireballs. As long as she threw one into the group of monsters, several ghost warriors would be steadily hit. After a few rounds, she had injured many ghost warriors with the power of the explosive fireballs, and it was estimated that more than a dozen ghost warriors had fallen directly.
Chen Ran timely kept a certain distance from the group of ghost warriors, avoiding being hit by the shockwaves with an effective range of nearly 20 meters. He directed Cheryl where to throw best, constantly disrupting the formation of the team behind.
This was a hard technical job. For more than an hour, Cheryl did a good job of meeting Chen Ran’s requirements. Until the size of the ghost team behind them was no longer as invincible as imagined, Chen Ran made a gesture for Cheryl, whose magic consumption was severe, to rest, and led the remaining remnants to where Chen Ran’s team was.
The few girls who were watching with excitement found that it was finally time for them to perform. They held their breath and went straight up.
Then, a good harvesting rhythm…
Until the last sixth-tier ghost warrior was dealt with, it began to run away. Cheryl casually wanted to use a fireball to finish off the last remnant…
“Stop! Let it run!”
