GRRRAAGH!
The three Mongrels that appeared just now didn't waste any time and directly sprinted towards the expedition team with wide-open mouths.
Valedd narrowed his eyes at them as he leaned forward and lowered his center of gravity. The same as before, he stood perfectly still from where he was while waiting for his foes to come to him.
Simultaneously, the three Mongrels pounced on him like rabid dogs about to maul him to death, and yet, that is exactly the time when Valedd chose to make his move to strike.
"Crisscross Slash!"
He sped forward like a swallow taking flight while leaving multiple lightning-quick sword slashes in the air. When he sheathed his sword, blood rained down on the ground followed by the thudding of three mutilated dog bodies.
"Hooo…"
After doing the sword movement, Valedd exhaled a deep breath and turned to look at his companions. What greeted him were shocked and amazed faces; even the five players were no exception.
"Wow… What the hell was that move?! When he stepped forward, all I could see was a blur as flashing sword marks filled the air!" Casanova exclaimed.
"I believe it's one of the available sword skills to learn at Rank 1 Sword Mastery. And from the looks of it, this Crisscross Slash skill is most likely a mid-tier sword move." Draken commented.
Awooo!
Their conversation was cut short when more howls were resounding and getting closer toward their location. Admittedly, everyone here knew that the fight was only beginning, so there was no real cause for celebration just yet.
"Everybody, gather with your backs toward each other, now!" Valedd yelled out a command.
As such, both the players and NPCs quickly got together to organize themselves into a circle formation with each member protecting their behinds.
"Do we stay and fight?" Nixon reflexively asked.
He was pulling a longbow in his hands with an arrow nocked on. With a sharp look, he pointed his weapon deep into the woods and prepared to shoot the first Mongrel he could see.
"Yes, all the way through the end," Valedd answered with determination on his face.
AWOOO!
The howls were becoming increasingly louder, a clear sign that the Mongrels were about to reach them at a moment's notice. Peering into the woods, several moving silhouettes could already be seen running in their direction. At last, the mobs were finally here.
"Hold our formation and deal with them as they arrive!"
"""Understood, young master!""" The NPC guards shouted in unison.
GRRRAAGH!
Numerous red dogs jumped on the expedition team at the same time from all angles. As for their reaction—destructive elements, dangerous weapons, and lethal skills of every kind were thrown at the Mongrels like no tomorrow.
"Blasted Flames!"
Casanova gripped a talisman in his hand that was wrapped around his right wrist. Burning flames relentlessly poured out of his hands, taking shape into a fiery beast who wanted to devour every living entity that stood in its path.
Next to him, Draken was grasping an open book while his free hand was pointing upwards to the sky. Then, at the tip of his index finger, a swirl of dark magic condensed into a pitch-black sphere. Soon, he lowered his free hand and aimed it toward the incoming Mongrels.
"Dark Matter Impact!"
Similar to a bullpup rifle, his fingertip speedily shot out dozens of dark laser beams that went through the red dogs and then killing them all in one shot. The description of the scene could only be labeled as a bloodbath.
In this Grim Rock Woods where the white-grey mist and fog were visible to the naked eye, another more vivid color was added to the bleak canvas. Pieces of red dog meat or flesh littered the scarlet soil beneath the circle formation of the five players and six NPCs. They stood their ground firmly against the onslaught of Mongrels like a hard rock being bashed by the never-ending ocean waves.
Unfortunately, even a hard rock could be worn or broken down to pieces through repeated assault. And with that in mind, about half of the expedition members were already showing signs of mana or energy exhaustion five minutes into the fray. Nevertheless, the tidal wave of Mongrels just kept on streaming as if there was a limitless supply of their kind inhabiting this forest.
"What the actual bloody hell is this?! How can there be so many of them gathering to us! I thought this forest was supposed to be huge, so why is it that apparently all of the Mongrels are coming for our asses?!" Tunok glowered.
Valedd locked his eyebrows in perplexity. What was taking place right now was certainly out of the ordinary. After cutting down a Mongrel with his sword, he voiced out words of agreement,
"This is indeed too strange. Something must be going on that we don't know… For now, I recommend that you drink mana potions to recover your energy. I don't believe that they are endless, at some point they will stop."
"But even if we drink potions the most it will do is add another five minutes to our struggle. I don't think it's wise to stay here…" Draken replied.
"We'll see after another five minutes have gone by. Only then will we plan our retreat."
…
Meanwhile, hiding above one of the trees near them, a small red creature was lurking as it watched them suffer wave after wave of Mongrels from below. It had a pointy tail, razor ears, mini devil horns, and tiny flappy wings—this small red creature was called a Mischievous Imp.
"Kekeke~! Look at them struggling in vain like ants. Such a funny scene; this is one to dance and rejoice about."
The imp chortled in enjoyment as its wings bounced around giddily. Looking a bit closer, a pouch filled with some sort of red powder was in its tiddly hands.
"But it's just too bad, really. This is the last pouch of Invigorating Blood Stench that I have. Seriously, that Ogre is too stingy. He's no fun at all! Well, what can I do, right? I'm only a tiny little gremlin that follows orders. Kekeke~!"
After talking to himself, the imp proceeded to empty the contents of the pouch by dumping it down. Soon, the red powder suffused itself throughout the area, tinging the mist and fog there with a tint of rose color.
"Now then, let's enjoy this last bit of fun before slipping away! Kekeke~!"