A large amount of experience points surged into Sean's body, making it clear to him just how many corpse monsters had died below.
When he was only at the first rank, killing a second-rank Wind Marked Black Wolf made him feel extremely uncomfortable.
However, now as a second-rank himself, killing third-rank corpse monsters didn't result in the same painful influx of experience points. Sean found it rather curious.
However, the others misunderstood and thought Sean's curiosity was directed towards the corpse monsters in the water storage tank.
Durun glanced down and saw the remaining corpse monsters struggling continuously, attempting to climb out of the water storage tank.
But with the accelerant and explosive powder they were contaminated with, would the flames be so easily extinguished? No matter how they struggled, it would be in vain.
Fire, an element that undead creatures inherently fear.
Watching the struggling corpse monsters in the sea of flames, Durun and the others didn't feel the slightest excitement.
The two guards remained silent for a moment, speaking softly. Sean didn't listen carefully, but he did catch a few phrases like "rest in peace." He couldn't help but appreciate these two guards a bit more.
After dealing with these hindering corpse monsters, everyone immediately rushed back as there was another more troublesome mutated corpse monster waiting for them.
The "Dark Outpost Camp" instance was not easy to tackle, but it wasn't simple either.
The most crucial step was to start the train and lure a horde of corpse monsters throughout the entire instance.
If this step wasn't handled properly, it would result in a total team wipe. Even in the game, many player teams couldn't perfect this step, ultimately leading to their demise.
After all, dealing with a commander-type mutated corpse monster was not an easy task.
But Sean dared to play this way because he was confident.
He remembered that this strategy was developed by the guild he joined in the game. However, back then, they had a rogue known for causing bloodshed throughout the entire "Age of Prosperity" game, and his partner was a knight who had been playing professionally for thirty years and was known as the "Wall of the Void." With just these two, it was more than enough, and they didn't need anyone else's help.
What happened later?
When Sean started leading a team independently to study instances, these adults had already switched to being professional players for a living.
However, just an instance like the "Dark Outpost Camp" couldn't stump Sean.
Once the first step was completed, the following battles would be much simpler.
It was just a mutated corpse monster that had become a figurehead.
Sean's mood relaxed slightly.
But at that moment, a piercing and miserable scream suddenly rang out.
Sean and Durun's faces changed instantly, and their speed unconsciously increased. The two guards hurriedly followed suit.
When they arrived in front of the previous house, the mutated corpse monster had already forcibly climbed onto the roof.
It had more arrows sticking out of its body than before, but even so, it hadn't been killed. Instead, it fueled its desire to kill.
Additionally, witnessing its undead army being destroyed, the mutated corpse monster's inner frustration was evident.
Just by looking at its frenzied eyes gleaming with crimson light, one could tell it was on the verge of madness.
In its hand, it held a person wearing leather armor.
This person was the previous archer. His longbow was nowhere to be found, although the quiver still hung from his body, and arrows were scattered all over the roof.
The mutated corpse monster's left hand had pierced through the archer's body, and blood flowed from the nails that had pierced his body, gathering and dripping drop by drop, making a "drip-drip" sound.
It was evident that the previous scream came from this archer, but now he had already breathed his last.
"You all, come down!" Sean shouted loudly. There was no longer any meaning in them staying on the roof.
The necessary tasks had already been completed, and now all that remained was to fight head-on.
Without hesitation, Old Peter turned around and leapt from the roof, carrying Cecilia in his arms, immediately sprinting away.
In the previous series of shots, he had been the most ruthless, so he had a deep hatred for the mutated corpse monster.
However, just when he had managed to climb up and prepare to launch a surprise attack, Old Peter's keen sense of danger, like that of a wild beast, caused him to dodge in advance.
Unfortunately, the archer standing next to Old Peter wasn't as fortunate.
He lacked Old Peter's keen perception and, by the time he sensed the wind blowing from behind, he had already been pierced through the body by the mutated corpse monster's claw.
Although Harvey had a bulky figure, his reactions weren't particularly slow. With the protection of the guard, these two quickly returned to the ground from the roof.
However, it was absolutely impossible for the guard to carry Harvey like Old Peter did.
In the blink of an eye, everyone on the roof had fled, leaving the mutated corpse monster to look around before releasing an angry roar.
Then, it bit into the archer's neck, and a large amount of blood sprayed out, further staining its body.
After taking a few ruthless gulps, the mutated corpse monster seemed satisfied, letting out a howl to the sky before casually tossing the body aside.
"Shoot it with another arrow!" Sean saw Old Peter carrying Cecilia over, and the guard protecting Harvey running over, and immediately spoke in a deep voice.
"But..." Everyone was stunned at the words, and even Cecilia wore a look of disbelief this time. "It's already on the verge of madness."
"Let it go mad," Sean said calmly. "You guys just need to withstand its attacks."
These words were directed at the three guards.
Everyone looked at each other and immediately understood Sean's plan. It seemed like this was the only option left.
Old Peter didn't hesitate anymore. With a low shout, he quickly nocked an arrow, but this time, he drew it back to a full moon position.
Under the strain of the full moon, the bowstring made a faint crackling sound, and a crack quietly spread across the bow, clearly indicating that the previous powerful shot had caused irreparable damage to the bow. Sean only glanced at it and didn't look back again. If a bowman caused this kind of result, then the previous round of shots must have been both urgent and fierce, with no room for pause.
"Buzz!"
"Thump!"
Two light sounds rang out simultaneously!
The arrow was released!
The bow snapped!
The broken bow, along with the steel string, grazed Old Peter's cheek, leaving a bloody mark, but he acted as if he didn't notice. He let go with his left hand, dropping the broken bow, and gripped the spear on the side with his right hand. With a slight exertion, he pulled the spear out of the ground.
Meanwhile, that arrow, in a faster, fiercer, and more intense manner, pierced through the mutated corpse monster's left shoulder, causing it to emit a pained and angry howl!
[Name: Mutated Corpse Monster (Raging)]
[Race: Undead]
[Rank: Corpse Monster (Third Rank)]
[Attributes: Strength: 55; Agility: 55; Endurance: 4; Intelligence: 2; Willpower: 2]
The data about the mutated corpse monster that Sean saw in his eyes was frantically fluctuating, but it finally stopped after a moment.
A slight smile formed at the corner of Sean's mouth. He feared that it wouldn't go berserk.
A boss with only four points of endurance left, what kind of threat could it pose? Despite the absolute advantage in strength and agility, such low agility meant its body was already battered and broken, making any attack lethal to it!
Of course, the same went for Sean and the others.
But over 30 points in strength and agility were already fatal statistics for Sean and the others. What difference did a little over 40 points make?
A blurry figure disappeared from the roof.
A sharp whistling sound exploded in the outpost, and Sean and the others were no longer able to track the speed of the mutated corpse monster with their naked eyes.
But did Sean need to track it?
"Protect Old Peter!" Sean continued to command calmly, as if it wasn't a dangerous battlefield. "Old Peter, quickly crouch down!... Shield Wall Formation! Everyone else, spread out as far as possible!"
Everyone had already become accustomed to Sean's orders, so upon hearing his command, they instinctively followed.
The three guards immediately stood side by side, raising their shields together.
To ensure the strength of their defense, they lowered their center of gravity, planted their feet firmly, and the curved blades were already inserted into the ground, trying to leverage the support from the ground.
Old Peter didn't hesitate either and quickly crouched down. For a veteran soldier like him, this kind of action was nothing to be ashamed of.
No matter how much pride one had, it couldn't compare to the importance of life.
"Boom!"
A soundwave explosion rang out right beside them. The terrifying shockwave caused the group to sway, experiencing dizziness and nausea, even feeling like they might cough up blood.
Even the situation of others was far from good, but the guard who was directly impacted suffered even worse.
The round shield in his hand shattered under the impact, and the curved blade planted in the ground couldn't withstand such a powerful force either, breaking completely.
The guard, like a kite with a broken string, was sent flying, blood spraying along the way, crashing heavily onto the ground, his life hanging by a thread.
But at this moment, no one could spare the attention to care for him.
"Shield Strike Flanking!" Sean issued a new command.
The remaining two guards immediately attacked from the left and right sides, their round shields slamming towards the head of the mutated corpse monster like bricks.
The previous soundwave shockwave had also affected the mutated corpse monster to some extent, so it hadn't fully recovered when it was flanked by the two guards.
The two shield strikes unhesitatingly landed, almost knocking it senseless.
The plummet in willpower and intelligence attributes made the mutated corpse monster lose its ability to analyze the situation.
Being hit by a dizziness-type skill attack, it was even more difficult to quickly recover because it no longer possessed a strong and determined will.
Seeing the swaying mutated corpse monster, both Durun and Old Peter acted without hesitation.
Durun attacked from the front with his sword, and Old Peter from the right with his spear, both aiming for the creature's head.
Cecilia, despite being affected by the shockwave and her face pale, mustered her strength and chanted a spell, summoning a true Fireball spell that blasted onto the mutated corpse monster.
An attack that pierced through its brain, coupled with the burning flames, would likely prevent this fifth-rank monster from surviving.
Looking at the flames burning on the ground, Sean finally spit out the blood that had been stuck in his throat.
He had been standing too close when the shockwave erupted, but unlike Old Peter, he wasn't a third-rank professional, so the impact had a significant effect on him as well.
However, at this moment, Sean was filled with a sense of pride.
What did it matter if strength and agility were high? If you couldn't unleash them, you were still no match!