When the Demonized Half-orcs turned to look at Shi Feng, time on top of the hill seemingly froze as Wu Lingling and the others stopped moving, expressions of shock and horror coloring their faces.
This was Shi Feng's so-called "grinding"?
Even the weakest Demonized Half-orc was a Level 100 High Lord. In terms of Basic Attributes, they were superior to even Level 100, Tier 3 experts fully equipped in Dark-Gold Equipment. Adding on their combat standards that rivaled ordinary experts, even veteran Tier 3 expert players would have difficulty fighting these monsters. Not to mention, there were also plenty of Great Lord ranked Half-orc Warriors among the group of Half-orcs, and these monsters possessed even stronger Basic Attributes and combat standards.
Even a large Guild's expert team would have to set up traps and magic arrays beforehand when going up against such a frightening group of monsters.
Yet, now, Shi Feng wanted them to fight these monsters with no preparations whatsoever. This situation was simply absurd.
Before Wu Lingling and the others could recover from their shock, Shi Feng nonchalantly told them, "Each of you pick a target, lure it aside, and think of a way to beat it. Remember to stay within a hundred yards of me at all times."
Upon hearing Shi Feng's words, Wu Lingling couldn't help herself from asking, "What about the other monsters, Instructor Shi?"
Immediately, the other students looked toward Shi Feng as well, curious to know the answer.
Everyone had selectively chosen to ignore the part where Shi Feng required them to each lure a monster away. For them, accomplishing such an action wasn't at all difficult. The truly troublesome part was the remaining several hundred Demonized Half-orcs, particularly the Great Lord ranked Half-orc Warriors. Normally, it would take several Tier 3 experts working together to defeat even one of these monsters.
"Leave the rest to me," Shi Feng calmly replied.
However, despite Shi Feng's calm and gentle tone, his words stunned everyone present. Even Wu Lingling, who believed in Shi Feng's strength, couldn't help but be surprised.
Under normal circumstances, even a Tier 4 player wouldn't dare to fight against a large number of Great Lords unless they possessed a significant advantage in Basic Attributes. After all, there was strength in numbers. Not to mention, monsters in God's Domain typically knew how to work together in battle. With their high HP, they could exhaust and kill a Tier 4 player without any problems.
Currently, let alone having an advantage in Basic Attributes, Shi Feng didn't even have an advantage in tiers or levels. Yet, he spoke as if the approaching monsters were a bunch of insignificant creatures…
During the time everyone was in a daze, the 300-plus Demonized Half-orcs had already arrived within 60 yards of the team. This was already a dangerous distance for both ranged and melee Tier 3 players.
"Alright, get ready!" Shi Feng said, bringing everyone back to reality.
Immediately, the students instinctively moved into battle positions and began choosing their respective Half-orc Fighters.
Sacred Punishment!
Starlight Arrow!
Shadow Chaser!
Thunder Howl!
…
Wu Lingling and the other 29 students used their Skills on their respective targets one after another, aggroing the monsters. Then, following Shi Feng's instructions, they spread out, lured the monsters away from the main group, and started fighting against these 30 Half-orc Fighters.
As to whether they could defeat these Half-orc Fighters, none of them cared about that now. After all, no matter how their individual battles turned out, they were destined to lose this battle.
Subsequently, the rest of the Demonized Half-orcs started moving closer and closer to Shi Feng.
Fifty yards…
Forty yards…
Thirty yards…
As the main group of Half-orcs moved closer and closer to Shi Feng, Wu Lingling and the others also grew more and more nervous. Even the ground trembled at the charge of the five-meter-tall Half-orc Fighters. The Mana in the air had even turned violent, causing Wu Lingling and the others to experience a suffocating sensation.
However, what made this group of Demonized Half-orcs truly terrifying wasn't their individual prowess.
When the Half-orcs were within 30 yards of Shi Feng, they suddenly split into two groups and encircled Shi Feng. Over 30 Half-orc Warriors also took the lead in attacking Shi Feng from all directions, leaving no gaps for Shi Feng to escape through.
Wu Lingling's complexion paled at this scene. She did not expect the Half-orcs to behave in such a manner.
Normally, monsters that had reached Level 100 in God's Domain would gain a certain degree of intelligence and no longer mindlessly attack players. Instead, they would first probe their opponents' strength and target their opponents' weak points.
When faced with such a reckless assault, even a Tier 4 player would have to rely on their superior Basic Attributes and physique to evade the monsters' attacks. If they tried clashing head-on, they would certainly suffer injuries and maybe even get killed. After all, even a Tier 4 player would still take a lot of damage if they received an attack from a Tier 3 Great Lord, let alone a Tier 3 player.
While Shi Feng indeed possessed combat standards and techniques that left even Gan Yuan in admiration, he was only a Tier 3 Sword King right now. Moreover, the gear he currently had on him was the default equipment players received when creating a new character in the Miniature Ancient World. He couldn't afford to make even the slightest mistake when going up against the 30-plus Great Lords with such parameters. Otherwise, death would instantly claim him…
Contrasting Wu Lingling's reaction, Shi Feng remained calm even in the face of the Half-orc Warriors' frenzied assault. It looked as if he hadn't noticed the approaching Half-orc Warriors. Instead of hastily taking evasive maneuvers, he simply took a small step forward.
Shi Feng's action looked incredibly natural and gentle. However, the instant Shi Feng's right foot touched the ground, Wu Lingling and the other students were immediately stunned.
Suddenly, the space around Shi Feng had seemingly frozen as all of the Half-orc Warriors charging at him had stopped moving simultaneously. Although these Half-orc Warriors quickly started moving again, their movements had become much more sluggish and awkward than before. It looked as if these monsters were trying to maneuver inside a muddy swamp.
However, what surprised Wu Lingling and the others the most was the Mana surrounding Shi Feng!
Previously, the Demonized Half-orcs' presence had caused the ambient Mana to grow violent. Now, though, none of the Demonized Half-orcs present were able to influence the Mana surrounding them. Moreover, the density of the ambient Mana had increased to a point where it had condensed into mist…
"A Mana Domain?!"
Qin Wuchen couldn't help but rub his eyes in disbelief when he saw this scene from nearby.
Most players in God's Domain had trouble improving even the quality of the Mana within their own bodies, let alone altering the Mana around them. Of course, that wasn't to say that players couldn't accomplish such a feat.
One method players could use to accomplish this feat was to set up a magic array to alter an area's Mana composition and improve it. However, such magic arrays required many players to operate, with some even requiring the efforts of dozens of players.
Apart from magic arrays, there was only one other method players could utilize—Mana Domains!
Normally, players would have to reach the peak of Tier 4 before they even had a chance of creating a Mana Domain of their own. Even then, the players who managed to acquire a Mana Domain at Tier 4 were still few and far between. Meanwhile, acquiring a Mana Domain at Tier 3 was a feat of legends!
Any player who managed to create a Mana Domain at Tier 3 would be invincible among those below Tier 4!
However, before Qin Wuchen and the others could recover from their shock, Shi Feng had already started his attack. Normally, Swordsmen would try to avoid fighting against groups of enemies since the Swordsman class focused more on single-target combat than group combat. However, Shi Feng did not back down from the Half-orc Warriors' charge.
Unsheathing his two swords, Shi Feng charged at the oncoming Half-orc Warriors without hesitation. The Demonized Half-orc Warriors were six-meter-tall giants wielding greatswords of similar sizes to them. Whether it was Shi Feng or the longswords he wielded, both looked tiny and harmless in comparison. Yet, when Shi Feng's longswords clashed with the Half-orc Warriors' greatswords, the greatswords had shockingly altered their trajectories from Shi Feng and struck the Half-orc Fighters near them instead.
-734,644!
-1,432,154!
-713,464!
Immediately, damage values in the hundreds of thousands appeared above some of the Half-orc Fighters' heads, some even exceeding one million. All of a sudden, the Half-orc Warriors had gone from being formidable enemies into becoming weapons for Shi Feng. Moreover, the damage output of each of these weapons far exceeded the damage output of the average Tier 3 expert party…
It should be noted that the monsters in the Miniature Ancient World possessed much tougher bodies than monsters on the main continent. A Tier 3 Berserker fully geared in Level 100 Dark-Gold Equipment would be fortunate to cause 40,000 damage to a Level 100 High Lord with their normal attacks. Even if the Berserker used a Tier 3 Skill, he would, at most, cause around 100,000 damage.
However, Tier 3 Skills and Spells had Cooldowns, and most Tier 3 players would only have a handful of Tier 3 Skills and Spells in their arsenal. It was impossible for players to continuously attack using Tier 3 Skills and Spells. Thus, a six-man party would need a long time to defeat even a Level 100 High Lord.
Yet, now, Shi Feng needed less than a minute to defeat a Demonized Half-orc Fighter…
Every attack Shi Feng redirected from a Half-orc Warrior would hit at least three Half-orc Fighters. As a result, the Half-orc Fighters' 50 million HP could be seen rapidly decreasing. Even though these Demonized Half-orcs possessed frightening recovery and could regenerate 2% of their HP every five seconds, the amount of HP they recovered was nothing in the face of Shi Feng's damage output.
"How is this possible?"
This scene momentarily stupefied wu Lingling.
As the younger sister of Wu Xiaoxiao, the God's Domain Academy's top talent, she had watched many spars between the experts of first-rate Guilds before. She had also watched Tier 4 experts grinding out in the fields before. However, none of those experts could manipulate 30-plus Great Lords and use them as their puppets like Shi Feng. The degree of awareness and control Shi Feng had over his surroundings was simply astounding. Even powerful Great Lords were nothing but a joke in front of him.
However, what Wu Lingling didn't know was that while a Mana Domain could indeed grant players a significant advantage in manipulating their surroundings, if the difference in Basic Attributes was too significant, even a Mana Domain would be of no use.
Meanwhile, the Demonized Half-orc Warriors' Basic Attributes wasn't exceptional among Great Lords of the same level. On the contrary, the Half-orc Warriors had average Basic Attributes for Great Lords. Rather than Basic Attributes, the part that made them difficult opponents was their combat standards. Meanwhile, a competition of combat standards was the thing that Shi Feng worried about the least. Thus, he could toy with these Demonized Half-orcs as if he were messing around with puppets. If Shi Feng were to go up against Great Lords with Basic Attributes rivaling Grand Lords, though, even he would have no choice but to evade the monsters' attacks. He would simply be seeking a quick death if he tried to divert their attacks.
After Shi Feng fought for some time, he took a glance at Wu Lingling and the others. Then, he said in the team chat, "Don't just look at me; pay attention to your targets. Although I am suppressing the mobility and Basic Attributes of these Demonized Half-orcs with my Mana Domain, their combat instincts remain unaffected. Their Basic Attributes are also not at a level where you can casually block their attacks. I won't be able to save you if you get hit."
Upon hearing Shi Feng's reminder, Wu Lingling and the others quickly snapped out of their daze and focused their attention on the Half-orc Fighters in front of them. Sweat had also started covering their foreheads as reality dawned upon them. They had been so shocked by Shi Feng's Mana Domain just now that they had forgotten that it only helped in weakening the enemy; it didn't prevent one from taking damage. Not to mention, this Mana Domain didn't even belong to them, so it didn't provide them with any performance enhancements.
Shi Feng might have stabilized the situation on his side already, but what about them? What should they do against their respective opponents?
They were talking about a Level 100 High Lord in the Miniature Ancient World here!
Even frontline Tier 3 experts had difficulty fighting a one-on-one battle against a Level 100 High Lord. What could students like themselves, who couldn't even be considered experts, do against such an opponent?
"Don't panic! The maximum reach of these Half-orc Fighters' normal attacks is 12 yards, and they can only attack up to six times in a row! Afterward, they will fall into a brief moment of stagnation to catch their breath! Their speed is no match for yours, neither is their reaction speed! Use this knowledge to find opportunities to attack!"
While the many students wondered how they should fight against the Demonized Half-orc Fighters before them, Shi Feng's voice rang in their ears once more.
An attack range of 12 yards and a maximum attack count of six? Qin Wuchen's eyes brightened when he heard Shi Feng's advice, the worry on his face lessening.
The scariest part about fighting monsters in God's Domain was not knowing the limits of a monster. In God's Domain, Monsters possessed intelligence and were afraid of death. Thus, they would hide their strength in battle, only exposing their limits when necessary. In a way, this was similar to how players fought.
Normally, Qin Wuchen and the others would gradually probe the limits of the monsters they fought over the course of the battle. However, they dared not conduct such casual probings with the Demonized Half-orc Fighters since the other party possessed far superior Basic Attributes. They would die if they made a mistake.
However, now that they knew about the Half-orc Fighters' limits, their confidence grew. It was akin to having a lamp shine on them as they were walking down a dark road. They now knew what they should do to achieve victory.
Subsequently, the students began maintaining a 12-yard gap between themselves and their opponents, preventing any of the Half-orc Fighters' normal attacks from reaching them. Now, they only had to pay attention to when the Half-orc Fighters used their Skills.
The Half-orc Fighters' movements when using Skills were vastly different from when they were attacking normally. Thus, it was very easy to tell when they were attacking with a Skill. All the students needed to do was figure out how they should dodge these Skills.
For a time, the students, who were originally at an absolute disadvantage, began holding their ground against the Demonized Half-orc Fighters, neither side getting the better over the other. The more talented of the bunch had even started retaliating against the Half-orc Fighters, inflicting some damage to the High Lords.
Of these talented students, Wu Lingling's performance stood out the most. She grew braver and more excited with every passing moment.
Although Wu Lingling had previously sparred with the experts of her elder sister's Guild, those experiences did very little in helping her improve. Even though the experts she fought had matched their Basic Attributes with hers, there was simply too huge a gap in combat standards and techniques. Thus, she could never last more than a few moves against these experts.
However, it was a different story for the Demonized Half-orc Fighter before her. Currently, the High Lord was no match for her in terms of reaction speed and mobility, so she could see its movements with perfect clarity. The Half-orc Fighter's combat standard was also only superior to hers by a small margin, so she could quickly discern her flaws through the Half-orc Fighter's attacks.
As the battle progressed, Wu Lingling could tell that she was improving.
Subsequently, time passed by quickly. After battling continuously for several hours and killing several groups of Demonized Half-orcs, Shi Feng and the others saw their experience bars rising by 15% or more. The Half-orc Warriors they killed had also dropped plenty of equipment.
Originally, Wu Lingling and the others weren't particularly interested in the equipment dropped. After all, the Demonized Half-orc Warriors only dropped Level 100 Secret-Silver Equipment. Meanwhile, every one of them was fully equipped in Level 100 Fine-Gold Equipment, with some even fully equipped in Dark-Gold Equipment. Thus, the Half-orc Warriors' loot held no significance to them.
However, when Shi Feng shared the statistics of the weapons and equipment dropped, everyone's eyes immediately turned red with desire.
"Crap! These things buff Mana affinity?!" Qin Wuchen was greatly shocked when he saw the statistics of the Level 100 Secret-Silver Weapons and Equipment Shi Feng shared.
In the current God's Domain, even Epic Weapons and Equipment rarely had Attributes that increased the user's Mana affinity. Yet, now, even the Secret-Silver Equipment the Demonized Half-orc Warriors dropped could increase players' Mana perception and Mana affinity!
Although these Secret-Silver Weapons and Equipment was a measly 5% improvement to Mana perception and Mana affinity, they could probably sell for more than even Level 100 Dark-Gold Weapons. Some people might even be willing to trade Level 100 Epic Weapons for these Secret-Silver Weapons and Equipment. After all, Mana was everything in God's Domain.
There were many people in God's Domain who'd be willing to spill blood just to acquire a piece of equipment that improved Mana affinity. Depending on the item's quality, some Guilds were even willing to wage war with each other. This was because a boost in Mana perception and Mana affinity could make it much easier for players to ascend through the tiers.
Now that such an effect had appeared on a bunch of Level 100 Secret-Silver Weapons and Equipment, how could Qin Wuchen not be shocked?
Meanwhile, after taking a glance at the dozen or so Secret-Silver Weapons and Equipment, Shi Feng said to his students, "There isn't a significant difference in Basic Attributes between Secret-Silver and Fine-Gold Equipment. I recommend that you swap out your Fine-Gold Equipment for this Secret-Silver Equipment. These things should be of much greater help to you in improving your techniques."
To be honest, even Shi Feng was surprised that the Withered Ruins' monsters could drop such weapons and equipment. If the outside world were to find out about this, the various large Guilds would flood the Regional Dungeon. They might even lock down the area to monopolize these items.
Upon hearing Shi Feng's words, the students quickly allocated the loot and replaced their old equipment. Then, the group of students continued following Shi Feng into the Withered Ruins' inner region, slaughtering any Demonized Half-orcs they came across on the way.
Because of their increase in magic affinity, Wu Lingling and the others saw a visible improvement in the Completion Rate of their Skills and Spells. They could also move their bodies much more naturally, which, in turn, improved their combat standards.
After battling for over ten hours, Shi Feng and the others arrived in front of the city wall that separated the Withered Ruins' inner and outer regions. Apart from Shi Feng's team of 31 players, there was another team of 200 players resting a short distance away.
Meanwhile, this 200-man team was none other than the Soulfire adventurer team Wu Lingling and the others encountered at the Withered Ruins' entrance. Soulfire's members were currently huddled around campfires, eating and drinking to recover their Stamina and concentration. It was evident that they planned to head to the inner region to grind.
When Shi Feng's team arrived at the inner region's entrance, they immediately attracted the attention of Soulfire's members.
When the woman wielding the crystalline Epic Staff saw Shi Feng's team, a look of surprise flashed across her face, and she couldn't help but mutter, "How is this possible?"
"What's wrong, Rain?" Southern Tiger, who had been resting with his eyes shut, asked when he heard the woman's words.
"Captain! Look at them!" the woman named Moon Rain said as she pointed at Shi Feng's team.
Hearing this, Southern Tiger followed Moon Rain's finger and looked over to Shi Feng's team.
Immediately, surprise flashed across Southern Tiger's eyes.
"Level 101?"