"Big Bull, use your Charge skill at the five o'clock direction. Uncle Wang, use your Push-back skill. Ling Feng, take the chance to break out and retreat, protect the priest. Fen Jie, use your Shield skill. Xiao Feng, retreat behind Fen Jie. Also, report your talent skills and spells," Su Mu calmly commanded.
The others, instinctively following his orders, reacted without hesitation. Uncle Wang suddenly plunged his large sword into the ground, and an invisible shockwave erupted, sending four or five Fire Giant Treemen stumbling backward.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Big Bull swiftly turned and positioned his shield on his shoulder, glowing with a red light. His robust figure charged forward, smashing through the enemies.
Ling Feng seized the moment and followed Big Bull, breaking through the encirclement and making his way toward Su Mu.
On Fen Jie's side, a water-like barrier appeared in front of her and Xiao Feng. Though fragile, it would hold for about a minute.
Xiao Feng, her voice soft, reported, "My talent skill is Spell Amplification, which increases spell power by 10%. I also have Fireball, Cold Mist, and my second awakening skill, Fire Rain."
Su Mu was speechless. As expected, he couldn't expect too much from them. Her talent skill was practically useless, and the other three skills were basic and weak. Even her best skill, Fire Rain, was significantly weakened due to the fire attribute of the monsters.
Well, it seemed he'd have to step in. Su Mu had initially thought that, since the team seemed friendly and competent, he might be able to guide them a bit. But they were simply too weak—no matter how powerful he was, it was hard to carry the entire team.
Frost Breath
Su Mu's ring glowed with blue light, and a thick mist of ice crystals materialized. It spread like a wave, quickly freezing dozens of the Fire Giant Treemen in place.
This power was leagues ahead of Xiao Feng's Cold Mist, which barely did anything. With a wave of his hand, the Abyssal Cavalry charged forward.
The hundred or so Abyssal Knights stormed into the group of Fire Giant Treemen, slaughtering them in a frenzy. The sound of system notifications filled the air as experience points flooded in.
Su Mu purposely left a few kills for the others and instructed them on how to maximize their damage output and skill combos.
Under Su Mu's guidance, Uncle Wang's team began to fight at double their usual strength. In just a few minutes, they had taken down ten Fire Giant Treemen, which was already half of what would be expected in a normal difficulty level.
The group, filled with excitement, looked at Su Mu with admiration.
"小木, you're amazing!" Fen Jie praised sincerely.
"Hehe, these are just basic moves. If you train more during combat, you can slowly improve as well," Su Mu smiled and replied.
The Fire Giant Treemen were minor monsters, so their drops were generally unimpressive. Su Mu didn't even bother collecting anything and gave it all to Uncle Wang's team.
After clearing the Fire Giant Treemen, they pressed forward and soon arrived at the second checkpoint: the Devil Vine.
The Devil Vine would send out whip-like tendrils from the ground, striking at the players. The tendrils could grow infinitely, so the key to passing this level was to force out its true form.
The area was a large patch of muddy ground, about the size of a basketball court. The moment Su Mu and his team stepped into the area, the ground began to rumble as if a dragon was stirring beneath it.
Suddenly, dozens of large thorn-covered vines shot up from the ground. There were over a hundred of them, and as soon as they appeared, they began to wildly lash around like a swarm of demons, attacking everyone indiscriminately.
The Devil Vines, as thick as a wrist, were as hard as steel. They struck the ground with explosive force, leaving deep, three-inch-long gouges in the earth.
The power of these vines was enough to make everyone gasp. If they were struck, they would either die or be severely injured.
Su Mu had no good suggestions for this level, and it would have to be handled head-on. If Big Bull had the War Trample skill, he could just use that to force out the Devil Vine's true form in one move.
But unfortunately, he didn't have it. This was the difference between the higher and lower ranks of adventurers. Uncle Wang's team were all E-rank and D-rank players, with most of their skills at that level. They didn't even have a C-rank skill.
Meanwhile, Su Mu's battle awareness and former teammates were all at least B-rank. The gap was enormous, making it difficult for Su Mu to even imagine how to guide Uncle Wang's team effectively.
It was really hard to carry them.
Sighing, Su Mu spoke, "Xiao Feng, prepare Fire Rain. Once I freeze the vines with my Frost Breath, you can use Fire Rain immediately. Got it?"
"Got it," Xiao Feng replied nervously, her hand tightening around her staff, looking up at Su Mu's serious face.
"Alright, Frost Breath!"
Su Mu's ring flashed again, and a cloud of icy mist materialized. Under his control, it spread out like a thick layer of frost, instantly freezing the Devil Vines in place.
The vines, which had been wildly whipping around, suddenly stopped, frozen in various strange, twisted positions.
"Quick!" Su Mu shouted. The freeze wouldn't last long—at most ten seconds. Timing was critical.
"Okay, Fire Rain!" Xiao Feng responded hurriedly, waving her staff. Sparks flew into the air, and then fiery droplets began to fall, like rain, pouring down on the frozen Devil Vines.
Boom!
The Fire Rain exploded on the frozen vines, causing a violent explosion. The ice shattered, and the Devil Vines within turned into dust.
"Well done!" Su Mu praised as Xiao Feng's face turned bright red from excitement.
The ground suddenly shook with a thunderous rumble as the Devil Vine's true form finally revealed itself. The earth cracked open, and a huge, bulbous, tumor-like mass emerged from the ground.
The mass was about the size of a small building, covered in dirt, and had numerous, fist-sized lumps all over its surface, making it look grotesque and terrifying.
"Be careful!" Su Mu warned. With a wave of his hand, over a hundred Abyssal Knights charged in, their spears shrieking as they aimed for the mass.
Boom!
As the Abyssal Knights closed in, the Devil Vine's true form trembled and shook violently, its massive body rolling forward like a giant ball, crashing into the Knights and sending several of them flying.
It then charged toward Su Mu and the others.
Su Mu's eyes narrowed, and the Hellhound manifested. With a leap, it pounced onto the Devil Vine's body, its sharp claws digging deep into the mass.
Immediately, black flames erupted from the Hellhound, spreading across the Devil Vine's body, engulfing it entirely in a massive fireball.
Fire was the natural counter to wood, and the Devil Vine let out a high-pitched, baby-like scream as it was burned.
The mass of wood thrashed wildly, crashing into nearby trees, trying to shake off the Hellhound.
"Back off!" Su Mu shouted, holding out his hand to signal everyone to retreat.
Despite the Devil Vine's thrashing, the Hellhound remained unmoved, its three heads locked onto the mass, sinking deeper into the vine's body as lava energy surged into it.
Finally, the Devil Vine couldn't withstand the pressure. Its massive, tumor-like body exploded, sending green liquid spraying everywhere. The system notification sounded in Su Mu's ears.
"Defeated level 15 BOSS Devil Vine, gained 4 points of experience. Extra 4 points for defeating a higher-level BOSS, and an additional 150 points for the kill. Experience maxed, congratulations, player Su Mu has leveled up to level 14.
Spirit +15, Strength +15, gained 15 points of free attributes."