Chapter 30: Chapter 25: Battle Mode
"Luh Yao, Luh Yao?"
Sister Peng reminded him, "I need this month’s report. They’re asking for it."
"Ah, right away."
Luh Yao sent the report over and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a bit tired.
"You’ve seemed really tired lately," Sister Peng teased as she printed some documents. "What’s up? Working a side hustle after your shift? Or have you been out partying all night?"
Luh Yao could only mumble that he hadn’t been sleeping well.
...
This was a critical period for the Garlic Tribe’s development, so Luh Yao kept his eyes glued to the screen, not daring to relax.
Having deliberately destroyed the mountain pass and cut off trade with the Salt Pool Tribe, the Garlic Tribe needed a new route to connect with the outside world.
In theory, there were three paths.
Head north through the forest and into the northern regions.
Head east across the East River, all the way to the East Sea.
March south into the desert to reclaim the oasis.
Of the three routes, the forest path was the most perilous. That was what Isabel herself had said.
"My lord, there are Forest Elemental Creatures deep in the woods. Their numbers are unknown, and many of them are highly aggressive. Even if we managed to clear a path, we would be constantly harassed by them, posing a persistent threat."
Starting maritime trade to the east required developing a better Shipbuilding Technique. While dugout canoes were useful for fishing and local water travel, they couldn’t handle long-distance voyages. Building larger, sturdier ships would take time.
Comparatively, the desert was the best option.
The Bedu Tribe had lived in the desert for many years and understood the environment well. Its dangers lay in sandstorms and harsh weather, as well as desert monsters and bandits.
Among these dangers, the desert monsters were the greatest threat.
These so-called desert monsters were giant insects called "Sand Worms."
They live beneath the desert sands. Massive as giant earthworms, their hides are rough, tough, and yellowish-brown, impervious to stone or wood. Sand Worms hunt camels and even devour and digest hard rocks. They are the behemoths of the desert; to the Bedu Tribe, they were an unstoppable force of nature.
The most crucial part was something Isabel had said to Luh Yao.
"I killed one of those worms while I was searching for the Bedu Tribe."
Luh Yao was instantly on alert.
"Can you handle those worms?"
"My lord, should I kill all of them?"
Hearing her reply, Luh Yao knew this was promising.
"Killing the Sand Worms is secondary. The main goal is to retake the oasis and open a path through the desert to the outside world. Of course, it would be best if you could reduce the number of Sand Worms as much as possible."
"Yes, my lord."
"Do you need any support?"
"My lord, the treasures you’ve bestowed upon me are more than enough. These worms aren’t that hard to deal with."
"Good. Depart at once."
...
After getting home from work, Luh Yao eagerly sat down at his computer and locked his view onto the desert region.
Vast new swaths of the desert had been explored, and Isabel had found the occupied oasis. She was surrounded by a pile of long, yellowish-brown worm corpses. Only their upper bodies protruded from the sand, looking like the fingers of a giant reaching up from below.
The status [In Combat] hovered over Isabel’s head.
Luh Yao clicked on the Apostle, and a detailed combat screen popped up. The relaxed electronic music instantly shifted to a fast-paced, exhilarating beat.
The black-clad Isabel faced a group of brown worm monsters, though only two of them were still alive. Health bars hovered over the heads of both friend and foe.
[Isabel LV 15] VS [Sand Worm LV 10] [Sand Worm LV 11].
The battle unfolded in a real-time auto-battler format.
Isabel wielded a green Light Sword, relentlessly stabbing and slashing at the two Sand Worms. Ghostly green orbs of light shot out from the blade, bombarding the Sand Worms with homing attacks.
Luh Yao recalled the description for the Forest Sword ability.
Forest Sword Lv. 1: [Isabel’s Exclusive Ability] Isabel summons the Holy Sword to comprehensively boost her combat Attributes. The duration and boost amount depend on the ability’s level and Mana.
’This green Light Sword must be the Holy Sword.’
This was the first time Luh Yao had seen Isabel get serious in a fight. When she’d fought the Barbarian Hero, a simple steel pipe had been enough to utterly dominate him; she hadn’t needed to use her abilities at all.
’Looks like the Sand Worms are a lot stronger than the Barbarian Hero.’
The Sand Worms were somewhat like gophers, able to burrow into the sand and then burst out from unexpected directions. Their method of attack was to spit a black venom that could be sprayed from a distance.
But Isabel’s movement and attack speed were too fast. The Sand Worms’ attacks on her only resulted in a long string of "Miss" notifications. Meanwhile, the worms were completely unable to dodge the thrusts of her Holy Sword or the bombardment of green light.
The Sand Worms’ health bars were dropping rapidly. The lower-leveled one’s bar emptied, and a [Dead] icon appeared over its head.
Luh Yao moved his mouse over the still-living Sand Worm.
...
[Sand Worm LV 11]
Life Value: 101/220
Mana Value: 16/44
Damage: 8
Defense: 8
Speed: 5
[Evasion Lv. 5]
Able to evade some damage from attacks. The probability is higher against weaker life forms.
[Poisoned Lv. 5]
Attacks cause enemies to become Poisoned, dealing continuous damage.
...
’So there’s detailed combat data.’
Luh Yao moved the mouse back over Isabel’s head.
...
[Apostle Lv. 15]Forest Sword Isabelle
Life Value: 220/224
Mana Value: 271/385
Damage: 27
Defense: 25
Speed: 15
[Wisdom Lv. 15]
Wisdom is the key for an Apostle to hear the Divine Will. The higher the Wisdom level, the easier it is to improve and comprehend various abilities.
[Mourning Prayer Lv. 5](15 Mana)
Pray to the Sea of Mourning to temporarily awaken the sleeping Dead and gain their assistance. The type of Dead depends on the ability’s level and Mana.
[Forest Sword Lv. 1](100 Mana)
[Isabel’s Exclusive Ability]Isabel summons the Holy Sword to comprehensively boost her combat Attributes. The duration and boost amount depend on the ability’s level and Mana. After combat, Isabel will create some Forest Elemental Creatures. Their number and type depend on the ability’s level and the strength of the opponent fought.
...
Luh Yao watched for a moment and began to understand the simulator’s combat mechanics.
The simulator simplified combat, visualizing it through numbers and abilities.
Isabel’s speed was three times the Sand Worm’s, which was why its attacks could never connect. Under Isabel’s assault, however, the number "-19" repeatedly appeared over the Sand Worm.
Luh Yao did the math. Isabel’s Damage was 27 and the Sand Worm’s Defense was 8; the difference was exactly 19. Barring any special abilities or equipment, as long as an attack landed, the direct damage dealt was simply the difference between the Damage and Defense stats.
In actual combat, when the gap in base stats between two parties was this large and there were no counter-abilities in play, the battle would be completely one-sided.
Just like the Sand Worms against Isabel.
Even if the Sand Worms’ attacks had landed, they couldn’t have pierced her defense. The outcome was already a foregone conclusion.
As the last Sand Worm’s health bar emptied, the notification [Battle Over] appeared on the screen.
At that moment, Isabel plunged her Holy Sword into the ground.
Wisps of green light rose from the Sand Worms’ corpses. The lights flowed into the Holy Sword, where they gradually twisted and coalesced, forming two furry, reddish-brown creatures of the exact same type and level.
...
[Striped Lynx LV 10][Isabelle Creation]
Life Value: 182/182
Mana Value: 55/55
Damage: 9
Defense: 4
Speed: 9
[Quick Strike]
Can attack more frequently.
[Stealth]
If not detected while in Stealth, the first attack against a creature is guaranteed to cause the [Bleeding] effect. [Bleeding] will continuously reduce the target’s Life Value.
[Forest Element Lv. 1]
A Forest Elemental Creature. Benefits the rapid growth of forests. All Attributes are boosted within a forest. The effect depends on the ability level and Life Value.
...
Luh Yao felt a surge of excitement.
’Forest Sword finally activated successfully!’
Judging by its abilities and Attributes, the Striped Lynx was clearly an assassin, skilled at ambushes and sneak attacks, with high damage and speed. Its level was decent, too.
"My lord, I have a request."
Isabel said, "They are too weak to be of any use following me, but they can protect the humans of the Garlic Tribe in the forest."
"Could I send the weak Elemental Creatures I create back to the forest, to let them continue to grow? Once their numbers have accumulated and they’ve matured, they can be put to good use."
Luh Yao thought that was a viable idea.
Amassing an army for a single, overwhelming push. A classic strategy.
