Chapter 85 Chapter85-Slaughter
The Butterfly Fae possessed formidable attack power, further enhanced by its magical nature, rendering shields relatively ineffective against it.
Nick instinctively switched weapons, planning to suppress the Butterfly Fae with continuous assaults.
Using the speed boost gained from his invisibility, Mike managed to circle behind the Butterfly Fae before it could unleash another skill.
Meanwhile, Howard and Abby's counterattacks came swift and relentless.
A frost arrow struck the Butterfly Fae, momentarily stiffening its movements. Almost simultaneously, a massive fireball bore down upon it.
The collision of fire and ice triggered an Elemental Reaction. With a deafening explosion, the incredible force sent the Butterfly Fae hurtling backwards.
"-1782!"
"-302!"
Two starkly contrasting damage figures emerged, causing a drastic drop in the Butterfly Fae's health bar.
Such is the dominance of high-tier equipment.
Even against a LV25 Platinum-grade monster like the Butterfly Fae, it couldn't withstand Howard's skill.
Were he to unleash an SS-level skill, it would surely be obliterated instantly!
Even with just a basic skill, the Butterfly Fae was sent flying. Mike, ever the relentless pursuer, closed in on the Butterfly Fae just as it was about to recover from its fall, executing a swift dagger move: the Chisel Strike.
The Chisel Strike, a fundamental skill of the assassin class, delivers a powerful blow, and when faced head-on, can induce a 1.5-second stun on its target.
Thunk—
The razor-sharp dagger descended, embedding deeply into the Butterfly Fae's head, instantly immobilizing it in a stunned state.
This extended the control time exerted on the Butterfly Fae by another 1.5 seconds.
Coupled with the time it spent recovering from being knocked back, the combined duration of these two skills amounted to an astonishing near 5-second control time!
Such is the prowess of the great families.
A typical student might have hastily launched skills. In that case, the combined control time from the knockback and the stun would have been a mere two to three seconds!
After the Chisel Strike stunned the Butterfly Fae, Howard didn't hastily deploy another skill.
Instead, he waved his wand, summoning a radiant orb of light that he directed straight at the Butterfly Fae.
Mike swiftly circled to the creature's rear. His dagger, gleaming with an emerald light, simultaneously executed the Toxicity and Backstab skills.
In an instant, the Butterfly Fae's entire form was bathed in a verdant glow. A crisp system notification sounded, indicating its attributes had been weakened.
Simultaneously, Howard clearly observed that the wings on the Butterfly Fae's back spasmodically twitched upon the impact of the Backstab skill, making his eyes sparkle with realization.
It seemed the Butterfly Fae's skills were connected to its wings.
If they were to sever these wings, would it then be rendered incapable of deploying its skills?
Howard was never one to waver.
With a plan in mind, he acted instantly, rushing toward the stunned Butterfly Fae, shouting, "Nick, Mike, focus all attacks on the Butterfly Fae's wings. Let's sever them!"
"Understood!"
Abby, Nick, and Mike all adjusted their targets.
Especially Nick, as a warrior, he had the Charge skill. Grasping his blade with both hands, he lunged forward like a bolt of lightning, striking the Butterfly Fae's wings with a force that left no time for reaction.
The razor-sharp blade cut deep into the junction of the wings and the Butterfly Fae's flesh, sending splatters of blood into the air and eliciting a tormented scream from the creature.
Had it not been immobilized, it would have undoubtedly retaliated.
Alas, for the Butterfly Fae, a spellcasting monster, once Howard and the others got up close, the chances of it launching a counterattack had dwindled to near impossibility.
Mike thrust his dagger straight into the base of the wing, then began to twist and stir.
Howard, meanwhile, cast the Frost Arrow Spell, guiding the icy shaft formed of biting cold to pierce the root of the Butterfly Fae's wings as well.
Thwack! Thwack!
Crisp sounds resonated, and the Butterfly Fae's HP plummeted. Those majestic wings, under the concerted assault of Howard's
"Agony!"
The very instant its wings were severed, the Butterfly Fae let out a harrowing shriek of pain. Shortly after, its entire body slumped limply to the ground.
[Ding! Butterfly Fae's wings have sustained severe damage and it can no longer move!]
"Brilliant! Finish it off!"
Upon seeing the prompt, Howard showed no hesitation.
In a flash, a barrage of attacks rained down on the Butterfly Fae from the team.
Though Abby, Nick, and Mike might have had comparatively lower attack power, their relentless onslaught quickly wore down the Butterfly Fae's HP.
Before long, it faded away in a burst of radiant light.
[Ding! Congratulations to the awakened Howard's Team for successfully defeating the Butterfly Fae, earning 1200 experience points!]
Beyond the experience points, a grand pair of wings and a book were left shimmering on the ground.
The group's attention was instantly drawn to the book.
It could be a skill book or a unique item. Generally, anything that drops tends to be worth more than regular equipment.
Even if none of them could use it, selling it would yield a handsome sum in gold coins for each member.
Now the de facto leader, Howard naturally picked up both the book and the wings, lightly brushing his fingers over them to share their attributes with the group.
[Butterfly Fae Wings] (Material)
[Effect: Wings from the Butterfly Fae. Perhaps the ability to fly can be derived from studying this material.]
[Wind Blade (C-level active skill)]
[Level: 1]
[Effect: Concentrate Anemo energies to form a wind blade, dealing 150% of the caster's magic attack power as damage to a single target within 30 yards, causing the target to bleed. The bleeding target loses 300 hit points per second for a duration of 10 seconds, effects are non-stacking.]
[Cooldown: 30 seconds]
[Mana Cost: 70]
[Proficiency: 0/100]
Upon seeing the skill's effect, Abby, Nick, and Mike instantly lost interest. However, Howard's eyes sparkled with intrigue.
While Howard may possess SS-level and even SSS-level skills, he's lacking in foundational skills.
He wouldn't pass up on a C-level active skill. Without hesitation, he chose to assimilate its knowledge.
As for the Butterfly Fae Wings, being a material, they went straight into Howard's inventory.
After dividing the spoils, Mike remarked with admiration, "Howard, how did you come up with the idea that once the Butterfly Fae's wings were cut off, it would be rendered powerless?"
"Indeed," chimed in Nick, "It's our first encounter with such a monster! I thought we were in for a long battle, but with just one directive from you, we took it down effortlessly."
Hearing the duo singing Howard's praises, a suppressed smile tugged at Abby's lips.
Howard chuckled, "Its wings were so pronounced, and it seemed to channel its skills through them. I figured, why not give it a try? Now, let's keep moving! With this strategy in place, let's wipe out all the Butterfly Faes in our path!"
With that, Howard led the group deeper into the territory, even pulling out his bamboo tablet.
The defeat of the Butterfly Fae earned them a commendable 15 points.
While it didn't measure up to the Kobold Captain, it was much easier to defeat. In terms of racking up points, this might be the more efficient route.
Thus, with their eyes set on accumulating points, Howard and his party completely sidelined the Kobolds, their focus entirely captured by the allure of the Butterfly Fae.
This is where the strength of a team truly shone.
Had it been just Howard and Abby, they could only have relied on their spell skills or arrows, able to strike the Butterfly Fae, but incapable of severing its wings.
After all, different weapons inflict different types of damage. To cut something as resilient as wings, one needs the bite of axes, daggers, or swords.
Whenever they encountered a new Butterfly Fae, the strategy was simple: Howard and Abby would initiate with either the Frost Arrow Spell or the Gravity Spell, briefly immobilizing the creature.
This allowed Nick and Mike to close in swiftly, their razor-sharp blades making swift work of the wings.
And thus, the haunting screams would ring out, as another pair of Butterfly Fae wings fell to the ground.
There's an old saying: where there's no commerce, there's no slaughter.
For the sake of points, the pitiable Butterfly Fae became the target of a massacre.
In just a matter of seconds, another Butterfly Fae would meet its untimely end, its wings reduced to mere materials, its very essence converted into points for Howard and his companions.
Furthermore, given the relatively low levels of Howard and his party, the Butterfly Fae had a high drop rate for them.
For every five or six Butterfly Fae they felled, they could loot a skill book.
Wind Blade, Multiple Wind Blade, and even Wind Rush were among the treasures they reaped, accumulating in growing numbers.
Had he been alone, Howard would scarcely have resisted the urge to combine these skills to see what new powers they might forge.
However, as the group relentlessly hunted the Butterfly Fae, suddenly a fierce wind blew, accompanied by a piercing voice, "Humans, you've gone too far! How dare you slaughter my kin so wantonly!"
Upon hearing this, a shadow passed over the faces of Howard and his party.
Swiftly looking up in the direction of the voice, they saw a swirling black wind approaching from the distance.
And from its midst, a vast, dark figure began to emerge!
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