Chapter 56: A Costly Retreat and a Fortuitous Discovery

The situation had devolved into utter pandemonium.

Five purple-named BOSSes, their health bars full, suddenly materialized in the arena, diving down to unleash a relentless, cacophonous slaughter without so much as a preamble.

Jiangu’s face, a verdant green like the Green Giant’s, watched helplessly as his forces succumbed to the onslaught of six BOSSes.

The first BOSS had been on the verge of defeat, a mere ten percent of its health remaining!

Ten percent!

Such a bitter pill to swallow!

Every player present felt that sting of defeat, save for Su Yingning and me.

Jiangu’s staff struck the ground with a resounding thud.

Though he yearned to order a desperate surge to finish off the weakened BOSS, the reality of facing six BOSSes was a stark contrast to battling just one.

Six BOSSes didn’t merely signify six times the damage and health; they brought with them a chaotic maelstrom of aggro, and tanks whose health bars plummeted faster than even the most frantic, chest-compressing efforts of their healers could restore.

Players fell like stalks of wheat before a scythe, a devastating harvest that spelled utter ruin for Sword Sweeping the World.

“Retreat!”

Jiangu, his face still tinged with green resentment, issued the command to withdraw.

There was no time to ponder why the Red Water Dragon, despite its name, had descended from the sky. Lingering any longer would mean the annihilation of even their elite squad and remaining forces.

Adell’s first purple-named world BOSS proved far more formidable than anyone had anticipated; indeed, the notion of monopolizing its spoils had been a grave miscalculation.

Sensing the tide had turned, Su Yingning and I also made a hasty retreat, though we deliberately avoided following the main contingent of players.

While we hadn’t directly caused the chaos, our objective had, in a way, been achieved.

Sword Sweeping the World had suffered a monumental setback, with eighty percent of their elite members losing a level—a collective guild loss that could not be easily overlooked.

As players scattered in every direction, Su Yingning and I subtly withdrew towards the small lake.

“Hey! That’s a dead end!” The kind-hearted healer group leader, amidst the frantic retreat, strained their voice from the exit, calling out to us.

Yet, in the very next moment, two Red Water Dragons materialized, one after the other, forming an impenetrable barrier between us and the concerned leader.

Seizing the opportune moment when the Red Water Dragons obstructed their view, we plunged into the lake, vanishing beneath the surface.

From the healer group leader’s perspective, it appeared as though a Red Water Dragon’s charge had simply swept our figures away into the panicked throng.

“Alas, those two girls perished too. What a dreadful shame!” Black Mirror Healer sighed, turning to Jiangu, who had already reached the safety of the cave’s exit.

“Sixth Squad, retreat immediately! Retreat! Stop attacking, they’re unkillable! Regrettable, but there’s no choice! Retreat! … No, there’s no choice. Go back and compensate them well. The task of contacting those two girls falls to you. You *must* find every way to keep them within Sword Sweeping the World! … Retreat! Can you not hear me, Sixth Squad? … Even if we can’t keep both, we must keep at least one! You remember their IDs, don’t you? … Sixth Squad, are you all mad? Why aren’t you running?” Jiangu barked orders, orchestrating the guild’s full-scale retreat, yet still found a moment to reply to Black Mirror Healer.

Even though the BOSS remained undefeated, the guild’s future development remained paramount.

This attempt at a world BOSS was, by its very nature, an expedition into uncharted territory.

Every member had mentally prepared for a full party wipe, and while succumbing to a sudden wipe at the eleventh hour was undeniably frustrating, those who dared to pioneer such content should have anticipated this possibility.

In their past gaming endeavors, constant party wipes had become an ingrained habit.

“I only recall the Human female warrior’s ID as Ning Beibei. The other, the Fae priestess, had her ID hidden, so I’m uncertain of hers. You’ll just have to ask Ning Beibei, though she’s known to be a rather aloof goddess; approaching her might prove challenging,” Black Mirror Healer replied with a wry smile.

“Ning Beibei? I do recall a player named Beibei, a female, who had quite the personality. She was repeatedly targeted (TL Note: ‘被轮’ implies being ganked or repeatedly PKed by multiple players, often to the point of harassment.) until she was left in nothing but beginner cloth, yet she kept rushing back to her death. Heh… Regardless, bring plenty of gifts. As long as your ‘sincerity’ is apparent, even the most stubborn lips can be loosened,” Jiangu said dismissively.

While those two players were undoubtedly valuable for the guild’s growth, they weren’t indispensable.

Ultimately, individuals remained just that—individuals. Few had ever truly earned a place in Jiangu’s heart.

Jiangu, a headache throbbing at his temples, surveyed the battlefield littered with fallen players and mournful cries.

This time, Sword Sweeping the World had truly lost everything!

****

“Master, you must pay close attention to the current. Though the rain has ceased and the flow is considerably slower than when we arrived, caution is still paramount. It’s crucial to remember that navigating an underground river against the current is often far simpler than moving with it. We came upstream; now we’re heading downstream, so we must be exceptionally careful.”

After diving to the lakebed and navigating a constricted underwater passage, we paused for a moment’s respite within a small, submerged grotto beneath the lake.

Recent dry weather had caused the water level to recede, revealing a pocket of breathable air.

“I know, I know~ Xiaoya, you’re truly becoming an exemplary attendant~”

Su Yingning was in an absolutely splendid mood! So much so that her words practically rippled with delight.

To her, there was no greater satisfaction than personally witnessing Sword Sweeping the World’s spectacular downfall.

Sword Sweeping the World! The very Sword Sweeping the World! A colossal guild, ranked among the top ten globally!

Having always believed herself destined for a life of oppression, she now found herself, for the first time, a firsthand witness to Sword Sweeping the World’s profound losses!

While this particular setback had little to do with us, and our initial plan to snatch the BOSS remained unfulfilled, the outcome nonetheless filled us with immense satisfaction!

Watching Su Yingning laugh so freely and unburdened, I couldn’t help but feel a genuine surge of happiness on her behalf.

“In any case, we must be doubly careful on our return journey. Whatever you do, don’t get swept away by the underground river’s current. Keep moving sideways, and the slower, the better… Hey, wait for me!”

I quickly jogged to catch up to Su Yingning, who was already poised to enter the water.

Grasping her hand, and for an added measure of security, I wrapped my tail firmly around her waist.

“You’re even wrapping your tail around me… Xiaoya, you’re truly becoming so much more thoughtful~❤” Su Yingning purred, her face alight with happiness.

‘It’s only because I’m afraid this reckless, silly girl of yours will be swept away by the river!’

‘While the game might not be as terrifying as reality, and being swept away wouldn’t necessarily mean being trapped underground forever, being forced to commit suicide just to return to town would still be incredibly annoying! After all, it means losing a level!’

Fortunately, we eventually returned to the cave from which we had started, safe and sound.

“Time to mine!” Su Yingning exclaimed, pulling out her pickaxe and enthusiastically began chipping away at the gleaming magic crystal ores that studded the cave walls.

Even if we hadn’t crossed paths with Sword Sweeping the World on this excursion, simply acquiring these magic crystal ores would have yielded a massive profit!

While we hadn’t engaged in in-game item trading and thus were unaware of the exact market value for high-grade magic crystal ores, we knew they were indispensable for crafting equipment.

Magic crystal ores were integral to the crafting of both weapons and jewelry, an essential mineral resource for their creation.

The higher the quality of the magic crystal ore employed, the greater the potential for forging correspondingly superior equipment.

Here, we discovered magic crystal ores of up to Level 5—a tier that corresponded to qualities beyond blue, reaching even purple rarity!

At this stage of the game, blue-tier equipment commanded exorbitant prices, making purple-tier gear and its requisite materials practically priceless.

As I was a pet, I didn’t possess the inherent mining pickaxe that players received upon character creation.

Thus, without a tool of my own, I could only idly wander, observing my surroundings.

The sight was truly captivating.

The magic crystal ores cast a kaleidoscope of colors across the cave, while the underground river shimmered with the faint, ethereal glow of the minerals embedded in its walls, creating a dazzling scene akin to a fairy tale wonderland.

Scattered across the ground were also various crystal fragments, seemingly dislodged from the walls by some intense impact, their origins unknown.

Having nothing else to do, I began to assist Su Yingning in gathering these scattered crystal fragments.

As I collected them, my fingers brushed against a long, strip-like object with a distinct leathery texture.

Upon closer inspection, a slight stickiness adhered to it.

Illuminated by the shimmering light of the magic crystal ores, I discerned it to be a piece of crimson hide.

A sudden jolt of unease shot through me as I recalled certain discrepancies I had previously overlooked in the rush of events.

An ominous premonition settled over me…

Just then, Su Yingning’s voice rang out, a sudden cheer of pure delight.

“My goodness! Eggs! So many eggs!”