Chapter 16: The Binding Orb and the Fauns’ Territory

“My god, why didn’t any of you come to save me?!” Chen Lili, still trembling with lingering fear, patted her chest. She continued with a shudder, “Aren’t we on the same team? Why wouldn’t you help me? If not for those minor monsters…”

“But you’re perfectly fine, aren’t you? Those little monsters were merely level 32 trash, hardly a threat to someone of your level 100.” Xingxing interrupted Chen Lili’s outburst, her tone cool and detached. “Had there been any real danger, we would naturally have rushed to your aid. Didn’t you dispatch those minor creatures with just a few punches and kicks?”

“Moreover, I did warn you earlier, Lili-jie (TL Note: A respectful address for an older sister), that those tree demons could use magic. You simply charged in without listening to what I said!” Xue Hu wrote on her wooden board. “If you had only discussed your plan with us before acting, Lili-jie, wouldn’t we have avoided such a chaotic situation?”

“I, I, fine, it’s my fault, alright? But I was the one who defeated these monsters, so I’ll be looting their corpses. Don’t crowd around, alright?” Chen Lili, outnumbered in the argument, swallowed her anger despite her lingering fury. “These tree demons use magic, so perhaps they’ll drop magic books.”

In truth, these tree demons were far too low-level compared to the players; even if they dropped something valuable, it would be negligible in the players’ eyes. Although Chen Lili had been momentarily rooted by the tree demons’ “binding magic,” her hands remained free. As the tree demons rushed forward, Chen Lili swiftly eliminated them with a few punches. Once the “binding magic” wore off, she charged at the remaining two tree demons and struck them down as well.

“Ha, as expected, there *is* something different!” Chen Lili exclaimed. “What’s this? Hmm? A branch? What’s it for? [One-handed Weapon, Damage: 100~180, Durability: 100/100].” She “pulled out” a long branch from the tree demon’s corpse, which, to her surprise, was a weapon meant for melee combat. While its base damage was unremarkable, it boasted the ability to add the wielder’s own attack power! “Let me see if there are any magic books… Eh? What’s this round thing?”

As Chen Lili spoke, she “extracted” another glittering, spherical object from the tree demon’s remains, which glowed with a soft green light. This sight made both Xingxing and Xue Hu, who had been watching from the sidelines, widen their eyes. This luminous orb was clearly no ordinary item like the ones they had encountered before, leading them to wonder…

“[Binding Orb: Upon use, deals 200 (+Intelligence) area damage and binds targets within the area for 2 seconds. Cost: 200 MP. Prerequisite: Wood-Elemental Magic (Learned)].” While Chen Lili recited the orb’s description verbatim, it did not prevent Xingxing and Xue Hu from grasping its utility. “Is this what the System referred to as a ‘magic orb’ earlier?” Xingxing pondered aloud. “Yet, it still appears to be a consumable item. How is it different from the previous drops? And it drains mana; do we really need to learn some ‘wood-elemental magic’ first?”

Despite her verbal disdain, Chen Lili continued to toy with the ‘Binding Orb’ in her hand before tucking it away, clearly having no intention of sharing it with her teammates, nor even allowing the other two a glance. Though Xingxing and Xue Hu harbored resentment, they remained silent, acknowledging their earlier “failure to assist” (TL Note: A common Chinese idiom, ‘jiàn sǐ bù jiù,’ meaning to stand by idly while someone is in danger). Xue Hu then wrote on her wooden board, “Since these monsters are already dropping melee weapons and orbs, it suggests that even more powerful monsters deeper inside might drop better loot. Let’s hurry in and see!”

The trio advanced deeper into the forest amidst a distinctly disharmonious atmosphere. Along the way, they encountered numerous new monsters, predominantly “magical creatures” that defied reality, as well as several large beasts. When a few tigers suddenly appeared, Xingxing even let out a “frightened” shriek, her panic visibly evident. Chen Lili, feeling a sense of vindication, taunted her for a few moments before the three of them worked together to dispatch the tigers.

The monsters encountered earlier, being too low-level, offered no experience points to the players, despite dropping items, weapons, and orbs. However, upon reaching the territory of the level 70 fauns, the creatures there began to provide a small amount of experience to the level 100 players. Despite their high levels, the players found battling these level 70 monsters somewhat challenging due to their lack of superior weapons, equipment, and items. Consequently, the “girls’ team” decided to grind here for a while, accumulating more equipment materials, orbs, and healing items. Once they were all fully prepared, they would venture further into the forest’s depths.