818: Chapter 804: The First Battle 818: Chapter 804: The First Battle “Boom!”
Not far away, a sudden eruption of flames caught the attention of the guards.
However, the next moment, most people shifted their attention to the increasing roars of beasts.
This eerie shallow layer of hell often experienced earthfire eruptions; a single contact could likely cause mortals to suffer extensive burns…
In most cases, it wasn’t a significant threat, as there were usually signs beforehand and it was enough to avoid the cracks, plus the power wasn’t considered strong.
But only those who truly knew what they were doing understood the potential crises that could arise…
There’s something inside that fire!”
At that moment, a candidate’s shout made Lu Ping’an briefly survey him.
Lu Ping’an’s Life Perception informed him that not only was there something inside the fire, but there was also a lot…
A multitude of lower-level Demons were climbing up along with the earthfire.
The reason the Abyss was called the “Abyss” was because it often had a layered “floor-like structure,” with relatively stable Demon ethnic groups and environments between each layer.
Moreover, someone had specifically written “Abyss Ecology,” documenting the common types of Demons and ecologies from the shallow to the deep layers.
But this thing was actually quite unreliable…
Near the human exit of the shallow layer, natural Demons were sparse due to the presence of a Guardian.
Now, as they sensed the departure of the Guardian and a large amount of “food” was available in the shallow layer, they naturally adjusted their ecological position and came to the surface layer through channels filled with earthfire.
Accompanying the sound of the explosion were the blossoming fireballs.
Those were small, dark figures with tiny wings: the Bat Demons.
They flocked together in groups of three or five, some hurling fireballs, while others cast protection abilities on their “companions.”
Shields of flame appeared on the Demons, “Fire Isolation,” “Flame Resistance”—these traits weren’t very useful in these circumstances, but they helped the Monsters, which weren’t particularly tall, to easily traverse the shallow layer’s sea of fire.
And the most troublesome were actually the sudden appearance of a swarm of Monsters in front of them.
“Horned Demon six, Flame Hound four, Bat Demon three…
The young man who had been the first to alert everyone spoke up again.
In his hand, he held a lantern with many flames flickering inside it.
Was this a device for detecting heat?
There was no strong radiation from pollutants, so could it be a contaminated item?
Or a product from an Exotic Realm?
Regardless, Lu Ping’an silently nodded, giving this “well-prepared candidate” a high appraisal.
Combat was about to erupt, and in the next moment, the two sides clashed.
The Bat Demons’ fireballs exploded among the crowd, but well-prepared professional candidates suffered minimal losses.
The most dangerous part was the front line that was almost torn open by the Horned Demons.
The crimson, towering Demons had well-developed muscles, and although they hunched like gorillas, they were over two meters tall, with four-armed thick wrists that reminded Lu Ping’an of the “Hao Li” from old cartoons.
The rampaging Horned Demons had crimson pupils, their muscles swollen even further.
Born to berserk, they were incredibly strong and dull to pain, making them excellent war machines.
There were many Battle-professions among the professionals; one who almost blocked was followed by a skinny figure who stepped forward and pushed hard with both hands.
In an instant, the momentum of the Horned Demons weakened considerably, and the line was maintained.
However, the young man who used his ability suddenly looked pale and deflated.
“Is that a wide-range binding and weakening ability?
It looks like a Talent Ability, not bad, not bad at all.”
Lu Ping’an stood behind the crowd, pulling out a handgun and firing wildly…
Although he shot accurately, it was meaningless against the thick-skinned Horned Demons.
Realizing they were blocked, the Horned Demons became even more enraged, their bodies turning red-hot.
The frontline battle-professionals felt that scorching flesh and involuntarily retreated…
They remembered from the information they had, that once a Horned Demon fell into a desperate situation or became uncontrollably enraged, it would transform into a lethal fireball.
That power was not something that a Bat Demon’s small fireball could rival; it was the difference between a fire gun and a mortar.
But as a few warriors retreated, the frontline almost collapsed again.
“Don’t panic, hold on!”
That unlucky boy stood up again, casting “Weaken” over a wide area, calming the frenzied battle line.
However, the crisis had just begun.
“Watch out for the Flame Hounds!”
Damn it, they’re too fast, and too small!”
The red canine demons, judging by their appearance alone, were probably the best-looking demons present.
Half of their bodies were flesh, while the claws and the other half were translucent flames.
If you looked at their size, they were even smaller than the large dogs of humans, but in terms of danger…
“Don’t let them bite you, they have fire poison!”
The diminutive Flame Hounds were swift, difficult to guard against when mixed within the Horned Demons, and once bitten or pounced upon, it was tantamount to declaring the end of combat.
But fortunately, from the very beginning, everyone was wary of these dangerous demons.
The frontline warriors had also donned thick protective gear for their hands, and had taken Magic Potions to drive away fire poison, preventing any direct casualties.
The Bat Demons continued to throw fireballs at a leisurely pace, these intelligent creatures always kept some tricks in reserve.
Though their fiery blast wasn’t strong, as ranged units capable of area attacks, each fireball could still shatter the professionals’ battle line.
“Archers, get those Bat Demons under control!”
Someone shouted, and Lu Ping’an, looking at the rare young man before him, had an “aha moment” and quickly aimed his pistol at the nearby Bat Demons.
This time, he didn’t slack off.
A few shots pierced the wings of a Bat Demon, bringing it crashing to the ground.
And this success made the cowardly Bat Demons a bit more passive.
This was the Abyss Domain, compared to the common Secret Realm, systems and organized Demons were like legions of an Exotic Realm, indeed quite suitable for a temporary Explorer’s evaluation.
After bursting into action, Lu Ping’an paid attention to the performances of the other professionals, mentally evaluating and scoring them.
Yet his most observed “talent,” Sister Fang, was panicking and scurrying around, seemingly busy with something.
However, it turned out she wasn’t helping at all…
If he hadn’t considered her professional expertise, Lu Ping’an would have given her zero points by now.
“Hurry, hurry, we need to move!”
In the team, someone shouted these words, Lu Ping’an noticed it was the “Lantern Bearer” from the beginning.
His decision was correct.
In the Exotic Realm, the most troublesome part was not the fight itself, but when you were besieged on all sides, any conflict could attract more enemies.
The words of the Lantern Bearer were acknowledged by most professionals.
Some took out high-quality weapons and consumables, while others began to unleash their Career Abilities in a burst.
Compared to the Demons with relatively singular abilities, the professionals’ edge was the variety and stronger burst potential.
Minutes later, this first skirmish ended in victory for the humans.
When the two Bat Demons began to escape, the Flame Hounds instantly disappeared as well, and those lower-level Horned Demons, having lost their support, were quickly annihilated…
Worth mentioning is that these Horned Demons did not self-destruct; their tier was too low, and without entering a special state, they didn’t possess that function.
But the retreat of the Demons might not be a good thing, especially for ones like the Bat Demons.
Unwilling to admit defeat, they would fly around in disarray, possibly encountering other Demon hordes and leading them here.
stop harvesting materials, another group is coming.”
The Lantern Bearer, holding his scouting lamp, commanded loudly, but this time, Lu Ping’an sensed that for kilometers around there was nothing.
Was his instrument’s Life Perception superior to Lu Ping’an’s?
Lu Ping’an shook his head but gave him a high score nonetheless.
In a long-standing team, lies are the poison of trust.
However, in a temporary team, an appropriate lie can avoid a lot of trouble.
The team moved urgently, and this long night had just begun.
Lu Ping’an wasn’t in a hurry to exert more pressure…
he wanted to see if in such a battlefield environment, they would naturally collapse.