Chapter 1736: 580. Isn’t technology relying on archaeology and power relying on atavism a fixed rule?-Additional update [22/30]_3
As for how to distribute those legendary weapons and equipment, let’s discuss that after the battle is over.
Niu Niu is the shield T, so naturally, he takes the lead charge. However, this time he did not use his flail but instead pulled out a heavy punch glove for defense and put it on.
This caused Stick Brother, also a defender, to blink, but he didn’t ask much. Instead, it was Orchid on the other side who raised an eyebrow, seemingly understanding what Niu Niu planned to do.
“Move! Step by step, don’t mess up!”
With Stick Brother’s command, the four shield T’s immediately stepped forward to engage the enemies.
The moment they stepped into the cave, the hunting guards of the Wolf People, who were standing in the center, instantly jumped up with a howl. The dry, weathered corpses were wrapped in eerie green light. Although their equipment had been stripped off by Murphy earlier, these creatures’ strength was real.
They were elite fighters selected by the King of Bone Biting from the entire Wolf People clan during the fourth Black Disaster. A combat squad of six, with one silver captain and five elite Black Iron members, was virtually unstoppable.
Each of the four shield T’s held one at bay, with Three Five Battles, who wielded a Divine Artifact, holding off three. They blocked the undead’s charge by positioning, allowing the melee fighters and psychics to focus on output, executing named kills based on the shield T’s “hardness level.”
But the time available to them was limited.
Because the monsters inside the cave have powerful “combat AI,” there’s no such thing as a “vigilance range.” Once the entrance is attacked, more monsters rush in, requiring the DPS to go all out with no slacking.
The progress in these frontal battles was very slow. Furthermore, every monster could potentially deliver a fatal critical hit, easily leading to accidents. When they took down two teams of hunting guards and prepared to move forward, a sneaky wolf assassin suddenly used shadow jumping to bypass the defenders, attacking the psychics.
Cheche, who was preparing a large-scale Slow Skill, didn’t have time to react, getting his shield pierced by two strikes and then hit with three critical attacks, hanging by a thread. Fortunately, Gebao reacted quickly, hitting it with a Paralysis Curse, allowing Cheche to roll away with a sliver of health.
Seeing the wolf assassin about to break free, Orchid, being the closest, turned and used her aiding skill to bash into the wolf assassin, delivering a kick to his stomach, knocking him out of the danger zone.
Brother Meow raised his axe to finish it off but saw Orchid’s weapon knocked away. However, in this critical moment, the only female shield T calmly lifted her finger and flicked it forward.
“Snap”
A biting cold wind rose instantly, freezing the poised wolf assassin into an ice sculpture. Although it struggled free a few seconds later, those precious seconds were enough for the melee fighters to close in and hack it to pieces.
“Retreat! The formation is messed up, everyone pull back to reorganize.”
Stick Brother, taken aback by the earlier slip-up, saw the monsters hurtling furiously, decided to order a retreat without hesitation. The group retreated neatly, and as they left the cave, the frenzied hunting guards fell lifelessly once more.
“What’s that skill you used?”
Brother Meow didn’t care about the failure of this attempt at all. Staring wide-eyed at Orchid, he asked:
“There’s no such general skill for a shield T. Even the Nord bloodline’s Winter’s Breath can’t control a Black Iron elite that long; it seems more like a psychic’s trick.”
“Uh, that one, it’s called ‘Ancestor’s Power.'”
Orchid placed her shield aside, looking a bit frustrated. She had meant to secretly level up and then complete the silver trial at a specific moment to shock everyone, yet her “little secret” couldn’t remain hidden.
“Huh? What the heck is Ancestor’s Power?”
This even caught Brother Cat’s curiosity.
He hefted his heavy sword and asked inquisitively:
“Is it some special skill? Did you unlock it from an NPC after completing a task?”
“Well…”
Orchid didn’t intend to elaborate.
But considering the daunting difficulty of this god-slaying mission, she hesitated for a moment and then decided to reveal this secret that could help empower players quickly.
“After choosing my new race, I found the Winter’s Breath skill particularly useful, so I used it frequently in every battle, from marsh combat to other skirmishes. Because of my role as a shield T, its proficiency rapidly increased to Master Level.
Initially, I didn’t think much of it, but then, just a few days ago, while being surrounded and beaten by seven or eight rat mobsters, my racial skill suddenly changed.”
The Grand Traveler raised her left index finger, surrounded by clusters of piercing cold aura at her fingertip, and explained:
“The system informed me that through the frequent use of Winter’s Breath, I had unearthed the ancient ancestor’s power within my Nord lineage, advancing my Winter’s Breath to become Ancestor’s Power · Ice Finger.
It can forcibly freeze enemies during melee contact, regardless of strength limitations, and apply the [Frozen Weakness] status. However, the failure rate against high-level opponents is increased.
I suspect this is a transformation that’s unique to racial skills.
I also suspect this might be the real story behind the silver trial—releasing one’s potential and excavating the powers hidden within your bloodline from your race’s origin. For example, after unlocking the Ancestor’s Power · Ice Finger, my potential release rate skyrocketed to 66%.