Chapter 709 - 672: Deep into Hell
The Blood Eagle circled among the volcanoes, capturing the arduous transport of the demon convoy in Da Fei’s view. Da Fei then began to contemplate the possibility of an ambush in this location.
First, could he get here? No problem, he possessed the God-level Reconnaissance Technique and Phantom March, which allowed the entire group to be in Stealth State. By walking along the river, it should be possible to arrive, although the only annoyance was having to walk.
Moreover, he had obtained the S-grade accessory, Demon Eye, from killing the Demon Eye Governor, reducing the negative impact of mist and darkness on vision by half. This meant that in that vast expanse of volcanic ash, he could see others, whereas they couldn’t see him. Furthermore, misty environments were more conducive to Stealth.
Additionally, he possessed the Six-headed Snake Recovery Ring, and the Nash’s Tooth accessory that restored 1 point of life and stamina every 10 seconds, rendering the negative effects of volcanic ash on life and stamina depletion completely negligible.
So, the only remaining question was whether he could win the battle.
Now, Da Fei had clearly identified the composition of these convoys. The two-headed fire-breathing Demon Beasts, as large as elephants, were pulling the wagons, with numerous imposing goat-headed demons wielding long whips escorting them, along with a large number of Level 1 Demon Children handling miscellaneous tasks.
Seeing so many Demon Children made Da Fei feel overwhelmed. In short, this was not a convoy that his small hero team could easily defeat by themselves, especially considering this was hell. Besides, his hero team’s main output was Elena, and if she encountered any accidents, such as having her Mana drained by the Demon Children, it would be quite a headache.
This meant he must bring the Forest Goddess Army there, a flying and long-range unit, supplemented by the Divine Artifact Bow’s range bonus, which would be perfect for shooting down these ground units crawling like turtles on the mountain roads. Otherwise, it would be a waste of such advantageous terrain and environment.
But if he brought troops, Da Fei had a bit of worry and reluctance. What if they failed? Damn it! Although they say that one who is merciful should not lead troops, is it really necessary to be so troubled when playing a game?
Da Fei, feeling troubled, reported his findings to Ror.
Ror, encouraged, said, "As expected of a warrior, you immediately discovered the enemy’s whereabouts. Then what are you hesitating for? The enemy would absolutely not expect you to attack directly from behind!"
Da Fei, feeling conflicted, said, "But the environment there is treacherous, and the possibility of defeat is high." Speaking of which, won’t you provide some martyr’s compensation for players who lose troops?
Ror shook his head solemnly, "Warrior, when the rewards for winning far outweigh the sacrifices, all risks and sacrifices are worthwhile. For a place as strategically critical as the City of Divine Punishment, ordinary siege machines pose no threat. But the giant siege machines of the Hell Race can hurl tons of firestones here with massive impact. But this also means these machines are extremely valuable. Successfully damaging or even capturing them would be a huge victory for our army and a significant merit for you, the warrior!"
Da Fei couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh. Compensation for troop loss doesn’t align with the system’s character. Even the NPCs say this, so he had to come to terms with it. After all, he had been accustomed to victories without any troop losses for too long, and had a psychological obstacle to sacrificing troops.
Da Fei finally made up his mind, "Alright, I’m ready to set off."
Ror advised, "The first wave of attack must give the enemy a major blow with all your strength and catch them off guard to achieve the greatest results. Otherwise, if the enemy is alerted and strengthens their defense, it will be more challenging for future actions."
Come on, all your strength? Are you implying that I should bring all the troops? Da Fei gritted his teeth, alright, the battle has come to this point, I’ll bring the entire Flying Army!
Thus, Da Fei organized the troops on the square: a total of 200 Forest Goddesses, 1 Power Angel, 1 Authority Angel, 1 Elite Intelligence Angel, 5 Heroes, accompanied by Vine Forest Master Tamilia. The entire army was at full health and stamina, with no abnormal states.
There was nothing more to say, activating the Angel’s Wings, activating Phantom March!
As Phantom March was activated, the figures of the troops on the square instantly blurred, then under Da Fei’s lead, the entire army took to the sky, flying over the Despair Plain, reaching the Lava Lake land.
—System Prompt: Warning! The Angel’s Wings have moved away from the City of Divine Punishment and are about to lose flying stunts, please land immediately.
It finally came to this, if only they could fly all the way to the destination! Da Fei, with a sense of loss, cautiously chose a landing spot with fewer demons. From now on, they would march along the riverbank, and this was where the real test of skill began. If the troops were discovered here or provoked into a fight, it would be extremely troublesome.
At the moment of Da Fei’s landing, Da Fei, Anlicia, Selvia, Elena, and Billbo simultaneously had a red "-1" damage appear above their heads!
—System Prompt: You have entered Scorching Earth, your march speed is reduced by 50%, and your Life Value will continuously decrease.
Da Fei’s frustrations reached their peak! Damn it, anyone with two feet on the ground gets hit! This is beyond troublesome, it’s even more troublesome now! The health loss is not the issue; the key is that the march speed is also reduced by 50%! Not to mention how long it might take to reach those volcanoes, if his team were discovered, they wouldn’t be able to escape but would have to fight to the death! Does this damned place in hell not allow players to have fun?
In the end, it was the infantry-like heroes that were slowing down the entire army! Infantry? Suddenly, Da Fei recalled his achievement of defeating the Nightmare! Didn’t he have a mount? Da Fei hurriedly opened his achievement reward bar:
—Nightmare Playground One-Day Trip: Upgrade any Master-level skill to Grandmaster level and obtain a Hell Horse mount.
No more words needed, this was the critical moment for the full force assault, whatever could be used, should be used quickly!
—System Prompt: You have claimed your Nightmare Playground One-Day Trip reward, you obtained the A-level strategic item "Hell Horse Reins," and you have gained the opportunity to upgrade any one Master-level skill to Grandmaster level, please choose the skill to upgrade!
—Hell Horse Reins: A-level strategic item, mount, using this item allows all your vice heroes in the team to summon a Hell Horse mount, with the special skill of Fear Aura for transportation purposes. Note: Hell Horse has an additional 50% speed increase in Lava Land and an additional 50% decrease in snowy terrain.
Da Fei’s eyebrows raised in delight, so this was the Hell Horse mount, which all team heroes could ride, just as all team heroes could fly with Angel’s Wings! And the most crucial part was, with this, he could leap from a 50% speed reduction handicap in hell to an extra 50% speed boost on the highway, without infantry lagging behind!
Fantastic, absolutely fantastic! Haha, how damn fantastic! Angel’s Wings that allow for flying, now that’s truly great!
As for upgrading to a Grandmaster-level skill, there was no need to consider much. Now was the pivotal battle, and lacking maneuverability for guerrilla warfare was the issue!
—System Prompt: You have upgraded your Master-level Logistics Skill to Grandmaster-level Logistics Skill, congratulations! You have obtained Grandmaster-level Logistics Skill, increasing your march speed by 120%.
Da Fei was pleased and sighed, after many years, he finally had another Grandmaster-level skill! The essence of Grandmaster-level Logistics Skill lay in its sub-skill, "Pathfinding Master!"
—Pathfinding Master: Reduces the impact of adverse terrain on marching by 30% to 100%.
The terrain impacts the land mobility of various races accordingly. For instance, on grassy plains, any race moves at normal speed without impact, while human logistics have a skill for "homeland" allowing for an additional 20% speed increase on grass. In some extremely challenging terrains like jungles, swamps, mountains, etc., a speed reduction of 90% is possible. (Note: The 90% reduction begins after considering total speed with Logistics skill.)
The purpose of the Pathfinding Master is to minimize these negative impacts as much as possible.
And Da Fei was about to enter the mountains: if the mountains reduced the speed by 90%, Pathfinding Master could mitigate the negative impact by at least 30%, making the actual mountain speed reduction 90%*(1-30%)=63%. This was a significant improvement. And the volcanic terrain was also the optimal terrain for the Hell Horse, providing a speed bonus further diminishing the terrain’s adverse effects.
Da Fei immediately took out the Logistics Skill Book, clicking to learn Pathfinding Master, and then used the Hell Horse Reins. In an instant, a circle of dense dark flames rose under everyone’s feet, and amid the shrill neighing, six imposing black Hell Horses appeared, instantly transforming the entire infantry hero team into cavalry!
The entire group erupted in a hubbub.
Da Fei deeply inhaled and sighed with emotion, having exactly what was needed just when he lacked it! If this were still troubling, then he might as well quit the game! Move out!
Now, Da Fei’s Hero Knight Order was racing phantom-like along the riverbank in the Lava Land. The monsters encountered along the way were timely avoided thanks to Da Fei’s God-level Reconnaissance Skill, and even the keen-eyed demons that sensed Da Fei’s group couldn’t catch up with the Grandmaster-level Logistics Skill-enhanced Hell Horse’s pace. As for the small groups of demons that couldn’t be bypassed, there was nothing more to say, the entire unit focused fire to eliminate them.
Da Fei couldn’t imagine how troublesome it would have been if he had actually walked all the way here. But this did not mean Da Fei could relax, as the real threats were not just demons!
At this moment, a sharp and piercing sound came from the sky. Da Fei hurriedly looked up. It was a meteor blazing fiercely, passing right above him!
—Boom! A loud bang sounded not far away, and magma splashed as the entire ground beneath Da Fei trembled and roared.
That’s right, this was hell. No place was safe, and there was never a moment without trouble! Who knows when a meteor could fall from the sky and hit them on the head.
And even for demons, life in hell might not be easy — the Blood Eagle ahead had discovered a new situation. A volcano erupted suddenly, with massive rocks rolling down with molten lava, blocking the path of the demon convoy, throwing it into chaos.
Da Fei’s heart rejoiced, quickly activating the logistics sub-skill Rapid March to speed up. In hell, it seemed like it was a contest of who was more unlucky! Prepare yourself, because here I come! (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to vote and recommend on Qidian [qidian.com], your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)