It was a trio of Gorethraks, the 4 meter-tall yeti-like critter. This type of monster was where they could source very soft bedding.
The softness and comfort was no less than the cushions provided in the [Hearth Market], and their sleeping mats used in camping were quite comfortable (and sold well) because of this.
Finn looked at the three fortified-level monsters, their large bodies, and then estimated the amount of puffs they could extract.
How many beddings and comfortable sleeping mats could these two make? Not a few!
Of course, since they were far from the territory, there was no use for them because they wouldn’t have the time to extract the loot.
They would’ve run away, but they had entered somewhat of a rough pathway, and that the gorethraks were blocking the way, so a conflict was inevitable this time.
Fortunately, they were not far away from the expansion now, so they could afford to do this. Ideally, they could also take the fight closer to the barriers if possible.
"We have not even reached the border of Level 2 yet..." Syl said, looking at the rest of them with concern. "You weren’t exaggerating when you mentioned things have changed."
It also got her worried. Was this a sign that another Aphelion month was happening? But the previous one was only a few years ago. It was too early...
The two fortified-level people were naturally vanguards and the main force this time. Syl used her ice magic to slow down the enemies, while Gideon stabbed at the monsters, gathering aggro on himself while the rest of them found the monsters’ weakspots and targeted those.
Naturally, the fight wasn’t easy, so there was no way the monster would be taken out that easily. That said, they also knew that a prolonged fight when they were out in the open was not practical, so Gideon had to use one of his skills, the [Wind Slice], which created a sharp slice in the air.
It took out a portion of his mana, but deep gashes appeared on the three monsters, and one of them even had a third of its neck sliced.
ROOAAARR!
Their teamwork was not to be underestimated. Even if they were levels weaker than the monster, they had the advantage of numbers as well as information. It should not last for long, however, seeing as there were a number of toughened-level monsters already heading their way.
SLASH!
BANG!
Gideon directly focused on the most damaged one—the one with his neck partially slashed—to directly reduce the threats. Using his weapon, he pushed the monster’s head to add more pressure on the neck, causing it to expand more due to the weight of its head.
He then slashed the neck over and over, targeting the spots that could directly behead it. Syl maintained the ice trap on the other two, adding spikes inside to cause further damage while her teammates finished them off,
Soon, the two Gorethrak’s fell down, just in time for a dozen toughened-level monster to reach their area and try to bite off their heads. The pathway to their destination had somewhat opened up, and while defending against the new monsters, they also went closer to their destination.
Now that they were back to fighting toughened level, it was Finn and the others who had to fight more. Gideon and Syl’s role was now to clear the path to their destination,
Finn, Leiah, and the rest fought against the toughened monsters, but they did not dare to spend too much mana. As a ballpark, they limited their use of skills to one skill per monster at most, ideally none, or one use could take more than one monster.
For example, Finn would often use his AOE and CC skills when they were clustered. He’d use [Sticky Soil] to imbalance them and then use [Blade of Fire] to damage at least three monsters at a time.
Then he’d stab at their weaknesses, using [Heated Arc] when the monster’s HP still seemed high enough, but otherwise normal attacks should suffice.
Syl was also a great assist. While it was a rule that people of the same rank would have first dibs on the monsters of their rank, it wouldn’t stop them from assisting. This was unless they had to, of course.
They slowly moved towards the hills and mountain areas while they were fighting against the monsters. They thought it was just to minimize their exposure, but soon they realized Finn was leading them to a specific place.
While they were handling a mob, Finn asked them all to enter the cave, and the monsters stopped.
It was very familiar. Marcus and the others realized this was the cave from before! Was the barrier here permanent?
They all whipped their heads and looked at Finn, who was grinning.
"Welcome to the Inn Extension~"
...
"This..."
While they knew a barrier had appeared in the cave before, they didn’t think it was permanent. They thought Finn used some sort of powerful rune (which became more possible now that he was so close to an elf).
But since he called it an ’extension’, didn’t this mean that this would be a permanent resting area?!
In the middle of Level 2!?
Finn was amused at their reaction and watched them determine where the line of the barrier started and where it ended. Marcus even experimented with where the monsters could reach him.
For the delineation inside the cave without monsters, some people, like Nona, watched her stats, counting where she regenerated faster.
Finn’s lips twitched. They could just ask him...
He cleared his throat to get their attention. "I’d need a bit more gold to maximize the place—create a bigger scope. It will have the same effects as the ones in the inn (except for the rooms and special buildings), as well.
"I might also be able to fix a few problems in the logistics. I just need a bit more funds," he said, looking like a businessman who had just showed potential investors around a property.
"Who wants to make advance payments?"