Most poisonous insects are not as powerful as monsters. They cannot control elements, do not have large enough bodies to withstand blows, and have very low defense.
They have almost no intelligence and act entirely on instinct. The only thing that is deadly to them is their poison.
For lone rangers and small teams, the only outcome of encountering countless poisonous insects in such an underground palace is total annihilation.
But for such a large team of thousands of well-equipped people, it will just take some time to advance.
The scavengers have enough experience in dealing with these insects. They can burn, freeze, and use drugs to make them kill each other... It doesn't take much effort to kill a large number of them.
As for the [Two-Headed Blind Snake], although this creature is very poisonous, any large team has enough equipment and tactics to hunt large monsters.
The mage's "Slow Ray", "Vine Entanglement", "Air Coagulation", "Swamp Magic"... are all spells that limit the speed of magical beasts.
Group casting, covering a large area, blind snakes with low intelligence can easily fall into the trap.
There are also steel cables and steel nets of heavy mechas arranged there. If you get some blood food, the monsters will naturally fall into the trap.
Once it is controlled, with the concentrated fire of thousands of people, it can be killed in minutes, even if it is a fourth or fifth level blind snake.
Although some casualties were caused, the official mercenary groups such as the Rosas family advanced at a fast speed.
As for the poison in the palace, the casualties were not great.
It was not only because the official hunting group brought enough antidotes, but also because the other team had a poison expert - [Venomancer] Gizela.
She is the third disciple of Dea Vanilla, the [Black Witch], one of the "Ten Legends".
Those who are good at using poison will naturally be able to detoxify it.
With her around, the losses of those hunting teams dropped by 80%.
At this moment, Ryan, who was hiding in the distance and silently observing the battle, recognized that guy.
…
The official hunting group of the Rosas family progressed quickly.
When flares hit the sky, they naturally saw the "Rainbow Holy Grail" emitting a colorful halo.
But because there are too many poisonous substances, we can't get close for the time being.
Others didn't know what the Holy Grail was, they only knew it might be a treasure, but Gizela, an expert in poison, recognized the insect pattern on the Holy Grail at first sight and was shocked.
This trip is really worth it!
“I didn’t expect the legend to be true!”
He exclaimed excitedly: "This... [Malacas's Holy Grail of All Poisons] is actually in this tomb. No wonder there are so many poisons gathered here, it turns out it's because of this holy artifact!"
The Venomancer is a branch of the "Plague Law Sequence" and is a descendant of Malacath, the [Plague Lord] who ranks last among the seventy-two generals.
There is a legend that has been passed down in this tradition, saying that a magical silver holy grail appeared in the ancient text of Monk. It has a fatal attraction to poisonous creatures in the world and can attract all poisons to worship. The holy grail can also absorb the essence of all poisons and condense into crystals, making it the most poisonous thing in the world.
This [Malacrass's Holy Grail of All Poisons] is a treasure for nurturing poisons, and it is also the "divine weapon" that poison sorcerers dream of!
Hearing this, the green-haired young man beside the gray-robed warlock spoke up curiously, "Master Gizela, is this what you are looking for? Is there something magical about this silver cup?"
The person who spoke was naturally George Rosas, the young lord of the "Black Wind Territory".
The matter of hunting wastelands did not originally require the top leaders to go down to the ground to explore in person.
But ever since he surrounded Ryan, Catherine and others a few days ago and encountered a counterattack and was almost scared to death, this young master doesn't dare to wander around outside now.
That "mysterious man" was able to defeat the fighting master [Mysterious Hand] Nord, who was known as a top-level third-level strongman, with just one punch. George felt that his accompanying guards could not give him any sense of security.
Now that all his direct men had come underground, George didn't dare stay on the ground anymore and followed them down to the ruins.
In his opinion, although there are some monsters underground, it is much safer than staying in the camp.
At least, the ruins are full of our own people, so we don't have to worry all the time that someone will suddenly rush out and assassinate us.
Moreover, he felt that the solution to the maze was only known to the top leaders of their Rosas family, and outsiders could not get out. Staying here was actually the safest.
"This holy grail is related to a legend of our poison sorcerer lineage ..."
Hearing the question, Gizela briefly explained a few words about the legend of the Holy Grail.
Then, she responded, "Not only the Holy Grail, but also the seven-colored crystal in the Holy Grail is a treasure. It is the essence of all kinds of poisons. With this poison, my [Poisonous Hand of the Void] will be perfected. By then, even a fifth-level warrior will be hit by my palm and the poison will attack his heart. If he doesn't die, he will be seriously injured!"
As she spoke, a confident gleam flashed in her eyes, and she unconsciously stroked her right palm.
The hand was wearing a waxy white glove, with a faint black aura emanating from it.
"Can you kill a fifth level?"
Young Master George had naturally heard of the name of this poison sorcerer, but he had no interest in any toxins or martial arts.
He was more curious about whether the other party could protect his safety, so he asked tentatively: "Master Ji Zela... you have also heard about the guy who severely injured [Mysterious Hand] Nord that night. If you really meet such a guy, are you sure you can kill him?"
As a disciple of the [Black Witch] Dia, Gizela naturally knew what happened that night.
The mysterious man not only broke Nord's arm, but also used a powerful bomb to seriously injure the "Grandmaster" Rocky.
However, she was very confident that she could deal with that guy, and said, "That guy is only a third-level fighter after all. Although he may have some secret method that allows him to have the combat power of a fourth-level fighter, but... just don't run into me. If he does, I will make sure he has no chance of returning!"
After a pause, she added sinisterly, "I'm not afraid of him coming, I'm just afraid of him not coming."
"Oh? That's great..."
When Young Master George heard this, he felt much more at ease.
At this time, the two were talking, when suddenly, a violent commotion broke out at the front of the battle line which was almost advancing to the center of the palace.
Bang, bang, bang…
That was the sound of artillery firing.
Unless you encounter a large monster, that kind of thing will never be used.
Soon after the noise came, someone came to report: "Master George, it's bad, a huge two-headed black snake appeared in front, it looks like a snake king! Its venom is too strong, a simple trap can't trap it, we need a master to restrain it..."
Young Master George listened and looked at the gray-robed sorcerer beside him.
Gizela raised her eyebrows and said, "I'll go take a look. That two-headed snake looks like a rare ancient species. It's not easy to deal with..."
…
In the distance, on top of a broken stone pillar, there was a guy lying stealthily observing the battle situation through a telescope.
This was naturally Ryan, who had been watching the show for quite some time.
When he saw the giant snake coiled on the ceiling wake up, crawl down the stone pillar to the ground and join the battle, he finally knew that his chance had come.
As soon as the snake king joined the battlefield, he charged forward with unstoppable force.
Just as Ryan guessed, this was a fifth-level "Beast King" with ferocious combat power.
It directly knocked over a large number of medium-sized mecha warriors, and the poisonous mist it sprayed out could instantly turn low-level extraordinary beings into a pool of thick water.
Ordinary muskets and swords chopped at its black jade-like scales, causing sparks to fly, but they could not hurt it at all.
For a moment, because of the joining of the snake king to the battlefield, the wasteland hunters were beaten without any chance to fight back.
"Tsk tsk, this snake king is so strong..."
Ryan saw this scene and smiled as expected. He hoped that the fight would be as intense as possible, and it would be best if both sides were injured so that he could reap the benefits.
…
However, Ryan also knew that the snake king had little chance of winning.
Those experienced scavengers did not engage in direct confrontation with the giant snake, but quickly changed their defensive formation.
It has to be said that the top leaders of these large-scale hunting groups recruited by Glorious City are no ordinary people.
They also have enough experience to deal with such emergencies.
After the snake king rushed into the position, the hunting team quickly withdrew their formation.
They used mechas and heavy shields to form a defensive battle formation, which did not completely block the enemy, but instead transformed into a "sharp knife" battle formation.
This kind of battle formation is specially designed to attack large monsters. The tip of the knife makes the monsters dare not confront head-on, and the shields are linked together, so most of the impact force will be unloaded to the ground.
Even if the monster has a strength of ten thousand pounds, when it crashes into the battle formation, the hunter will only receive one tenth of the impact force.
The giant snake slithered between the sharp knives, and was attacked by all kinds of defense-breaking, corrosion, and resistance-reducing magic. If the snake scales were damaged, it would be cut without knowing it.
When Ryan saw the battle formation formed by dozens of "swords", he knew that if the giant snake did not escape, defeat would be inevitable.
If it fails to break up the scavengers' formation in the first place, then the only thing that awaits it is death by exhaustion.
After all, toxins are limited and physical strength is limited.
The giant snake's lightning speed is the same as a human's explosive martial arts, and it is impossible for it to continue at such a high speed;
The toxins are like some high-protein substances in the human body. If they are stored for a longer time, they can be ejected more times. If they are emptied and cannot be replenished in a short period of time, it is impossible to eject them indefinitely...
The wasteland hunter will eventually win with wisdom.
However, Ryan still did not take action, but waited patiently for the opportunity.
Although the snake king did not have the upper hand, he was not at a disadvantage either, and he would not be killed in a short time.
If he tried to seize the Holy Grail now, there was no guarantee that the giant snake would sense and return to its nest...
…
The commander of the other hunting group was also very experienced. Once the battle formation was stabilized, the battle became orderly.
The snake king was trapped and died in the war and could not escape.
Gradually, wounds appeared on its body and scarlet blood flowed out.
Once the armor is broken, the hunters will know how to attack, concentrate their firepower to tear open the wound and increase their advantage...
The snake king was being eaten away bit by bit until he was trapped and was already showing signs of defeat.
After more than half an hour, Ryan saw through the telescope a gray-robed warlock walking directly into the poisonous fog.
He knew the battle was about to end.
"How amazing... He actually completely ignored the poisonous mist sprayed by the [Two-Headed Blind Snake]."
Ryan was amazed and naturally recognized this famous poison expert - [Poison Hand] Gizela.
This guy is an old and powerful man who has been famous for decades. Naturally, his poison resistance is much higher than mine who has just awakened the [Voodoo Master] potion.
She completely ignored the poisonous mist spewed by the snake king, and moved around the scene recklessly, detoxifying and saving people, and occasionally giving the snake king a fierce blow with his huge body.
Her body surface was covered with a thick layer of green paste-like substance, making her look like a ball of melting chocolate.
It was because of this layer of mud that she remained safe and sound even when being whipped by the snake's tail.
"This method is really a bit tricky..."
Ryan looked at that special supernatural ability and frowned slightly.
The intelligence he obtained recorded this guy's ability, which was her signature supernatural ability "Poison Mud Armor".
The extraordinary profession of Venomancer is a bit special.
They are not like magicians, who possess strong magical powers; nor are they like melee fighters, who possess outstanding hand-to-hand combat abilities.
In general, they are physically weak.
But they have some strange abilities, such as this "poison mud armor".
This is not a "magic shield" nor an "elemental armor", but a protective mud coat condensed from the body's own toxins.
The defensive power of this layer of poison mud is far inferior to that of the magic shield, but it also has a high ability to buffer and reduce damage. Moreover, there is a fatal threat, that is - anti-injury poison!
If touched by external force, this layer of mud armor will explode like a punctured water balloon and splash your face.
Once this ability is used, it will be invincible against most melee supernatural beings. Like a hedgehog, ordinary people can't even touch it.
The higher the level of poison, the more deadly this mud armor will be.
And the Gizela with the [Poison Hand] in front of him is the guy who has practiced poison skills to the extreme!
Although her extraordinary rank is only the fourth level, she has an impressive record of poisoning and killing fifth-level extraordinary people.
It can be said that among the extraordinary people who use poison in the world today, this guy's ability ranks among the top three.
Of course, the combat power of the [Venomancer] fluctuates.
Like these poisonous insects, she has a weak body and limited means of attack, the only deadly means being her poison.
If she encounters a superhuman who is helpless against her poison, she can kill a fifth-level superhuman;
If she encounters a poison that cannot be controlled by her, perhaps a second- or third-level extraordinary being would be able to kill her.
Ryan thought it was worth a try.
He was confident that his current resistance to poison was quite high, and he was also interested in trying out this legendary poison master.
But reason told him that he couldn't confront this guy head-on now.
Because he had never fought before and had no data analysis, he was not sure whether his body could withstand such a completely unfamiliar toxin.
So, Ryan continued to observe.
…
As time went by, there was basically no suspense in the battle.
The snake king was completely dominated by the blood-consuming fighting method. He could neither escape nor break the formation.
It was already dying, and its speed in the battle array was getting slower and slower.
And because the battle is already decided,
Those senior officials who had previously taken refuge in the maze appeared again at this moment.
They wanted to enjoy and witness the final scene of slaughtering the giant snake.
Through the telescope, Ryan saw several familiar faces among the group of people.
The most eye-catching one is naturally the young master George with green hair who is surrounded by a group of guards.
Beside him, Gannicos, who was chained, looked ashen.
“Eh…”
Seeing Young Master George and Gannix, a bold idea suddenly flashed through Ryan's mind.
Almost all the experts in this noble hunting group are dealing with the giant snake at this moment.
And there seemed to be only two third-level guards around him?
Originally, Ryan was planning to snatch the Holy Grail in front of these people, but now, it seems that there are better ideas.
Having made the decision, he walked quietly towards the crowd without any hesitation.
…
At this moment, although the battle is nearing its end, the temporary field hospital built at the entrance of the second floor is busy.
Although surrounded by battle formations, the snake king still caused hundreds of casualties.
Corpses and wounded soldiers were dragged back from the front lines of the battle, wailing everywhere.
"Doctor! Prepare the antidote!"
"Logistics team, carry the seriously injured down, and bring up two hundred-man replacement teams. Hurry, don't dawdle! The snake king is about to die, be careful of his rage..."
"If you are okay, please lend a hand and carry the wounded. For those who are still breathing, inject the antidote first..."
“…”
Although the rescue scene was a bit chaotic and the battle line was long.
Ryan, who was mixed in with the insect swarm, hid in a corner away from the main battlefield. Then, when the snake king went berserk, its tail swept across the battlefield, and the sand and gravel narrowed its eyes, he quietly mixed in with the group of wounded.
The members of these noble hunting groups are not all one team, but several large groups put together, and they do not all know each other.
Moreover, the passage leading down the maze had been guarded by their people, and no one would have thought that an outsider would sneak in from the insect swarm at this time.
The main forces are all surrounding and killing the Snake King.
Ryan carried a corpse and sneaked into the field hospital quietly.
Then, he quietly moved to the temporary command post near the stone gate.
Young Master George is heavily guarded, so Ryan needs to wait for an opportunity.
Wait for the moment when the snake king is killed.
…
The battlefield on the front line was full of dangers, but there was no sense of tension here.
Young Master George was drinking coffee and humiliating Gannix with great interest.
"I didn't expect that Lady Catherine had been hiding in the hunting team all along. It's such a pity that such a delicate beauty died in the mouth of insects... Don't you think so, Gannicus?"
"Hey... Look at you, do you want to kill me?"
"Oh, what a pity, the dog is on a leash..."
“…”
No matter how humiliated he was, Gannix gritted his teeth and said nothing.
This guy is also miserable. Instead of being a wealthy businessman, he just wants to travel, hunt and be an adventurer all day long.
You said it was a wasteland hunting, so it was a wasteland hunting. This was my first time to hunt in the true sense of the word, and all kinds of bad luck happened at the same time.
The ruins are a dream ruins, with treasures, monsters, and a large amount of unknown ancient civilization data waiting to be studied...
But all kinds of messed up plots happened, such as betrayal by subordinates, encirclement and suppression, being arrested, forced confession, and losing relatives and friends...
Reality taught him a good lesson.
In these few short days, Gannix felt that he had matured a lot more mentally than in the eighteen years he had lived.
Under normal circumstances, after hearing those insulting words, he would definitely shout and fight with the green-haired guy in front of him.
But now, although he was angry, he was also calm.
humiliation?
I don't care anymore.
As long as there is a chance.
I will definitely kill you!
Gannix suddenly understood what his teacher Uncle Sam had said about the threshold to the third level of transcendence.
He also felt the "great enlightenment" between life and death.
Unfortunately...it seems a little late now.
In addition to being angry, Gannicus was also filled with sadness.
Although I held a glimmer of hope that my mother had "anthelmintic powder" on her body, there was a glimmer of hope that she could still survive; but there were too many poisonous insects in this underground palace...
Thinking of this, a thought suddenly popped up in his mind: If I could be as strong as Mr. Ryan, then I would definitely be able to protect my family.
…
No matter how humiliated he was, Gannix didn't react at all, which made Young Master George feel no pleasure.
At this time, he spoke more and more outspokenly, and continued to fantasize about his unrealized lustful thoughts, saying: "I was thinking that if I really caught her, I could enjoy the taste of the beautiful president of the Redwood Chamber of Commerce. It seems that there is no chance... Hey, then, won't you call me father?"
After a pause, George added: "Haha... I don't want a son as old as you."
Gannix listened, expressionless.
He suddenly felt that these words, which had once driven him crazy, were now very childish.
There was no ripple in my heart.
Far from being enraged, he sneered and mocked, "George, you are just a coward who can only hide among the guards. Haha, do you think I didn't see how scared you were that night? You only dare to talk nonsense... Do you dare to untie my chains and fight me fairly?"
After saying this, there was no fear in his eyes, and he said bluntly: "Humph, coward! You dare not!"
"you……!!!"
George listened, as if something was hurt, and his face darkened instantly.
Although he was a second-level wizard, he had no interest in learning any magic since he was a child. He had forgotten all those complicated and difficult spells. How could he dare to accept a duel?
He had no way to refute this.
George was extremely embarrassed in his frustration.
Unable to find any words to refute, he could only pick up the whip beside him and whipped Gannix in the face, saying angrily : "You are looking for death!"
Gannicus was whipped, and a bloody mark immediately appeared on his handsome face.
He still showed no fear, spat out a mouthful of blood foam, and continued to taunt: "Haha, you still call me a noble? I have seen many nobles. But you are the first one who doesn't even have the courage to agree to a duel."
"you……"
Young Master George was speechless as he listened. He was so angry that his face turned purple and he could only whip him non-stop.
Snap, snap, snap…
The crisp sound of the whip broke the flesh and hit the bones.
Gannicus showed no sign of pain on his face, and even used the slang of his hometown to mock: "Do you really think that you are aristocrat just because you put on noble clothes? A toad is, after all, a toad that is not worthy of being on the stage. A coward like you is not worthy of being called a noble at all!"
Young Master George was so angry that his face turned blue, as if he had a dead mouse in his throat that he couldn't swallow or spit out. He could only utter some dry, bland words: "You...you...you are looking for death!"
I just humiliated him for a long time, but he didn't react at all.
Now, he was so angry because of these words that he almost couldn't breathe.
Whether he was scared to death or he didn't dare to agree to the duel, it was a fact. Gannix's words were like sharp knives, stabbing him in the heart.
George couldn't win the argument, so he could only swing the whip continuously, hitting Gannix who was bound by chains.
…
With the "Magic-Suppressing Collar" on, Gannix couldn't mobilize any fighting spirit at all. The whip hit him hard and penetrated his lungs, causing serious injuries.
"Pooh!"
But even so, he still didn't bow his head, and spat a mouthful of blood and phlegm on George, "Coward! I'm chained now, and you don't dare to kill me?"
"I'm going to kill you!"
George was enraged, and he kept repeating these words like a madman, ready to kill the guy who insulted him.
However, the worshippers around him stopped his crazy behavior.
At least before the exploration of the ruins is completed, this Gannicus cannot die.
After all, no one in the entire hunting team understood the Monkel civilization better than him.
Gannix sneered and looked at the sharp knife without any fear.
Even he himself did not realize that his "brave spirit" had already begun to take shape.
Just as a verbal farce was unfolding in the command post and was unable to end, cheers came from the front.
“Kill him!”
"Haha, the snake king was killed!"
“…”
After paying the price of hundreds of people, the snake king that posed the greatest threat was finally killed!
The hunters knew that there was usually only one beast king in an area. The killing of this snake king meant that the biggest threat to the underground palace was eliminated.
Victory is right at hand.
…
The huge snake corpse was lying on the ground motionless, and everyone's attention was drawn to it.
At this time, Young Master George's attempt to kill was stopped, and he realized that Gannix was deliberately trying to provoke him to kill, so the anger in his heart dissipated a lot.
"snort!"
With a cold snort, George prepared to leave the command post.
He knew that if he stayed any longer, he would definitely be mocked and humiliated by this guy, so he decided to go and see the giant snake's corpse to relax.
Compared with the empty talk, the gains from this relic are the most important.
But after walking a few steps, a person suddenly came towards him and aroused the vigilance of the guards around him.
The guard shouted, "Stop! Which regiment are you from? If you're not at your post, what are you doing here?!"
But by the time they discovered it, it was too late, because the two sides were less than twenty meters apart.
The man who was stopped did not speak, as the pig-faced mask covered most of his long face. But he also stopped and looked at Young Master George with a half-smile.
Looking at the malicious eyes, George suddenly felt extremely familiar, as if he was struck by lightning, and a horrible thought flashed through his mind.
"It's... that guy?!"
George's heart was broken, his brain was too frightened to react, but his body instinctively wanted to retreat behind the guards.
But at this moment, a figure flashed in front of him, and a hand as big as an iron clamp had already grabbed his neck.
Then, a drake-like cry for help resounded throughout the palace: "Help!"