I stood to the side, secretly noting down their attack methods, especially the Barbarian proficient in War Cry Skills. I made sure to remember the Attack Range of his War Cry Skill. It's always wise to be prepared; a little more understanding means a little less danger.
Before long, the Barbarian, who was indeed slightly weaker, was the first to be defeated. Immediately, the Arena below erupted into chaos. Those running bets on the side beamed with joy if they won, while the losers cursed loudly. Adventurers didn't care about mere Money; what they needed was passion, excitement, and thrill.
Next, a gaunt, sinister-looking Necromancer jumped onto the Arena, pointed below, and shouted, "Luo Ye, you brat, get up here! Let's spar again!"
Wow, this Necromancer was actually wearing Hard Leather Armor. Although he didn't have a Necromancer's dedicated Staff in hand, that Short Sword radiating Magic Quality light must have made many Melee Adventurers drool. It seems he's an incredibly powerful, high-level Necromancer!
As soon as the Necromancer finished speaking, the crowd, as if they had known beforehand, instantly cleared a path. An Assassin wearing Magic Quality Leather Armor, with a Fist Sword in one hand and a Magic Quality Light Shield in the other, silently darted up.
"Jia Lin, if you're so determined to lose, then I'll grant your wish."
This cool Assassin Uncle said in a cold tone, causing the surrounding people to feel a chill.
"Hmph, what else can you say besides boasting?" The Necromancer sneered. "Don't forget, I've won one more time than you."
"After this match, we'll be tied."
The Assassin Uncle remained unmoved, still keeping a straight face and speaking coolly. Coupled with his slightly gaunt and weathered face, if he were in the original world, he could definitely charm a group of middle-aged women.
Listening to their conversation, it seemed they were already regulars at this Arena.
"Sigh, it's them again. The good show is over, let's go."
Doug yawned and quietly pulled me.
"Why leave?" I asked curiously. "This is a battle between two High-Grade Adventurers! It must be very exciting!"
"No matter how exciting a battle is," he said, "if it's always the same, it gets boring after watching too much. Moreover..."
He lowered his voice, afraid the two people on stage would hear: "Their battle is basically like a mouse dragging a turtle – there's nothing to see."
"Let me watch a bit longer, I haven't seen it yet." I stared intently at the two people on stage, refusing to move my feet even an inch.
"Hmph, you'll see later," Doug said with a snort. "This will be such a long and boring battle." Geoff, rarely agreeing with Doug, also nodded lightly from the side.
Oh? If it were just Doug saying it, I wouldn't quite believe it, but Geoff nodded too, so it seems it's true. I became interested instead.
At this moment, someone brought up a large box and scattered the contents onto the Arena. I took a closer look and was stunned. It turned out to be some dead Mice. It seemed they were prepared for the Necromancer to cast spells. That's right, if he lacked Corpse Summoning, the Necromancer would be no match for the Assassin.
That Necromancer named Jia Lin muttered to himself. Before long, the corpses of those Mice had already turned into Skulls. It was truly tough on these little Mice; such tiny bodies, yet forcibly turned into Skulls. Once again, I curse the lazy God.
That Assassin named Luo Ye waited very gracefully for Jia Lin to finish summoning the Skulls. Wow, there were a full 7 of them. It seems the Necromancer really invested heavily in Summon Skeleton!
Then, another Clay Golem emerged from the ground. The Necromancer was slightly out of breath. Just these few Summons had already consumed nearly 100 points of his Mana.
And so, the boring match Doug spoke of began. The Necromancer Jia Lin commanded 4 Skulls and the Clay Golem. He kept 3 Skulls by his side as Tanks, tightly surrounding himself.
The four Skulls and the Clay Golem were the first to launch an Attack on the enemy. The clumsy Clay Golem blocked from the front; its sturdy body and long Life allowed it to withstand many Attacks. As for the 4 Skulls, relying on their Dexterity and agility, they would occasionally block positions, cutting off the Assassin's dodging direction, attempting to corner him. Then the Clay Golem would deliver a fatal blow.
But the Assassin's Dexterity was no joke. Especially after buffs were applied, his Speed was astonishing. The Skulls simply couldn't block his path, and were instead frequently marked by his Fist Sword.
This battle continued for a while, and I immediately saw the essence of their victory and defeat. To put it plainly, just as Doug had said, it was like a mouse dragging a turtle – neither could make a move. The Assassin couldn't get close to the Necromancer in a short time, and the Necromancer's Skulls and Clay Golem couldn't hit the Assassin either.
This was a war of attrition. The key to victory or defeat was whether the Necromancer's Mana ran out first, or if the Assassin was cornered by the Skulls first. It was indeed quite frustrating.
However, it wasn't without its exciting points. Leaving aside the Assassin's rapid Speed and exquisite dodging, the Necromancer Jia Lin's control over his Summons left me utterly astonished.
How to put it? It was like controlling an extension of his arm, almost as if they were a part of his own body.
This made me think of my own Summoning Skill. After this period of observation and inquiry, I roughly learned that compared to the Necromancer's Summons, the Druid's Summons could be said to have their own advantages and disadvantages.
The Necromancer's advantage is the large Quantity of Summons, and they can be enhanced. Because they have no Life, they are easy to control and require almost no training to command his Summons well. But the disadvantages are also obvious. These Skulls, because they have no Life, only have the instinct to Attack nearby creatures. So if you don't control them properly, they will definitely make mistakes and be disorganized. And if you want to command this bunch of skeletons well, you must expend a lot of Energy on it. Even many Necromancers who aren't very skilled, when controlling their Skulls, cannot be distracted and cannot even move.
Especially in the later stages, if it's a Necromancer specializing in Summoning Skills, after their Skill Level increases, they need to simultaneously command dozens of Summoned Creatures in combat. I believe you don't need me to describe it; everyone knows the difficulty involved. It's said that many Necromancers suffer from severe mental strain, likely because they control too many in Quantity normally.
As for the Druid's Summoned Creatures, although the Quantity is relatively small, they possess Life. This has both advantages and disadvantages, but I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
The disadvantage is naturally the difficulty in communication; commanding them is relatively difficult, requiring a long period of Coordination to be able to communicate with them.
The advantages are also obvious. They have Life, so they naturally have intelligence. You just need to give it a command, and it will act on its own, without you having to worry. Of course, you don't need to worry that their combat ability will be less precise than if you controlled them yourself. Although the intelligence of these creatures with Life is low, their combat instinct is quite terrifying. Especially the Summon Spirit Wolf and Feral Wolf learned later. Wolves are pack animals by nature; their intelligence is definitely not low, and their nature is cunning and ferocious. As long as you slightly designate a target for them, a few Wolves coordinating with each other to Attack can often produce terrifying combat power that will surprise you.
Getting back to the Arena, under the Necromancer Jia Lin's precise command, the Assassin's space was shrinking little by little. Of course, it wasn't that he had no chance to break through the encirclement and rush in front of the Necromancer. But thinking about it, not to mention Jia Lin had three Skulls acting as Tanks in front of him, he himself was also wearing Hard Leather Armor and holding a Magic Quality Sabre in his hand. Neither his Defense nor his physical Attack Rating were weak. If he rushed forward and couldn't defeat Jia Lin in a short time, once the Skulls and Clay Golem behind him turned back, he would definitely be cornered. At that point, with his Life not much more than the Necromancer's, he would undoubtedly be defeated. The Assassin Luo Ye didn't bother calculating how long it would take him to defeat Jia Lin if he rushed up, and how long it would take for the four Skulls and the Clay Golem to return and surround him.
There was no need to calculate at all. Such gambles, he had tried many times before, and had lost more often than he won. Unless his Speed or Attack Rating significantly increased, Luo Ye would not choose such an extremely risky method again.
Therefore, only one method remained: slowly wear them down. If he wore down one Skull, Jia Lin would inevitably have to replace it, otherwise the encirclement that was so hard to form would be broken. This way, it would depend on whether Jia Lin's Mana ran out first, or if he himself was cornered first.
The battle continued. Jia Lin's Skulls had already been replaced once. At this moment, his complexion was no longer as relaxed as before, but was slowly turning pale. It seemed his Mana consumption was huge, and he had little left.
The Assassin Luo Ye's situation wasn't much better. He had now been forced into the corner of the Arena.
However, Luo Ye, who should have been more cornered, suddenly revealed a hint of a smile at this moment.
As the pillar and Main Force of the encirclement, the Clay Golem's Life was down to its last sliver. As long as he slashed lightly one more time, this battle would be over.
"Ha!"
Luo Ye roared, thrusting the Fist Sword in his hand towards the Clay Golem. Accompanied by a fierce strike, the sound of stone cracking spread out. That incredibly tough Clay Golem suddenly cracked open. In just a moment, it turned into a pile of yellow earth and disappeared.
"Haha..."
Without the Clay Golem, this behemoth, the Necromancer's encirclement instantly had a gap. And Jia Lin's Mana seemed insufficient to Summon another Clay Golem.
Luo Ye smiled triumphantly at Jia Lin. The outcome, it seemed, was already decided.
But what he saw, was the scheming smile on Jia Lin's face.
(end of chapter)