Chapter 5: Critical Situation

At the beginning, the Wind Serpent Lord's hard scales barely withstood the initial blade of sword light, but even with his lord-level protection, it only held up until the twentieth ray of sword light before completely collapsing. The subsequent sword light easily tore through the scales and flesh, piercing his body. Although the Wind Serpent Lord was massive, Rod made a very clever choice to focus his attack. Under his control, the blade of light did not scatter as it had before, but instead concentrated on the opponent's neck area, successfully breaking through his defenses. Although the Wind Serpent Lord was massive, Rod made a very clever choice to focus his attack. Under his control, the blade of light did not scatter as it had before, but instead concentrated on the opponent's neck area, successfully breaking through his defenses

Experience Points 1900 / 200, Upgrade Available, Skill Points Earned 1, Level 2

Everyone, be careful ... ... !

Rod's figure flickered and transformed once again into a phantom, swiftly retreating backward. At the same time he withdrew, a foul and putrid venom shot upward, barely grazing Rod's remaining silhouette and splattering onto the mast behind. Soon, under the corrosive effect of the venom, the originally thick and sturdy mast completely melted away in just a few seconds, before crashing down with a loud thud.

Experience Points 1700 / 400, Upgrade Available, Skill Points Earned 2, Level 3

And you! Such a terrifying thing, why didn't you warn me earlier

Rod raised his longsword, and in that moment, the brilliance of stardust seemed to be drawn in by an invisible gravity, condensing upon the pristine blade. He then aimed at the Wind Serpent Lord's eyes, which were as large as bronze bells, and thrust down with force

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The fierce assault of the wind serpents momentarily eased, and on the deck, which had been filled with chaos, angry shouts, and screams, there suddenly appeared a moment of silence. Everyone looked at the young man with incredulous expressions, completely at a loss for words.

Rod leaped into the air

His soul power has already decreased to only one-third, and Rod is beginning to feel somewhat fatigued. Although he anticipated that the battle would be arduous upon seeing the Wind Serpent Lord, the current pressure is indeed overwhelming. He needs Shadow Flash to help him evade attacks, as it is utterly unrealistic to think he can dodge the Wind Serpent Lord's strikes at his current speed. On the other hand, he also requires the Shattered Blade to inflict damage, in order to defeat this troublesome foe in the shortest time possible. He needs Shadow Flash to help him evade attacks, as it is utterly unrealistic to think he can dodge the Wind Serpent Lord's strikes at his current speed. On the other hand, he also requires the Shattered Blade to inflict damage, in order to defeat this troublesome foe in the shortest time possible.

The current Wind Serpent Lord is a level 10 elite BOSS, but due to the star mark enhancement in hand, its defense level is at most equivalent to that of level 6 or 7. Therefore, Rod does not need to worry about insufficient damage in terms of defense, ... but in terms of attack ...

Although the hull of the airship is not particularly fragile, it has already sustained numerous injuries from the previous battle with the wind serpents. Coupled with the howling winds battering the hull, it has begun to warp and deform. Several alarming cracks have even appeared on the deck, emitting a chilling sound of rupture

Truly the attack power of a level 10 elite

Who exactly is this person of such significance

Blade of Shattered

After all, a BOSS is still a BOSS

The violent tremors caused many people to fall directly to the ground, and two unfortunate souls, unable to steady themselves in time, slipped and fell down. Meanwhile, the deck at the bow of the ship emitted a crisp cracking sound, followed by the emergence of a gigantic serpent's head from within.

Faced with the oncoming sword light, the Lord of the Wind Serpent's first reaction was to evade. After consecutively enhancing the Moonshadow Sword Technique by four levels of proficiency, the Shattered Blade experienced a significant increase in both quantity and power, surging to a new level. In that instant, dozens of silvery light blades erupted from the sword body, spiraling and shooting forward.

Nevertheless, these three professions each have their own shortcomings—once a mage loses their magic, they are no different from a target, easily surrounded and beaten to death by even a group of low-level monsters; a ranger faces complete tragedy if approached closely; and the randomness of a summoner's swordsmanship is so great that the complexity of operation leaves almost no template to follow. This is also why these three professions have not reached a tumultuous level in the game. Furthermore, this aligns more closely with the realistic setting of the Dragon Soul Continent—players can either take a gamble and choose an unconventional path or proceed steadily and cautiously, freely determining their own fate and future.

However, upon considering this, Rod still found it somewhat strange. According to his calculations based on human attributes, even with the possession of "Star Mark," it should not be so easy to sweep away the enemies like autumn leaves. He expected that the Shattered Blade would at most leave this group of Wind Serpents with residual health, and thus he had long been prepared to move in for the finishing blow. However, he did not anticipate that the power of this Shattered Blade would far exceed his expectations, directly annihilating this group of Wind Serpents.

That damned Richard! Do not let me encounter him, otherwise I will surely take his life! How dare he point me down such a path, this is murder!" At this point, the fat merchant suddenly trembled and then fixed his gaze on the captain beside him

The captain did not respond to the fat merchant's furious shout; at that moment, he was gripping the helm tightly, his eyes fixed ahead. Deep within, he cursed that damned fool, reminding himself that he had warned him earlier that navigating this route during this season could likely provoke a swarm of wind serpents, yet this guy had taken it lightly. Now, as death approached, he was actually blaming himself! Had he known it would turn out this way, he would have never taken this job in the first place! Now, as death approached, he was actually blaming himself! Had he known it would turn out this way, he would have never taken this job in the first place!

It was at this moment that Rod realized the strange silence surrounding him was not due to the shock of others, but rather the presence of something far more dangerous and lethal

Thinking of this, Rod instinctively called up his attribute panel. However, unfortunately, his attributes were hidden and could not be queried until his race was identified. Fortunately, this battle had granted him 1,900 experience points—he was genuinely surprised that there were indeed experience points to be gained.

The airship was slowly descending, but under the attack of the Wind Serpent Lord, it swayed from side to side, resembling a small boat amidst turbulent waves, causing great anxiety. Two mercenaries had already been thrown overboard as a result, and it was clear they would not survive. Carter was still striving to drive away the Wind Serpent Lord, his dual swords dancing in front of him as he agilely attacked the side of the Wind Serpent Lord, yet with little effect. If it were not for Lijie occasionally casting Healing Light on these mercenaries from behind, they likely would not have been able to hold on until now. Carter was still striving to drive away the Wind Serpent Lord, his dual swords dancing in front of him as he agilely attacked the side of the Wind Serpent Lord, yet with little effect. If it were not for Lijie occasionally casting Healing Light on these mercenaries from behind, they likely would not have been able to hold on until now

At that very moment, almost everyone believed that the young man was doomed. They had never seen anyone able to escape unscathed from the assault of dozens of wind serpents. Of course, those high-level professionals or fully armored shield warriors might be able to achieve this. However, this young man appeared to be quite young, and apart from the white longsword he held in his hand, he had no protective gear on his body.

It is uncertain whether it was due to the intimidation from Rod's attack, but those wind serpents that had been desperately assaulting the floating ship at https://www.hetushu.com.com all scattered and retreated. For a moment, the entire deck was almost silent, with only the howling wind audible. The mercenaries were shocked by Rod's performance; however, for Rod, he did not care about what he had done. On the contrary, at this moment, as he looked down at the pile of corpses beneath his feet, he secretly thought how perilous it had been.

Rod wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, realizing that he was only at level 5 and had no equipment whatsoever. If he were to be hit by such an attack, even the King of Heaven would not be able to save him. Although he was also very concerned about Carter and the others, fortunately, it seemed that the significant damage he had inflicted on it was the reason for the current situation. The Wind Serpent Lord clearly directed its hatred towards him, and unfortunately, being targeted by a boss with such high attack power was truly a tremendous pressure for non-tank classes

Consume 1 skill point to enhance Moonshadow Swordsmanship to 3 / 3, proficiency E

According to Rod's experience in the game, the average level of Wind Serpents is around level 3, while their leader is generally at level 10. The BOSS before him should not exceed level 10 at most. Although, with the cover of Carter and the mercenaries, defeating this BOSS is not difficult in terms of level, after that last strike, Rod sensed that this was likely not an ordinary lord-level monster, but rather an elite one. After all, if it were just an ordinary lord-level monster, Rod's previous strike would have been sufficient to sever its wings. However, despite Rod exerting all his strength, he only left a deep wound visible to the bone, which already indicates the problem at hand.

Crouched in a corner of the captain's cabin, the plump merchant trembled as he stared at the terrifying Wind Serpent Lord outside, his voice becoming somewhat distorted due to tension and fear

However, it seems that this is not easy now

In that moment, everyone felt a blur before their eyes, and then they saw the young man who had been standing on the ground transform into a black shadow, slicing through the sky like a sharp blade and charging forward. Even the enormous Wind Serpent Lord did not have time to react. When Rod leaped up and arrived in front of it, the creature appeared somewhat puzzled—clearly, it had never encountered the bizarre situation of prey voluntarily jumping into its mouth.

Start

Consume 1 skill point to enhance Moonshadow Swordsmanship to level 1, proficiency E

Yet he actually accomplished it

What about the wind serpent group

The attack of the Wind Serpent Lord did not weaken. Its wings spread wide on either side, with two claws on the upper edge firmly gripping the edge of the ship's bow. Although Rod's previous attack inflicted considerable damage, as a lord-level monster, it was certainly not going to retreat due to such minor injuries. On the contrary, this cunning Wind Serpent Lord seemed to have sensed the weakness of its current enemy, gripping the outer wall of the floating ship tightly with its sharp claws, shaking and pulling its prey with great force

Rod was simultaneously commanding Carter and the other mercenaries while entangled with the Wind Serpent Lord. Although he was a summoning swordsman and not the main tank, it seemed that the others lacked combat experience against the Wind Serpent Lord. In the game, a total wipe due to insufficient experience could be restarted, but here Rod was unwilling to take that risk—his previously healed wound on the left chest was now burning with pain, as if it had reopened. If he were to die here due to a total wipe, it would be a joke so absurd that he wouldn't even be able to cry about it. Moreover, although he was only at level 5, Rod was confident in facing opponents as long as their level did not exceed 15. After all, in the Dragon Soul Continent, there were three classes renowned for defeating monsters at higher levels: the Mage, the Ranger, and lastly, the Summoning Swordsman. The Mage was known for unpredictable spells, the Ranger excelled at long-range 'kiting,' and the Summoning Swordsman was fundamentally about fighting more with less. For these three classes, even a level difference of five was as easy as eating and drinking, and they could freely hunt non-elite boss-level creatures with a level difference of up to ten.

This thought flashed through Rod's mind, and then he seemed to remember something, quickly turning around and shouting.

The Wind Serpent Lord let out a sharp hiss, and then fell heavily downward. Nevertheless, it showed no intention of giving up the attack. Although the left side of its neck had become a bloody mess, the Night Raven Lord suddenly raised its head, fixating its gaze on Rod, and then opened its mouth wide.

At that moment, the floating ship suddenly shook violently

Attack its wings, and be sure to stay as far away from its mouth as possible! Strike and maneuver at its side!

one, two, three ... ...

Everyone be careful, it is the Wind Serpent Lord

At this moment, Carter finally appeared, shouting loudly as he drew the twin swords at his side and rushed towards the enormous wind serpent. Meanwhile, the other mercenaries hurriedly got to their feet; despite being battered and bruised, they gritted their teeth and followed their leader, attempting to launch an attack on the colossal creature

However, Rod's movements were faster than all of theirs

Consume 1 skill point to enhance Moonshadow Swordsmanship to 2 / 3, proficiency E

The fierce sound of the wind rises from the ground

Thinking of this, Rod bit his lip

Call ! ! ''

Rod's figure suddenly swayed, accompanied by a series of afterimages as he swiftly dodged backward, barely evading the opponent's winged attack. The empty wing then crashed heavily onto the deck, immediately creating a large hole in the hard and sturdy surface.

He half-squatted, and lines of system prompts immediately appeared before his eyes

Oh my God Oh my God

Of course, for Rod, this was merely a matter of two or three seconds. To the onlookers, it appeared as though he was silently staring at the pile of corpses beneath him for a moment, before raising his head once more

Experience Points 800 / 1000, Skill Points Earned 4, Level 5

Isn't one's attributes calculated according to human standards

Experience Points 1300 / 600, Skill Points Earned 3, Level 4

Consume 1 skill point to enhance Moonshadow Swordsmanship to 1/4, proficiency D - Shadow Flash unlocked

Although the Wind Serpent is considered one of the lowest-level monsters and is not particularly powerful on its own, it is indeed a creature that relies on numbers to achieve victory. Rod's summoning swordsman is a solo class, but its effectiveness in large-scale solo play is limited. In fact, the reason for the smooth progress this time is primarily due to the initial +3 characteristic of the "Star Mark" in his possession. This means that while wielding this sword, Rod's attributes can be increased by three points, which is sufficient to lower a monster's danger level from red to green. Therefore, for Rod, eliminating this group of Wind Serpents is not particularly surprising.

A solution must be found; otherwise, before the airship even lands, it is likely to be torn apart by this damned broken snake

At this moment, not only the mercenaries, but even Lijie and Carter found themselves staring blankly at the young man, their hearts in turmoil.