Chapter 24: Poisoning the Murloc Horde
The duo continued their exploration of the cave system, which gradually widened from its previously narrow confines, revealing a fork in the path.
It was a "Y"-shaped fork, with each branch leading in a different direction.
John crouched down to examine the ground, noticing murloc footprints on both sides. It seemed seemed to be more on the left, indicating a larger number of murlocs had taken that path.
Victoria's elegant eyebrows furrowed slightly as she asked in a soft voice, "John, do you think those murlocs are hiding from us?"
She was eager to kill the Bluegill Warriors to avenge her mother.
However, since entering the portal to this other world, they hadn't encountered any Bluegill Warriors, aside from the lower-level murlocs outside.
"Yes, that seems to be the case." John stood up and headed towards the left path. "These creatures, fearless in death outside the portal, can resurrect within hours inside it. So they're likely trying to stall for time."
Victoria was slightly surprised. "I see…"
John continued, "If they won't come to us, then we'll go to them."
Under John's lead, they took the left fork and soon noticed a change in their surroundings.
The natural, unadorned cave walls were gradually replaced with thick brick and stone, and the ground became more even, clearly the result of human modification.
Looking towards the end of the path, there was a large archway leading to a grand hall.
Victoria looked at the magnificent palace in disbelief. "Did… did those murlocs build this?"
"Of course not, murloc claws can't do such fine work. This must have been a relic of a human civilization from another world, which fell into decay and was then occupied by the murlocs." John clarified.
John's eyes brightened at the prospect. For such ruins could contain high-quality equipment!
They quickened their pace towards the archway.
As they approached, John noticed numerous wide cracks in the surrounding walls, appearing to be the result of an earthquake.
He surmised that the ruins were originally above ground but had likely collapsed into the cave due to a major earthquake, eventually being discovered and occupied by the murlocs.
Light streamed into the grand hall from above, brightening the environment. John switched off his flashlight and stowed it in his system backpack.
As soon as John and Victoria entered through the archway, a loud noise erupted behind them.
"Boom!"
A massive stone door fell, sealing the archway and cutting off their retreat.
John raised his dagger, and Victoria gripped her rapier tightly.
The Bluegill Warrior finally appeared, crawling out from behind a pile of stones in the hall and starting to howl.
Instantly, the entire hall erupted into chaos as a horde of murlocs hidden in the shadows swarmed out.
Victoria's face darkened as she stared at the Bluegill Warrior, her expression so grim it seemed it could drip water.
Seeing the murderer of her mother, it was inevitable that she would be swept up in a wave of emotion.
But Victoria was not one to act rashly. She quickly regained her composure.
She knew that allowing her emotions to cloud her judgment would not only prevent her from avenging her mother but could also endanger both her and her teammate.
As the howls of the Bluegill Warrior echoed throughout the grand hall, schools of murlocs surged out from the rubble around them, closing in from the front and both sides.
John estimated there were at least forty to fifty murlocs, all of them level 2 or 3 foot soldiers. However, quantity could lead to a qualitative change.
Without area-of-effect abilities, even a level 10 warrior might be overwhelmed and beaten to death.
John pulled out the poison he had prepared in advance, deciding not to hold back any longer and aiming for a swift resolution.
"I'm going to release the poison now, to clear out these minions," John declared.
"Alright, leave that Bluegill Warrior to me." Victoria responded.
John quickly uncorked several potion bottles and activated the skill [Potion Vaporization].
The emerald potion within the glass containers seemed to boil, quickly churning and rising as a green fog.
The fog from the potions covered a large area, concealing John and Victoria from the murlocs, who lost sight of them momentarily.
The murlocs charging at the forefront were the first to encounter the fog. The snake venom mixed within acted swiftly, causing them extreme agony as they collapsed to the ground.
The Bluegill Warrior shouted, halting the murloc horde's charge as they witnessed the potency of the poison, hesitating to advance rashly.
However, the green poisonous fog seemed to be slowly advancing forward.
In the next second,
a cold light burst from the fog as Victoria thrust her rapier forward with great force.
Swordsman skill—[Pierce]!
Two Murloc Tidehunters standing in line were impaled like skewers, unable to react in time.
Victoria withdrew her sword, sending blood spraying from their chests.
The surrounding murlocs prepared to encircle her, but Victoria, with agile movements, stepped back into the poison fog, where the murlocs dared not follow.
The Bluegill Warrior saw this, its tentacles on his head kept swaying, appearing slightly anxious.
In its view, although the female swordsman's strength was average and not a threat, the male alchemist was incredibly peculiar!
He had released what seemed to be ordinary healing potions, yet they turned into lethal poison upon contact...
The Bluegill Warrior felt overwhelmed.
Just then, to the warrior's astonishment, the poison fog began to move. It was about to call its companions to retreat, but it was already too late.
John burst out from the fog, moving with incredible speed. His potion bottle continued to release poison fog, quickly enveloping the bewildered murlocs, encircling them completely.
The trail of poison fog left behind resembled a giant serpent, effectively trapping the group of murlocs.
A few murlocs attempted to force their way through, hoping to escape. But as soon as they touched the fog, their bodies became leaden, their movements significantly slowed.
Their gills, exposed to the air, absorbed the venom.
John's powerful [S-Class Toxic Penetration] skill allowed the potent snake venom to take effect instantly!
"Croak! Croak! Croak!"
Those murlocs toppled to the ground, a torrent of black blood spewing from their mouths and nostrils, showing no signs of struggle before becoming stiff corpses.
The trapped murlocs began to panic, as the encroaching poison fog made them feel like helpless sheep, forced to huddle closer together.
They had all witnessed firsthand that contact with the fog meant certain death!
They started to fight over the spots in the middle, even resorting to killing each other in desperation.
Murlocs on the outskirts, in a bid to save their own lives, did not hesitate to push their companions into the fog, just to live another second.
But all their struggles were in vain.
Standing amidst the fog and stepping on the bodies of murlocs, John threw another potion bottle into the gathered crowd.
The potion, mixed with lava viper venom, fell like raindrops on the murlocs and quickly vaporized, enveloping them all.
Due to the vaporization enhancing the potion's effects, sparks appeared on the murlocs' bodies, generating intense heat, similar to white phosphorus that could not be extinguished.
Amidst their wails, the dozens of murlocs were consumed by the sparks, turning into a pile of grotesque black char.
[Killed Small Murloc x42, Gained 420 Experience Points]
[Killed Murloc Tidehunter x6, Gained 1800 Experience Points]
[Current Experience: 1000/1000]
[Note: Experience overflow, shared with squad members]
The Bluegill Warrior's mouth hung open in shock, unable to believe the scene before its eyes. What kind of pharmacist is he?
Clearly, he was a mage! More like an evil voodoo shaman!
[Pierce]!
A sharp sword light aimed at the Bluegill Warrior's chest, causing it to feel a sudden sting.
Caught off guard, it hadn't noticed that Victoria, using the cover of the fog, had stealthily approached its side.
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