The moment Bai Ting pulled the Crossbow trigger, he felt the Crossbow in his hand shoot out with a strong gust of wind.
Immediately after, a red light flashed, and the second Crossbow, made of energy, followed closely.
The Scarlet Hound that had poked its head into the cave didn't even have time to let out a cry before being pierced through the skull by two Crossbows, one after another.
“Lianxin” entered a three-minute cooldown again.
Bai Ting's left hand, which was gripping the Crossbow arm, gradually relaxed. In his eyes, a pure energy mist floated up from the Scarlet Hound he had just shot and then drifted towards him.
This mist enveloped Bai Ting, and he felt a warmth spread through his entire body, as if he were soaking in a hot spring. The cells throughout his body greedily devoured the energy.
His attributes also changed accordingly.
“Mythological Ability: 【Thunder Sprite】”
“Strength: 35 (25+10)”
“Blood Qi: 23”
“Speed: 35 (30+5)”
“Spirit: 25 / 30”
After his attributes increased, coupled with the equipment bonus effect of the 【Lianxin Crossbow】, Bai Ting's current attributes had undergone earth-shattering changes. With his current speed and strength, he could even single-handedly tie down a Scarlet Hound.
In the eyes of Chen Bugu and the others, Bai Ting froze in place after instantly killing the Scarlet Hound with a single Crossbow. The monster he killed had slowly turned into ashes and dissipated.
“Don't just stand there.”
“Enchant, keep reloading!”
Chen Bugu's voice came from behind him.
Bai Ting snapped out of it and quickly continued to pull another Crossbow from the ground, stringing and installing it.
Before the battle began, Chen Bugu had reminded him that after successfully shooting the first Scarlet Hound, he should immediately reload the second Crossbow and complete the enchantment.
The 10 Crossbows opened from the Black Iron treasure chest were all enchantable.
Chen Bugu had no elemental attributes, so he hadn't tried it.
However, weapon enchanting was very common in his previous life.
Enchanted weapons would change in damage and characteristics depending on the elemental power applied.
A simple example: if Bai Ting were to apply thunder element now, the Crossbow's penetration would be enhanced, and it would likely cause a paralyzing effect after hitting the target.
Just as Bai Ting was stringing the second Crossbow, the head of the second Scarlet Hound indeed continued to poke in.
Bai Ting quickly raised his hand and aimed.
At the same time, white electric arcs began to swirl around the Crossbow in the Crossbow slot.
Because Bai Ting had been momentarily distracted earlier, his aiming was a step slow. The Scarlet Hound sensed the danger and quickly retreated.
“Xiao Xiao, don't let it get away!”
Chen Bugu, seeing the unexpected turn of events, quickly reminded Lin Xiaoxiao to use her ability.
A blue light flashed in Lin Xiaoxiao's eyes, and her telekinetic power poured out.
At this moment, the Scarlet Hound, whose head had already withdrawn from the cave entrance, suddenly froze.
In just one second, Lin Xiaoxiao's telekinetic restraint was broken, and the Scarlet Hound turned to flee.
At this moment, the Crossbow, wreathed in electric arcs, shot out like a white light, piercing through the empty hole and striking the back of the Scarlet Hound that was turning to escape.
The Crossbow pierced through its back, but it did not cause fatal damage.
Bai Ting's face was not good. Because he was directly facing the cave entrance, he saw it more clearly. Although that Crossbow had hit, it definitely would not kill the monster.
He immediately continued to string the Crossbow, preparing to raise it and shoot again.
Chen Bugu stepped forward and gently pressed down Bai Ting's raised hand.
“It's too late.”
“Sorry, I didn't kill it.”
It was the first time Chen Bugu had seen Bai Ting show such a guilty expression.
“You already killed one.”
After Chen Bugu handed the 【Lianxin Crossbow】 to Bai Ting, he had instructed Bai Ting that after the first shot was successful, he should immediately prepare the second shot by enchanting it.
Because Chen Bugu knew that beasts of this level had undeveloped minds, and instinct would override thought.
So even if the first Scarlet Hound was instantly killed, the remaining ones would not react.
As long as they seized the opportunity, they could kill at least one more.
It was just that no one expected Bai Ting to be momentarily distracted when he absorbed the energy to level up, thus missing the best opportunity.
“Why aren't you continuing? Didn't you say those monsters have no intelligence?”
Liu Shifu could tell that Bai Ting's expression was off, but he didn't understand. If one Crossbow wasn't enough, couldn't they just use another? They had opened ten Crossbows from the box, which was completely enough for them to continue guarding the cave and waiting for the hounds.
“Although those monsters have undeveloped minds, they also possess the instinct for survival. They have already sensed the danger. From now on, they will probably just guard us from outside, waiting for us to come out. They won't be so easily fooled again.”
As expected, after more than ten seconds, they could only hear roars, but no monster poked its head in.
“Everyone, I have two pieces of bad news.”
Yan Kuan felt it wasn't a good time to speak, but he had to.
“The first piece of bad news is that this wall I built this time, because it has a hole, its overall defense is not as good as before. I can feel them attacking the wall. This wall can only last for three minutes at most.”
Yan Kuan could feel that those Scarlet Hounds seemed to be using some skill. The other side of the wall was already covered in claw marks.
“Then hurry up and build a new one!”
Liu Shifu was anxious. He didn't want to face those monsters.
“The other piece of bad news is that just now, in order to try leaving that hole, I used a little too much force and consumed too much spiritual power. I currently cannot rebuild a wall that can completely block this Horizontal Cave.”
Liu Shifu felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar after hearing that.
It was over. A dead end. In three minutes, they would be torn to shreds by those monsters.
Chen Bugu walked over to Bai Ting and asked about his attribute changes.
By the time Bai Ting finished speaking, Chen Bugu already had an idea.
“Everyone, prepare for battle. Since things have come to this, we must face those monsters head-on.”
“Even if Yan Kuan could really protect us indefinitely, if those monsters surround us without attacking, we'll eventually die here without food and water.”
“Rather than that, it's better to fight for it while everyone still has energy.”
In Chen Bugu's plan, they were indeed bound to fight these monsters head-on. After all, he never expected the strategy of “guarding the cave and waiting for the hounds” to eliminate all these monsters from the start.
Weakening the opponent's strength as much as possible and strengthening their own combat power was enough.
“There's not much time left, so I'll keep it short.”
“Bai Ting, you are responsible for the injured Scarlet Hound. You must deal with it alone. It's best if you can kill it, but if not, then just tie it down.”
With Bai Ting's 30 points of speed attribute, tying down the injured Scarlet Hound should not be difficult if he went all out.
“Wang Bin, Yan Kuan, Teacher Lin, the three of you are a group. With Wang Bin's and Teacher Lin's summoned beasts as the main attackers, Yan Kuan, you are responsible for support. It's the same, just tie them down.”
“Teacher Lin, use 10 points of spirit to summon a Unicorn Rock Sheep, and have it prepare to use 'Horn Strike' in advance.”
After arranging this group, Chen Bugu specifically reminded Lin Ye.
“Then there's me, Xiao Xiao, and Liu Shifu. The three of us are a group. I will be the main attacker, Liu Shifu will interfere, and Xiao Xiao will control.”
“Lastly, Lin Lin, if we have casualties, others will help cover, and Lin Lin will quickly find an opportunity to heal.”
“That's all. Does anyone have any objections?”
Chen Bugu spoke very quickly, stating his arrangements in one breath.
“Wait, why is our group led by you as the main attacker? Your 【Decipher】 doesn't seem to have much offensive power, does it?”
Lin Xiaoxiao quickly raised her question. Although she felt that Chen Bugu had been quite reliable so far, it wasn't to the extent where she would joke with her own life.
“Yes, but I have the 【Lianxin Crossbow】. When 'Lianxin' finishes its cooldown, you will be responsible for control, and I will be responsible for killing. We need to quickly get the first kill and then support the others.”
Lin Xiaoxiao thought about it and felt that this arrangement was quite reasonable.
Chen Bugu's actions when he shot the first Scarlet Hound left a deep impression on Lin Xiaoxiao. The man's skilled movements when stringing the Crossbow clearly indicated that he had played with “Crossbow” type weapons before.
Moreover, currently, giving the 【Lianxin Crossbow】 to Chen Bugu to strengthen his combat power was indeed the best choice, otherwise their group would probably be unilaterally slaughtered.
“No time left, everyone prepare.”
Chen Bugu finished speaking, picked up the 【Lianxin Crossbow】, and began stringing it.
At this moment, there was still one minute until Yan Kuan's stone wall collapsed.
Lin Ye had already completed the summon. He summoned the Unicorn Rock Sheep as Chen Bugu said, at the cost of double the spiritual power.
After the Unicorn Rock Sheep appeared, it began to run within the Horizontal Cave.
Lin Ye himself, along with Liu Shifu, moved several iron shovels and spades from the storage room. These were tools they had previously found, likely left by workers who maintained the tunnel before, but now they were the best weapons they had.
“No, only 10 seconds left!”
Yan Kuan reminded.
The Unicorn Rock Sheep made a U-turn and ran at full speed from a distance.
During its run, “Horn Strike” activated, and the Unicorn Rock Sheep's single horn emitted a brown light.
“Prepare for battle!”
Chen Bugu shouted.
At this moment, the stone wall collapsed with a crash.