Freedom Nation.
After hearing the news of Galen Yu's first clear, Mark and Jett fell into a brief daze.
Since the first-clear reward was already gone, they were in no hurry to farm the boss. Instead, they headed home first.
They cleared out the blocks in their inventories, recharged the Zombie Scepter, and went to the resource zone to farm some potions and feathers from Witches.
They placed torches throughout the chunk to prevent mob spawns and surrounded their house with a ring of fences.
Once these tasks were finished, they finally considered their next move.
"Since we missed the first clear, I think we should keep challenging the bosses!"
Jett shared his opinion.
Even without the first-clear bonus, the boss drops were still excellent for boosting their individual strength.
Furthermore, the Twilight Forest was much richer in resources; iron, gold, and even diamonds could be found there.
"Alright, let's head back!"
Grasping his diamond Minotaur Battleaxe, Mark felt the thrill of his new power.
Just from the first few encounters, the scepter dropped by the Lich and the battleaxe from the Minotaur had already given them a massive boost.
The later bosses would be even stronger, so their drops were bound to be even better!
They also took the opportunity to upgrade their shields at the crafting table.
The mod items were powerful, but without the Spartan Warriors, the damage of most other weapons they had seen wasn't very high.
They weren't nearly as effective as the Minotaur Battleaxe they had painstakingly chosen.
The only upgrade they could add was a shield bash, which allowed the shield to deal one point of damage and a knockback effect while in a blocking state.
'Spartan's death was meaningful. Otherwise, we would have been the ones to die. It was worth it, totally worth it...'
""
Mark used these words to constantly hypnotize and comfort himself.
After upgrading the shield, they re-entered the Twilight Forest just as the Blood Moon rose.
Familiar with the layout of the Twilight Forest and knowing that the zombies here didn't burn to death, Mark didn't take the Blood Moon seriously.
They continued navigating through the canopy in search of the Hydra.
The viewers were chatting casually.
"Regain your confidence! Mark, believe in yourself. You guys will always be the best!"
"Speed isn't important; the one who stands until the end is the true winner!"
"Twilight Forest monsters and zombies aren't compatible. Maybe the zombies will even help fight the Hydra!"
"Exactly! We can just swoop in and pick up the loot. Does Galen Yu even have that luxury?"
"He's probably struggling and grinding his life away. It's nowhere near as easy as it is for us!"
"That Enchanting Table looks impressive, but we'll make one ourselves in a couple of days!"
Some viewers from the Nine Provinces happened to pass by, seeing the boasting in the bullet chat and remaining silent with a smile.
A few days ago, these people were shouting that Mark would definitely get the first clear; now that it was gone, they were claiming speed wasn't important.
As for who's feeling salty, I won't say!
Furthermore, while it was true that the monsters and zombies were incompatible and the Hydra would indeed drive away zombies entering its territory...
To say Galen Yu was struggling or that it wasn't as easy as Mark's run was laughable.
The scene where he finished the boss in three hammer swings was still fresh in everyone's minds; that was truly 'strenuous.'
Regarding these comments, the Nine Provinces fans couldn't even be bothered to waste energy typing a response.
"The Hydra and the zombies might be hostile to each other. We can take advantage of that!"
While Mark was chatting with Jett, realizing this possibility...
Neither of them noticed a Skeleton under the trees, entering its search-and-destroy state and aiming right at them.
Whoosh!
The arrow flew fast and true, piercing deep into Jett's leg.
They were used to traveling across the treetops at night. Usually, this route was extremely safe and free from danger.
The sudden arrow left them dazed. It took two seconds for Mark to react.
"Who's there?!"
Thinking it was an ambush by other players, he immediately placed blocks to take cover.
Only after ensuring the surroundings were safe did Mark spot the Skeleton beneath the canopy.
His tense expression immediately relaxed.
"Don't worry, it's just a Skeleton. Let me get revenge for you!"
"No, wait, Mark! These guys are a bit off!"
In the early game, players feared Skeletons because of their high damage and ranged attacks; a single arrow hurt like hell.
But now, they were decked out in Naga equipment, holding diamond battleaxes and their own bows.
He immediately drew his bow and aimed. Whoosh!
The arrow struck the Skeleton squarely, dealing damage.
"Haha! Jett, look at that guy. How pathetic!"
"Let me finish it off!"
As he prepared another arrow, the Skeleton beat him to the punch, firing its own arrow first.
It was just one arrow. Even though Mark saw it coming, he didn't bother dodging and took it head-on.
It dealt two points of damage—negligible.
Just as he was about to laugh out loud, Mark suddenly realized something was wrong.
"Where did a Skeleton come from in the Twilight Forest?"
There were Skeletons here, but most spawned in underground mines or dark caves.
Most of what spawned on the surface were specific creatures, like the magic-wielding Druids.
Now, ordinary Skeletons were spawning?
More importantly...
"The Second Crisis happened today. Is this part of the crisis content?"
"These Skeletons aren't right. There's something wrong with their arrows!"
Mark tried to move, only to find his feet felt like they were weighed down by a thousand pounds, as if something heavy was dragging him back.
Only then did he notice a new entry in his status bar.
[SLOWNESS I: 0:54]
A slowness effect lasting a full minute!
Seeing more and more Skeletons gathering under the tree, drawing their bows in pursuit, Mark didn't dare attack again and hid behind his blocks.
"Disgusting creatures! Let's get out of here!"
Winning offered no reward, but losing meant death.
Not wanting to get tied down by Skeletons, Mark pulled Jett to leave, only to find Jett wearing a bitter smile.
"I'm afraid it's a bit too late. Look."
Following Jett's finger, Mark's pupils suddenly constricted.
On the previously empty treetops, zombies had appeared out of nowhere!
Over a dozen zombies emerged from all directions, their target clear: they were coming straight for them!
The bullet chat was in shock.
"Oh my god! How did those damn things get up there?"
"The treetop route used to be so safe. What's happening now?"
"Those damn Skeletons! They should have stayed in their cramped little mines!"
"There are more and more Skeletons! Run, Mark! Don't let them wear you down here!"
"This is bad! The Skeleton arrows have special effects. Mark is slowed!"
Gritting his teeth, Mark could only draw his weapon and prepare for battle.
He used blocks to seal off the space so the Skeleton attacks couldn't reach him.
"It's just a dozen zombies. They should be easy to handle!"
Before they had gear, they could kill hundreds of zombies in a single night with just two axes.
Now that they were well-equipped, they naturally didn't fear a few zombies.
Imagination was one thing, but reality was far harsher. After Mark swung his battleaxe, he realized something was wrong.
These zombies were way too tanky!
Previously, two or three swings could clear a whole crowd. Now, it took six or seven hits just to barely kill one.
Part of it was the slowness debuff, but more importantly, the zombies had mutated and strengthened. Their defense was much higher!
Their attack power had also increased; a single hit took three to five points of health. And these were just ordinary zombies, not counting Elite Mobs with special effects.
With the slowness effect, they couldn't run, and they couldn't win the fight. In desperation...
The two locked eyes and immediately understood each other's intent.
Pillar up!
Zombies were only two blocks tall. As long as they were out of reach, they couldn't deal damage.
Using some stone to boost themselves, they quickly built a four-block-high platform.
"The zombies are really getting stronger and stronger. To think the Skeletons would evolve alongside them... we..."
""
Before he could finish, Mark's eyes widened as he witnessed an unbelievable sight.
The zombies that were supposed to be stuck at their feet, staring blankly...
Were climbing the walls!
""
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