Chapter 77 - 72: Winning First Place, Telekinesis Rune
"Dude, you’re a regular god of thunder," a figure praised from behind a nearby barricade of cars.
The abundant electrical charge gathered low in the sky still hadn’t dissipated. The Thunder Strike’s damage was impressive, blasting a huge crater directly into the ground.
Thanks to the rain, the soil was thoroughly soaked, and residual arcs of electricity still jumped across its surface.
By the distant river trench, the eyes of a raincoat-clad Pang Peng lit up. He immediately waved and shouted, "Su Chen, look over here! I’ll have someone cast a Water Creation Skill for you!"
Hearing that name, a pure-faced young woman nearby, carrying a bow and arrows, was slightly taken aback. But at this critical moment, she resisted the urge to look.
She didn’t falter.
WHOOSH!!
In an instant.
With a wave of her hand, a powerful current of water burst forth in the dry riverbed, flooding the bottom of the trench and washing over the monsters trapped within.
Su Chen naturally understood the cue.
He raised his Magic Staff, and a second Thunder Strike came crashing down in response.
BOOM!!
The lightning bolt precisely struck a fierce tiger in the trench, not only killing it on the spot but also sending an electrical current spreading wildly across the water’s surface.
The entire trench instantly transformed into a high-voltage pool of electricity. A dazzling, blindingly bright net of lightning crisscrossed the water’s surface, paralyzing all the nearby tigers, leopards, and wild boars.
With the monsters now living targets, the people behind the car barricade weren’t about to pass up such a golden opportunity. Fireballs and Wind Blades whistled through the air, with even a Shadow Ball mixed in for good measure.
"Excellent coordination."
As a spectator, Pang Peng was thoroughly enjoying the show and shouted for them to do it again.
The young woman repeated the trick.
In a perfect repeat performance, as another wave of beasts charged forward, an artificial flood unfurled like a sheet of silk. A pillar of lightning from another Thunder Strike fell right into it, creating a seamless combo that instantly turned a giant, Bone Armor-clad armadillo and a maned wolf into charred husks.
The area had become a roiling prison of lightning, forcing the monsters to abandon their charge and veer off in another direction.
’The Water Creation Skill...’
Su Chen was extremely interested in this Rune’s effect.
’Beyond its combat applications...’
’If the water it creates is drinkable and can be used for irrigation, then it’s absolutely an epic, monumental discovery that could benefit the entire city.’
’It would be a Eureka moment for the new civilization’s progress.’
’Even a tier higher than the discovery of the Growth Skill Rune.’
With this in mind.
Su Chen slowly turned his head. His gaze traveled past the flickering brazier to the female spellcaster, the dancing firelight illuminating her pure, sweet face.
She had delicate features, a petite nose, and the air of a schoolgirl, as if untouched by the ways of the world.
The moment he saw her face clearly, he was taken aback. ’The way her eyes and brows are shaped... it’s identical to someone I used to know.’
’After a moment of thought... if I’m not mistaken... this is my ex-girlfriend’s little sister.’
’If I remember correctly, her name should be Xue Yao.’
Amidst the flickering bonfire, she was already looking his way, and their gazes met.
Xue Yao had clearly recognized him, too. A flicker of astonishment crossed her face. After a moment’s silence, she took the initiative to greet him, though her voice was so soft it was almost drowned out by the rain.
’...Brother Chen.’
Su Chen could just barely make out the words by reading her lips, and he gave a slight nod in return.
’I’ve only met Xue Yao twice. I haven’t seen her in over two years; I never expected her to grow so tall and elegant.’
Of course.
’I also never expected to run into an old acquaintance in a place like this.’
’Judging by the quiver on her back, she must be here at the Qingye Collection campsite for the university competition.’
The Jiangnan University archery team beside her were clearly her teammates; many of them were even wearing their competition uniforms.
"We’ll divide up the Rune Essence later!" Pang Peng shouted.
It wasn’t just Jiangnan University. Lined up to the left, in addition to the eight-person team from Jingcheng University, several other university archery teams were all holding this defensive line.
Further in the distance, a series of shouts erupted.
They had run into a giant bear. Its body was covered in roots and moss—a clear sign of its Wood Attribute—but that didn’t stop it from shattering any image of natural tranquility as it smashed through the barricades like a heavy tank.
Faced with such power, no one dared to block its path, and they all scattered.
But behind the defensive line, seeing that a "big fish" had finally come ashore, several off-road muscle cars immediately moved to flank it. The man leading them was none other than Feng Zhiyuan, the director of the archery hall. He and his crew clearly had no intention of letting this prize get away.
Su Chen didn’t get involved. He simply went about picking up the Rune Essence dropped by the three feline beasts at his feet.
As for the loot in the trench and at the forest’s edge up ahead, he saw no need to risk his neck to collect it.
Earlier, some idiot had risked jumping into the trench to grab some Rune Essence, only to be killed by a few maned wolves that fell in right after. The Rune Essence the moron dropped became a coveted prize for everyone else.
It was worth noting that the number of charging monsters had significantly decreased, perhaps because of the growing pile of corpses at the front line. For the most part, they were now bypassing the campsite.
However...
’Judging by the trajectory of this great migration, Dongfu City, which lies right in its path, is in for a disaster.’
"In theory, we should just let them run. Open up the city streets and let them pass through."
"Yeah, the urban area is too big to defend anyway. Just open the roads and let them pass. The problem is, what’s the root cause of this massive species migration from the forest?"
At the mention of this, many people fell silent.
The monsters themselves were fleeing in terror, yet humans had no choice but to stay and defend their city.
But one thing was certain...
"The rain is getting heavier."
And just then.
In the area to their right, a new anomaly began to unfold.