Chapter 79: Resonance State Enhanced Again
"This could be tricky."
Lance rubbed his chin, his mind racing as he began to construct a tactical model.
If he were focused down by nearly thirty Demons at once in this open area, he would die on the spot, even with his current Attributes.
But if he made good use of those scattered boulders...
’As long as I keep moving.’
Lance silently calculated movement routes and attack radii in his mind.
’By using these boulders as cover and employing the Qin King’s Pillar Circulation Technique for positioning, I can artificially divide the battlefield.’
’By constantly kiting them, I can make most of the crabs get blocked by the rocks or get stuck bumping into each other.’
’This way, I can ensure that the number of enemies I have to face head-on at any given time won’t exceed five.’
Although compared to yesterday’s stationary defense, this kind of mobile warfare would consume much more stamina and focus, and the risk factor would also increase exponentially.
But it was all within his control.
After all, while these Stone Shell River Crabs had tough carapaces, they possessed a fatal flaw.
Before launching a Heavy Armor Stab, they had an extremely obvious, half-second-long wind-up animation where they became rigid.
With his Breathing Combat Technique active, the boost to his Perception and agility was more than enough for him to dodge quickly.
Feeling confident, Lance turned to look at the girl behind him.
"Cecilia."
"Present!"
Hearing her senior call her name, Cecilia immediately straightened her back.
"I read your report from last night."
Lance looked into her eyes, his tone filled with undisguised admiration.
"The part about tactical arrangements was very well-written."
"Your choice of Spells and your prediction of when to use them for Controlling the Field were both very professional."
BOOM!
Hearing this praise, Cecilia felt like a firework had just exploded in her mind.
The feeling wasn’t just psychological satisfaction.
Moreover, with the enhancement from the [Voice of Joy] Trait, her senior’s already deep, magnetic voice now sounded to her like a warm current coated in honey.
A warmth spread through her heart, and even her fingertips grew hot.
It was like secretly eating the most delicious honey gummy as a child; that sweet sense of bliss instantly filled her entire chest.
This wasn’t an illusion.
The girl subconsciously pressed a hand to her chest, truly feeling that physiological, joyous resonance.
"Th... Thank you, Senior!"
She replied, stammering slightly, her smile brighter than the sun.
"Alright, enough small talk."
Lance steered the conversation back on topic at the right moment, his expression turning serious.
"You’ve seen the terrain today. There are no fixed defensive positions, so we need to change our tactics."
"Today, you’ll be responsible for combat support."
"We’re going to be engaging in high-frequency mobile combat, which will demand extremely precise timing for your spellcasting."
Next, Lance held nothing back, dissecting for Cecilia in meticulous detail the movement routes he had just devised, the projected points of engagement, and several of the crabs’ attack blind spots that hadn’t been apparent in yesterday’s battle.
"Remember, when you see more than five crabs trying to make a sharp turn to follow me, that’s the perfect time for you to cast the [Oily Skill]."
"Got it?"
"Got it!"
Lance nodded in satisfaction.
"Then let’s get ready to engage."
Actually, if he were alone today and facing such a complex situation, he would never have chosen such a direct, head-on approach.
With his usual cautious nature, he definitely would have chosen to use the range advantage of his Bow and Arrow to harass them from an extreme distance.
Fire an arrow and run.
Then he’d kite the swarm of crabs, pulling them apart.
Once a few broke off from the main group to chase him, he would turn back to pick them off, then repeat the process.
While that method was steady and had a high safety margin, its efficiency was just too low.
Killing just a few would probably take over half an hour.
But things were different now.
He had a Caster as a teammate.
Isn’t this the whole point of an Adventurer party?
Just like those annoying Goblins. Individually, they’re pathetically weak, but once their numbers grow and they start coordinating, they can give even a Professional a headache.
It was the same for humans.
With proper tactical coordination, the Effect of one plus one could often unleash a power far greater than two.
He watched as Cecilia, using her hands and feet, clambered a bit clumsily to the top of a large boulder about ten meters from the battlefield.
That position offered a wide field of view and was perfectly situated within the prime coverage area of her Spell range.
After confirming his teammate was in position, Lance, who had already approached the edge of the riverbank, took a deep breath, his eyes instantly turning serious.
As a deep, thunderous rumble echoed from his chest, his Breathing Combat Technique activated instantly.
A large amount of free-floating Ether was forcefully drawn into his lungs and completely ignited by the Breathing Combat Technique.
He could feel his body temperature starting to climb again.
A plume of scalding white vapor surged from his mouth and nose, quickly dissipating into the air.
The familiar Blue screen of light immediately refreshed on his retina.
[Entering Ether Resonance State (Tier One)]
[Your Power +4.5, agility +3.9, Perception +3.3]
Looking at this line of scrolling data, Lance couldn’t help but feel a surge of delight.
Compared to when it was Level 1, the Breathing Combat Technique at Level 2 had increased all Attribute enhancements by about 5%.
Don’t underestimate that 5%.
If he waited until this Combat Technique reached max level, the accumulation of just this base multiplier would provide a terrifying additional bonus of nearly 50%.
This was the value of Rare Skills.
The feeling of overflowing Power bolstered Lance’s confidence.
He took the Hazelwood Short Bow from his back, nocked an arrow, and drew the string, his movements so fast they left afterimages.
TWANG!
The bowstring sang.
The Feathered Arrow streaked through the air like a meteor, precisely striking a Stone Shell River Crab that was sunbathing.
SCREECH!
The arrowhead slid across the hard carapace, scraping up a dazzling spark before being deflected.
The force of this arrow was far greater than yesterday’s; the immense impact made the Demon let out a pained shriek.
The entire riverbank instantly erupted into a frenzy.
The grayish-brown rocks that had been lying quietly all stirred to life, and countless pairs of yellow eyes simultaneously locked onto the provocateur.
Aggro pulled.
Lance didn’t linger on the fight for a moment and decisively put away his bow.
He took the Kite-shaped Steel Shield from his back and strapped it to his left arm, drew his Short Sword with his right hand, and turned to sprint toward the designated boulder field.
The dense sound of clashing carapaces came from behind him as a torrent of grayish-brown Demons surged toward him like a bursting dam.
Perched atop the large boulder, Cecilia watched this scene, her palms beginning to break out in a cold sweat.
She stared intently at the figure weaving through the boulders below, and at the horde of Demons in hot pursuit.
She silently calculated the distance in her mind.
’Ten meters... five meters...’
Meanwhile, Lance, running below, felt fantastic.
Empowered by nearly 10 points of agility, his body felt as light as a feather compared to yesterday.
The seemingly ferocious group of Stone Shell River Crabs behind him was completely outmatched in terms of speed.