Chapter 116: The Hide Devourer (1)
[System Notification]
[Passive Effect Activated: Blood-wreathed Sovereign (Minor Authority).]
[Effect: Party morale +15%.
Enemy morale -22%.
Team coordination automatically increases by 20% when the Host is leading in combat.
Duration: continuous.]
Ling Yu’s voice cut through the system’s hum. "Listen carefully. The third wave isn’t like the first or second. The creatures wouldn’t be just a bunch of mindless fodder anymore. They will come in organized groups, and some will even have leaders."
She crouched, picking up a chunk of broken brick and drawing crude diagrams in the dirt. "We are no longer survivors. We are a unit. If you fight alone, you die. If you rely on me for everything, you die. If you hesitate..." She let the brick snap in her hand, shards crumbling to dust. "You die."
A hush followed. Even Fluffy stopped thumping its chest.
Song broke the silence, his tone acknowledging the truth in her words. "Please lead us, Master. What’s our formation?"
Ling Yu’s gaze sharpened.
"Song, you’ll be the vanguard. Your spear sets the pace. Nie Ziyu will be second in line, covering his flanks with arrows. As for Qingxue, cut down anything that gets past his spear. Xian Yu, you’ll stay in the centre, in my line of sight at all times. Heal them as needed. Fluffy—"
The little beast squeaked at its mention, bouncing with energy.
"—You’re my wild card. Strike where I point and distract the order of monsters. Can you do that?"
Fluffy’s ears twitched proudly as if it were saying that it had understood the assignment.
"And me," Ling Yu said, her aura flaring, "I am the anchor. My skill from the new title effect will weave your rhythms together. My presence will make your movements sharper, your coordination seamless. You will move as one body, because I will make you."
Her system chimed in agreement:
[Skill Manifestation: Sovereign’s Will].
[Effect: When the Host leads in combat, team coordination improves drastically. Host can forcibly synchronize ally movements for a short burst (+40% efficiency). Cooldown: 10 minutes.
All of them were prepared for the upcoming battle. Ling Yu trusted her comrades to do better as she nodded her head at them, her eyes never leaving the system window.
[System Notification]
Warning!
[The Third Wave has officially begun.]
[A swarm of Fourth-Grade Tertiary Class Monsters has emerged!]
[Colossal Swarm Sovereign – Hive Devourer (Alpha)]
[Class: Insectile Aberration]
[Rank: ★★★★ (Tertiary Class – Fourth Grade)]
[Threat Level: Catastrophic]
[Description:
A towering insectoid monstrosity, standing over 12 meters tall, with obsidian-black chitin armor glistening like oil. Its multiple compound eyes burn crimson, capable of paralyzing prey with a single glare. Its four scythe-like forelimbs can cleave steel in a single strike, while its abdomen swells grotesquely with pulsating sacs that birth lesser swarmlings mid-battle.]
[Stats:
HP: 1,200,000 / 1,200,000
Armor (Chitin): Extremely High (Resistant to piercing and slashing; weak points around joints and underbelly)
Attack Power:
12,000 – 18,000Defense Power: 9,500
Speed: Surprisingly fast for its size (Burst dashes possible)
Mana Core Grade: ★★★★]
[Skills & Abilities:
[Hive Spawn] – Summons Insectile Swarmlings continuously. Spawn rate increases as HP decreases.
[Chitinous Rage] – Temporarily increases attack speed and damage by 30% when heavily injured.
[Acid Torrent] – Vomits streams of corrosive acid that can melt concrete and armor instantly.
[Piercing Shriek] – Emits a sonic scream that disrupts coordination and lowers morale (-15% combat efficiency for 30 seconds).
[Predator’s Gaze] – Locks onto one enemy, decreasing their speed and defense drastically until death or disengagement.
[Death Frenzy] (Passive) – Upon falling below 20% HP, the Hive Devourer becomes berserk, doubling attack output until slain.]
[Special Weaknesses:
Joint gaps between scythes and legs.
Underbelly (thin chitin; must be exposed).
Susceptible to fire-elemental attacks and explosives.]
[Loot Rewards (Upon Defeat):
Core of the Hive Devourer (★★★★ Tertiary Core – can evolve into Legendary Artifact or be used for S-Class Advancement)
Chitin Fragments (High-grade armor crafting material)
Swarm Royal Jelly (Consumable – permanently boosts stamina regeneration by 15%)
Unknown Divine Mark (???) – Only obtainable if conditions are met.]
The ground trembled. Dust fell from ruined balconies above. From the distance came that sound, the shrieking, guttural roars of creatures gathering in impossible numbers. The third wave was coming for real.
[System Notification]:
[Host Ling Yu’s presence has been noticed by the Hive Devourer.
The monster has marked Ling Yu as its primary threat.]
This makes the wave boss feel terrifying, but also tactically beatable if Ling Yu led them well.
Nie Ziyu’s knuckles whitened on her bow. "They’re already near."
Xian Yu frowned, hands glowing with soft light. "I sense... There are about hundreds."
Ye Qingxue closed her eyes, her sword humming. "Not hundreds, more like there are a thousand of them."
Song planted his spear into the ground. His lips curved in something like grim satisfaction. "Let them come, we are strong enough to take care of them."
Ling Yu’s blood-red aura flared, sweeping over them like a storm wind.
"Formation!" she barked.
Song lunged forward, spear sweeping in arcs that cracked bone and pierced through snarling maws. Nie Ziyu’s arrows flew like meteors, embedding themselves into the eyes and joints of creatures trying to flank him. Ye Qingxue moved like water, her blade cutting down anything that slipped through. Xian Yu’s healing light darted between them, mending torn flesh before wounds could even bleed.
Fluffy launched itself with surprising ferocity, its tiny jaws snapping onto a mutant wolf’s throat. With a savage crunch, the beast collapsed, twitching. Fluffy spat out a fur ball that exploded like a miniature grenade, scattering lesser creatures into the rubble.
Ling Yu stepped into the chaos with a serenity that bordered on terrifying. Her dagger traced arcs that weren’t flashy but fatal, cutting their arteries, slipping between armored scales, severing tendons. But more than her kills was the invisible pull of her will.
[System Notification]: Sovereign’s Will Active.
[Party Coordination +40%.]
[Combat Efficiency +35%. Morale Buff Active.]
Her enemies faltered. The beasts, driven by rage, felt something alien press down on them: the unnatural coordination of prey turned predators.