Bab 186: Mobile blood bank
Tower of Truth, Eighteenth Level.
Mike's figure appeared outside Bandle City and was immediately noticed.
The wrinkled chieftain, accompanied by a group of Yordle clan members, hurried out,
"The legendary traveler, this must be destiny's guidance, we meet again!"
It had only been two days since their last meeting, yet the chieftain looked fifty years older!
In fact, according to the [Eye of Truth], the chieftain had aged 200 years!
"Is the flow of time different here?"
Mike noted this detail.
If the ultimate goal of the Tower of Truth's power system was to become a god, then could the Tower of Truth itself be a divine kingdom?
Or perhaps each level was a divine kingdom?
The Yordle chieftain looked at Mike with excitement, his voice trembling, "It's been 200 years, the Yordle clan has never forgotten your kindness. We've built a statue in your honor in the city..."
After expressing their gratitude, the group returned to Bandle City.
Compared to 200 years ago, the city was much more crowded.
Standing on the city wall, Mike looked out and was surprised to see that what should have been wilderness was now lush and green, full of life.
Clearly, in 200 years, the Yordle clan had transformed the entire wilderness ecosystem with their efforts.
While chatting with the chieftain, Mike summoned Teemo.
After 200 years, few in the Yordle clan recognized Teemo.
Seeing the aged chieftain, Teemo was shocked.
"What... what happened?!"
He hadn't expected that while only two days had passed outside, 200 years had passed here!
"Everything is fine, very fine..."
The chieftain waved his hand, smiling contentedly.
If they hadn't met Mike, their clan would have perished in the wilderness, devoured by beasts, leaving no bones behind.
Now, they had a prosperous life.
After some pleasantries, Mike asked, "Since destiny has guided me back here, is there anything you need my help with?"
"Well, there is one strange thing..."
The Yordle chieftain put on his glasses and pointed in a direction outside the city,
"We planted many mushrooms on the plains, but one day, the mushrooms... came to life. They seemed cursed, turning into terrifying monsters. Killing one would soon result in two more appearing.
After losing several young members, our people no longer dared to approach that area. Fortunately, the mushroom monsters can't leave the cursed area, so we can continue living here."
There are two ways to conquer the eighteenth level.
1. Help the Yordle clan establish a new settlement, far from the cursed area, and return to a peaceful life.
2. Explore the cursed area, kill the mushroom monsters, find the source of the curse, and destroy it.
Both actions would increase the Exploration Rate, so Mike didn't need to choose.
He wanted both.
"Teemo, take the dwarves and vampires to find a new settlement and build a larger, safer city."
With that, Mike summoned his subordinates from the private space.
Vladimir appeared, holding half a roast pig, his mouth greasy, looking nothing like a noble vampire.
"Vladimir, you're coming with me to explore the cursed area."
"As you wish, my master."
At this moment, Vladimir clearly hadn't realized the seriousness of the situation.
Splitting up would be the most efficient approach.
Mike's main goal was to quickly reach level 199. With the second job, Mike's leveling difficulty had doubled, but he still had only 6 hours and 10 minutes per day in the Tower of Truth, so he had to make every second count.
As soon as they approached the so-called [cursed area], several giant mushrooms charged at Mike.
They had orange caps and white stalks with a blurry face on them.
The art style seemed cartoonish but was actually extremely eerie!
Staring at them for too long would give anyone nightmares.
Without hesitation, Mike, already at 30 stacks of Charge Up, swung his staff.
"Thunderclap Strike!"
Red lightning jumped between the monsters like chain lightning.
The upgraded [Thunderclap Strike], once it successfully killed an enemy, would automatically lock onto the next target, with damage reduced by 50%.
All the giant mushroom monsters turned to ash under the Thunderclap Strike, making Vladimir's heart skip a beat.
This lightning was terrifying!
If he got struck by it, even if he could revive, he'd be left with a psychological scar!
The last time Vladimir had such a psychological scar was because of a guy named [Apollo]!
As a former prince-level vampire, Vladimir's strength and vision were top-notch.
But he had encountered a few men who defied common sense!
His fate was truly 'tragic.'
"Let's go!"
The monsters on the outskirts were the weakest, providing the least experience.
Mike didn't waste time and led Vladimir deeper into the area.
Vladimir had a bad feeling. He sensed that Thor had ulterior motives for bringing him along.
This guy was full of bad intentions.
Using Thunderclap Strike to clear the way, no monsters could withstand Mike's lightning.
The deeper they went into the cursed area, the stronger and more varied the mushroom monsters became.
Some purple poisonous mushrooms emitted toxic gas, making Vladimir's face turn pale, looking like a zombie.
Though it didn't cause him substantial harm, the toxin made him very uncomfortable.
But Mike, wearing a gas mask, found the gas harmless.
Mike didn't rush to the deepest part but stopped near the core area. He began exploring the surroundings, as if searching for something.
"Found it!"
Vladimir followed Mike to a dark red mushroom monster.
The mushroom was struck by Thunderclap Strike and killed in less than a second.
"This type of mushroom is called a Bloodthirsty Mushroom."
Mike explained, having done enough research beforehand.
Unlike other mushroom monsters, the spores left by Bloodthirsty Mushrooms, when exposed to high-quality blood, would immediately spawn powerful monsters and enter a bloodthirsty state, making them very difficult to deal with.
After Mike's explanation, Vladimir fell silent.
Mike casually said, "It would be great if someone could bleed a little right now."
Vladimir's face darkened: Was the hint really necessary?
No wonder Thor brought him along; he was being used as a mobile blood bank!
"Oh no!"
The usually quiet Vladimir suddenly screamed,
"My master, your foolish servant accidentally hurt himself. Look at my clumsy self, spilling blood everywhere. If it falls on the Bloodthirsty Mushroom spores, that would be a disaster!"
Vladimir held a dagger in his left hand, and a wound appeared on his right palm, dripping blood.
The blood precisely fell on the Bloodthirsty Mushroom spores, causing the mushrooms to grow rapidly, spawning one powerful mushroom monster after another!
The problem was... as a vampire, Vladimir's wound healed quickly, stopping the blood flow in seconds.
Without the blood, the Bloodthirsty Mushroom monsters stopped spawning.
Vladimir closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and steeled himself.
He slashed himself again.