Sheng Sheng eagerly led her close friend into Frostwind Forest.
Ling Yu had only just reached level ten and was extremely "fragile." Fortunately, this wasn't Sheng Sheng's first time taking this route. With experience came familiarity, and the chances of running into monsters were greatly reduced—any unexpected encounters could be handled without issue.
By the time they reached their destination, Ling Yu had actually leveled up once.
At the altar, the massive diamond-shaped crystal continued to emit a faint blue glow.
"The dungeon is like this…" Sheng Sheng gave him a rough rundown of what she'd experienced before.
Those bats were completely unreasonable!
They either didn't show up at all, or they rushed out all at once. Forget casting skills—there wasn't even time to drink a potion. Tanking them head-on was absolutely not an option.
"I need someone to pull part of the mobs away for me," Sheng Sheng said.
The Assassin class had agility second only to Archers. Their defenses were paper-thin, but as long as they were luring without attacking, the difficulty wasn't too high.
After hearing the plan, Ling Yu didn't agree immediately. "I need to see the dungeon's actual conditions first."
Sheng Sheng wasn't annoyed at all—she even gave him a thumbs-up. "Careful and steady!"
[System]: Invite player [Feathered Ling] to enter the Dark Altar dungeon?
Sheng Sheng confirmed, and the two figures vanished from the altar.
Inside the dungeon, the scene looked exactly the same as when Sheng Sheng had left before. Paolis Research Institute stood quietly at the end of the path. Aside from the absence of sunlight, the entire dungeon felt eerily peaceful.
The moment she entered, Sheng Sheng felt her nerves tighten as she began discussing tactics with Ling Yu.
Ling Yu observed the surroundings while listening to her explanation.
"…The bats will fly out of that building in a moment. Can you handle it?" Sheng Sheng asked.
Ling Yu glanced at her.
"?" Sheng Sheng was baffled by the look.
He didn't explain, only asked, "They spawn halfway through?"
She nodded.
"Then I'll go first."
Having just changed classes, he had no skills yet. Without attacks to draw aggro, he could only rely on the monsters' natural alertness to lure them.
Sheng Sheng stayed put in understanding.
Ling Yu calmly stepped onto the path.
Halfway across, more than a dozen Dark Bats spawned near the small building.
Last time had been pure chaos, but now, as an observer, Sheng Sheng finally saw them clearly. They looked like ordinary bats, just several times larger, with blood-red eyes.
Monster Codex—
Name: Dark Bat
Level: 14
HP: 150
Skills: Claw, Bite, Plague Virus
Low HP. Very fragile.
Unfortunately, there were fifteen or sixteen of them. They surged out together like a mass of black clouds, charging straight at Ling Yu.
They were incredibly fast—almost in the blink of an eye, they were right in front of him. Each had razor-sharp claws. If he got caught, Ling Yu's defense wouldn't stand a chance.
Watching from behind, Sheng Sheng unconsciously held her breath.
Compared to her, Ling Yu—the one facing the attack—looked far calmer. He didn't move at all, waiting until the bats were less than a meter away before pushing off with his toes and sprinting straight toward Sheng Sheng.
This was exactly what they had planned beforehand.
The dungeon's limited space meant running back and forth was inevitable.
Seeing this, Sheng Sheng immediately dodged aside, clearing enough room.
An Assassin's speed was no joke. Combined with Ling Yu's seemingly special running technique, the Dark Bats stayed close but couldn't land a single hit.
Very quickly, Ling Yu reached the "starting point." He bent his knees slightly and shifted his body, changing direction at top speed. To avoid facing the bats head-on, he even paused briefly to let them pass.
The bats swarmed by.
Hiding in the corner, Sheng Sheng raised her staff and targeted one of them—
A streak of white lightning descended from the sky in an instant!
Lightning Arrow: Summons a bolt of lightning to strike the target ahead, dealing (30 + Intelligence × 2) damage, with a chance to inflict Shock, causing paralysis. Cooldown: 20 seconds. Mana Cost: 20.
The cooldown was long, but Lightning Arrow's cast speed and attack speed were exceptionally fast.
A clean hit.
-83 floated above the Dark Bat's head.
Unfortunately, the special effect didn't trigger. Still, after pausing briefly, the bat immediately abandoned Ling Yu and charged straight at Sheng Sheng.
Unhurried, Sheng Sheng raised her staff, white light flashing as she attempted to cast a control skill—Leaping Trap.
Leaping Trap: Places a lightning orb on the ground, immobilizing targets hit by the skill for 5 seconds. Instant cast. Cooldown: 30 seconds. Mana Cost: 30.
"!" The moment the skill was cast, Sheng Sheng realized a major problem. "Bats have wings—they don't walk on the ground!"
As expected, the Leaping Trap fell uselessly to the floor. The Dark Bat ignored it completely, flying right over and rushing toward her.
"…."
Sheng Sheng stayed where she was and cast Holy Light Orb at the bat.
Plan deviated. Internally panicking. Externally calm as a seasoned veteran.
The Dark Bat didn't bother dodging the slow-moving Holy Light Orb and crashed straight into it.
-10.
The bat was down to 50 HP. One more Lightning Arrow would definitely finish it.
The problem was—the skill was still on cooldown.
Running wasn't an option. With a caster's stubby legs, she'd be caught in just a few steps.
Recalling her previous PK with an Archer, Sheng Sheng suddenly had an epiphany.
She tightened her grip on the staff and shouted—
"Eat my bat!"
At the same time, she swung the staff fiercely at the bat flying toward her.
The system-crafted staff was top quality. The volleyball-sized bat was sent flying, smashing hard into the nearby rock wall.
A caster's physical attack was pitifully low. The impact only dealt -1 damage.
But Sheng Sheng was convinced the bat had taken -9999 mental damage.
It slid down the wall and didn't take off again.
By then, Lightning Arrow's cooldown had finally ended. Sheng Sheng fired another bolt, sending it straight to the afterlife.
[System]: Congratulations! You have slain a Dark Bat and obtained Bat Wing ×1.
Watching the bat dissolve into black smoke, Sheng Sheng sighed. "Thanks to my diligent PE teacher. Thanks to him bravely fighting illness and not letting other teachers steal our PE classes—only then could I become who I am today."
Sheng Sheng: From now on, please call me the Little Baseball Prince!
TL: If you want to read ahead by at least ten chapters, patreon.com/EdibleMapleSyrup