Chapter 51: Cold Plains
Summon Raven
Level 8: Can summon up to 5 Ravens; Life 80; Has a certain Chance to escape after being attacked.
The attributes weren't unexpected. After all, this isn't a Game; how could flying in the air make you invincible? But the "Has a certain Chance to escape after being attacked" part is quite frustrating...
I found an open area, patrolled the surroundings, and only after confirming there were no Monsters within a kilometer did I feel at ease casting Summon Raven.
A green Light flashed. Perhaps because Ravens are relatively Junk, it only took about 2 seconds to summon one. The first time I summoned Poison Creeper, it took me 10 seconds.
"Caw caw..."
Sure enough, as soon as this damn Raven appeared, it circled above me, cawing strangely. This isn't a Skill for killing enemies; it's practically a Taunt Skill that attracts Monster aggro in some games.
I tried controlling this Raven. Thankfully, since it's an Animal, its intelligence is a bit higher than that of the Plant-type Poison Creeper. Coupled with the previous Experience from Poison Creeper, I easily established a connection with it.
Under my command, it finally stopped its noisy cawing and landed on my shoulder, preening its feathers proudly.
"Phew..." I let out a sigh of relief. Controlling it wasn't easy. With my current Strength/Power, controlling 5 simultaneously is clearly impossible. I'll need to train in this area in the future.
However, I actually didn't Plan on using Ravens as my main attack force. That would be too limited by the Game's thinking. I believe the Raven's true purpose lies in harassment and Detective work.
Harassment is self-explanatory, but for the Raven to perform Detective work, it must first be able to transmit the Information it obtains in a way I can understand. This is another major project that requires careful cultivation of Tacit Understanding between us.
Just like that, with the Poison Creeper slithering like a snake on my left and a black Raven perched on my right shoulder, if I were to undergo Werewolf Transformation again, it would truly be an animal world.
Cold Plains, with the word "Cold" in its name, anyone could guess the Temperature there. I kept walking west according to Akara's instructions. On the third day after leaving Rogue Encampment, I clearly felt the terrain rising. I don't know if Blood Moor is a basin or Cold Plains is a plateau. There's no way to know; in this World, let alone Maps marked with altitude, there isn't even the simplest Map available, at least none that I've seen.
However, according to the explanations from my original World, I guess Cold Plains should be called Cold Plateau; the higher the altitude, the lower the temperature, that's common sense!
By the fifth day, I could already feel the Temperature getting noticeably colder. Although the grass on the ground still stubbornly survived, every morning it would be covered with a thin layer of Frost. Moreover, the fog here was thick and wouldn't slowly dissipate until the Sun rose halfway up the sky. This significantly slowed down my journey.
It wasn't until the ninth day, when I was about to reach Level 7, that I knew I had entered Cold Plains.
Why? Because I was ambushed by several Dark Hunters. I'm ashamed; I thought I had made some progress in the Sneaky Style, but compared to these Dark Hunters, I have to admit defeat.
Speaking of that day, I was by the edge of a small forest, using the Sneaky Style Tactics passed down by Seniors to lure out and kill a few Quill Rats. Just as I was about to clean up the Battlefield, these guys were hiding in the trees and only jumped down when I was close to them. This prevented Poison Creeper from giving a timely warning, and that damn Raven on my shoulder was dozing off, catching me completely off guard. I was truly ambushed by their Sneaky Style, not much different from the situation with the Cave Spiders in the Evil Cave.
Although these Dark Hunters don't look as terrifying as Cave Spiders, their Strength/Power is much greater than Cave Spiders. Their various abilities are similar to Zombies, but their Speed is the same as Fallen. Combining the strengths of both, they are very difficult to deal with.
Protest, serious protest! Why are even low-level Monsters so cunning? Didn't they say that once you Transmigration to the Other World, the Monsters' intelligence immediately drops? Can't I even fantasize a little? God, are you dead? If not, say something! Either raise my intelligence to 0, or lower the Monsters' intelligence to 10. You choose, or I'll go on strike...
I grumbled and complained for a bit, but there was no reaction. There was no scene of Heaven's wrath and flashing lightning, nor did God's conscience strike, bringing a scenario of being bathed in White Light and receiving divine grace.
Fortunately, these Dark Hunters are not numerous, usually appearing in groups of 5 to 10. Their tight leather clothes, which are white and red, and the iron Minotaur helmets on their heads are just for show and useless; they provide no Defense at all. Only their Shields and Sabers are quite troublesome. As long as my Attack isn't blocked by their Shields, Hacking them is quite satisfying.
What am I holding? It's a blue Short Sword! Although its attributes are a bit weak, it's blue after all, isn't it? This is the only "Advanced" Equipment on my Body!
Now I've pretty much gathered my full gear. Except for what I wear on my fingers, around my neck, and a pair of Boots, all other slots are equipped. My Defense has reached 44. Even if I get hit by these Dark Hunters' Hacks, I only lose a few points of Life. I can easily handle even more.
Speaking of which, where is Flavie? She's supposed to be the border guard of Blood Moor, why isn't she here? Games are really deceiving, and Blizzard is even less trustworthy.
The Temperature in Cold Plains is very low, and the Monsters are much more formidable. Not only are there insidious Dark Hunters, but even the Giant Beasts I saw appearing alone in the depths of the Evil Cave appear here in groups of four or five.
There's also a new type – Ice Worms. Although their Damage isn't high and their Movement is slow, exactly the opposite of Dark Hunters, combining the weaknesses of both Fallen and Zombies, their Attack comes with a Freeze Effect.
Once hit, your whole Body feels like it's fallen into an ice cellar, and your Movement slows down by a few degrees, which is very annoying.
However, this melee type of Ice Worm, like Zombies, is a favorite target for Ranged Attack.
My Firestorm burns them efficiently, and they give quite a bit of Experience.
Each one gives 15 points of Experience, which becomes 60 points after being boosted by my Bugged Amulet.
Brother Zombie, you have someone following in your footsteps now.
Although the Monsters in the Cold Plains are much more Powerful than those in Blood Moor, I feel it's easier to get by here than in Blood Moor.
Because, so far, I haven't encountered any of the large groups of Fallen Camp that I fear the most. Perhaps due to the cold weather, Fallen Shamans are not very willing to stay here. This awful weather even reduces the Damage of their Fireball by a few points, so they are more willing to return to Blood Moor or Stony Field.
However, this doesn't mean I can Relax my vigilance. Although the number of Fallen is smaller, their quality has improved. These Fallen are slightly stronger than those in Blood Moor in all aspects. Unfortunately, In Front of my Firestorm, they still turn to ash and smoke.
Speaking of Cold Plains, I must also mention its ruler, the Minor Boss Level Monster Bishibosh. According to Akara's explanation, Bishibosh is even inferior to Elite Level Monsters in all aspects, but it has two rather abnormal attributes.
The first is that Fire Attack is ineffective. This means my Firestorm deals zero Damage to it. Wizards who only specialize in Fire Magic need to be especially careful; it's best to run far away if you encounter it. Equipment is valuable, but Life is more precious! Even if you have the highest-level Fire Element Skill, Hydra, you won't be able to harm it in the slightest.
The second attribute is even more shameless.
This guy can actually resurrect Fallen Shamans! Imagine dozens of Fallen Shamans gathered near it, plus hundreds of Fallen.
It has quite the Presence of "I have sons, and my sons will have grandsons" from the Foolish Old Man Removes the Mountains.
If you don't defeat Bishibosh first, it's simply endless. Even Andariel would probably find it troublesome.
It can be said that the Monster that frustrates Class Changers the most in the entire Rogue Encampment is not the Blacksmith, nor Andariel, but Bishibosh.
Without absolute Strength/Power, Bishibosh's Fallen Swarm Tactic can be said to be invincibly Sneaky. Moreover, surrounded by Monsters, Ranged attackers cannot aim at it, and melee is out of the question; whoever charges in dies.
It can't Hack you to death, but it can pile you to death. Unless Class Changers organize a large-scale operation, or there are more than ten Advanced AoE Wizards desperately clearing out the Mobs, otherwise it's like a mouse dragging a turtle – you don't know where to start.