Chapter 129: The Elite

Feeling significantly stronger and in good spirits, Yun Qing longed to practice her body-refinement technique once more, though she was unsure how much time remained.

"Liu Liu, it feels great to train in such a scenic spot. I never imagined training in the wild could be this safe; nothing has even come to bother us."

Black Panther: I arrived before the sun rose, and I left after it came out.

Currently, Liu Liu only had its scavenging function activated; it provided no warning service to Yun Qing if danger approached. Ignoring her, Liu Liu took a piece of meat from its own backpack, lay down on the ground, and began to eat with great satisfaction, holding the meat in its front paws.

Seeing Liu Liu eating, Yun Qing’s stomach gave a rumble. She had been busy all night and hadn't eaten a thing. She stood up and stretched, then, with a thought, produced a piece of roasted meat. Just as she brought it to her lips, a system notification appeared:

"Beep! A monster siege on the dwelling will begin in three minutes. Please prepare."

So soon? Yun Qing shoved the meat into her mouth in a few large bites and, with a thought, entered her dwelling. Liu Liu followed her in. Watching the creature lying on the floor eating, Yun Qing felt a pang of envy; ever since Liu Liu had its own backpack, its dining location was no longer restricted.

Damn it, she couldn't eat inside the dwelling without crafting a table and chairs, placing them in the house, and sitting down at the table to eat. She possessed the recipes for a simple table and chair and could make them with wood, but ever since joining the caravan, she had rarely spent time in her dwelling, let alone eaten there. She really needed to get that furniture sorted for her own convenience.

She had never encountered a Level 1 Elite monster siege or a Level 2 Common monster siege, yet now she was forced to face a Level 2 Elite siege. Yun Qing took stock of her weapons: small stones were likely useless against these monsters; her metal bow and arrows were barely passable; her dagger was fine; her greatsword was broken; her mosquito swatter was usable, though if its durability ran out, the adhesive function couldn't be repaired; the refined iron hammer counted as a weapon; and then there was the Queen Mosquito’s venomous claw. Beyond that, she had the "Mud-Turning Divine Water," but that was a lethal weapon that certainly couldn't be used inside the dwelling.

Aside from the bow, she only had melee weapons. Defending against this siege would be difficult. With the little time she had left, Yun Qing moved all the mosquito venom antidotes she had crafted at the pharmacy bench into her system backpack. She left only ten percent of the mosquito nutrient solution she had collected in the simple wooden cabinet and dumped the rest into the energy converter.

She moved all her valuable items into her system backpack, leaving only the less valuable clutter in the wooden cabinet. Most of the energy-rich materials were tossed into the energy converter, and she took the opportunity to have the intermediate crafting machine produce a simple wooden table and chair. She wasn't confident she could protect the villa or the various junk in the cabinets; her main goal this time was to protect the Soul-Repelling Tree in the farmland. That tiny Soul-Repelling Orb could easily kill Qin Yan's soul; it was her weapon against powerful entities. If the unknown person who hated her was currently using Qin Yan's body, the orb would be effective against them, too.

When her weapons and cabinets were mostly organized, the countdown for the monster siege in the sky hit zero. Her dwelling was surrounded by a fence she had reinforced to Level 1, with a combat-ready zone outside the fence and the gray, misty unknown beyond that. On the small map in her mind, red dots were slowly moving toward the combat area.

They were here! Yun Qing hurried toward the red dots. As they drew closer, she met them in the combat zone. She finally saw her adversary: a figure over three zhang tall, clad in black battle armor, wielding a massive axe the size of a yardstick. The creature carried an imposing and formidable air.

"Soul-Deprived Warrior, Level 39." Its long health bar featured a "x2" icon, meaning it possessed two full layers of health.

This monster looked just like a boss! From the moment it appeared, it exerted immense pressure on her. Looking at the gleaming "house-demolishing" tool in its hand, Yun Qing was certain her small villa wouldn't withstand more than a few swings of that axe. This was her opponent. If she hadn't already reached Level 40, and if this thing hadn't appeared right in her lair, she would have had the urge to run away.

Yun Qing observed her opponent, but the opponent did not observe her; it struck immediately. The warrior swung its giant axe toward her. Not daring to take it head-on, Yun Qing rolled over a dozen meters, barely dodging the axe and the gust of wind it generated.

Holding the Queen Mosquito’s venomous claw, Yun Qing looked for its weak points while confirming with Liu Liu: "Liu Liu, is this an elite mob or a boss?"

"It’s obviously a boss. Can’t you even tell that?"

"Why start with a boss? Why not play by the rules? Aren't bosses supposed to appear at the end?"

Liu Liu replied, "It is entirely reasonable for an elite-level boss to appear whenever it wants. It’s also reasonable for several bosses to spawn."

Yun Qing dodged another axe swing and gasped, "There can be multiple bosses? How many bosses are in this siege?"

"I don't know. You'll find out if you successfully defend. If you fail, you won't, because you might not survive long enough to see them all come out."

"It looks incredibly difficult to deal with. I can only try my best. If it really comes to it, I'll let it smash my ten cabinets; if the defense fails, does the siege end?"

"Quite possibly, though it depends on the boss's mood. Maybe it will dismantle your entire house before it leaves."

The Soul-Deprived Warrior whipped the axe around with ferocious speed. Yun Qing dodged again, but this time she couldn't avoid the shockwave; the blast sent her crashing into the dwelling's perimeter wall. Listening to Liu Liu's uncertain remarks, she felt like vomiting blood. Giving up the defense might lead to the worst possible outcome.

There was no time to waste on feeling sick. With the venomous claw in hand, she charged toward the warrior. She wanted to retreat, but if she backed off any further, the monster would breach the fence and destroy the dwelling. If she couldn't avoid the fight, she would have to face it!

"Clang!" The venomous claw collided with the axe, sending sparks flying. The warrior remained unmoved, and with a shove of its axe, Yun Qing felt her thumb-web ache as she was sent flying backward. While in mid-air, she used a rolling skill to control her momentum, landing and retreating a few steps to stabilize herself in the center of the combat zone.

After the collision, the Queen Mosquito’s venomous claw remained undamaged, while a shallow mark appeared on the warrior’s axe. The monster hadn't lost a single point of health, because she had struck its weapon, not its body. Conversely, she had lost a few points of health herself.

The Soul-Deprived Warrior didn't attack the fence; instead, it turned and came directly for her. Her threat level had completely drawn its aggression. Yun Qing breathed a slight sigh of relief—it could hit her, just not her villa. To drain its health, she had to break through its axe defense, but at this distance, fighting such a boss, she didn't even have the time to draw her bow or throw a stone.

She was Level 40, and the monster was only Level 39. She absolutely could not be defeated by an inferior-level creature. Yun Qing began to analyze the differences between them and identify her own advantages.