Chapter 348: Protection Scheme, Two Birds with One Stone
The entire group didn't realize how time passed as they gradually crossed the forest while killing blood-thirsty monsters that wouldn't leave them alone once discovered.
By the time they saw a way out of the forest, four hours had passed by.
After all, everyone also had to recover their lost energy and move carefully while maintaining their energies to fight.
If Rin and Erix were not present and the entire group only had adequate power levels of powerhouses of the same number, it would have taken ten hours for this group to cross the forest.
In short, Erix and Rin's combat capacity ate up an entire six hours of effort, finishing this first expedition into Merfinn Tribe's territory in four hours.
Past the forest, everyone saw breathtaking scenery—It was a water world of giant and broad stream pathways going into further lands and depths of this sea.
Soon after they moved towards a rather big bowl-like rock covered in vines and glowing moss for grouping, everyone saw a notification.
[Challenge: Pass through the Harrowing Stream area and reach the next area.]
[Power Level requirement: 55,000]
"Let's stop for now," Leishun said as he sat on a squishy and soft moss. "Everyone is close to their last recovery potions and emergency buff potions."
"Yeah. Also, our buff runs out within an hour," Yelwon said before looking back at the forest area. "This forest is still unexplored, and there are still monsters. Let's spend the remaining time fighting and improving ourselves."
"Yeah. Let's gather Orbs of Lost Ancient. They give out good stuff."
"Ahem," Erix fake coughed and said as everyone ceased their discussion and looked at him. "Then we will not proceed further. Act on your own in groups and fight until the buff runs out."
As such, people partied in various groups.
The top guilds moved into their own group, while weaker guilds that only had one or two people with a 40k+ power level grouped up to become a bigger party.
Everyone wanted those Orbs of Ancient Lost, but there was only 1 orb per 1 monster.
The big group indeed killed many monsters, but they were 118 people!
It was hard to distribute orbs due to that, but everyone at least got two or three Lost Orbs of Ancient during the past four hours spent crossing the water forest.
"Boss Erix, is your protection offer still available?"
Someone asked, and everyone's ears immediately perked up, while a few people's faces slightly soured.
"Tsk," Yelwon clicked her tongue and turned to her group. "Let's go. We'll be going ahead."
"Even if there's a stronger monster, we can defeat it by working together. It's not even that hard."
"Good luck," Koshal smiled at Yelwon and others before he also left with his group.
However, only five groups left. The remaining nineteen groups stayed and eagerly looked at Erix.
"Boss, it's an easy get-rich scheme," Varan grinned.
Isabella, Sameira, and Kenshin couldn't help but dryly smile. Erix's protection scheme was indeed a win-win.
'Erix, let's do it. We can also strengthen our Spiritual power this way,' Rin's eyes glinted.
Erix laughed and said while sweeping his glance across the groups before him. "The protection offer is still available, but since we have parted into multiple groups, there are some conditions."
"Rin and I will save you as usual, and we'll take one Orb of Ancient per head, same as before."
After Erix finished speaking, Rin said, "But you have to stay within our range for us to act. Find single or double monsters according to what you can handle, and bring them within 200 kilometers of our position."
"As long as you are within 200 kilometers from us, you won't die, but you'll pay with an Orb of Ancient. If you don't have it after we saved you, then you will die."
"We are not here to babysit you," Rin smiled while narrowing her eyes. "If you don't pay, we will kill you."
Erix grinned and crossed his arms. "Find us in the forest, eighty kilometers northwest from here. That'll be our position. Good luck."
After saying that, Erix teleported both the Unfettered Fate guild's group and Heavenly Melody's group at once, appearing near a pond and a slightly empty area in the forest.
It was a good place to meditate and stay in focus with their senses spread.
Meanwhile, Isabella led twelve people of Unfettered Fate to find monsters and the Heavenly Melody guild also left in a group to fight for improvement and rewards.
Erix and Rin sat beside each other near the pond under a tree and entered deep focus.
Their spirit stat had crossed the 2.1k mark, gaining almost seven hundred Spirit stat points during the past month by practicing daily in Limitless Plane and making progress in elements and concepts.
At their full focus on their spirit sense, their Spiritual Mystic Eye could cover 250 kilometers of area and mark all presences as if they were watching everything from a bird's eye view from above with distinction.
It could be a bit risky as well, which was why they told others to remain within 200 kilometers diameter of them.
After all, to swiftly act, take note of so many different presences with distinction, notice someone in prompt and unavoidable danger, and then move and save them was no easy feat.
It was extremely hard!
Erix and Rin had to pour the entirety of their focus into this activity and it strained them mentally while also challenging them physically into acting, and then a challenge of control and execution to save a target.
But doing all that was obviously not a fruitless labor.
It was hard, but it improved them spiritually, increasing their spirit power A.K.A Spirit stat.
In the first ten minutes, each group found monsters to fight.
They were also getting used to fighting in the water with efficiency, so everyone was doing better.
Somewhere in a group…
'Fuck! I almost died there!'
'That was really a close call, brother. Would boss Erix have saved you if you didn't remain careful?'
'We both haven't been saved yet, and I would rather remain cautious. I want those Orbs of Lost Ancient for myself.'
'True. Although the orbs don't give good rewards often, there's a chance to get better rewards as well.'
In another group…
'Noo!!'
A man in his late twenties thought that a giant fish that was speedy and ruthless devoured him, but he didn't feel the expected pain.
"Pay up. One orb."
The man only saw Erix before him, his heart still beating the fastest ever.
"T-Thank you."
"Orb," Erix raised his eyebrows. "Stop wasting time. I need to go back into focus." Stay connected via m-v l|e'm,p| y r
The man quickly took out a Lost Orb of Ancient with a slightly painful expression.
"C-can I open it for you?"
However, Erix vanished and the orb in the man's hand also disappeared with him.
"Hey, Mike! Get back into the fucking fight and shoot your arrows! Stay behind me, so I can save you promptly."
"Haha, dude lost an Orb. Serves him right. It's fine, Mike. You can continue and attack more just because you have higher attack power."
"But you only have one more Orb left. You better earn one more before going careless again."
…
Rin and Erix watched everyone and everything from the sky. Not physically, but their consciousnesses that observed everything within 250 kilometers of them via their spirit sense—Spiritual Mystic Eye!
'Easy rewards with benefits, haha. Babe, how many have we got in total since arrived here?'
'We got sixty-seven Orbs total including the one you just got. It's gonna be fun opening all of them,' Rin grinned broadly.
The duo went back to focus on grinding their Spiritual power, strengthening it by straining to the maximum.