The Shelter Game: Me, Starting with a Tenfold Drop Rate

When Nick arrived at the Lava Mountains, the monster horde was still about half a day's journey away.
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Nick decided to take advantage of this time to rest and check the temporary camp set up by Irving and the others in the middle of the Lava Mountains. After all, the Lava Mountains were a very important location. Irving and the others might return here after this.

First, Nick assessed the general condition of the temporary camp. The defense infrastructure of the camp was still intact. Although the camp had previously been attacked by the Lava Giant Legion, Irving, James, and the others had worked together to fend off the assault. In that battle, the Lava Giant Legion suffered significant losses. As a result, the Lava Giants no longer dared to continue their attacks on the temporary camp.

"It seems I don't need to worry about threats while I'm here. The Lava Giants must have migrated to other areas. This means I won't be able to lure the monster horde to the Lava Giants' nest," Nick thought, feeling a tinge of disappointment.

Initially, Nick believed he could use the Lava Giants to eliminate the advancing monster horde. The Lava Giants were incredibly aggressive. They would attack anything that posed a threat to their nests. While the Lava Giants would likely still be unable to defeat the monster horde, they could significantly weaken the monsters during the fight. This would make it easier for Irving and Nick to deal with the horde.

Although slightly disappointed, Nick quickly adjusted his mindset. "Since the situation is no longer in our favor, I must choose the most cautious plan," he ultimately decided to stay at the temporary camp to observe the specific situation of the monster horde. He would determine his next course of action only after gathering sufficient intelligence.

After waiting for about two hours, the monster horde finally appeared on the horizon. At the front of the horde were some weaker monsters. These weaker monsters were very fast, serving as the navigators for the entire horde and also taking on a reconnaissance role.

When the weaker monsters appeared, Nick hid himself even deeper. He tucked himself away in the innermost part of the temporary camp.

"The speed at which the monster horde advances is not only faster than that of ordinary monsters, but they can even coordinate with each other. This is quite astonishing. Are these monsters really devoid of intelligence?" Nick was taken aback by the situation of the monster horde.

However, Nick did not change his mind. Since he had already decided to observe the specific situation of the monster horde, he would carry through with that decision.

Nick hid very well, and the weaker monsters at the forefront of the horde did not detect him.

Thus, the monster horde passed directly through the Lava Mountains. As the horde moved through the area, some of the stronger monsters seemed to sense that something was amiss. These stronger monsters began to search around the Lava Mountains, seemingly looking for the hidden Nick.

Seeing this, Nick quickly took appropriate action. He activated the magical formations he had previously set up. These magical formations were located in other areas of the Lava Mountains. Once activated, they would generate a series of illusions designed to attract the attention of the monsters.

Nick's magical formations proved to be quite effective. The majority of the stronger monsters rushed toward the illusions. As soon as they spotted the illusions, they launched their attacks without hesitation.

"It seems the monsters in this horde are extremely vicious. If these monsters reach Irving's shelter, it will surely face a fierce assault. I must quickly inform Irving of this news," Nick thought as he observed the situation around him and relayed the latest intelligence he had gathered to Irving.

When Irving received Nick's information, his expression remained largely unchanged. In fact, he had already anticipated that such a situation might arise. He believed that the monster horde was indeed coming straight for him and had prepared for battle long ago.

"I understand! The information you've provided is crucial. However, I hope you won't stay in the Lava Mountains any longer. Remaining there could put you in a significant crisis. The monster horde may have already discovered you. You need to return to my location quickly. Only here at my shelter can I provide you with assistance," Irving warned, sensing that Nick was likely facing a grave danger.

However, Nick did not heed Irving's caution. After receiving Irving's message, he quickly replied, "You don't need to worry. I know my limits. If I truly encounter danger, I will return promptly. But at least for now, I am not in any danger. I've decided to continue gathering intelligence here. Once I have enough information, I will return immediately. You don't need to be concerned!"

After sending his reply, Nick cut off communication with Irving.

After all, Nick still needed to remain hidden. If he continued to communicate with Irving, he would soon be discovered by the stronger monsters within the horde.

In fact, Irving's assessment was very accurate. Nick had indeed been detected by a powerful presence among the monsters, specifically the manipulator of the monster horde who had been lurking in the shadows.

When Nick arrived at the Lava Mountains, the manipulator had already received some warning. As Nick spotted the weaker monsters at the forefront of the horde, the manipulator simultaneously locked onto Nick's location. The reason the manipulator did not initiate an immediate attack was simply because he wanted to gather more intelligence related to Nick.

The manipulator of the horde was actually somewhat familiar with Irving and his companions. He understood that Nick was one of Irving's allies, which meant that gathering intelligence on Nick also equated to gathering intelligence on Irving.

During the communication between Nick and Irving, the manipulator recorded their entire conversation. He had confirmed that Irving would not provide Nick with any further information, so there was no need to waste more time.

While remaining concealed, the manipulator chose to command the stronger monsters in the horde to launch an attack on Nick. Two of these monsters quickly charged toward Nick from a direction he could not see.

It was only when these two monsters were about ten meters away that Nick suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of danger. Nick's danger alert had indeed been activated. However, he had no more time to prepare.

When Nick turned to look at the monsters behind him, their claws were already less than ten centimeters from his face. Faced with this situation, Nick had no choice but to use one of the items he carried with him.

Nick had with him an item that could slow down the flow of time in the surrounding area. This item was originally intended for use in the final battle. However, it seemed that he would not be able to save it for that moment after all.

Without hesitation, Nick activated the item. Once the item took effect, the two monsters attacking Nick were significantly slowed down.

Under normal circumstances, Nick would not have to worry about facing a threat. However, he was acutely aware that the fact two monsters had already launched an attack meant he had entered the attack range of the horde. It was possible that it wouldn't be long before more monsters would also come after him.

For Nick, the only thing he could do now was to quickly return, just as Irving had advised. Without hesitation, he dashed towards the edge of the temporary camp.

At the edge of the camp, Nick had specifically set up a teleportation magical formation. As long as he could reach the teleportation formation, he would be transported directly to Irving's shelter. Not just anyone could use a teleportation formation that leads directly to someone's shelter. The user had to have a very close connection with the owner of the shelter and must also obtain the owner's consent to use it.

This was why Nick was not worried about his actions bringing monsters directly to Irving's shelter. Although Nick moved with great speed, a few monsters managed to follow him.

As Nick reached the edge of the teleportation formation, two bolts of lightning suddenly appeared in the sky. These bolts struck Nick directly. He felt intense pain coursing through him. However, he would not let the pain stop his actions. Nick knew very well that if he stopped now, he would be caught by the monsters. The monster horde was already hostile towards him, and if he were captured, his fate would surely be grim.

Enduring the excruciating pain, Nick stepped into the teleportation formation. The formation quickly activated, surrounding Nick's body with a white light. Just before he was transported away, Nick suddenly thought he saw a human figure among the monsters. However, the image was fleeting.

When the teleportation formation fully activated, Nick was transported back to Irving's shelter. He had no way of knowing whether the human he thought he saw was real or just an illusion.

As soon as Nick arrived at Irving's shelter, he heard Irving's voice. "You must have been attacked, right? It seems the manipulator of the monster horde knows a lot about us. He could even guess that you and I have a very close relationship. Plus, he easily breached the defenses of the camp at the Lava Mountains."

Irving looked at Nick with an expressionless face and spoke slowly. He had anticipated such a situation would arise, so he didn't feel too much sympathy for Nick. Of course, he wasn't mocking him either, because Nick had indeed provided him with a wealth of intelligence. This information would be invaluable in their battle against the monster horde.