Chapter 36: If You Have the Guts, Kill Me!

Xiao Mo summarized: "In short, everyone, make sure to leverage your specific skills and professional strengths. Each time you die, the experience and reputation points lost increase. Once we reach the Su family ancestral grounds, reputation points can be exchanged for supplies and land!"

"Try to die as little as possible; you'll earn more that way!"

Finally, continuously planning and adjusting tactics, the players reviewed their skills and offered suggestions.

This is a Mage, that is an Assassin—alright, let's go challenge a boss ten levels higher than us!

Once the tactics were finalized, Xiao Mo saw that everyone looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy, extremely serious. She smiled and said: "Everyone, relax. We professional gamers are quite skilled at combat; we are very powerful."

The other players let out a sigh of relief: "Does that mean if you go all out, we won't die as easily?"

As expected of professional gamers, truly reliable.

"Of course not. We mean that if you slack off or make a mistake that leads to a wipe, we can kill each of you ten times over."

So... so brutal! The players shivered.

Lan Ling and the three other top-level professional gamers revealed very "nuclear-friendly" smiles.

Dare to cause trouble, and you can prepare to die! Being dragged down by your own team is absolutely unacceptable!

The other players were teary-eyed; the big shots were terrifying, and the pressure was immense.

After successfully respawning, the players quickly reorganized their formation.

Lan Ling continued to emphasize: "Don't forget the tactics and your positioning. Now, let's lure the boss to the open field outside the city first!"

It's easy to damage buildings inside the city, and once the monster goes berserk, it's easy to hurt the NPCs. Let's lure it out!

Moreover, the city is too narrow with all the buildings; if one isn't careful with footwork, they'll bump into walls. Finding an open area is more suitable, and it's better for the players to perform.

Of course, if one had enough strength, it wouldn't matter where they fought, but this was a massive disparity in power, wasn't it?

The players ran back to the previous location. The boss wasn't there, but they spotted it not far away.

"...Wait a second, this thing seems a bit big?"

"A bit big? It's freaking gargantuan! Holy crap, I've never seen such a giant python in my life!"

Even a Foundation Establishment demonic beast couldn't spam AOE ultimate moves infinitely. This time, the players were finally able to get close and see its full appearance.

It was a giant python, so huge it made one despair, like a small hill.

Just how big? Well, big enough to swallow a bus in one bite, and the kind where you'd strain your neck looking up and still couldn't see the whole thing.

For a moment, whether they had megalophobia or were afraid of snakes, everyone's teeth were chattering.

Humans have an innate fear of snakes in their genes; in ancient times, our ancestors also feared giant pythons, which is why some humans are instinctively afraid of snakes.

And a terrifying giant snake that was dozens of meters long when coiled and seven or eight meters wide—no matter how bold the players were, they felt an instant sense of dread!

"Are we really going to fight such a huge snake? Aren't we barely bigger than its scales?"

Up close, they really wanted to turn and run. The python's circular scales were clearly visible, each only slightly smaller than an adult human.

"Damn, no wonder it's a demonic beast; it's ridiculously huge! It doesn't matter, it has a health bar—everyone, don't panic!"

"Tactics, tactics! Get into formation!"

The python coiled its body into an attacking stance, its vertical pupils spinning wildly as it flicked its tongue.

But the players didn't move, and neither did it. Both sides were waiting for the other to make the first move.

Su Qingyue did a rough estimate and felt that the players wouldn't have an easy time winning this fight, so she stepped out: "How about I take care of it? I can beat it."

The players acted as if they were facing a great enemy, shaking their heads rapidly like cats that had their tails stepped on: "No, no, no, you can't! Little Sect Master, you're still just a baby, just watch the battle obediently!"

"Don't do it, please, just go away!"

"Dammit, why is this NPC trying to steal the kill? No!"

"Big Sister Lan Ling, where's Big Sister Xiao Mo? Hurry and persuade her to leave!"

The players were panicked. If Su Qingyue really killed the giant python, their out-of-print rewards and experience points would be gone.

If she didn't manage to kill it and got counter-killed instead, that would be even worse—their hard work over the past few days would be wasted.

Regardless of the outcome, it was more terrifying than them wiping ten times!

Lan Ling rushed over: "Daughter—er, I mean, Sect Master, you can just watch from the sidelines. We can handle it."

Xiao Mo gave her a loving hug: "Be good. We'll play with you after we finish our work. Our Sect Master only needs to admire our heroic combat posture; this kind of tiring work isn't suitable for a beautiful little fairy."

Su Qingyue: "..." She really wanted to help. If the players truly couldn't win, there was no need for them to suffer so much.

Also, the way you're talking, it sounds like you're coaxing a child! I'm sixteen already!

And "heroic combat posture"? Are you sure it won't be you guys crawling all over the floor after being beaten up, with the white light of death blinding her eyes?

She wanted to say more. She hadn't considered that the players would take on something so far above their level.

But in the eyes of the players, the little girl was just trying to steal the kill and cause trouble!

"Have You Eaten Today" quickly came over to save the situation, taking things out: "I made mushroom soup, your favorite; plus roasted chicken, bear paws, berry juice, and a cold salad. Go find a good spot to watch and have something to eat."

Su Qingyue had no choice but to withdraw. Fine, the players had their trump cards anyway.

Besides, *chew, chew, chew*—this is really delicious!

The players charged in. Su Qingyue was dumbfounded: *Uh, are they really that reckless?*

She was shocked and couldn't understand it, but she decided to support them.

And, she remained ready to rescue them at any moment.

The group swarmed forward.

"Lure it out first!"

"That requires getting the giant python's attention."

"Does this game have a taunt skill?" The group looked at each other.

They couldn't possibly carry the python out of the city, could they? They felt like they'd be swiped back to the respawn point by a single tail lash.

With such a massive tail and hard scales, that wasn't impossible.

"Doubi Tiantian Kaixin" spoke up: "There's no taunt skill, but there are other ways to taunt."

Under the confused gazes of the group, he walked over and raised his middle finger: "Come on, you idiot! If you're capable, come kill me! You disgusting giant bug, you're even more nauseating than the excrement in a cesspit! You..."

Before he could finish, the python roared and charged directly at Doubi Tiantian Kaixin, bringing with it immense pressure.

Doubi Tiantian Kaixin ran like crazy, shouting as he fled: "I'm telling you, no matter where you are, raising your middle finger and cursing is a guaranteed way to pull aggro!"

The other players were speechless: "No, *that's* how you taunt?"

"Just tell me, is it a taunt or not?"

"Can't argue with that, how could it not be?"

"666, holy crap, it actually understands human speech!"

"It's a demonic beast, after all. Something this big is practically a monster! It's normal for higher-level ones to speak in human tongues!"

The players grumbled and complained, feeling as if they had acquired a new skill.

They followed him as he sprinted toward the city gates, with the enraged python in pursuit.

Reaching their destination, they considered it a partial success.

Lan Ling breathed a slight sigh of relief: "It's lured out. Now, activate control!"

Several players with control skills immediately used them: "Binding!"

"Freeze!"

"Blue Silver Grass Entanglement!"

"Immobilization Spell!"

The varied names didn't affect the skills; control-type skills simply ignored level differences for absolute control.

The skill books Su Qingyue gave the players didn't have a setting where effects were reduced against higher-level enemies, so the stacking of multiple control skills successfully pinned the python in place.

"Mages, use ranged skills! Warriors, output! Assassins, pay attention!"

Colorful skills slammed into the giant python one after another.

Accompanied by a deafening screech, the python, unable to move while pinned, saw its originally tough scales gradually crack and eventually begin to ooze blood.

"Armor broken!" the players cheered.

But immediately afterward, the control duration ended. The python, having regained its mobility, lashed its tail. The warriors scrambled back, and the mages and assassins retreated frantically, hiding behind the tanks.

However, since this was their first group battle, the players weren't skilled enough yet; several players who couldn't retreat in time were hit by the thick snake tail and sent back to the respawn point.

Xiao Mo and Lan Ling, the four in charge of command and main damage output, frowned at each other:

Several people died in the first wave, and this was only the beginning. Can they really win?