Chapter 92: Red Flame Fierce Snake
[Description: The Fiery and Passionate Snake is agile in form, with scales that shimmer with a fiery hue. Its eyes glow with an intense red light, capable of spewing flames for attacks. It possesses extremely high attack power, speed, and agility...]
A glimmer emanated from Irving\'s wand, and information about the snake appeared before his eyes. His brows furrowed even tighter. "It\'s actually the same level as the Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spider Queen..."
The primary reason the Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spider could be classified as a high-level exotic beast was its powerful reproductive ability, enabling it to command its swarm.
However, the threat posed by the Red Flame Fierce Snake far exceeded that of the Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spider Queen!
"Why is there a snake here?" The players of the Green Ivy Group also saw the Fiery and Passionate Snake emerging from the corpse, and a flicker of fear crossed their eyes as they seemed to realize something.
They were only a step away from the end of the cave, and the corpses of the players on the ground were likely connected to the Fiery and Passionate Snake before them.
"Irving, help me..." Vicky, who was pressed against the rock wall, was on the verge of tears from fright.
As a healer mage, she had no means of attack and was utterly terrified of creatures like snakes.
Hiss, hiss, hiss... The Red Flame Fierce Snake seemed to regard this area as its territory. Upon discovering intruders, it suddenly raised its body.
Its triangular head, with eyes like dazzling red gemstones, stared intently at Irving, constantly flicking its tongue as if ready to strike at any moment.
"Irving!" James\'s face darkened. He picked up his longsword and exchanged a glance with several nearby players.
Immediately, they began moving towards Irving\'s position.
"Don\'t come any closer!" A glint of cold light flashed in Irving\'s eyes as he hurriedly tried to stop them, but he was a step too late.
The Fiery and Passionate Snakes that had been hidden among the corpses on the ground were startled and began to emerge. To their dismay, there were dozens of them.
James and the players beside him turned pale.
"Damn it, how are there so many of these venomous snakes here..." James cursed under his breath.
Though he didn\'t know the exact level of these snakes, he could clearly sense the threat posed by these exotic beasts.
It\'s worth noting that the players who managed to traverse the forest and reach this point were among the elite in the game. Yet here they lay, dead at the hands of these Fiery and Passionate Snakes, just a step away from the end of the cave.
At this moment, the guild members all drew their weapons, their eyes fixed on the Fiery and Passionate Snakes, mentally preparing themselves for a fight to the death.
"Everyone, hold your positions..." Irving\'s face showed a hint of bitterness.
The Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders they had encountered in the forest had already caused heavy casualties for the Green Ivy Group, and the Fiery and Passionate Snakes before them were even more ferocious.
If the members of the Green Ivy Group charged in now, they would likely end up just like the players lying dead on the ground.
Irving didn\'t know much about the Fiery and Passionate Snakes, only their level and attack methods. Charging in recklessly would likely yield little success against them.
He furrowed his brows and then made a subtle mental command.
In the next moment, after some rustling sounds, a dozen Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders surged forward, targeting the Fiery and Passionate Snake closest to Vicky.
The Fiery and Passionate Snake moved with incredible speed. Before the Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders could even reach it, the snake launched its attack.
Soon, a dozen Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders were entangled in a fierce battle with the Fiery and Passionate Snake.
The dimly lit cave was suddenly illuminated by dazzling flashes of light.
The Fiery and Passionate Snake continuously spewed flames from its crimson mouth, but the Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders had formidable defenses. Even Irving\'s previous use of [Fireball] hadn\'t posed a lethal threat to them...
Watching the battle unfold, Irving shook his head.
Although the Fiery and Passionate Snake was a high-level exotic beast, it was momentarily helpless against a dozen Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders. However, even so, he could tell that those Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders wouldn\'t be able to hold out for long.
At that moment, the dozen Fiery and Passionate Snakes crawling out from among the player corpses were rapidly approaching.
"Damn!" James\' face turned grim. He shouted to the players behind him, "If we don\'t kill these bastards, we won\'t make it out alive today!"
The players, seeing the dire situation, decided to go all out.
In the vast cave, nearly a hundred players engaged in a chaotic battle with the dozen Fiery and Passionate Snakes.
However, they underestimated the snakes\' strength.
The snakes were incredibly fast and flexible. Before the players\' blades could strike, the snakes launched their attacks, their fangs easily piercing the exposed skin of the players.
Those bitten felt a searing pain at the wound, followed by rapid skin necrosis.
In just a brief skirmish with the Fiery and Passionate Snakes, several players collapsed in agony. Seeing this, James\' face turned extremely pale.
The snakes\' speed made them nearly impossible to hit.
"Irving!" James shouted, looking at Irving. "Quick! Irving, get inside. We\'ll handle this."
He knew that despite bringing nearly a hundred players, they couldn\'t match the Fiery and Passionate Snakes. It was only a matter of time before they were killed.
The others also turned their gaze to Irving, especially those who had experienced the Castle Battle and witnessed Irving\'s prowess firsthand.
Even the newly joined guild members were awed by Irving\'s ability to control exotic beasts.
"Yes, while we can still buy some time, go ahead." a burly player said through gritted teeth.
"Damn it, these snakes are too tough. We can\'t beat them." another tall player shouted, swinging his long sword furiously. "I didn\'t come here for the treasure anyway. If I die, so be it."
"Go now, while there\'s still time..." the other players echoed.
Watching their companions fall to the ground in agony, the players in the guild had already foreseen their grim fate.
They pinned their hopes on Irving.
Since they were destined to die here, they might as well hold off these Fiery and Passionate Snakes to buy Irving time to reach the end of the cave and seek the treasure.
Heart-wrenching screams echoed through the cave.
In the time it took to speak, dozens more players had fallen to the ground.
Vicky, who had escaped from the rock wall, felt a pang of sorrow as she watched her fellow players collapse one by one.
"Irving, let\'s hurry inside. We can\'t let them die here in vain." Vicky urged, looking at Irving who stood motionless.
However, Irving did not respond. Instead, his deep eyes flashed with a fierce light. He swiftly waved his staff, casting [Gravity Swamp].
A wave rippled through the air, and the Fiery and Passionate Snakes\' speed suddenly dropped.
"Die, you bastards!" One of the burly players seized the moment, lifting his axe and striking one of the snakes with all his might.
A dull thud sounded as the snake was chopped in two.
Though Fiery and Passionate Snakes had formidable attack power and agility, their greatest weakness was their lack of defense.
The burly player grinned at the sight of the writhing, bisected snake. "You thought you were so great, now let\'s see where you can hide." He swung his axe again, this time smashing down on the snake\'s head.
Other players quickly followed suit.
Irving\'s [Gravity Swamp] skill slowed the Fiery and Passionate Snakes, exposing their weaknesses. Despite this, several players were still bitten.
Seeing this, Sophia swiftly cast an ice spell, further reducing the snakes\' speed.
The dire situation finally saw a glimmer of hope.
The tide of the battle, initially overwhelmingly against them, began to shift.
The fight raged on for nearly ten minutes.
Together, they managed to kill all the Fiery and Passionate Snakes blocking their path.
Silence returned to the cave.
Of the nearly hundred players in the Green Ivy Group who had entered, fewer than twenty remained, exhausted and collapsed on the ground from the intense heat and recent battle.
James let out a long sigh as he surveyed the bodies strewn across the floor.
"It\'s finally over." he said, then turned to Irving. "Irving, in that situation, you could have gone ahead. There was no need to risk yourself with us..."
Though he was the leader of the Green Ivy Group, he had long made up his mind to follow Irving.
As for the surviving players, they were too exhausted to speak, but when they looked at Irving, their eyes showed not only gratitude but also newfound admiration.
After a brief rest, the group continued toward the depths of the cave. Moments later, they finally reached the end, and their view suddenly opened up.
"This... looks like a ruin!" one player exclaimed, unable to contain their amazement at the sight before them.