Chapter Thirty-Two: The Withered Fire Marsh (2)

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"What sharp eyes the boss has..." Isis murmured as she gazed at the colossal slime towering three meters high in the distance, drawing a pale violet arrow from her quiver.

"Be economical," the bald mage, Lane, advised Isis, conjuring a massive flaming broadsword two meters long before him.

Isis’s lesser enchanted arrows packed considerable power, on par with a second-tier offensive spell, but each cost a silver coin internally.

Zhao Tianhe eyed Lane’s flaming blade and mused that it must be some kind of magical sword-control spell.

But in the very next moment, he realized he was mistaken.

Lane seized the broadsword and, wielding it like a true warrior, charged straight at the giant slime, with two melee fighters flanking him as they all rushed forward.

A melee mage? Zhao Tianhe blinked in surprise, then glanced at Lainis. "Hey, aren’t you going with them?"

"No problem casting spells from this distance," Lainis replied confidently. "I picked talents that boost spell range and mana regeneration. As a healer, how could I carelessly put myself in danger? A good healer never burdens their team!"

"That’s a good attitude," Zhao Tianhe agreed, "but can you even tell if they’re injured from this far away?" He pointed at Lane and his companions, now over seven hundred meters distant.

At that moment, a horde of minor monsters swarmed in, and the dry, sandy ground erupted in clouds of dust, reducing visibility to nearly nothing.

"Uh..." Lainis was momentarily speechless.

"Then just follow my instructions. You can sense life positions, right? Apply a minor healing spell to the left shoulder of the one on the left," Zhao Tianhe said with exasperation. "Don’t just stand there! Now it’s the one in the middle!"

"Alright, alright!" Lainis hurriedly cast a minor healing spell.

Far off, Lane the bald mage felt a cool sensation on his left shoulder, which had just been scorched by searing gravel—his wound was healed.

Good healing, Lane thought, satisfied. Even at this distance, the spell was targeted precisely, without wasting a sliver of power. Their team’s healers usually wasted a fortune in spells casting full-body heals from afar. Must be thanks to investing in agility. Investing in agility is wise for the long run.

Of course, Lainis hadn’t invested a single point in agility—she was relying entirely on Zhao Tianhe’s clairvoyance.

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Another healer, having overheard, came over and, following Zhao Tianhe’s instructions, healed the back of another warrior’s hand with a minor spell.

Originally, only two of the three small teams had healers; after all, E-rank dungeons were considered low difficulty and didn’t require optimal party compositions, and healers had always been in short supply among the heroes.

Though there were plenty of lesser monsters, the pressure was manageable, so the healers were rarely needed.

"Brother Zhao, your class must be a spirit-exclusive one, right? Amazing stuff—even if you’re not much of a fighter, your scouting skills are off the charts!" A male archer named Baruto grinned at Isis. "Your perception must be even keener than ours—that’s got to be some specialized talent, huh?"

"Of course," Isis laughed, pinning a giant beetle to the ground with an arrow that pierced the vulnerable gap in its neck—a one-shot kill that would have been impossible otherwise. "I bet he’s an incredible archer, too."

Ah! Zhao Tianhe froze in place for a moment.

That’s right! With my talent, why am I messing around with swordsmanship? Ranged archery is clearly my true calling! Zhao Tianhe thought excitedly, but then, all of a sudden, his mind drifted to his king, Artoria...

But if I switch to archery, would she be disappointed? Zhao Tianhe hesitated, deciding he would ask her about it during their daily conversation.

Soon, all the minor monsters and the elite beast in the dungeon were wiped out—and that elite even dropped a weapon: a D-rank longsword.

Zhao Tianhe had no interest in claiming it, deciding not to pursue close combat at all. The longsword, which granted a bit of extra health, was given to Liu Tie, the main tank.

Crossing the first sandy layer, they were ambushed by another swarm of giant beetles and an elite beetle, but these too were swiftly dispatched, and the group advanced smoothly to the second level.

The second level of the Fiery Mire was originally a vast, humid, and shadowy cavern, but it had become a hellish furnace, the stifling heat pushing the temperature past thirty—nearly forty—degrees.

But the team had come prepared, having visited the day before and knowing the third level would be even hotter.

Donning magical necklaces with temporary ice enchantments, they continued hunting monsters with calm resolve.

On the second floor, a new creature appeared: the gravel slime. It resembled the elite they’d encountered before, attacking by spitting burning gravel. Its elemental structure was more stable than ordinary slimes, requiring magic for swift disposal.

Reaching the central sandy plain of the second floor, a gigantic fire-spitting bug suddenly burst out. It looked a bit like a Zerg from Starship Troopers, though only three meters long—nothing too outlandish. One of the melee fighters had their left leg burned and was dragged to the rear for treatment.

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At the same time, a massive flaming slime appeared, hovering in midair and spewing fire as well.

Zhao Tianhe took a deep breath and shifted his perception heavily toward hearing.

"Taunt those two—make them use their special attacks!" Zhao Tianhe told his teammates.

Though no one knew Zhao Tianhe’s plan, no one objected. Liu Tie and several other melee fighters charged straight ahead.

Liu Tie raised his sword and slashed the fire bug’s compound eye, sending fluids spraying everywhere.

The monster roared, rearing up and knocking Liu Tie to the ground with its wings. Just as it prepared to skewer him with its six barbed limbs, a massive figure seized its forelimbs, holding it fast so Liu Tie could roll free.

That towering figure was their other tank, the brawny Wilson, blessed with the talents of Juggernaut and Brawn. Already imposing before, after his enhancements, he stood nearly three meters tall—almost as massive as the fire bug itself.

But in terms of raw strength, he still couldn’t match the elite beast. After barely two seconds of grappling, he was forced down, and burning heat surged from the bug’s open maw...

"Dodge!" Zhao Tianhe shouted to Wilson.

He hardly needed to—both men were well aware of the impending danger at such close range. They rolled aside, evading the direct blast of flame, though the residual heat still left them lightly burned.

"Good! Keep attacking! Next time it’s about to breathe fire, I’ll warn you!" This time, Zhao Tianhe could clearly identify the telltale sounds the fire bug made before attacking—not just movements of its mouthparts, but a series of unique noises within its body. In short, he could now predict when the fire bug would unleash its ultimate attack, giving his teammates time to dodge.

It was the same with the flaming slime; Zhao Tianhe’s hearing picked up the warning sounds before it spewed fire.

Thus, under Zhao Tianhe’s direction, the team slew both elite monsters with minimal casualties. What’s more, from now on, whenever they encountered these two types of beasts, Zhao Tianhe could predict their attacks—he had memorized the sounds they made before striking.