Volume One: Hell-Level Lord World Chapter 138: Chance Encounter

This undead troop passing through the woods was clearly nothing more than a patrol out for a stroll. The unit contained two undead heroes, but the soldiers totaled only 150, primarily consisting of skeletons. Had Chen Gu been present, he would surely have understood that some of Kebas's speculations were correct: the undead side suffered from an excess of heroes.

However, Chen Gu was not there, and his attention was elsewhere, so Lister, who had encountered the undead unit, struck immediately. The troops Lister led were the most traditional of elven forces. Aside from the lack of a magical contingent, they were a standard elven squad. Seeing the undead, Lister felt no hesitation; he charged forward with his men.

Lister’s first move was to deploy his two hundred Great Sprites. These Great Sprites were synthesized from three ordinary sprites each. Their attributes were significantly stronger than those of standard sprites.

[Unit Attributes]
Name: Sprite
Type: Elf
Specialty: Perception
Level: 1/3
Attributes: Attack 4, Defense 2, Health 60
Initial Skills: Natural Strike Level 2 (Sprites possess weak attack power and are rarely detected; their attacks do not trigger counterattacks), Magic Powder Level 2 (Sprites can convert mana into magical powder)
Note: A three-in-one Great Sprite, with an attack power of 2+1+1=4.

Four points of attack power was the starting point for a Tier 2 unit. With the addition of Lister’s tactical attributes, the Great Sprites’ attack power reached 8. Furthermore, with the Level 2 Offense skill and the effects of his innate tactical ability, their attack power rose by another 30%, or 2.4. Since this game does not track decimal points for attack power, a single sprite started with 10 attack points—a level of power approaching that of a Tier 4 unit. It is worth noting that a Holy Hydra only has 16 points of attack.

Most importantly, there were two hundred of these Great Sprites, which was a devastating prospect. The undead are known as a "scourge" only because of their sheer numbers. Two thousand skeletons, even with only 1 attack power each, could deal massive damage through sheer volume. A single point of damage from every skeleton could eventually grind down a dragon.

The unique advantage of the Great Sprites was that their attacks did not trigger counterattacks. This meant they could strike enemies who, if they failed to notice them, might simply let them pass. For enemies with low health, 10 points of attack could kill them in two strikes, and by bypassing the enemy's chance to counter, the Great Sprites remained unharmed. Moreover, the number of Great Sprites exceeded the enemy's skeletons by fifty.

After releasing the Great Sprites, Lister did not commit his other troops, preferring to observe from a distance. He sensed that there was something suspicious about the undead sending two heroes out on a simple patrol. He contemplated whether he should capture one of the enemy heroes.

While Lister pondered this, the Great Sprites reached the skeletons. It was only then that the two undead heroes reacted, simultaneously commanding their respective units to counterattack. Lister immediately noticed the difference between the two undead heroes. Because the undead had such a surplus of heroes, some were no longer treated as true leaders. On the surface, two heroes were leading 150 undead soldiers, but in reality, one hero led 140, while the other led only 10 skeletons.

The reason for this disparity was that the hero with the ten skeletons was, in fact, a combat-oriented unit. It was a stitched monstrosity, its size far exceeding that of a normal person. Several extra arms grew from its body, and the thickness of those limbs made it clear that they had been grafted on by the creature itself. The monstrosity held an axe in one hand and a longsword in another. Lister could tell at a glance that it possessed exceptional melee capabilities.

Lister himself was a master of the offensive; besides boosting his subordinates' attack power, he was a formidable melee fighter in his own right. Upon seeing this undead hero, he felt a sudden urge to charge into the fray, but he ultimately suppressed the thought. After all, the current battle required only the Great Sprites; there was no need for him or his other troops to intervene.

Indeed, the fifty surplus Great Sprites, finding no opponents, immediately swarmed the two undead heroes. Because the stitched monstrosity was so large, a dozen Great Sprites surrounded it. When these sprites attacked, they concentrated their energy into their palms and pushed outward. Though the movement resembled a playful scuffle, the force behind it was considerable. Under the strikes of those dozen sprites, the body of the stitched monstrosity visibly buckled, its internal bones clearly shattered.

Yet, the stitched undead hero acted as if it hadn't noticed the attacks and showed no intention of striking back, instead glancing around. The Great Sprites seized the opportunity to land another blow. This time, the attack hit the monstrosity squarely in the face. The creature finally realized the sprites were there and raised its weapons to strike back, but the Great Sprites unleashed a third wave of attacks, targeting its arms and face.

Having already endured two rounds of attacks, the monstrosity's health had plummeted. This final strike depleted its remaining vitality. Even as the creature raised its weapons to swing at the sprites, the impact brought all its movements to a halt. Its grip loosened, and the weapons clattered to the ground. The Great Sprites landed one final blow, and under the force of the strike, the stitched monstrosity’s body exploded, leaving behind only a pile of flesh and gore, with no hope of resurrection.

After killing the stitched hero, the dozen sprites took flight. They looked over the battlefield, where the fighting had already ended. Even the strongest skeletons could not withstand two rounds of attacks from the Great Sprites. The other hero had not lasted as long as the stitched monstrosity; having endured only two strikes, it had fallen on the spot.