Kael led Lila deeper into the dense, man-high grass. After wiping out two more squads of Carrion Ants, they encountered a new species.
[Leafcutter Ant]: Level 31
HP: 350,000
Physical Attack: 11,000
Physical Defense: 4,200
...
[Leafcutter Chieftain]: Level 34
HP: 20,200,000
Physical Attack: 13,500
Magical Attack: 13,500
Physical Defense: 6,500
...
This group consisted of a single Chieftain and fifteen regular Leafcutter Ants. They were busy using their sharp mandibles to snip blades of grass, preparing to haul them back to their nest.
Lila studied their stats with a curious frown. "These Leafcutters look weaker than the Carrion Ants. Why are they a higher level?"
"You'll see," Kael said.
Lila nodded and leaped into action.
Seeing her approach, the Leafcutter Ants stopped their work and turned to engage, the freshly cut leaves still held firmly in their mouths.
CRUNCH!
Lila’s landing stunned all enemies within a five-yard radius for 1.5 seconds. This time, however, the effect was less devastating. The Leafcutters were spread out, not clustered together like the Carrion Ants. Only six were caught in the stun.
Then, something strange happened. The ants that hadn't been stunned raised the leaves in their mouths, their bodies glowing with a faint green light. In an instant, the six stunned ants shook off the effect, fully recovered despite having been disabled.
Lila was raising her sword for a skill, not expecting to have to defend so quickly. Three of the ants charged, ramming their heads into her.
-2,871
-2,663
-3,017
With over 90,000 HP, the damage was negligible, but it was a warning: these ants were more than they appeared.
By then, her [Dragon Slash] and Kael’s [Phantom Barrage] landed, blanketing the area in a storm of damage numbers. Three of the Leafcutters dropped dead.
But what happened next truly shocked Lila.
The living ants once again raised the leaves in their mouths. A wave of green numbers washed over their allies.
+50,000
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+50,000
+50,000
Resurrect
...
The three dead ants were back on their feet.
Lila noticed that the ants who had cast the healing spell now held noticeably smaller leaves. The three that had cast the resurrection spell had no leaves at all—they had been completely consumed. Without their leaves, the revived ants didn't cast any more spells, simply hissing as they charged forward.
It all clicked. This was why their level was higher despite their lower stats. They could dispel, heal, and even resurrect. For a normal party, any one of those skills would be a nightmare to deal with.
For Kael and Lila, however, it was child's play. They quickly dispatched the fifteen regulars and turned their attention to the Chieftain.
The Chieftain hadn't joined the initial fight, continuing to gather leaves off to the side. But the moment its last soldier fell, it threw its head back, and the massive leaf in its mandibles pulsed with a brilliant green light. Beams of energy shot out, striking each of the fallen ant corpses.
All fifteen of them stood up again. Not only were they revived, but each one now had a fresh, green leaf in its mouth, seemingly conjured from thin air.
Even Lila couldn't hold back her disbelief. "Are you kidding me? What a bullshit mechanic."
One could only imagine the despair of the first parties who ran into these things.
Elsewhere in the Hidden Realm, a forty-player raid party was locked in a desperate battle with a Leafcutter Chieftain. Counting the twenty bodies already littering the ground, their original force had been sixty strong.
The Chieftain's leaf was gone, and its health bar was almost empty.
"We've got this, boss!" a warrior yelled.
"Goddamn, these things are a pain in the ass," a priest grumbled. "I've been spamming heals this entire fight; haven't had a second to breathe."
A mage named Eldric shouted over the din, "Good work, everyone! If an Ascendant item drops, everyone gets a million-coin bonus!"
"Yeah!"
"You're the best, boss!"
After sacrificing three more players, they finally brought the Chieftain down. A rogue immediately sprinted forward to check the loot. A moment later, his excited scream echoed across the clearing.
"Boss! We got one! It's an Ascendant!"
Eldric rushed over and saw it: the level 30 Ascendant staff he'd been dreaming of.
"Yes! YES! This has to have at least two or three sockets. I'm putting my best gems in this thing!" he declared, hugging the staff and planting a kiss on it. "Hah! You know what? Make that a two-million Thaloria coin bonus for everyone!"
"Whoa, boss, I love you!"
As the party celebrated, the priests began their work. Among them, one figure stood out—a female warlock named Voidweaver. While the other priests took ten seconds to chant a spell that resurrected a single player, she began a fifteen-second incantation that brought five players back to life at once.
Soon, thirteen players were back on their feet, leaving ten corpses still on the ground. Eldric was hesitating, wondering whether to push forward or wait thirty minutes for the resurrection skills to come off cooldown.
Just then, he received a private message from a player named Solrin.
Solrin: Sir, the two from Earthside just showed up in the Hidden Realm!
Eldric: They’re really here? Perfect.
Solrin: Should we call Nymeria?
Eldric: No. I’m going to give her a little surprise.
Solrin: But they’re really strong. Just now, they…
Eldric: What’s there to be afraid of? You think we’re weak?
Solrin: But…
Eldric: Can it. I don't want to hear another word.
Solrin: Yes, sir.
Eldric: Keep following them. We'll rest for half an hour, then we're coming for them.
Solrin: Understood.
Closing the message window, Eldric broke into a wicked smile. "Heh. The Earth server’s top archer and their number one shieldmaiden… they’re both going down."
Back with Kael and Lila, the fight was already over. After mowing down wave after wave of revived ants, they had finally taken down the Chieftain.
System: You have slain Leafcutter Ant. 300,000 EXP gained.
System: You have slain Leafcutter Ant. 300,000 EXP gained.
...
System: You have slain Leafcutter Chieftain. 5,000,000 EXP gained.
Fifteen Leafcutters, resurrected twice over, plus the Chieftain itself. It was a grand total of 18.5 million experience from a single fight.
"Holy crap, the EXP is insane!" Lila exclaimed. "The Land of the Behemoth is nothing compared to this."
Kael laughed. "If I were a normal player, I'd take the Land of the Behemoth any day."
Lila paused, then understood what he meant. The Land of the Behemoth could be farmed by a small 5- or 10-person party. This place required a massive 50-player raid to even have a chance. And with that many people, the experience share would plummet. Who could even get a raid that big together on a regular basis?
She shook her head and moved to loot the boss.
Just as she reached the corpse, Kael spoke, his voice calm and carrying easily through the quiet clearing.
"Alright, cut the act. You can come out now."