Scourge Messenger

Chapter 383 Difficulties See the Mechanism

How high is the single-hit damage of elite demons in the fourth-tier difficult dungeon?

There are two scenarios here. If it's just a normal attack, the damage might even be enough for a third-tier messenger. The Guiding Lands are quite realistic in this respect, dealing only a couple thousand damage. The main issue is that the difficulty level is only the second level. Above that are the Limit and Desperate Situations, which are where shield-wielding classes and healers truly shine.

But if it's a mechanic-based attack, that's a completely different story. Yan Qing vividly remembers a line on the forum's homepage addressed to new players:
Normal difficulty is easy to pass, difficult difficulty depends on the mechanism, extreme difficulty requires cooperation, and absolute difficulty requires no mistakes.

Why should we examine the mechanisms behind difficulties?

Because you might die if you don't watch it!
Thunderbird's burst of crimson lightning is a mechanical attack, or as the locals would say: a demonic killing move! This is an attack that even a level 49 courier with the highest item level would have a hard time with, and the damage value is probably close to 10,000!
Bunny Girl's defensive token is still just "Mountain Heart Mirror". As for mechanism-based damage reduction tokens like "Bodhisattva Jade Pendant", they will be directly ineffective against Foundation Establishment attacks. When different positions collide, only the numerical value of the lower position will take effect, and all other conflicting mechanisms will be overwritten and crushed by the higher position! The only exception is the [Cataclysmic Sigh] milestone, even if the Primordial Daoist slaps her, the damage will be reduced.

But Bunny Girl wasn't helpless against this attack, because in addition to her defensive token, she also had her Dao Foundation!
As the foundation for protecting the path to heaven, the Dao Foundation can naturally protect the messenger, but the price is extremely heavy: in addition to the Dao Foundation being damaged, the messenger will also lose a level, and it is not impossible for it to drop from the sixth level to the fifth level or from the fifth level to the fourth level. When the Dao Foundation is completely destroyed, it will naturally drop to the fourth level.

Therefore, the vast majority of players would rather die than reveal their Dao Foundation Guardian. The only ones who would do so are players in Real Mode, because for them, death is real death. For them, Dao Foundation is not just a level, but a second life!
Yan Qing had already prepared to manifest his Dao Foundation. After all, the Bunny Girl had only been at the Foundation Establishment stage for a day; as long as his Dao Foundation didn't explode, taking a hit or two wouldn't be a problem. But just then, the Pharmacist stepped forward, his Dragon-Snake Seven Kills technique plunging into the ground and uprooting rocks!
A deadly aura erupts from the ground; the [Dragon and Serpent] rise from the land!
This was originally a ground-based spell that caused widespread shock damage, but after the apothecary lifted the stone, the target of the spell was limited to the stone. It was as if all the magnetic power that was enough to shake the entire hall was concentrated on the stone, accelerating it to a speed that could not be detected by the naked eye!
boom!
The crimson lightning mass was instantly dispersed by the magnetic stone block, and the splashed lightning liquid fell to the ground, actually extinguishing the candle tears and forming a lightning magnetic terrain that flickered with red light!

The Thunder Eagle's killer move is not only area-of-effect damage but also continuous damage; it will constantly create advantageous terrain to compress the messenger's movement space!
However, breaking this mechanism is not difficult. The bunny girl swung her sword twice, and [Candle Tears Red] overwhelmed the thunder and magnetism.

The best way to deal with terrain damage is to cover it with new terrain. If no one in the team has the ability to create terrain, the only option is to fight the Thunder Eagle in a wide hall, just like how Master Suolong recently chose to fight Bunny Girl in the sky... Yes, the Thunder Eagle and Bunny Girl have the same fighting style. No wonder its room is a cave hall with a ceiling, which is to restrict both the player and the Thunder Eagle. The two sides can only fight to the death in this limited space.

As expected, the Thunder Eagle vomited nearly eight balls of Crimson Thunder Essence, enough to pollute half of the hall, but the Pharmacist intercepted them all.

Master Suolong also tried to intercept them, but found that the chains would be directly melted by the Crimson Thunder Pulse, and could only be consumed but not detonated.

After nearly the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Thunder Eagle finally collapsed with a mournful cry, its golden feathers losing their divine light. Even lying in the Candle Tears Cage, its body hadn't been set ablaze. If all its feathers were plucked and woven, they would probably make clothing comparable to a third-tier defensive token, and without taking up any inventory space... Thinking about it this way, the people of this world also have many advantages that game characters can't access; they can use these corpse materials to make equipment that game characters can't wear.

Yan Qing was just feeling a little envious when it suddenly dawned on him: the game character can't wear it, but he can! He can just buy the product then.

He's a local, and he can also run multiple accounts, so he gets the benefits of both sides – a win-win situation!
I collected the Thunder Eagle's loot, which included a total of 211 True Spirit Jade, several materials such as 'Thunder Eagle Feather' and 'Thunder Eagle Heart' (by the way, did the Thunder Eagle's corpse on the ground even have a heart?), one item 'Thunder Heart Blood', and one fourth-tier rare item 'Palm Thunder Pearl'.

"Thunder Heart Blood: Can be used to repair Thunder Dao related tokens. The repair effect is better when used in conjunction with other repair items."

Yan Qing's first reaction upon seeing this repair tool was that Foundation Establishment cultivators in this world must have a very difficult time. The fact that the token required specific tools for repair was already ridiculous, but after Foundation Establishment, repair tools were even more meticulously categorized according to different schools of Daoist arts.

It's not a problem in the game, because the Messenger's Treasure Pavilion allows for the exchange of items, but even so, many players find it troublesome and would prefer an NPC in the game that can repair all tokens with one click.

In this world, the Treasure Pavilion is practically useless. If Foundation Establishment Messengers want to exchange goods, they can only do so by establishing large forces to regulate the market and by trading through caravans. With so many middlemen and the existence of artificially monopolized profit-making opportunities, it's no wonder they get ripped off.

"Palm Thunder Bead"

"Rank: Fourth-tier Rare"

「耐久：280/280」    「基础攻击力：120~160钝击伤害+60点雷电伤害」

Equipment Requirements: 100 HP, 90 Dexterity

"Equipment Requirements: Advanced Palm Technique MAX, Lightning Control Basic MAX"

"Effect - Thunder Shock: Each of your effective attacks will cause a thunderous shock, slowing the enemy for 0.1 seconds and having a 5% chance to paralyze them for 0.5 seconds."

"Effect - Thunderous Body in Palms: Clasp your hands together and strike the Thunder Orb to enter Thunderous Body state! In this state, you are enveloped in lightning, all damage is reduced by 15%, and projectile attacks have a 70% chance of being intercepted by lightning. Your movement speed and turning speed are increased by 100%, attack speed is increased by 30%, all negative effects are greatly reduced, and all enemies attacking you in melee have a 17% chance of being paralyzed. Activating this effect requires 50 Spirit Essence and 20 Durability. If you do not have enough Spirit Essence, it will consume 100 Durability. The duration is 60 seconds, and the cooldown is 30 minutes."

Without mastering 'Lightning Control Mastery', all buffs are reduced by 30%, duration is halved, and cooldown time is doubled.

"Comment: You've already reached Foundation Establishment and you still want to engage in melee combat? I really can't do anything with you."

As expected of a difficult dungeon, even elite monsters can drop decent equipment. For players specializing in melee combat with fists and palms, the "Palm Thunder Orb" is definitely a powerful addition, but as the item's review says, playing melee after reaching Foundation Establishment is a huge disadvantage.

Even though [Thunderous Body in the Palm] can provide high movement speed and reduce negative effects, put aside everything else, what can you do if the Bunny Girl surrounds herself with layers of candle tears and fire walls? Charge in and fight her? What if she circles around while building candle tears and fire walls to burn you?
As a weapon, the "Palm Thunder Orb's" advantages are unlikely to compensate for its disadvantages in melee combat, unless the messenger's abilities are truly well-suited for close-quarters combat. However, if it's used as a buff accessory, that's a different story.

Even without lightning mastery or spiritual energy, Yan Qing can still activate [Palm Thunder Body], a fully enhanced state that lasts for thirty seconds, enough for both a fierce attack and an escape!

What's even more ingenious is that, theoretically, a game character can only equip one weapon and one palm thunder bead, but for real people like Yan Qing, the palm thunder bead does not hinder him from holding the weapon at all. He can wear a thunder bead in each hand and hold the weapon normally. In this way, he can activate [Palm Thunder Body] twice in a row, which is a fourth-level buff that lasts for sixty seconds!

After Yan Qing finished inspecting his loot, Master Suolong and Pharmacist Yuan also found the treasure chest in the room and called over the Rabbit Girl to open it together. The method of opening it was also very straightforward: the two of them lifted the treasure chest together and emptied it out, ensuring that no one had handled the contents and preventing anyone from putting the spoils into their storage rings.

300 True Spirit Jade, a "Mastery of Secret Techniques" book, a "Borrowing Wind Leaf" from the Earthly Fiend Sect, and a fourth-tier rare item, the "Thunder-Cutting Flying Knife," are not easy to allocate.

Which is more valuable, the keepsake or the Earthly Fiend?
The tokens are more valuable, but the Earthly Fiends have better circulation, while the "Thunder Cutter Flying Knife," a rather obscure and rare token, is unlikely to be needed by Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"How about we split the True Spirit Jade in half? I'll take the throwing knife, you take the Earthly Fiend, and the girl takes the 'Secret Techniques Mastery Book'?" Master Suolong said. "I can agree to that. I'll only take the throwing knife for the first two times. After the third time, I can give up the other items in this treasure chest, but I want two-thirds of the True Spirit Jade. As long as you come to me in the future to conquer this secret realm together, this promise will still be valid."

"I have one too?" The pharmacist was somewhat surprised.

“That makes sense,” said Bunny Girl. “Without my sister’s help in defeating the Thunder Eagle’s Crimson Thunder Essence, we would have been in a lot of trouble. She deserves the reward.”

After defeating the Thunder Eagle, everyone's relationship became noticeably closer. If before they were like "elders and juniors with a rather strained relationship," now they're starting to resemble "buddies." In games, good teammates foster mutual respect; in real life, defeating strong opponents together only amplifies this.

(End of this chapter)