I am the Arcane Archer, and all my skills are self-created.

The five-person team continued forward.

After bypassing the two patrolling Hellfire Vanguards, they encountered the group of scouts that Nightwind had mentioned.

Those were a pack of demons called "Fel Hounds," level 48, elite monsters. They were much smaller than Hellfire Vanguards, but there were 23 of them.

Twenty-three elite monsters of level 48.

If the Second Regiment, as immovable as a mountain, were here, this group of monsters alone would be enough to give them a hard time.

"Chase the Wind, mark the positions of the first three," Li Wu said.

As Chasing Wind activated Eagle Eye, a mark immediately appeared above the heads of the three fel hounds walking at the front.

"Ink Trace, after I make the first move, use Freeze on the one on the left. Freeze it for as long as possible."

"no problem."

Li Wu drew back the arcane bow, and a ball of dark red energy condensed on the arrow—not an ice-fire spiral arrow, but an explosive burning arrow.

For situations involving groups of monsters, area-of-effect skills are more suitable.

An arrow was shot.

A dark red energy ball exploded in the center of the pack of hounds, engulfing all the hounds within a ten-meter radius into flames.

-1876! -2034! -1765! -1921! ...

Damage numbers floated up in dense rows.

Although the individual damage isn't terrifying, its wide coverage makes up for it.

Moreover, the continuous damage from the burning flames began to take effect, and each hound was losing health from its head.

"Awooooo—"

More than twenty hunting dogs simultaneously let out sharp howls and charged towards Li Wu's direction.

"It's frozen." Mohen pointed with his staff.

The icy blue light struck the leading hound, freezing it in place.

But the ice shattered in less than a second.

Even so, less than a second is enough.

Li Wu had already fired his second explosive burning arrow.

Another sea of ​​fire.

"Hua Zitong, help me hold back those on the right!"

"Received." Hua Zitong rushed forward, twirling the dagger in her hand, and unleashed a series of attacks on the nearest hunting dog.

-23, -31, -27.

The damage is pitifully low.

But Hua Zitong didn't care about being hurt; what she wanted was hatred.

As expected, the three hunting dogs turned and chased after her. Hua Zitong was agile, weaving and darting among the rocks, and the three hunting dogs simply couldn't catch her.

"Night Breeze, deal with the lone one!"

A cold glint flashed from the shadows.

Night Wind's dagger pierced precisely into the eye socket of a lone hunting dog.

-156!

The damage wasn't high, but it directly caused a blinding effect.

The hunting dog howled and spun around in place, completely incapacitated.

Li Wu's third and fourth explosive burning arrows rained down in quick succession.

Amidst the flames, the hound's health is steadily decreasing.

One minute later, the first hound fell.

Two minutes later, six.

Three minutes later, all twenty-three fel hounds were eliminated.

From beginning to end, the only one who dealt real damage was Li Wu.

But the overall flow of the battle was far superior to when he fought alone.

Although the control of the ink mark lasts for less than a second, it can interrupt the hound's pounce at crucial moments every time, creating a safe window for Li Wu to deal damage.

The eagle eye of the Wind Chaser kept track of the position and movement trajectory of each hunting dog the whole time, ensuring that every arrow Li Wu shot hit the optimal position.

Hua Zitong drew away the hatred of the three hunting dogs, relieving Li Wu of the direct pressure.

Night Wind roams in the shadows, dealing with the hounds that try to flank and ambush. Although it can't inflict much damage, its blinding, tripping, and stun attacks, along with other control methods, render the hounds completely ineffective.

"The guild leader is right." After the battle, Zhui Feng stood amidst a pile of hunting dog corpses, catching his breath. "We didn't come here to deal damage."

"Enough with the nonsense." Li Wu picked up a few materials from the hound's carcass and tossed them into his backpack. "Keep going, Hellfire Citadel is still a long way off."

Ahead, the massive fortress forged from obsidian and bones became increasingly clear under the dim sky.

The five-man squad advanced across the Burning Steppes for about an hour.

In that hour, they encountered four more waves of monsters. Two waves were Hellfire Vanguards, one was a pack of Fel Hounds, and the other was a newly appeared ranged monster called "Abyssal Slingers".

Each wave of battle followed a similar pattern—Li Wu was responsible for all damage output, while the other four were responsible for reconnaissance, control, drawing aggro, and tactical coordination.

The teamwork is becoming increasingly seamless, and the pace of progress is accelerating.

"Guild Master, how's your mana?" Hua Zitong suddenly asked.

Li Wu glanced at his blue bar; he still had over 18,000 left.

The Ice and Fire Spiral Arrow consumes a significant amount of mana, approximately 800 points per shot. The Explosive Burning Arrow costs slightly less, but he has already fired dozens of them in an hour, accumulating a considerable amount of mana.

However, mana is no longer an issue.

During his job change trial, he mastered the [Magic Tide Arrow]!

He then unleashed a [Magic Tide Arrow], instantly restoring his mana to full!

Seeing this, Hua Zitong stopped talking.

The procession continued forward.

"Stop," Zhui Feng suddenly said.

Everyone immediately stopped in their tracks.

Chasing Wind's Eagle Eye skill was active, golden light flashing in his pupils as his gaze pierced through the dense fel smoke ahead.

"There's a big guy up ahead." He lowered his voice. "Not an ordinary elite. More than three times the size of a Hellfire Vanguard, with obvious fel runes on his body, and wielding... a burning greatsword."

Li Wu walked over to Zhui Feng and looked in the direction he pointed.

About four hundred meters away on a high ground, a demon over fifteen meters tall stood with its back to them.

Its body was covered in thick, dark red armor, each piece of which was engraved with emerald green fel runes. The greatsword in its hand was ten meters long, and its blade was burning with green fel flames.

Li Wu squinted, trying to make out the information above its head.

But it's too far away to see clearly.

"Night breeze," he whispered.

"I'm going." Night Wind's figure disappeared from the spot.

Thirty seconds later, Night Wind's voice rang out in the team channel.

"I saw it clearly." His voice was calm, but tinged with a hint of gravity. "That thing is called 'Abyss Guardian,' level 50, a lord-level monster. Health points... 300,000."

Lord level.

Not an elite, but a lord.

"Three hundred thousand blood?" Mohen's voice was a little tense. "Guild Master, this is double the amount of those elites from before."

"I know," Li Wu said.

"Can we get around it?" Zhui Feng asked.

"There's no way around it," Night Wind's voice rang out again. "It guards the only passage leading to the fortress entrance. Lava rivers flow on both sides; there's no other way."

Li Wu stared at the enormous figure in the distance and remained silent for a few seconds.

"Then let's fight."