Chương 567: Chapter : 567

Ken slouched his shoulders as far as they could possibly go. He reached into his chip bag again. He pulled out another chip. He chewed it slowly.

"The Princess is totally correct," Ken announced casually. He pointed a lazy finger at the street.

"This is a very basic video game strategy. It is called mob grinding. You do not fight a hundred low-level enemies individually. That takes way too much time. You run in circles. You make all the enemies follow you. You gather them into a huge pile. Then you use a massive Area of Effect spell. You clear the entire screen at once." Naomi looked at him. She smiled warmly.

"A massive pile? How do we make them gather in one spot?"

"You use bait," Ken explained easily. He gave her a goofy grin.

"Bugs love bright lights. Bugs love loud noises. We just make a lot of noise in the middle of the street. They will all run toward the center. Then, Zinia can use her earth magic to trap them." Zinia looked at Ken. She crossed her muscular arms. A confident smile spread across her face.

"I can trap them. I can build a giant dome of solid rock. I can create a massive earth net. If you gather them in the center, I will seal them inside."

"That is a flawless tactical plan," Sayma praised politely. She wrote the strategy down in her notebook.

"We will execute the gathering phase immediately. Laxmi, Luna, create a perimeter of bright attacks. Force the swarm toward the center."

"You got it, Vice-Captain!" Laxmi cheered. Laxmi ran to the left side of the street. She slammed her fists together. She did not throw fireballs at the bugs. She threw fireballs at the ground in a wide circle. The bright orange flames created a ring of fire. The bugs hissed loudly. They hated the heat. They crawled away from the flames. They moved toward the middle of the road. Luna stood up from her bench. She let out another loud yawn. She pointed her fingers at the right side of the street.

She shot continuous bursts of bright yellow lightning. The electricity struck the cobblestones. The loud cracks scared the insects. The bugs scurried away from the lightning. They joined the others in the center. Naomi dashed around the edges of the swarm. Her green wind magic swirled around her boots. She moved like a red-haired blur. She used the blunt sides of her daggers. She physically pushed the stray bugs back into the group. She acted like a sheepdog herding a flock of sheep. Ken stood on the sidewalk.

He chewed his potato chips. He watched the girls work. He slouched his shoulders. He looked completely relaxed.

"This is excellent teamwork," Ken mumbled to himself. He nodded approvingly.

"The mob is clustering perfectly. The aggro mechanics are working exactly as intended. I love watching a good plan come together. It requires zero running from me. This is my favorite kind of strategy." This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The swarm of mutant bugs formed a massive, writhing pile in the exact center of the street. Thousands of giant beetles, wasps, and centipedes crawled over each other. They hissed and snapped their pincers.

They were completely confused. They tried to escape the ring of fire and lightning.

"They are in position!" Princess Iris shouted clearly.

"Zinia, trap them now!" Zinia stepped forward. Her dark eyes filled with intense focus. She planted her combat boots firmly on the cobblestones. She raised both of her strong hands high into the air.

"Earth Net!" Zinia roared deeply. She slammed her hands down. She struck the solid ground with massive force. The entire street shook violently. The cobblestones cracked wide open. Thick, solid pillars of gray rock ripped out of the dirt. The rock pillars shot up into the sky. They surrounded the massive pile of bugs. The stone pillars bent inward. They curved over the top of the swarm. The rocks mashed together flawlessly. The earth magic created a gigantic, unbreakable dome of solid stone.

It looked exactly like a massive net made of thick rocks. The mutant bugs were entirely trapped inside. The earth net sealed them completely. The bugs screeched loudly. They scratched at the inside of the stone walls. They slammed their hard shells against the rock. They tried to break out. The stone dome vibrated from the impact.

"I have them!" Zinia yelled. She kept her hands pressed against the ground. Sweat rolled down her forehead.

"But there are entirely too many of them! Their combined physical strength is massive! The stone is cracking!" Small fissures appeared on the surface of the earth net. Dust fell from the rock dome. The bugs were incredibly desperate. They wanted to escape. Laxmi ran toward the dome. She raised her flaming fists.

"I will blast them through the cracks! I will roast them inside the rock!" Sayma pushed her glasses up quickly.

"Stop, Laxmi! Your fire is not concentrated enough. The outer shells of these mutant bugs are incredibly dense. Your flames will only scorch their armor. We need a concentrated, high-density energy blast to neutralize the entire swarm at once. We need a massive piercing attack." Laxmi lowered her hands. The orange fire faded. She looked frustrated.

"I do not have a piercing attack. I only have explosions." Ira stared at the cracking stone dome. Her pale face showed zero emotion.

"Statistically speaking, the earth net will completely shatter in exactly forty-five seconds. We do not possess a single spell with enough concentrated density to eliminate the clustered swarm." Naomi looked at Princess Iris.

"Princess, what do we do? If they break out, they will scatter again. We will lose our advantage." Princess Iris gripped her silver rapier. She looked at the cracking rocks. She tried to think of a solution. She needed a massive strike. Ken Eliot let out a long, dramatic sigh. He crumpled his empty potato chip bag. He tossed it into a nearby trash can. He dusted his hands off on his navy blue pants. He slouched his shoulders and walked toward the center of the street. He dragged his cheap shoes on the cobblestones.

Scuff. Scuff. Scuff. He stopped right next to Naomi. He looked at the giant stone dome.

"You guys really need better damage dealers," Ken complained lazily. He gave Naomi a goofy, relaxed smile.

"I guess I have to do some actual work today. This is a total tragedy for my lazy lifestyle. I am officially clocking in for my shift." Naomi smiled warmly at him.

"What are you going to do, Ken? Are you going to throw a potato chip at them?" Ken chuckled.

"No. I am going to show you my newest magic trick. It is a highly specialized weapon. It requires teamwork. It requires the absolute power of friendship."