It is often said that when someone was in the deepest of shit holes, they wouldn't be able to differentiate if it was day or night. The current situation of Crimson Abyss was no different than this. The swarm might look small and manageable for Liam, who was calmly spectating everything from the outside, but for those standing inside and fighting against the nightmare, it was as deadly as ever, just like the first time they encountered these vicious insects. The moment the group entered the vicinity of the golden pyramid, they were immediately engulfed by a tide of these bizarre creatures. And once they were in, they were completely overwhelmed in an instant. The number of isons swirling around them seemed infinite. No one could see anything past these monstrous insects. It was similar to entering the aggro range on a monster back in the game. The swarm, which paid no attention to Liam or any of the guild members while they were standing outside, was now fully engaged in eliminating this group of people. It was almost as if these insects were tasked to guard the hive hill. Dozens and dozens buzzed down to attack the group, completely surrounding them from all directions in no time. "Don't slow down! Keep charging forward! We can do it this time!" Alex shouted loudly. Unlike the last time, the situation right now was completely different. For one, they weren't exactly caught with their pants down. They had come here fully knowing and fully expecting whatever was going down at the moment, and they had a solid plan of action. There were about 50 Crimson Abyss guild members in total standing in concentric circles formation with the long-range fighters at the center and the melee fighters and the tanks at the edges. Their coordination within the group was top-notch. While the melee fighters and the tanks kept the isons at bay, preventing them from suffocating the group and completely drowning them, the long-range fighters concentrated on damage dealing and kept pulling the triggers without any other concern. Attack after attack commanded the mana in the air to cut down the never-ending tide of isons left and right. Especially with the constant buffs Mei Mei was repeatedly chanting, each magic attack was like a bomb that took down a cluster of these deviant creatures. While the center acted as the power hub, the sides were equally efficient in clearing the insects that came close to physically harming them. Alex was far more efficient this time as she only took on the role of the tank and erected divine shields at every possible interval, conserving her energy and mana otherwise. She demonstrated the full potential of her divine affinity and her comprehension skills as a thin layer of golden dome appeared every now and then above the group. This golden dome was only like a wisp that appeared and disappeared in an instant, but it was lethal to the isons, cutting them down into halves and even burning some to a crisp. And while she recovered the mana from casting this attack, she used her pure physical strength and agility to butt heads against the insects and take down more of the isons. Standing next to her, Shin Soo wasn't fairing too bad as well. With just one hand to support him, his face was full of determination as he blocked and parried with the isons, taking down almost as many insects as the other melee players. The very sight of the muscular Korean fighter was an inspiration to everyone in the guild. It was almost as if this disability did not bother him even one bit. Even Alex, who was observing him from time to time to make sure that he did not fall or get injured severely, gave him a fully acknowledging nod. He might not be able to perform his role as a tank as well as before, but he was still standing on his own and pulling his weight. The only melee players who clearly outshone him by several levels were Shen Yue and Lan Deming. Currently, the stats of these two players were the highest among the group, same as Mei Mei and Lan Fen. And the impact of this evidently showed in the fight. Shen Yue alone unleashed utter devastation on the part of the swarm that was vainly trying to subdue her. Her eyes sparkled with anger as the memory of failing even with a legendary weapon in her hand haunted her badly. Her movements became much smoother and free as she danced without any restraint, each and every single swing of her dagger tearing apart the isons around her. Lan Deming also displayed an impressive killing spree, as he was only lagging behind Shen Yue at this point. His military training and his naturally skilled disposition put him head and shoulders above others, and slowly by slowly, he was beginning to stand out. These two single-handedly hogged most of the kills and, thereby, most of the experience points and were leveling up at lightning speed. The more they increased their levels and gained stats, the scarier their movements became, and they laid waste to the isons surrounding them. The same went for Lan Fen, Judah, Mei Mei, Rey, and the group of long-range fighters standing firmly and holding their ground. Lan Fen particularly boasted a higher casting speed, higher even than Mei Mei and Judah. It was as if the mana in the air was bending over backward to listen to her commands. Her growth was far more pronounced than Lan Deming's as she repeatedly sent out several ice spears aiming for the weak points of the isons. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺 Even if she missed her target, her attack still got the damned insect, thanks to the freezing effect of the ice spear that created a layer of frost on their hard exoskeleton, spreading slowly to the rest of the body as well, especially the wings. To make them suffer more, every single time, she aimed for this weak point near their wings, so most of the isons that took her blow ended up falling to the ground losing the use of their wings. This greatly affected their agility, ability to deal damage and made them vulnerable. Not to mention already claiming a huge chunk of their health with the fall from the height. And after they fell, the melee players immediately took care of these frozen isons and cut them down for easy experience points. This chain of events brought down dozens of isons every few seconds. The only limiting factor was the mana usage. If she had unlimited mana, then Lan Fen could repeatedly massacre these unsightly beings. Unfortunately, she was rationing her supply, so it reduced her overall speed a lot. From this fight, Lan Fen could clearly see the importance of items. If not for the epic-grade staff Liam had gifted her, she wouldn't be able to perform this well at the moment. The staff increased her overall mana pool and also mana regeneration, because of which she was able to keep up with the demands of a battle like this. *** Mass Release chapter 1~ Please thank Steamed Arrow for sponsoring this mass release!