Chapter 176 Let's Bet Big!
William usually kept his cool, but right now, he wanted to tear the Mechanic apart.
He finally caught the overlooked detail, its fragile level.
Sure, the Mechanic's power was impressive. A level-one Magic Crystal emitting a powerful beam seemed like a jackpot. And it was, sort of.
But power comes with a price, and the Mechanic was no different.
It was cost-effective but had a limited usage time.
William didn't have time to figure out the exact limits because those level-three monsters were charging again. The Mechanic's last attack must've really ticked them off, and now they were going berserk, using all their skills.
The team was in deep trouble.
A beam of light hit Cecil, easing the pain from a Naga Warrior's stab in his left rib, and calming the blood inside him.
A small, semi-transparent shield appeared by Cecil's left cheek, blocking a Blood Zombie's ghostly green claw that was aiming for his head.
In no time, Lucy had used the Restoration spell eight times and cast four Air Shields.
She and William were the only ones who had taken the Mind Parasite Powder.
The Apostle of Light profession boosted the team's strength big time. Without Lucy's Air Shield, they would've had casualties. Thanks to William first and Lucy second, everyone was still alive.
The Restoration spell not only healed injuries but also gave the team strong endurance. Without it, William wouldn't be where he is now. Even evolved people get hurt, and those injuries need healing. Lucy's Restoration spell made the injury downtime almost zero.
William knew they'd need Lucy even more in the future.
So he gave her half of the Mind Parasite Powder.
This stuff boosted Lucy's mental power a lot. Plus, the Apostle of Light's skills didn't use much mental power, so she could use Restoration and Air Shield more often.
Even though the battle was intense and Lucy had used many skills, her mental power was still strong. She held back because William had told her to save a lot of it.
Lucy didn't know exactly what William was planning, but she trusted him. So far, he hadn't let anyone down.
These level-three creatures were smart. They knew who was the biggest threat. The Naga Warrior and Blood Zombie kept William busy, while the Flame Lion focused its attack on Cecil, letting the Horrors take over, and went after the rest of the team.
In three directions, the mutated creatures were gaining the upper hand.
"Hey, do something! This isn't working," someone yelled.
Michelle and Candice were barely holding off the Flame Lion together. Its flames and fire bursts made it tough, and the fight was getting dangerous. They were already at a disadvantage against level-three creatures, and the added pressure made things worse.
One wrong move, and they could be caught by these mutated beasts.
William's eyes reddened as he struggled internally.
Should he use the last resort?
If he hadn't seen hope earlier, it wouldn't matter. But the Mechanic had given him a glimpse of victory, making the last resort seem unnecessary. Yet, that hope was quickly fading, leaving him frustrated.
But seeing his team struggle, his internal conflict eased, and his resolve hardened.
Alright, let's stick to the plan. Maybe taking a risk is worth it.
William suddenly unleashed his most powerful skill at the two level-three creatures in front of him. Using the chaos from this strike, he dashed like lightning towards the heavily injured Fog Sunflower behind the monsters!
The Fog Sunflower, lying weakly on the ground, never expected anyone to break through the defense. It was focused on healing its injuries.
High-level zombies and beasts had self-healing abilities that human Evolving persons couldn't match, and the Fog Sunflower was no exception.
It just needed some time to stand up. Even if it couldn't fully recover, it could still join the fight later, rather than lying there helplessly.
The Naga Warrior and Blood Zombie were in bad shape due to the SealFlame Blade. William's ultimate move had a strong deterrent effect on them, especially the Knife light from the Warblade, which made them feel a tinge of fear just by looking at it.
After dodging with all their might, the two monsters were about to counterattack, only to find their opponent had already rushed out, raising his blade to strike their companion.
The Fog Sunflower was extremely upset. It couldn't move, and being a serpentine creature, it had no hands. It could only brace itself as the blade came down on it.
But a level-three creature was still a level-three creature. The Fog Sunflower wasn't going down without a fight. It spewed a cloud of mist.
William could dodge, but he didn't.
If he dodged, he'd lose his last chance to kill it. In his plan, taking down a level-three creature was crucial.
He shielded his head and face with his arm as the Edge of the Moon sliced off the Fog Sunflower's head.
Ignoring the burning pain on his arm and exposed skin, he quickly dug out the Magic Crystal and retreated.
The Naga Warrior and Blood Zombie's attacked him.
William didn't engage them head-on. After taking a punch to the back from the Blood Zombie, he found an opening and dashed back to his team.
He retreated behind Cecil, and Lucy's Restoration spell immediately hit him, stopping the bleeding from his mouth.
He pulled out a large bundle of items from the space crystal and then stuffed the cooling Mechanic back into it.
"Form a defensive formation!" William shouted.
Enduring the pain, he ordered Cecil to go back to full defense, then positioned the red-haired Iron Corpse on the other side, with the others providing support.
Seeing what William had taken out, everyone's faces turned grim. Except for Cecil, who was at the front, bleeding from his mouth due to the pressure from the level-three creatures, the others' breathing changed.
Everyone felt the presence of Grim Reaper.
William stood in front of the Devil's Gamble again!
"Captain Wright, you, you're not going to..." Jack paused.
Clashing weapons with a monster, the Edge of the Moon left a gash on the creature. But Jack was also sent flying by the immense force, landing deep within the team.
Looking up, he saw the items at everyone's feet and the level-one Magic Crystal William was placing into the roulette.
Jack felt this was the true apocalypse.
The team was already struggling with these monsters.
Jack thought, 'Are you planning to summon more?'
Jack wondered helplessly, 'Isn't this a death wish?'
"Yes," William replied calmly, making everyone understand his determination.
The sound of the Magic Crystal falling into the roulette echoed like the wails of hell's gates opening in their ears.
The first white square, fully restored, began to turn. A few seconds later, it stopped, revealing a stone gate-like pattern.
William didn't recognize it.
At this moment, he didn't care. He kept stuffing Magic Crystals into the slot, making the roulette spin.
The second square stopped. Not it.
The third square stopped. Not it.
The fourth square stopped. Still not it!
On the outskirts of the battle, a level-three and two level-two monsters appeared, charging at the scent of humans.
William ignored them, rapidly inserting Magic Crystals, his hand a blur, just like when the Mechanic built the turrets.
The roulette spun again.
The second square stopped. Missed!
The third... Missed!
The fourth... Still missed!
Three more monsters appeared. By now, both William and the team were numb. They didn't dare to look at the levels, fearing their confidence would be shattered.
Cecil, at the front, took the brunt of the attacks. If not for his durable white-level shield, he would've been dead. But now, things were even worse.
With new monsters arriving every second, Cecil knew he was about to die and shouted, "Should we use it!?"
"Not yet!" William responded emotionlessly.
"If I die, my life is yours! We're even!" Cecil shouted.
The roulette spun again.
The first square... Missed!
The second... Hit!
William quickly used a level-two Magic Crystal to fix the roulette into place, thin lines of light appearing on his body, anchoring him near the roulette.
The third square... Missed!
Spin again!
Missed! Missed! Missed! Missed!
High-level creatures were swarming. The red-haired Iron Corpse had a long gash on its body, its arm nearly severed. Natalie, with her Quadrilateral dance spinning, did limited damage to the level-three creatures.
While being pushed back, a monster seized the opportunity, its proboscis-like mouthpart piercing Natalie's thigh, creating a bloody hole. If not for Michelle's quick reaction, pulling Natalie back, she would've been torn apart.
Cecil's situation was worse. The shield had cracks. Although it could self-repair, it needed time. Under such intense attacks, it was nearing its durability limit.
Spin again!
Missed!
Hit!
William immediately used the Fog Sunflower's level-three Magic Crystal to fix the roulette.
Spin!
Missed!
Spin!
Missed!
A short cry rang out as Candice fell, her abdomen and left shoulder pierced by several black bone spikes, rendering her, like Natalie, unable to fight.
The team was on the brink of collapse!
Everyone was fighting desperately, knowing that without the Edge of the Moon's sharpness deterring the monsters, they wouldn't have lasted this long. Even so, they knew the formation would be broken in five seconds at most!
William remained calm and unflinching.
Spin again!
This time, Lady Luck finally smiled on him. The last square hit!
As the restraints on William's body were lifted, he quickly collected the reward and kicked the bundle of items towards the monster horde, shouting, "Immovable rock!"
