C22 Surprise
It's here!
Holy smokes, what a massive swarm!
The host needs to check out the window, pronto!
This is it, I'm a goner for sure this time!
If I survive this, I'll eat my hat – literally.
The monsters are targeting the Shellfish House; there's no escape!
...
The chat was blowing up with messages, and Xiao Hao had an ominous feeling.
Sitting inside, he could still hear the ominous surge of water outside.
That was the sound of the current slamming against the Shellfish House.
Items placed on the floor inside began to quiver. The wooden bed and the floor shook more violently, foreboding an impending disaster.
Xiao Hao approached the window with grave concern. Since his seahorse leveled up to 8, his night vision had improved to around 20 meters.
The wild monster hadn't yet come into Xiao Hao's view, but its presence was already causing chaos.
The pitch-black sea depths made Xiao Hao increasingly anxious.
What were these wild monsters, exactly?
The plan hadn't even kicked off, and already there was this unforeseen complication.
Xiao Hao's brow was furrowed, cold sweat trailing down his sword-like eyebrows, merging with the droplets on his cheeks before dripping away.
In the distance, a faint pink glow appeared, followed by several lantern-like blue and purple lights. The glowing points multiplied as they drew nearer.
As the lights approached, Xiao Hao recognized them.
The Snail Darter Fish!
These luminescent, semi-transparent creatures were indeed the Snail Darter Fish!
But why had they left their habitat to assault the Shellfish House?
A skull, still bearing bits of flesh, drifted out from the darkness, its uneven teeth clacking together, emitting deep, guttural sounds.
"Heh... Hmm..."
Ten Sickle Fingers thrust from the shadows, followed by an ashen, withered arm. The emaciated body was barely covered by tattered cloth, and through the ribcage, one could glimpse the decaying organs.
The Deep Sea Phantom!
It was the phantom that had herded them here!
Without even striking, the phantom had the Snail Darter Fish rapidly depleting the Shellfish House's magical energy!
The host was facing certain death this time.
Who said that? I believe boiling can work wonders!
Where did this delusion come from?
Stop bickering. This is a crucial moment, so focus on the live stream!
Xiao Hao paid no attention to the chat and quickly activated the Slow Card and Maintenance Card, while also unleashing the Sea Horse to amplify the Dark Domain.
Darkness began its encroachment, yet the snailfish excelled in self-healing!
Xiao Hao was frantic, like an ant on a hot skillet. Despite deploying the Slow Card and Maintenance Card, the Shellfish House's magic power continued to plummet at a rate of over ten points per second while under siege!
Xiao Hao fought to quell his inner turmoil when a thought struck him.
Was the snailfish's self-healing trait a skill, or inherent to its physiology?
He recalled a comment from the chat mentioning the snailfish's gelatinous body, which granted it nearly unbeatable physical defense.
But physical defense isn't synonymous with regenerative ability!
If the snailfish's self-healing was a skill, especially now as they attacked the Shellfish House...
Could the Pacify Card suppress their self-healing skill?
There was only one way to find out!
Xiao Hao swiftly selected the Pacify Card.
The snailfish's relentless assault couldn't glitch the Pacify Card, necessitating its constant use.
However, if he could just hasten the spread of darkness, he'd soon drain them of their vitality!
With the Pacify Card in effect, the snailfish's luminescent bodies visibly dimmed.
It was working!
Before long, several snailfish began to disintegrate, their liquified remains splattering on the Shellfish House and emitting a hissing sound as they corroded its structure.
Apparently, the snailfish's decomposed fluid didn't dissolve in water and was denser than the deep sea water.
Xiao Hao glanced at the Shellfish House's magic meter and noticed the mana was depleting even quicker.
The corrosive liquid was also eroding the Shellfish House's mana!
Scanning the ten cards before him, Xiao Hao's eyes settled on the Magic Defense Card.
Surely this type of corrosion didn't count as a physical attack?
He tapped the Magic Defense Card, and the rate of mana depletion immediately slowed.
The number of decomposing snail darters was on the rise, and the Deep Sea Phantom quickly sensed that something was amiss.
While the low-level creatures were oblivious to the Dark Erosion, the Phantom was all too aware of it!
It began to herd the snail darters, urging those within its domain to fall back and summoning a fresh wave to take their place.
The Phantom orchestrated a relentless cycle of snail darters taking turns on the battlefield, aiming to wear Xiao Hao down to his last breath.
Xiao Hao had always relied on Dark Erosion to drain the vitality of wild monsters, never imagining that one day the tables would turn, and he would be the one left depleted!
Although the Phantom could drive the snail darters away, its control was far from precise.
Every minute, some snail darters failed to retreat in time and perished.
And so, a grueling tug-of-war ensued.
One hour, then two...
Xiao Hao's Delaying Card reached its limit and vanished into thin air.
Witnessing this, the Phantom savored the sweet taste of vengeance.
It knew that Xiao Hao had six such cards in his possession—all pilfered from the Phantom itself!
Determined to leave no room for mercy, the Phantom resolved to exhaust Xiao Hao's entire arsenal of cards and Spirit Beads in one fell swoop.
As time wore on, the snail darters thinned out.
Their luminescence flickered out one by one, like candles burnt to nothing, leaving behind an aura of ruin and decay.
The Shellfish House's exterior was smeared with corrosive fluid, and even the dark red soil at its perimeter had been eaten away, forming a shallow trench.
Many snail darters, upon their death, didn't make it to the Shellfish House, instead collapsing onto the nearby land, creating small pits filled with their acidic remains.
What was once smooth terrain now resembled a country lane after a downpour, riddled with numerous mud pits.
Stunning!
Who knew the Pacify Card could be used in such a way?
I had assumed it was meant to block a monster's attack abilities, but to think the host would use it to seal healing abilities instead!
That move was sheer brilliance!
Three hours passed, and with Xiao Hao's Magic Defense Card and Pacify Card depleted, the Shellfish House teetered on the brink of ruin.
With a click to upgrade, the Shellfish House emerged, reborn as a pristine Level 9 structure.
Though he had exhausted three cards, thanks to the phantom's assistance, the snailfish school had brought Xiao Hao a substantial number of Spirit Beads.
He likely never anticipated that his strategy to have the snailfish wear down the Shellfish House would inadvertently turn into a gift of warmth.
Xiao Hao initially had no intention of tangling with the snailfish; their self-healing ability was just too repulsive.
However, when they assaulted the Shellfish House, the Pacify Card's influence sealed their abilities.
After several hours of combat, Xiao Hao found his Spirit Beads tally had unexpectedly risen.
He upgraded the seahorses and mantis shrimp to level 9, with 1,400 Spirit Beads to spare—enough to boost everything to level 10.
A silent nod of gratitude to the phantom.
With the Pacify and Demon Defense Cards depleted and the Maintenance Card's time limit more than half spent, the remaining snailfish, though fewer in number, had managed to deplete even more of the Shellfish House's magical power.
Only when the Shellfish House's magic was over half drained did the snailfish finally perish.
The last snailfish, upon its decomposition, splattered on the Shellfish House, marking the moment the phantom commenced its attack.
By then, the seahorses were visibly fatigued.
Xiao Hao withdrew them, allowing a much-needed respite to restore their vigor.
Glancing at the clock, it read just past midnight.
The level 9 Shellfish House should hold the phantom at bay for a little over an hour.
With the situation now under control, after being on edge for so long, Xiao Hao realized he was hungry.
Man is iron, food is steel; skip a meal, and the hunger is real.
The true showdown would come in the wee hours, once the ghost's buff enhancements had faded.
In the meantime, Xiao Hao was determined to whittle down the ghost's HP and shatter its morale.
Hmm...
Eating in front of the ghost seemed like an excellent tactic.
Xiao Hao cast a glance toward the kitchen, then turned back to the ghost with a mischievous grin.
The ghost's smugness evaporated, replaced by an ominous hunch.
