Chapter 120: Human Wave Tactics

The terrain of the Woma Temple is far more intricate than the Stone Tomb or the Dungeon; it is a sprawling labyrinth. At first, Eldest and Fourth were silently mapping their path, but by the second level, even Fourth—who possessed a keen sense of direction—began checking his inventory to ensure he had a Dungeon Escape Scroll or a Town Teleport Scroll, fearing he might get lost and never find his way out.

The temple consists of winding corridors and square-shaped dead ends. Every turn looks identical, and one could wander for ages only to face an impassable wall. From the second level onward, their Taoist guide’s pace slowed significantly, and he led Lin Jia and his group into two dead ends, clearly less familiar with this floor than the first.

Woma monsters are significantly more formidable than those found outside. The local ecosystem is dominated by creatures resembling mutant oxen, including Woma Guardians, Woma Warriors, and Woma Generals. There are also creatures like the large, slug-like Dung Crawlers and the locust-like Dark Warriors. While Woma monsters possess high attack power, they have low health and low magic resistance. After killing a few, Lin Jia found them easier to take down than the monsters in the Pig Cave, though the experience yield was lower.

However, due to the complex terrain, fewer players came here to grind compared to the Pig Cave, the Centipede Cave, or the Zuma Temple. The sheer density of monsters made up for the lower experience per kill. In particular, the "Flame Woma"—a creature that uses magic to spit fire—inflicted heavy damage on the low-magic-resistance Warriors. While a Warrior could kill one quickly, it was at the cost of significant health, making it highly inefficient for leveling. Consequently, Warriors were almost never seen training in the Woma Temple.

Only high-magic-resistance Taoists and high-damage Mages could thrive here, harvesting experience with ease. On the first level, one could even see a few Mages wearing Light Armor, wielding Haihun staves and casting Lightning. For them, this place was a paradise: it lacked the high-speed threats of Black Maggots and Wedge Moths found in the Pig Cave, and it didn't have the narrow, irregular terrain of the Centipede Cave to hinder their movement. The relatively spacious areas and numerous corners served as excellent cover. Sadly, because their low level limited their inventory capacity, Mages found it tedious to travel so far for supplies; they spent more time trekking back and forth to buy potions. Only the highly efficient Taoists were truly suited for long-term training here.

Lin Jia and his brothers hadn't realized this before. This discovery led them to decide immediately to shift their grinding base, abandoning the overcrowded Pig Cave and Centipede Cave in favor of the Woma Temple. Aside from the long supply runs and the inconvenient, labyrinthine layout, it was an ideal place to level up.

First, the magical attacks of the Flame Woma and the high damage output of the other monsters deterred Warriors. Second, the remote location and the low weight capacity of low-level players discouraged the masses. The trio’s composition gave them a huge advantage, starting with their already respectable levels.

At level 24, a Mage could carry a decent stock of medium-sized Magic Potions. If not for the movement penalty caused by exceeding weight limits, every Mage would prefer Super Magic Potions; however, current trends favored medium-sized potions to maximize quantity. Eldest’s presence as a Taoist meant that Fourth and Lin Jia could forgo HP potions, filling their bags entirely with MP potions. The Sun Water and Medium HP potions dropped by monsters were enough to offset their health loss, especially with Eldest acting as a mobile hospital.

As long as they weren't engaging in PvP, the three brothers could carry exclusively MP potions to train. Lin Jia’s high damage output ensured speed, Eldest’s Healing and Invisibility spells ensured safety, and Fourth’s high carrying capacity as a Warrior ensured a constant supply of potions. Their synergy made this far more profitable than training in the crowded dungeons.

As they followed the Taoist, stumbling through the maze, Xiaomi and his group complained, "This place is a nightmare!" This group of over 30 players, all in professional gear and above level 22, left no living creature in their wake. They competed to kill every monster they encountered, much to the annoyance of the few Taoists hiding in the shadows with their skeleton bodyguards. Those lone players dared not speak up; with so many people, a single spit from each of them could drown the lone wolves. There is indeed strength in numbers.

"Huh? I think it’s around here?" After navigating a winding corridor, Xiaomi stopped, uncertain. "This looks like the spot where we fought the Woma Guard last time. That’s where my Dragon Ring dropped!" Lin Jia and his brothers took mental note of the surroundings. Perhaps the "Woma Guard" spawned nearby. That was a wealthy boss known to drop the "Dragon Ring"! While bosses in *Legend* spawned randomly within specific maps, they generally remained within a certain area. If one searched carefully and was lucky enough to find one that hadn't been killed yet, it was sure to drop some good loot.

The guide ran ahead, looked around, and sprinted back excitedly. "It's here! Just around the next corner! Damn, this place is hard to find even after being here twice! Follow me!" Lin Jia and the others followed him into a rectangular space and finally saw the entrance leading to the next level.

The three teams regrouped. Xiaomi commanded, "Five Mages with me, and five Taoists to form a human wall. Warriors, you lead the way and clear the monsters at the entrance. If you can't hold them, back up and let the Taoists heal you! Don't end up like last time, falling into chaos and dying! Protect the Mages at all costs!"

Out of over 30 players, only five were Mages, showing how rare they were. Lin Jia secretly checked the other Mages' gear. While some had a few rare items, none were better than his, and their levels were at most equal to his, which gave him a surge of pride.

Eldest joined the other four Taoists to form a protective squad for the Mages alongside Xiaomi. The remaining Taoists and Warriors formed the assault team and charged into the third level of the Woma Temple—the legendary Woma Cult Leader’s Lair. With roughly one Taoist assigned to heal every two Warriors, plus over a dozen skeletons summoned by the Taoists, the force was substantial.

Xiaomi had mentioned they had failed two previous attempts to kill the Cult Leader. Lin Jia began to wonder just how dangerous it was down here. Since the system announced that an item required to establish a guild could be obtained from the Woma Cult Leader, every major guild and organization had likely attempted it, yet no one had announced the formation of a guild.

With over 30 players, most around levels 23 or 24, and half the Warriors and Taoists at 25 or 26, Xiaomi had assembled the elite of the current player base. If they couldn't get the Woma Horn, it would prove that this place was simply beyond the reach of players for the time being.

At Xiaomi’s command, "Go!", the group of Mages filed into the entrance. The screen shifted to reveal a T-shaped space littered with the corpses of strange monsters—the handiwork of the Warriors and Taoists who had entered first.

"Mages, get to the corners! Taoists, position your skeletons!" Xiaomi shouted. They had to protect the Mages before the monsters respawned.

Lin Jia hurried to the innermost corner. Two rows of Mages stacked in front of him, followed by a wall of Taoists, and the outermost layer consisted of the Taoists' loyal skeletons. Lin Jia had used human walls before, but never on this scale. Surrounded by layers of protection, he felt secure, thinking, *Surely they can't touch me now?*

But his relief was premature. No sooner had the human wall formed than the T-shaped space, just cleared, erupted with a full screen of monsters. Players who hadn't yet reached their positions were instantly swallowed by the tide of monsters, triggering immediate chaos.

The space was tight; over 30 players had already filled it, with some pushed into the neck of the T-shape. With the sudden respawn, a dense mass of monsters and players were crammed together. It was impossible to tell who was surrounding whom. The suddenness of the respawn left the inexperienced players panicked, and they began attacking blindly.

Roars and shouts filled the air. Warriors spammed "++++++" to signal the Taoists to heal them, but with everyone and everything in a jumbled mess, it was impossible to target correctly. Half of the healing spells landed on the monsters instead.

"Mages, start casting Lightning!" Xiaomi roared. "Taoists, use Invisibility and heal! Warriors, hold your ground!"

Roused by Xiaomi’s shout, Lin Jia finally snapped out of his shock and began to attack, having been momentarily stunned by the chaotic clash of man and beast.