The moment the two Leader-grade Dark Fiend Jackals fell, the entire jackal pack descended into chaos, their attacks becoming predictable and disjointed.
After such a prolonged battle, most of the monsters in the pack were wounded. Some of the more badly injured ones had their mobility severely hampered. In contrast, while Qing Shuang's team had lost over a dozen members, the survivors were all at full health thanks to their healers' recovery. Their combat effectiveness hadn't dropped at all — if anything, they were growing accustomed to the heavy gravity in the area.
As one side weakened and the other gained strength, Qing Shuang's team quickly seized the upper hand and began methodically clearing out the Elite jackals.
"As expected of a team from District One — the skill level is impressive. They figured out how to deal with these jackal packs so quickly." Shi Feng stored the loot dropped by the two Dark Fiend Jackals and didn't step in to help, merely glancing at the intense battle unfolding before him.
The melee fighters had learned to target the jackals' limbs, especially their powerful hind legs, which significantly reduced the creatures' mobility and made the fight far easier.
With the outcome already decided, Shi Feng turned to sorting through his haul from the two Dark Fiend Jackals.
His level had reached 33. Even after killing two Leader-grade monsters, his experience gain was meager. To reach level 34, he'd need to solo-kill two or three hundred Level 40 Leaders on his own.
Using Divine Blessing to kill the two Dark Fiend Jackals had yielded rich rewards — a full six Soul Crystals. The rest was nothing to write home about: a handful of Level 40 Iron Rank equipment and some crafting materials.
"With these six Soul Crystals, I should be able to trade for a first-tier Forbidden Technique." Shi Feng smiled with satisfaction.
First-tier Forbidden Techniques were extremely difficult to obtain outside the Dark Caverns. If he could get one for every core member of Zero Wing, and each of them learned a first-tier Forbidden Technique, then a fifty-man large-scale Dungeon raid would be a breeze. Fifty first-tier Forbidden Techniques used at once — that was essentially equivalent to fifty second-tier skills.
Even a Level 28 Grand Lord would be left critically injured, if not dead. A little more attrition and it'd be over.
After the battle ended, the Elementalist Qing Shuang immediately approached Shi Feng, visibly grateful. "Brother Ye Feng, I truly have to thank you for your help. Without you, our team would have been finished today. If you ever need anything in the future, don't hesitate to ask."
"Can you help me trade for some first-tier Forbidden Techniques?" Shi Feng had already thought this through.
Punishment Heaven might be the captain of District Five's third squad, but the number of first-tier Forbidden Techniques he could get his hands on was limited. Qing Shuang, on the other hand, was the captain of District One's first squad — she surely had access to a far greater supply. Bulk exchanges would be much easier.
"Brother Ye Feng wants Forbidden Techniques?" Qing Shuang was visibly surprised. With Shi Feng's skill, he should have already secured a full set of first-tier Forbidden Techniques. She found it odd but didn't press the matter, and nodded. "That's simple — no need to trade. Just tell me which first-tier Forbidden Technique you want. I'll give it to you as a gift."
"I'm not looking for just one." Shi Feng shook his head. "I'm wondering if you can get your hands on twenty first-tier Forbidden Techniques."
"Twenty!" Qing Shuang had been ready to agree on the spot, but the number caught her off guard. She smiled wryly. "Brother Ye Feng, you're a solo player, so you might not know — each first-tier Forbidden Technique costs about five Soul Crystals' worth of contribution points to exchange. Even for the first squad in the Shelter, the cost is four Soul Crystals. If you want someone else to use it, you need to contribute one more. And the daily exchange limit is three."
"If it were before, I might have been able to scrape together twenty. But since I spent so much on exchanging for the Demon-Sealing Barrier, I can only offer ten right now. If Brother Ye Feng wants them, I won't charge you extra — ten copies for fifty Soul Crystals."
"Ten?" Shi Feng was quietly taken aback.
He had thrown out the number twenty just to probe Qing Shuang's limits. He hadn't expected her to actually have ten. The reputation of District One's first squad really wasn't just empty talk.