bookrebus Chapter 643 Iron Flag Guild
Chapter 643 Iron Flag Guild
Iron Banner only had thirty men, but they were of one mind and obeyed only one person's command.
Gao Qing spent more than half a year screening these people one by one.
He doesn't want those who like to show off, those who don't follow orders, or those who panic when faced with problems.
What he needs are people who can truly fight tough battles and people he can rely on in critical moments.
Therefore, although the thirty members of the Iron Flag Guild were not the highest level, had the best equipment, or the strongest talents, they had an advantage that no one else could match—tacit understanding.
The thirty people had been working together for a long time. Each of them knew their position in the team, when to push forward, when to retreat, when to deal damage, and when to save their lives.
This kind of tacit understanding cannot be developed in a day or two.
Unlike the large guilds that dispersed their members, Gao Qing had everyone work together in one place.
Thirty people, thirty different minds, but they only listen to one person's command.
As a result, the efficiency of obtaining the Spirit of the Mist is indeed slow—thirty people fighting one monster means that the experience gained by each person is not much, and the frequency of finding the Spirit of the Mist is also not high.
But it's safe.
Under this rule of elimination where the dead are eliminated, safety is ten thousand times more important than efficiency.
No matter how efficient you are or how many Mist Spirits you find, if you get killed, all those points go to someone else, and you are eliminated without even a chance to turn the tables.
Gao Qing was well aware of this.
Therefore, from the very first day he entered the Misty Continent, he established an ironclad rule: never to be scattered, never to be reckless, and never to be greedy for credit.
At this moment, thirty members of the Iron Banner Guild are besieging a mid-level Mist Spirit guard.
The guard was a size larger than the beginner level, standing over two meters tall. Its body was made of pale blue, semi-transparent energy, making it particularly conspicuous in the mist, like a giant blue lantern.
It doesn't move very fast, but each attack deals area damage, and a light blue shockwave explodes on the ground where it lands.
Gao Qing stood at the front, holding a shield in one hand and a sword in the other.
His talent is the S-rank [Iron Will] – not the SSS-rank absolute defense like Zhang Tianya's, but a different kind of talent: while taking damage, he reflects a portion of the damage back to the attacker.
He's not considered strong, but with his equipment and skills, he's considered quite capable among the leaders of medium-sized guilds.
"Press up on the left wing, don't let it turn!" Gao Qing shouted.
The ten warriors on the left flank advanced simultaneously, their shields forming a wall that reduced the guards' movement space by half.
The guard tried to turn and attack the right flank, but the warriors on the left flank held it firmly in place, preventing it from turning around.
The guard let out a low growl, and pale blue mist billowed from its body, attempting to force back the warriors on the left flank. The mist had a corrosive effect; contact with it caused continuous damage.
However, the members of the Iron Flag Guild cooperated very well.
"Heal, heal!" the left-wing commander shouted.
Three healers simultaneously cast group healing spells, and green healing light shone above the heads of the left-wing warriors, completely negating the corrosive damage from the mist.
The tanks held firm at the front, while the damage dealers continuously inflicted damage from the flanks.
The guard's health is decreasing slowly but steadily.
Forty percent.
Thirty percent.
Twenty percent.
Fifteen percent.
"Almost there! Give it your all!" Gao Qing shouted, his voice tinged with excitement.
This is the first intermediate-level Mist Spirit he has found since entering the Mist Continent.
They had previously taken down seven or eight low-level guards.
An intermediate level is worth 100 points, which is several times more than the sum of all their previous achievements.
Just then, the hunter's expression suddenly changed.
His name is Chen Feng, and his talent is A+ grade [Eagle Eye].
It's not an offensive talent, but a detection one—he can sense the energy fluctuations of all hostile units around him and roughly judge their numbers and strength.
This talent is not very useful in normal times, but in battles that require vigilance, it is the eyes and ears of the Iron Banner Guild.
At this moment, Chen Feng's face looked very grim.
"President." His voice was low, but his tone was urgent.
"What's wrong?"
"From the north. People are coming. A lot of them." Chen Feng's eyes were tightly closed, his brows were furrowed, and the veins on his forehead were bulging—a characteristic of him when he fully activated his talent.
How many people?
"At least thirty. Their energy fluctuations are very strong, and their average level... is much higher than mine."
Chen Feng swallowed hard, opened his eyes, and looked at Gao Qing. "They should be the Three-Eyed Clan."
Gao Qing's heart sank.
More than thirty three-eyed people, with an average level of 45 or above.
His group of thirty people had an average grade of 37.
We can't beat them.
It's not a question of whether we can fight, it's that we simply can't fight.
The difference is nearly ten levels, and this gap cannot be bridged by tacit understanding and cooperation.
The Three-Eyed Clan has better equipment, stronger skills, and higher attributes. No matter how well they coordinate, if the Three-Eyed Clan uses an AOE skill, their healers might not even have time to keep up with the healing.
"Everyone, stop." Gao Qing's voice wasn't loud, but it was very clear.
The members of the Iron Flag Guild simultaneously ceased their attack.
The guard had 10% health remaining, and a pale blue orb was throbbing rapidly in its chest, as if it were panting.
With no target left, the guard circled around in place before reverting to a defensive stance.
Its body crouched slightly, its arms crossed in front of its chest, assuming a defensive posture.
The frequency of the blue light cluster on his chest flickering decreased.
"Guild Leader, the Mist Spirit only has 10% health left!" a DPS player shouted, his voice filled with frustration. "Just two more minutes and we could take it down!"
His name is Li Rui, and he is the main damage dealer of the Iron Flag Guild. His talent is the A-grade [Raging Strike], which adds a layer of damage bonus with each critical hit.
When we were attacking the guard just now, he had already stacked seven layers, and the damage was ridiculously high.
Asking him to stop now is like a beggar who has been starving for three days seeing a bowl of braised pork placed in front of him, only to have it taken away.
"Withdraw." Gao Qing did not hesitate.
"But--"
"Execute the command!"
Li Rui gritted his teeth, gripped his weapon tightly with both hands, and his knuckles turned white.
He glanced at the low-health mid-level guard, whose blue orb of light on his chest was still pulsating, like a fruit that could be plucked at any moment.
He took a deep breath and swallowed back the words that were about to come out.
"Yes."
Gao Qing turned around and looked at the thirty people behind him.
"Everyone, retreat. Don't run, maintain formation while retreating. Don't give the enemy a chance to pursue from behind."