Chapter 53: Nilapan
As the fangirl unrolled the scroll, a layer of translucent barrier spread outward, enveloping the entire auction house.
The unknown creatures were blocked outside the barrier, attacking it relentlessly. The sound was incessant, like a thousand people hammering a pane of glass at once. Fortunately, the barrier was extremely sturdy—after all, it was a purple-quality consumable.
The contractors halted their steps. Although the barrier held the unknown creatures at bay, the contractors couldn't attack the creatures outside either.
"How long can this thing hold?"
"Won't the V5 Organization and the Hunter Guild come to support?"
"Probably not. These unknown creatures are only attacking the auction house. This is gang territory. Without mass civilian casualties, it's a conflict between factions. Those large organizations won't interfere. Besides, for some reason, this area is sparsely populated."
The contractors gathered in the main hall on the first floor. Everyone knew this was only temporary safety; the barrier outside wouldn't last long.
"Damn it, I shouldn't have come to the auction house."
"What's the use of hindsight? We were surrounded before. If we hadn't charged in, we'd be dead. Where did these things come from? Space teleportation?"
Some impatient ones paced in the hall. Su Xiao looked toward the main entrance.
If the auction house couldn't be defended, he planned to fight his way out. These unknown creatures couldn't stop his breakthrough—it was just that the -3 to all attributes was annoying, especially the luck attribute.
"Who has high-dose recovery items? Xiao Ke is a barrier master."
A loud shout drew the attention of all the contractors. Everyone's gaze turned to a couple.
The man was covered in blood, while the woman was unconscious, held in his arms.
"Such severe injuries. Potions below blue quality might be useless."
"What potions? Second brother, third brother, get to work."
The eldest of the Three Brothers of National Football stepped forward quickly, with the second and third following close behind. When the three of them used healing skills simultaneously, they outperformed most healers.
Holy light blossomed from the three brothers. Under their treatment, the female contractor slowly regained consciousness.
"Ah!"
The female contractor screamed as she woke up. Only after confirming her lover was safe did she begin checking if she was missing any body parts.
"Xiao Ke, it's okay."
"I was so badly injured... how did I recover?"
"Cough~"
The eldest of the Three Brothers of National Football cleared his throat.
"Miss, no need to thank me. Call me Lei Feng. But your boyfriend is a real man. After you passed out, he dragged you out of the monster horde."
The barrier master girl looked at her boyfriend, tears welling up in her eyes. True feelings only emerge in life-and-death situations.
The man smiled shyly and scratched his head.
"Darling..."
The barrier master girl's voice choked up.
"It's okay. If you weren't here, living wouldn't mean anything to me."
"I..."
The couple didn't notice that dozens of eyes were fixed on them.
"You two, though it's inappropriate to interrupt your lovey-dovey display, my barrier's strength is limited. It can hold for at most ten more minutes. I'm not a barrier master. Without recharging, no matter how strong the barrier, it's useless."
The fangirl's expression was unnatural. She didn't believe in love, yet she was force-fed a huge mouthful of dog food.
"As for the barrier, I can set one up anytime. As long as I have enough mana, the barrier won't disappear."
"A sustained barrier master? A rare profession."
Having a barrier master present was undoubtedly good news. Su Xiao's earlier efforts on the communication platform hadn't been wasted.
"If we're setting up a barrier, it's best to leave one or two gaps. That way, we can form an offensive-defensive line instead of just cowering inside. Also, with attack gaps, those monsters will try to charge in instead of constantly attacking the barrier, significantly extending its duration."
The eldest of the Three Brothers of National Football spoke. He seemed experienced with this kind of situation, likely having been in a large adventure group before.
Su Xiao hadn't spoken, because he was pondering something.
This situation wasn't an accident or coincidence. He had been outmaneuvered by the Jester. In terms of intellectual combat, the Jester was stronger. Admitting this wasn't shameful; blind confidence or even arrogance was foolish.
After losing to Su Xiao in battle, the Jester had been planning this operation. Whether Su Xiao joined the Traveling Group faction or the Ten Old Men faction, the Jester's goal was to disrupt the main quest, thereby weakening Su Xiao's strength. If he could kill Su Xiao directly, he wouldn't hesitate.
After hiding for a few days, the Jester showed his fangs today. Su Xiao had to admit that the Jester had indeed put him in a tight spot. Su Xiao's strengths were assassination and direct combat against powerful foes, not defending a location. That was precisely why the Jester acted this way.
"Jester."
Su Xiao smiled. He hadn't encountered an enemy like this in a long time. Whether it was the Revolver Man or the Mad Healer from before, neither could compare to the Jester.
In terms of overall capability, the Jester was the strongest opponent Su Xiao had faced at the same rank.
Just as Su Xiao was thinking, a crisp crack sounded. Large cracks appeared on the barrier outside the auction house. The unknown creatures' attacks never ceased. The barrier set by the fangirl didn't last ten minutes.
"Source of Emptiness: Four Kings Barrier."
The barrier master girl clasped her hands together. A new, large barrier appeared, leaving two square gaps at the front and back entrances of the auction house.
"If the defense fails, I can seal off one gap at any time. This barrier strength can last two hours. If I have mana recovery potions, I can hold out longer."
The barrier master girl looked around at everyone, her meaning clear: who had mana recovery potions to give her?
The rarity of mana recovery potions was well known, but the eldest of the Three Brothers of National Football tossed out a crystal vial.
"Very expensive. Use it sparingly."
"Alright. With this, the barrier can last over three hours."
"Jester, don't let me run into you."
The fangirl gritted her teeth and pulled out a mana recovery potion as well.
"Barrier duration extended to five hours."
No one else spoke this time. The third of the Three Brothers of National Football looked at Su Xiao.
"Brother ruthless, aren't you going to contribute? As the strongest here, you must have mana recovery potions, right?"
The third brother grinned innocently. The eldest and second brothers broke out in cold sweat. The eldest gave the third brother a big slap on the back of the head with a crisp smack.
"My third brother is joking. Don't mind him."
The eldest clearly understood Su Xiao's personality.
"No potions, but I have an aura. I'll handle the front entrance gap alone. You all defend the back entrance."
Su Xiao signaled Bubu Wang to activate the Snow Goddess Aura's permissions. All the contractors were very satisfied with this extremely practical aura.
"Barrier master, open a hole in the roof for me."
Weini, who had arrived from the rooftop, called out before turning to leave. She didn't want the contractors present to recognize her identity, but she glanced at the Three Brothers of National Football before leaving.
"This is..."
The Three Brothers of National Football all shuddered at once, their bodies visibly stiff.
"Brother ruthless, you won't allow infighting, right? That woman just now might try to kill us."
"Right, right. That woman is..."
Just as the third brother was about to reveal Weini's identity, the eldest gave him a friendly slap on the back of the head, making him see stars.
Su Xiao ignored these three clowns. The outermost barrier was about to shatter.
Walking alone to the gap at the main entrance, Su Xiao used [Apostle's Eye] to examine the data on the unknown creatures.
[Comparing intelligence attributes... Comparison complete. Our intelligence is 1.964 times the enemy's. Obtained 100% of enemy data.]
Data as follows:
Name: Nilapan
Category: Humanoid creature
Origin: Dark Continent
Health: 100%
Mana: 280/280
Strength: 35
Agility: 36
Endurance: 32
Intelligence: 28
Charm: 1
Skill 1: Gregarious (Passive LV.5): Nilapan are gregarious creatures. When the number exceeds 10, Strength, Agility, and Endurance +1. When the number exceeds 100, Strength, Agility, and Endurance +2. When the number exceeds 1000, Strength, Agility, and Endurance +5 (Maximum bonus: Strength, Agility, and Endurance +5).
Skill 2: Wide-Angle Vision (Passive LV.6): Nilapan have four eyes, with a visual range of 230° (Human visual range is 120°).
Skill 3: Claw Blade (Passive LV.10): Claws are extremely tough and sharp.
Skill 4: Fission Reproduction (Passive LV.20): Nilapan reproduce through fission. Within five minutes of an individual's death, it can undergo one fission reproduction.