Chapter 76: Go Wild, Boys!

Chapter 76: Go Wild, Boys! After roughly five hours of flying, Carlos reached his destination and touched down on a massive wind-carved stone column. This weathered pillar was just an ordinary one—no Stone Box Monsters sleeping inside, thank goodness. But it was enormous—a whopping 164 feet tall, with the widest part at the top stretching about 33 feet across and the narrowest base measuring around 16 feet. Perfect for flying Psionics users who needed a place to catch their breath. "What do they call this place? Looks like a Flat-Top Mushroom Stone Pillar to me." Carlos folded back his Crimson Gold Feathered Serpent Wings and walked across the pillar’s summit—completely flat and smooth, like someone had sliced it clean with a giant knife. He pulled out his camping gear and lit a fire while his skeletons got busy roasting meat and setting up tents... Carlos settled onto a stone seat, sipping red tea and munching on sweets. His eyes drifted toward the distant sand dunes, which were riddled with holes like Swiss cheese. His expression grew thoughtful: "Sand Worm Monsters only come out to play at night." He’d use this downtime to rest up and get his energy back for tonight’s showdown. ... Night fell like a curtain. The countless holes in the distant dune field suddenly filled with rustling sounds—creepy as hell in the empty darkness. Then worm-like monsters about 16 feet long came crawling out of their burrows. Their heads and tails looked nearly identical, both sporting circular giant maws that resembled twisted chrysanthemums, packed with razor-sharp, curved teeth that spun continuously like the entrance to some nightmare abyss. Even weirder, they had no eyes or feelers. Their outer skin looked smooth but was actually made up of layered folds—perfect for gliding through desert sand. ... Right on cue, a dark shadow leaped from the Flat-Top Mushroom Stone Pillar, 20-foot Crimson Gold Feathered Serpent Wings spreading wide as it swooped down fast... ... "Perfect timing." Carlos hovered high above, watching the Sand Worm Monsters just emerging from their holes below. Sand Worm Monsters: Spirituality 16, Strength 8, Constitution 5, Speed 5 Among the Desolate Desert’s monster families, they had pretty average stats but weren’t exactly common. Night owls who slept during the day, they fed on minerals buried in the sand and only went absolutely berserk when they ran into Psionics users. Most importantly, this monster’s heart was like catnip to ant-type creatures—irresistibly deadly. Carlos’s mind flashed through everything he knew about Sand Worm Monsters—and that last detail was exactly why he’d made this special trip to hunt them down. Without wasting another second, he summoned twelve Purple Thornblade Shield Guards and ten Redrose Guards. "Go wild, boys!" Twenty-two powerful skeletons dropped down, hitting the sand and leaving craters where they landed. The commotion immediately got the Sand Worm Monster pack’s attention. The moment they sensed Carlos’s aura clinging to the skeletons, they went ballistic, charging straight for the landed bone warriors... ... "Purple Thornblade Shield Guards, protect the Redrose Guards! Try to let the Redrose Guards get the killing blows!" Under Carlos’s orders, each Purple Thornblade Shield Guard paired up with a Redrose Guard, keeping the Redrose Guards safe while they farmed experience. Without that protection, the Redrose Guards’ stats just weren’t enough to handle this many Sand Worm Monsters at once. The two leftover Purple Thornblade Shield Guards were free to go monster hunting on their own. ... Across the sand, Sand Worm Monsters opened their massive maws and lunged at the skeleton soldiers, their spinning teeth making horrifying grinding sounds. The Purple Thornblade Shield Guards on the outside didn’t even try to dodge—they just raised their huge shields and took the hits head-on. "BOOM!" Sand Worm Monsters slammed into the shields, their frantically spinning teeth clashing hard against the metal, throwing off sparks like the Fourth of July. But the power gap was just too huge—those towering Purple Thornblade Shield Guards didn’t even budge. Their right bone claws gripped greatswords as purple light cut through the night. "SLASH!" Yellow-brown worm blood splattered everywhere as more than ten Sand Worm Monsters got chopped clean in half. With multiple wet thuds, they hit the ground, thrashing around with their severed bodies. The giant maws at both ends spewed worm blood. Even on death’s door, they kept trying to crawl toward the Purple Thornblade Shield Guards. That’s when the inner-circle Redrose Guards made their move, aiming for the Sand Worm Monsters’ lower body segments and driving their weapons down hard. "SLASH!" Yellow-brown worm blood splashed, coating the Redrose Guards as the Sand Worm Monster pieces twitched once more, then went still. [Spiritual Essence +1.6] [Spiritual Essence +1.6] ... Carlos stayed airborne, keeping a constant eye on how the battle was unfolding. "Should hit the next phase any minute now." ... Down on the dunes, the Sand Worm Monster pack’s charging and biting attacks were doing absolutely nothing against the powerhouse Purple Thornblade Shield Guards—just leaving bodies scattered everywhere. Like other monster groups, watching their buddies die only made the Sand Worm Monsters even more vicious. When the stench of blood got thick enough, these Sand Worm Monsters suddenly stopped their assault and dove into the sand. Lightning fast—within seconds, every single Sand Worm Monster had vanished from the surface, leaving nothing but a field of holes. ... Up in the air, Carlos had seen this coming and calmly gave his orders: "Put your shields flat on the sand. Purple Thornblade Shield Guards and Redrose Guards, lie down on top of them. Purple Thornblade Shield Guards, hold those shields steady. When they attack from below, drive your greatswords down into the sand!" ... On the sand, the Purple Thornblade Shield Guards placed their massive shields flat on the ground, the heavy metal pressing deep impressions into the surface. Then all the skeleton soldiers lay down on the shields, greatswords sticking out past the edges, ready to strike. "Rustle!" Beneath the sand, thick rustling sounds were getting closer and closer. That was the Sand Worm Monsters swimming through the sand, their skin friction creating the noise. The Sand Worm Monsters tunneled right under the skeleton soldiers, then immediately shot up from the sandy depths, opening their giant maws to attack. "BANG!" "BANG!" "BANG!"... Giant maws hammered the shields, their frantically spinning teeth creating intense friction against the metal, sparks flying everywhere. The shield surfaces didn’t even get scratched while tooth-breaking sounds rang out as the worm mouths immediately started bleeding. With the Purple Thornblade Shield Guards’ 18 Strength points holding them down, those shields weren’t budging an inch. Taking advantage of the Sand Worm Monsters being stuck against the shield surfaces, the skeleton soldiers quickly counterattacked. "SLASH!" Light Gold Quality greatswords, powered by incredible strength, easily punched through worm heads as massive amounts of yellow-brown blood seeped up from the sand... The Sand Worm Monster packs kept charging forward, launching wave after wave of attacks from underground... There were so many that the Purple Thornblade Shield Guards and Redrose Guards didn’t even need to aim carefully—just stabbing along the shield edges toward the bottom was guaranteed to take down Sand Worm Monsters... [Spiritual Essence +1.6] [Spiritual Essence +1.6] ... "Well, they are monsters without any brains, after all." Carlos’s Spiritual Essence started climbing rapidly while the Redrose Guards’ soul fires quickly filled to the brim...