78 - I’m Surrounded by My Own Pets!

Raising her eyes to the lopsided progress panel, the blue-haired, mixed-race girl Yubai slowly narrowed her eyes. The Orchid Pavilion team could barely move an inch in this formidable leader-level dungeon. They were close to being overwhelmed just defending, let alone attempting to speed-run by actively hunting monsters... Despite their dire straits, the blonde girl with buns at the back, Lianxing, maintained a relaxed and carefree smile as she stayed behind the group. She was simply curious, observing her teammates' struggle without any intention of intervening to clinch the match. Seeing this, Yubai slowly extended her arm and struck a summoning pose. "Prison of a Thousand Sharks." "Whoosh—!!!!" In the next instant, an enormous azure shark surged from a pool of viscous liquid beneath her, bursting into the scene. The shark's body was adorned with dreamlike crystalline patterns. Its bounding leap sent four or five high-grade beasts flying, scattering them. Then, upon landing, it shattered into countless shimmering, translucent droplets. Before anyone could register the uncanny sight... "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—" From the hundreds of water droplets scattered on the ground, countless small sharks emerged again, descending like arrows to decimate the hordes of high-grade beasts in an instant. [Orchid Pavilion, Progress: 1%] Witnessing this scene, the members of the Orchid Pavilion team were momentarily stunned before displaying expressions of disbelief. Meanwhile, Xiaokui, who was enthusiastically promoting Sangying Institute in the livestream, frowned. "This is... the high-tier viral 'Prison of a Thousand Sharks'!?" "Isn't it said that 'Prison of a Thousand Sharks' needs water as a medium to be summoned? Does bodily fluid count too!?" "Also, given her mermaid hybrid nature, why not join Phantom Sea Institute? They offer special perks for water-affiliated merfolk!" Xiaokui, baffled for several seconds, couldn't help but harshly critique. The livestream audience echoed Xiaokui’s curiosity, fixated on Yubai's graceful figure with faces of surprise and skepticism. Though currently only a high-grade beastmaster, Yubai's mermaid heritage invoked in viewers the dread associated with Phantom Sea Institute, whose current "Three Illusions" were all mermaid hybrid beastmasters. Within the dungeon, as the 'Prison of a Thousand Sharks' relentlessly tore through foes, Orchid Pavilion's progress began to creep upward. Though not as swiftly as Sangying's, the playing field was no longer completely one-sided... Yet, inexplicably, Lianxing remained unfazed, continuing to idle publicly without deploying Yueyue's mallet. "Lianxing Leader, what’s happened to you? Get moving already!!!" "Enough slacking, you'll dehydrate!!!" "Is she surrendering? Does Moonlight Rabbit truly have zero combat prowess?" "Even if you can't win, at least try! Are you really okay with admitting defeat like this?" Faced with Lianxing's apparent surrender, the Orchid Pavilion students were frantic. However, their virtual battle cries were inaudible to Lianxing in-game. And so, the minutes ticked by, as Yubai pushed relentlessly to catch up. Alas, her 'Prison of a Thousand Sharks,' while formidable, remained far from breaching the leader's threshold, and the gap with Sangying's Shivering Chords widened. [Orchid Pavilion, Progress: 17%] [Sangying Institute, Progress: 48%] “Lianxing, just what are you doing? My three leader-tier crystals are on the line here, boohoo! If we lose, I might as well give up!” Seeing the broadcast's real-time footage, the Orchid Pavilion headmaster was sweating bullets. Unable to fathom Lianxing's bizarre artistry. Could Lianxing be pioneering a new art form — beyond newborn naiveté, body art, self-entry — Absolute motionless under an assail? Finally, as Orchid Pavilion students watched in anxious anticipation, and as Sangying crossed the 50% mark, Lianxing, appearing utterly indifferent in her meditative pose, finally opened her eyes and exhaled slowly. "Alright, Yubai, that's enough~~~" "......" "......" Upon Lianxing's casual instruction, Yubai, drenched in gleaming liquid, gently nodded and unhesitantly withdrew from her 'Prison of a Thousand Sharks.' Lianxing acknowledged she harbored some mischief. After all, slightly startling Orchid Pavilion's headmaster and students and letting Sangying’s students pop some celebratory champagne mid-game — it all seemed rather fun~~ But paramount was reserving Yueyue's mallet's strength for the culminating two leader-tier bosses in the blood-soaked arena. [Orchid Pavilion, Progress: 18%] [Sangying Institute, Progress: 50%] Okay, 18%. Now's a good time to start catching up~~~ Under the audience’s incredulous stares, Yueyue gracefully stepped out of the Purple Flame Firefighting Armament's protective zone. Facing waves of newly spawned high-grade beast groups, clouds of scalding steam began billowing from her entire form. "——Moonlight Sweep——" "Boom!!!!!!!!!!" In an instant, the cloud sea erupted. Amidst the earsplitting atmospheric blast, all teammates' skirts flipped skyward. At that moment, both spectators and Lianxing's comrades were wide-eyed in disbelief. [Orchid Pavilion, Progress: 21%] What is happening? What just transpired......!? No one could grasp the truth of that brief moment!!! Seconds later, as the cloud cover lifted, the entire landscape reeked of acrid blood. Not a single creature remained intact, shredded into disorienting chunks by an unknown force. The opposing arena walls were pocked with countless stone craters. “Couldn't trace the attack trajectory...?" Xiaokui, staring intently at Yueyue’s movements, muttered incredulously. Despite scrutinizing every moonlit rabbit move, she hadn’t discerned when the attack initiated. What kind of phenomenon is this...? Under innumerable captivated and trembling gazes, dozens of high-tier monster-type pets began emerging amidst bursts of white light. This time, finally, some higher-tier beastmasters caught glimpses of Yueyue’s throwing movement. Her fluffy white cloak, trailing like a fan, lightly brushed the ground. Then...... The vision shattered like thunder from clear skies!!! Ground erupted, debris and rock fragments sprayed. "Boom boom boom!!!!!!" Thousands of stone fragments rained down, carpet-bombing the entire arena. The fresh surge of high-tier beasts hadn't even reacted before becoming engulfed in swirling dust and cascading rubble. Witnessing, Xiaokui stood, mouth agape. "......" "......" "What the heck, isn’t there a pre-attack lag?" "Don’t throwing-type beastmasters need to charge their strikes???" Before Xiaokui could finish voicing her awestruck shock. Several explosive shockwaves reverberated in succession. "Boom!!!" "Boom!!!!" "Boom!!!" If earlier assaults echoed thunder’s roar, then this time Yueyue combined cloak and ears in a strike rivaling missile bombings. The acoustical booms and shockwaves beleaguered eardrums, while walls shattered utterly. Sequential hits amassed instantly in triplicate!!! With the arena shrouded, visual chaos reigned supreme. Beyond the bombarding pandemonium, nothing was visible or audible anymore. Everyone only saw Moonlight Rabbit relentlessly throwing attacks. Each throw grew increasingly ferocious, reducing foes to mangled wreckage before they could fully spawn. Five minutes on, everyone stared at the scoreboard, horrified by what unfolded. [Orchid Pavilion, Progress: 69%] [Sangying Institute, Progress: 62%] Having been surpassed, the faces of Sangying Institute's team turned an ashen hue. What exactly transpired on the opposing side to achieve such monstrous kill-speed!?