Who Says I’m Not a Legitimate Adventurer?

Chapter 79: Resonance State Amplified Again

“It’s a bit tricky.”

Lance stroked his chin as his mind raced, rapidly constructing a tactical model.

If he were to be focused down by nearly thirty monsters at once in this kind of open terrain, even with his current attributes, he would still die on the spot.

But if he made good use of those scattered boulders…

“As long as I keep moving.”

Lance silently calculated movement routes and attack ranges in his mind.

“By using these rocks as cover and maneuvering in a pillar-circling pattern, I can artificially split the battlefield.”

“By constantly pulling and repositioning, most of the river crabs will either be blocked by the rocks or get stuck crowding each other.”

“That way, the number of enemies I have to face head-on at any given time won’t exceed five.”

Compared to yesterday’s stationary defense, this kind of mobile combat would consume far more stamina and attention, and the risk level would increase exponentially.But all of it remained within his control.

After all, although these Stone-Shell River Crabs had hard shells, they had a fatal flaw.

Before executing “Heavy Thrust,” they would enter a very obvious charging stiffness that lasted about 0.5 seconds.

With the heightened perception and agility from activating the Breathing Technique, it was already enough for him to react and evade quickly.

With confidence secured, Lance turned to look at the girl behind him.

“Cecilia.”

“Yes!”

Hearing her senior call her name, Cecilia immediately straightened her back.

“I read your report from last night.”

Lance looked into her eyes, his tone filled with undisguised approval.

“The part about tactical arrangement—you did very well.”

“Whether it was spell selection or timing your battlefield control, it was all very professional.”

Boom!

Hearing this praise, Cecilia felt as if fireworks had exploded in her mind.

That feeling wasn’t just psychological satisfaction.

With the added effect of 【Voice of Pleasure】, her senior’s already low and magnetic voice now sounded like a warm current wrapped in honey.

Her heart felt warm, and even her fingertips began to heat up.

It was like secretly eating the most delicious honey candy as a child—that sweet sense of happiness instantly filled her entire chest.

This was not an illusion.

The girl subconsciously pressed her hand to her chest, clearly feeling that physiological resonance of pleasure.

“Th-thank you, Senior!”

She responded with a slight stutter, her smile brighter than sunlight.

“Alright, enough small talk.”

Lance smoothly shifted to the main topic, his expression turning serious.

“You’ve seen today’s terrain. There’s no fixed defensive point, so we need to change tactics.”

“Today, you’ll be responsible for support.”

“We’ll be engaging in high-frequency mobile combat, which requires extremely precise timing for your spellcasting.”

Next—

Lance held nothing back, thoroughly explaining the movement routes he had just devised, the predicted engagement points, and several blind spots in the river crabs’ attack patterns that hadn’t been demonstrated yesterday.

“Remember, when you see more than five crabs trying to follow me through a sharp turn, that’s the best moment to cast 【Grease】.”

“Understood?”

“Understood!”

Lance nodded in satisfaction.

“Then get ready to enter.”

In truth—

If he had been alone today, facing such a complex situation, he would never have chosen such a head-on approach.

Based on his usual cautious personality—

He would have taken advantage of the bow’s range for long-distance harassment.

Shoot one arrow, then run.

Kite them like flying a string, pulling the crab swarm apart.

When a few stragglers broke off to chase him, he would turn back and eliminate them, then repeat the process.

That method was safe and steady, but the efficiency was far too low.

Killing just a few would probably take over half an hour.

But now, things were different.

He had a spellcaster teammate.

Wasn’t that the very purpose of an Adventurer Party?

Just like those annoying Goblins—individually weak, but once their numbers grew and coordination formed, even professionals would find them troublesome.

Humans were the same.

With proper tactical coordination, one plus one could often produce a result far greater than two.

Watching Cecilia climb—somewhat clumsily—onto a massive rock about ten meters away from the battlefield, using both hands and feet—

That position offered a wide field of view and lay perfectly within her optimal spellcasting range.

After confirming his teammate was in position—

Lance, now approaching the edge of the riverbank, took a deep breath. His gaze instantly sharpened.

With a deep, thunder-like rumble from within his chest, the Breathing Technique activated instantly.

A large amount of free-floating Aether was forcibly drawn into his lungs and completely ignited by the technique.

He could feel his body temperature rising again.

A stream of scorching white vapor burst from his mouth and nose, quickly dissipating into the air.

The familiar blue interface refreshed instantly on his retina.

【Entered Aether Resonance State (Phase One)】

【Strength +4.5, Agility +3.9, Perception +3.3】

Seeing the jumping values, Lance couldn’t help but feel delighted.

Compared to when it was at LV1, the LV2 Breathing Technique had increased all attribute enhancements by roughly 5%.

Don’t underestimate that 5%.

Once this technique reached max level, the accumulation of such base multipliers could bring nearly a terrifying 50% additional boost.

That was the value of a rare skill.

The surge of power filled Lance with confidence.

He took down the Hazel Short Bow from his back, nocked an arrow, and drew the bow so quickly that only afterimages could be seen.

BANG!

The bowstring snapped.

The arrow shot forward like a meteor, striking a Stone-Shell River Crab basking in the sun with perfect accuracy.

Clang!

The arrowhead scraped across the hard shell, producing a burst of dazzling sparks before being deflected.

The force of this shot was far stronger than yesterday’s—its immense impact caused the monster to let out a painful screech.

The entire river shoal erupted into chaos.

The gray-brown “rocks” that had been lying still all awakened, countless yellow eyes locking onto the provocateur at once.

Aggro fully drawn.

Lance didn’t hesitate and immediately lowered his bow.

He swiftly equipped the kite shield onto his left arm, drew his shortsword with his right, and turned to sprint toward the predetermined rock formation.

Behind him, dense sounds of clashing shells rang out as a gray-brown tide of monsters surged toward him like a breached flood.

Cecilia, lying atop the boulder, watched this scene as a thin layer of sweat formed in her palms.

She stared fixedly at the figure weaving through the rocks below, as well as the relentless swarm chasing behind.

Silently, she calculated the distance in her mind.

Ten meters… five meters…

Meanwhile, Lance—running below—felt incredible.

With nearly 10 points of Agility boosting him, his body felt as light as a feather compared to yesterday.

Those seemingly ferocious Stone-Shell River Crabs behind him were completely outmatched in speed.