The giant crabs crashed into them.
The first thing Isaac instructed his men was to defend. Most of his members were not ready to fight the crab monsters, he could see it from the tense looks on their faces.
A similar scene was also shown by the Golden Dragon members.
They didn't seem to be fighting as aggressively as usual. Their fighting style tended to be passive, the melee fighters kept guarding the front lines, while the casters and marksmen launched attacks from behind.
Isaac was impressed with Ling Tian. He felt that man's decision was right.
These giant crabs had hard shells. Physical attacks wouldn't work against them. It would take fire and lightning magic that could at least cause them significant damage. However, with watery terrain like the swamp, both magic elements were ineffective. Especially the lightning elemental magic. It could harm the people around.
However, that didn't mean they couldn't be defeated. Isaac's knowledge as a Dungeon Master certainly knew how to finish them off.
The monsters continued to crab the party. Their large cow-like size and two-metre-long claws pushed the hunters back. Isaac called for his men to follow the flow of the battle. With his men unprepared, he needed to get them used to it first. He wanted his men to understand how to deal with monsters that had a wide attack range and strong defense.
"Stay calm! Don't let your concentration be distracted. Focus on their movements!"
Isaac called out in a loud voice, instructing the members of Nine Sky to defend. His call also affected Ling Tian. The man with the spirit of a leader did the same.
The fighters seemed to be defending with all their might. Those with shields withstood every attack, while those armed with only weapons parried every crab claw that tried to break the defense of the ranks.
Patiently, Isaac organized his men to stay close. He waited until they were ready.
And his patience paid off.
After being pushed back for a while, the party was finally able to hold their position. Seeing the change in battle conditions, Isaac grinned. A sign that his men were ready to face the crab monsters.
Of course, he quickly took advantage of the situation.
Isaac ran out and jumped into dozens of crab monsters. The people who saw him looked shocked, especially Ling Tian. For the umpteenth time, that man had to see himself one step behind.
"Isaac!" Ling Tian shouted, letting out all the air and annoyance in his chest.
The exclamation was like wind blowing in the ears. Isaac ignored it. He was standing in the middle of a giant crab monster. There was no tension at all on his face, instead he smiled broadly.
'ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ N(ov)elBin',
"Watch and learn!"
The party was stunned hearing Isaac's words. Ling Tian was also one of them. They opened their eyes wide and watched him fight alone.
Isaac moved nimbly, passing through every crab and claw trying to cut his body into two pieces. At the same time, he swung his sword quickly.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Crab legs and claws scattered in the air. Dozens of crabs were mutilated, leaving only the head immobilized. Their mouths bubbled as Isaac cut them.
"Whoaah!"
"Who exactly is that guy?"
"How come I never heard his name."
Whispering voices echoed like flies. The party members looked stunned watching him fight dozens of giant crab monsters. Especially those wearing golden armor. Even some Nine Sky members were astonished by his actions. Only Guo Chen looked amazed. That young man had never once doubted Isaac's abilities.
"What are you guys looking at? Let's go!"
Ling Tian jumped into the dozens of crab monsters. After seeing Isaac initiate the attack, that man didn't want to be left behind. The other members quickly followed up.
Isaac smiled widely.
They followed his demonstration. Their attacks targeted the crab's legs and claws. Some were successful, some were not.
Seeing that some of the party members still seemed to be struggling with the crab monsters, Isaac shook his head.
"Don't swing your sword carelessly. Aim for their joints."
After he said that, the party members understood. Then they launched their attacks at the intended point.
Slash!
Like cutting butter with a hot knife, the crab's limbs detached and fell into the water. They looked surprised.
Isaac smiled as they made it.
'Visit (No ve (l)B i n) to read, pls!',
There was no doubt that those crab monsters had impenetrable shells. But, they still had weaknesses. Just like wearing armor, there must be some parts of the body that were not protected by the shell for them to move. And it was the joints.
In addition, the shells of crabs limit their movement. They were very sluggish and could only move sideways. Therefore, Isaac did not hesitate to give a demonstration for the party members to dive into the monsters. The human's small body and agile movements made them difficult to target.
From the start, these crab monsters were only low-class monsters. They were only used to scare humans.
The tide of battle changed quickly. The hunters dominated the battle. Once the claws and legs of the crab monsters were mutilated, they easily defeated them. They stabbed the crab right in the face to kill it.
In less than fifteen minutes, the battle was over. All the crab monsters were successfully eliminated. There were no casualties on the human side.
Isaac recognized this as a big victory.
'If guided properly, they can become an unbeatable army.'
He was completely satisfied with the result of the battle. However, the journey was not over yet.
"Everyone, let's move. We don't have time."
Isaac heard Ling Tian give the order after the last crab was taken down. The golden-armored squad leader seemed to glance at him. Their eyes met for a moment, then that man quickly looked away.
Seeing his behaviour, Isaac only chuckled. It was clear from the look in his eyes that the Golden Dragon Guild Leader was visibly upset. Of course Isaac understood. He dominated the party and the spotlight began to shift.
What leader wouldn't be upset if his men were taken away?
Nevertheless, Isaac didn't see any hateful glint in that man's eyes. Just a feeling of annoyance.
The search resumed.
It wasn't just giant crabs that confronted them. Throughout exploring the mangrove forest; they encountered eel monsters, swamp kobolds, treants, and tritons. Isaac allowed Ling Tian to lead the battle. The result did not disappoint. The black-haired man was able to control the course of the battle and continued to had easy victories.
After passing through various monsters and obstacles, they arrived at the location. The location that was reportedly the last place where Cheng Ho's party was heard of.
They arrived at a strait that separated two mangrove forests.
"What happened?" Ling Tian muttered as he set foot on the edge of the strait. Similar expressions were shown on the other members.
Isaac was also astonished at the scene before him.
He saw crocodiles floating upside down on the surface of the water. Their bellies were exposed. The water looked murky. A stink smell wafted through the air. There were no signs of human bodies.
The crocodiles had been killed long days before. A different scene from what He Dong had told them.