Oops, I'm a Monster with a Too Long Prefix!-Chapter 29: Same Old Grind—Let’s Go!

In other games, when a companion dies, it's just a line of text. But in Celestia: The Eternal Realms, where everything feels so intensely real—fighting, leveling, the time spent together—Isaac couldn't help but feel a genuine pang of loss when Red Team fell.

They were gone. After sticking with him for two whole days, Red Team had finally parted ways with Isaac for good.

He sighed. Maybe it was better that they died in battle than get dismissed later. At least they went out with dignity.

By the boundary stone, Isaac raised three little dirt mounds. He found three pieces of wood and carved them with the names: Red One, Red Two, Red Three.

"You guys were with me for a long time. I'm not just gonna let you disappear like other nameless mobs. You'll at least leave a trace behind."

"Red One, Red Two, Red Three—thank you for sticking with me."

He stood, composed himself, and looked once more toward the twisted depths of Venommist Forest.

After that brutal first run, Isaac understood: the stone's warning was no bluff.

Wave after wave of monsters, increasingly aggressive and unrelenting—even he had nearly died. And that was just the forest entrance.

But on the flip side, the constant Elite spawns made it too tempting to ignore. In just thirty minutes, he'd racked up 6 Tier 3 Talent Shards and 6 Star 3 Quality Points.

Far more efficient than farming Daffino.

Venommist Forest didn't seem to drop high-end gear—just white-tier Venommist Set items—but for farming Star 3 materials, it was unbeatable.

So Isaac turned back toward the Daffino zone. He needed new followers.

The Forest Venomspiders had low HP and didn't drop any low-star materials, so Isaac would have to "borrow" three more Hyenamen from Daffino.

Forty minutes later, Isaac stood once again before the boundary stone—this time with a freshly assembled Red Team.

Three level-8 Hyenamen.

He evolved their Quality, geared them up, and even unlocked new equipment slots for them. To survive the forest, poison resistance was a must.

He fully kitted out the new Red One: bracers and legwraps from the Venommist Set—just enough to hit 10 poison resistance.

"Alright, Red Team, follow me. Let's see how many waves we can tank this time!"

They reentered Venommist Forest and moved into the familiar clearing. Before long, the first wave of spiders descended.

Isaac already knew the trick now—leave the Elite for last. Killing one usually triggered the next wave, and if you weren't ready, it meant death.

With proper gear, Red One tanked three spiders easily. Isaac himself took one normal spider and the Elite.

[You have slain Forest Venomspider (Elite). XP Orbs +200. Tier 3 Talent Shards +1. Star 3 Quality Evolution Point +1. Spiritual Energy Extracted +1.]

[Ding! Obtained: 'Venommist Spider Silk Bracers' (White), Durable Spider Silk x2.]

"Unlock second equipment slot for Red Two—equip the bracers." Isaac clenched his fists. He was still pissed. The last Red Team had died partly because he was too focused on farming Reputation. That wasn't happening again.

This time, they were pushing through.

Isaac glanced at the clock—fifteen seconds after the Elite's death, wave two arrived.

"Red Team—stick to the plan!"

[You have slain Forest Venomspider (Elite). XP Orbs +200. Tier 3 Talent Shards +1. Star 3 Quality Evolution Point +1. Spiritual Energy Extracted +1.]

[Ding! Durable Spider Silk x4.]

[You have slain Forest Venomspider (Elite). XP Orbs +200. Tier 3 Talent Shards +1. Star 3 Quality Evolution Point +1. Spiritual Energy Extracted +1.]

[Ding! Obtained: 'Venommist Spider Silk Legwraps' (White), Durable Spider Silk x4.]

"Unlock third slot for Red Two—equip the legwraps. Ha! Now both Red One and Red Two can tank without a problem!"

...

By the fifth wave, Isaac had refined the strategy.

Red One and Red Two took turns tanking one Elite each. Isaac soloed the third, while also handling eight regular spiders.

He made sure to clear the small ones first, then brought down the Elites one by one.

He didn't hesitate to use healing potions either. No idea if there'd be a sixth wave, and he needed to keep everyone healthy.

Once the Elites were down, Red One and Red Two were at 60% health. Isaac gave them each another potion, and after a 15-second break, they were back up to 80%.

He himself could easily solo an Elite while healing during downtime.

Sure enough, fifteen seconds later, he looked up—and saw the sixth wave coming in.

Nine spiders: eight normal, one Elite.

Isaac smirked. "This is nothing now."

"Keep it tight, same strategy—let's farm!"

...

By the ninth wave, Red Three had her own bracers and legwraps. All three of them now had 10 poison resistance.

Still, Isaac stayed cautious.

Wave five had introduced double the usual mobs—if there was a tenth wave, it might spike in difficulty again.

Surprisingly, they got a full thirty seconds of rest.

Their HP fully recovered.

Then the air grew darker.

Isaac looked up and his blood ran cold.

A black cloud loomed overhead—dense, writhing, and crawling.

Spiders. Dozens—maybe fifty—Forest Venomspiders descending like rain, blanketing the treetops, sliding down web strands toward them.

And in the center of it all was one different spider.

No Elites this time—just one massive, grotesque spider among them. It crouched three meters tall, with legs like spears and eyes like burning coals.

"Widow of Venom, Eleanor... Level 10 Elite Named Mob?!"

Isaac tensed. This was no ordinary wave.

Thankfully, no other Elites. The regulars couldn't really hurt him anymore.

"Red Team, close formation! Form up around me—they're too big to all strike at once!"

Four Hyenamen stood back to back in a tight circle, reducing their exposed flanks.

They started clearing the horde, slowly edging away from Eleanor's long-reaching limbs.

But soon, with only a dozen spiders left, she reached them.

"I've got her! You three finish the rest!"

Eleanor's giant front leg slammed down.

-44. -20 (Poison)

[Status: Poisoned. HP drains 20 (30–10) per second for 5 seconds.]

Even with his 10 poison resistance, Eleanor still dealt over 60 damage a hit.

"Still manageable. Focus the adds!"

This time, Isaac wasn't winging it. Since the old Red Team's death, he'd stepped up. Every decision, every tactic, every item use was deliberate and calculated.

And it worked.

By the time Eleanor finally engaged them directly, the Red Team was fully regrouped and at nearly full HP.

"Alright, she's ours now," Isaac growled, eyes gleaming.

"She's a named Elite. Don't disappoint me."