Hu Tao Is Monetizing My Existence. [142]

“Hurry up, hurry up!” Jiang Bai chattered through clenched teeth, visibly shaking from the cold.

Out of the four of them, three had some way of keeping warm — he was the only one without any protection from the chill. Poor guy.

“Mm.”

Without further delay, the group moved forward.

The moment they stepped onto the central, largest platform, a massive Cryo Hilichurl Frostarm Lawachurl and a Cryo Abyss Mage appeared before them.

The Frostarm Lawachurl roared at the sky, raising its thick shield high as layers of snow and ice condensed into heavy armor plating across its body.

The Abyss Mage hovered inside that shielded space, staff raised, chanting eerie spells as it prepared its attacks.

Jiang Bai immediately summoned shields for the entire party and drew his weapon.

All four of them were experienced fighters — even Klee, despite her age, had battled far more monsters than Jiang Bai ever had.

They quickly split up: Klee and Albedo would take on the Lawachurl; Hu Tao and Jiang Bai would deal with the Abyss Mage.

With Jiang Bai’s shield in place, Hu Tao charged in fearlessly, wielding her Staff of Homa like a blazing spear.

Flames licked up the crimson tip of her weapon as it clashed with the Abyss Mage’s thick ice shield, hissing and steaming on contact.

But of course, the Abyss Mage didn’t just stand there and take it — it teleported away, creating distance between them.

At the same time, a wave of frigid white mist spread out from its feet, blanketing the ground in a cold fog that made the already-freezing domain even colder.

Stand still for just a moment in that mist, and you’d risk turning into an ice sculpture.

“[Solar Isotoma]!”

With a wave, Albedo summoned a blossoming Geo flower on the ground, anchoring a radiant field around it that extended five meters outward.

Within this field, Geo energy surged — boosting elemental reaction speed, prolonging shield duration, and enhancing crystallization.

“Klee, hop on!”

It wasn’t the first time Klee had fought alongside Albedo. She nimbly dodged the Lawachurl’s attacks and leapt onto the [Solar Isotoma].

The flower lifted her into the air. Around her, glowing pages of her catalyst fluttered as fiery elemental energy gathered, forming a barrage of powerful bombs.

Each one struck the Frostarm Lawachurl with explosive precision.

The ice plating on the Lawachurl’s body began to melt, bit by bit, under the onslaught.

Meanwhile, Albedo kept the monster occupied, drawing its attention to buy Klee a safe window for her relentless firepower.

But his sword alone didn’t do much damage to the Lawachurl’s thick armor — his main role was to support and distract.

Watching the synergy between them, Jiang Bai couldn’t help but feel a little useless.

Jumping in on Klee’s side of the fight would be reckless — one stray bomb and he’d be blown sky-high.

Even Albedo managed to avoid the blasts only thanks to his agile footwork and Geo shielding.

So this is Klee’s combat power…

Honestly, Albedo didn’t even need to be there. Klee could probably solo that giant Lawachurl on her own.

Albedo was there mostly to back her up and make sure she didn’t blow herself up.

On the other side, Hu Tao was putting on a show of her own.

Her movements were sharp and fluid — no matter where the Abyss Mage blinked, she was already one step ahead.

Her flaming Staff of Homa hammered relentlessly at its ice shield, the thick barrier melting visibly with every strike.

Once that shield broke, the Abyss Mage would have no defenses left.

As for its counterattacks — they were all absorbed by her shield. And if her barrier broke, Jiang Bai immediately replaced it with a fresh one.

Which meant Jiang Bai didn’t really have to fight at all.

He could’ve just stood there and won by default, carried by Klee and Hu Tao.

But Jiang Bai wasn’t the type to just stand around. Even knowing his attacks wouldn’t do much, he still hefted his Debate Club and charged.

He swung it hard against the mage’s shield — and immediately recoiled, nearly losing his grip as the rebound force jolted through his arm.

“Tch—this thing’s freezing!”

The cold had stiffened his fingers. The metal weapon felt like a block of ice, slippery and brittle in his grasp.

He cast a jealous glance at Hu Tao’s flame-clad staff. Man, fire is the ultimate luxury out here.

Seeing his condition worsening, Hu Tao barked a quick order:

“This place is too cold! You’ll freeze! Fall back and support!”

“Got it!”

Jiang Bai retreated, stashing his mace and creating some distance.

At this temperature, he could feel his weapon getting brittle — the metal losing its elasticity.

One or two more swings and he might end up with a shattered Debate Club.

Meanwhile, Hu Tao’s weapon was just fine.

Partly due to the materials, yes — but also the quality. His mace was an ordinary metal club with nothing but weight on its side.

Her Staff of Homa, on the other hand, was an ancient artifact passed down for generations within the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor — rare and extraordinary.

I really need a better weapon… Jiang Bai thought.

But finding a good one — one that actually suited him — was another matter entirely.

Back to the battle.

Sensing its barrier wearing thin, the Abyss Mage grew agitated.

Chilling mist continued to spill from its body as it whipped its staff through the air, summoning a storm of ice spikes like falling hail.

Sharp icicles spun around it, trying to keep Hu Tao at bay.

In the past, this might’ve forced her to go on the defensive — dodging constantly, wasting energy.

But not anymore.

With a shield protecting her, she didn’t need to dodge — just attack.

Geo offered unmatched security, capable of withstanding even the harshest strikes.

On the other side, Klee and Albedo’s coordination was flawless.

Under constant bombardment, the massive Frostarm Lawachurl was driven into retreat, unable to hold its ground.

Hu Tao’s battle was reaching its climax, too — the mage’s protective shield finally shattered into shimmering fragments, leaving it utterly exposed.

Jiang Bai, meanwhile, was still on standby — doing nothing but swapping in shields as needed.

At last, both monsters crumbled into motes of dust and vanished.

The battle was over. Klee jumped off Albedo’s [Solar Isotoma] and threw her hands up, grinning ear to ear.

“Klee’s big adventure — complete!”

“Not bad, little Spark Knight.” Hu Tao gave her a proud nod of approval.

Klee puffed up with pride. “Hehe, Klee’s a Spark Knight after all!”

Watching the whole thing, Jiang Bai felt like his understanding of the Knights of Favonius had been completely rewritten.

If even the kids are this powerful… what about the rest of them?

“Let’s go! Time to see that petrified tree!”

Jiang Bai was practically bouncing with anticipation.

They continued forward, approaching the tree.

Once they got closer, Jiang Bai finally saw it in full — an ancient, stark-white tree, towering and leafless.

Klee — the one who once soloed a Geovishap without a scratch — Mondstadt’s true top-tier force.

—

T/N: poor Jiang Bai…

This is a fan translation of 胡桃拿我冲业绩 by 余溯. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!