NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 69: Wrong Chapter
I hit the ground with a bounce and then rolled into a cave. Even before I stopped moving, my body was already healing itself, and I was able to get up right away.
"Damn gorilla woman!" I muttered but sighed. There might be a golem core here, so I just had to look.
Too bad I didn't have a weapon! Psycho teacher!
I groaned, but headed, into the cave. I had fought monsters barehanded before, so this should be so bad.
The cave tunnel was lit with glowing moss, unlike the crystal cavern. Kind of made me wonder just what was going to be in here. This island was the most powerful dragon of all time’s home and death place, so who knew what I might find in this dungeon.
I saw an opening up ahead, so I slowly crept toward it. Once I got close, I winced at the two monsters that I saw.
A pair of red-faced, dragonish-looking humanoids, each about seven feet tall, stood in the cavern. They had a red and black scaly exterior with orange lizard skin underneath, and glowing red eyes that looked around the open and empty cavern. Both of them carried a halberd with flames flickering at the tips. These creatures were clearly not ordinary monsters, and I could feel the heat emanating from their bodies.
Keeping out of sight, I targeted one with Identity.
Monster Name: Emberbound Drakon
Level: 15
Physical Power: 235
Magical Power: 210
Agility: 180
Resilience: 200
"Hmm, not too good," I whispered to myself and then targeted the other one.
Monster Name: Emberbound Drakon
Level: 15
Physical Power: 220
Magical Power: 225
Agility: 190
Resilience: 205
Similar stats, but slightly different. I guess that made sense, why would they be the same? Still, my current Physical Power was only 72, a far cry from even 200. Could I even do any damage?
giving my head a good shake, I stepped back and squatted down to collect some rocks. I wasn't sure if this would work on stronger enemies but I would just have to throw them hard. It had worked last time, but these guys felt stronger than the mini-boss golem I fought. I didn't know what its level was, but I would have to guess around eight.
I carefully aimed at one of the Emberbound Drakons and threw the rock with all my might. It hit the creature square in the face, and it roared in anger. The other Drakon turned towards me, and I quickly started to run, throwing more rocks.
I honestly wasn't sure how much damage I was doing, until I noticed they were slowing down. The cave was huge and not lit that well, so I collected some rocks, letting the two Drakons get closer.
When I turned to see them about thirty feet away, I smirked. They were both bruised, bleeding, and battered from all the rocks I had hit them with. The pair were a sorry bunch, but I stood, and took better aim, now that they were closer.
As I threw the rocks with more precision, I noticed that the Drakons were struggling to keep up their pace. It seemed like my improvised rock-throwing strategy was actually working. The creatures were now visibly weakened, their movements slower and less coordinated.
With newfound confidence, I continued pelting them with rocks, focusing on one Drakon at a time. As I whittled down their health, their roars of anger turned into frustrated growls. The cave echoed with the sound of clashing rocks and the enraged cries of the Emberbound Drakons.
After a relentless assault, one of the Drakons collapsed to the ground, defeated. The other, now severely weakened, tried to retreat deeper into the cave, but I pursued it, determined to finish the job.
As I closed in, the remaining Drakon attempted a desperate swing of its halberd, but I managed to dodge the attack. Seizing the opportunity, I grabbed a larger rock from the cave floor and hurled it at the creature with all my strength. The impact was enough to finally bring it down.
Panting and victorious, I stood over the defeated Emberbound Drakons. It was a challenging battle, but my unorthodox tactics had proven effective. I hadn't needed a weapon to defeat these creatures; rocks had been enough.
[Level 11 acquired!]
[Increase to all stats]
[+1 Character Point]
[+110 Stat Points]
[+3 Skill Points]
[9th Skill Slot unlocked]
[+60 Material Points]
Hey! Look at that! Three more levels, and the mystical Character Point! Tonight is going to be so awesome! And a new skill slot! But this was only the beginning!
I had to get to 500 Material Points and with these, I was at 150. It looked like I got 5 per level, but 50 every five? I also got a bonus of 100 stat points for hitting level ten!
Then I thought about Mary's stats and felt like holding my knees and drawing in the dirt with a stick in defeat.
Then I smacked my cheeks and went over to the first body of the monsters I just killed. Reaching out my hand, I retrieved the dropped items to my inventory, and I got a message displaying what I got.
[Item Acquired: Emberheart Scale]
[Item Acquired: Drakon Claw]
[Item Acquired: Flameforged Halberd]
[Item Acquired: Fire Essence]
Interesting loot. The Emberheart Scale seemed to be a valuable material, and the Drakon Claw could potentially be used for crafting. The Flameforged Halberd was a weapon, and the Fire Essence might have some magical properties. I made a mental note to examine them more closely later.
I walked over to the other monster and did the same thing, but my eyes lit up when I saw the only drop. A crystal!
[Item Acquired: Emberbound Crystal]
Now that was a valuable find! It was the only item, but I probably could substitute it for the Ember Crystal for my daggers. Moreover, this proved I could get different kinds of crystals from monsters. That meant I had to go deeper and kill more.
Crystals and cores were two things I couldn't buy from Hamazon. It might be possible in the future if I spend more, and level up my membership more, but that means making money first. To do that, I have to farm monsters and sell their parts.
Pulling out the Flameforged Halberd, I used Identity on it to see if it had any skills.
[Item: (Rare)Flameforged Halberd]
Item's Description: This weapon is infused with the essence of fire, granting it enhanced power.
[Passive Skill: Flamestrike]
Adds fire damage to attacks.
Increases the chance of causing burning effects on enemies.
[Active Skill: Ember Sweep]
Unleashes a sweeping attack engulfed in flames, dealing area-of-effect damage.
Consumes a small amount of Fire Essence with each use.
The Flameforged Halberd seemed to be a decent weapon with both passive and active fire-related skills. It would definitely come in handy, especially against enemies weak to fire. I swung the halberd around a bit and marveled at the flames dancing along its blade.
"Good enough for the girls I know... or maybe not? What would I need to be good enough for Aria? Legendary? Divine?" I asked myself as I headed down the next tunnel.