《System Dilemma》30. Grotesque Masterpiece
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I ordered the slimes to take me to the boss of this area, but they didn’t react.
Right, they don’t understand that kind of stuff.
I asked them to take me to the strongest creature that they’ve met, and they understood my intention as they jumped around with clear joy. They started walking in a certain direction, and I followed them.
After a couple of minutes, I saw an area with many black creatures. They were similar to the previous ones, and their levels were higher than theirs. However, they were still weak enough for me to subdue them.
I kept following the slimes’ lead as we traveled through the weird area. After a while, I found an area with too many slimes. As I got closer, my eyes opened widely because there were too many slimes to count. They were similar to the previous ones but were at least twice as big.
A simple examination revealed that most of them had levels higher than forty, and I could only control some of the weakest ones.
The weaklings followed my orders as they left the group in different directions, but it took a while due to their low speed.
Should I just blast them alongside the stronger slimes? Nah, they’ll be instrumental in finding the Boss of this area.
According to people in my past life, the boss of this area was mysterious. Even among those that bought access to this area, only a minority fought it and none of them won the fight.
They said that its speed was too high for beginners like them, and even the three ‘heroes’ didn’t manage to kill it as it ran away. Its shape and size were still a mystery, but the few who saw it said it had hideous features.
I wasn’t able to get much information from the regular adventurers; the memories of the fight must’ve scarred them.
The boss was a Chimera, and the name already gave me an idea of the kind of creature that might be lurking in this area.
I kept walking till I reached the center of the group of slimes. They were hostile, and they shot me with bubbles that contained the same substance that they were made of.
The projectiles couldn’t bypass my flames, so I didn’t take any damage.
“[Kill them before they spread!]” I shouted. I made sure to set the radius of the blast to encompass most of the slimes in the area, except the ones that were under my control as they were far enough.
[Tar Sludge] (Uncommon) defeated x96! Host earned 7200600 EXP.
-Host levelled up x4!
-Host reached Level 57! 16 MAG, 16 END, and 48 free stat points acquired.
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There was no way for me to kill them while conserving their corpses, so my best option was to use my multi-target class skill.
I went back to the group of slimes that accompanied me and greeted the newcomers. I asked them the same thing as usual; to take me to the strongest foe that they’ve met.
They led the way and I followed until we arrived at a slightly different area. It still had the purple gases and the puddles containing the purple liquid, but the surroundings were much clearer.
The gas concentration was inferior to the one in the previous area, and I could see a large pond containing clear water. It seemed shallow from afar, but I found out that it was fairly deep when I got close enough.
Suddenly, a creature jumped out of the water and attacked me. Its speed surprised me, and it managed to hit my chest. The blunt force caused some damage, but it only took away twenty HP.
The creature caught fire due to the contact, and it started howling.
[Amphiwolf] (Uncommon)
Level: 52
It resembled a wolf but had a smooth skin similar to that of salamanders. I didn’t know about such a creature, so I bought a detailed description from the shop.
[Amphiwolf]
(Uncommon)
These creatures used to live on land, but the harsh competition pushed them back to the depths of water.
They’re able to thrive in all climates, and they can survive underwater or on land.
Their main weapon is their great speed and acceleration, no matter the environment. Still, their jaws can pack a bite!
They live in groups, and they’re highly protective of one another.
I didn’t wait for flames to kill the monster as I went closer and destroyed its skull with an axe kick. It couldn’t dodge the attack, as the flames depleted its mana and caused great pain.
[Amphiwolf] (Uncommon) (Level: 52) defeated! Host earned 725000 EXP.
Without notice, many monsters came out of the pond with great speed. They looked similar to the Amphiwolf that I killed, and they growled when they saw its corpse.
There weren’t many of them, but their speeds were high enough to blur their figures, and they started rushing at me.
I increased the temperature of my flames to eight hundred Kelvin, which increased each of my physical stats by one hundred and twenty points.
I made sure to keep the creatures at bay because escaping would be too hard if they surrounded me. I moved around the place with ease thanks to my [Light Steps] skill and attacked every Amphiwolf that got close enough.
Suddenly, all the creatures growled at once and I saw the pond’s surface vibrating.
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Shit, I am having a bad feeling about this.
My predictions came true as wolves kept going out of the pond endlessly. It was time for me to get serious, as I increased the temperature of the flames that burned my body even further.
I would’ve wanted to kill the creature with as little damage as possible, but I might be the one dying if I engaged them for too long. They had no sense of self-preservation and attacked without fearing my flames.
I stood unmoving for a couple of seconds, waiting for as many monsters to get near me as possible. Many of them bit different parts of my body despite the high temperature of the flames, and the pain was excruciating. Still, I endured it and used my skill as soon as all of them were close enough.
“[Kill them before they spread!]” I shouted as I used my multi-target skill. I used all of my mana on the attack; its temperature was around two thousand Kelvin and the blast was wide enough to encompass a small town.
[Amphiwolf] (Uncommon) defeated x35! Host earned 9325000 EXP.
-Host levelled up x5!
-Host reached Level 62! 20 MAG, 20 END, and 60 free stat points acquired.
[Flame-N-Go] levelled up x2! It reached level 19.
[It’s fine!] levelled up x2! It reached level 18.
[Kill them before they spread!] levelled up x2! It reached level 14.
I waited for a while, as I expected more wolves to emerge from the ponds. Nothing happened, and none of my enemies survived.
Well, that was easier than I thought.
I walked around the battlefield, using [Flame-N-Go] to extinguish the flames that burned the corpses of the Amphiwolves. I dismantled every corpse, but the drops weren’t as exquisite as the ones that I got from Trolls.
[Host gains [Amphiwolf’s gallbladder] x35!]
[Host gains [Amphiwolf’s spinal fluid] x35!]
[Host gains [Amphiwolf’s gray matter] x35!]
[Amphiwolf’s gallbladder]
(Uncommon)
Amphiwolves are powerful monsters that live in groups, but there aren’t as many creatures alive as before.
Thus, their body parts are sought after by people all over the world.
They remain one of the only species capable of living in harsh conditions, no matter the type of environment.
-This item can be used to make [Underwater Breath Potion].
[Amphiwolf’s spinal fluid]
(Uncommon)
Amphiwolves are powerful monsters that live in groups, but there aren’t as many creatures alive as before.
Thus, their body parts are sought after by people all over the world.
Their physiques allow them to reign as the rulers of their lands, and other predators are mere prey to them.
-This item can be used to make [Amphiwolf Shifting Potion].
[Amphiwolf’s gray matter]
(Uncommon)
Amphiwolves are powerful monsters that live in groups, but there aren’t as many creatures alive as before.
Thus, their body parts are sought after by people all over the world.
They had great senses that distinguished them as predators.
-This item can be used to make [Predator Sensory Potion].
Shifting potions allowed people to turn into different creatures for a small duration of time, and the [Predator Sensory Potion] must’ve been an item that sharpened the senses of the user.
Ratska should be able to make something useful using these items.
My guild would focus on crafting, alongside combat. These items suited my needs, and I was glad for getting them.
I put everything inside my bag of holding and dusted off my hands.
As soon as I started walking, I felt a heavy smack on my back, and the resulting pain was agonizing.
I turned around but found nothing. I examined my status screen and was surprised to see that my HP decreased by two hundred points.
A couple more hits and I would die for real.
I kept my vigilance and concentrated on my surroundings as hard as I could. [Flawed State of Being] went into overdrive as I scrutinized everything around me.
Suddenly, a weird phenomenon happened. The concentration of the purple gas greatly increased in a small place in front of me, and a creature emerged.
It was as small as a house cat, but it wasn’t nearly as cute.
One of its legs was green and it had claws as if it belonged to a reptile. Another was white, and it had a hoof at its end. The other was black, and it was webbed just like a frog’s leg. The last one was yellow and eerily similar to a human’s leg, but the foot was tiny; just like a child’s.
The limbs weren’t naturally connected to the torso, as it looked as if they were sewn using a thick black thread.
Its upper body was made of tens of parts that were attached to each other, and the result was grotesque. It had a large maw that extended all over its body, and it had three eyes that were placed in random places on its body. It didn’t have a head, a nose, a tail, or ears.
I had some suspicions about its identity, but I examined it to make sure.
[Chimera] (Uncommon)
Level: ???
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