...
As Shin continued, he finally encountered the first Earth Elemental Monster on this map.
It was a huge lizard with scales as solid as rock. There were also some clusters of rocks on the different parts of its body in different sizes. Those rock clusters looked like makeshift armor that it made over its scale.
The rock clusters on its back had the largest number. The larger rock was also there, making the lizard look like it was carrying a huge boulder on its back. On its legs, the rock clusters seemed to be sharp armbands in different shapes and sizes.
Shin observed the monster for a moment before activating his 'True Sight' Ocular Skill on it to see its basic information.
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[Monster Name]: Comodo Earth Lizard
[Monster Type]: Beast Monster, Reptilian
[Monster Index]: Earth Element Mutation
[Monster Rank]: Lord
Level: 170
Health Points: 10,000,000,000/ 10,000,000,000
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Shin slightly knitted his brows as he felt that something was wrong. "From what I have heard, monsters in this place are supposed to have low HP Bars but high defense."
Then the corner of his mouth suddenly twitched as he continued. "If this is what they considered low, then this hunt is really going to take some time."
It might be crazy, but in a sense, Shin found it reasonable. After all, monsters that surpassed the level 150 mark were those with not only powerful bodies but also possessed strong natural defenses. And after comparing this monster to the ones that they had encountered in the Frozen Kingdom, then he had to admit that the HP Bar of this one was around an acceptable level.
At the same time, he also remembered one of the new updates. The one that discussed the 'execution' methods in battle. As long as someone fulfilled certain requirements such as severing a head, bursting one's heart, and others, they could kill a monster in one hit, particularly those with a humanoid form.
He nodded his head before turning to Astaroth. "Do you want to try fighting this one? It has been a long time since you fight on your own."
"If I may, my lord," replied Astaroth with full respect, placing one of his palms on his right chest while bowing.
Shin sighed before tilting his head toward the monster. "Go. Try and see how strong you have become."
"This servant heeds your words, my lord," said Astaroth before suddenly disappearing.
Swoosh!
It only took an instant for him to appear in front of the huge lizard before thrusting his fist in the air.
Boom!
A huge explosion occurred as the air explode in front of his fist. It then produced a strong air current that pushed a huge lizard despite its enormous size.
Roar!
The Comodo Earth Lizard seemed to have gotten enraged due to the sudden attack. It did not suffer any damage, but it felt humiliated for being provoked by a punny ant.
It then charged forward with full aggressiveness, carrying an unstoppable momentum that could not be ignored. The ground beneath its feet sank as it left a trail of deep marks in its wake. Each step that it took resulted in a booming sound that shook the area as the wind seemed to have been split open during its charge.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The huge lizard moved agilely despite its enormous size and heavy weight. It took it a short time to traverse the distance between it and Astaroth.
It then opened its mouth wide as it approached its target. The lower part of its jaws was even sweeping the ground, eating the hardened soil and rock fragments during the process.
From the looked of it, it was planning to devour Astaroth alongside those.
Despite the momentum that the Comodo Earth Lizard and the heavy pressure that it was emitting, Astaroth stared at it with a calm yet fiery gaze.
He clapped his hands to produce a loud booming sound before spreading his arms wide. He also spread his legs outward while planning his feet on the ground firmly.
He then glared at the incoming lizard, waiting for it to arrive with full patience.
Boom!
Not long after, the two finally met, which resulted in another explosion. It was as if they were like a mountain wall and a huge truck that crushed against it after running at full speed.
But neither of them moved despite how strong the collision was.
Bang!
The ground beneath Astaroth's feet sank as his hands held on the upper and lower jaws of the huge lizard, preventing them from closing.
There was a brief pause between the two before the muscles of Astaroth suddenly tightened. His body then exploded in strength as he picked up the huge lizard, launching it in the air through the two jaws that he was holding.
"Haaa!"
He then followed the momentum of his action and slammed the huge lizard on the ground behind him, flipping it upside down.
Bang!
Dirt and rock fragments flew in the air as the lizard slammed into the ground. The cluster of rocks on its back was even shattered from the impact, especially when the weight of its enormous body was added to it.
The Comodo Earth Lizard seemed to have cried in pain after it was thrown on the ground like a body bag.
Huge numbers in red color also appeared above it, which signified the damage that it had taken.
But Astaroth was not done yet.
He stepped on one of the jaws of the lizard while holding the other over his head. Then he extends his hand behind him as he gathered the surrounding mana on top of his palms.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The surrounding air was pulled in alongside the mana in it. They swirled above the palm of the elemental spirit, forming a spinning orb made of earth elements. It glowed with a mixture of gold and yellow color alongside a black hue swimming on its surface.
And when the accumulation of power reached its peak, Astaroth swung his hand forward and sent a glowing orb at the mouth of the huge lizard. It flew straight in and arrived at the stomach of the latter within an instant.
Swoosh!
And before the Comodo Earth Lizard could even do anything, a subtle but powerful explosion erupted inside its stomach.
Boom!
It messed up its innards, making the huge lizard cry in pain for another time. And as if it was not the end, there was a series of rumbling sounds inside the body of the lizard before a bunch of earth spikes sprouted out of its body, piercing the hardened body of the lizard with their pointed end, and cutting huge wounds with sharp edges.
The Comodo Earth Lizard wiggled crazily due to pain. It struggled to move while roaring repeatedly due to the huge damage that it had suffered.
Almost half of its Heath Bar was chunked out just by that attack.
Its mount breathed out a huge amount of hot mud, dirt, and rock fragments that forced Astaroth to retreat.
Ta-ta!
When the elemental spirit landed in the distance, he wanted to quickly charge back and finish off the lizard as soon as possible.
But before he could even move, he felt an intense vibration on the ground, which forced him to retreat once again.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
And not long after, earth spikes appeared on the previous location that he was standing on, covering a large area.
In the distance, the Comodo Earth Lizard had already flipped its body over and went back on its feet. It was breathing haggardly due to the numerous wounds that it had both internally and externally.
But not long after, the lizard absorbed a huge amount of earth elements from the ground. In the next instant, the wounds that it had slowly closed by the formation of rock clusters, totally sealing them.
Even though it did not heal those wounds and its Health Bar remained in the same state, the lizard was no longer suffering from the continuous bleeding.
Boom!
Then its body emitted a visible flow of earth elemental mana as its eyes turned bloodshot while glaring at Astaroth.
It was clearly in its enraged state, boosting all of its stats and power.
Bang! Bang!
The two did not wait that long as they quickly charge at each other once again before clashing multiple times. They were also showcasing their control over earth elements as they exchanged quite a number of spells during the process.
Their battle might be explosive and devastating, but the one with a clear advantage was definitely Astaroth as he did not suffer any injuries during the exchanges.
It was only a matter of time before the Comodo Earth Lizard would fall and get defeated.
…
In the distance, Shin watched the battle without any intention of joining. He remained standing on his spot and observed the two while gathering the information that he would likely need in the near future.
"So, these beast monsters are still following the normal logic. They would suffer double the damage after being hit by a powerful attack from the inside."
This was one of the most important pieces of information that he could get since this would give him an idea of how to defeat most of the monsters in the area.
Aside from learning the attack patterns and the rest of the skills that the Comodo Earth Lizard had, this piece of information was the most valuable that he had gotten.
At the same time, this battle also had given him the idea of how strong Astaroth was. He also learned the fighting style of the latter, which was completely different from the rest of his Elemental Spirit Companions.
And what really baffled him was the fact that this particular Reaper's Retainer was a mixture of earth mage and warrior.
That was just too overpowered!
Moreover, Astaroth also had not used his main weapon yet, so his real strength was yet to be revealed. He was also mainly using his earth element, so his other elemental power, the metal element, was still hidden.
There was also his Elemental Transformation, the Earth Warden.
It was clear that this Elemental Spirit was not in the slightest bit weaker when compared to the rest of his Elemental Spirit Companions. And that was not his peak yet since he was supposedly in the middle of an evolution.
Shin felt completely satisfied and nodded his head. "This is way better than I expected!"
...
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