Before sunset, Jake found other destroyed villages along the way. Things looked like they had seen the same type of attack as the first. Although he was expecting to find the liches before sunset, instead of that, Jake found some monsters… finally.
Furious Armadillo
Lv 80
Earth
Health: 750/750 (1.3)
Mana: 130 /130 (1.3)
Stamina: 650/650 (1.3)
Strength: 432
Dexterity: 125
Speed: 275
Intelligence: 80
Endurance: 400
Control: 139
Mentality: 280
Luck: 250
Recovery: 780
Willpower: 270
Coins: 00
Status: 00
Jake wasn't expecting to find Armadillos in that world, even more so considering that they were walking and running around while assuming that form that made them look like wheels. After approaching a little, Jake confirmed that they had some spikes on their backs, so a direct hit wouldn't cause just blunt damage.
"Their numbers aren't low, but… I suppose the liches clear the dungeon nearby now and then," Jake thought.
Since that was the case, Jake was confident that he would find one of them eventually as long as he found the dungeon. The only problem was the fact that he couldn't see any mountain in the distance. That complicated things… The dungeon probably was an underground one and could be hidden in a hill or even groves… Regardless, Jake will have to follow the traces left by the armadillos.
As soon as he approached them, the monsters noticed Jake's presence. They turned into their round form and began to roll toward him. In just a few moments, they began to roll at one hundred miles per hour, and they were smart enough to attack Jake from three directions. He used Mana Blades to see how much damage he could cause, but that barely made them slow down… Their carapace sure was sturdy.
When they got close enough, Jake used Dash to move to the side, and when he had a clear vision of the sides of one of them, he charged toward the creature and used Sonic Thrust. He didn't feel much Resistance, and because the creature was rolling, the wound caused by his sword increased in size instantly.
You received 30 coins.
As expected, since only their fronts and backs were covered by that study carapace, their sides, while they ran, were their weak spot. Jake had an easy time jumping to the side and then using that same strategy to defeat them.
You received 30 coins.
You received 30 coins.
Jake approached the dead bodies and checked the monsters' carapace, they were as sturdy as iron, but they weren't that malleable. Since Jake didn't have many skills when it came to forging, he couldn't use those. It was a real pity…
"The marks of their movements are coming from the south…" Jake thought after he found some vestiges around.
Without wasting time, Jake headed in that direction, and he found a few more groups of those armadillos. They always appeared in groups of three, though. That was a bit weird given his experience with other monsters. Still, it made sense, considering that he was approaching their base.
"Ah… I have to hide those bodies," Jake thought.
It wouldn't be weird if that world had other camps aside from the liches base, but just to be safe, it would be better if Jake didn't leave traces of his fights behind. He could hunt inside the dungeon since he would lure the liches to check things there, but anything else, and he might find himself in deep waters.
In the end, Jake hid the bodies behind some trees and oversized plants. They were quite heavy, so that had been a troublesome task…
When the sun was beginning to ser, Jake finally found the entrance of the dungeon, in the middle of a large grove and pretty well hidden due to the vegetation. There were no signs of the armadillos around because they walked normally when leaving the dungeon. However, when Jake entered the place, they didn't mind making noise and charging at him while rolling.
Without many options, Jake used Bash and Shield Smash to stop the beast before he used his sword to attack the sides of the monster. Naturally, that made a lot of noise since both of them were hard as metal. Jake managed to defeat the beast as fast as he could, but he will have to come up with a more silent way of doing that.
In the end, Jake had an idea pretty soon. He just waited between fights while charging his arm strength with Concentrated Strike. While that strategy would only work on a dumb monster that only has a single way of attacking, like the armadillos, Jake couldn't Express in words the joy that he felt when he split one armadillo in two by using that skill… The sword strike had been so clean and powerful, that even the carapace had been cut without making any noise. The only problem was the fact that Jake suffered some damage by keeping that skill active for so long, and the sword also was losing some durability.
"I suppose it can't be helped…" Jake thought.
After doing some tests, Jake confirmed that charging the attack for ten seconds was the minimum amount of time required for him to kill the armadillos with Concentrated Strike. He managed to decrease the amount of damage his weapon and him were getting, and he could recover his health between battles, so it was fine.
"I guess I will need to keep improving my endurance and strength to help with this," Jake thought.
The shield wasn't necessary when fighting like that, so Jake decided to master the wand while he was fighting like that. It was a bit annoying to hold such different weapons at the same time, but it couldn't be helped. Fortunately, Jake mastered it in no time.
"I suppose I should use this chance to buy some cheap items and master their effects as well," Jake thought after he found a pile of armadillo bodies in front of him when night came. "I probably can improve my magic defenses with those support spells, but I should get some points naturally as well."
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