Chapter 15: Robbing Wild Monsters
A field of wolf corpses turned to ash and scattered in the wind.
Looking around to see if there was any glimmering light.
The cracked dirt road remained unchanged.
No loot dropped? Not even a single material? Just a little something.
This dungeon, it's a bit stingy.
With the Shielding the Sky long spear strapped to his back, he adjusted his clothes and continued along the path.
Just like that, walking quietly under the moonlight, a wooden sign resembling a placard suddenly appeared at the corner ahead.
Kane reached the plaque at present.
The text was completely incomprehensible, but the presence of the sign indicated that this was originally part of a civilized society.
Only, after the world shattered, it was targeted by the mist.
Turning the corner, not far ahead was a soldier outpost.
Exploring the dungeon means inevitably becoming enemies with all its creatures.
Activating Eagle Eye towards the outpost, Kane carefully examined it.
Logically, the soldiers there should have noticed Kane, but they hadn't.
On both sides of the entrance were two soldiers, each holding a shield in one hand and a spear in the other.
Above the outpost stood an archer, and inside was a character similar to a squad leader.
Confirming no other enemies were around, Kane decided to stand here and take down the archer first.
A lancer being proficient in archery isn't much of an issue either.
Magic Power overflowed.
Transparent Play-Doh appeared out of thin air, shaped into bow limbs, and white Spider Silk wrapped around to become the bowstring.
A transparent arrow also appeared on the bow limb, hardened magic power clinging to it.
Once the arrow left the bow two meters away, the Play-Doh would dissipate completely in a minute, but Kane just needed it to last a few seconds.
The transparent arrow hid a deadly intention.
Kane bent the bow and aimed; if an outsider were present, they would see him gripping air with one hand while the bowstring floated in his other hand's pull, curving in an eerie sight.
"Whoosh"
The sound of an arrow piercing the air echoed.
Only the sound was heard, but nothing was seen.
The archer atop the outpost fell in response, then turned to ash.
The soldiers below were startled by their companion's collapse, becoming alert and scanning around.
The squad leader inside the outpost also came out in response, identical in outfit to the soldiers, the only difference being the long spear was replaced by a One-Handed Sword.
Before they could spot Kane, Kane presented himself and approached the soldiers.
Upon seeing the enemy, the soldiers immediately formed a simple inverse triangle formation. Two soldiers held their spears as they slowly advanced towards Kane, while the sword-wielding captain lagged behind, poised to strike.
Kane ignored their formation and suddenly accelerated, charging directly at the soldiers.
The soldiers paused on the spot, pressing the rear end of their spears into the ground, ready for battle.
"Bang"
The collision broke the tips of the two spears, leaving the soldiers unsteady from the impact.
Kane hadn't touched the soldiers; at the start of the charge, he had molded a hardened great shield from the transparent Play-Doh in front.
Seeing the soldiers unsteady, Kane threw the shield, pinning them down.
Then he quickly molded a giant two-handed hammer and swung it towards the shield with all his might.
The soldiers were baffled as Kane swung his arms towards them through the air.
Even these soulless soldiers didn't understand Kane's actions.
But soon, they felt the significance of Kane's moves.
"Weapon crafted, heavy hammer strike!"
With a loud shout, the three soldiers ahead were flung away.
The soldiers lay like discarded rag dolls on the road.
They then scattered into ash in the wind.
Kane dismissed the Play-Doh constructs and approached the spot where the squad leader scattered.
This time, the ground was lush with greenery.
Amidst the vibrant land was a flickering light.
Though he hadn't felt any difference between this captain and the others, so far he was the only one dropping an item in the dungeon.
Thus Kane acknowledged him as a formidable opponent.
[Legion Soldier Captain's Sword]
[One-Handed Sword]
[Color: Copper]
[Attributes: Minor magic enchantment - Sharp]
[Explanation: Sword of the soldier captain from the Lelonsad Corps]
Normal copper equipment, but being a weapon, it was worth around 350 gold.
Better than nothing.
Still, this dungeon was quite straightforward, with the wolves and soldiers both essentially being ordinary beings, only differing in strength.
The monsters were relatively weak, and the loot rate was extremely low.
Kane felt this dungeon didn't warrant much further presence.
No need to waste time.
Now, quickly head towards the Dungeon Leader's location and get through it.
Rushing forward, the path began to narrow, overgrown with dense grass.
Dozens of carts appeared ahead, most of them damaged, leaving goods scattered all over.
A group of thieves patrolled around the scattered wagons, including roles akin to soldiers and merchants in the patrol team.
To combat the evil Explorers, all dungeon life should unite.
If they could still think, perhaps they would entertain this idea.
But they were merely dungeon replicas of the last life forms.
These dungeon creatures were remnants from when the world shattered and were copied after being swallowed by mist, chosen for their strength to resist Explorers.
This was just the dungeon's instinctive response.
Being replicas, they lacked souls and turned to ash upon death, unable to recharge Magic Stones.
According to the route description, after encountering the convoy remnants, the thieves' camp, and the Boss aren't 20 minutes away.
So are these the last band of blockers?
This time, there sure are a lot of enemies, with 15 patrollers and 3 archers and 5 thieves hidden in the nearby woods.
Time to plan instead of rushing blindly.
Use the bow and arrow to whittle down troublesome foes, transparent bow and arrows appeared immediately.
Crafted 3 arrows, targeting the 3 archers one by one.
The hidden archers in the forest inexplicably collapsed, each bearing a mysterious fatal wound.
The ordinary thieves hidden nearby instantly became alert but didn't hide right away, instead starting to search everywhere.
The patrolling thieves and soldiers around the wreckage continued their rounds, seemingly out of sync with the ambushing thieves in the woods.
Their actions were very mechanical, explaining why this dungeon was marked "green."
If it were a team of beginners, they could eliminate all the monsters without scratches by following a strategy guide.
Given this mechanical nature, Kane wouldn't hold back, targeting the thieves in the woods searching for enemies, calling them out one by one.
Their companions dropped one by one, yet the remaining thieves still refused to hide, continuing their ways unchanged.
With the ambushers eliminated, only the patrollers remained.
Kane didn't even bother to take down his long spear, marching to where the patrol squad could see him, shouting,
"Hey! Handsome, look over here."
The patrol squad turned to his voice, spotting him they split into two factions and charged.
One side, full of thieves, charged chaotically.
While the soldiers and merchants deliberately lagged behind as they slowly advanced.
Looking at the roles each side played, it made perfect sense.
Kane stretched out both hands, casting webs at each side.
The enemies were cocooned by Spider Silk, 15 forming two clusters, struggling on the ground.
They were all strong ordinary people, breaking free from the Spider Silk was naive, and Kane hadn't even deployed Hardened Spider Silk.
Shooting half-meter Spider Silk from his hands at the grounded enemies, the silk instantly hardened upon release.
Forming Short Spears aimed at the creatures, as sharp sounds of penetration and flesh erupted, blood splattered, and the clusters gradually ceased their struggle.
With a snap of his fingers, the corpses dispersed with the Spider Silk.
Murmuring at the place where the creatures disappeared, "Blessings of the mist, drop something."