Reavers and Marauders

*BANG* *STAB*

Ayaan kicked the second reaver back into the water, creating some distance between them while he stabbed the sword into the third one. Once again, the shell put up too much resistance. Only after two failed hits did he manage to land a critical blow.

When he was done with two more monsters, he realized something.

The crimson shell itself was way too tough and the only vulnerable places to stab or slash were the joint areas. And the sword is not exactly a good match-up against it.

He also checked the Black Iron Alloy Sword's details for a moment and came to a decision.

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 ITEM DETAILS 

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**Name:** Black Iron Alloy Sword 

**Grade:** Uncommon 

**Type:** Weapon (Sword) 

**Durability:** 190/240 

**Level Requirement:** 1

Description: A reinforced alloy sword created by merging the Standard Mutant soldier sword with a Black Iron sword.

==============================

He barely dealt with three level 3 monsters and the sword lost ten durability points. He decisively threw it back in the inventory.

*BAM* *CRACK*

He punched the incoming reaver.

His fist went through the shell on its head and crushed it.

[██████████░░░░░░░░░░░░] 50.0%

Just on hit and it lost fifty percent of its health and it wasn't even a full-powered hit.

*BAM*

Ayaan landed a second punch and finished it off.

He did feel the hard impact of the shell, but surprisingly, it didn't hurt him much. Just a small prick, as if he was hitting a sandbag.

He decided to proceed forward with hand-to-hand combat and started smashing the incoming monsters.

Soon, the ten monsters that came it are cleared. Ayaan looked around but found nothing in sight. He dove into the water and started swimming. He went past the coral reef from which the ten reavers came.

He stopped at it for a moment and observed it. Because of the darkness under this blood moon, he didn't notice it previously. Now, he did.

This reef is of a different color compared to the rest. It was very similar. The coral Ayaan previously stood on and most corals around him were regular coral red. However, this one that birthed those monsters, was a much darker shade.

Closer to the red of the blood. He then looked around and noticed that there were more reefs with similar shade and if he followed the trail, he would reach the one place that he had a hunch about. The large mass of coral that looked like an island from the surface.

He got the gist of the quest pattern and picked the next target. Another blood-colored reef. However, he didn't go for the one in the direction of the island, instead, he swam around a bit and found the coral that was in the same distance from the island as the first one.

Based on his assumption, these reefs are placed in circular patterns with the island as the center. And the first reef he encountered happened to be the outermost circle.

In this circle, Ayaan identified two more reefs.

Even if the average of ten, that would be twenty more monsters, which means twenty thousand more Exp.

There was no way in hell, he was going to leave it.

He went to the closest reef and when he was just a few meters away from it, the reavers emerged out of it. They swam towards him, swinging their barbed harpoon. Ayaan implemented a similar strategy, he lured them to the nearest solid surface he could find and brawled with them, collecting the drops.

He repeated the same with the third reef and moved to the second circle.

In the second circle, Ayaan observed that the crimson reefs were not as big as the first circle. They are much smaller, but there are four reavers in each reef. He brushed past the first one and led them to a normal coral nearby.

The four reavers attacked him from all four sides.

Ayaan punched the first one in the head and threw a spin kick at the second. The first only lost half of its health, while the second flew out like a broken kite and fell into the water. This gave him enough space to finish the first and target the third.

A knee kick to its chest, an elbow to its nape. He let it fall and threw a sidekick to the fourth one after dodging its harpoon.

As it fell to the side, he threw a knee to its head. The kick was strong enough to break it by its neck and send its head flying.

Ayaan stood there as he watched the second reaver swim back to the reef and tried to get on it. But all it got was a soccer kick to its chin. The kick sent the creature flying and it lost its health mid-air.

However, at that moment…

*SPLASH*

From below the reaver's original position, something came out, trying to stab Ayaan from below. He took a step back and got on guard. He recognized the object to be the trident.

And following that trident, a monster flew out of the water's surface. While mid-air, it aimed its trident to stab at Ayaan.

Level 4 Crimson Tide Marauder [██████████████████████] 100.0%

Ayaan took another step back and aimed his finger at.

'Water Bullet'

A 3 MP bullet shot out and hit the Marauder in the head.

[█████████████████████░]97.0%

But the impact was minimal. It only lost three percent. The Marauder just brushed off the attack and landed on the coral, facing Ayaan.

Ayaan got a good look at this new monster.

Larger and more muscular than the reavers, the marauder wore coral-encrusted plate armor that appeared fused to its body. Their pale blue skin is covered in scars, and its face is hidden behind spiked seashell helmet. It carried a jagged trident and bone-carved armor on its body.

Ayaan took a deep breath and lunged forward.

The trident came at him, aimed at his neck. Ayaan slipped to the side, letting the trident go past him. He held the staff of the trident under his arm and tried to twist it out of its hand.

The marauder tightened the grip around the trident and pulled it back along with Ayaan. It threw a punch aimed at his head. Ayaan blocked the punch with his left hand's forearm. The collapsible guard of the armor opened up, and created a small shield.

The armor blocked the attack, and Ayaan felt little effect from the impact of the punch. He deflected the monster's arm and punched it in the face.

*CRACK*

The seashell helmet, cracked, revealing its flesh. The Marauder still didn't make any sound. It faltered a bit and tried to wield its trident. But Ayaan didn't let go of it. The Marauder directly lifted him up along with the trident and slammed him on the ground.

Ayaan landed on the coral, without losing his balance.

*BAM* *CRACK*

The marauder tried to kick him. Ayaan raised his leg and blocked the kick. He pushed it back down and threw a sidekick to the inner thigh of the marauder.

*CRACK*

The armor cracked, revealing its thigh. The marauder lost the balance. Ayaan then kicked on the knee of the second leg, making it fall.

*BAM* *BAM* *BAM*

He punched on the shoulder joint of the marauder. He tried to take that trident away from it. But still, it didn't let go. The armor cracker, but its hold only got tighter. Ayaan suddenly got a thought. With a thought, the collapsable arm guard changed its shape.

A sharp dagger protruded out of it as he punched forward.

*STAB*

The dagger directly went into the shoulder flesh, into that small gap.

'Water Bullet'

Water conjured at the contact point in an instant and…*POOF*

The shoulder exploded from inside. The arm came off its shoulder. Ayaan gave a spinning back kick aimed at its neck.

*CRACK*

*SPLASH*

The creature fell back into the water. Its health dropped to 40%

[██████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░] 40%

Ayaan was surprised and delighted at the same time. He got to test two things. The first one is the piercing spike. The collapsible stabbing weapon is part of the forearm guard of the armor.

The second one is the water bullet usage. Ever since he got the water bullet skill, he always used the water bullet through his fingertips. He never thought to use it in other ways. This time, he figured he would try this.

At the tip of the knife, he willed to cover the water bullet. A 3 MP bullet at that and it worked wonders. The arm came off.

At the same time, he figured out something else. The efficient way to deal with these armored creatures. The joints are the weakest links. That is the most obvious target. But the sword is not as flexible in his hands.

It could be a lack of his own skill, but whatever the reason is, his movements are a bit too large with it and create way too many openings.

The dagger and blunt attacks are the most efficient.

Ayaan leaned forward as he looked at the Marauder with its one arm swimming towards him.

'Dodge'

His instincts screamed and he ducked. A trident whistled past his head.

*BAM* He used the forearm shield to block the incoming kick.

A marauder was standing behind him, with its trident. It didn't give him a chance to stand up and tried to stab with the trident. Ayaan slipped to the side as he rose up, coiling past the trident shaft like a snake.

*BAM*

He punched the marauder in the face, then heel-kicked it in the back of its knee.

As it bent forward, he caught hold of the small gap in its coral armor, exactly at the neck.

'Water Bullet'

The water conjured and maybe the marauder sensed its impending doom, it immediately stomped the trident into the ground to regain balance and twisted to the side.

Ayaan lost his grip, but … *POOF*

The water bullet brushed past on its neck and collarbone.

[██████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░] 40%

The health dropped by sixty percent. Just like the first marauder, which by the way, already came back up to the reef. Ayaan let it climb up and started his attack.

'Oblique kick to the knee- First Marauder'

'Let it fall, uppercut'

'Spinning back fist- Second Marauder'

'Hold the spin, back kick- First Marauder'

'Dodge the Trident. Catch a hold of it. Drag it to the side. Pull. Spike of the armor, stab in the neck. Use it as a meat shield'

His mind ran like a computer. It was almost like he was a different entity that was controlling his body like a machine. He held the second marauder as a shield by the time the one-armed marauder recovered. The spike is already in its neck.

'Water Bullet'

The already damaged neck exploded immediately.

[Exp+10000]

He kicked through the scattering particles and broke the remaining marauder's knee. As if fell, he caught its neck and used the water bullet again.

[Exp+10000]

Ayaan collected the loot.

Jagged Trident*2

Crimson Reef Shell Fragment*2

Bone carved armor*2

After checking the surroundings and ensuring that there were no hidden monsters, he moved to the next crimson coral in the circle.

He went past it, and as soon as it got triggered he swam toward a building that still had its roof intact. It wasn't completely submerged, which would be a perfect battlefield for him

However, as he swam towards it, all of a sudden something swam from underneath him.

A trident shot up, almost hitting him in the chin. Ayaan dodged the trident and swam back, only for the reavers to catch up. He changed his direction and hurriedly swam to the side.

Then he finally noticed it. The sudden attacks of the Marauders and how it was possible. As he went past what looked like a neutral coral, a part of it which appeared like it was covered in blue algae, suddenly moved.

A part of the coral turned into a trident as it shot toward Ayaan.