21-Facing the Boss Head-On!
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"This is an 18-level elite monster? It's so big and still lighter than my blade—what a piece of trash!"
**[Boom!]**
Su Mo flung the wild boar aside with one hand as he spoke.
**[Slash!]**
While the boar's body was still midair, Su Mo kicked off the ground and darted forward, overtaking it in an instant.
With a swing of his Horse-Slaying Blade, the massive beast was cleaved in two.
"No wonder it's a level 20 Hell difficulty instance. You guys still only give one free attribute point, but the experience is decent."
Past level 5, the experience needed kept climbing.
Otherwise, soloing 5-Kilometers Slope wouldn't have only bumped Su Mo from level 5 to 6.
Before entering, he'd hesitated briefly—Normal or Hell difficulty?
But after a split-second thought, he picked Hell.
Forget a level 20 Hell instance—even a level 50 one wouldn't faze him.
With Absolute Defense, clearing it was just a matter of time.
Why not Normal? Sure, its mobs dropped free attribute points too, but higher difficulty meant more experience and better rewards.
Even if the gear wasn't usable, it'd fetch a high price on the market.
So, spending extra time on Hell mode was the obvious choice.
Failure wasn't an option for him anyway.
What he really wanted was a skill he could use—or, failing that, a mount. Though not a boar—he couldn't stomach riding one into battle.
Three free attribute points rolled in, and the thrill of the haul put a grin on Su Mo's face.
Solo grinding in instances was definitely his thing!
He strolled deeper into the forest, taking in the scenery like a tourist.
In the quiet woods, Su Mo moved alone, as relaxed as if he were genuinely here for a hike.
If he stashed that blood-stained blade, it'd look even more convincing.
**[Slash!]**
Another swing, another giant boar head flying. Only after Su Mo walked off did its hulking body slump to the ground with a **[thud]**.
Level 17 and 18 elites were nothing to him, even at just level 7.
Behind him trailed a pile of boar corpses.
Su Mo shook his head, a bit let down. "Too bad the mobs here are sparse—not nearly as fun as mowing down hordes at 5-Kilometers Slope."
**[Slash!]**
Another boar fell to his blade.
"Not just few—they're weak too. Kinda boring."
If boars could talk, they'd be cursing him out.
*Check your stats, man! With that strength, even a golden-tier would puke blood from one punch!*
*Look at your blade—I'm 5 meters tall, 20 meters long, a freaking titan, and I'm still lighter than that thing!*
*You call us weak? Only you could say that!*
*Send a level 20 normal profession awakener here—one of us would beat the crap out of them!*
Pressing deeper, Su Mo hit the forest's heart after felling his 70th boar.
He shook his head at the measly 70+ free attribute points.
"An instance that only gives 70 points? If your boss doesn't drop something good, I'd rather farm the Goblin run again."
As he grumbled, the entire Boar Forest quaked. A hundred-meter ridge split open, cracks spiderwebbing outward.
Molten fire erupted, igniting the lush forest in an instant.
From the ruptured ridge emerged a colossal beast—20 meters tall, over 100 meters long—its millstone-sized eyes glaring at Su Mo.
Before he could take it all in, a stat panel floated up.
[Golden Boss]
[Name: Furious Tusk Duke]
[Level: Lv 20]
[Skills: Devastating Charge, Iron Wall Roar, Natural Healing, Earth-Shaking Stomp]
[HP: 130,000]
[Strength: 980]
[Defense: 1,200]
[Spirit: 200]
[Speed: 600]
"Holy crap!"
Even Su Mo lost his cool for a moment.
"What the hell—130,000 HP, 1,200 defense, and a healing skill?!
Even if I dump all my points into strength, I'd hit 700 tops!
A golden boss being huge is one thing, but do you have to be this tanky?!
You're almost as tough as me!"
Of the three instances he'd run, this was the only one to make him swear out loud.
He wasn't worried about winning—it was just a question of how long it'd take.
But this thing's HP and defense? He'd be at it forever—absolutely ridiculous!
"Fine, I'll grind you down today! If you don't drop something good, I'll hit this place daily! Damn it!
System—allocate points!"
He practically snarled that last bit through gritted teeth.
[Name: Su Mo]
[Level: 7]
[Awakened Abilities: Absolute Defense, Heart of Slaughter]
[Strength: 721] (Base 594 + Level-Up 6 + Free Points 121)
[Defense: Max]
[Speed: 63 (57 + 6)]
[Constitution: 80 (74 + 6)]
[Critical Chance: 12% (11% + 1%)]
[Spirit: 11 (5 + 6)]
[Skills: None]
[Free Attribute Points: 0]
He glanced at his updated stats—721 strength against 1,200 defense.
Breaking through would be a chore!
**[Roar!]**
A bellow shook the heavens, snuffing out the forest fire sparked by the molten eruption in an instant.
Su Mo gripped his blade tighter. Normally, he didn't bat an eye at stuff that looked destructive but couldn't touch him.
But then his eyes nearly popped out.
That roar boosted the boss's already insane defense by another 30%, rocketing it to 1,560.
That was over double his strength!
High defense, thick HP, a healing skill, and a temporary defense buff?!
As for its attacks? Sorry, Su Mo never cared how strong your hits were—nothing could pierce his defense!
With that, he clutched his Horse-Slaying Blade, leapt high, and roared, "Die for me!"
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