23-Looting, Disappointing Start, Explosive Finish!
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After waiting a moment and confirming no more system prompts were coming, Su Mo felt a twinge of disappointment.
When he'd taken down the Fear Scarecrow, the system had bombarded him with notifications.
And this time? Just this measly bit?
Sure, the attribute points were decent, but 5-Kilometers Slope had tossed in two achievements on top of that.
Shaking his head, he opened his system panel.
[Name: Su Mo]
[Level: 8]
[Awakened Abilities: Absolute Defense, Heart of Slaughter]
[Strength: 728] (Base 721 + Level-Up 7)
[Defense: Max]
[Speed: 70 (63 + 7)]
[Constitution: 87 (80 + 7)]
[Critical Chance: 13% (12% + 1%)]
[Spirit: 18 (11 + 7)]
[Skills: None]
[Free Attribute Points: 280]
The instance rewarded 160 free points, and Heart of Slaughter chipped in 120 more.
Not as much as 5-Kilometers Slope, but leagues better than the Goblin run.
Without a second thought, he dumped all 280 points into strength.
After facing that 1,000+ defense boss, Su Mo had developed a severe case of "output deficiency phobia."
From 728, his strength shot up to a terrifying 1,008.
Breaking 1,000 strength within level 10!
He didn't know if anyone would top that later, but no one had done it before him—that was for sure.
Even so, hitting the 1,000 mark didn't fully satisfy him.
The Furious Tusk Duke's peak defense had soared past 1,500.
Next time he farmed this instance, it'd still be a slog.
He'd fleetingly considered stacking critical chance for crits, but dismissed it after a moment.
Crits were a gamble—nothing beat the reliable, meaty thwack of his raw damage.
The Furious Tusk Duke's mountain-like corpse faded fast, revealing a gleaming golden chest.
Su Mo rubbed his hands, blew on them for luck, and popped it open.
Five items burst out, wrapped in cheap, rainbow effects—two scrolls, a leather armor piece, a tusk, and a massive axe.
He itched to check the skill scrolls—hoping for something usable—but decided to save them for last. Good stuff always came at the end, right?
First, he tapped the leather armor he'd never use.
[Furious Tusk Duke's Leather Armor: Defense +68, Activates Berserk Attribute, Berserk +4%, Equip Level 20]
Level 20 golden gear with a solid 68 defense boost—pretty nice, but useless to him.
Should fetch a good price, though.
Next, his eyes slid to the second item.
[Furious Tusk Duke's Tusk: Indestructible, Unbreakable, Top-Tier Weapon Crafting Material, Can Forge Elite Golden Weapons]
[Description: The hardest, sharpest part of the Furious Tusk Duke. Perfect for crafting weapons or shields—if you can lift it.]
Su Mo eyed the two-meter-wide, eight-meter-long tusk and gave it a test lift.
With over 1,000 strength—12,000 kilograms of raw power—he could toss a blue whale like a toy back on Earth.
Yet even he strained to heft this thing.
His strength still wasn't enough!
Might come in handy later, though—he'd take it back.
After those two, he turned to the giant axe.
A double-bladed beast, its combined width rivaled a door panel.
The handle was just over a meter, paired with those door-sized blades—Su Mo figured it could double as a shield if stood upright.
[Furious Tusk Duke's War Axe: Strength +120, Activates Berserk Attribute, Berserk +5%, Equip Level 20]
[Description: Crafted from a shed tusk of the Furious Tusk Duke. Its massive strength boost drives berserkers wild. Only flaw? It's heavy.]
Reading that, Su Mo's heart stirred.
Heavy as a flaw? That's a perk, not a downside!
He hefted it—over 6,000 kilograms, perfectly weighted for him. Too bulky, though.
Swinging this outside would scream "brute."
The 120 strength boost? He couldn't tap it—not at the equip level yet. He was just wielding it raw.
After a couple test swings, he tossed it aside.
Strength's a meta issue—coolness is forever.
Did he need that 120 strength?
Who were they underestimating?!
Finally, he locked onto the two skill scrolls, rubbing his hands again, a mix of nerves and excitement bubbling up.
The Fear Scarecrow, a spirit-type boss, dropped skills he couldn't use—fair enough.
But you, Duke—you're different. Give me something good!
[Skill Scroll: Mountain Collapse: Learn the skill Mountain Collapse upon use (Requires 800 Strength)]
[Description: Swing your weapon with force, dealing massive damage to enemies in a cone ahead, triggering an earthquake effect that knocks foes off balance.]
The moment he saw it, Su Mo lit up.
An AoE skill, meeting his strength requirement, and no level lock?!
This was tailor-made for him! Once he learned it, he'd mow down mobs like wheat!
Perfect for a beast like him—and the name rocked too.
Duke, you didn't let me down!
Grinning, he grabbed the scroll, then eyed the last one.
[Skill Scroll: Devastating Strike: Learn the skill Devastating Strike upon use]
[Description: Triple your strength instantly for a single, ultimate blow. 30-minute cooldown.]
Su Mo almost wanted to dig up the Furious Tusk Duke's corpse and kiss it.
This boss was too good to him—even in death, dropping gear, skills, and materials—everything he'd wanted!
With a scroll in each hand, he chose to learn them both.
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