Chapter 31 Shield of Sturdy Stone!

After seeing these two digging hints, a smile flashed in the depths of Nick's eyes, but he hid his delight well.

After all, Sally was still here. Although they were currently in a team, the digging hints were his biggest secret and couldn't be revealed under any circumstances.

He didn't even want her to notice the slightest clue.

His expression quickly returned to normal, and he said, "Let's dig upwards first... I found a lot of good stuff in the dungeons near the palace back then."

"Okay, Captain."

Sally nodded, without a hint of worry in her eyes. Even if they encountered dangerous and difficult-to-deal-with creatures during the excavation and exploration process, with Nick and her cooperating, she was confident they could dig an escape route.

After Nick decided on the digging direction, Sally began to dig upwards. It was 11 meters away from the previous dungeon. Even with the shovel's ability enhancement, this distance still took nearly half an hour to dig.

While Sally was digging, Nick didn't stay idle. He focused his attention on the regional channel of the [Chat] function, hoping to get useful information from the numerous chat logs.

"..."

When the digging was nearing its end, Sally didn't arbitrarily break through the wall and enter the dungeon above. If they encountered ambushing dungeon creatures without being prepared, the outcome would definitely not be good.

She cocked the Ancient Crossbow that Nick had given her earlier, loaded it with bolts, and finally looked at Nick, who was fully focused.

"Captain, we're about to break through to the dungeon above..."

"Alright."

Nick responded softly and took the Rune Bow from his body.

He naturally knew what they would face next. It wasn't an ordinary dungeon creature, but a monster of the same type as the Stone Gargoyle and the ghoul. It would definitely not be easy to deal with.

Nick had to be on high alert at all times.

"Let's go!"

He took a final deep breath and said slowly.

When Sally knocked open the last thin layer of the earthen wall, the first thing that greeted their eyes was a slightly eerie red light.

When Nick clearly saw the figure of the monster - Scarecrow, his pupils contracted slightly and unconsciously.

Apart from observing the ghoul through the crack in the wall last time, this was his first close contact with a monster. The Scarecrow in front of him was based on a cross, inserted into the ground.

The Scarecrow's arms, head, and body were filled with straw. If it were in any other place, Nick wouldn't even bother to look at it.

However, in the dungeon world, he had to take it seriously no matter what.

The Scarecrow in the center of the cave, upon sensing the arrival of Nick and Sally, had its two dull eyeballs glow with a green light, and the corners of its cracked mouth curved upwards to a strange degree.

It gently waved its arms, and the straw scraps that fell to the ground instantly turned into many small Scarecrows, rushing towards Nick.

It gave Nick an eerie feeling at all times.

"What the hell is this..."

Nick frowned slightly. Without any hesitation, he decisively drew the Rune Bow. An air vortex instantly enveloped him, blowing away the small Scarecrows that were rushing towards him, and then he directly released the bowstring.

"Whoosh!"

With a whooshing sound, the wind arrow accurately hit the Scarecrow's arm.

The scene Nick expected, where the Scarecrow was completely shattered, did not appear. However, this monster's situation was not good, and there were irreparable marks on its body.

The small Scarecrows that were blown away moved towards the monster Scarecrow in unison, merging into it. The damaged parts of the Scarecrow were repaired at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"It can even do this?!"

Nick looked at this scene, the shock in his eyes was impossible to hide. However, he didn't lose his composure or have the idea of giving up resistance.

He drew the bowstring again. He didn't believe that the monster's self-repairing ability could keep up with his speed of destruction!

However, at this moment, Sally, who had been watching from the sidelines, suddenly took out a glass bottle from the miniature altar. It contained a transparent liquid.

"..."

Sally threw the glass bottle forcefully, accurately hitting the huge monster Scarecrow. Her next move was even more unexpected to Nick.

She opened the temporary camp, used the severely worn short sword to pick up a piece of red-hot charcoal, and threw it directly at the Scarecrow.

Instantly.

The monster Scarecrow's body burst into flames. Countless tiny, jumping black hairs emerged from the Scarecrow's body, but they were completely evaporated the moment they encountered the fire.

The Scarecrow let out hoarse, mournful howls.

"Is that alcohol?"

Nick's face showed some surprise. The strong smell of alcohol in the air, if he couldn't recognize it, there would be something wrong with him.

He didn't expect that when encountering this kind of monster... using the simple and unadorned method of burning it with fire could actually have such an unexpected effect.

After all, Nick's most powerful attack method, the [Rune Bow], couldn't even threaten the Scarecrow. It would definitely be very tricky to deal with.

But such a difficult problem was cleverly solved by Sally.

"It should be beyond saving now..."

Nick looked at the 'wooden man' that was burned to nothing but a frame and slowly collapsed. He glanced at Sally, with a bit of approval in his eyes.

"Mm..."

Sally nodded gently, a flicker of reluctance flashing in her eyes.

Although it quickly dissipated, it was still captured by Nick. He didn't say anything, but walked to the yellowish-brown box next to the 'wooden man' and opened it.

What entered Nick's vision was a round shield with runes carved on it.

The shield was about 50cm in diameter. A closer look revealed symmetrical patterns and formations, and a blue crystal the size of a cat's eye was inlaid in the center.

"A shield-type rune equipment..."

The moment Nick picked it up, he used [Identify] on the shield. Detailed information about the shield appeared on the black panel.

[Shield of Sturdy Stone (Earth Attribute)]: Made of various precious materials, the surface of the shield is carved with earth runes, which can provide a certain degree of protection.

"A certain degree of protection?"

Nick chuckled softly when he saw this. With the comprehensive strength of rune weapons, it could probably defend against most attacks at this stage.

He shook his head gently and didn't have any thoughts of claiming it for himself. Although Nick discovered the monster Scarecrow, it was Sally who actually killed it.

Moreover, the shield was somewhat redundant for Nick at the moment. After all, he already had the Rune Bow, and the shield couldn't make up for his lack of close combat ability.

"From now on, you'll be the one tanking damage..."