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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Carapace
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After leaving the area, I checked my status window.
Thanks to the back-to-back battles, I had gained two levels.
Maybe it was because this was the entrance to the Tower.
The rate at which I gained experience was incredible.
Ten additional stat points.
Having already raised my stats so much with Predation, the level-up rewards felt small.
Why did I wait so long to use something this good before my regression?
[Level: 3]
[Strength: 40.6 → 46.6]
[Agility: 34.2 → 38.2]
I distributed my stats and searched for my next prey.
"Slurp?"
I saw a few slimes, but didn't even give them a glance.
I've already sucked all the essence out of you guys.
Slime corpses are one of the main ingredients for potion crafting, so they sell for a pretty high price.
Five hundred thousand a pop.
But the thought of wasting my time for such chump change(?) didn't appeal to me.
I picked up my pace and ignored the slimes.
After walking through the wasteland for some time…
"Grrrr."
"Grrr?"
I saw a pack of Ironclad Armadillos—the same kind I'd encountered while searching for the 〔Forgotten Temple〕—moving together.
Just then, they looked my way.
"Hello there."
I gave them a little wave.
"Grrrrrr!"
"Grrrr!"
The pack of Ironclad Armadillos growled and curled into balls.
Quite the intense welcoming party.
"Grrrrrr!"
Ten gray balls began to spin.
There's a reason the word 'Ironclad' is in their name.
Their shells are tough.
For a Player on their first day of the tutorial, it's difficult to damage them while they're rolled up.
But does that make them completely invincible...?
They have a weakness.
The Ironclad Armadillo's shell only protects its front.
Their flanks, the axis of their rotation, are defenseless.
I read the trajectory of its charge and took a single step to the side.
The Ironclad Armadillo brushed past me by a hair's breadth.
I timed it perfectly and slammed my fist into the monster's exposed flank.
"Grrrr..."
With a single shriek, the Ironclad Armadillo tumbled to the ground.
"I can see exactly where you're coming from."
Once an Ironclad Armadillo decides on a direction, it charges in a straight line.
If you just get the timing right, you can easily target its weak spot.
A barrage of gray balls followed.
With minimal movement, I let the charging attacks flow past me.
*Splatter*—Droplets of the Ironclad Armadillos' blood decorated the air one after another.
"Grrrrrr!"
One Ironclad Armadillo charged with a slight delay.
Oh, this one's a fast learner.
But you see, there's more than one way to deal with an Ironclad Armadillo.
I clenched my right fist.
[Using Herculean Strength.]
Power coursed through every single muscle fiber.
With a clenched fist, I struck the Ironclad Armadillo's shell.
*Crunch*—A part of the shell crumpled.
Red blood seeped out from between the crushed plates of its shell.
"Tch. That hurt like hell."
I muttered, shaking my right hand.
No matter how high the shell's defense is, it can't absorb 100% of the impact.
Even if you can't pierce it.
It can't nullify the blow!
If you strike with enough force, the shockwave travels beyond the shell.
A normal Player on their first day of the tutorial wouldn't be able to pull off a frontal assault, but I'm far from 'normal'.
In terms of total stats raised by [Predation], I was comparable to a level 30 Player.
On top of that, I had the [Mark of Valor], the necklace I got as a reward from the 〔Forgotten Temple〕.
It was more than enough to inflict damage through the Ironclad Armadillo's shell.
'Though it's tough without using Herculean Strength.'
Their rotational force could repel even a well-honed blade.
If I didn't concentrate my power into a single point, my own arm would be the one to break.
The pack of Ironclad Armadillos didn't last long before they were sprawled across the dry ground.
[Devouring the essence of the Ironclad Armadillo.]
[Predation Grade - Normal]
[Essence Devoured: 3.5%]
[Stamina +0.1]
[Toughness +0.2]
…
After wiping out one pack, my essence completion rose by nearly a third.
At this rate, I should be able to obtain the Ironclad Armadillo's ability within 20 minutes.
*Grumble.*
My stomach, still filled with hunger, let out a loud noise.
* * *
"Grrr..."
The last Ironclad Armadillo's neck snapped.
I immediately used [Predation] to suck the essence from its corpse.
[Essence Devoured - 100%]
[You have completely absorbed the essence of one species.]
[Skill - Carapace has been added.]
[Carapace]
Grade: ★
Classification: Active
Creates a carapace on the skin.
A section, once created, can be regenerated after 1 minute.
Consumes a small amount of mana.
As a test, I channeled mana into the back of my arm.
*Krr-krr-krr-krr!*
A carapace covered my forearm.
It was the same color as the one that covered most of the Ironclad Armadillo's body.
"The effect is solid."
A satisfied smile appeared on my face.
The Carapace skill provides a defense comparable to a Magic-grade item.
And thanks to the [Dragon's Heart], I had mana to spare.
I no longer needed to wear armor.
The second reason I needed Carapace.
'To obtain Dragon Scales, I need a carapace-type skill.'
The dragonkin possess the ultimate defense and magic resistance.
To anchor their defense's foundation, the Dragon Scales, onto my body, I have to build up related essences step by step.
The Ironclad Armadillo's carapace was the first step.
Hehehe.
As expected, not a single essence is useless.
[Dragon's Heart]
[Dissolution]
[Acidic Blood]
[Carapace]
I had obtained everything I initially needed from the Wasteland.
The Antlion was nearly invincible in the Tutorial Stage, so I had to exclude it for now.
I raised my head and looked up at the sky.
Using the sun to get my bearings, I walked southwest.
↖
↙
The Lake and the Flame Zone were still premature.
The Flame Zone, in particular, had an absurdly high temperature, and you were likely to get burned if you weren't properly prepared.
In my case, I didn't have any fire resistance gear.
In the end, I would have to diligently roam the Tutorial Stage and devour essences left and right to be able to enter.
'There are essences to be had in the Plains, too.'
As I walked across the arid land, I began to see green grass beyond a boundary line drawn on the ground.
[Your current location is the Plains.]
The only area with no penalties.
There's a good reason the Tower's Vanguard recommended the Plains as the starting point in their guides.
Even the air was different.
In the Wasteland, even breathing felt stuffy.
"Hey! The aggro's shifting!"
"Block it properly!"
"Wind Cutter!"
The voices of Players could be heard from all around.
Nothing here had changed from my memories before the regression.
In the past, I too was among those rookies, painstakingly hunting monsters.
"This Horned Rabbit, why is it so fast?"
"I told you, it's too late if you react after it moves."
"You have to anticipate the charge to hunt it efficiently."
A Player holding a shield approached the Horned Rabbit.
The Horned Rabbit's ears twitched.
"Kyupii!"
It kicked off the ground and charged.
A speed more than twice as fast as an Ironclad Armadillo!
The solid steel shield was dented by the Horned Rabbit's attack.
Ugh—the Player let out a cry.
"Now!"
His teammates behind him took down the Horned Rabbit, which was dazed from the aftereffects of its charge.
'They're easy to hunt once you know the trick.'
The Horned Rabbit's weakness is that explosive propulsion.
If you get within a certain distance, it will always charge, and if you block that one attack, it's left defenseless.
That's why the Plains is the recommended area for beginners.
As long as you have a steel shield, you can easily rack up experience points.
I stepped onto the plains, which were covered with Horned Rabbits.
"Hey, mister!"
Someone shouted loudly.
Even if Horned Rabbits don't react to voices, that was reckless.
This is why they're beginners. I shrugged.
"Hey, the mister who just moved his shoulders! Don't pretend you can't hear me, look over here!"
…What the.
Was she pointing at me?
The source of the voice was a woman who looked to be in her early twenties.
"It's dangerous to face a Horned Rabbit with your bare hands! So...!"
How nice of her to worry.
I casually waved my right hand.
"Kyupit!"
A Horned Rabbit charged, its forehead horn pointed forward.
With an Agility nearing 40, I read its movements perfectly.
[Activating Carapace.]
The gray carapace collided head-on with the horn.
* * *
Jang Sujin was often told she was too nosy.
This time was no different.
When the short-haired man approached the Horned Rabbit defenselessly, she had shouted without thinking.
"Hey, mister!"
As Jang Sujin shouted, her companions' gazes also fell on Jinho.
"He doesn't even have a shield."
"They said it's dangerous to take a Horned Rabbit's attack with your bare body."
"Did that guy come in without reading the guides?"
A walking bullet.
That was the name the Vanguard had given the Horned Rabbit.
An easy opponent if you had a shield.
But if you faced it head-on with your bare body, its sharp horn would be embedded in you in the blink of an eye.
"...So...!"
As if cued by Jang Sujin's scream, the Horned Rabbit leaped.
And yet.
*Ting!*—Sparks, not blood, flew in all directions.
"Not bad at all."
The short-haired man.
Jinho muttered nonchalantly.
The Horned Rabbit's charge, which could even dent a steel plate.
The walking bullet failed to pierce the [Carapace] of an Ironclad Armadillo.
The Horned Rabbit collapsed to the ground, stunned from the aftereffects of its charge.
Jinho ended the monster's life with a single blow.
"H-How?!"
Jang Sujin glanced back and forth between her companion's shield and Jinho.
The mark of the Horned Rabbit was etched into the surface of the steel shield.
In contrast, Jinho's gray-covered arm was completely unscathed.
"Is his arm tougher than a steel shield?"
Jang Sujin mumbled in a dazed voice.
But it was still too early to be surprised.
Deactivating his [Carapace] ability, Jinho leisurely walked among the pack of Horned Rabbits.
"Kyupii!"
"Kyupit!"
The Horned Rabbits kicked off the ground simultaneously.
Jinho used his carapace on specific parts of his body to receive their charging attacks.
Almost at the same time, droplets of blood splattered everywhere.
It was gushing from the bodies of the Horned Rabbits that had charged at Jinho.
"That's incredible."
The Player next to her muttered in a drained voice.
"Sujin."
"Yeah?"
"Couldn't you imitate that if you really tried?"
Jang Sujin's skills were the best among their group of Players.
"Don't be ridiculous. Unless you want to be cleaning up my corpse."
Jang Sujin was genuinely angry.
To instantly react to a Horned Rabbit's movements and launch a counterattack?
That was impossible.
It took less than a minute for the pack of over twenty Horned Rabbits to be annihilated.
"Tch, still not enough."
Jinho clicked his tongue and headed deeper into the plains.
The group of Players stared blankly at his retreating figure.
"He just left the corpses there?"
"Let's at least gather the horns."
"Yeah. Those horns are used as materials for weapon crafting, so they sell for a high price."
A few of the quicker ones approached the Horned Rabbit corpses Jinho had left behind.
But.
"The horn's turned to dust."
"The body is just skin and bones, too."
"What the hell happened?!"
All they found were the shriveled corpses of the Horned Rabbits, a side effect of [Predation].