"Could it be that the later it gets, the more active the monsters become?" Ann smashed a pouncing Hilichurl away with a single swing of his bat, unable to help but grumble.
No wonder Dragonspine was said to be dangerous; the sheer number of monsters here was incomparable to other places, attacking in wave after wave.
He followed the location of the Cryo Hilichurl Armor King on the map, and the further he went up the mountain, the more he could feel the increasing number of these monsters.
Most of them were ordinary Hilichurls and Samachurls, with an occasional Mitachurl appearing.
Moreover, the Mitachurls here were different from those in other places, carrying huge ice shields.
Although the shield still couldn't withstand Ann's single blow, the feedback from the impact indicated that its hardness was definitely stronger than the wooden shield Mitachurls he had encountered before.
"Ha—" Ann slowly caught his breath and looked up into the distance.
"This is..." Ann's small mouth slightly parted in surprise.
Before him was what appeared to be a tree stump.
But this tree stump was definitely much larger than any he had ever seen.
The inside of the stump seemed to have been hollowed out and was filled with azure ice.
These ice blocks were visibly different from ordinary ice blocks.
Very different, especially in the middle of the ice, where several aggregated pieces of broken ice floated.
Ann quickly took out his map.
He looked closely and confirmed that he had reached the last known location of the Cryo Hilichurl Armor King.
He couldn't get lost like last time, because there was only one path here, and he couldn't possibly go wrong by following it.
The map also marked this location.
This thing in front of him, according to the scholars, was... "Windchill Tree." Ann looked up at the giant tree stump again.
It was said that the seal on this tree had not yet been broken by anyone.
Because Dragonspine was too dangerous and full of mysteries, researching it required a huge amount of manpower and resources.
"It's truly magnificent." Ann walked up to the Windchill Tree, its stump solidly encased in ice.
However, the ice pillar made of broken ice in front of it was very prominent, even revealing a hint of suspicion.
Its placement was as if it was clearly telling the world: "Come and smash me."
Ann couldn't help but reach out and touch the strange ice pillar.
The texture was no different from ordinary ice, but the energy contained within it gave Ann an unusual feeling.
Ann frowned and quickly withdrew his hand from the broken ice.
Looking at the ice pillar, Ann's brows furrowed slightly.
He was wondering whether or not to smash this ice pillar.
This thing gave him the feeling of a manhole cover on the streets of Belobog; he always felt compelled to step on it when walking by.
What would happen if he smashed it? Surely he wouldn't be accused of destroying cultural relics, right?
But seeing this thing so out of place, his hands were itching... No, actually, if he thought about it carefully, this place was deserted, so even if he smashed it, who would know he did it?
"Then..." Just as he took out his bat, preparing to strike, an accident occurred.
Behind him, a sudden loud noise erupted, seemingly the roar of something.
Ann turned his head in confusion, only to see a snow-white giant beast charging towards him.
"Look out!"
Boom—
After a tremendous sound, his Vision was enveloped in a white mist, and nothing could be seen.
However, Ann could feel himself leaning against a soft body.
Those white Slimes were particularly soft.
"Getting distracted on Dragonspine can cost you your life."
It was Rosaria's voice, tinged with a hint of laziness, but more so with concern for him.
He put Ann down; that moment had been extremely perilous for him.
But Ann blinked, hesitating to speak.
He really wanted to tell Rosaria that even if Rosaria hadn't intervened, that Cryo Hilichurl Armor King wouldn't have posed any threat to him.
His speed and reaction time were completely sufficient to safely evade before the opponent reached him.
Moreover, he had clearly intended to use his bat to make a sudden stop for the opponent.
A big bat to stop the beast-carriage.
Unfortunately, Rosaria ruined it... "Thank you." But Ann still smiled in the end and thanked Rosaria.
Regardless, Rosaria's intentions were good, and he had saved him at great risk.
"Hmph, be more careful in the future." Rosaria glanced at Ann, then quickly turned his head away.
Looking at Ann's sincere smile, his heart was uncontrollably pounding.
Perhaps it was because he had just saved Ann at the last moment, and his physical exertion was too great...
"So this is a Cryo Hilichurl Armor King, it's so sturdy." Ann turned his head again to look at the giant beast.
Its size far exceeded that of a normal Hilichurl, even significantly larger than a Mitachurl.
"Can you handle it?" Rosaria steadied himself and also took out his spear.
He had a Cryo Vision, so facing this monster didn't actually give him an advantage.
Especially after the opponent was covered in ice and snow armor, Rosaria could only rely on his own strength rather than elemental power.
His help to Ann was very limited.
"Of course, no problem!" Ann took out his bat, which immediately began to flicker with electric light.
"After all, rules are meant to be broken!"
"What?" Rosaria was a little confused.
He didn't understand Ann's inexplicable remark.
What did "rules are meant to be broken" have to do with the current situation?
"Ahem, nothing, nothing..." Ann laughed awkwardly.
That sentence, of course, had nothing to do with the current situation; it was just that every time he unleashed his ultimate, Ann had the urge to say it.
"Roar—" The Cryo Hilichurl Armor King bumped his fists together, continuously generating Cryo element, and an armor made of ice blocks formed on his body.
It seemed much harder than the ice shield Mitachurl encountered just now.
He wondered if it could withstand two swings of his bat.
Ann thought silently, then slowly stepped forward.
"Hey—" Rosaria was about to speak, to remind him not to be so reckless.
But Ann's movements were one step faster than his words.
In an instant, Ann had already rushed in front of the Cryo Hilichurl Armor King.
"Goodbye Homerun!"
A tremendous sound came, and under Rosaria's gaze, the Cryo Hilichurl Armor King's ice shield shattered just like that.
All he heard was the miserable cry of the Cryo Hilichurl Armor King.
Even someone with a Pyro Vision would find it difficult to Melt the Cryo Hilichurl Armor King's ice shield, but Ann, relying solely on brute force, smashed it to pieces.
If it hadn't happened right before his eyes, Rosaria would never have believed it.