Within the Meteor Swamp. A massive swamp land that was only filled with mud and mud living trees. The area was nearly empty, with only the sound of occasional bubble gases coming out of the mud to be heard. Due to two factors, very few monsters were coming here.
First, the water couldn't be drunk and smelled so bad that assuming any monster who drank it would die instantly was not a stretch. The place smelled like excrement, rotting meat, skunk farts, and ammonia.
Second, this desolate location was home to three of the most powerful monsters in the area, and anyone foolish enough to enter their domain would be instantly annihilated. They hid in the depths of the smelly and seemingly poisonous swamp, only coming out to feed on the grasses growing around them or to attack monsters.
They were known as the Kegali Three Sages. Were they as wise as their moniker suggested? They were astute enough to live in the last place any monster would want to be. They had no competition and no natural predators because of how bad the place they were living in was—monsters with a superior sense of smell would never even try to get near their stinky swamp.
They had made this place their territory, and no one dared to compete... They were not naturally immune to the smell—after all, they had a pretty strong sense of smell—but they had honed their ability to live in this place for years.
When they sensed the arrival of a certain person within their territory, their gooey eyes emerged from the bubbling mud and observed their visitor as it landed on the land-mud boundary. As they swam to approach their visitor, their massive and long bodies gradually revealed themselves.
RACE: Sageslug [Level: 59/60].
HP: 590/590
MP: 1040/1040
Top Speed: 118 km/h
Defense: 5
[STATS.]
Strength: 59
Agility: 59
Intelligence: 104
[DAMAGING ACTIVE SKILLS.]
Mud Ball [MP Cost: 20] [Level: 20/20].
Stone Blast [MP Cost: 20] [Level: 20/20].
Mud Rush [MP Cost: 20] [Level: 20/20].
Meteor Smash [MP Cost: 20] [Level: 20/20].
[NON-DAMAGING ACTIVE SKILLS.]
Body Mucus [MP Cost: 1]
Magic Guard [MP Cost: 20] [Level: 20/20].
Waterproof [MP Cost: 20] [Level: 20/20].
[PASSIVE SKILLS.]
[Lesser] MP Regeneration.
[Lesser] HP Regeneration.
[Lesser] Mana Absorb.
[Lesser] Life Absorb.
[Lesser] Desperation.
These three were among the more advanced evolutions of the Slug evolution line. Each of them was five meters long and was hidden deep within the swamp. They were swimming around in silence, fully prepared to barrage their visitor with any signs of aggression. They had such impressive offensive and defensive capabilities that if the three of them used them together, they were extremely difficult to fight against.
However, after spending so many years in this part of the swamp... This was the first time they had seen a bear in a long time. Normally, a bear would never come to this location because the smell of the swamp was so offensive to their nose due to their superior sense of smell. Even the ferocious Thundursa would not dare to approach this location—but this one was different.
***
[Snowfield has been activated.]
[Ice Armor has 2490 HP.]
[Vanguard has granted you 415 damage reduction.]
Eon sneezed, covering his nose with his hand. He growled and shook his head slowly. He could clearly detect his enemies due to his acute sense of smell, but he was being bombarded by the foul odor in the area. He simply stood there, staring out at the bubbling swamp in front of him. He took one step forward but was stopped by a gentle wind—a gentle wind filled with the smell of the entire place.
In defeat, Eon roared... For a monster with superior smell like him, the smell was extremely lethal—literally.
So far, the worst foe Eon had ever encountered... Awful odor.
However, as the enemies approached him, Eon mustered the courage to take a step forward. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't transform into a monster that could stand the smell of the place because he needed his sense of smell to track down his enemies hiding in the swamp's depths.
Eon shook his head and growled one last time before flying above the swamp, where the stench was much stronger. Eon roared and decided to rush toward the nearest Sageslug, hoping to end the battle as soon as possible.
However, it was not so simple.
Magic Guard was activated by all three Sageslugs. It was a non-damaging active skill that performed nearly identically to Vanguard, with the only difference being that its multiplier was intelligence rather than strength. It was a versatile defensive ability that made the user extremely difficult to take down. Then, all at once, they used their skill, Meteor Smash, to summon three meteors from the sky and slam them into Eon.
When Eon looked up, he was greeted by three raging rocks rushing toward him at breakneck speed. Eon growled and charged forward toward his enemies.
[Icy Touch has been activated.]
[Barbaric Rush has been activated.]
Eon rushed toward his target so quickly that he avoided the tree meteors. The meteors collided with the swamp, causing massive waves of water to erupt in every direction.
When Eon saw the massive swamp mud rushing toward him, he growled. Before Eon could reach the Sageslug, it confronted him and attempted to fight back with its skill, Mud Rush. Eon had no time to dodge due to their distance and the fact that the Barbaric Rush could no longer be canceled. Eon just shook his head, staring at the massive wave of swamp mud charging toward him from the Sageslug's direction.
[Mud Rush has dealt 633 damage to your Ice Armor.]
Eon flew through the stinky mud, lunging his fist at the Sageslug's head. Because of his unstoppable momentum, the Sageslug plunged into the swamp with Eon. The mud around them then became frozen, solidifying the muddy pool around them. Eon's Icy Touch had the ability to freeze anything that touched him, living or not. He had already demonstrated this by freezing the Wolfhellmancer's corpse.
[Barbaric Rush has dealt 415.24 damage.]
[Icy Touch has dealt 316.27 damage.]
The two remaining Sageslugs could only stare at the swamp's frozen region. The silence, however, was shattered along with the surface of the frozen swamp. Eon's muddy hand punched its way through the frozen barrier he'd built. Eon crawled out of the swamp, his armor soiled with stinky mud. Eon stood there staring at the two Sageslugs before roaring so loudly that the muddy water around him shook.
[Deceitful Shapeshifter: a new form has been acquired. The Sageslug form is now available for use.]
[You have received 24 experience points.]
[You have gained a level.]
[You have increased your Strength stat by one.]
[You have increased your Agility stat by one.]
[You have increased your Intelligence stat by one.]
[You have been awarded two skill points.]
[Your HP and MP have been replenished.]
[Snowfield has received one skill point.]
[The bonus damage and range of Snowfield have increased from level 19 (19%) (47.5 meters) to level 20 (20%) (50 meters).]
[Snowfield has been activated.]
[Ice Armor has been activated.]
[Ice Armor has 2520 HP.]
[Vanguard has been activated.]
[Vanguard has granted you 420 damage reduction.]
Eon stomped on the frozen ground, breaking it as he went. Eon's breathing became heavier through his mouth, revealing his razor-sharp claws. Then... He charged forward.
[Icy Touch has been activated.]
[Barbaric Rush has been activated.]
With such ferocity and fury, Eon charged toward the nearest Sageslug. The two Sageslugs, on the other hand, tried to stop him by slamming two meteors on him. As two destructive boulders slammed into Eon, the sound of their impact echoed. Two devastating attacks that few could imagine surviving. Eon, on the other hand, made no attempt to avoid the attacks.
[Meteor Smash has dealt 732 damage to your Ice Armor.]
[Meteor Smash has dealt 732 damage to your Ice Armor.]
[Ice Armor has been activated.]
[Ice Armor has 2520 HP.]
Eon roared as he emerged from the mud explosion all around him. Then he lunged his fist at his adversary.
However, due to the skills of the two Sageslugs, Mud Rush, two muddy waves slammed into him before he could reach his intended target.
[Mud Rush has dealt 628 damage to your Ice Armor.]
[Mud Rush has dealt 628 damage to your Ice Armor.]
[Ice Armor has been activated.]
[Ice Armor has 2520 HP.]
Eon punched the Sageslug's head so hard that its frozen body flew away, shattering into pieces.
[Barbaric Rush has dealt 439.6 damage.]
[Icy Touch has dealt 338.8 damage.]
[You have received 22 experience points.]
Then, without wasting a single second, Eon dashed toward the last Sageslug that was about to swim away from him.
[Icy Touch has been activated.]
[Barbaric Rush has been activated.]
The Sageslug didn't have time to react because a powerful punch was already pushing it down the swamp with great force. The punch was so powerful that it caused a massive mud splash. Before the massive splash of mud could hit Eon, he flew away and rushed into the sky.
[Barbaric Rush has dealt 439.6 damage.]
[Icy Touch has dealt 338.8 damage.]
[You have received 22 experience points.]
[You have gained a level.]
[You have increased your Strength stat by one.]
[You have increased your Agility stat by one.]
[You have increased your Intelligence stat by one.]
[You have been awarded two skill points.]
[Your HP and MP have been replenished.]
Eon growled as he flew. Despite the fact that the battle had ended and he had already won, he was still being attacked by his invincible opponent.
The worst enemy he'd ever faced since birth—an enemy he'd have no chance of defeating even if he transformed or leveled up... The foul odor of the swamp that was all over his body.
Such a fearsome foe...
RACE: Arcryonide Snow Barbarian [Level: 49/50] [Exp. Points: 21.6/25].
HP: 850/850
MP: 490/490
Top Speed: 98 km/h
Defense: 4
[STATS.]
Strength: 85
Agility: 49
Intelligence: 49
[DAMAGING ACTIVE SKILLS.]
Lethal Augmentation [MP Cost: 20] [Level: 20/20].
Icy Touch [MP Cost: 20] [Level: 20/20].
Barbaric Rush [MP Cost: 20] [Level: 20/20].
[NON-DAMAGING ACTIVE SKILLS.]
Deceitful Shapeshifter [MP Cost: 1].
Ice Armor [MP Cost: 20] [Level: 20/20].
Snowfield [MP Cost: 20] [Level: 20/20].
[Imitation] Vanguard [MP Cost: 40] [Level: 20/20].
[PASSIVE SKILLS.]
World Conqueror's Perception.
[Lesser] MP Regeneration.
[Lesser] HP Regeneration.
[Lesser] Mana Absorb.
[Lesser] Life Absorb.
SKILL POINTS AVAILABLE: 3