Chapter 34: Instant Kill

It was not uncommon to encounter monsters one had seen before in different dungeons.

There were indeed many species of monsters.

However, their appearances all followed the patterns of the dungeons.

In the Shadow Caves, shadow-type monsters were easily born.

In the Serpentine Forest, the vast majority—perhaps even all—were naturally snake-type monsters.

And the final Dungeon Lord.

Without a doubt, it would also be a snake, a second-tier serpentine monster...

"But, what a coincidence."

*Bang!*

The moment his eyes met Lu Cang's, the giant snake's body shot toward him like a released spring!

【Headbutt】

A simple, unadorned physical attack.

Because this snake had nearly killed him before, Lu Cang had specifically consulted the monster encyclopedia in the library.

He was intimately familiar with its habits, the places it might appear, and its attack methods.

"Captain!"

"Watch out, it has a Dark Crystal on its head! It's an evolved species!"

However, behind Lu Cang, Jidi let out an urgent warning.

Before Lu Cang could respond, Gaton's face turned pale instantly.

But as the defender of the team, he still raised his shield to block the front!

"My body is like iron!"

【Second-tier Combat Skill—Hardness】

"Root!"

【Second-tier Combat Skill—Immovable】

Oh?

So these were combat skills?

This was the first time Lu Cang had seen skills other than magic. He had heard that the skills used by Warriors, Defenders, Archers, and Assassins were not spells, but combat skills.

While paying slight attention to Gaton—

*Boom!*

Three thick, massive walls of stone rose from the ground!

And simultaneously!

*Puchi!*

Before the giant snake could even strike the first layer of walls, hundreds of deep, flesh-tearing wounds appeared across its body, cutting straight to the bone.

「Slashing Wind (Second-tier) (LV: 121)」

The sudden wind magic caused it to writhe in mid-air from the pain.

After studying under Izparut for several days, Lu Cang had mastered more than six second-tier spells.

At the same time, a massive earthen pillar erupted from the ground!

*Boom!*

「Impaling Pillar (First-tier) (LV: 175)」

The tip of this pillar was black and hard, exploding forth at extreme speed!

*Splat!*

Blood sprayed as the giant snake was directly impaled by the pillar, pinned in mid-air like a skewer.

Immediately after, a second and third pillar appeared in succession!

Three impaling pillars pinned the giant snake firmly in mid-air. It continued to struggle and writhe, but it no longer had any chance of escape.

Lu Cang rubbed his index finger and thumb together.

A condensed ball of flame formed at his fingertips.

「Flame Gathering Ball (First-tier) (LV: 167)」

Evolution direction—Power.

This was one of the few skills Lu Cang had evolved specifically for destructive power.

With a casual flick, the triple-merged Flame Gathering Ball drifted toward the giant snake.

The moment the ball touched the snake's body!

*Boom!*

The entire giant snake erupted into raging flames!

It thrashed and struggled in immense agony, but it had absolutely no chance of breaking free!

Finally, under the scorching heat of the extreme flames.

It ceased all movement.

It was dead—

...

It... just died?

The remaining three members of the team stood there blankly.

The entire battle had been resolved almost instantaneously.

They had barely seen the stone walls rise, followed by three massive earthen spikes erupting from the ground...

Then a ball of fire drifted over, and the skewered snake was roasted to death.

*Rumble—*

The sound of collapsing earth and stone echoed.

The three impaling pillars deactivated, and the giant snake fell from mid-air.

A fragrant yet foul odor wafted out.

It was so fragrant, yet so stinking... a bizarre scent.

Nevertheless, Lu Cang called out to the older man behind him.

"Please, collect it."

The man finally snapped out of his daze and nodded. "Ah, oh... I'll go right now."

In truth, Lu Cang knew.

Using fire magic to roast a Lord might result in a lower yield of loot.

But...

He held a grudge against this snake. Even if it wasn't the exact same one, looking at it made Lu Cang feel extremely displeased.

So, he wanted to torment it a little.

Such a massive snake.

There weren't many truly useful parts... otherwise, it wouldn't have only sold for 70 silver before.

Its meat was bitter and contained trace amounts of toxin, making it inedible.

Furthermore, no one had yet discovered any medicinal uses for it; only the skin and venom sacs could be sold.

Combined, they were worth only 70 silver.

However, there was indeed an extra harvest.

When Jidi had shouted earlier that it was an evolved species, there was indeed a protruding Dark Crystal on its head.

And it was quite large.

The older man, Zhou Er, collected the Dark Crystal.

This one was larger than the one they had obtained in the Shadow Caves; it was shaped like a bowl and could be held in one's hands.

Zhou Er remarked, "It should be worth about 1 gold."

Zhou Er couldn't help but sigh with emotion. "I suppose it's truly a harvest month."

"The value produced in this dungeon has already reached nearly 6 gold."

Lu Cang also felt a sense of emotion in his heart.

Originally, this second-tier dungeon would only yield 1 gold and 26 silver, excluding commission.

Now, they could get 5 gold.

That was more than triple the amount... and the costs for supplies and attrition wouldn't increase much.

The net profit each person could make in the dungeon would indeed be much higher.

"Captain, I've checked this forest as well. There shouldn't be anything else of value."

Lu Cang nodded. "Mm, let's head back then."

Treasure chests appeared randomly in dungeons, but they didn't appear every time.

...

Returning to the Adventurers' Guild, they turned in the commission.

They received 6 gold and 82 silver.

After paying the employment fees for the three members, Lu Cang was left with 6 gold and 22 silver.

This money was truly easy to make.

Holding up a gold coin, Lu Cang couldn't help but marvel.

As expected, no matter which world it was, making money was easy for those with strength.

*Heh, what kind of sentiment is this, coming from the soul of an old man...*

Meanwhile, Jidi, having received her reward, held her silver coins.

She had obtained 20 silver so easily.

She had followed him the entire time without doing anything, and just by standing there, she earned 20 silver...

If only making money were always this easy.

The image of Dessa, the mage they had teamed up with previously, flashed through Jidi's mind.

The earthen walls that required a second or two of chanting to rise, the earth spikes that didn't deal much damage and were easy to miss...

Comparing her to Lu Cang was like comparing heaven to earth.

It wasn't that there was anything wrong with Dessa; ordinary Level 2 mages were all like that.

Mages seemed like all-purpose classes, possessing both utility and versatile combat styles, appearing as if they could do anything.

They could attack with various elemental magics, release defensive spells like earthen walls or barriers, and even disperse mist or illuminate the darkness.

It seemed that compared to the mage class, other professions were somewhat inferior.

But in reality, when you actually teamed up with them, having to listen to them chant for ages just to cast a single spell during a critical moment in battle... that was when you realized how mentally exhausting it truly was.

(End of Chapter)