Chapter 44: The Chimera Patto [Requesting Recommendations and Collections]

Chapter 44: Stitch Monster · Patto [Please Recommend and Collect]

【Thorn Round Shield (Green)】

【Quality: Excellent】

【Shield Defense: 85】

【Durability: 200】

【Skill: Thorn Thorns Thorns lv3 (When attacked, deals counter-attack damage equal to 5% of the damage received to the attacker)】

As expected of green-tier equipment, it even came with a level 3 counter-attack skill. Although the effect wasn't as good as a Necromancer's Thorn Armor, it was perfectly suited for use with a shield.

It could directly enhance the tempo of a counter-offensive immediately after defending.

Zong Shen put the 【Depressed Kite Shield】 into his storage slot. After all, it was the equipment that had accompanied him since his early days; he planned to bring it all back to the territory to keep as a souvenir.

Then, he happily gripped the 【Thorn Round Shield】. The thick vine handle provided an exceptional sense of security.

At this point, Zong Shen had basically completed a full set of equipment changes. Among lords of the same period, his configuration was definitely considered ultra-luxurious.

Exploring the outside world still carried risks.

Take, for example, the unlucky fellow who died at the hands of a Mutated Ghoul.

Possessing a powerful fire-type mage soldier meant that such a configuration would rank among the top tier even for a lord on their second day of landing.

But because of blind exploration, they died in a dark dungeon prayer room.

Losing the opportunity to continue developing and surviving in this world.

Zong Shen couldn't bear to let go of his new shield.

Carrying it in his hand, he continued his search.

He arrived at the room mentioned in the guide that contained scattered supplies.

【Iron ×37】

【Mithril ×13】

【Copper ×11】

【Refined Alloy ×2】

【Junior Wood Rune ×2】

Another wave of resources.

Among them, the 【Refined Alloy】, 【Junior Wood Rune】, and the previous 【Junior Fire Rune】 all belonged to entirely new material resources.

All resources had been collected.

Fortunately, Zong Shen had enough storage slots.

Combined with the fact that similar resources could stack up to four hundred units per slot, it was sufficient to satisfy Zong Shen's long-term outdoor exploration and resource collection.

At the end of this corridor was a wide staircase leading upward.

"Let's go, we're going up," Zong Shen said slowly.

He led the way toward the stairs.

Following the stairs upward, they ascended about five stories.

The group emerged into a dim, large hall.

This place looked like a part of some ruins that had been enclosed.

The ceiling consisted of collapsed and crisscrossing supporting structures.

The ground was covered in scattered stones.

Among them were not a few broken and damaged bones.

After the previous round of searching and resting, the mana of Favid and Tasia had recovered considerably.

Zong Shen took a few pieces of wood from his storage slot and tossed them onto the ground.

"Favid, come over and start a fire."

Hearing this, Favid raised his staff and began to chant.

Two seconds later, a small fireball formed, struck the wood, and began to burn.

The light of the fire illuminated the entire enclosed ruin hall.

They discovered their target instantly.

In the middle of the hall sat a massive rectangular stone table.

A small portion of this stone table was broken off.

Lying on the tabletop was a huge, bloated humanoid figure.

It looked like a fat man over two meters tall.

It possessed a torso, limbs, and a head, but no matter how one looked at it, it felt uncoordinated.

It gave off an extremely eerie sensation.

As the group drew closer, they finally understood where this lack of coordination came from.

Its body was covered in dense knife wounds and long, narrow suture lines.

The limbs and torso, in particular, were completely stitched together, so the left and right hands and legs were inconsistent.

Each hand gripped a meat cleaver as large as a small door.

On its chest, where the heart should have been, a gap had been cut open.

A short, small arm had been sewn into that space.

The waist was covered in tearing wounds, from which pale yellow fat oozed out.

This monster had two heads.

And the mission target Zong Shen needed—the head of Outland Windspeaker—was sewn onto this monster's neck, serving as the second head.

The signature twin horns on the Demon Hunter's forehead were exactly as depicted in the murals.

Just as Zong Shen and the others were observing, the monster moved.

Its name and level began to appear above its head.

【Stitch Monster · Patto lv18 (Blue)】

【Blue Captain Grade】

【Race: Undead】

【Slashing Damage: 82–85】

【HP: 800】

【Armor: 26】

【Magic Resistance: 20】

【Skills: Rotting Toxic Gas lv10 (Releases a circular toxic gas cloud with a 10-meter diameter, capable of dealing continuous damage and slowing enemy movement speed; Slow 20%, Toxic Damage 35 pts/s); Dismemberment lv10 (The arm on Patto's chest can grab enemies within two meters, restraining them and causing them to lose action for 3 seconds, followed by dismembering slashes with its dual blades); Passive Skill: Accumulation of Carrion (Every time Patto kills an enemy, it plunders a part of their body to convert into attribute enhancements for itself)】

(Although it is defined as Undead, it is actually a war machine produced from evil human experimentation; evil, powerful, and capable of leveling everything.)

(Suggestion: Do not engage it head-on; remain flexible and mobile.)

Powerful, too powerful!

This was the most powerful monster Zong Shen had seen so far in terms of attributes.

It had no obvious weaknesses.

Both its offense and defense were formidable.

And it even had a crowd-control skill, 【Dismemberment】.

Once caught by it, it was almost equivalent to being sentenced to death.

With this stitch monster's attack power, even the Wolf Cavalry or the giant wolves they rode were at risk of being one-shotted.

At this moment, the stitch monster was slowly reviving.

Zong Shen looked back at the passage they had come from.

He recalled the terrain along the way.

Suddenly, his eyebrows twitched as if he had thought of a countermeasure.

"Prepare for ranged attacks!"

"Only one round! After one round, we retreat. Use the debris and stones from the previous room to construct a temporary defensive line, then perform another round of ranged strikes, and finally retreat to the prayer room behind the rune door!"

Zong Shen instructed quickly.

He took out a pre-loaded 【Hunting Crossbow】 and took aim.

Tasia and Favid also began chanting spells.

Double Necrotic Arrows and Exploding Fireballs shot forth!

Each of the Wolf Cavalry had 7 short spears remaining.

They also began throwing with all their might!

By this time, the stitch monster had just stood up.

Its extremely uncoordinated limbs and bloated body did not seem to affect its speed much.

It lunged toward Zong Shen and the others with heavy strides.

Both of its stitched-on heads were wide open, making roaring expressions.

However, after only two steps, it collided head-on with the first wave of ranged attacks from Zong Shen's group.

The fastest were the spells from the two mages.

Two Necrotic Arrows shot into the stitch monster's body, dissipating into black death energy that entangled within the wounds.

【-55】

【-55】

This also dealt two instances of damage.

Next came the Exploding Fireballs!

A fireball the size of a washbasin flew like a meteor, slamming heavily into Patto, followed by a violent explosion that knocked Patto's bloated frame back two steps.

【-52】

【-52】

【-5】

【-5】

【-5】

...

(End of Chapter)