Chapter 403: Blacksmith Shop, Armor Upgrade Again!

——

It is called an airborne unit, but in reality, it is just taking the mechanical bodies out from the space item carried on one's person.

Yun Mu remembers Brenna explaining before that the mechanical units she develops possess characteristics that other Mechanics do not have.

That is, they can act autonomously based on the core's calculations, reducing the burden of manual operation for the Mechanic.

This means that with the same level of strength, the number of mechanical bodies Brenna can control far exceeds that of other Mechanics. Plus, with her status as a princess of the Frost Kingdom, does she not lack money? Uh, it seems that is exactly why Brenna has always looked like she is short on money.

Although she earns a lot, she spends a lot too!

Yun Mu complained in her heart.

【Airborne unit!】

【Unit 【Reaper Mechanical Cluster lv52 (Master)】 has been deployed!】 【Reaper Mechanical Cluster lv52 (Master) Max HP: 240 Race: Mechanical

Attack 145, Spell Strength 25, Defense 75, Tenacity 11, Dodge 66, Speed 34, Precision Correction 68, Critical Hit 30% Traits: Iron Body, Calculation Core 【Reduces Qi Strength and Qi consumption, and Precision Correction +25%】

Skills: Reap, Self-Destruct】 【Player Yun Mu begins action!】

A large number of mechanical bodies crafted from brass, gears, and special alloys hover above Yun Mu and the others by means of propellers.

Attack 145, Speed 34; as soon as Yun Mu's action turn ends, it will be the Reaper's turn to act.

It is a pity that Yun Mu cannot control or command it to attack, and even if she could, it would be meaningless.

Because its skill: 【Reap: Randomly deals a total of eight hits of damage to enemy units, no damage correction, and units on both sides of the attacked enemy unit will receive 【Splash】 damage with -40% damage correction.】

【Self-Destruct: When HP reaches zero, 【Reaper Mechanical Cluster】 will explode, dealing 850 fixed damage to all enemies.】

【Note: Reaper Mechanical Cluster will be unusable after 【Self-Destruct】 and requires repair.】

There are only two skills in total, one is dealing random damage, and the other is self-destruct; even if the control was given to her, she could not play any tricks with it!

Thinking this, Yun Mu raised the staff in her hand and lifted her arm for a round of 【Ice Pulse Burst.】

The skill damage of the Heavy Magic Ice Staff Modified is very high, and at the same time, it is a noble AOE that can deal damage to all enemies.

Although Yun Mu's Temporary Painting can also achieve this, it is slightly inferior in terms of damage and effect.

After all, it is Orange Legendary-grade equipment; if it were so easily surpassed by her, it would be too demeaning.

However, the damage of the two is actually not much different, and the reason Yun Mu used 【Ice Pulse Burst】 was more to exert its 【Slow】 effect.

【-315!】

【-308!】

【-587!】 (Critical Hit!) 【-366!】

【Slow!】

【Speed -25%, Dodge -50.】

The cold ice thorns pierced through the bodies of the monsters; although it only critted once, it very smoothly emptied the HP bars of all enemy units.

Next, it is time for Demonization.

Thump, thump, thump! A burst of eerie howling suddenly sounded in everyone's ears. Yun Mu saw the Butcher at position four suddenly curl up on the ground, and then ahhhhhh—

Ominous purple filled the entire space, and the Butcher's original human body was burst open in an instant.

A monster with countless tentacles writhing beneath it and Scarlet eyeballs covering its face appeared before the three of them.

Its skin, flowing with dark green pus, pulsed, and a mouth filled with barbs, more terrifying than a shredder, opened up and down, emitting Babble whose content was impossible to understand.

【You have witnessed an ominous thing From the Abyss, your Stress +35!】 Almost at the same time.

【Stress +22!】 (Lucy)

【Stress +40!】 (Liliya) 【Stress +58!】 (Plague Mad Crocodile)

【Stress +38!】 (Brenna) 【Chaos!】

Yun Mu's position suddenly jumped from position two to position four, while Liliya ran to position one with Lucy.

As for the Plague Mad Crocodile, it is in front of Yun Mu.

However, the broadcast did not end there.

【Abyssal Gaze!】

【You are being watched by the Abyss.】

【Seed of Terror!】

【A seed of Fear has been planted in your heart, and it may erupt at any time.】

【Mad Babble!】

【Incomprehensible Babble keeps coming from the mouth of this monster before you, your Stress increase rate +15%.】

Three consecutive negative status effects shrouded their bodies.

It is not just as simple as described on the Game Panel.

Yun Mu only felt as if her heart was about to burst, and at the same time, there was an unknown gaze hiding in that Darkness, quietly watching her.

It caused stress to skyrocket.

In this situation, even thinking calmly has become an incredibly difficult thing.

And above the Butcher's head, a new monster name was revealed.

【Limping Walker lv70 (Master) Max HP: 480 Race: Demon

Attack 88, Spell Strength 88, Defense 105, Tenacity 14, Dodge 88, Speed 45, Precision Correction 88, Critical Hit 45% Traits: Ominous Body (Reduces damage taken by 33%), Tough (Immune to 【Displacement】 and 【Stun】) Skills: Sulfur Breath, Grotesque Crawling, Fluctuating Contraction, Stirring Darkness Wail.】 Is this guy the real dangerous BOSS of the hidden area? Yun Mu's expression was quite ugly, although she had long guessed that the Butcher's Demonization after its HP bar hit zero would probably be quite tricky.

But she did not expect it to be this kind of situation.

This guy, 480 HP, 105 Defense, and even 33% damage reduction! She has never seen such a tanky monster in her life! Even more tricky is that this guy's speed is actually a full 45 points! After Yun Mu's action turn ends, no one's speed is faster than it!

【Limping Walker begins action!】

【Fluctuating Contraction!】

【-58!】 (Lucy)

【Corrosion!】

【-58!】 (Liliya) 【Corrosion!】

【-0!】 (Brenna's Princess-class mech) 【Corrosion!】

【-70!】 (Plague Mad Crocodile)

【Corrosion!】

【Near Death!】

【-34!】 (Yun Mu)

【The Limper has summoned—【Small Limper lv60 (Master)】【Small Limper lv60 (Master)】】【Small Limper lv60 (Master) Max HP: 200 Race: Demon

Attack: 66, Spell Strength: 66, Defense: 85, Tenacity: 12, Dodge: 0, Speed: 38, Precision Correction: 80, Crit: 35% Traits: Ominous Body, Tough Skills: Wriggle, Slap, Pollination】【Small Limper begins its turn!】

【Wriggle!】

"Snap!"

The Small Limper wriggled its body frantically, and its pale tentacles lashed out violently at the Plague Mad Crocodile.

【-50!】

【Bleeding!】

Scarlet damage numbers jumped out from above the Plague Mad Crocodile's head; already in a state of Near Death, it could not withstand this blow at all.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, the effect of the Civilization Path triggered.

The Plague Mad Crocodile's HP recovered to half of its maximum, which is... 【+131!】

The Plague Mad Crocodile instantly exited the Near Death state, and then it was the turn of the other Small Limper.

It was seen that its body, which was stuck into the ground like a mushroom, suddenly twitched upward, then sprayed a large cloud of smoky purple powder flying toward Liliya.

【Pollination!】

【-32!】

【Poisoning!】

A dark green liquid icon was marked below Liliya's health bar.

Yun Mu was speechless.

Wasn't it said that Liliya's trait, Divine Protection, could increase negative resistance by 60%?

How did it take effect twice in a row, whether it was Corrosion or Poisoning?

Opening the team's attributes, Yun Mu checked the HP of each unit.

【Yun Mu 326/360】【Lucy 115/173】

【Liliya 128/218】

【Brenna 300/300】

【Plague Mad Crocodile 131/262】

Hiss, it doesn't hurt.

It's a good thing there's the 80-point max HP bonus provided by the Civilization Path, otherwise, this wave would have been bone-breaking.

This is the benefit of having thick blood, family.

According to the speed, the next to act should be 【Reaper Mechanical Cluster begins its turn!】

【Reap!】

【-27!】*5 【-1!】*5 【-40!】*3 【-0】

【-1】*3 "."

Let me calculate, twenty-seven times five plus five plus one hundred twenty plus three is... two hundred sixty-three points of damage?

Feels a bit low.

The damage from one round of Brenna's artillery barrage should be much higher than this.

It must be the influence of the Ominous Body trait reducing damage by 33%; since it was already multi-stage damage, after being reduced, the damage was cut even more.

Damn it, before entering the Second Rank, who would have known there was such a trait.

Yun Mu complained viciously in her heart.

Already under high pressure, she nearly couldn't hold back from cursing out loud on the spot.

【Plague Mad Crocodile begins its turn!】

【Corrosion!】

【Bleeding!】

【-20!】

"Phew, stay calm," Yun Mu took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

She tried her best to ignore the faint sense of being watched from all around, saying: "Plague Mad Crocodile, use Tail Whip twice, attack the Small Limpers at positions one and two!"

Although she said it was useless, she had actually equipped the 【Blood Shackles】 to the Plague Mad Crocodile.

After adding a 35% Stun probability, the Stun probability of Tail Whip became 170%.

And the Small Limper's Tenacity is 12, which means there is a 50% probability of stunning it.

One Tail Whip is 50%, two is one hundred percent, alright! Stun them for me!

"Roar!" The Plague Mad Crocodile let out a Howl, lifted its thick limbs, and crawled toward the Limper at position one.

Then it lashed out violently! 【Tail Whip!】

【-40!】

【-88!】 (Crit!) 【Stun!】

Do it again! 【Tail Whip!】

【-88!】 (Critical Hit!) 【Stun!】

【-88!】 (Critical Hit!) Three critical hits!

The small Lame Walker at position two was killed outright by the Tail Whip, while the small Lame Walker at position one is in a Stun state! And after the action ended, the words 【Corrosion】 and 【Bleeding】 popped up above the Plague Mad Crocodile's head again.

The price of acting twice in one round is having to endure two DoT effects in a row, but as far as the result goes, well done Plague Mad Crocodile! Yun Mu felt a boost in spirits after seeing the battle results.

【Stress -5】 (Yun Mu)

【Stress -8】 (Plague Mad Crocodile)

【Lilia Lucy begins her action!】

【Corrosion!】 *2 【-10!】 *2 【Poisoning!】 (Liliya) 【-10!】

"Lucy, use 【Blood Melody】 to mark the Lame Walker. As for Liliya..."

Pausing for a brief moment, Yun Mu looked at the DoT damage popping up on the Game Panel and continued, "Liliya, use Forest Shelter to restore health."

The enemy's DoT damage is a bit fierce.

Corrosion, Bleeding, Poisoning... If all three effects are gathered on one person, that's 30 points of health deducted every time they act.

What's even more fatal is that these DoT effects can stack; it is entirely possible to be afflicted with two Bleeding or two Corrosion effects at the same time.

The only good news is probably that these negative effects only last for three rounds at most.

But then again, three rounds isn't exactly short, is it? Not to mention the enemy can continuously refresh the effects.

Must finish the battle quickly!

And Lucy's 【Blood Melody】 mark can increase the damage the target takes by twenty percent, as well as increase critical hit rate by five percent.

As for the detonation effect that only triggers after three rounds... forget about it.

I'm afraid the battle will be over before the effect even triggers.

【Blood Magic: Blood Melody!】

【-2】

Lucy raised her hand to strike a mark onto the Lame Walker's body, dealing a staggering two points of damage.

Damn it, the defense is truly high. Even though Blood Melody's damage modifier is only twenty percent, adding the thirty-five percent damage increase from the Civilization Path and the fifteen points of armor penetration from the Crocodile Tooth Necklace, it's still a bit too ridiculous to only deal this much damage!

Which bastard filled in these values with their feet!?

【Forest Blessing!】

【+14!】

Liliya tilted her head and hummed softly, and a phantom of a vibrant, lush forest floated behind everyone.

And accompanied by the emerald green healing text, a shield with a value equal to the restored health enveloped everyone.

With this, the actions for the first round have all concluded.

【Current Battle Round: 2】

【Player Yun Mu begins her action!】

Finally, the action bar reached Yun Mu's position again.

And she intends to use a move, a move very suitable for dealing with enemies with high health.

The active skill of 【Atlas Painting】.

【Rolling Boulder!】

【Summon a giant stone ball to fall from the sky; the marked enemy cannot dodge and must catch the stone ball with their back.】

【The stone ball will deal extra damage to the enemy equal to the user's Spell Strength + 35% of the target's current health.】

A giant carrying a round, rolling stone walked out from the Painted World. He looked down at the Lame Walker below with a solemn expression.

The next second, the giant boulder fell from his back.

And the Lame Walker could not dodge, forced to struggle to catch the boulder falling from the sky with its back.

Boom!!

【-401!】

The damage of Rolling Boulder is quite astonishing, paired with the Civilization Path and the damage-increasing effect of 【Blood Magic: Blood Melody】.

It actually emptied the Lame Walker's health bar directly.

And after its health reached zero, the Lame Walker opened its large mouth.

"Ahhhhhhh—"

A sound impossible to describe in words, as if it were something that should not exist in this world, pierced the eardrums and echoed crazily inside everyone's minds.

For a moment, Yun Mu felt as if her head were about to explode on the spot.

"I ******* *****"

She couldn't help but curse loudly; even after the health bar was emptied, it still had to be disgusting.

Can't it just die cleanly! Fortunately, this sound didn't last very long. Before long, Yun Mu saw the settlement screen, which looked like heavenly music.

(End of chapter)