Chapter 409: Isn't It Too Hard to Think of a Title!

The sound of the bellows pumping and the furnace burning rang out together, and as the hammer continuously collided with the red-hot metal on the anvil, all the Dwarves present received the blessing of the Forge and Flame God Liedisi.

"Praise my God!" Laidun led the Dwarves in kneeling before the statue.

"I feel full of confidence now!" After the kneeling ended, Laidun walked up to Yun Mu, his face glowing.

It was clear that after receiving the blessing, his condition had recovered significantly.

The exhaustion previously etched on his face had been swept away.

As for Yun Mu and the others, 【Bloodthirst!】

【Moonlight!】

【Harvest!】

【Indomitable!】

【Purified Blood!】

A full five blessings from the gods.

Whether it was Bloodthirst, which increased damage and added a lifesteal effect, or Moonlight, which could increase Precision Correction and critical hit rate, both could greatly increase damage in battle.

And after defeating enemies, the effect of increasing loot quantity by 12% and having a chance to obtain rare items was even more of a god-tier effect.

You have to know, Yun Mu's level 9 Pickpocketing skill could only increase loot acquisition by 9%!

As for the final Indomitable and Purified Blood, they greatly increased their fault tolerance.

And the effect of Indomitable, which could not only increase defense but also simultaneously enhance attack power and Spell Strength, was simply absurd.

The final Purified Blood effect was also extremely powerful; it restored 2% of one's own health every turn while simultaneously granting immunity to 【Disease】 and 【Poisoning】 effects. This was percentage-based healing, after all.

Added to the 80 points of extra health provided by the Civilization Path, Yun Mu could recover 8 health points every turn!

It was almost equivalent to the effect of Forest Shelter released by Liliya!

After gratefully paying respects to the statue, Yun Mu and the Dwarves continued forward.

Soon, the Elite Challenge area of this Dungeon appeared before them.

【Elite Challenge lv65 (Master)】

Without the option of a fork in the road, Yun Mu stepped into it without hesitation.

They saw that on the only path forward in front of the group, a camp built of wood had appeared.

And inside the camp, a dark gray metal cauldron was stewing delicious meat broth, and behind the broth stood a troll who was incredibly obese but nearly four meters tall.

Its body was covered in fat, and it wore a wide, brown robe that could barely cover its obese frame.

It used its fat, fleshy hand to hold a soup ladle, continuously stirring the food in the soup pot, a faint smile lingering on its face, revealing a mouth of dirty, yellowed, and jagged teeth, with some even missing.

Upon noticing the approach of Yun Mu and the others, an excited smile appeared on the troll's face.

More delicious food had delivered itself to the door.

Roar! It roared loudly to call its companions, and soon, dozens of monsters with equally huge builds walked out of the camp, confronting Yun Mu and the Dwarves.

The next second, the Game Panel notification sounded.

【Battle Start!】

【You have encountered enemies—【Ogre Warrior lv62 (Master)】 【Ogre Champion lv65 (Master)】 【Stewing Cauldron lv60 (Master)】 【Soup-Cooking Ogre lv67 (Master)】】 【Ogre Warrior lv62 (Master) Max HP: 300 Race: Ogre·Demon Attack Power 75, Spell Strength 0, Defense 88, Tenacity 13, Dodge 60, Speed 28, Precision Correction 55, Critical Hit 38% Traits: Skin Hardening, Thick Fat (Striking-type weapon damage -10%), Primary Magic Resistance, Pain Dampening (Probability of receiving critical hits -10%)

Skills: Sweep, Charge, Demonization】 【Ogre Champion lv65 (Master) Max HP: 320 Race: Ogre·Demon Attack Power 80, Spell Strength 4, Defense 90, Tenacity 14, Dodge 65, Speed 30, Precision Correction 60, Critical Hit 40% Traits: Skin Hardening, Thick Fat, Primary Magic Resistance, Pain Dampening, Demonization Skills: Sweep, Charge, Anger Strike, Tree Trunk Slam】 【Stewing Cauldron lv60 (Master) Max HP:???

Race:??? Attack Power 0, Spell Strength 0, Defense 110, Tenacity 25, Dodge 0, Speed 0, Precision Correction 0, Critical Hit 0% Traits: Iron Body, Item (Can ignore speed and act immediately after the 【Soup-Cooking Ogre】 acts)

Skills: Stewing, Heating】 【Soup-Cooking Ogre lv67 (Master) Max HP: 391 Race: Ogre·Demon Attack Power 50, Spell Strength 85, Defense 95, Tenacity 14, Dodge 70, Speed 32, Precision Correction 67, Critical Hit 42% Traits: Skin Hardening, Thick Fat, Primary Magic Resistance, Pain Dampening, Demonization, Elite.

Skills: Wield Soup Ladle, Spray Hot Soup, Culinary Display, Roar.】 【Current Turn Number: 1】

【Due to the effect of the skill 【Quick Eyes and Fast Hands】 from the equipped 【Red Oil Candle】, Brenna acts first.】

As usual, Brenna relied on the effect of 【Quick Preparation】 to summon the mecha 【Princess】 onto the field.

Then she used a skill.

【The time for Judgment has come!】

Cannon fire filled the sky, covering the three hostile Ogres and the iron pot, and bright red damage numbers popped up.

【-172!】 (Critical!) 【-170!】 (Critical!) 【-169!】 (Critical!) 【Dodge!】

The Soup-Cooking Ogre nimbly avoided the Princess's cannon fire and laughed mockingly.

This guy, despite looking so obese, was unexpectedly agile.

However, this was likely just a stroke of good luck; after all, 70 points of Dodge really didn't count for much.

According to speed, it was now Yun Mu's turn to act.

She wanted to try out her newly strengthened equipment skill.

【Player Yun Mu begins to act!】

【Frost Blade Ice Tooth!】

Yun Mu swung the Frost Cold Blade Tooth forward in a sweep, instantly slashing out a pale blue ice blade that covered all enemies in front! Although Frost Blade Ice Tooth was magical damage, the skill was classified as a melee attack.

Therefore, it could benefit from the equipment's passive skill, the effect of 【Frost Cold Blade Tooth】.

Ignore 40% of the enemy's defense and increase melee damage by 25%! 【-615!】 (Critical!) 【-394!】

【-710!】 (Critical!) 【-610!】 (Critical!) Huh? Is this the damage I can deal?

When Yun Mu saw the damage numbers popping up above the enemies' heads, she stood there completely stunned.

Nearly four hundred damage without a critical hit, and over seven hundred after a critical hit! And this was while the enemies' average defense exceeded ninety, and they possessed the dual damage-reduction traits of Skin Hardening and Primary Magic Resistance!

But thinking about it carefully, her side was indeed not bad either.

First was the nearly two hundred and sixty Spell Strength, plus the staff's magic penetration, and the 35% damage increase from the Civilization Path.

Plus the 10% damage increase from the blessing, the 40% defense reduction on the enemies, and the 25% damage increase from the melee skill layered on top of each other—it didn't seem strange to deal damage numbers like this.

If it weren't for the Demonization trait that could restore half of their health, perhaps the battle would already be over.

But then again, if it weren't for the Demonization trait, it probably wouldn't have the demon race tag.

And it wouldn't be taking thirty-five percent increased damage from the Civilization Path.

One can only say: success comes from being a demon, and failure comes from being a demon.

【The Plague Mad Crocodile begins its turn!】

It was the Plague Mad Crocodile's turn, and Yun Mu had just equipped it with the upgraded 【Yearning for Freedom】, so she hesitated not at all to have it use the Tail Whip skill twice in a row.

Unfortunately, the attack range of Tail Whip is only 2, so it couldn't hit the elite Leader standing in the fourth position.

【Tail Whip!】

【-51!】

【-50!】

【Stun!】

【Stun!】【Tail Whip!】

【-51!】

【-50!】

【Stun!】

【Stun!】

Both consecutive Tail Whips stunned the enemies in place, but what Yun Mu hadn't expected was this.

The effect of the passive skill 【Double Stun】 from 【Yearning for Freedom】 actually stopped working after triggering the second stun? Originally, enemies who were stunned shouldn't have their 【Stun Resistance】 increased.

Yet, because both stuns were successful, its stun resistance actually increased!

What kind of strange bug is this?

Or should it be called a trait? After all, the Plague Mad Crocodile's ability to act twice in one turn is an inherent trait, while the skill description in the equipped 【Yearning for Freedom】 says, "When the wearer stuns an enemy for the first time, their stun resistance will no longer increase."

Hmm. I just feel a bit subtle about this.

【Lilia Lucy begins her turn!】

It was Lilia and Lucy's turn, and Yun Mu glanced at the enemies' current HP.

【Ogre Warrior: 48/300】

【Ogre Champion: 60/320】

【Stewing Cauldron:???】

【Soup-Cooking Ogre: 195/391】

The HP of the mobs in the first and second positions doesn't look very high. In that case, let's see if Lucy and Lilia can finish them off directly.

Of course, even if they can't finish them off, it doesn't have any impact.

After all, both of these monsters are currently in a stunned state, and when it reaches their turn, they will skip it directly.

They can't pose a threat at all.

Wait, hold on. That's true, these two monsters can't pose a threat, so why should she attack?

Anyway, once the next turn starts, a single AOE will take them away.

It seems Lucy just needs to use any skill.

Thinking this, Yun Mu said, "Lucy, use the skill Alchemy Synthesis, Lilia, use the skill Forest Shelter!"

"Alchemy Synthesis, got it."

【Alchemy Synthesis!】

Lucy threw an iron ball into the middle of the monsters, and the next second, a large amount of iron shards exploded out from the ball!

【-3!】

【-1!】

【-0!】

【-1!】

【Bleeding】*3 "The ogres' skin is very rough and their fat is thick, making physical strikes difficult to take effect, and their sense of pain is very dull, so they fight without fear of death; even if injured, it hardly affects their combat performance."

"However, their resistance to Bleeding and Corrosion is relatively low," Lucy explained with a light chuckle.

Afterwards, Lilia chanted softly, and the phantom of a dense forest appeared behind everyone.

【+14】

【+16】

【+16】

【+14】

【+15】

Everyone was at full health, so restoring HP naturally had no meaning, but besides healing, Forest Shelter also provides a shield value equal to the amount healed.

This point is still quite useful.

【Soup-Cooking Ogre begins its turn!】

【Culinary Display!】

The Soup-Cooking Ogre stirred the cauldron, then used a ladle to scoop out a bone from the pot that was clearly a human skull.

【Immune!】 (Plague Mad Crocodile)

【Stress +5】 (Yun Mu)

【Stress +8】 (Brenna) 【Stress +2】 (Lucy)

【Immune!】 (Lilia) 【Stewing Cauldron begins its turn!】

【Stewing!】

Suddenly, the Ogre cooking the soup reached out a hand and pulled the Plague Mad Crocodile over from the first position.

Then, it threw it directly into the boiling iron pot.

The moment it touched the boiling hot soup inside the pot, a Scarlet damage number jumped out above the Plague Mad Crocodile's head.

【-85!】

The Stewing skill can ignore defense, dealing damage equal to the Ogre's Spell Strength each turn.

The target being stewed cannot act, and Yun Mu must attack the iron pot to rescue it from the pot.

However, Yun Mu did not feel panicked in the slightest, as it would soon be her and Brenna's turn to act.

【Ogre Warrior begins its turn!】

【Stun!】

【Skip Turn!】

【Ogre Warrior begins its turn!】

【Stun!】

【Skip Turn!】

【Current turn number: 2】

【Player Yun Mu acts first!】

"This is the end."

Yun Mu raised the Frost Cold Blade Tooth, then gently pressed it downward.

【Ice Vein Sweep!】

(End of chapter)