Chapter 388: Ice Soul Steel (2/2)
Ding~!
System Notice: You have entered the map “Ice Soul Cave”!
……
I patted my knees a little and looked around. Did I accidentally stumble into the right location after all?
It sure looked like it. The minimap showed a complex underground maze, and not far away from me I spotted a three-meter tall giant lumbering across an icy corridor. Its skin somehow looked like rock and ice at the same time, and every time it moved the ground quaked a little in response. Its stats appeared when the giant got close enough to me—
Ice Soul Giant (Shadow)
Level: 130
Attack: 1380~1550
Defense: 1600
HP: 80000
Skills: Crush, Desperate Gambit, Ice Stone Skin
Introduction: Ice Soul Cave lies in Cold Ice Canyon, one of the coldest and darkest places in the entire continent. Ice Soul Cave is filled with violent energy, and its inhabitants, the Ice Soul Giants, are blinded by hatred after being led down a dark path by the forces of evil. They view all living beings as their mortal enemies, and they swore to destroy all the races so that they and the undead are the only ones left to rule the world.
……
I couldn’t help but gasp when I saw the mob’s stats. Its Attack was powerful enough, but its Defense was even higher than that! Sitting at 1600 Defense, it was tougher than even the toughest magic knight in the game right now. Even Gui Guzi—not including the Spirit-grade shield he recently got since he had yet to reach Level 105—only had around 1400 Defense.
Well, this was the mob I had come all the way there to kill, so it was time for action! Since it was a Level 130 shadow-rank mob, both its drop rate and experience yield should be pretty good!
I locked onto the Ice Soul Giant and activated Charge!
Whoosh!
I hit the mob like a lightning bolt. I was only as tall as the Ice Soul Giant’s armpit, but that didn’t stop me from dropping my combo on its stomach. The mob shuddered again and again as the Heaven-stealing Sword ripped into its body. It was the natural result since I had activated Martial God!
Bang bang bang!
2984!
3792!
2011!
……
Ice Ray dealt almost 3000 damage, and Desperate Gambit, almost 3800 damage. My basic attack did only 2000 damage though.
“Roar roar!”
Roaring like furious thunder, the Ice Soul Giant raised its legs and tried to squash me beneath its feet. It was Crush, the skill that ignored 20% of the target’s Defense. The good news was that it was only as strong as a basic attack!
1844!
Ow! I took two steps backward and summoned the Sky Obsidian Greedy Wolf to assist me. Then, I charged the mob again and swung my weapon at its torso repeatedly, deleting almost 5000 HP from its health bar and leeching over 700 HP.
The battle lasted only 30 seconds or so, but it was a fierce battle. Despite dodging and parrying most of its attacks, it was still powerful enough to delete around 100% of my HP. This was where Regeneration of the Undead came in handy. At Rank 10 I recovered 2% health per second, meaning that I recovered exactly 60% health in 30 seconds, not to mention I also had Tenacity of the Dead and a ton of HP potions. Cost-wise, it looked like I had to use one Rank 7 Health Potion per every Ice Soul Giant I killed!
I checked my bag and saw exactly 50 stacks or 5000 Rank 7 Health Potions, more than enough to last me a very, very long time. Moreover, the Heaven-stealing Sword had lifesteal and very high durability, so I could grind even longer before I had to return to restock and repair my equipment. A protracted battle definitely wasn’t out of the question!
Boom!
I unleashed Thousand Ice Slash and killed my first Ice Soul Giant. Unfortunately, the mob didn’t give me anything besides a thicker chunk of experience than usual.
Goddammit. Next!
……
I was a tenacious and patient bastard, so I had no problem grinding mobs alone for a very, very long time. In battle, I did my best to avoid getting hit by the Ice Soul Giant by dodging or blocking via my pet. I didn’t want to be forced to return to the city because I ran out of equipment durability, not to mention that the Level 107 Sky Obsidian Greedy Wolf’s HP regeneration was as powerful as mine. It would be a waste not to use it as a meatshield!
However, I didn’t get a single piece of Ice Soul Steel despite grinding for nearly an hour. I must’ve killed at least fifty—maybe even a hundred—Ice Soul Giants already, but I still couldn’t find what I was looking for. At this point, I was starting to think that the Ice Soul Giants couldn’t drop Ice Soul Steel. Even Death Plunder hadn’t given me any pleasant surprises thus far.
Or maybe I was being too hasty. When I walked to a freshly killed Ice Soul Giant and used Death Plunder as usual, I was rewarded with a melodious ding—
Ding~!
System Notice: Congratulations, you have found “Ice Soul Steel” x1!
……
Fuck! Finally, I found my first Ice Soul Steel after all that hard work!