"Boom!!"
Dust filled the air.
Gauss and Aaliyah dodged quickly.
They were not hit by the attack.
In that fleeting moment, Gauss already saw clearly the true form of their attacker.
Mud Monster.
A type of creature akin to a Slime, a distant relative of the Gray Mud Monster.
However, it is stronger than ordinary Slimes and Gray Mud Monsters. It is a type of Elite Demon, recorded in books with a fluctuating challenge level of 1-3.
This monster is composed of sludge, earth, rocks, decomposed matter, and even animal remains. As long as the core is not destroyed, it can continuously absorb material from the earth to repair its body, making it one of the most avoided opponents by adventurers.
"It’s a Mud Monster, an Elite Demon, be careful."
Gauss conveyed the information he obtained to Aaliyah.
Upon knowing it’s an Elite Demon, Aaliyah’s expression turned serious, and she quickly focused.
The danger level of Elite Demons is incomparable to bottom-tier monsters. Even experienced adventurers need to approach with caution.
Outside the window, Raven Aik made a piercing noise, accompanied by the Mud Monster’s dull roar.
Clearly, the raven soaring in the air was attracting the Mud Monster’s attention, buying time for the two inside the building.
"Let’s go out first." Gauss decided immediately.
This ruined building had been around for who knows how many years, and its condition was questionable. Facing the Mud Monster’s attack, it wouldn’t offer shelter and might even collapse, putting the two at risk of being buried alive.
"Okay."
Aaliyah flipped onto Gray Wolf Ulfen.
The two quickly retreated from the rear of the building.
"Fight or run?" Aaliyah asked.
Theoretically, the probability of encountering an Elite Demon on the first underground maze level is relatively low.
Luckily, the two reacted quickly. If they were ordinary bottom adventurers, they might have been killed by the Mud Monster’s first wave of attack.
"Should we try fighting it?" Gauss didn’t feel an overwhelming threat from their opponent.
However, considering the destructive power of the attack just now, its strength indeed wasn’t too low, overall seeming to be a fairly matched opponent.
He currently only had collected illustrations of Mantis People and half-ogre types for elite-tier creatures, lacking three more for his second stage elite path target.
If possible, he didn’t want to miss out on this Mud Monster.
Gauss looked into the distance.
He saw a humanoid mud monster completely brown, its body visibly mixed with various unknown substances.
Sewage and mud, weeds and branches, occasionally a few bones of unknown creatures could be seen among the filth.
The form was round and bloated, its lower limbs short and thick, approximately four to five meters in height.
Against this opponent, Raven was flying far away, giving the Mud Monster no chance to attack it.
It shouldn’t be a level 3 demon...
Gauss thought to himself.
Firstly, it didn’t match the maze’s monster distribution rules, and secondly, the sense of threat wasn’t overwhelming.
It’s either level 1 or level 2, most likely the latter, but Gauss couldn’t be certain.
Because in an encounter, determining a monster’s challenge level is often ambiguous.
Not to mention the combat power detectors often present in past life films that can precisely quantify enemy power values; even defining level strength is hard to nail down.
Same-level demons vary in strength.
Their physical condition, whether wounded, equipped weapons status, whether they can play to their strengths against different opponents, and whether weaknesses are well hidden...all significantly affect outcomes.
So before truly battling, it’s hard to say if you can beat it, unless there’s a significant level difference between the sides.
"Be careful." Gauss reminded Aaliyah.
"Got it."
Aaliyah, riding the wolf, dared not casually dismount; the Mud Monster had long-range capabilities.
In general, facing opponents adept both near and far requires extra caution, because even at a distance, there’s a chance to be affected by the target’s attack.
And her movement speed was far less nimble than Gauss’s. Thankfully, while Ulfen wasn’t suitable for long distances, its short-range explosive power and speed were quite good.
Raven Aik returned to Aaliyah’s side.
The Mud Monster, having lost sight of its target, refocused its attention on the two of them.
"Hmm!!!"
The Mud Monster emitted a low growl, stomping its massive foot on the ground, causing a slight tremor.
Gauss keenly noticed the earth around behaving like a living thing, flowing up its ankle, quickly replenishing the body lost due to its throwing attack.
"So, attacking its body no matter the damage is meaningless." Gauss saw this scene, his pupils slightly twitching.
Or rather, it has no body, only a core that exists.
Unless you peel away or break the thick material layer surrounding the Mud Monster’s core, it can recover swiftly even if heavily damaged and broken.
Such a troublesome talent...
Seeing the Mud Monster raise its hand again, Gauss quickly activated [Enhanced Jump].
Profession tier reaching level 2, with direct strength connections to physical attributes, both agility and constitution broke 8, combined with the [Crawling Species] talent’s hidden bonus, dodging attacks over a close twenty-meter distance was not hard.
"Bang!!"
The mud-stone projectile fell, leaving a deep pit on the ground, with debris scattering like shrapnel.
"Boom!"
The unavoidable debris hit Gauss, immediately triggering a layer of constantly rippling pale blue barrier on his body.
a bit heavy...
Gauss’s Force Field completely blocked those seemingly insignificant yet truly dangerous debris.
Don’t underestimate this seemingly trivial attack. If it hits the head, and an adventurer lacks the appropriate protection, ordinary professions such as casters may instantly perish on the spot under bad luck.
This is why Gauss values protective skills so much. While it may not help him speed up leveling, it can at least minimize unforeseen random crises.
Gauss took out his White Bone Staff from the Storage Pouch.
He had already swapped the secondary core for Magic Missile before setting out.
Burning Hand and Magic Missile each have their pros and cons; Burning Hand is good for clearing small monsters, while Magic Missile performs better against stronger individuals.
And in opposition to the Mud Monster across, it likely isn’t afraid of fire; its external "body" can be replaced at any time and isn’t flammable.
Melee is also ineffective, even if a Longsword is fully plunged inside, it only reaches a meter - he doubts whether he can even contact the bloated Mud Monster’s core.
Magic Power surged within Gauss.
Magic Envoy’s level elevating from 1st to 2nd increased the Magic Cup’s strength, accelerating Magic Power mobilization speed.
Especially when using 1st-level Spells, the velocity was a tier faster than before leveling.
Three blue light spheres rapidly formed in front of Gauss and shot out!
"Boom!"
Just as the Mud Monster finished its attack, Gauss retaliated instantly.
Magic Missiles sliced through the air, trailing a vivid blue tail, heavily striking the Mud Monster’s body.