The shell was hard, and whenever it was attacked, it would retract and hide. But was there an exposed weak spot?
Looking at the Treasure Chest Monster a dozen meters away and the ground, Gauss had an idea.
Using the Communication Technique, he instructed Aaliyah to move away in advance.
Gauss launched a salvo of three Magic Missiles, forcing the Treasure Chest Monster to retreat into its shell. Taking advantage of the time, he retrieved fire oil from his Storage Pouch and poured it onto the ground.
Once everything was set, he continued to withdraw.
The Treasure Chest Monster, unsuspecting, continued to move closer from afar.
"Splash!"
As it slid over the oil-soaked ground, it seemed slightly affected, gliding forward an extra dozen centimeters. However, due to its numerous tiny appendages, it quickly regained its balance.
But Gauss didn’t pour the oil just to achieve an "Oil Slick" effect.
In the brief moment when the Treasure Chest Monster slipped and regained its stance, he had already rushed forward a distance.
Meanwhile, he held the White Bone Staff prepared in both hands.
Then, channeling Magic Power through his whole body,
He suddenly thrust out his hands!
"Burning Hand!"
A massive fan-shaped flame fanned out explosively from between his hands.
"Boom!"
The immense flames, fueled by the fire oil, roared fiercely, even with the oppressive feel of the surroundings dampening them somewhat.
"Buzz!!!"
The nearly two-meter-high flames surged up in an instant, enveloping the entire Treasure Chest Monster.
Normally, with the Treasure Chest Monster’s Protective shell, in its retracted state, it wouldn’t fear fire.
But the fire oil had already seeped through the appendages under its box into the body, and beneath the box, if Gauss was correct, lay one of its weak spots.
Sure enough.
Soon, a strange aroma of grilled meat began to waft from within the flames.
"Oh ugh!!!"
Strange cries emanated continuously from the dull box.
The Treasure Chest Monster, engulfed in flames, leapt out, bouncing around wildly, but Gauss followed closely.
"Burning Hand!"
Another wave of fiery sea erupted from the Treasure Chest Monster!
At the same time, Gauss released a Wind Trick, intensifying the flames on and around it by fanning them.
Amid the enticing aroma, the bouncing Treasure Chest Monster finally stopped moving after a few jumps.
All that was left was a charred black shell.
Having not yet seen a prompt from the Monster Atlas, Gauss, out of caution, cast another Burning Hand.
After confirming it with another round of flames, the box quivered a few last times.
"Elite Demon Treasure Chest Monster *1 defeated"
Finally, a prompt appeared.
Indeed, the Treasure Chest Monster had probably still been alive, waiting to get close to bite him.
But it never expected Gauss to have a way to determine whether it was truly dead or not.
With the defeat of the Treasure Chest Monster, the fourth Elite Demon entry in the Monster Atlas lit up.
"Elite Path Stage 2: Defeat 5 types of Elite Demons (4/5), Reward: Randomly extract one Elite Demon Racial Talent."
"Acquired title [Treasure Chest Monster Hunter], this title upgrades with the number of kills."
"Current Effect: Piercing. In battles against Treasure Chest Monsters, your attacks have a chance to penetrate, effectively striking the enemy within the shell."
The text shimmered.
Gauss read it all carefully.
So far, he had defeated Mantis People, half-ogre, golems, and the Treasure Chest Monster, four types of Elite Demons.
Just one more monster to go for the talent extraction.
Could it be that on his first dungeon journey, he would successfully complete his goal, earn profits, and accumulate 5 elite entries?
Gauss took a deep breath.
Mantis People, half-ogre, golems, and Treasure Chest Monster - what talents could he draw?
Theoretically, he should carefully choose five demons and restrict the range of extraction, but in reality, he didn’t have that luxury.
Adding in the randomness of the draw and the varying talents from different entities, even seemingly powerful demons had many impractical talents, so there was no point in being overly deliberate.
As he killed more monsters of various kinds, he gradually became more familiar with the Adventurer’s Handbook.
Moreover, the title effect from defeating the Treasure Chest Monster was quite good.
Piercing, was a very targeted ability. If he encountered it again, it would be easier to deal with, even without fire attacks.
Thinking this,
He controlled the Mage’s Hand to open the treasure chest.
A rich, peculiar aroma immediately rushed out as it opened.
Curiously, Gauss peered inside.
There lay a large, red roasted tongue, quietly resting within the chest.
"Is it cooked?"
On the other side, Aaliyah and Ulfen had swiftly dealt with the lesser monsters.
Ulfen raised his head, his gray nose twitching until his gaze locked onto the box before Gauss.
Were they cooking?
"Grumble!!"
Gauss’s stomach rumbled with hunger.
He drew the Fine Steel Longsword, piercing the Treasure Chest Monster’s large, shrunken tongue that had shriveled considerably from the roasting.
Its steaming internal body was hoisted out.
Gauss took out an iron pot and placed the roasted Treasure Chest Monster in it.
"Can this be eaten?"
He was somewhat skeptical, though it smelled rather appetizing.
The Treasure Chest Monster before him, after several rounds of intense and rapid "oven-roasting," retained more juices than traditional grilling, and from the feel of the sword piercing it earlier, it seemed quite elastic.
Yet Gauss was still uncertain.
Having seen the corrosive mucus permeating its tongue earlier, he wondered if it might smell fine but be toxic to eat.
Gauss took out the "Jade Forest Ingredients Compendium" and flipped through the index.
The book was so thick, he hadn’t read every page.
He found the page number for the special category of Treasure Chest Monster.
[Treasure Chest Monster]
Mimic-type shell creatures often disguise as treasure chests to trap prey.
The tongue comprises 60% of its weight, tastes delicious, with tender, thick flesh akin to a bovine tongue, and is edible, but requires high temperatures to remove the surface layer to avoid ingesting mucus. Detailed processing methods follow below.
The tongue root, a composite cluster of the brain, ganglia, and heart pump, is inedible.
The shell, lined with half-digested matter, is inedible. Once cleaned, it can be repurposed as a sturdy storage box.
...
Could it really be edible?
Gauss swallowed hard.
Level 2 demon, after all.
He had never tasted Elite Demon before.
In the past, he only cooked lesser monsters.
Judging by the description in the recipe, it seemed delectable, with tender meat. The previous pages on Rust Frogs and Frost Snakes didn’t have these emboldened descriptions.
Inside, his Energy Storage Glands seemed to stir, urging him to consume the demon meat before him, recognizing it as beneficial.
Such impatience...