Zarek smoothly stepped out of the way.
'A big one, huh? A bit troublesome.'
Normally, dealing with this thing one on one would already be a bit of a headache since it was coming from an E-Grade Gambling Hub. The good news was that the first to appear would be the weakest. The bad news was that every subsequent one would be harder, and the fact this one was so powerful already didn't bode well for the others.
Still, the main problem Zarek was facing was actually the battlefield itself. There were definitely still other earthworms lingering around here, and the fact there seemed to be a homogenous colony of them, all seemingly using the same strategy, pointed to the fact there was like an alpha of this pack somewhere.
If Zarek wanted to do this, he would have to keep this battle to a limited range so that he wouldn't be simultaneously dealing with attacks from the front and back.
BANG!
The creature landed, its body like a mass of sticky black held up by four oddly human-like arms. Well, they were mostly human-like except for the fact they were as pitch black as a vat of crude oil and were seemingly three meters long each. The sharp elbows that jetted out into the air almost like spider joints also didn't help the image very much.
—
[Lurker of the Night]
Core Stats:
>[Strength: E-]
>[Dexterity: E]
>[Intelligence: E-]
>[Endurance: E]
>[Charisma: E]
Talents:
>[Lurking Thread: E-]
[Abilities: Deployment]
[Sticky and fast, use it to trap your enemies or increase your agility]
—
Seeing the Talent, Zarek knew exactly what he was waiting on.
He crouched, his hand placing itself on the handle of his machete as he took a breath and then exhaled.
BANG!
The Lurker lunged at the same moment he did, its sticky mass opening a maw to form an oddity that might or might not have been a face of some sort.
It didn't matter.
Zarek cut it down right through the middle.
The Lurker didn't even get a chance to let out a scream before it fell into two halves.
There was no speed stat, but that was because Strength and Dexterity both worked together to form it. Strength measured the comprehensive power of a body, including both the power of muscles and their fast twitch.
Dexterity decided how well that could be deployed.
Endurance decided how long that power could be employed for and recovery from fatigue.
All of these things worked in tandem, so to Zarek, seeing such powerful E-Grade stats didn't deter him, not when he knew exactly how to use his overwhelming Strength to speed blitz a creature that wasn't nearly ready enough for it.
The Lurker sank into the ground and then vanished into puffs of blackness.
Unfortunately, creatures conjured up by Gambling Hubs didn't come with Godsfall Droplets or Crystals to take advantage of. And just as unfortunately, that didn't decrease their power in the slightest.
Zarek walked up to the Hub and took his prize with a grin on his face. He could have aimed for the second safe slot, but he hadn't, because again, this was far more important to him.
—
[You have received: {Lurker's Whip}]
—
It was hard for Zarek to control his smile, and for good reason at that. He quite liked his machetes and guns, but sometimes you just needed something more precise for the job.
—
Title: [Lurker's Whip]
Abilities:
[Lurking Thread: E]
—
Zarek wasn't surprised by the lack of information. The fact he got so much was actually a testament to how powerful his Scouting Skill had become.
Treasures couldn't be deciphered with a Scouting Skill, at least not usually. You would need an Appraisal Skill for that.
It was Zarek's opinion that the system didn't separate them for any logical reason, it just liked making things harder for no reason because it was an asshole.
—
Note:
[If you're feeling inadequate, just say that]
—
Zarek ignored it and pressed the wheel again after attaching the Lurker's Whip to his hip.
…
—
[You have received: {Elite E Class Healing Elixir}]
—
Zarek nodded and slipped it into his pocket.
Healing Elixirs were divided into the same tiers as people were—almost.
The lowest tier of E Class Healing Elixir would just be called that. Above were Master E Class, and then above that were Elite. These denoted who they would function best on. Though you could take a Healing Elixir from a tier lower, the effects wouldn't be as good.
You would need Mutant E Class Healing Elixirs if you wanted to do something like regrow a limb, though.
Though Zarek was technically still in the F Class right now, he would probably need to take an Elixir on this level to heal himself, and Priya was basically in the same boat. So this could come in handy.
"One more."
Zarek pressed down on the wheel again.
Not only was it spinning much faster than before now, but there were also three blackened spots. These black spots were the hidden dangers of the Gambling Hubs.
If you landed on one, you'd not only have to face a more powerful enemy than this Hub would usually produce, but you would get no reward for it.
In some cases, if the Hub was truly sinister, it might even explode.
If it was unkind, it would do this on the first go. But usually, this would only happen if the Hub used up all its energy summoning these powerful creatures.
Zarek had no intention of landing on them anyway.
He pressed his palm down confidently and a portal opened up from above. This time, it wasn't an arm that came at him, but a thread of thick black. Sharp and fast, it was already in front of his chest in a flash.
Zarek was a step late in dodging, not because he wasn't prepared, but because the Hub was truly slimy. He had to be close to press onto it, but that meant if he didn't have far superior speed, there was no way to get out of the way in time.
The thread made him feel like a truck had suddenly slammed into him, but then it latched on, sticking to his body and spreading out black veins.
With a strong tug, Zarek found himself lifted off his feet and toward the manifesting creature.