BXBX NOVEL Chapter 122: Return Trip, Metal Maestro
[Stamina is reduced 20% slower for two hours.]
[Flame resistance increased by 200 for one hour.]
[Water resistance increased by 200 for one hour.]
[Bones and Flesh toughness increased by 100 for two hours.]
With newfound motivation and eagerness, the duo set off once again to get stronger.
As they went deeper into the north, killing monsters and collecting various small or big natural resources, the duo didn't realize they arrived near the sea after three hours.
That was also the time when they encountered their first brutal monster in the forest area around the last chains of mountains before the seashore.
The single monster was an ape—two meters tall and bearing a muscular black physique plated with metallic black fur and scale-type coating on its arms and legs.
[Black Iron Ape]
_Level: 103
_Rank: Noble-order.
_Bloodline: Uncommon [Extra stats].
_Stats:
—> Strength: 345 (+75)
—> Agility: 328 (+70)
—> Health: 329 (+60)
—> Stamina: 342 (+60)
—> Magic: 338 (+60)
—> Mana: [1500/1500]
The high stats of the monster, paired with its physical-type skills, put Erix and Rin in trouble while they battled it with their all.
Both of them were ferociously and relentlessly attacking the monster, but its powerful and explosive fighting style allowed it to deflect their attacks with its metal-scaled arms and even counter-attack swiftly.
The monkey was a martial artist in its own style and even helped Rin and Erix learn something, though both of them lost around 50 vitality while battling and injuring it.
But unfortunately for the ape, Rin's lightning proved to be a fatal weakness.
The metallic body of the ape indicated that it was a metal-attributed monster, so although Rin and Erix were beaten initially in exchange for attacks, Rin's relentless lightning attacks accumulated too much electricity in the ape's body, which Rin triggered with her lightning mastery after piercing her katana in its eyes and caused a thunder explosion.
After killing the ape, both of them reached level 94, and their stats finally maxed out, reaching 300 in all!
"I am blanked out again," Erix said, frowning. "It's the curse."
He stopped moving and paused his metal board ride in the air.
Erix had used Babin Maw Hook a few times in their journey since that mysterious lady told him to use it, and the curse was also triggered.
"You used it only five times, but the curse still triggered?" Rin frowned. "You used it over ten times before the curse triggered the last time, right?"
But Rin remembered the curse's effect and ruefully smiled.
She held Erix's hand and put it over her shoulder before flying towards one of the small mountains facing the sea with her self-created Lightning Wings that were fully lightning energy-based and cost 20 mana to form and then 1 mana per five seconds to maintain it.
'The view is good,' Rin thought as she looked at the sea from afar. 'Hmmm, we'll take a break there and return, so we'll be back at the mountain pass right as dusk ends.'
While flying, Erix suddenly said, "Rin, this strange isolation I am feeling is mysterious. Why does it feel so natural? So strange…"
Erix was lost in his own world, and Rin didn't respond since Erix wouldn't hear anything even if she talked.
Inside the isolated world, his soul was trapped; Erix was trying to feel the world and its structure as he felt increasingly amazed. But he didn't know when two minutes passed as all senses returned to him at once and shattered the oblivion space world.
Erix released a sigh.
"Welcome back. It seems that the curse is indeed useful to you somehow," Rin smiled. "You were mumbling just about that all the time."
"It is," Erix wryly smiled. "So much that I want to get cursed again as soon as possible and learn more about it."
"Then get cursed. We still have plenty of time."
Erix laughed.
"Alright, honey. Hold on to me tightly."
Erix took out the Babin Maw Hook in his left hand while his right hand used Rin's shoulder as support and tightened its hold to grab Rin.
A second later, he threw the hook to the maximum range as it stuck to the space a hundred meters away, and then Erix and Rin were pulled towards it as Erix willed to shrink the strange rope.
After using the hook five more times, Erix put it away and waited five minutes before he suddenly got cursed again.
He spent another two minutes in the strange isolation after losing all of his senses except for the sense of touch and feeling a mysterious sensation in the isolation.
"Ugh, I think this is it for today," Erix frowned after his curse was removed and his senses returned. "My mind is feeling weary, so I should stop. We must be in perfect condition for the highest chance of completing the task."
"Mhm, if it's tiring your mind, the more you get cursed, then you've had enough today," Rin nodded. "Now, let's eat something on this mountain and return."
…
Rin and Erix flew leisurely but speedily on their way back trip while occasionally killing higher-level monsters.
When they encountered a few ores on a mountaintop, Erix and Rin decided to stop and harvest them.
"Erix, we haven't encountered Ore material like this," Rin curiously walked towards the meter-long Ore pieces blooming out of the ground in the shape of a multi-crystal amalgamation.
"It's a rare Tier-2 resource called Blue Timble metal ore," Erix was surprised. 'Might as well check it out.'
Erix got closer and touched the Ore before closing his eyes and observing its structure.
'What am I lacking as the last hurdle to reach the next realm of Metal affinity?'
'Metal…an element that takes the form of different solid objects, each one different than the other.'
'There are tons of metals developed from natural reactions and also with other things like Blood Stone ore and this Blue Timble ore…'
'This one's internal foundation structure is also different…'
'Foundation structure…' Erix broke down the structure of this metal ore, and when the other metals' foundational structures involuntarily overlapped with this one in his mind, he suddenly felt a flash of lightning clearing the dark clouds obstructing him.
The Blue Tingle Metal ore that Erix touched suddenly dissolved into a stream of metal motes and danced around his hand!
[ Congratulations. You have reached the Sigma realm of Metal affinity, Metal Maestro ]