Broken and Ivana were already outside the city gates when he suddenly remembered something important. Ivana was still wearing her casual dress, which was not exactly the ideal attire for a hunting expedition. Should they go back into the city first?
“Ivana, we should head back to the inn to pick up your sword, shield, and armor,” he suggested, causing Ivana to stop and turn to face him.
Ivana giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. She seemed amused by his concern. “I forgot to mention that Mr. Goldrich gave me a ring that can store an entire set of armor and two weapons,” she explained, showing him her left hand. On her index finger, a silver ring adorned with a black cubic ornament sparkled.
The ring was a form of dimensional storage, albeit a limited version. It could store a specific number of items, perfect for her needs. ƒrēewebnovel.com
“Goldrich gave you that? He’s really generous, huh,” Broken remarked, a slight undercurrent of unease coloring his tone. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Goldrich was offering more support to Ivana than he was. Why did that bother him so much?
“Mr. Goldrich is so kind to me,” Ivana added.
But something about it nagged at Broken. Goldrich was a man known for his lecherous tendencies towards women. Could there be an ulterior motive behind his generosity? Why did the thought keep eating at him? Was he actually… jealous?
He glanced back at Ivana, who now looked puzzled, trying to read his expression.
“Broken, is something wrong?” she asked.
“No, it’s nothing. Go ahead and equip your armor, Ivana. We should get going,” he replied, forcing a reassuring smile.
Ivana nodded, and with a small surge of energy, the ring activated. A translucent wave enveloped her, instantly equipping her in a set of heavy armor that made her appear sturdier and battle-ready.
Broken smiled at Ivana once again, her armor set, transforming her image entirely. Then he called for Polly, and the little fox appeared around them, staring up with its big round eyes.
Broken knelt and reached for her, gently stroking her head. “Hi, Polly, how are you?”
“Hello, Polly!” Ivana greeted her cheerfully.
“Master…” Polly answered softly. “I’ve been waiting a long time for you to summon me… Let me stay with you while you’re working on blacksmithing…”
“Yes, of course, next time I’ll summon you… but it might be boring because I’ll be focused on my work while you’re doing nothing. Is that okay with you?”
“Yes… Master… I’m happy just being near you…” Polly said softly.
She then turned to Ivana and twitched her ears. “Ivana… Hello…” she replied gently.
After placing Polly back on the ground, Broken said, “We’re going hunting today, okay?”
The little fox then grew in size, returning to her battle form. Broken climbed on and extended his hand to Ivana, who took it and joined him, sitting behind.
With that, the fox dashed off, running through the outskirts of the city into areas where grass and trees became scarcer as they ventured further away.
“Where do you usually hunt with Booba and Freya?”
“In the desert, we hunt scorpions, worms, and the like… do you want to hunt there too, Broken?”
“What’s the average level of those monsters?”
“The monsters there are about level 120-150,” Ivana replied from behind. “What level of monsters are you looking to hunt? I can take you to places with higher-level monsters.”
His goal was to test the area skills of the Wavebreaker Spear, so monsters around level 120 should be sufficient. However, he preferred a place with a higher monster density, if possible. After some time, Ivana tapped his shoulder, indicating they had reached their hunting ground. In the distance, scorpion monsters could indeed be seen wandering, though their numbers were few since most hid beneath the sand.
“Ivana, do you have any taunt skills or something? I mean, can you pull in 10 to 20 monsters at once to come here?” Broken asked, a bit uncertain if 20 monsters were too many for him to handle. But then he relaxed, knowing that if things got dire, he could always summon everyone, including Gaia, Dendros, and the rest, to deal with the monsters.
Ivana chuckled softly, covering her mouth with her hand. “You’re really eager, aren’t you, Broken? Do you want to kill as many monsters as possible?”
“Can you?” he asked again.
Ivana nodded. “Uh…you’ve never told me your level. Are you sure you can handle so many monsters?” She looked hesitant. “No…no worries, I’ll cast a shield around us so you can attack them from a distance.”
Broken smiled, feeling a bit guilty for keeping so many things hidden from everyone in the game except for Freya, who knew the most about him. “Don’t tell anyone, alright? My level is
107.”
“107?” Ivana looked puzzled. “But…” She seemed about to confirm something but then reconsidered. “Alright…I understand. I won’t tell anyone.”
Ivana drew her sword and shield. She struck the sword against the shield multiple times, causing it to glow with silver energy. Lifting the shield into the air, she announced, “This is Resonant Challenge. It will taunt the nearby monsters to come here. Be prepared, Broken… the number might be more than 20. Are you okay with that?”
“Yes, please… Ivana,” Broken reassured her.
From Ivana’s shield, energy spread in all directions each time she struck it with her sword. A buzzing sound, like that of a distant bell, resonated through the air, making Broken cover his ears, feeling disturbed by the noise.
“What kind of skill is Resonant Challenge? Why does it have such a huge impact? Are you sure it’s just a taunt skill, Ivana?” Broken asked, his voice tinged with concern.
Ivana turned to him and nodded firmly. “Yes, I’m sure.”
Suddenly, the ground seemed to tremble, and roars echoed from all around them. Dust swirled into spirals, and monstrous scorpions erupted from the earth, their shrill cries sounding both angry and distressed as they emerged from the distance.
[Sand Serpent Lv. 125]
[Burrowing Beast Lv. 121]
[Sand Serpent Lv. 127]
[Inferno Scorpion Lv. 137]
[Glass Serpent Lv. 123]
[Inferno Scorpion Lv. 143]
From a distance, Broken could see countless monsters emerging-not just scorpions but also snakes and various other creatures, their numbers swelling into the dozens. Ivana really doesn’t know how to hold back, he thought.
He quickly stepped forward and stood beside her, brandishing The Wavebreaker Spear, its black shaft adorned with blue wave-like patterns that gleamed under the sunlight. “Broken, should I kill some of them first and leave only 20 monsters for you?” Ivana asked, tilting her head and looking at him.
Broken sighed. “You really don’t have any common sense, do you, Ivana?” he replied.
But in truth, Broken wanted to test his full power against such a massive horde to see if he
could handle them all.
“Gaia, please come and lend your strength to me,” he called out.
A green aura emanated from the ring he wore, and the transparent, ethereal form of Gaia
appeared behind
him.
Raising his spear into the air, Broken prepared to unleash his skill as the monsters charged at
him from all directions.
“Ocean’s Wrath!” he shouted, activating his skill.
[Ocean’s Wrath (Active Skill)]
A deafening roar broke the desert’s stillness as a massive wave appeared in front of Broken. It seemed as if reality itself had been ripped apart, releasing the ocean’s rage onto the dry landscape. The wave towered over the sand dunes, rolling forward with unstoppable force. It came crashing down in a frothy cascade, obliterating everything in its path. One by one, monsters were swallowed by the relentless tide and swept away by the impact.
[Sea of Storms (Active Skill)]
Dozens of glowing magic circles appeared in the air around him. Each circle spun quickly,
shining with a blue light. From these magical portals, water spears began to form and solidify in an instant. The spears then shot downward like lightning, raining upon the battlefield in a continuous barrage. Each spear struck its target with pinpoint accuracy, piercing through monsters and ground alike, causing random, devastating impacts.
Broken could see the impact of both the skills he had cast, but noticed that only a few
monsters had died immediately. There were still many that survived. However, he knew they
were weakened.
[Oceanic Blessing (Passive Skill)]
His passive skill enveloped his body in a blue aura, and with that newfound strength, he darted forward, ready to finish off the remaining monsters.