Chapter 93: The Monastery
Poison Creeper (Elite Evolution): A persistent belief, an intense craving for Strength, coupled with years of accumulated combat, evolving from the lowest level Poison Creeper into an Advanced Creature. All abilities increase by 50%, Poison Immunity, Poison Attack Duration doubled, all Resistance additionally increased. Bind: Has a certain Chance to Bind the Opponent when attacking. The Chance and Duration of the Bind are related to the Enemy's Strength or weakness. Devour: Has a certain probability of swallowing the Opponent when attacking, with an Instant Death Effect. Recovers a certain amount of Life after Devouring. The probability of Devouring is related to the Enemy's size and Strength.
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Among the Druid's Summoning Skills, for every 10 Levels gained, Summoned Creatures undergo a relatively ordinary upgrade, with greater improvements in Transformation. At Level 10, the Summoned Creature's Stats will increase significantly. At Level X, not only do the Stats increase greatly, but they can even gain an overpowered Skill. This can be considered God's compensation for Druid Summoning, given that Necromancers, also of the Summoning branch, can possess the powerful tactics of a Sea of Skeletons. Regarding this point, every Druid knows it, so Cain, and the book he gave me, didn't mention it. It wasn't until I met Yihana, and accidentally heard her mention it in passing during our exchange, that I gradually came to understand that the Druid's Summoning Skill actually hid such an ability.
To be honest, after learning about this ability from Yihana, I was very hesitant. Poison Creeper is only a First Tier Skill after all. Compared to other Advanced Summoning Skills, even if it could mutate, it had inherent shortcomings. This became very obvious after the Tier 2 Ghost Wolf appeared. After the Ghost Wolf appeared, its role in the Party immediately shifted from main attacker to auxiliary attack. For Minor Boss Level Monsters, it also struggled, especially after Light Snow appeared. Its inherent Stats defects were even more clearly exposed.
On the other hand, Poison Creeper is a Summoned Pet that has accompanied me from the very beginning, and I have extremely deep feelings for it. As my first Pet, it also has its simple pride. But with the appearance of the Ghost Wolf, it may have already discovered that its Footsteps are gradually failing to keep up with the Party. Facing even more Powerful Boss-level Monsters, it could only serve as a distraction. Especially Light Snow 's evolution brought it greater Pressure. I could even often sense from within its strong craving for Strength. But after all, it's only a First Tier Summoned Creature, limited by inherent restrictions. It, having only mutated, how could it possibly compare to the Elite Level Tier 2 Ghost Wolf Light Snow ? So in the end, it could only weakly team up with Lazy Crow to enhance its role in the Party.
Emotionally speaking, I seemed like I should give Poison Creeper a hand and raise the Summon Poison Creeper Skill Level a bit, so it could also become more Powerful. But Poison Creeper is only a First Tier Skill after all. Merely mutated, if it wants to be effective in the later stages as well, even if the Skill Level is raised to 10, completing the first stage of improvement, it's still not enough. Unless it can be raised to the required level to undergo the second stage of Transformation, only then might it be comparable to Level 8 Skill Light Snow in the later stages.
But Reason told me that even at max Level, wearing Unique Items all over my Body, there are only just over 100 Skill Points. But there are 30 Skills. Allocating so many Skill Points to the First Tier Poison Creeper is undoubtedly a very unwise action.
Between Feelings and Reason, I hesitated for a long time. Until today, when Poison Creeper mutated and Leveled Up, and those past scenes clearly reappeared in my mind, I gritted my teeth—Damn it. Who cares about Reason? I only know that Poison Creeper is a combat Companion that has accompanied me from the very beginning. Although its Appearance is ugly and its intelligence is low, if I were to say which of these Summoned Creatures is most loyal to me, without a doubt, I would choose Poison Creeper. Could I just abandon it like this and then one day in the future be slaughtered by other Monsters?
Finally, Feelings triumphed over Reason. I tried raising the Summon Poison Creeper Skill Level to 10. This way, it could undergo the first stage of improvement.
However, Poison Creeper was more proud than I imagined, and also more determined. Originally, the first stage of improvement could only increase some Stats, which was still not enough for it, unless it could increase its own inherent Quality. So, by increasing its Mutation Level, the Skill Level for the first stage of improvement was reached. Most importantly, the inner craving for Strength, under the stimulation of three opportunities, finally successfully transformed from quantitative change to qualitative change, ultimately evolving into the Elite Poison Creeper, becoming an Elite Level Summoned Creature whose Potential is not inferior to Light Snow 's.
Looking at Poison... no, it should now be called Poison Creeper's Stats panel, I was genuinely happy for it. At the same time, I was also extremely excited about gaining another great helper. From now on, Poison Creeper will once again become the main force in the Party. Even when facing those Monsters with extremely high Defense, its effect is even greater than Light Snow and the others combined.
Regarding Poison Creeper's series of changes, I noted it internally, but I wasn't in a hurry to raise Summon Dire Wolf to Level 10 as well. I'll wait until Xiao Er and the others mutate before deciding. Maybe there will be another surprise then.
In the following few days, I truly witnessed Poison Creeper's overpowered aspects. Without a doubt, if the Opponent doesn't have Poison Resistance, Poison Creeper is definitely the one with the highest Attack Damage output in the Party. Even Light Snow 's Giant Claw Tear cannot compare to its terrifying Poison Damage. I won't say much about the Bind Skill. What's worth mentioning is Devour. To be honest, from the current stage, the visual effect is much greater than the practical effect. Don't look at how Poison Creeper is currently only as thick as a calf, but its Body has great flexibility, like a snake. As long as its mouth can accommodate it, there's a certain probability of it being swallowed alive. But ultimately, it's also limited by size. There's a limit to how wide its mouth can open, right? Currently, it can at most Devour smaller Monsters like Shaman, Spiked Beast, etc. As for Skeletons, Dark Stalkers, etc., it's still too difficult. As for the Devour process, you can imagine it. Just like an Animal floating on the water surface, suddenly a Large Mouth rushes out from under the water, swallowing it whole, and then quickly sinks. The entire process only takes a few short seconds. If my Guts hadn't been tempered to the point of being somewhat numb during this time, I would definitely have been scared stiff by such a cruel sight. Sigh...
After continuing to wander in Tamoe Highland for half a month, there was still no News of Lars and the others. Instead, the outline of the Monastery also gradually appeared on the horizon.
Why do I say on the horizon? It's hard to imagine the scene when I first saw its outline. That Feeling was just like the shock I felt when I first saw Rogue Encampment.
But Rogue Encampment was always just built on a plain, and its Wall was only built from some wooden frames. While the Monastery is built on a naturally formed high ground, much higher than the Tamoe Highland where I'm currently standing. Even the surroundings are already filled with a layer of faint mist, as if standing in a fairyland. Compared to it, that Castle in Black Moor can barely be considered a Parvenu.
After giving up on searching for Lars and the others, I headed towards the direction of the Monastery, walking for several days, and finally arrived at the foot of the Monastery. In Front was a narrow stone Stairs about ten meters wide. Walking up from the Stairs, it connects all the way to the Monastery entrance high above. Standing below, immediately a majestic Presence came rushing forward, making all who came feel awe.
At this time, the Stairs above were already occupied by Monsters in twos and threes. I Command/Direct Light Snow and the others to clear these obstacles. The eyes under my Hat were indifferently looking at the incomparable Monastery in Front, without even a trace of the admiration and awe that should have been there. What was there was only faint mockery.
The History of the Monastery can be traced back to before the Hell Invasion. At that time, it was the spiritual symbol of the entire Dark Continent. Angels, as the incarnation of God, their Powerful Strength was hailed as a Divine Miracle, and received the worship of most ignorant Life forms. It can be said that that was a Theocracy at that time, and the Archbishop of the Monastery was almost equivalent to the hidden ruler of the entire Dark Continent.
As the saying goes, absolute power breeds absolute corruption. Whether in any era, any world, as long as there is the Existence of Wisdom, this cycle will always occur. Looking at the Monastery today, one can imagine how those Monks who called themselves servants of God at that time scraped Money from the hands of their believers. What's laughable is, the God they believed in, during the Hell Invasion, only sent some Warriors to maintain the situation in a half-hearted manner. Ultimately, what we could rely on was still our own hands. Laughable, laughable.
There were many Monsters on the Stairs, estimated that no one had cleared them for a long time. Even if someone came, I believe there weren't many who could be as arrogant as me and go directly up the Stairs where the Monsters were most concentrated, but would choose other small paths.
A few hours later, I finally stepped past the long Stairs. Standing In Front of me was an Iron Gate over ten meters wide.
Next to the Iron Gate were two smaller doors. Even though it had been occupied by the Hell Clan for over a thousand years, the Pattern on the door was still beautiful. On both sides of the small doors were stone Walls stretching out of sight, extending all the way to the edges of the mist.
The stone Walls were also carved with some magnificent patterns. Looking closely, they were all those so-called Gods posing.
Some with a mighty presence, behind them revealing ten thousand rays of golden Light.
Some with twitching faces, holding a book of divine tricks in their hands, and were teaching their disciples and followers below.
What was even more laughable was, some Angels in a divine state of Operation, their Holy Swords in hand pointing directly at the Sky, stepping on endless Demons below.
But now, right at the Wall base of that picture, a few Shaman were sitting around a Large Pot there, dancing the dance passed down through generations, a strange dance with racial characteristics, which quite resembled a demonic free-for-all.