Chapter 50: The Root Bridge Brawl

Summer narrowed her eyes at the massive creature blocking the other side of the giant root bridge.

The system instantly scanned the looming threat, flashing a vivid blue status window in her vision.

Target Identified!

[Target Status]

Name: Earth-Pillar Armored Beast

Evolution: Elite Mutated Beast (Level 14)

Racial Traits: Terran Plating, Corrupted Might

Class Skill: Tremor Stampede

Level: 14 (0/1400)

HP: 4500

Mana: 120

STR: 42 | AGI: 28 | CONST: 45 | INT: 12

Skill(s): Stone Spike Shatter (Uncommon), Earth Wall (Common)

Summer scanned the floating numbers with an intense gaze.

The beast was an Elite, just like her. However, its overall attributes were significantly higher than her own current stats.

Its physical strength and constitution far surpassed her numbers, making it a truly formidable and dangerous opponent.

[A corrupted monster...]

The system chimed in her head with high excitement. [So this place is a rare mix of a Mana dungeon and a corrupted domain! Girl, you are extremely lucky! Not only can you eat a lot of delicious candies and collect many Elite zombie kills toward your evolution, but you could potentially also collect far better puppets!]

’Mmm.’ Summer hummed softly, evaluating the hulking body of the armored beast. Though she acted unbothered by the system’s words, inwardly she was salivating.

’Candies... a lot of candies!’

’But how can I fight this big guy?’

Its physical stats were simply too high for her to face head-on in a direct brawl. If she got hit by that giant stone horn, her bones would break instantly.

[You still have twenty-eight free attributes left to allocate,] the system reminded her smoothly.

Summer’s eyes brightened instantly at the quick reminder.

She had completely forgotten about the stat points she had accumulated from her rapid level gains earlier.

"Three, block it for a few minutes," Summer instructed aloud in her flat voice.

’EEEk!’

Three rushed out from beneath her collarbone without a single second of hesitation.

The tiny green furry ball expanded its mist body into three illusionary phantom clones in mid-air.

The green mirages darted across the root bridge, circling the giant beast to draw its immediate attention.

The Earth-Pillar Armored Beast let out a furious roar, slamming its heavy front legs into the rough wooden bark.

Sharp stone spikes exploded upward from the ground, shattering through the green illusions one after another.

However, Three was an Elite illusion-type creature itself. It continuously shifted its shadowy forms, creating fresh mirages to trick the beast’s eyes.

The giant monster swung its heavy granite horn wildly, completely trapped in the confusing web of false targets.

Even so, the monster was an Elite after all. Three’s low physical strength meant it could not lock the massive beast down for very long.

Summer did not need Three to lock it down for a long time at all.

Allocating her floating attributes was only going to take a dozen seconds.

Summer opened her status screen with a quick mental command and focused on her stat points.

Her personal fighting style relied heavily on rapid movements, devastating physical strikes, and solid endurance.

She immediately dumped ten free attribute points directly into her Agility.

Next, she dumped ten points into her Strength to make her iron fists much harder.

Finally, she put the remaining eight points straight into her Constitution to boost her durability and health pool.

A surge of hot, dark energy violently exploded from her inner core, rushing through every muscle in her small body.

Her pale skin flushed faintly as her dark crimson veins glowed with immense power.

Her updated panel flickered brightly in her vision.

[Status]

Name: Summer

Evolution: Elite Zombie Girl (1/1000 Elites)

Racial Traits: Undead body, Shadow Mirage

Class Skill: Elite Puppeteer

Level: 15 (0/1500)

HP: 400

Mana: 250

STR: 40 | AGI: 45 | CONST: 40 | INT: 25

Free Attributes: 0

Skill(s): Gravity Compression (Common)

Equipped Gear: Iron Brawler Gauntlets (Common), Swift Strider Boots (Common), Void-Bound Chestplate (Uncommon)

Summer clenched her hands firmly into tight fists, feeling the immense physical power surging within her limbs.

Her Agility had reached an incredible forty-five points, while her Strength and Constitution were both sitting at forty.

The process had taken less than ten seconds in total.

On the bridge, the Earth-Pillar Armored Beast finally shattered the last illusion with a massive wave of crushing earth aura.

It locked its glowing red eyes onto Summer’s small standing frame, letting out a loud growl of pure hatred.

Three flew back at top speed, tucking itself safely behind Summer’s ear to rest its drained mana.

"Good job, Three," Summer praised softly. Three was so happy to hear her praise that it showered her with soft kisses. Summer giggled, ignoring the monster.

It became more agitated seeing her leisurely appearance.

"Graaahhhh.."

The giant armored beast lowered its granite horn and charged forward like a runaway mountain.

The wooden root bridge trembled violently under the heavy pounding of its six razor-clawed feet.

Dense brown dust trailed behind its armored body as it reached top speed within a single breath.

Summer did not step back or dodge.

She activated her skill Gravity Compression, releasing a dense wave of gravitational force directly ahead of her.

The heavy gray aura covered a five-meter area, slamming onto the charging beast’s front legs.

The sudden increase in gravitational pull forced the monster’s front knees to buckle downward into the thick wood.

Its rapid charge stumbled violently, its massive momentum throwing its head forward awkwardly.

Summer activated Shadow Mirage, leaving a dark phantom image standing in her original position.

Her real body vanished into a dark blur, reappearing right above the monster’s heavy head.

With forty-five points in Agility, her speed was far too fast for the armored creature to track.

Summer raised her right fist, her Iron Brawler Gauntlets glowing with thick, dark mana.

She poured her raw Strength directly into the downward punch.

BANG!

Her gloved fist smashed directly onto the base of the monster’s granite horn with staggering force.

A loud cracking sound echoed across the canyon as dark stone plates shattered under the heavy impact.

The beast let out a painful roar, its heavy body crashing flat onto the wooden bridge with a loud thud.

However, its high Constitution allowed it to survive the lethal blow.

It whipped its heavy armored tail sideways with terrifying speed, trying to sweep her off her feet.

Summer reacted instantly, jumping straight into the air to dodge the heavy tail sweep effortlessly.

While floating in mid-air, she used her Swift Strider Boots to push off the surrounding air currents.

She flipped backward in the rainy air and landed lightly on the monster’s broad, stone-plated back.

The beast thrashed wildly, spewing a wave of crushing rock spikes into the surrounding air to crush her alive.

Heavy brown earth instantly crept up her legs, trying to lock her boots onto its back armor.

Summer simply snorted, her Undead Physique completely ignoring the heavy pressure.

She raised both of her iron gauntlets high above her head, her dark ruby eyes glowing with cold killer intent.

She activated Gravity Compression once again, concentrating the heavy gravitational force entirely inside her fists.

"Die," Summer said simply.

She slammed both fists downward together onto the exact same cracked spot on the monster’s head.

BOOM!

The combined physical power and compressed gravity exploded outward like a heavy war hammer.

The monster’s hard skull caved in completely under the terrifying strike.

The single granite horn snapped at the root, flying off its forehead and falling onto the wooden bridge.

The Earth-Pillar Armored Beast twitched violently for a brief second before its six legs went completely limp.

Thick, dark corrupted blood flooded out from its shattered head, soaking the moss beneath it.

A series of bright blue notifications instantly flashed in front of Summer’s eyes.

[You have slain a Level 14 Elite Mutated Beast!]

[EXP Gained: 800]

[EXP Progress: 1100 / 1500]

[Evolution Counter Updated: 2 / 1000 Elites Slayed!]

Summer let out a soft breath, her heart beating with faint satisfaction as her evolution meter moved forward.

She hopped down from the dead monster’s back, her Swift Strider Boots clicking quietly on the rough wood.

Beside the giant corpse, a bright, golden light suddenly began to gather over the bloodied wooden bridge.

The dead monster’s body dissolved rapidly into tiny glowing particles, leaving behind its large, corrupted core and a shiny object.

Summer was confused, as such a phenomenon had never happened before.

[It’s a function of the dungeon. You don’t have to collect loot yourself; it will do that for you.]

’Loot?’

Her eyes widened when the golden light dissipated....

[Oh, you are lucky. This is an item drop!]

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AN: Congrats, everyone! We’ve reached the 50-Chapter milestone! ??

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