bullyxtreme Chapter 553 - 543: Humanoid Carapace Monster
Chapter 553 - 543: Humanoid Carapace Monster
If you’re really determined to acquire things like merfolk and siphonophore crystals, it’s not like they’re impossible to buy.
But there’s just so few of them.
Even though only a part of the city defense magic array requires them, expanding it to encompass the entire Fungus Castle would require no small amount.
The core function of this portion of the magic array is to slowly absorb free-floating ice elemental energy from the environment and store it up, to be released in one go to form a large-scale frost shock when needed.
It’s quite suitable for the Fungus Castle.
Omitting this section isn’t impossible, but since the Fungus Castle is the core foundation of Lin Jun’s operations, provided the conditions allow it, he hopes to make it more complete.
Originally, if the archipelago was still around, these materials could probably be gathered through trade, just at the cost of some extra gold coins.
However, after the mist, the archipelago lost contact with the continent.
Lin Jun figured they were probably annihilated.
Thus, he could only find a way to resolve the materials situation himself.
According to the data collected and organized by Edin in the past, siphonophore crystals do indeed exist in the underwater dungeon called the "Tide Sanctuary".
As for merfolk tears, those we’ll have to look for after leaving that dungeon.
Hopefully, the merfolk haven’t been wiped out by the mist.
Since the mist isn’t truly fog, it would affect things in the sea just the same.
Well then, it’s about time to bring out the diving Pukis that have been sealed for so long!
Soon, a few diving Pukis with mushroom bodies and fish tails dropped onto the fungal mat, or following the naming conventions of this world, they should be called "Puki Fish".
[Underwater Adaptation Level 7] + [Wake Jet Level 6] + [Water Flow Perception Level 5] + [Sound Wave Detection Level 8] + [Swimming Level 5] + [Subsonic Attack Level 9] + [Magic Storage Level 10]
After all this time, the level of their underwater skills hasn’t improved much, given the lack of appropriate sources.
Plus, given the Puki’s limited adaptability to a water environment, the performance of these diving Pukis can only be considered rather ordinary.
But this time, it’s just to scout the situation and look for that group of Fishmen we had interactions with back in the day.
Although the past interactions were limited, they were quite peaceful.
The only thing that concerned Lin Jun a bit was their belief in the same god as the cultists worshiping the Hand of Death.
Fortunately, these Fishmen neither preached to the Puki nor mentioned sacrificing Puki, much more normal than the Hand of Death.
If the task of collecting materials could be outsourced to them, Lin Jun would certainly welcome it.
As for trading, Lin Jun wasn’t worried.
Nowadays, apart from the Dwarf Mountains, where on the continent isn’t a Puki goods source?
For these Fishmen trapped in the dungeons, Lin Jun could always find things they needed.
A few Cow and Horse Puki rolled up these Puki Fish, which could only splash about on land, and tossed them into the rift on the seventh floor leading directly to the "Tide Sanctuary".
With a few "plop plop" sounds, once in the water, the Puki Fish immediately became active and began reconnaissance swiftly.
Yet even before they started using [Sound Wave Detection], they made a discovery.
Suspended in the water not far from the rift was a strange corpse.
It was something akin to a humanoid creature, but it was covered with a thick, gray shell.
It resembled what Lin Jun imagined it would look like if [Chitin Shell] was applied to D Level personnel.
However, when applied to humans, this skill’s shell greatly inconvenienced the movement of joints, making it unsuitable.
But the creature in front of them didn’t have this issue; it was an arthropod.
Its body and limbs clearly displayed an arthropod structure, with prominent bone spurs at its joints.
Its left hand had five fingers, while the right hand was a large pincer.
The head had no distinctive facial features, only a slit that resembled gills for breathing and a few pairs of glossless compound eyes.
At the moment, it was slowly rotating with the water flow, with dark blue body fluid seeping from the gaps in its shell.
It was killed by a fish spear, which penetrated its chest armor from the front, pierced through its body, and emerged from the back with a bloodstained tip.
The force behind the fish spear was great, shattering both the shell and the spear tip into pieces; the surrounding water stained a light blue with seeping body fluid.
It seemed it hadn’t died long ago, certainly not more than a day.
And if Lin Jun remembered correctly, the design of that fish spear seemed to belong to the Fishmen.
Another racial war for survival space?
In any case, there’s no reason to waste it.
The Puki Fish nudged the humanoid crab towards the rift, where a Fat Otaku Puki on the other side extended a tentacle to grab the corpse and toss it onto the fungal mat.
The mycelium immediately squirmed and spread, enveloping the shelled humanoid to begin efficient decomposition and absorption.
However, the outcome surprised Lin Jun a bit.
The decomposition process went smoothly, with a considerable amount of magic feedback — almost as much energy as what a being of equivalent size at Diamond Level could provide.
But beyond that... nothing else.
No skill proficiency at all!
What’s going on here?!
Tuning into the [Inspiration] perspective, there was no soul?!
Lin Jun could only continue exploring.
The Puki Fish left the initial room and traversed a deep and wide corridor.
The corridor walls were built of some smooth, dark stone, covered with thick calcified deposits and drifting filamentous seaweed.
On these walls were vaguely visible some large and obscured murals.
The patterns were mostly fragmented and unclear, hardly recognizable as humanoid figures either worshiping or struggling, and some symbols filled with tentacles and holes.
Crack!
Just as Lin Jun was controlling the Puki Fish to proceed cautiously while also slightly distracted by admiring the murals, an unexpected situation occurred!
It was indeed unexpected.
Although the Puki Fish only carried the [Sound Wave Detection Level 8] as an active reconnaissance tool, Lin Jun had the panel!
Things that can exist on the panel are obvious, yet in such circumstances, to encounter an ambush at close range!
The ambush came from a humanoid chitin creature, curled up and disguised as an ordinary rock.
It pounced with sudden force, moving quickly despite its heavy appearance, with a massive pincer as big as a guillotine clamping down on the nearest Puki Fish!
What startled Lin Jun the most was that it had no panel?!
In an instant, Lin Jun recalled the Water Ghosts encountered in the mist long ago, which also didn’t have a panel.
Mist monsters?
Despite the surprise, it didn’t hinder Lin Jun’s counterattack.
[Subsonic Attack Level 9]
The chitin creature shuddered, with faint blue blood threads oozing from the gaps in its shell, but it only swayed; it didn’t fall!
That thick and dense shell clearly had strong attenuation and defense effects against subsonic waves, unable to cause fatal damage.
Damn it.
If only the universal [Self-Destruction] was brought along!
Originally thinking it was a diplomatic mission, so didn’t equip such large-scale destructive measures, now suffering for it.
The only effective attack means failed, Lin Jun lost interest in playing underwater hide-and-seek with this armored creature, planning to abandon these Puki Fish, and create new combat-specialized models to reclaim the ground later.
However, at that moment, an unassuming stone brick on the side wall of the corridor silently slid open, revealing a concealed passage.
A dark silhouette shot out with strong force; it was a fish spear!
Instantly piercing through the chitin creature’s head, pinning it against the stone wall!
The chitin creature’s body twitched violently a few times before falling completely still.
From the secret door, an ugly yet robust Fishman slowly swam out.
Its bulging fish eyes scanned the battlefield with apparent wariness, finally landing on the three surviving Puki Fish.
"Gululu, gulu gulu?"
Uh...
"Plop~"
The Puki Fish blew a bubble.
I suppose this counts as... a response?