Free Web NovelChapter 21: Flame Farm
After Luke defeated the Crystal Sentries, he ran into a pack of Carpet Leeches. He took them down by hitting his armored fist into the floor, forming a heat-wave crater that incinerated them. After that were Stone-Shell Ticks, and in the next hallway, a nest of Electric Mice greeted him.
The good thing about Beta-grade gates was the surplus monsters. This design was just right for growing parties where they could train without being too outclassed.
But for Luke, this was a Flame farm. All the monsters perished so easily, his stamina didn’t budge.
〖Flame +180〗
"Master, we should keep moving," Amigo said. "The BOSS isn’t too far."
Luke was walking down a hallway lined with doors. He was checking every room for monsters, and each room was a spectacle as if leading to different worlds.
"Alright," he said. "This phase is cleared."
Luke checked his Flame balance and realized he had enough to forge another piece of armor for himself, with plenty left over to fund his business.
Right now, he donned the Molten Triceratops Mask and the Hell Ape Gauntlet, but it was a bad setup, making him look rough and incomplete. Luke needed additional armor, preferably a chestplate that could give him an elite posture. After all, a chestplate was also the next best choice tactical-wise.
In a fight, any living being’s instinct is to swing for the center of mass—the torso. The Hell Ape Gauntlet is great for attacks, and the Molten Triceratops Mask even gives an increased defense of 50,000%, but if multiple monsters attacked Luke from different sides, he wouldn’t be able to block all of them at once with one hand.
Having a chestplate meant he could afford to absorb some side blows, stand his ground, and counter-attack.
At his Forge Slot, Luke located the armor fit for the job.
〖Draft Card: Bluespine Centaur Chestplate〗
〖Requirement: 290 Flame Points〗
〖Drescription: A chestplate forged for Bluespine Centaurs. Grants increased defense, strong mobility, and charging power.〗
"Hey, Amigo," Luke whispered. "Any thoughts?"
"Oh, that’s terrific, master!" Amigo exclaimed as its eyes turned into a scanner again. "The Bluespine Centaur was a beast from the Pretorate era. That’s like a millennium after my era, and centuries before the apocalypse. The beast is very fast and had armor that was stronger than diamond. The chestplate and bracers were the only armor it ever had. Master! I think if you get both the chestplate and the bracers, the Bluespine Centaur comes to life as I had!"
Awesome. Luke liked the sound of that.
He really wanted to forge it right now, but he was in the middle of a dungeon. He couldn’t just sit down on the floor, enter his soul space, and meditate while monsters were roaming around.
"I guess I have to wait until we get back to the dorms," Luke said.
"Uh, master?" Amigo pointed out. "Did you forget about your new Auto-Forge skill? You don’t have to go into your soul space for that now. Now you can forge armor anywhere anytime."
Luke’s eyes widened. "Are you serious? I can just do it right here?"
"Yep," Amigo replied. "Just focus your mind and select Forge. The soul space will do the work automatically while you keep walking."
A skill that automatically forged the armor? Luke loved that, so he decided to test it out. Still walking, he selected Forge on the system’s interface. As soon as he did, a warm feeling passed through his body as the fire in his soul space roared up.
In a few seconds—
Ding!
〖Congratulations!〗
〖You have successfully forged: Bluespine Centaur Chestplate!〗
Amigo was right about the Auto-Forge Skill. Luke could forge armor now without having to go into his soul space.
Another system prompt followed the notification, providing more information concerning the chestplate.
〖Type: Beast Armor〗
〖Effect: Grants the wearer increased defense senses by 100,000% and the arrogance of the Bluespine Centaur〗
〖Skill: Damage Absorption〗
〖Skill: Blitz Charge〗
〖Skill: Energy Cannon〗
This changed everything. If Luke could forge mid-battle, he could adapt to unexpected tactics on the fly, making new armor while he’s actively fighting. It also meant a goldmine for his business. Forging armor automatically meant faster and greater output, allowing him to mass-produce gear in a fraction of the time.
"That’s fantastic," Luke smiled.
He looked around himself for more monsters, ready to summon his new chestplate. But Luke felt the presence of others in the dungeon. Looking behind him, he froze.
He hadn’t been able to clear the dungeon in time. There they were at the other end of the ballroom.
The hunter party.
"You..." the first woman whispered.
All of them were panting heavily like they had run a marathon, their alloy covered in dust, and their hair messy. Luke guessed they had been rushing through the dungeon to catch up with him, killing any remaining monsters as they went, which explained why they were so tired.
Once the party laid their eyes on him, they searched around for his teammates, desperate to find every criminal to see what kind of squad they were dealing with. But after scanning, they realized there were no hidden party members. All they saw was just one person standing there, wearing a strange mask and an equally bizarre gauntlet.
Huh? ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
Could it be they were robbed of their dungeon by just this one hunter?
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A/N: Thanks for reading!
