pjbooks Chapter 188: Level 26? Level 25? One monster, two levels?
Chapter 188: Level 26? Level 25? One monster, two levels?
The three of them walked for about half an hour.
We finally crossed the platform.
At this moment, Chen Yifan and his two companions finally set foot on the land belonging to the mining area.
This place is completely different from the vast and empty resurrection platform at the entrance; it is filled with a suffocating sense of oppression.
The strange stench of sulfur mixed with rotting flesh grew stronger in the air, almost solidifying and sticking to people's skin.
This is an underground tunnel that is larger than anyone could imagine.
It is over twenty meters wide.
The dome was so high that its top was invisible, and it was pitch black, except for a few mosses that grew sporadically on the walls, emitting a cold, eerie blue light.
The ground beneath our feet was a rugged, rocky surface.
Everywhere you look, there are abandoned, giant mining tracks, covered in rust.
Some unidentified, twisted purple plants sprouted from the cracks in the rocks beneath the tracks, their leaves gleaming with a sickly metallic sheen in the dim light.
"Wow... this place is huge!"
Wang Fugui had already put the hiking backpack into his beginner's backpack.
"If we get lost here, we'll probably walk until we die and never find our way out!"
Lin Xiaoyu remained silent, her cool gaze warily scanning every shadow that might be hiding danger.
"Shhh."
Chen Yifan suddenly raised his hand and made a shushing gesture.
His steps stopped beside a broken track, his gaze fixed on a shadow a hundred meters ahead.
Wang Fugui and Lin Xiaoyu immediately fell silent and followed his gaze.
In the darkness, a massive silhouette was slowly writhing.
It is over five meters long and looks like a lizard magnified hundreds of times, with its whole body covered in thick, rock-like gray-brown scales.
With each breath, it exhales two plumes of white smoke with a burnt smell from its nostrils.
That was a "rock-skinned earth dragon lizard".
These scavenging organisms, common in the mining area's food chain, are known for their tough defenses and immense strength.
"Hey, what a great start!"
Wang Fugui lowered his voice, but his face couldn't hide his excitement.
A heavy shield engraved with a tiger totem appeared out of thin air in his hand.
"Fanzi, I'll handle this. You two just need to provide support from behind!"
Chen Yifan did not object, but calmly offered a reminder:
"Don't be careless, the monsters here might be different from those we've encountered before."
"rest assured!"
Wang Fugui grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth.
He crouched low, like a heavy tank poised to fire, and stealthily crept along the shadows of the corner towards the rock-skinned ground dragon lizard.
Chen Yifan and Lin Xiaoyu then spread out, one on the left and one on the right, forming a standard combat support formation.
Just as Wang Fugui entered the attack range and was about to launch his charge, he seemed to remember something, turned his head to Chen Yifan, made a gesture, and mouthed a question:
"What level?"
Chen Yifan did not activate [Spy Investigation], but only used the most basic detection function of the professional system. A line of data appeared on his retina.
Rock-skinned Earth Dragon Lizard
[Rank: Lv.26]
Status: Hungry
Chen Yifan also mouthed the numbers silently:
"Twenty-six."
Wang Fugui nodded, indicating that he understood.
However, at that moment, Lin Xiaoyu on the other side suddenly frowned.
She glanced at Chen Yifan, then at the earth dragon lizard, and for the first time, a clear look of confusion appeared in her usually cool eyes.
She held up her finger and gestured towards Chen Yifan.
Two, five.
"Twenty-five?"
Chen Yifan almost thought he was seeing things.
His gaze toward Lin Xiaoyu was questioning.
The girl nodded seriously, and once again, her fair fingertips clearly traced the two numbers in the air.
two.
five.
Her expression held no hint of a joke; her clear eyes were filled with pure confusion.
One monster, two completely different levels.
This is no longer a simple detection error.
"stop!"
Chen Yifan's voice wasn't loud, but it instantly stopped Wang Fugui, who was about to launch an attack.
Wang Fugui slammed on the brakes, sending pebbles flying as he stepped on them. He turned around, looking puzzled.
"What's wrong, Fanzi? This thing looks easy to bully, let's take it down in one go!"
Chen Yifan did not answer him, but instead fixed his gaze on the oblivious rock-skinned earth dragon lizard.
His brain was working at an extraordinary speed at that moment.
This instance is eerie in every way.
They can be resurrected, but their energy is not unlimited.
Now, even the most basic monster levels are showing this inexplicable deviation.
Behind this must lie a hidden, undiscovered, underlying rule unique to this "subtle within a subtle" area.
"Fatty," Chen Yifan said in a low voice, "look at that lizard, what level is it?"
"Twenty-six, didn't you just register?"
Wang Fugui looked completely at ease, thinking that Chen Yifan was joking with him.
"We're at the same level, so we'll definitely see the same things."
These words, like a bolt of lightning, instantly cleaved through the fog in Chen Yifan's mind.
If you're at the same level, you'll see the same things...
He and Wang Fugui are both Lv.26.
Lin Xiaoyu's level has always been slightly behind, remaining at Lv.25.
A bold, almost absurd, conjecture began to frantically grow in his mind.
Is it...
Chen Yifan took a deep breath and made a gesture to Wang Fugui:
"Use your detection skills to look at it again, and tell me, word by word, what you see."
Although Wang Fugui didn't understand why, he did as he was told because of his absolute trust in his brother.
He squinted, and a barely perceptible glimmer of inspiration flashed in his pupils.
"【Rock-skinned Earth Dragon Lizard】, Level Lv.26, Status... Hungry. That's it, Fanzi, what the hell are you doing?"
Yes.
Chen Yifan's heart skipped a beat.
He finally grasped the most crucial clue hidden beneath the surface of the water.
The monster levels in this dungeon are not fixed!
It will dynamically adjust based on the "observer's" own level!
If you are level 26, then what you see is level 26.
Lin Xiaoyu is level 25, and that's what she sees.
This rule is simple and brutal, yet extremely insidious.
What does this mean?
This means, experience!
One of the core rules of the profession system is that the experience points gained from killing monsters of different levels will naturally vary.
Originally, their team's most efficient leveling method was the same as in the last wild dungeon.
Lin Xiaoyu controlled the [Bloodthirsty Poison Girl], using her terrifying potential as an A-level talent to kill monsters in batches, thus allowing the entire team to enjoy maximum experience gains.
However, under this new rule, this model no longer works.
If Lin Xiaoyu continues to be the main attacker, she will only kill a level 25 monster of the same level as herself.
Then the experience gained will be diminished.
Their team's greatest advantage was completely neutralized by this bizarre dungeon rule.
"Oh shit……"
Chen Yifan couldn't help but curse inwardly.
"Fanzi, say something! Are we still fighting or not? If we wait any longer, the lizard will fall asleep."
Wang Fugui was so anxious that he scratched his head and cheeks.
"Fight, but with a different approach."
Chen Yifan finally spoke, his voice regaining its usual calmness.
Within seconds, he had accepted the fact and devised a completely new tactic.
He quickly and concisely shared his speculations with Wang Fugui and Lin Xiaoyu.
After hearing this, Wang Fugui's honest face instantly turned into a huge question mark.
He pointed to his eyes, then to the earth dragon lizard, and stammered:
"You mean... this thing is... a chameleon? It changes its appearance depending on who it's dealing with?"
This metaphor, though crude, is surprisingly accurate.
Lin Xiaoyu's reaction was more direct.
A subtle hint of...disgust appeared in her eyes as she looked at the earth dragon lizard.
This rule deprived her of the opportunity to contribute her best to the team, which she felt was an offensive and diminishing effect.
"So," Chen Yifan concluded, "from now on, to maximize experience, the final blow must be delivered by either me or Fatty. Xiaoyu, you'll be in charge of controlling the situation and providing support."
"No problem!" Wang Fugui patted his chest, full of fighting spirit. "Fanzi, don't worry, I'll definitely keep it under control and create the perfect environment for you to unleash your power!"
After saying that, he no longer hesitated.
"Hey, grandson!"
With a powerful roar, Wang Fugui launched [Charge] and simultaneously used [Taunt].
With an indomitable spirit, he charged straight toward the rock-skinned earth dragon lizard!
Enraged by this sudden provocation, the earth dragon lizard let out a hoarse roar.
The massive body suddenly turned around?
Its thick tail, like a steel whip, lashed out at Wang Fugui with a fierce wind that tore through the air.
"Well done!"
Wang Fugui neither dodged nor evaded. Just as the tail was about to reach his body, he slightly lowered his knees and slammed the tiger totem shield in his hand heavily onto the ground!
"Immovable as a mountain!"
hum!
A thick, earthy-yellow halo spread from the shield, instantly enveloping him.
boom!
The earth dragon's tail slammed solidly into the halo, producing a sickeningly loud thud.
Wang Fugui's body swayed violently, and the ground beneath his feet cracked inch by inch, but he remained as still as a nail driven into the earth!
The earth dragon lizard's attack was perfectly blocked, and the force of the recoil even caused it to freeze briefly.
It's now!
Chen Yifan's figure vanished from the spot.
They reappeared, now positioned to the side and rear of the earth dragon lizard.
He didn't use any flashy skills.
He simply channeled all his strength, speed, and skill into the dagger in his right hand during the brief moment when his opponent was stunned.
The dagger was handed out silently.
There was no psionic light, no whistling of skills.
Only pure, extreme physical puncture.
puff!
The tip of the dagger pierced the gap in the monster's armor with precision, ruthlessness, and without hesitation.
"hiss--!"
The earth dragon lizard let out a piercing scream of pain, its massive body twisting wildly as it tried to shake off the tiny insect that had torn a gash in its body.
But Chen Yifan, having landed a successful blow, did not linger. He lightly touched the lizard's rough skin with his toe and gracefully retreated several meters, concealing his achievement.
"pretty!"
Wang Fugui's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but cheer loudly.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiaoyu, who had been silent all along, finally made a move.
Her fair fingers touched the air.
"Entangled".
Swish swish!
Several scarlet vines, as thick as a baby's arm and covered in barbs, burst forth from the ground without warning, like venomous snakes lurking in the shadows, and swiftly wrapped around the earth dragon lizard's frantically thrashing limbs and tail.
The barbs on the vines dug deep into the gaps in the scales, and no matter how much the earth dragon lizard struggled, it could not break free.
The once ferocious beast was now like an insect caught in a spider web, unable to move.
The battle was completely under control within just a dozen seconds.
"Fanzi! Time to collect the kills!"
Wang Fugui held up his shield and shouted excitedly.
Chen Yifan's figure disappeared from the spot once again.
This time, he appeared on top of the earth dragon lizard's head.
It was still that same dagger.
It was still that simple, unadorned stab.
The target: the eye socket.
puff!
The dagger was broken in half, disappearing into the hilt.
The next second, psionic energy was poured in.
The ferocious rock-skinned earth dragon convulsed violently before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.
Almost at the same moment it died, three soft white lights emerged from its corpse and merged into the bodies of the three people.
[Gained 500 experience points]
A level 26 elite monster provided 1300 experience points.
Chen Yifan immediately opened his attribute panel.
Experience points: 18000/36400
The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, almost imperceptibly.
at last!
My experience points have increased.
The final blow was delivered by him at level 26, and the system determined that the monster was level 26.
Although the experience was shared equally among the three,
However, as the one who kills, you will receive an additional 100 experience points.
This number far exceeds the gains that could be obtained by having Lin Xiaoyu, at level 25, kill it.
"Hey, the shipment's been completed!"
Wang Fugui's excited shout interrupted Chen Yifan's thoughts.
There, beside the carcass of the earth dragon lizard.
A faint blue light lay there quietly.
Chen Yifan and Lin Xiaoyu exchanged a glance.
Such good luck?