Chapter 11 Effortless Kill, System Upgrade
Xu Han activated the Eye of Investigation, examining the crocodile’s information.
[Name: Steel-armored Giant Crocodile (Whiteboard-level Leader)]
[Race: Reptile]
[Level: 10]
[Skill 1: Steel Armor LV.1 (After activation, increases defense by 20% and reflects 10% of received damage back to the enemy. Only effective against melee attacks. Cooldown: 1 minute)]
[Skill 2: Water Shock LV.1 (Stomps the water surface, splashing water arrows to attack enemies. Cooldown: 3 minutes)]
[Skill 3: Submerge LV.1 (Dives into the water, rapidly restores health. Cooldown: 10 minutes)]
[Weakness: A wound on its abdomen]
Xu Han’s eyes sparkled.
A leader-level exotic beast!
For most, encountering such a beast would be a disaster. But for Xu Han, it was a fortune!
Moreover, the Eye of Investigation had revealed the steel-armored giant crocodile’s weakness!
With a weak point exposed, dealing with the beast would be much easier.
He cautiously approached the steel-armored giant crocodile.
Its jaws were open nearly ninety degrees—wide enough to fit a child upright.
Xu Han crept closer.
When only ten meters separated them, the crocodile’s golden vertical pupils flickered, locking onto Xu Han hidden in the grass.
“This creature’s senses are truly keen.”
Xu Han narrowed his eyes, his movements swift.
He lifted his left hand, and a web of fine spider silk shot towards the beast.
If he could bind its mouth, it would lose half its combat strength.
The crocodile jerked its head aside, deftly avoiding the web.
Then, its massive body surged forward like a tank, charging straight at Xu Han!
Xu Han tapped his toes lightly, leaping high like a bird onto a nearby tree trunk.
The steel-armored giant crocodile was greatly displeased.
With a furious roar, its thick tail whipped at the tree where Xu Han had landed.
Crack!
A sharp sound rang out—the tree snapped in half and crashed into the swamp.
But Xu Han was already atop the crocodile’s head.
His dagger plunged straight down.
Shhh!
The blade sliced easily, blood gushing forth.
The crocodile’s health bar dropped sharply.
“Roar!”
The beast stomped on the water, causing it to explode outward.
Streams of water, like arrows, shot toward Xu Han.
Unhurried, Xu Han raised his palm.
Black, steel-like scales spread rapidly from his hand, wrapping it completely.
Dragon scales!
Shhh...
Water arrows struck the scales and burst into droplets.
Xu Han’s health bar didn’t budge.
“Too weak—far inferior to the Ghost-faced Ape King,” Xu Han sighed, shaking his head.
The crocodile seemed to feel Xu Han’s contempt.
It thrashed angrily, attempting to throw him off.
Xu Han landed a powerful kick to its side.
With terrifying strength, he flipped it over.
A huge wound, nearly ten centimeters long, appeared on its abdomen before Xu Han.
“This is it!”
He drove the Abyssal Fang into the wound with force.
Shhh!
The blade pierced effortlessly through the steel-armored giant crocodile’s injury.
Its health bar plunged.
Roar!
The beast howled in rage, its thick tail lashing out, trying to smash this damned human to pieces.
But Xu Han would not allow it.
He hammered his fist down onto the hilt of the Abyssal Fang.
Shhh!
The sharp dagger penetrated completely, taking the crocodile’s remaining life.
Xu Han glanced at his own level.
He had reached level 6!
And it was only the second day.
Such rapid progression would surely rank him in the top three of Donghai City!
He casually stowed the Abyssal Fang, then moved to inspect the corpse.
Within the beast’s body, he found two pieces of equipment: heavy armor and a shield.
He checked the armor’s attributes.
[Iron Crocodile Heavy Armor]
[Quality: Bronze]
[Constitution +30]
[Skill 1: Life Recovery (When activated, restores 1% health per second for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 3 minutes)]
[Description: Crafted by merging crocodile hide with steel, it boasts formidable defense. Every melee profession dreams of owning such protection.]
[Equipment Requirement: Level 5]
Xu Han’s eyes lit up.
Although this was only bronze-grade, its attributes and skill rivaled ordinary silver-grade gear.
If sold, it would surely cause a frenzy.
With such armor, a frontline tank could withstand far more.
He then examined the shield.
[Bristle Shield]
[Quality: Bronze]
[Constitution +30]
[Skill 1: Damage Reflection (Passive skill. When attacked, reflects a portion of melee damage back to the attacker)]
[Description: Bristles are sharp—approach with caution.]
[Equipment Requirement: Level 5]
Xu Han sighed inwardly.
What a stroke of luck.
Two pieces of tank gear in one go.
Selling them in the market would yield a tidy profit.
The only issue was their size—his backpack couldn't hold them, so he had to carry them by hand.
But if he did that, he wouldn’t be able to take any meat from the steel-armored giant crocodile.
Staring at the corpse, Xu Han made up his mind.
He would eat here.
With practiced ease, he erected a grill, started a fire, and placed a slab of crocodile meat atop it.
After several minutes, the meat turned golden and emitted a rich aroma.
Xu Han’s mouth watered.
He sprinkled the seasoning he’d prepared onto the meat.
A charcoal-grilled crocodile steak was ready!
Xu Han tore off a piece and stuffed it into his mouth, savoring the taste.
The rich fragrance filled his mouth, the tender meat reminiscent of chicken.
A few bites and he swallowed.
The system notification sounded.
“Host has consumed meat from a first-tier steel-armored giant crocodile for the first time, gaining 10 points of strength and 10 points of constitution.”
“Host has acquired the steel-armored giant crocodile’s skill: Steel Armor.”
Xu Han opened his skill panel.
He saw the new ability.
Steel Armor LV.1: After activation, increases defense by 20% and reflects 10% of received damage back to the enemy. Only effective against melee attacks. Cooldown: 1 minute.
Xu Han shook his head with a wry smile.
With dragon scales, the Steel Armor skill was rather redundant.
He opened the Gourmet Guide.
The task on the right was marked as complete.
He tapped the task bar.
System notification sounded.
“Host has completed the Gourmet Guide task. Reward: System upgrade.”
“System upgrading. Please wait…”
Xu Han’s eyes sparkled.
The system could upgrade?
He waited patiently.
Ten minutes passed.
The system notification sounded.
“System upgrade complete. New feature unlocked: Skill Mutation.”
“Eating exotic beast meat now grants a 0.01% chance for skill mutation.”
“If the skill was obtained from a specific beast, consuming more of the same beast’s meat increases mutation chance to 0.1%.”