76 Heat up more!
The mid-tier assault proceeds with moderate success.
Encountered several types of monsters beyond the Tatsunootoshigo, but none posed significant threat.
With no terrain disadvantage, victory seems assured.
Yet the terrain disadvantage is the issue.
First, magma.
This is problematic.
When enemies are submerged in magma, all we can do is hurl stones.
Even that yields negligible damage.
Without the enemy emerging onto land, our options are nearly identical to having none.
It would be manageable if they surfaced like the Tatsunootoshigo when MP depletes, but some remain in the magma or flee entirely—annoying.
Others start on land, then retreat into the magma when cornered.
The inability to use thread techniques compounds the difficulty.
Throwing stones is manageable, but leaving them active causes fire even on land.
The issue is the thread I unconsciously emit.
I release thread unconsciously while moving, but it ignites here.
The flame spreads like a fuse—heat builds at my rear.
At first, without metaphor or exaggeration, I panicked when my rear actually caught fire.
HP dropped significantly.
I used poison synthesis to extinguish it—HP dropped further.
There was nothing else on hand capable of putting out fire.
So I began cutting the thread frequently, unconsciously emitted.
Otherwise, my rear would catch fire again.
No metaphor.
The bed is another problem.
Attempting to build a nest in this state guarantees it will burn entirely.
There was no choice but to abandon that idea. She decided to rest in the shade of the rocky outcrop.
No chance of sleeping, really.
Sleeping in eternal heat, trembling at the presence of monsters.
Even if my nerve is strong, there is a limit to how much I can endure.
Still, she must sleep.
There's no choice but to stay awake almost entirely, yet I make sure to sleep whenever I find a suitable rock formation.
The conditions here are no better than those in the lower tiers—yet the sole advantage is that monsters are weak.
The monsters here are not significantly different in strength from those of the upper levels.
Some creatures in this area might be strong—like serpents—but the monsters we’ve encountered so far are all weak.
The primary distinction from upper-level creatures lies in the use of terrain.
Due to this, even weak monsters become problematic entities.
Honestly, it's manageable when I'm the one doing it, but being on the receiving end makes it troublesome.
There are quite a few, but they're not beyond handling.
After leveling up through training, I've become significantly stronger.
I can defeat opponents of this caliber, even accounting for unfavorable terrain.
Still, with limited recovery options, taking a single direct hit could easily put me in danger. Complacency is unacceptable.
Moreover, these monsters have another troublesome trait.
Three monsters stand before me.
『Elropeque Lvl 8
Status
HP: 164/164 (Green)
MP: 166/168 (Blue)
SP: 175/175 (Yellow)
ATK: 176/181 (Red)
Average Attack: 137
Average Defense: 123
Average Magic: 121
Average Resistance: 117
Average Speed: 143
Status assessment failed』
『Elropieku LV8
Status
HP: 163/163 (Green)
MP: 169/170 (Blue)
SP: 174/174 (Yellow)
ATK: 170/183 (Red)
Status assessment failed』
『Elropieku LV8
Status
HP: 166/166 (Green)
MP: 169/169 (Blue)
SP: 177/177 (Yellow)
ATK: 178/182 (Red)
Status assessment failed』
They are monsters with a canine appearance, red in hue.
Appearance-wise, they are somewhat endearing, but their abilities are quite extreme.
Especially incompatible with me.
First, their sense of smell is exceptional.
They are dogs, after all.
They detect my stealth with ease and attack immediately.
Thus, my usual ambush tactic is ineffective.
Though, in truth, such tactics have rarely succeeded since reaching the middle tier anyway.
Next, this—
Flames engulf the red hound’s body.
Yes, this red hound—of all creatures—wraps fire around itself.
While flames burn, direct contact is difficult.
Touching it directly inflicts damage.
This is the troublesome trait of mid-tier monsters.
Their bodies are uniformly hot.
Some, like the red hound, manifest fire on their bodies; others, though not flaming, are still intensely hot.
The tatsu no otoshi-ga is one such case.
Direct contact with them inflicts damage on me.
I endured it against the tatsu no otoshi-ga, but attempting the same against a red hound aflame results in excessive damage.
Thus, I implemented a countermeasure.
I evaded the charging red hound.
Their speed is moderate, but still far slower than mine.
Evading is simple.
After avoiding two, I leap to dodge the third.
At the moment I clear the red hound’s head, I activate Poison Synthesis.
The red hound, struck directly by the potent toxin, collapses forward while still moving.
The toxin’s strength is part of it, but these creatures likely lack Poison Resistance.
Thus, a single application of poison is sufficient to eliminate them.
No physical contact required. I receive no damage.
I administered the toxin to the remaining pitiful red hounds.