novelraw Chapter 132-2: The Monster in the Smelting Plant Basement (2)
Chapter 132-2: The Monster in the Smelting Plant Basement (2)
Excited, he canceled the trade window.
[You look over the list and shake your head, saying you need time to think.]
[The Knowledge-Seeking Smelting Plant Owner tells you that you’re free to explore the facility and inspect the quality of their refined copper.]
[If you lose your way, you can ask the Smelting Plant Technician to guide you…]
Lin Xun rolled his eyes.
“Making me lead myself, now that’s rich!”
He exited the office and made a beeline for the main furnace, carrying over 240 pieces of Rough Large Copper Ore.
He switched back to the Knowledge-Seeking Smelting Plant Technician shell and began smelting…
A long while later…
He stared at the newly acquired 15 Elite Refined Copper Bricks in his inventory, lost in thought.Even if he refreshed twice at the Resting Page and farmed monsters for two more cycles, he’d only earn another 30 Elite Refined Copper Bricks.
In that case, his brick count would total. 75 + 15 + 30 = 120. Refining those into Ultra-Grade bricks at a 2:1 ratio would yield 60. Still 8 short of the 68 he needed.
And 8 more Ultra-Grade bricks would cost nearly 400,000 Spirit Essence…
“Damn this hellish game! It’s cursed for a reason!”
Lin Xun wasn’t about to head to the Library to sell equipment for Spirit Essence.
If it isn’t free, he ain’t paying. And yet, he still had a glimmer of hope for free loot.
He opened his inventory.
[Underground Chamber Construction Blueprint of the Smelting Plant (Map): A blueprint detailing the construction of the underground chamber in the smelting plant, including the refined copper walls and massive copper gates, as well as the chamber’s exact location.]
[With this map in hand, you’ll be able to locate the entrance to the Smelting Plant’s Underground Chamber.]
Without hesitation, he clicked Use Map.
[You pull out the blueprint. Following the directions, you arrive at the deepest part of the facility…]
[A massive refined copper workbench sits before you, enormous and impossibly heavy. Deep scrape marks on the floor suggest it’s been moved before.]
[According to the blueprint, the entrance to the basement lies beneath the workbench…]
[You attempt to push it, but the colossal table doesn’t budge an inch…]
[You strain with all your might, face turning red, and try again. Still doesn’t move an inch…]
[You realize a hidden mechanism is required to shift the workbench. You begin searching the area…]
[After a long search, you come up empty-handed…]
Lin Xun scoffed.
Who needs hidden mechanisms?
[You possess the shell of the Corrupted Earth Giant!]
[With a furious roar, your feet root into the ground. Blessing of Mother Earth activates at full strength. The power boost from the Tiger Beast King Belt courses through your limbs!]
[Your body swells with knotted muscle. With one powerful kick, accompanied by a deafening boom, the massive workbench flies like a paper box…]
[Beneath it, a staircase appears, leading into the underground. Bright kerosene lamps line both sides of the stairs, lighting the way…]
[With the Ancient Dragonfang Greatclub in hand, you descend step by step…]
[At the bottom lies a gigantic door, forged entirely from refined copper. It is so heavy that even an average person couldn’t budge it, let alone break it open like a giant could.]
[Such a gate sealing off the basement… it’s hard to imagine what could be stored, or imprisoned, beyond it.]
Lin Xun recalled the office dialogue from earlier.
While possessing the Technician shell, the Plant Owner had instructed him to feed the refined copper bricks to a monster in the basement.
A sudden realization hit him. He reopened the earlier text logs.
[The Knowledge-Seeking Smelting Plant Owner… instructed you to take today’s refined copper bricks and feed them to the monster.]
[…]
[It complained that the monster was eating more and more, and had already depleted the entire plant’s refined copper reserves…]
The last line was the real kicker, the Plant Owner had been feeding all of the plant’s inventory to this monster.
Which meant… the trade list with 999 stock was a complete sham!
Good thing Lin Xun was, well, let’s say frugal. No, better yet, financially constrained. Otherwise he’d have been scammed hard by this hellish NPC.
Lin Xun narrowed his eyes.
In a game this cursed, if you can freeload, you never spend. That’s just common sense.
[You pull out the Smelting Plant Basement Key and insert it into the massive copper door’s keyhole…]
[You twist the key. Click. The lock disengages. You slowly push the door open…]
[Inside the enormous chamber, the walls are built entirely of indestructible refined copper. In the center, a massive figure is trapped in place by pure white energy bars.]
[These bars appear to be woven from faintly glowing characters, each as thick as a finger, densely rooted in the floor and extending all the way to the ceiling.]
[The towering figure gleams with a dark golden luster, the shine of refined copper. It’s a humanoid monster, seemingly composed of countless bricks of refined copper.]
[The Refined Copper Monstrosity picks up the last two copper bricks on the floor and devours them with loud crunches.]
[In its mouth, the solid copper bricks are chewed to mush like tofu before being swallowed…]
[Your arrival catches its attention. Seeing you empty-handed, it lets out a furious roar, sharp, metallic screeches echo through the chamber!]
[The Refined Copper Monstrosity lunges at you, only to be blocked by the glowing energy bars. It roars again and again, seemingly demanding you bring it food!]
[Do you want to feed it refined copper bricks, or kill it?]
Lin Xun curled his lip.
He didn’t even have enough copper for himself. Like hell he’d feed it to some monster.
He decisively chose the second option.
This thing had eaten a mountain of refined copper, killing it would definitely yield some serious loot!
[With a battle cry, you activate Blessing of Mother Earth at full power. The Ancient Dragonfang Greatclub howls through the air with terrifying force…]
[Your attack triggers the Beastmen Giant Chieftain’s Spirit Essence special effect!]
[This attack will deal double damage!]
[Your swing speeds up even more. The air itself shrieks under the pressure…]
[With a deafening boom, your Ancient Dragonfang Greatclub smashes into the glowing bars!]
[The energy grid ripples like water…]
[Then stabilizes. The bars return to normal. Your attack never touched the Refined Copper Monstrosity. No damage dealt.]
???
Lin Xun slowly typed out three question marks.
Even a full-powered Earth Giant strike, enhanced with double damage, couldn’t break through the energy bars to hit the monster inside?
How the hell was he supposed to fight this thing?