73: Chapter 73 Mountaineering Equipment That Will Soon Be a Bestseller

Before the battle began, the trio reviewed the Minotaur's skills once more.

According to the lecture during the practical training class, the Minotaur's attack patterns could be summarized into two types. The first was a stationary slash when in close quarters. When a target was within its attack range, it would stand in place, holding its double-edged battle axe with both hands, and perform continuous arc slashes directly in front of it.

The second was the Bull Charge for long distances. When the target increased the distance, it would lower its head, horns facing forward, and launch a Charge in a straight line at an astonishing speed, knocking away all obstacles along the way.

Neither skill was too difficult to deal with. The attack range of the stationary slash was limited to a 120-degree fan-shaped area directly in front, while the sides and back were completely safe zones.

Although the Bull Charge had astonishing speed, its trajectory was a pure straight line, and there was an obvious foreleg pawing and charging action before the Charge. As long as one predicted the direction in advance and side-stepped, it could be easily avoided. In short, this was a monster that relied purely on instinct to fight; it was immensely strong but had no technique to speak of.

"The strategy is clear," Hu Jinsi summarized. "Lin Rui, you attract its attention from the front and make it slash at you. I will output damage from behind. Once it turns to deal with me, you take the opportunity to give it a combo."

"Understood," Lin Rui nodded, adjusting the tower shield to the most comfortable position.

The only trouble was that the Minotaur would trigger a special mechanic at half health. It would stomp on the ground, shattering the floor the three were on, and everyone would fall from the upper level to the lower level.

This kind of pure physical fall damage was no problem at all for Hu Jinsi. The Crane Form: Lonely Phoenix Style provided a certain degree of immunity to fall damage, and he could even perform mid-air displacement; landing safely was just a basic skill.

But Lin Rui and Su Wan were in more trouble.

Hu Jinsi pondered for a moment, took out the [Web Grappling Hook] that had matted Su Wan's hair into a ball from his backpack, and handed it to her.

"Having messy, stuck hair is better than falling," he said. "The distance between the upper and lower levels of this castle is not short, a full three or four meters. If you twist your ankle from a fall, the road ahead will be hard to walk."

Su Wan silently took the grappling hook and tied it to her wrist. Having learned from the last lesson, she was smarter this time, first tying her long hair into a tight bun to ensure that not a single strand of hair would be exposed to the range of the spider silk.

As for Lin Rui, he had two choices. One was to pad his back with the tower shield to act as a buffer, using the shield's large area and good cushioning to reduce fall damage; the second was to initiate a [Tactical Roll] during the fall, neutralizing the impact by rolling, similar to a forward roll after landing to dissipate force.

He decided to combine both: use the shield to cushion first, then roll with the momentum.

"Are you ready?" Hu Jinsi looked around at the two.

"Ready anytime," Lin Rui gripped his heavy sword.

"I'm responsible for finishing moves and the orb," Su Wan raised her hand crossbow.

The battle unfolded immediately.

As planned, Lin Rui strode forward and used [Shield Bash] on the Minotaur's thigh, successfully attracting its attention. The Minotaur let out a low roar, raised its double-edged battle axe, and delivered a heavy vertical slash at Lin Rui. The axe blade cut through the air, making a teeth-grinding whistling sound, but Lin Rui was prepared; he blocked the blow with his shield held horizontally.

"Clang—!"

The loud sound of metal clashing echoed in the castle. The Minotaur missed the first strike, followed immediately by a second and third. The stationary slash was like an out-of-control meat grinder, with the axe shadows weaving into a deadly net in front of Lin Rui.

Lin Rui only took the first axe head-on, then sidestepped, watching the Minotaur slash at thin air.

Behind the Minotaur, Hu Jinsi calmly unleashed his damage.

Since the Minotaur had no armor, every one of Hu Jinsi's strikes dealt full damage. Using both hands and feet, wounds rained down on its dark brown back.

[-11] [-12] [-10], each attack kicked up a spray of dark red blood.

Once the Minotaur's slash ended and its attention began to shift to Hu Jinsi behind it, Lin Rui seized the opportunity to launch a combo of [Heavy Strike] followed by [Shield Bash] from the side. The heavy sword slashed at the Minotaur's chest, and the shield smashed into its knee, forcing it to turn back around to deal with Lin Rui's threat.

Just like this, the two pulled back and forth on the front and back of the Minotaur, spinning it around in circles.

Su Wan did not launch any attacks on the Minotaur during this stage. She was afraid her crossbow bolts would accidentally attract aggro, causing the Minotaur to launch a Bull Charge in her direction.

With her defense and health points, the consequences of being hit by a Charge of this level would be unimaginable. She just kept watch on the surroundings from a safe distance to prevent small monsters from sneaking an attack.

The Minotaur's health points soon dropped to 50%.

It roared at the sky, its muscles suddenly tensed, and its two front hooves were raised high.

"It's coming!" Lin Rui shouted, "Su Wan, Grappling Hook!"

Su Wan had already been prepared. Hearing Lin Rui's shout, she immediately pulled the trigger. The spider silk hook shot out from her wrist and accurately hit a nearby stone pillar. Immediately after a loud bang, the stone floor under the three people instantly shattered, and countless stones and dust fell downward.

Hu Jinsi used his agile figure to adjust his posture in the air. [Water Bird Steps] was activated, and he floated toward Su Wan's direction like a feather.

In mid-air, he wrapped his arm around Su Wan's waist. With the assistance of [Crane Stance], he tapped his toes on the surrounding walls several times, and the two landed slowly on the lower floor like dancing a waltz.

Lin Rui initiated a [Tactical Roll] the moment he was about to touch the floor, curling his body into a ball and rolling forward. Not only did he perfectly neutralize the fall damage, but he also took advantage of the momentum to crash into the Minotaur, which had also just landed. The huge monster hadn't had time to stand firm before it was knocked staggering by Lin Rui, shield and all, and the double-edged battle axe almost slipped from its hand.

Hu Jinsi, having set Su Wan down, also used [Chi Torpedo] to instantly return to the battlefield, continuing to cooperate with Lin Rui to grind down the Minotaur's health.

Since the boss had no next stage, Su Wan also tried to launch [Plucking·Initial Movement] to see if her crowd control skill had any effect on the Minotaur.

The result was unsatisfactory; the pulling force generated by the plucking was almost negligible for the powerful Minotaur. When this monster swung with full force, Su Wan's tiny bit of interference could hardly change its movement trajectory.

Moreover, the Minotaur creature itself had an anti-joint structure; its knee joints bent backward, and its way of moving was completely different from humanoid creatures, which meant that Su Wan's usual methods of controlling humanoid monsters were greatly reduced in effectiveness on this type of anti-joint creature.

"As expected, it's useless against this kind of strength-based monster..." Su Wan sighed.

After testing her abilities, Su Wan took two orbs from her waist: [Explosive Flame Orb] and [Lightning Orb], and threw them simultaneously in the direction of the Minotaur.

The Lightning Orb hit first. A Z-shaped lightning chain instantly pierced through the Minotaur's huge body, and dazzling blue-white electric light jumped wildly on its muscular body, electrocuting it until its whole body trembled and its fur turned charred black. A thick, burnt smell permeated the air.

The Minotaur let out a painful roar, and its huge body stiffened for a moment in the current. Immediately after, the Explosive Flame Orb fell, and a pillar of fire shot up from the ground. The scorching orange-red flames swallowed the Minotaur whole, and the high temperature caused distorted ripples in the surrounding air.

Boom—!!

Thunder and lightning intertwined with the towering flames, forming a small elemental storm. When the smoke cleared, the Minotaur's huge body had already collapsed to the ground, turning into points of light and dissipating into the air.

The battle ended somewhat suddenly. Lin Rui and Hu Jinsi were still standing in place with their weapons, a bit unresponsive for a moment.

"...It's over?" Lin Rui asked tentatively.

"I smashed it to death with the orbs." Su Wan shook her empty hands.

"Good stuff." Hu Jinsi put away his long staff. "These two orbs have high enough damage."

"You did most of the fighting," Su Wan said, "I just dealt the finishing blow."

Hu Jinsi sighed with emotion: "In terms of attack intensity alone, this Minotaur is comparable to Skarn in [Burning Village]. It's a pity that its combat intelligence is too low, and the dungeon also provided items to counter it. It was really born at the wrong time."

"Born at the wrong time." Lin Rui repeated this phrase, then shook his head, "Born at the wrong time for orbs, maybe."

After the Minotaur died, only the bracers on its wrists were left behind as equipment. Besides that, it was the same fruit drop as after the Orc King died—a few apples and pears, average quality but fresh.

Lin Rui went up to pick up the bracers and opened the attribute panel. As for the fruit, he didn't put it away, planning to eat it directly at noon.

[Minotaur's Cast Iron Bracers]

[Type: Magic Equipment / Wrist]

[Attribute Requirement: Strength 15+]

[Earth-Shattering Impact: 2 times per day, you can slam your weapon into the ground to launch a ground-shaking attack. All other creatures within a 3-meter radius centered on you take 6 damage and may be knocked down.]

[Item Description: This pair of bracers forged from rough cast iron is heavy and cold, with the surface covered in impact dents and dark brown dried bloodstains. When worn, a brute force originating from the depths of the labyrinth spreads up your arms.]

Hu Jinsi took a look at the attributes and said to Lin Rui: "The bracers are yours. Neither Su Wan nor I have the habit of smashing the floor, and only you can initiate it while getting up during a [Tactical Roll]. Put them away, let's hurry up and prepare lunch now."

Lin Rui didn't stand on ceremony either; he took off the white-grade bracers on his wrists and put on the newly dropped [Minotaur's Cast Iron Bracers]. As soon as the bracers were put on, he felt a steady power coming from his arms, as if he could burst out with the power to shake the earth at any time.

---

Because the morning battle was relatively short and didn't drop any valuable ingredients, the trio's lunch was simply a self-heating rice meal for each, plus the fruit dropped by the previous two bosses.

Lin Rui took off his heavy equipment, the tower shield leaning against the wall, and the leg armor and helmet neatly stacked aside, leaving only a base layer of casual clothes on his body. The three sat on the ground on the outermost platform of the castle, overlooking the distant scenery, and ate their lunch.

It had to be said that, apart from the lingering fishy smell of orcs in the castle, the scenery here was indeed not bad. In the distance were rolling mountains, and at the foot of the mountain was the Orc Village they had passed through before, with a breeze bringing a touch of coolness. Hot rice paired with fresh fruit, the experience of this lunch could at least be rated an eight.

"It would be perfect if there was iced fruit juice." Su Wan said while biting an apple.

"Keep dreaming." Hu Jinsi chewed his rice, "Where would there be a refrigerator in a dungeon. But next time you want to drink, you can bring it yourself in advance."

During lunch, the three of them checked the information on the third level while eating.

Lin Rui pointed to the towering peak on the other side of the castle and said: "That is probably the battle scene for our next level. According to the data, the third level will go all the way up along the path on the side of the mountain to the top of the peak, facing a Wyvern. If nothing goes wrong, it should be fire-attributed."

"The small monsters are not much different from before," Hu Jinsi added, "Still mainly Orcs, but there is an extra type of red Orc, with thicker blood and higher attack power, but no changes in skills. In addition, there will be some werewolf archers shooting cold arrows from a distance, but the number is small."

"The handling method is still the same old way," Lin Rui said, "There's no danger. But be careful, this stage is on a cliff, which is even narrower than the walkable area in the castle. When walking, try to stay as close to the inner side as possible to prevent accidentally stepping off the cliff."

Speaking of which, Hu Jinsi suddenly remembered something. He unfastened the [lickers leg bind] from his legs and placed it in front of the three of them.

"This piece of equipment allows you to move freely on vertical walls and ceilings," he said, "Although it cannot exert 100% of its effect on a cliff, if you use both your hands and feet, at least it won't let you fall easily. My [Parkour] effect can already cover the function of this equipment, so I don't urgently need it. You two decide, who will wear it as a precaution on this cliff path?"

Lin Rui and Su Wan looked at each other.

"Give it to Su Wan," Lin Rui said, "My gear is too heavy, and I estimate this leg bind won't be of much use. It's perfect for Su Wan; if Su Wan is safe, we can all rest easy. I will try to walk as close to the inner side of the cliff as possible and use fewer skills like [Charge] and [Tactical Roll] that easily cause over-displacement during combat."

Su Wan did not stand on ceremony anymore; she took the [lickers leg bind] and swapped out her original equipment. She even specially went to the castle wall to test the effect.

She walked at a ninety-degree angle perpendicular to the wall, and from Lin Rui and Hu Jinsi's perspective, she appeared to be "standing" on the wall parallel to the ground.

"So this is what it feels like to walk on a wall! It's so different!" Su Wan shouted excitedly, "No wonder Jinsi, you never take the usual path after activating [Parkour] in every battle. The feeling of sprinting on walls and treetops is indeed unique."

Hu Jinsi and Lin Rui ignored Su Wan's self-amusement between the wall and the ceiling and continued to verify information.

Finally, Hu Jinsi confirmed with Lin Rui again: "Are you sure the secret weapon for dealing with the [Wyvern] is ready?"

Lin Rui patted his backpack, confident: "Don't worry, it will definitely work. I specifically asked my father; they have fought this kind of [Wyvern] before and said that our planned strategy is completely feasible."

Hu Jinsi felt relieved: "It's good that it's feasible. After all, the final battle location is on a cliff, and Teacher Fan mentioned that the scene is not very open. If it doesn't work, we have to face the possibility of being grabbed by the [Wyvern] and taken into the sky, or even blown off the cliff by the airflow. I am a Monk, and I might be able to survive by using [Parkour], but once you two are blown off the cliff, it would be dangerous."

"There won't be any problems," Lin Rui said.

As for what exactly that "secret weapon" was, the three of them tacitly did not elaborate on this topic. This was the trump card left for the next battle.

As Su Wan's "wall walk" came to an end, the three of them reorganized their equipment and stepped into the portal leading to the third stage.

After the white light dissipated, the scene before them changed suddenly.

The ground beneath their feet began to become steep and broken. The location where the three appeared was an extremely narrow rock plank road; on the left was a slippery cliff covered with moss, and on the right was a bottomless abyss of mist.

There were no railings, no protective measures, only the abyss opening its giant mouth on both sides of their vision. The howling mountain wind rolled up broken snow and gravel, whipping against their armor and making a fine, dense sound.

The surface of this rock plank road could only accommodate two or three people walking side by side, and every step required extreme caution. The distant mountains in the background presented a cold blue-gray tone, forming a sharp contrast with the rough, earthy-yellow stone steps beneath their feet.

Several red Orcs rushed out from the recesses of the rock wall, roaring; they were more burly and ferocious than their green-skinned counterparts from the first two stages. Their skin presented a dark red color, like congealed blood, their muscle lines were more defined, and their eyes were scarlet, filled with bloodthirsty madness.

Starting from the third stage, the difficulty of the dungeon increased sharply. However, this increase was not reflected in the strength and quantity of the mobs. The number of mobs remained small, and although their strength had increased, it remained at a normal level. The real difficulty came from the scene itself.

The narrowness of the rock plank road made it impossible for the three to maintain a normal combat formation. Except for Hu Jinsi, who could rely on his agile figure to jump forward between the rocks, Lin Rui and Su Wan could only move forward slowly while clinging to the inner side of the slippery cliff. This method of movement was not only slow but also required a great deal of attention, energy, and courage.

Although Lin Rui's shoes could ensure that he would not consume extra stamina on difficult terrain, the test on this kind of cliff road was not just about stamina, but also about a person's mentality. Every step taken required confirming whether the stone underfoot was stable; with every breath, one could feel the chill coming from the abyss on the right.

On that slippery rock plank road, the team advanced for about two hours and finally escaped the most dangerous section.

During this period, Su Wan slipped several times and almost fell into the abyss. Once, a moss-covered stone slab suddenly loosened the moment she stepped on it, and she tilted nearly forty-five degrees to the right, with the bottomless clouds and mist right below her.

Fortunately, Hu Jinsi had provided her with the [lickers leg bind] in advance. Whenever she lost her balance, the power of the leg bind would firmly attach her feet to the rock wall, sticking to it like a magnet, avoiding the tragedy of falling.

Each time she escaped danger, Su Wan's face would turn a little paler, but she gritted her teeth and did not complain, only choosing the placement of each step more carefully.

When walking to the latter part of the plank road, Hu Jinsi had to connect himself and Su Wan with a mountaineering rope. This way, even if Su Wan had an accident, he could pull her back immediately. But for Lin Rui, he was truly helpless; given the weight of Lin Rui's equipment, once he slipped, even Hu Jinsi would be dragged down with him.

Fortunately, Lin Rui's new equipment indeed had advantages for moving on difficult terrain; the effect of [Step Forward] made every step of his steady and powerful. As long as his own mentality did not have problems, passing through this terrain was completely feasible.

Passing through the initial rock ridge, the terrain suddenly broke, and what replaced it was a suspended plank bridge tied together with thick ropes and rotten wood.

The bridge body swayed violently in the strong wind, and every step was accompanied by the "creak, creak" groaning of the wooden planks.

Beneath the bridge was a rolling sea of clouds, a vast whiteness with no bottom in sight. Vaguely, one could hear the sound of bowstrings being pulled by Werewolf Archers on the rocks high on the opposite side; the enemies were already waiting in full battle array on the opposite bank.

Seeing this scene, Hu Jinsi couldn't help but joke: "It seems that the 'suspension bridge' trope is unavoidable. Even if that group of students this year doesn't have to face the [Berserker] guarding the suspension bridge in the [Burning Village], they still have to endure the test of the suspension bridge in this dungeon."

Lin Rui followed up with a complaint: "I don't know about other things, but after getting out of this dungeon, mountaineering shoes, safety ropes, and safety buckles will definitely sell well."

"More than just these," Su Wan also said, "This [lickers leg bind] that Jinsi lent me, I estimate many students must have obtained it before in [Raccoon City]. Those who sold it now must be regretting it endlessly; in this dungeon cycle, this equipment can sell for more than three times the usual price."

A bit of complaining relieved their tense nerves. Facing this shaky plank bridge and the archers guarding the pass on the opposite side, Hu Jinsi simply suggested: "Lin Rui, you and Su Wan wait for me on this side of the bridge first. I will go over by myself first, take care of the archers and the ambushing Orcs on the opposite side, and then bring you over one by one."

"While I am on the other side, you should take off your heavy equipment first. You are too heavy; if you break the bridge while crossing the suspension bridge, we will both be finished. If you are lightly equipped, I should be able to force our way through with you."

Lin Rui and Su Wan did not stand on ceremony. They also knew that the mobs in this stage were nothing to Hu Jinsi, and letting him clear the field first would indeed help with the subsequent passage. The two remained at this end of the bridge, and Lin Rui began to remove his tower shield and leg armor to reduce his load.

For the next hour or so, Hu Jinsi went back and forth across the plank bridge three times.

The first time, he flew across the suspension bridge alone, clearing out the Werewolf Archers and the ambushing red Orcs on the opposite bank one by one.

The second time, he took Su Wan carefully across the bridge. Su Wan's leg bind allowed her to maintain balance even on the swaying bridge surface, and they passed through successfully.

The third time, he took Lin Rui, who had removed most of his equipment, and sprinted forcefully, successfully reaching the opposite bank just as the bridge body let out an unbearable groaning.

After all three had passed, they only heard a loud crash behind them—the suspended plank bridge finally broke into pieces, tumbling down into the sea of clouds below.

Su Wan looked at the wreckage of the suspension bridge disappearing into the white mist, feeling a lingering fear: "This situation... the introduction given by Teacher Fan completely didn't mention it."

"It's quite normal," Hu Jinsi said, "Do you think an Extraordinary-level scout coming to survey this dungeon would walk back and forth on the suspension bridge many times? He would probably just sprint across the bridge surface and pass it, never thinking of doing a load test."

"This is obviously a pit left by the dungeon for us. Once three people stand on the suspension bridge at the same time, the bridge surface will collapse instantly. It can be considered a clear trap; after all, the bridge surface has already rotted to that extent, and anyone with a little common sense is unlikely to put all their weight on it at the same time."

"Fortunately, we came over separately," Lin Rui wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Hu Jinsi said: "Actually, it's not that dangerous. As long as the first person goes over with a rope, the people behind can slide over along the rope, it's just that the first person is required to have a certain ability to solo kill."

By this time, it was already past four in the afternoon, and the sun began to slant westward. The golden afterglow sprinkled on the mountain peaks, coating the cold rocks with a layer of warm luster.

The three stood at the end of the plank bridge, and the terrain suddenly opened up. Before them was a natural stone platform surrounded by mountains. The platform ground was relatively flat, but the edges were still jagged cliffs eroded by time, with no retreat.

The white bones of a few unknown adventurers were scattered in the corner, dried by the wind inside rusted armor; that should be a warning left by previous challengers. The air was filled with the smell of sulfur and the stench peculiar to a beast's lair.

In the center of the stone platform was a huge nest, piled up with dead branches, gravel, and the bones of some creature, large enough to be the size of a house. There were obvious burn marks on the rocks around the nest, with black scorch marks and melted wax intertwined.

Hu Jinsi looked at Lin Rui and Su Wan: "How is your state? Shall we do this stage's boss before dinner? If not, we'll leave it for tomorrow morning."

Lin Rui gritted his teeth: "Let's do it. If we don't, I won't be able to sleep peacefully tonight, fearing being ambushed by that [Wyvern] in the middle of the night. Give me ten minutes to organize that 'secret weapon,' and once it's organized, we'll start directly."

Su Wan checked the bolt stock of her hand crossbow, confirmed the status of [Plucking·Initial Movement], and nodded: "I am ready."

Hu Jinsi looked at the huge nest at the end of the stone platform, and the afterglow of the setting sun reflected a golden light in his eyes.

"Then let's begin."