With the benefit of previous successful experiences and the increased strength of Group 001's remaining members, their progress was evident.
This time, dealing with the River Swallowing Toad was smoother than ever, with a seamless level of teamwork. In under ten minutes, they managed to bring down the massive toad, leaving its corpse sprawled in a pool of blood.
Ray Theon, covered in blood yet still crackling with thunder, looked almost godlike, wrapped in the fury of lightning.
"Ha! A mere little toad is no match for us now!" he bragged, proudly flaunting his strength. Meanwhile, the others focused on examining the loot dropped by the River Swallowing Toad.
True to their hopes, a pitch-black bead, about the size of a marble, lay among the spoils. This time, however, there was more: in addition to the bead, they found a token and a special book!
Yesterday, the toad had dropped only the monster's inner core. But now, beyond the core, they'd acquired a token and a mysterious book!
Everyone gathered around, glancing over the items in awe.
[Contribution Token ×2]
➤ Special Item – No Grade
Description:
A token symbolizing the achievements of a Somi disciple. By defeating monsters, disciples accumulate contribution points based on the enemy's strength. These points can be exchanged for treasures at the Somi Treasure Pavilion.
The token sparked interest among the group. Exchanging contribution points for treasures was intriguing, though with only two points, none could say what they might exchange for in Somi. After briefly considering its value, they entrusted it to Ray for safekeeping.
They then turned their attention to the book.
[Hoarding Water] (Grade D)
➤ Skill Type: Active
Effect:
Refines the user's acupoints, enabling them to absorb and store vast amounts of water. This eliminates the need to condense water vapor when using water-based skills.
Cooldown: None
Storage Capacity: Scales with Constitution and Mental Strength of the user.
"I want this," Vince said, adjusting his black-rimmed glasses, his eyes gleaming with interest. The others had little attachment to it.
"Alright, we'll discuss how to divide the spoils later. By the way, where's Brother White?" Ray Theon asked, noticing Novak had vanished.
The group looked around in surprise.
"I'd bet he went to scout somewhere else," Overlord replied. "Now that we've defeated the River Swallowing Toad, it's time to challenge the other bosses on the first floor. Let's go!"
"I found him!" Ray Theon called out, speeding off with thunderous energy. As the group crossed the lake where they'd encountered the toad and reached a nearby hillside, they spotted Novak at last.
They had reached a long hill, clearly the heart of the Demon Locking Tower's first floor. Three imposing monsters stood on the hill—a gigantic multicolored tiger, a massive green ox towering as high as a two-story building, and a coiled boa constrictor.
Each of these creatures looked even stronger than the River Swallowing Toad.
The aura of each monster was intensely frightening.
Novak stood calmly at the center of the hill. Though the three monsters attacked with blinding speed, every strike seemed anticipated, as if he knew their moves in advance. No matter how fiercely they attacked, not a single blow could reach him; he held these fearsome beasts entirely at his mercy.
"My God! One of them is level 17, another level 18, and that boa is a level 19 monster! This is unreal!" Ray Theon gasped, eyes wide. "The Great White Emperor truly lives up to his reputation—and to the ultimate investment by Zogwort. This level of power is beyond words!"
The others glanced at Ray, puzzled. He frequently mentioned "ultimate investment" when speaking of Novak in their No. 001 chat group. Though they'd questioned him about it before, Ray had kept the specifics to himself. They didn't press further now, but the spectacle before them left a lasting impression.
So many times they'd tried, failed, and barely escaped with their lives, thanks to Miroku(Truth Teller)'s healing and defensive spells to survive. Yet here was Novak, effortlessly overpowering the three powerful bosses—any one of which rivaled the River Swallowing Toad they'd struggled with.
"Alright, brothers! Brother White Emperor is powerful, but let's give him a hand! We can at least handle one of them!" Ray called out, waving the others forward.
With renewed confidence, the team charged down the hillside toward the monsters. Novak turned to them, smiling, and gestured, "You're here."
Ray nodded, eyes fixed on the three beasts, "Don't worry, Brother White Emperor! If we can distract one, we'll take it down for sure!"
Novak blinked, realizing they might have misunderstood, but he only smirked, letting a flicker of dark green light glow between his fingers.
As soon as this light touched the monsters, their bodies quaked, and a dark green hue spread across them, covering them in a layer of inky spots. Within moments—and no more than five seconds since Ray Theon and the others charged—the three monsters collapsed, utterly lifeless.
For a moment, silence hung over the scene.
Ray blinked, clearly stunned. "Brother White… you…"
Novak coughed lightly, trying to hold back a smile. "I thought you all might need a break, so I tested out a new ability."
"Well, it's done. My experiment is complete," he added, satisfied.
The new infection technique seemed effective. It might not work as swiftly as the Plague Sun infection, but the strengthened black-death contagion considerably weakened the monster's physical power and combat abilities. However, Novak barely noticed how much shock and awe his display had stirred in the hearts of his companions.