Chapter 11. Did I Get Them All?

Kim Do-Joon was greeted by a view of snowy mountains rising from the horizon.

Kim Do-Joon found himself somewhere that looked to be a mix between desert and forest. To his left was a vast and distant lake, and to his right was the stretch of ashen plains. The Elemental Island lacked a unifying theme.

He pondered where to go, and decided to follow his gut leftward. Somehow, he felt it was more peaceful.

Where are all the monsters?

Kim Do-Joon trod along the path for quite some time but saw no hide or hair of any living creatures. He remained guarded and alert nonetheless. After all, he never knew where danger could strike from.

His Perception stat, level sixteen, elevated his senses beyond that of an ordinary human.

Suddenly, he heard a faint, disturbing sound.

Ssss—

Kim Do-Joon silently surveyed his surroundings. Seemingly out of nowhere, a tiny burrow had appeared behind him.

“..."

He cautiously approached the burrow. After three small steps, something abruptly attacked him from behind with a muffled sound.

"

Shaa!

"

The monster’s trickery failed to catch Kim Do-Joon off guard, however. Sensing its movement, he swiftly twisted to the side. Eyes wide, he spotted something flying past, barely missing him.

"Is that a snake?" Kim Do-Joon muttered.

[Elemental Snake (Earth)]

Compatibility

- 18%

His assailant was a rockish snake with dull, rocky scales. In the blink of an eye, it retreated into the ground.

So, it travels by burrowing into the ground.

That must have been how it escaped his line of sight. Analyzing the snake’s movements, Kim Do-Joon kept a tight grip on his axe.

He couldn't help but feel a tinge of disappointment. The snake’s meager Compatibility of eighteen percent meant that his upper limit to farm was nineteen—a trivial four percent raise from his present fifteen. His experience in the Catacomb, meanwhile, bore far more yield.

I suppose I can’t complain. Every little bit helps.

Kim Do-Joon had more to gain from grinding out some points than idling at home without purpose. He held his axe close to his body and activated his skills, then braced for a second assault.

[You have received a Minor Stamina Boost.]

[You have received a Minor Speed Boost.]

[You have received a Minor Durability Boost.]

With his senses heightened, his entire body worked like a radar, primed to detect any slight movement about him.

"

Shaaah!

"

The rockish snake took another shot at ambushing him. Eyes blown wide, Kim Do-Joon turned his body to avoid its attack and, upon spotting it, swung his axe.

Swoosh—!

With the help of his level seventeen Speed stat, he saw everything ensue in slow motion. The sharp blade cut through the air, making its way towards the airborne, flinching Elemental Snake.

Thunk!

The axe struck home, launching the snake away. As if suffering a concussion from the blow, it thrashed about confusedly on the sandy ground. Kim Do-Joon approached and grabbed the snake by the neck with his gauntlet-clad hand.

"Stay still."

He raised his axe. The blade glowed faintly with the activation of its additional attack power—so faint, that it would escape all but close scrutiny. In a way, it almost looked to be something out of a martial arts novel, only far more ordinary.

[Additional Effect]

- Attack Power + 20-40

Kim Do-Joon activated the additional attack power copy-pasted onto his person. A second light wrapped around his wrist, flowed down his arm, and enveloped his entire body.

With the weapon’s traits and Kim Do-Joon’s own additional attack power combined, the Young Kujika Tribesmen’s Broadaxe was enveloped by two layers of light. The blade fell upon the snake like a bolt of lightning, cleaving it in two.

"

Keuak! Keeaak!

"

The bisected Elemental Snake writhed on the sandy ground like a living octopus. The force of its thrashing was strong enough to shoot splatters of blood tens of meters away. Eventually, its struggles died out; the snake lost its strength and collapsed, deceased.

[You have defeated a monster. You have gained Experience Points(EXP).]

Okay, good.

The monster,

This level of skill was manageable. Although the ambush had been somewhat threatening, and the creature was formidable, it was not beyond his ability to handle. Frankly, he found dealing with Goblin Riders to be more challenging.

Huh?

Suddenly, he felt a faint vibration of the ground beneath his feet. Moving on instinct, Kim Do-Joon leaped backward—another rockish snake sprang out from where he had been standing only a moment prior.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down his back. Had he stayed still, it would have caught his ankle.

Do they travel as a group?

Before the creature could make its retreat, Kim Do-Joon leaped forward and severed its head with a quick slash.

Crack!

Kim Do-Joon avoided the spurts of blood erupting from the fallen snake and cautiously scanned his surroundings for any remaining threats. However, all was quiet.

Assured that nothing would attack him, Kim Do-Joon approached the second snake’s corpse. Unlike the Skeletons of the Catacomb which turned to dust upon defeat, the snake’s corpse remained intact.

Hmm... I wonder if it dropped anything worthwhile?

Kim Do-Joon prodded at the snake’s corpse with his axe, rummaging for crafting items.

Crafting items referred to those processed as ingredients—Red Herbs, for instance, were among them. In the hands of an Awakener with crafting skills, they could be transformed into valuable items.

It was too bad that Goblin Riders did not drop any. Generally, a corpse with crafting items would be worth double or triple its original value.

In his search, Kim Do-Joon found a glow exuding from the corpse, and his eyes lit up. A system message popped up, telling of its identity.

[Elemental Snake's Skin(Earth)]

There it is!

When he reached towards it, the light condensed into a neatly folded piece of skin.

[Elemental Snake's Skin(Earth)]

Description

- Snakeskin with an earth attribute. Provides slight resistance against earth-based attacks.

Rarity

- Rare

Classification

- Ingredient

Effect

- Earth Resistance + 0.1%

Kim Do-Joon was pleasantly surprised by his discovery.

No way! I can make defensive equipment with this!

***

Damage resistance was a rare and prized stat granted as an item effect. Its function was straightforward: with it, you could reduce incoming damage of the corresponding attribute.

Kim Do-Joon was not entirely unfamiliar with it. He had, after all, come across the poison- and fire-resistant Ring of the Axe-Wielding Arreina Tribe not too long ago. He had simply paid it little heed, at the time preoccupied with copy-pasting the item’s Vitality effect onto Kim So-Eun.

The Earth Resistance being a mere tenth of a percent... isn't that pretty low? I mean, I guess it's still unprocessed.

Raw crafting items were seldom relevant on their own—any stats or effects they came with were weak and of minimal use. It was only when they were refined as equipment by skilled craftsmen that the potency of their inherent traits would be amplified.

For instance, an unprocessed Red Herb would heal with one-twentieth of the efficacy of a proper Minor Healing Potion. However, no more than five of the same ineffective Red Herbs were needed to create the potion.

Hmm... But do I want to go through all that trouble?

To process the snakeskin, Kim Do-Joon would need to find a Crafter and wait a while for equipment to be made of it. It was cumbersome, time-consuming, and expensive.

In comparison, freely copy-pasting the raw material’s item effect seemed far more efficient—all the more if he managed to secure an abundance.

I’ve got it.

Kim Do-Joon set the course for his labyrinth expedition. His earlier disappointment with the monsters’ Compatibility levels had vanished from his mind. In its place was a rush of excitement; the labyrinth, contrary to his expectations, was no less than a goldmine. A bonanza.

"

Ssshhh...

"

It wasn’t long before a deluge of small burrows encircled him. There were at least ten visible, making it a dozen or so Elemental Snakes at the ready. Smelling their fallen comrades, they had come seeking revenge.

Though surrounded, Kim Do-Joon was not scared like he ought to be. Adjusting the grip on his axe, he faced the imminent danger with a wild smirk.

I'll just strip them of their skins.

***

[Your Compatibility has increased.]

Having tirelessly hunted down monsters, Kim Do-Joon’s Compatibility increased to sixteen percent. He opened his inventory.

- Elemental Snake's Skin(Earth) x 72

Kim Do-Joon smiled, proud at the results of his hours-long industry. He laid all seventy-two snakeskins out to view and, of them, picked out two pieces.

It'd take forever to copy-paste every single one of their effects onto me.

The copy-paste ability could only be used once per target each day. Going through each of the snakeskins one by one would take him over seventy days—a daunting task, to say the least.

He had no choice but to use a little workaround.

[The item effect of Elemental Snake's Skin(Earth) can be copied and pasted onto Elemental Snake's Skin(Earth).]

[Item effects available for copy-pasting:]

1. Earth Resistance + 0.1%

“Copy-paste," Kim Do-Joon muttered.

The two items began to glow faintly. The one in his left hand disappeared as dust, leaving only the snakeskin in his right intact.

[A similar item effect already exists on the target. The item effect will stack.]

[Elemental Snake's Skin(Earth)]

Description

- Snake skin with earth attributes. Provides slight resistance against earth-based attacks.

Rarity

- Rare

Classification

- Ingredient

Effect

- Earth Resistance + 0.1%

[Additional Effect]

- Earth Resistance + 0.1%

Great! It worked.

Just as he had been expecting, the procedure went smoothly. Combining two snakeskins of the same Earth Resistance had made one with additive stacks. Now, all that remained was to do the same for the rest of the seventy items.

[Elemental Snake's Skin(Earth)]

Description

- Snakeskin with an earth attribute. Provides slight resistance against earth-based attacks.

Rarity

- Rare

Classification

- Ingredient

Effect

- Earth Resistance + 0.1%

[Additional Effect]

- Earth Resistance + 7.1%

Of the starting seventy-two snakeskins, only the one in Kim Do-Joon’s hand remained. With a whopping seven point two percent’s worth of Earth Resistance, it far outstripped the boosts provided by most other items.

With a satisfied expression on his face, Kim Do-Joon placed the snakeskin into his inventory and looked around.

Did I get them all?

Though he thoroughly probed about the sandbank with the spear he had bought from the store, he found no further Elemental Snakes roaming around. Evidently, the monsters’ respawn timers could not keep up with the rate at which Kim Do-Joon hunted them. The one or two snakes that did pop up from time to time were far from enough to meet his demand.

I'll settle for what I have for the time being. I can always come back.

With his copy-pasted ability, Kim Do-Joon could re-enter the labyrinth after a week. Based on his calculations, should he farm a quota of seven percent Earth Resistance each successive week, he could reach the maximum resistance of seventy-five percent within a few months.

I heard that to reach maximum resistance in a single attribute, you'd need to sink in tens of billions.

Items boasting the coveted damage resistance were yet minute in potency. Gathering enough of them to meet the maximum resistance of seventy-five percent was difficult and expensive. Achieving a complete resistance set—as it was known throughout the industry—for a single element typically cost tens to hundreds of billions.

Ergo, most Hunters were satisfied with an approximate limit of fifty percent, well within the range of tens of billions, for how easier and cheaper it was to meet.

Kim Do-Joon, on the other hand, could achieve the maximum resistance with but a few months of labor. It didn’t end there, either.

Equipment had its limits. Maxing out resistance for a single attribute meant that resistance to the others would naturally be neglected.

High-rank hunters typically had unique resistance sets for each of the different attributes, which they swapped for each dungeon. Kim Do-Joon suffered no such drawback—his damage resistance was not tied to space-consuming items, after all.

I can raise my resistance against multiple attributes at once.

Kim Do-Joon made his way toward a lake. He then abruptly stopped in his tracks and smirked.

Speaking of the devil...

[Elemental Snake (Water)]

Compatibility

- 18%