After going into the sea, I met the witch.

Even if these mudfish attacked with all their might, they wouldn't hurt him much while he was wearing scale armor. However, if they interfered with his attacks, he wouldn't be able to charge up his slashes.

He was forced to abandon charging up his power and swept his greatsword to knock away the mudfish that were attacking from the left and right.

These mudfish, which were not of the special species, were worlds apart in strength from the special species. After being swept away by Ryan's simple, uncharged sweep, they were sent flying and landed. After struggling for a few moments, they quickly became still.

One side of their scales was completely shattered, blood gushed out, and their internal organs were also pulverized into mincemeat by a single sword strike.

Such injuries, let alone those of other species, would leave even truly exceptional beings breathless.

Blocked by the two mudfish, the mud dragon, now given a chance to catch its breath, suddenly plunged into the mud, spraying mud everywhere and forcing Ryan to retreat several steps to avoid being covered in mud.

He didn't continue attacking at this moment. As the mud dragon burrowed and rotated, a large amount of mud gathered on its body surface. Attacking at this time would only result in the newly broken "mud armor" healing itself in the next second, making it pointless.

Seeing that the Mud Dragon's restoration of its "Mud Armor" was unstoppable, Ryan looked at the three Mud Fish swimming around him and was immediately filled with rage.

You little mudskippers are practically courting death!

If it weren't for the two mudfish blocking his way, he could have severely injured the mud dragon to the brink of death with just one more powerful strike.

Retrieving the [Light Crossbow - Ice Shatter] from his spatial ring, Ryan fired three shots in quick succession, instantly eliminating the three mudfish.

"Boom!"

At this moment, the mud dragon, having re-attached its "mud armor," emerged. It leaped onto the wetland, its gaze sweeping over its five dead underlings. It immediately let out a low growl, its eyes turning bloodshot with rage.

Not only that, even its "mud armor" began to emanate a faint red color, forming shiny red spots on its body surface.

"This is?"

Ryan's pupils contracted slightly. The familiar scene allowed him to immediately recognize the changes in the mud dragon.

—Red Obsidian goes berserk!

"The closer you get to the center of the island, the stronger the monsters become, and the easier it is for them to go into 'Crimson Frenzy'?"

An idea flashed through Ryan's mind, but now was not the time to pursue it.

The mud dragon opened its mouth, and in the next instant, a ball of dark red mud shot out.

Compared to before, the mud clumps are flying at a speed that is at least 30% faster.

With the blessing of "Rathalos's Lament," Ryan managed to dodge the mud ball's attack with relatively little difficulty.

"Zi la la-"

The dark red mud clump that landed exploded, forming a mud puddle with a radius of three meters, emitting a sound like the corrosive effect of strong sulfuric acid.

A strange, pungent smell suddenly filled the air.

Ryan's expression changed slightly.

If the mud sprayed by the mud dragon previously only affected movement and caused nausea, now, this dark red mud has truly become something that can kill.

Even more alarming is that this corrosive, dark red mud did not settle into the wetlands, but instead remained suspended on the surface, causing severe environmental impact.

"If the battle drags on and forms a large area of ​​corroded dark red mud, then I will undoubtedly be defeated..."

Ryan felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that this battle had to be resolved quickly.

"Boom..."

A large splash of water erupted on the wetlands as Ryan charged straight at the mud dragon. Facing Ryan's attack, the mud dragon showed no mercy, opening its mouth and spewing out a large stream of dark red mud that spread out in a fan shape.

This type of attack is very difficult to avoid, whether by rolling or dodging, so...

Ryan leaped high into the air, raising his greatsword overhead and slamming it down on the mud dragon.

The Mud Dragon's reaction speed increased significantly after entering "Crimson Frenzy," and it raised its head simultaneously as Ryan jumped.

The dark red mud column followed closely behind Ryan, and if he paused for even a moment, he would be swallowed up by the dark red mud.

In mid-air, Ryan opened his mouth, and in the next instant, a powerful spiritual sound wave, visible to the naked eye, spread out, not only causing the mud dragon's body to stiffen suddenly, but also dispersing the dark red mud pillar that followed closely behind to some extent.

For monsters that live in dim environments and rely mainly on vibration and sound to sense enemies, spiritual sound waves can produce "outstanding effects," and this time is no exception.

The greatsword fell heavily, striking the mud dragon's head, which was covered in red spots, with its "mud armor".

To Ryan's surprise, this time when the greatsword struck the "mud armor," it didn't feel soft, slippery, or weak. These reddish "mud spots" were quite brittle. As soon as the greatsword fell, the "mud armor" shattered, and even the fish scales inside became brittle. Under the residual force of the greatsword, a not-so-shallow gash was cut into it.

This situation startled Ryan for a moment, but he quickly realized what was going on and remembered a sentence in the panel's description of the Mud Dragon: "When protected by wet mud, the Mud Dragon's defensive capabilities are quite strong, but once its scales dry out, they will lose their strength and become brittle."

Ryan didn't know the principle behind "Crimson Berserk," but there was no doubt that monsters entering "Crimson Berserk" would experience a rapid increase in body temperature.

For other monsters, this doesn't matter much; in fact, it's a good thing for fire-attribute monsters.

However, for mud dragons, a rise in body temperature and weakened scales is undoubtedly a fatal problem!

This was the first time Ryan had ever seen an example where entering "Crimson Berserk" actually made him weaker to some extent.

He grinned slightly, and after landing, while the mud dragon was still unconscious, he shouldered his greatsword and began to charge up his power again.

With power converging and spirituality compressed, the complete "second stage of power accumulation" was soon achieved.

Without hesitation, Ryan swung his sword heavily at the mud dragon's head.

"kill!"

Chapter 104 Awakening, Azure Medal! (Part Two)

Ice blue and crimson streaked through the air and landed heavily on the mud dragon's head, which was not protected by "mud armor".

With a loud "thud," the upper body of the mud dragon was slammed into the mud.

The greatsword pressed down on the mud dragon's head, and soon, the red spots around the mud dragon beneath Ryan gradually dimmed, and its life force was completely extinguished.

"call……"

With a soft exhale, Ryan drew his greatsword, looked at the dead mud dragon, and shook his head.

“If you don’t enter ‘Crimson Berserk’, I think it will take more effort to successfully defeat you.”

A peculiar, bag-like, pale blue object emerged from the mud dragon's corpse, radiating a rich bronze glow.

[Mud Dragon's Large Water Bag]: Bronze-grade loot, a special organ within the Mud Dragon's body that stores its essence. It comes with the special skill [Turn Defense into Offense Lv.1]: After successfully parrying an attack with a weapon, damage dealt is increased by 5% for the next 20 seconds.

"A new special skill?"

"It seems to work well with [Sword Drawing Technique - Power]... After drawing your sword to parry, the total damage dealt is increased by 10% for the next 20 seconds, and it is easier to cause a stun effect when attacking the enemy's head."

After reflecting on his feelings, Ryan looked at the control panel.

-

[Level]: 11 (1%→51%)

[Spiritual Value]: 32635 → 52635

-

After successfully defeating a Mud Dragon at the "lower-tier peak" level, the experience bar only increased by 50%, which means that to level up again, you need to defeat at least one more special species of the same level.

Ryan was not surprised by this.

After reaching level 11, it becomes more difficult to level up, but the benefits of leveling up are also incredibly generous.

Ryan glanced at the profile of his wandering clone without paying much attention to it.

He took out a beautiful, deep blue medal from his pocket, his eyes filled with anticipation.

After defeating the Mud Dragon, he has traveled extensively and has finally defeated ten special species. This mysterious and powerful medal is now ready to awaken.

A faint glow appeared on the surface of the Azure Medal, and a warm current flowed out from within the medal, spreading throughout Ryan's body, making him feel incredibly warm and comfortable.

-

【Artifact - Azure Medal】: A medal that only those who make outstanding contributions to the hunting party are qualified to receive. It contains magical power and can increase the wearer's physical attributes by two levels (level 20 and below) - You have completed the will, and this artifact has been awakened.

This legendary medal, which only the strongest hunters are qualified to wear, still has untapped potential. After hunting ten different special species, this artifact will be fully awakened. The current progress is 10/10, and it is adapting to the effect that best suits you. Time required: 30 minutes. Please wait patiently.

-

"Oh, do we still have to wait 30 minutes?"

Ryan was a little disappointed, but he quickly cheered up.

The more this is the case with the [Relic - Azure Medal], the more the "effect" that will be revealed later will suit him better, allowing him to gain the maximum improvement.

"Let the bullets fly for a while."

Ryan muttered to himself, then turned his gaze to the mud dragon's corpse.

As a special species at the "lower apex" level, the materials from the Mud Dragon are extremely precious.

Furthermore, to trade with the "Hidden Dragonman," one must obtain a certificate from the mud dragon's corpse.

Ryan crouched down and began collecting materials.

With so much experience, he was practically self-taught in material gathering.

Before long, he had completed the collection of the main materials, such as scales, teeth, bones, and even flesh and blood, which he stuffed into his spatial ring as much as possible.

When he could no longer fit the fish, Ryan dragged a large piece of fish to a spot not far from the wetlands, set up a barbecue grill, and began grilling the fish using the flames from "Rathalos's Lament".

High-quality ingredients require only simple cooking.

Under the intense heat of the fire dragon's flames, the fish fillets soon began to sizzle and release oil. Sprinkle with a few grains of sea salt, and the golden and crispy grilled fish fillets are ready!

Ryan opened his mouth and took a big bite. The fish melted in his mouth, soft and sweet, with a hint of saltiness. It was simply a delicacy.

In no time, Ryan had devoured a large piece of grilled fish fillet. The rich nutrients in the fish made Ryan feel warm and comfortable.

[Binge Level]: 75/100.

【Wrath of the Mud Dragon】: The mud dragon roars, increasing its physical strength by 10%, and any attack will deal additional mud damage, causing a powerful slowing effect.

"Great [Food Battle] special effects!"

Ryan nodded in satisfaction, picked his teeth, and returned to the entrance of the underground wetland cave. Led by the spirit deer, he returned to the cave where the "Hidden Dragonman" lived.

He took out a mud dragon tooth and tossed it to the reclusive dragonman on the cave wall. The dragonman caught it, examined it briefly, and nodded slightly under his bamboo hat.

"...Indeed a dragon from the mud...you...have proven your worth..."

"This item... is the reward..."

A small object was thrown down by the reclusive dragonman. Ryan reached out and caught it, then looked at it closely.