Frost Crocodile Dragon

Sacrifice I

Sacrificial Material

Grade: None

Level: None

Description: One of the sacrifices rumored to be used in rituals for the phantom beast Dream Eater. It escaped for unknown reasons. If all nine sacrifices can be gathered in the depths of Dream Eater's Forbidden Ground, there may be unexpected gains.

"Nine sacrifices?"

Interest appeared on Xiao Wen's face.

The first sacrifice had already been level fifteen, and it had taken him so much effort to deal with it. The ones that followed naturally would not be easy opponents either.

However, the more complicated the quest, the richer the rewards upon completion.

"Interesting. Let's see who this second sacrifice is."

Xiao Wen had just tossed the sacrifice into his backpack when wisps of mist began rising from the meadow beneath his feet, shrouding the surroundings in a hazy white.

When the thick fog dispersed, Xiao Wen suddenly felt a bone-piercing chill. Looking up, he discovered that the ground beneath him had become a world of ice and snow. Waves of frigid wind swept past, leaving his hands and feet numb and his body trembling.

"An icy mountain map? Could it be an ice-attribute monster?"

Xiao Wen narrowed his eyes and muttered as he cautiously scanned the area.

Suddenly, a faint cracking sound rang out. He could clearly feel the ice beneath his feet tremble.

"Below!"

Xiao Wen stepped back and leaped aside.

Just as Xiao Wen's body left the ground, the ice instantly split apart. Cracks spread across its surface, leaving behind a bottomless ice pit.

Then, Xiao Wen saw a crystalline blue crocodile dragon crawl out of the pit.

Frost Crocodile Dragon · Elite-tier

Level: 15

Attack: 2200

Defense: 2000

HP: 9000

Temperament: Brutal

Skill: Ice Element Control

Description: The projection of the powerful King-class monster—the Frost Crocodile Dragon. It was born with the power to control ice elements. Dangerous and cunning, it could freeze its prey within ancient ice with the slightest lapse in caution.

"A level fifteen Frost Crocodile Dragon."

Xiao Wen narrowed his eyes and looked at the Sword of Lightning in his hand. As long as he held this sword, he could ignore his opponent's defense.

Even against an Emperor-class monster, he could still put up a fight.

"Roar!"

The Frost Crocodile Dragon opened its massive jaws and let out a howl. A stream of crystalline blue air spewed from its mouth and rushed toward Xiao Wen.

The chill swept through the air, and tiny shards of ice instantly began falling from the sky.

Xiao Wen's expression changed sharply. He retreated and hid behind a massive block of ice.

As the freezing wind swept over him, a series of hissing freezing sounds rang out. Xiao Wen clearly saw the ice block before him expand several times over in an instant.

"A monster with area attacks. This is getting troublesome."

If it had merely been a single-target attacking monster like the Cyclops, Xiao Wen would not have feared it. As long as his micro-control was good enough, those monsters would not even be able to scratch him.

But area-attacking monsters were different. Their attacks spread in all directions. Their attack power might be weaker than that of single-target monsters, but even so, it was still the attack of a level fifteen elite monster, with a base attack bonus as high as 2,200 points. It was not something Xiao Wen could withstand.

If Xiao Wen had put all his attribute points into physique back then, boosting his HP and becoming a summoner so tanky that he could take hits without flinching, perhaps he could have faced the Frost Crocodile Dragon head-on now. But as things stood, he would rather not.

Thud, thud...

A series of heavy sounds rang out as the Frost Crocodile Dragon steadily approached. It raised a front claw and slammed it against the massive ice block before it.

The next instant, the ice block shattered into pieces, revealing Xiao Wen behind it.

"Roar!"

The Frost Crocodile Dragon opened its jaws and bit toward Xiao Wen.

Xiao Wen narrowed his eyes. Instead of retreating, he advanced. Before the Frost Crocodile Dragon's head could slam down, he leaned back, lifted his toes, and fell backward. At the same time, he braced the Sword of Lightning against the ice and shoved hard, sending himself gliding forward.

Sliding across the ice, he slipped directly beneath the Frost Crocodile Dragon's belly. At the same time, Xiao Wen raised the Sword of Lightning high and slashed it straight across its abdomen.

Fatal Strike!

Defense Break!

-2920!

An orange-gold damage value rose from the Frost Crocodile Dragon's body, and its HP instantly dropped by a third.

In agony, the Frost Crocodile Dragon smashed its head down onto the empty ice, instantly blasting out a huge crater.

Meanwhile, Xiao Wen used the momentum of his slide to rush out of the Frost Crocodile Dragon's attack range.

His blazing eyes remained fixed on the Frost Crocodile Dragon. There was not the slightest joy on his face over that earlier strike; instead, his expression grew increasingly grave.

Because he saw that although the Frost Crocodile Dragon had gone berserk from the pain, it had also pressed its already low belly completely against the ice.

"Covering its weak spot? This beast has some intelligence. It's even harder to deal with than the previous Cyclops."

To Xiao Wen, a monster with intelligence that knew how to hide its weakness was even more difficult to deal with than a Lord-class BOSS.

"Still, as long as I have the Sword of Lightning, what can you do even if you cover your weakness?"

Xiao Wen sneered, but he did not attack immediately.

He was waiting—waiting for the instant the Frost Crocodile Dragon exposed a flaw. That would be the best time for him to strike.

He did not need to predict the enemy's every move, only to strike after it did and respond to motion with stillness.

"Roar..."

A moment later, the Frost Crocodile Dragon swept its tail and twisted around to face Xiao Wen. Rather than charging forward, it opened its mouth and released a cloud of icy mist. Pellet after pellet of ice condensed in the surrounding air.

The ice pellets pattered onto the ground. Xiao Wen sidestepped and retreated. Almost the instant the Frost Crocodile Dragon turned, he had already guessed its move and reacted, neatly avoiding its freezing breath.

A cloud of icy mist drifted past him, freezing a few strands of hair into tiny icicles. Xiao Wen remained unmoved, his eyes locked firmly onto the Frost Crocodile Dragon.

He clearly noticed that after the Frost Crocodile Dragon used its breath attack, it entered a near two-second period of stiffness.

"Two seconds of stiffness. Attack range: ten meters. The spread widens by about ten centimeters per meter. The closer to its head, the smaller the range of the icy mist, but the greater its power..."

At the instant the Frost Crocodile Dragon attacked, Xiao Wen had already thoroughly grasped its attack data.

With those figures as reference, what came next became much simpler.

Gripping the Sword of Lightning, he advanced instead of retreating and charged toward the Frost Crocodile Dragon.

Seeing Xiao Wen rush toward it, the Frost Crocodile Dragon paused, somewhat stunned. Then it opened its mouth and unleashed its freezing breath.

The corners of Xiao Wen's mouth lifted. Almost the instant it opened its jaws, he pushed off with his right foot to the left, springing sideways and brushing past the icy mist.

One second... two seconds...

Just as Xiao Wen was about to reach the Frost Crocodile Dragon, it suddenly turned around.

The next instant, a foul wind swept toward him as the Frost Crocodile Dragon swung its tail. Its azure crocodile-dragon tail swept across like a long whip.

"Took the bait. Now!"