Normally, it took at least eighteen or nineteen level-2 Exotic Beasts to level up to level 3.
Chen Ming continued deeper into the Exotic Beast Forest.
[Killed Spirit Stone Monkey (Lv. 3), EXP +25!] [Obtained: Spirit Stone Monkey Beast Core (Lv. 3)]
The farther he went, the more Exotic Beasts he encountered.
To others, this was a dangerous place, fraught with peril.
But to Chen Ming, it was an endless source of experience!
[Killed Tri-Horned Lizard (Lv. 3), EXP +27!] [Obtained: Tri-Horned Lizard Beast Core (Lv. 3)] [Killed Earth Rat (Lv. 3), EXP +26!] [Obtained: Earth Rat Beast Core (Lv. 3)] [Obtained: Strength Rune Stone ×1]
In a hollow, Chen Ming finished the battle he had just fought.
Looking at the rune stone that had dropped before him, he nodded with satisfaction.
"Does it seem like the Exotic Beasts in the forest are more likely to drop rune stones?"
Chen Ming murmured to himself.
He didn't dwell on it and used the Strength Rune Stone he had just obtained to enhance his long blade.
[Strength Rune Stone successfully used!] [Common Long Blade: Strength +6!] [Strength: 26!]
He glanced at his class panel.
[Level]: 2 (90 EXP needed to reach level 3) [Strength]: 26 [Constitution]: 711/1200 (20%) [Recovery]: 112 (12%) [Agility]: 20 [Spirit]: 238 (19%)
"Only 90 more. I need to kill four more."
The Constitution he spent killing level-3 Exotic Beasts was about the same as what he'd spent fighting level-2 Exotic Beasts when he was level 1.
That was Chen Ming's greatest advantage.
No matter what kind of Exotic Beast he faced, the maximum damage he could take was always 1!
The stronger he became, the more this ability's power would show.
His maximum Constitution would keep increasing as he leveled up, but the cost of killing Exotic Beasts at each stage would remain almost unchanged.
For example, in the future, once he reached level 10 or 20 and his Constitution reached tens of thousands,
even when fighting Exotic Beasts stronger than him, he would still lose only a limited amount of Constitution over the course of a battle.
And if he also factored in the automatic recovery effect of the passive ability [Battle-Hardened],
then perhaps, at some point in the future, Chen Ming could truly face any enemy without taking a scratch!
"Battle-Hardened is only a C-rank skill, but in my hands, its effects are no worse than an S-rank skill."
[Absolute Defense] + [Battle-Hardened]
It was like a fine steed finally finding its worthy master.
"Hiss—"
Just then, a chilling hiss rang out.
Chen Ming felt the cold gaze of something watching him and furrowed his brow.
He tried to pinpoint where the sound was coming from, but suddenly felt a chill descend from above.
His body instinctively sounded the alarm.
Without the slightest hesitation, he swiftly dodged to the side.
The next second, a twisted black shadow suddenly flashed down from the treetops above where he had been standing.
A figure streaked with green appeared before him.
It was a two-meter-tall Green Snake. Its lower body was broad, and two heads grew from its upper body.
[Two-Headed Rattlesnake] [Level: Lv. 4] [Ability: Cross Poison Fang] [Description: It likes to hide in the shadows and ambush its enemies. Its attacks inflict poison damage.]
The two snakeheads flanked either side, their pale yellow, slit-pupiled eyes fixed on Chen Ming.
Its green scales glinted coldly, and a sinister chill seemed to seep from its flickering tongues.
"A level-4 Exotic Beast, and its attacks inflict poison damage, too."
Chen Ming raised his arm and saw a tiny wound.
[-1!]
He still didn't know how [Absolute Defense] worked against poison damage, a kind of damage-over-time effect.
People had always said that when it came to poison, no amount of defense could stop it.
That was because poison didn't break through defenses with physical force. It seeped in and took effect by corroding the body from within.
That was why defensive classes like Shield Guards feared negative attacks such as poison damage most of all.
But Chen Ming figured that [Absolute Defense], as a max-level SSS-rank skill, had to offer protection beyond just the surface.
This was the perfect chance to test it.
Chen Ming was keeping an eye on his wound.
Meanwhile, the Two-Headed Rattlesnake wasn't in a hurry to attack either.
Its main tactics were ambush and poison damage; it rarely launched a direct attack.
Besides, it had already used [Cross Poison Fang] when it struck just now. The poison had seeped into this human's body.
All it had to do was wait.
In the shadowy hollow, one man and one beast fell into a strange standoff.
Utterly silent.
About a minute later, Chen Ming lowered his arm.
His guess had been right.
There was no sign of the poison spreading from the wound on his arm.
Thanks to his automatic recovery, it had already healed completely.
And during that time, he hadn't taken any further damage.
The Two-Headed Rattlesnake's [Cross Poison Fang] had amounted to nothing more than a bite.
Poison?
Sorry, he was immune.
From this, Chen Ming figured he might have another hidden ability.
Immune to all negative effects!
They said no amount of defense could stop poison?
Well, what if every hair on his body had defense so high that the poison couldn't penetrate it at all?
Wouldn't that make him immune to all poisons?
"Excellent."
After discovering his hidden ability, Chen Ming was in a great mood, a smile tugging at his lips.
Even the Two-Headed Rattlesnake across from him seemed a little more pleasing to the eye.
Still, he had to kill it all the same...
[-15!]
Chen Ming launched his attack on the Two-Headed Rattlesnake.
As usual, he just drew his blade and went for it.
"Fighting two levels above me really does lower my damage."
Seeing that his attack had dealt only 15 damage, Chen Ming's thoughts stirred.
But it didn't matter.
Level 2 versus level 4.
The advantage was mine!
[-1!] [-15!]
The Two-Headed Rattlesnake's attacks were a little slow.
Each time it attacked, it had to release poison, which took a little time to build up. After all, its venom wasn't unlimited.
After each attack, the Two-Headed Rattlesnake would watch its opponent's condition.
By all rights, it should take only a few Cross Poison Fang attacks for its opponent to succumb to the accumulating poison damage.
But today, it had run into its greatest nemesis.
By the end of the fight, the Two-Headed Rattlesnake had completely run out of venom.
By the time it realized something was wrong, Chen Ming had beaten it until it was utterly limp.
A venomous snake without venom was far weaker in battle.
All it could do was take a beating.
By the end of the fight, Chen Ming's Constitution had actually increased rather than decreased.
[-30!][-30!] [Killed Two-Headed Rattlesnake (Lv. 4), EXP +46!] [Obtained: Two-Headed Rattlesnake Beast Core (Lv. 4)] [Obtained: Dungeon Rune Stone ×1]
"Dungeon Rune Stone?"
Chen Ming's eyes lit up at once.
So this thing could drop, too?
Now that was the real deal.
Before you continue