Throwing Bricks from Afar Was Seriously Great

A scorpion's attack pattern was different from a hound's.

Hounds only knew how to charge and bite. Their paths were straightforward and easy to dodge.

Scorpions coordinated their pincers and tails, attacking from above and below at the same time.

That tail strike even specifically targeted the gaps between armor plates.

If that sting landed squarely, not only would he take the hit, but the poison effect would keep draining health for five seconds. Gan Ming would have to spend an extra Healing to make up for it.

He couldn't let it sting him.

Gan Ming adjusted his positioning as he kited it, landing another six charged strikes.

When the timing felt right, he faced the scorpion's pincers and raised his left hand.

Rotten Root Entanglement!

The gravelly ground split apart, and roots burst out to bind the scorpion's six legs.

The scorpion began struggling.

But with its legs pinned down, its body could not move.

Gan Ming took advantage of the few seconds while the scorpion tail was charging and swung his sword down.

One slash!

Two slashes!

The third slash, a charged strike!

-136!

Its abdomen was pierced clean through.

The instant the roots loosened, the scorpion's six legs went limp.

[You killed Rust-armored Scorpion (Level 13) and gained 350 experience.]

"This experience is sweet~"

The higher a monster's level, the more experience it gave.

Gan Ming crouched down and began Soul Snatching.

[Soul Snatch successful!]

[Skill acquired: Hard Shell (Passive Skill. When taking physical attacks, damage is reduced by a fixed 8 points.)]

Hmm, only one?

Gan Ming was visibly stunned.

The scorpion had three skills, and his Soul Snatch was level 5. The success rate should not have been low.

Why had he only gotten one?

Was this some kind of luck balancing out?

Rather than immediately looking for the next one, he leaned against a broken wall and recalled every previous Soul Snatch in his mind.

He quickly reached an answer.

It was probably a matter of level difference.

There was a three-level gap between him and the scorpion.

There had also been a three-level gap when he fought the hounds.

But when he Soul Snatched the hound, it had been at the point where level 4 had just risen to level 5, and he had gotten every skill.

Now Soul Snatch was still level 5, while the scorpion was two levels higher than the hound.

That was why only one had come through.

"So it wasn't just Soul Snatch's level affecting the success rate."

"The gap between my own level and the target's level also mattered."

The lower his level was compared to the target's, the lower the maximum number of skills he could acquire in one attempt, and the more likely he was to miss some.

Conversely, if their levels were equal or he completely outleveled the target, the chances of clearing everything in one go were much higher.

That explained why, when he repeatedly farmed low-level pig monsters later on, he almost always got everything...

Because he had already been four or five levels above the pig monsters.

His monster-farming strategy would need to be adjusted from here on out.

He should prioritize killing monsters close to his own level.

That would increase the rate at which he gained Soul Snatch proficiency.

Soon, another wave of the scorpion's sour stench drifted over.

Let's go.

The second Rust-armored Scorpion. Level 12.

Gan Ming deliberately tested his theory.

This one was one level lower than the last, narrowing the gap between them to two levels.

Kill it!

Soul Snatch!

[Soul Snatch successful!]

[Skill acquired: Venomous Tail Sting (Charges and stabs with the tail, dealing 110% physical damage and inflicting poison (loses 4 health per second for 5 seconds). Cooldown: 15 seconds. Mana Cost: 12.)]

[Skill acquired: Hard Shell (Passive). Duplicate acquisition converted into talent proficiency.]

[Skill acquired: Pincer Crush (Clamps the target with both pincers, dealing 130% physical damage and reducing the target's defense by 15% for 5 seconds. Cooldown: 18 seconds. Mana Cost: 14.)]

Excellent, all three hit.

Verification complete.

The smaller the level gap, the more skills he could acquire in a single attempt.

With that rule confirmed, his growth plan became much clearer.

He should chase monsters one or two levels higher than himself. He would gain more experience without losing out on Soul Snatch success.

For monsters three or more levels above him, he would need to prepare to kill several to make up for it.

Fighting monsters below his level gave pitifully little experience, but the advantage was that he could farm duplicates to build talent proficiency.

The optimal solution was to always hunt monsters one or two levels above himself.

Gan Ming put all three new skills into the reserve pool.

He left his active slots untouched for now. His top priority was to keep killing and keep leveling up.

After clearing another scorpion, he reached level 11.

Then he caught a third scent.

The smell of lime.

A dry lime scent, mixed with the unique fishy odor of a monster.

It was faint, but spread over a wide area.

The scents of hounds and scorpions were concentrated in single spots.

This lime scent was spread out, covering a large area ahead.

Either it was huge, or there was more than one.

Gan Ming circled around a collapsed brick wall.

Then he saw a lizard over two meters long.

The lizard had thick limbs, its claws dug deeply into the gravel road.

Its entire body was covered in grayish-white scales, the same color as the surrounding bricks and tiles.

If his nose had not caught its scent,

Gan Ming would have mistaken it for a pile of rocks from this distance.

The Soul-Stealing Panel appeared.

[Soul Snatch Target: Monster]

[Species: Grayrock Giant Lizard]

[Level: 15]

[Skills (4): Stone Shard Launch, Rockskin (Passive), Tail Sweep, Mimicry (Passive)]

Four skills. Level 15.

Gan Ming scanned them quickly.

[Stone Shard Launch: Strikes ground rubble with its tail and launches it at the target, dealing 80% physical damage. Range: 15 meters. Cooldown: 10 seconds. Mana Cost: 10.]

[Rockskin (Passive): Increases own defense by 15%.]

[Tail Sweep: Sweeps its tail at all targets within 3 meters, dealing 140% physical damage and knocking them back. Cooldown: 16 seconds. Mana Cost: 15.]

[Mimicry (Passive): When remaining motionless, greatly reduces the chance of being detected by enemies.]

Gan Ming raised an eyebrow at [Stone Shard Launch].

A ranged skill with a fifteen-meter range!

Every Soul Snatch skill he had was melee.

Ambush required him to rush in and ram the target. It was not ranged.

He badly needed a ranged option now.

Stone Shard Launch only had an 80% multiplier, so its damage was not particularly high.

But its value was not in the damage. It meant he could finally throw bricks at someone from fifteen meters away.

And [Mimicry] was useful too.

It reduced the chance of being detected while standing still.

Combined with Beast Senses, he could smell the enemy while they could not see him.

Scouting and counter-scouting—a full combo.

But this lizard was level 15. It looked tough just standing there.

And he was only level 11.

There was a four-level gap between them.

Based on the rule he had just figured out, he would not be able to acquire everything this time.

He would have to kill several of them.

But first, he had to win.

Leaning against the broken wall, he went over the Grayrock Giant Lizard's four skills again.

Stone Shard Launch and Tail Sweep were the key skills.

Stone Shard Launch meant this thing had a mid-range attack. If he widened the distance, he would get pelted with rocks.

Tail Sweep was even more troublesome.

A three-meter range, 140% physical attack, plus knockback.

If he followed his old routine and opened with Ambush, ramming into it and stunning it for two seconds so he could land three slashes?

Then when the lizard recovered from the stun, its first move would most likely be Tail Sweep.

He would be sent flying, opening up the distance.

The lizard would follow up with Stone Shard Launch.

Ambush would still be on cooldown.

He would have to charge back in through the rocks, and his whole rhythm would fall apart.

No.

He needed to reverse it.