Chapter 191 Ice Tornado
The Three-Tailed Demon Frog chilled in a cave halfway up the Crystal Range, licking its favorite ice crystals.
To humans, the Land of Death seemed sudden and strange, but for the monsters, it was home.
After a significant tremor, an enticing aroma began drifting into the Chaos Barrier, suggesting delicious sustenance and an opportunity for growth.
The Three-Tailed Demon Frog got lucky. At level two, it found some weak creatures called humans in the Land of Death. They were even weaker than newborn monsters but tasted amazing and packed a lot of energy.
After eating nearly a hundred humans, it leveled up to three.
At level three, it was pretty powerful in the Land of Death. But once all the humans were gone, it thought the good times were over. Then it found a Crystal Range deep in the Land of Death.
Another level three monster already lived there, but the crystals were too tempting. The Three-Tailed Demon Frog decided to fight for it.
That fight was brutal. It lost a leg, a tail, and almost bled out from a torn belly. But it won, killed the other monster, and claimed the Crystal Range.
It healed quickly, thanks to the endless crystals and its water-type regenerative powers. It absorbed the crystal energy day and night, leveling up to four.
And it had barely scratched the surface of the crystal stash. The Three-Tailed Demon Frog even thought it could reach level nine here!
It marked its territory with urine, staking its claim.
It wasn't too worried. Although stronger monsters existed in the Land of Death, they mainly emphasized physical prowess or possessed diverse elemental attributes, neglecting water and ice crystals.
Other monsters? The Three-Tailed Demon Frog could handle them easily.
But recently, it faced a new challenge.
A big golden dog started hanging around. It wasn't very strong but was fast and sneaky, never entering the Crystal Range, just watching from a distance.
For evolved beings, this was a sign of an impending attack.
The Three-Tailed Demon Frog wouldn't stand for it. It tried attacking several times, but the dog was too quick and always escaped.
The frog wasn't built for speed or long chases.
So, the Three-Tailed Demon Frog kept coming back empty-handed.
Even though there was no sunrise or sunset in the Land of Death, the light still changed. After a few cycles, the frog sensed a powerful presence getting closer.
Its warts stiffened. It hopped to the top of the Crystal Range and looked out.
It was the Red Flame Armored Beast, another level four monster and a fire-type, the frog's opposite.
The Three-Tailed Demon Frog roared from the top of the Crystal Range, warning the intruder. But the Red Flame Armored Beast roared back, ready to fight.
The frog was furious. In the monster world, invading territory meant a fight to the death.
It leaped from the Crystal Range and charged at the Red Flame Armored Beast. They clashed fiercely a few hundred meters away.
Meanwhile, William watched the battle through binoculars, finally feeling a bit relieved after days of tension.
He appeared disheveled compared to his initial arrival. The crystal mine was tempting but small. Even the slow Three-Tailed Demon Frog could cover it quickly.
William couldn't mine crystals and avoid the frog at the same time. If caught, he wasn't sure he could escape.
So, he needed a plan to distract the frog and buy some time.
Mining crystals wasn't just about digging them out. It involved understanding their texture, connections, and energy veins. With a decade of survival experience, William understood that extracting a perfect crystal in a minute, or even a day, was beyond the capabilities of an average person.
He had to think hard.
First, he had Pill provoke the frog near the mine while he observed and collected data on the frog's reactions, speed, attack patterns, and tolerance distance.
This took three days.
For William, it wasn't much. His past experiences gave him a good idea of what he needed.
Next, he searched for a suitable target in the Land of Death and found the Red Flame Armored Beast.
Distracting a level four frog wasn't easy. The target had to be able to fight it.
The Red Flame Armored Beast was perfect. Their opposing attributes meant natural hostility, and their equal strength ensured a long, even battle, giving William the time he needed.
It was no easy task to make these two large creatures fight, as their territories didn't overlap and they held no grudges or conflicts of interest.
William watched the Red Flame Armored Beast for two days before coming up with a plan.
He stole the Red Flame Armored Beast's cub.
This was the riskiest thing he'd done since his rebirth. If the beast hadn't been in its breeding period, he wouldn't have had a chance to lure it to the Three-Tailed Demon Frog's territory.
Stealing the cub enraged the Red Flame Armored Beast. William knew this fire-type monster was slower than the frog, so he made a daring escape on Pill.
The dangers he faced while fleeing were intense. At one point, a level three monster blocked his path, nearly letting the Red Flame Armored Beast catch up. He had to fight hard to kill it quickly.
Luckily, he made it to the Crystal Range. He smeared himself and the unconscious cub with decayed leaves and mud he'd collected and quietly placed the cub in the frog's territory.
This was nerve-wracking. Masking his scent wasn't foolproof, but he got lucky. The Three-Tailed Demon Frog, likely annoyed by Pill's recent harassment, was peacefully absorbing crystal energy and didn't notice.
The frog didn't notice, but the Red Flame Armored Beast tracked its cub quickly.
Despite their intelligence, instinct took over. The two monsters started fighting—one defending its territory, the other trying to rescue its cub. Neither backed down.
"It's time to get rich," William said, patting Pill's head. Ignoring his injuries, he took one last look at the battlefield and rushed up the Crystal Range.
He worked quickly, observing the texture, finding the right spot, and extracting the crystals.
In thirty seconds, he had the first water-attribute Natural crystal.
The frog's roar slowed. It had noticed him!
Another thirty seconds, and he had the second ice-attribute crystal.
The frog started retreating, glancing suspiciously at its Crystal Range.
Upon extracting the third ice-attribute crystal, the frog became enraged, realizing its treasures were being stolen.
It roared, opened its mouth, and hundreds of ice balls shot out, forming a column that smashed into the Red Flame Armored Beast. This was its innate skill—Hailstorm Impact.
The Red Flame Armored Beast was caught off guard. The opposing attribute attack hit hard, injuring it and forcing it to retreat.
Seizing the moment, the Three-Tailed Demon Frog rushed back. It hated the thief more than the intruder!
William cursed under his breath, knowing he couldn't grab another crystal. He turned and ran down the Crystal Range, jumped on the approaching Pill, and fled.
With William on its back, Pill ran desperately along their pre-planned route, a routine they'd practiced countless times.
When the Three-Tailed Demon Frog reached the mountaintop, it saw Pill in the distance. Enraged, its three tails stood up, and an extreme cold burst from its body.
Sensing the energy wave, even the Red Flame Armored Beast growled and retreated, anxious about its cub.
The ice crystals under the frog's feet shattered one by one. As the fifth crystal shattered, the cold from its tails peaked, forming a massive ice fog above. Beneath it, a gigantic, wailing Ice Tornado emerged, changing the landscape.
William glanced back and his face went pale.
Ice Tornado!
He hadn't seen it before, but he recognized the terrifying skill.
He was surprised that the level four frog had learned such a powerful attack!
"Faster, faster!" William urged, squeezing his legs around Pill. The dog whimpered, wanting to go faster but already at its limit.
They quickly distanced themselves from the Crystal Range, running several hundred meters in seconds. William had calculated that at this distance, the frog couldn't catch up to Pill.
But its skill could.
The Ice Tornado closed the gap in seconds.
William pointed at a strange tree, turning it into a sturdy treefolk that plunged into the Ice Tornado.
The treefolk's 200 durability dropped to zero instantly!
William's face grew more severe. During his battle with Chain Prisoner at Moon Lake, that creature was strong but hadn't used any skills. Even then, William had nearly been killed. Now, a monster of the same level had unleashed its most powerful skill. This was something William couldn't withstand.
"Seal: Flame Blade!" William unleashed his strongest attack at the Ice Tornado.
A sharp knife wrapped in crimson flames sliced into the Ice Tornado.
The terrifying Ice Tornado paused for a second, and William's eyes lit up. But then his powerful skill dissipated within the Ice Tornado, leaving no trace.
And the terrifying skill had already enveloped William!
