Chapter 269: A Fruitless Endeavor

Marcus’s Insight skill quickly returned the information he needed.

—

Golden-Flower Snow Eagle: Level 50. Health: 15,000.

Originally ordinary snow eagles from Glacial Citadel, they had undergone a drastic mutation after consuming large amounts of Five-Leaf Golden-Flower Herb. The herb’s blood-replenishing properties had fundamentally altered them, granting them unusually high vitality.

Talents: Gregarious. Partial resistance to Light-element magic. Skilled in Wind and Water elements.

Skills: Intermediate and lower-tier Wind and Water magic.

Cloud-Sculptor Wind Body: Active skill. Generates a Wind-element shield, increasing defense by 10%, evasion by 15%, and flight speed by 2.

Storm: Active skill. Unleashes a powerful storm dealing 200 Wind damage and 150 Water damage, with a small chance to reduce the target’s attack speed and movement speed.

Golden-Flower Herb’s Favor: Passive skill. When health drops below 10%, there is a chance to instantly recover 5,000 health.

—

Marcus let out a slow breath as the information settled in.

“Level 50 monsters really are something else…”

At Level 50, players underwent their second class advancement, gaining a significant boost in strength. Monsters followed the same pattern. The difference between Level 40 and Level 50 wasn’t gradual, it was a sharp jump, almost like stepping into an entirely new tier of difficulty.

These Golden-Flower Snow Eagles were a perfect example. Their health alone was already abnormal, but their talents pushed them even further. In terms of overall strength, they could easily rival certain Level 40 Golden-tier monsters.

And the worst part? They didn’t come alone.

Marcus rubbed his temple briefly, already feeling the beginnings of a headache. Facing one was manageable. Facing a flock like this, especially in the air, was something else entirely. Even for him, going head-on would be reckless.

Still, he wasn’t out of options.

His gaze sharpened slightly as he made a quick decision. First, he activated Wanderlust, quietly setting a teleportation point nearby in case things went wrong. Only after securing his retreat did he turn his attention back to the battlefield.

The Sea Demon Soul was still holding their attention.

Although Marcus and Temple Guardian were now within ten meters, the eight Golden-Flower Snow Eagles remained fully focused on the Sea Demon Soul, drawn in by Frosty Mockery. Their attacks came in rapid succession, completely ignoring the two new threats behind them.

’An opening.’

The Sea Demon Soul itself had no offensive capabilities. Its sole purpose was to draw aggro and absorb damage, acting as a shield. Since its attributes scaled with Marcus, and Marcus was a knight with high defense and health, the Sea Demon Soul was naturally durable enough to fulfill that role effectively.

Marcus allowed himself a faint, thoughtful smile.

“The Sea Soul Demonic Jade Necklace really lives up to its name… a Demonic Artifact, no less. That summon alone gives me a huge advantage.”

He didn’t hesitate any longer.

“Temple Guardian, attack.”

“Desperate Strike.”

-1500, -1000

The damage numbers appeared, and Marcus couldn’t help the small grimace that followed.

“That’s… disappointing.”

Even with the fivefold amplification from Desperate Strike, the damage barely reached 1500. Against a monster with 15,000 health, it felt painfully insignificant.

The level gap was simply too large.

Worse, the moment the attack landed, the Golden-Flower Snow Eagle that had been targeted reacted immediately. It abandoned the Sea Demon Soul without hesitation, its attention snapping toward Marcus and Temple Guardian, its hostility now fully redirected.

It turned and charged.

Marcus’s eyes flickered briefly toward the remaining seven eagles. If all of them came at once, he wouldn’t even consider fighting. He would retreat instantly.

But just one? That was a different matter.

“Then come.”

His voice was calm, steady.

“Kill it.”

He surged forward alongside the Temple Guardian, meeting the charging eagle head-on. There was no hesitation in his movements as he followed up immediately, chaining attacks with precision. Temple Guardian’s Triple Surge came down in rapid succession.

-1800, -1550

The final strike landed almost simultaneously from both of them, and luck tilted in their favor. A critical hit triggered, the damage spiking sharply.

The Golden-Flower Snow Eagle let out a shrill, pained cry, its body faltering mid-flight before going limp. It dropped lifelessly, a piece of blue armor appearing beside it.

But instead of falling, both the corpse and the item remained suspended in the air.

Marcus blinked once, then let out a quiet chuckle.

“Skynet really doesn’t miss a detail…”

The system’s constant adjustments made sense. If items dropped to the ground from this height, retrieving them would be a nightmare. This way, everything stayed within reach.

He reached out and collected the armor, quickly checking its attributes.

—

Snow Eagle Armor: Blue-tier equipment. Requires Level 50 and 200 Agility. Crafted from Golden-Flower Snow Eagle feathers, light and comfortable.

Effects: Defense +300, Evasion +300. Additional: Agility +10, Water Resistance +5%, Wind Resistance +5%.

—

Marcus raised an eyebrow slightly.

’Not bad at all.’

For a blue-tier item, the stats were surprisingly solid. It only reinforced what he had already realized, after Level 50, Dominion wasn’t just harder, it was more rewarding. The real game had only just begun.

He stored the armor away, but the moment he did, his expression shifted.

The Sea Demon Soul was in trouble.

Under the relentless assault of the remaining seven eagles, its health had dropped to under a thousand. It wouldn’t survive another volley.

Marcus reacted immediately.

While the Sea Demon Soul still held their attention, he quickly used Gathering on the fallen eagle’s body, obtaining a Snow Eagle Feather. The moment the collection was complete, he pulled back, guiding his Violet Thunderwing Steed into a sharp dive toward the lower slopes of Five-Leaf Peak, putting distance between himself and the flock.

—

Snow Eagle Feather: Intermediate material. Can be used to craft light armor and arrows.

—

Only once he had retreated a safe distance did he slow down and glance back.

A violent storm churned in the air where he had been moments ago. Within it, the Sea Demon Soul finally gave way, its form breaking apart and vanishing completely under the barrage.

The seven remaining Golden-Flower Snow Eagles circled in place, letting out sharp, triumphant cries.

Marcus exhaled slowly. That had been close. The fight had told him everything he needed to know.

Each Golden-Flower Snow Eagle could deal over 400 damage to him, and even more to Temple Guardian. Their attacks weren’t just strong, they also carried area-of-effect damage, making it difficult to avoid sustained hits. Even with health potions, his own health had dropped significantly during the fight, and Temple Guardian was already below half by the end of it.

Against one, it was manageable, but against seven? There would be no fight, only retreat.

Marcus steadied himself as his mount hovered about sixty meters away, his eyes fixed on the peak above.

The Five-Leaf Golden-Flower Herb was right there, within reach, growing along the steep face of the mountain.

And yet… he couldn’t get to it.

The realization sat heavily with him, frustrating in a way that was hard to ignore. His first attempt hadn’t just failed, it had forced him into a retreat with almost nothing to show for it.

A single feather was hardly worth the trouble.

“What now…” he muttered under his breath.

The answer didn’t come immediately.

All he could do was stare at the distant herbs, so close they almost felt attainable, yet completely out of reach, his frustration building with every passing second.

Giving up wasn’t an option, which meant there was only one path left; he would have to find another way.

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