CHAPTER 66: AGAINST THE MOSSPOUNDER!

Leon jumped down from the tree because he knew he would just be at a disadvantage if he stayed in the air for too long. The Mosspounder knew ranged attacks too, after all, and his movements would be restricted while airborne.

Just as he landed on the ground, he heard the sound of the ground splitting and immediately jumped to the side. He continued to jump around, trying to avoid the Mosspounder’s attacks.

His eyes held a strange calmness as he analyzed the attack patterns while staying away from them. His movements were also unpredictable, so the Mosspounder couldn’t set up an ambush.

’It’s fast in attack speed, so the best choice is still to somehow get close to it. But that’s easier said than done.’

The monster was staying in one place and only using its control over plants and vines to attack him. Whenever his feet touched the ground, vines would grow out from beneath him to restrict his movements or, worse, stab his body.

Those vines could even be turned into sharp spears.

Just as he was following all of its attacks, he suddenly ducked as a green spear made out of grass shot out of the ground and struck a tree behind him.

That single attack made a deep hole in the trunk, and cracks began to form all around the tree.

However, Leon’s focus didn’t waver as he continued to circle the Mosspounder at a safe distance, making sure none of the attacks hit him.

All of a sudden, the monster raised both of its massive hands, making Leon’s eyes flicker for a second. Knowing what was about to come, he swiftly jumped across a few branches and reached one of the higher limbs of a Blackwood Tree.

Just then, the monster slammed both of its hands together, creating a shockwave that spread out in all directions and shook everything in its radius. The wind picked up all the dried leaves and twigs while the thick trees began to sway as if on the verge of falling.

’Tsk! This bastard is as annoying as ever. This attack would’ve made me lose my focus and balance, giving it the opportunity to tie me up in its vines.’

Leon remembered every single attack the Mosspounder could perform, so he knew exactly what it was going to do just by seeing its movements. This was the advantage he held as the developer; otherwise, a Level 19 monster like the Mosspounder would have smashed him long ago.

Then, he jumped down again while thinking, ’Just a little more.’

He once again began running around the Mosspounder, using the trees as cover to protect himself from some of the other attacks. But he was getting better at it the more he studied its attack patterns.

Even if this wasn’t a game, the monster had only a few skills he knew very well, and it also wasn’t that intelligent, so Leon was using that fact to his full advantage.

’This could be troublesome!’ Leon frowned when he saw the Mosspounder pulling back its hand and turning it into a tight fist.

Then, the monster punched forward as if striking the air, but that single blow churned the wind around its fist until it turned into a fist-shaped projectile.

The fist-shaped wind shot through the air at breakneck speed towards Leon. Fortunately, he already knew the attack, so the moment the Mosspounder punched out, he had already leapt to the side.

If he had been even a second late, the Wind Fist would have struck him directly. And as for its damage...

The Wind Fist missed Leon by a small margin and collided with the thick trunk of a Blackwood Tree with a loud boom. As splinters flew around, a deep hole could be seen in the five-metre-thick tree.

The Wind Fist had almost hollowed the tree out from the inside.

Leon felt cold sweat drip down his back when he saw the damage, and he didn’t even want to imagine what would’ve happened to him if he hadn’t dodged it in time.

’Still, it should be about the time now.’

He jumped from one branch to another like a monkey as several vines danced below him, ready to skewer him if he slipped.

The longer one dragged a battle with the Mosspounder, the worse the situation would become. The monster liked to slowly gain the advantage and then use it to show absolute dominance.

And once it achieved that... it would be time for its ultimate.

And this was exactly the moment Leon had been waiting for because this was when its biggest weakness was exposed.

The Mosspounder scanned the surroundings with its big green eyes and then clapped its hands once again, sending shockwaves across the area.

But this time, its goal was different. The holes and moss on its back where fungus and mushrooms grew split open, and tonnes of spores came pouring out, filling the atmosphere.

The wind picked up by the shockwave helped the monster spread the spores further, creating a small domain filled with deadly, poisonous particles.

Any and all living beings in the area would be affected by the spores unless they tried to run but the vines ensured that wasn’t possible.

Before the spores could reach him, Leon took a deep breath and then stopped breathing. He also activated Iron Skin to block the spores from entering his body through other means.

’I can hold my breath longer and also use Iron Skin for almost two minutes at once. But combined... I probably only have thirty seconds.’

He didn’t know his exact limits now that he had reached Tier 2, but he also wasn’t willing to test them in a situation like this. He never fought in the dungeon thinking he wouldn’t die in real life.

Every battle he fought was treated as if it would be his last if he lost. This was the mindset he cultivated to avoid being desensitised by so many deaths.

As the spores collided with his body, they bounced off his metallic skin. His body was like an impenetrable fortress the spores couldn’t get through but only for a short time.

And he needed to use that small window to accomplish his task.

With the hammer’s handle tightly held in his hand, he jumped down from the tree and raised the weapon above his head. Vines shot up to entangle him, but he didn’t dodge this time.

With his lips curled up, he smashed down the hammer before he even reached the ground and quickly activated the Impact Burst enchantment.

The ground below cracked under the force, and the shockwave purged all the vines and grass within a few metres, giving Leon a clean spot to land.

But he only used it as a launch point, kicking off to propel himself forward and using Sprint Boost to increase his speed even more.

’You are not getting away this time!’

Dozens of green vines shot towards him while grass grew at an unnatural rate, accompanied by an incoming Wind Fist. But he had already anticipated these attacks after analysing every pattern.

With quick, focused movements of his legs and entire body, he managed to dodge every single strike, though he still had to use his hammer a few times to clear the path.

He had also been keeping a close eye on the Mosspounder’s movements and noticed it raising its hand with an open palm.

’Ah! Hell nah! Not at this moment. I’m not going down this easily, bastard!’