The Mutated Piranha bites off a large portion of the wall when it tried to attack us. However, seeing a Mutated Piranha in this cavern is a sign that this Treasure chest is something with value as the Mutated Piranha tends to gather around treasures in underwater caves and near bodies of water.
There are three Mutated Piranha which means the item should be some sort of an accessory or a forging item ingredient. It's not much but if it's free, there is no need to worry about it and take it.
Imbuing the Versatile Weapon with the skill [Lightning Sword], I immediately calculated their actions based on my movements as they will attack once a side of you will show weakness. That is how a piranha does the kill.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Three slices and I managed to kill them in one go by slicing their gills. With the amount of damage my weapon generates plus the elemental damage plus the weakness strike, one strike is enough to kill.
It looks like these monsters are still pretty stingy in giving experience points. They didn't patch the amount of exp given even though they are already beyond level 100 and they only give exp equivalent to a level 10 monster. Killing them is not even worth the effort as the drops don't even have any worth and cannot be sold. Their only usage is to show whether the treasure chests in the caves are valuable or not. If they are not hostile, I wouldn't bother killing them.
After disposing of the three Mutated Piranha, I checked the Treasure Box. Seeing no signs of traps once opened, I slowly opened it and a gold color light appeared.
[Broken Ancient Token (2nd Piece)
Type: Key Item
Info: A broken piece of Ancient token. Unite this piece with the other broken pieces and the path will open up ahead.
Ah, I see. No wonder the Mutated Piranhas are flocking this item. It's indeed a very valuable item I will need later once we descend to the deepest floor of this cave. It was already open in the past timeline so my guess is that the door that was open in the past timeline is closed and has not been opened.
"Lina, Lucia, Tina. Since we are currently here, be sure to tell me if there are treasure chests that are surrounded by the Mutated Piranhas. If you found a chest that doesn't have any kind of guards, you guys can open it and take the items yourselves."
The three nodded in unison. With this, my scope of detection is much wider and I will be able to know where it will be located with them. Without anyone exploring this place prior to my arrival, I have to be the one to solve any puzzles or any obstacles here all by myself.
"I must say, I didn't know such a place existed. Perhaps this is a lair of large aquatic beasts of Aquagius? I heard they tend to gather in one place to recuperate or rest. The surroundings are pretty ancient and I doubt we can see anything like this that hasn't been explored by a human or anyone else," Tina analyzed the rock formations around the cave, and although I already know what she meant, it's nothing new to me.
"This place is already scouted and recorded in some old books in ruins and dungeons but there is a seal that connects to what we needed to get to get closer to the Kingdom of the Deep Sea. If we are lucky, we might be able to find it here before anyone else can do so," although I am bluffing a lot, I know that what I said is true. Some dungeons are indeed recorded in some books in ruins as a form of diaries. That way, if someone ever discovered it, they will not have a hard time clearing it.
We explored the first floor and found not a single ancient token or the Lung Moss. There are some monsters but I let my followers kill them. It's much easier with them around. And even though I didn't contribute, I still gained some exp and they also gained exp, it's a win-win situation.
We descended to the second floor. Without any hassle, the second floor is also cleared without much hassle. However, I found it odd. In the past timeline, bigger monsters roam around this cave and I have to kill them to earn a few materials for alchemy and some are even good ingredients for cooking. They also fetch quite a good amount of experience and they drop plenty of coins. How come they are no longer around though?
My followers are sticking near me so I also doubt they are the ones responsible for killing the monsters. It was like they didn't exist in the first place!
As much as I want to voice it out, I didn't bother to say it to the others. After all, they still didn't have any idea I have my memories in the past timeline.
"Master! Look! Is that perhaps..." Lina pointed above the towering pillar and what do you know, one single Lung Moss is currently growing! It's a pity that only one is growing but that is already quite good!
However, I didn't pick it up right away. If there is a Lung Moss growing, then there will always be something guarding it.
[Deep Sea Curse Snake]
Level 150
HP: 5,000,000/5,000,000
Attribute: Serpent, Water, Poison, Curse
My eyes lit up the moment I saw the Deep Sea Curse Snake. As someone who has an Ex Job in Alchemy, I know what the Deep Sea Curse Snake's benefits give once you use the drops and the carcass of it after it was killed. Not only that, once killed, the snake will give a lot of experience points. With my double experience gained in one of my titles, just killing this monster will allow me to ascend to level 102 and halfway to level 103! Holy sh*t! Not only that, if Lucia kills this monster too, she might hit level 100 already! The exp gained from killing this is not something I will scoff about! Not only that, even if multiple players kill it, the exp gained will always be the same for everyone, not a single cut even if you are in a party.
It's pretty rare seeing one so I will not hesitate to grab the opportunity. As someone who needs to earn more experience points to level up, this is a big blessing for me.
Without hesitation, I summoned out everyone from the Summon's area.
"At arms! We found a treasure to hunt! We have a snake to kill! This is your chance to reach the level 100 cap!"
When everyone heard it, their eyes also lit up. Anyone who wanted to reach level 100 will surely like the idea too.
The Deep Sea Curse Snake seems to have awakened from the ruckus and bared its fangs at us and used its high-level dominance since we are at a lower level. But to us who keep on challenging higher-leveled enemies, that dominance will not work on us.
Like hungry hyenas who found a portion of food in the savannah, even its dominance and prowess can't handle everyone.
...
SHAK!
"Alright! The skin of the snake is already peeled! Everyone good work! Please rest back in the summons area after you guys already solidify the feeling of leveling up."
Looking at my followers and their stats in my follower's board, everyone already hit level 100 indeed. Lina who is already a level 100 follower also reached level 103 after the kill. As for me, I broke through level 102 and my prediction is correct that I will be around halfway before I breakthrough level 103. Tina and Lucia also reached level 100. It's a big blessing for me and everyone else. Too bad Dolly and the others are not here, otherwise, they might also have gained quite a benefit. Oh well, maybe I can bring them here once Aquagius is finally open.
As for what I plundered, the Cursed Snake Meat might be emitting a cursed aura, however, with the power of the Cleric's [Dispel], the meat is now edible. The scales of the Cursed Snake are also good for forging accessories as they can be used as a substitute for jewels. The snake's skin is also a good item in alchemy as it can produce tonics and some medicines require it too. The bones and innards are also not a waste since they can be used to create fertilizers once I get the Ex Job Gardener.
And after the kill, not only did we get all of the treasures and the level up as a bonus, we also received one piece of the Lung Moss. Although I am sidetracked, it is already a good way we got sidetracked. The more snakes like this appear, the better it will be.