Chapter 75: Adamant Rhino Armor — Epic Rank Item
The rhino suffered worse as its massive head was knocked sideways.
The front of its body shifted several steps away before the animal recovered its balance.
Cain looked at it with interest.
’It is strong.’
However, it was obvious that it wouldn’t be stronger than him.
But still, it definitely was strong.
The evolved bear and gorilla had already shown him how much physical power animals could possess after evolving, but this rhino took that advantage even further as its entire body seemed designed for a frontal collision.
Cain glanced at his sword.
The existing faint crack along the blade had spread slightly after blocking the horn.
"Tch."
The rhino roared and charged again.
Cain no longer felt like testing it as he poured more Ruin Dragon Force into his body and the sword.
The armored rhino lowered its horn.
Cain stepped forward, raising his sword, then swinging it downward.
Shhk!
The first thing to separate was the horn.
The Ruin-coated blade continued downward. It tore through the armored skull and passed into the upper body.
The rhino’s charge stopped.
Its enormous body collapsed forward and struck the road heavily enough to shake the surrounding pavement.
Cain then pulled the sword free and noticed that another thin crack had appeared along the blade.
"This thing really won’t last much longer." He murmured to himself as he knitted his eyebrows.
The notification then appeared before his eyes.
[Ding! You have killed the Level 43 1st Echelon Armored Rhino.]
[Ding! You have obtained Strength +2, Agility +1, and Physique +6.]
[Ding! You have obtained 23,000 System Points.]
Cain barely looked at it.
He removed the Core and stored it directly.
Then a cyan light beside the corpse caught his attention.
"A Cyan Orb." Cain’s eyes lit up before immediately picking it up.
Sonya approached from behind.
"Is it a good thing? You seem to be happy obtaining it."
"Naturally I would be happy, since it’s a good thing."
Cain then crushed the Orb directly.
Cyan light poured between his fingers.
The particles gathered in front of him, gradually forming a dark set of armor.
Its surface resembled overlapping plates of polished gray metal, but the texture looked closer to the hide of the rhinoceros he had just killed. The chest and abdomen were protected by flexible interlocking sections, allowing movement without leaving large gaps between the plates.
A faint silver sheen passed across the surface.
[Adamant Rhino Armor - Epic-rank]
[Strength +20]
[Agility +15]
[Physique +35]
[Adamant Hide: Greatly increases resistance against physical attacks. Impacts striking the armor are dispersed across the reinforced plates, reducing concentrated damage.]
[Unshaken Frame: Greatly improves stability and resistance to knockback when the wearer braces against an incoming attack.]
Cain’s eyes brightened.
"Finally, something good."
The Stat increase alone was impressive as he obtained 35 additional Physique stat, which was especially valuable when combined with Undying God Body.
Cain removed the older protective vest he had been using and replaced it with the new armor.
The equipment adjusted around his torso.
Despite how heavy it appeared, it was surprisingly comfortable.
Cain rotated his shoulders and felt no restriction at all.
Even bending his waist felt natural.
After testing it for a few moments, Cain looked at Sonya with a smile.
"Let’s keep going."
Sonya climbed onto his back again.
They continued heading east.
The surroundings began changing as they approached the zoo.
More greenery appeared along the roadside.
Several decorative signs stood near the sidewalks, though some had been damaged by vehicles or covered in blood.
Cain also started finding animal corpses.
The first was the remains of what looked like a large deer lying beside a broken fence.
Its stomach had been torn open.
Farther ahead, Cain found another body partially burned near the road.
He could not immediately identify the species.
The closer they moved toward the zoo, the more frequently these corpses appeared.
Cain frowned as he felt that something had already been hunting here.
He continued forward and soon, the large entrance of the zoo came into view.
Part of the gate had collapsed.
One section of the fencing had been torn open completely, leaving a gap large enough for even enormous evolved animals to escape.
Cain entered carefully.
The silence inside felt different from the city as there were no constant zombie groans.
Instead, Cain occasionally heard movement from behind vegetation or somewhere beyond the animal enclosures.
He passed another corpse.
Burn marks covered its body.
Cain’s gaze moved toward the blackened grass surrounding it.
Several trees nearby had also been scorched.
’Fire?’
His Sense suddenly reacted and Cain immediately stopped when he sensed a powerful being.
To be precise, several of them.
Cain’s attention shifted toward the deeper section of the zoo for a moment before finally moving toward the source.
They passed a damaged visitor center before reaching an enormous open enclosure designed to resemble a savanna.
The fencing surrounding it had been destroyed in several places.
Dry grass covered most of the ground.
Several artificial rock formations stood farther inside.
Bodies were scattered throughout the enclosure.
Cain immediately noticed the 4 lions.
The smallest was already nearly as large as Cain.
Their bodies had become much more muscular after evolving, with thick manes surrounding their heads and sharpened claws partially exposed beneath enormous paws.
Three began rising when they noticed him.
Information appeared before his eyes.
[1st Echelon Evolved Lion | Level 41]
[1st Echelon Evolved Lion | Level 42]
[1st Echelon Evolved Lion | Level 43]
Cain’s gaze moved farther back.
The fourth remained lying on top of an artificial stone platform.
It was an enormous one because even while resting, its body clearly exceeded two meters in height when measured to the top of its head.
Its mane had changed from ordinary brown into a mixture of dark crimson and black.
Most noticeable was the symbol on its forehead.
A flame-shaped mark glowed faintly between its eyes.
[1st Echelon Flamecrest Lion | Level 50]
Cain’s expression became more serious as he could feel that this particular lion wasn’t that simple.
The lion opened its eyes.
A low roar escaped from its throat.
The sound rolled across the enclosure.
The three smaller lions then immediately charged forward.