After going into the sea, I met the witch.

[Spirituality]: 2.0

[Physical Strength]: 3.42 → 4.14

-

After two hours of fighting, Ryan finally found all the giant crabs on the beach in the entire western area and killed them one by one.

Compared to the southern area, there are a few more beach crabs inhabiting the western area. Including the one that attacked the silverback shark at the beginning and was killed by him, there are a total of 8.

Unfortunately, after reaching level 3, the experience required to level up increases further. The experience gained from killing a beach crab drops from 22% to 11%. Therefore, even if Ryan clears out the entire western area, he is still quite far from leveling up.

Sheathing his sword, Ryan cautiously observed the sky to make sure the giant bird wouldn't suddenly appear before setting off towards the giant crab's nest on the nearby beach.

Finally, the monsters are defeated, and the exciting "treasure hunt" part is about to begin.

He ate coconut meat as he walked.

It must be said that the coconut meat of the large coconut is very soft, sweet and glutinous. Although it is not a spiritual object, it can replenish physical strength very well.

Holding a makeshift torch, Ryan made his way to the depths of the lair.

As both are Cancer species, the structure of this nest is basically the same as the one in the southern region, the only difference being that it is slightly larger.

After searching, when Ryan emerged from the nest, he had 15 "Abundant Pearls" in his arms.

He placed it in his "ugly" basket woven from rattan, and as he faced the sunlight, Ryan's thoughts drifted aimlessly.

To be honest, he was quite curious about where these giant beach crabs collected these "abundant pearls," and where the "abundant oysters" that produce them are located.

Under the sea?

This was the most likely place Ryan could think of.

After hesitating for a while, Ryan decided to give up his plan to go into the sea to look for "pearl oysters".

The "Abundant Pearls" he has collected now are enough for him to use for a long time. Although he has the [Water Combat Specialization] class skill, it pales in comparison to the monsters in the water.

Ryan isn't foolish enough to fight monsters in the water.

He returned to the "raft," took three "abundant pearls" for later use, and stored the rest on the "raft." Then, he headed northeast.

With the "dragon head and crab" in charge, the most difficult northern region will naturally be left to be dealt with last.

About an hour later, Ryan returned to the "raft" with a happy expression on his face.

The number of beach crabs inhabiting the eastern area was far fewer than he had imagined, a pitiful four.

After completing all the battles, his level just reached "Level 4 (5%)".

In the eastern area, inside a giant crab nest on the beach, he found five more abundant pearls.

Including the ones he had acquired before, he now had a total of 20 Abundant Pearls.

It must be said that these beach crabs have an extraordinary fondness for abundant pearls; they hide nothing but these pearls in their nests.

Or are these pearls an essential element for the survival and growth of beach crabs?

Back at the "raft," where the abundant pearls were stored, Ryan carried out preparations for the great battle.

First, there's the weapon upgrade.

After slaying more than a dozen giant beach crabs, the blade of the longsword in his hand was full of small nicks. To fight a dragon-headed giant crab with such a weapon was simply courting death.

For 30 spirit points, Ryan exchanged for three brand-new longswords. As for his leather armor and log shield, there was no need to replace them. After surpassing the Beach Crab in strength, the Beach Crab couldn't hit him at all during battle, so these two pieces of equipment remained almost undamaged.

After making preparations, Ryan officially embarked on his journey north.

Target: Cancer (the dragon's head)!

Chapter 28 Challenge: Dragon Head Cancer!

On the beach under the scorching sun, several large crabs, each no less than a meter long, leisurely lingered.

At the very center of them, a colossal crab, far exceeding the size of the surrounding crabs, was lying on the ground, seemingly taking a nap.

Ryan hid behind a rock, squinting as he looked at the beach a hundred meters away.

"1, 2, 3... Are there four beach crabs in total?"

Ryan thought to himself.

At this moment, in the northern outer area, all 11 beach crabs that had gone out to forage for food had fallen victim to his wickedness.

Ryan's experience bar has now reached "Level 4 (60%)".

His gaze swept past the giant crab on the beach and landed on the enormous creature behind it, his eyes filled with solemnity.

After reaching level 4, Ryan's [Physique] reached an astonishing value of 5.08, which is five times that of a normal person. Even so, he still didn't have much confidence in defeating the Dragon Head Crab.

Observe carefully:

The giant crab with the dragon head is estimated to be around three meters tall, comparable to a small mobile house. Its bluish-black shell, which is tinged with a light grayish-white color, gives people a feeling of solidity and weight, like granite. Ordinary weapons would probably not even be able to penetrate its defenses.

What's even more striking are the two enormous claws in front of the giant crab and the dragon-head-shaped carapace on its back.

Compared to beach crabs, the dragon crab's two claws are much larger in proportion to its body. When the two claws are put together, they form a shield that can completely protect its body from behind.

Its dragon-head-shaped carapace is a yellowish-white color, rough and sturdy, with a sharp horn protruding upwards at the end of the carapace, reaching an astonishing two meters in length. If you were to be hit by this thing, it would be more than just being disemboweled.

Such a monster is terrifying even from afar. A human standing before it is not as insignificant as an ant, but is at least as weak as a newborn infant.

"We must get rid of these four troublesome beach crabs first."

Ryan thought to himself.

If these four beach crabs were to cause trouble while you were trying to challenge the Dragon Head Crab, the consequences would be unimaginable.

However, while the idea is good, how to implement it is a difficult problem.

Unlike other beach crabs, these four beach crabs seem to be acting as "guards." They are slightly larger than other beach crabs and appear to be wandering around casually, but in fact they are firmly guarding the area around the head crab.

In this situation, waiting for them to leave on their own is almost impossible.

No, it seems there's a chance!

Ryan's eyes flashed.

With its enormous size, the giant drake must consume a considerable amount of energy every day. It would be extremely difficult for it to meet its needs in this relatively resource-poor outer region by relying solely on its own hunting.

Therefore, its population, the beach crabs, disperse to various locations on the outer perimeter of the island, both to reduce pressure on the population and to provide it with food.

Right now, apart from the other giant crabs on the beach, all of them have been wiped out by Ryan. Even if one or two are hiding too deep and haven't been dealt with, it doesn't matter.

In short, a giant crab that has lost the food provided by its pods has only two options: either it goes out to hunt for itself, or it sends out its four "guard brothers" to hunt.

Either way, it's a good thing for Ryan.

I estimated the time; it had been three hours since I entered the travel area, and there were still about three hours until dawn on my main body.

Ryan decided to wait and observe the situation before making a decision.

He didn't expect to succeed in defeating such an "extraordinary" creature as the Dragon Head Crab on his first try.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Before we knew it, the sun had begun to set, and the afterglow of dusk spilled onto the sea, bringing a shimmering light.

On the rocky beach, the giant crab, which had been resting for a long time, stretched its body slightly, its huge shell turning golden-red in the sunset.

It looked around and was taken aback by the empty surroundings. Then, it clashed its huge pincers together twice.

Upon hearing the "summons," the four giant beach crabs immediately scrambled over.

Under Ryan's watchful eye, it was unclear what they were exchanging, but soon the four beach crabs split into two groups, one on the left and one on the right, heading off to find their companions and hunt.

One of the beach crab squads also passed by not far from the reef where Ryan was hiding.

Squinting at the dragon-headed crab lying down again in the distance, and glancing at the beach crab squad passing by, Ryan hesitated for a moment, then drew his longsword and followed the beach crab squad.

If we attack the Dragon Head Crab now, it could be dangerous if the beach crab squad returns during the process. Therefore, it's better to remove its wings first.

Half an hour later, Ryan returned to the rocky beach.

The four beach crabs that went out to "guard" him were a little stronger than ordinary beach crabs, but not by much. He easily dealt with them without much effort, and spent most of his time traveling.

Ryan glanced at his own condition.

-

[Level]: 4 (84%)

[Spiritual Value]: 2635

[Spirituality]: 2.0 (2.0)

[Physique]: 5.08

-

Looking at the "84%" on the level progress bar, Ryan sighed silently.

With only 16% progress remaining... if possible, he really wanted to level up to 5 and become stronger before challenging the Dragon Head Cancer.

Unfortunately, he has almost wiped out the giant crabs on the outer beach area, making it nearly impossible to gather the last 16%.

Unless Ryan ventures into the island's wooded area or dives into the sea.

As for the former, the thought of that terrifying giant bird immediately dissuaded Ryan. Compared to the giant bird, the dragon-headed crab was easier to deal with; at least, the dragon-headed crab couldn't fly. As for the latter, fighting aquatic monsters in the ocean, he wasn't about to be that reckless.

"call……"

Ryan took a deep breath and stood still, calming his breathing.

Ten minutes later, Ryan, now in peak condition, held a sword in one hand and two other swords at his waist, and walked step by step toward the dragon-headed crab.

He did not intend to launch a sneak attack.

With its menacing dragon-head-shaped carapace behind it, it's hard to say whether the back or the front of the giant crab is more dangerous.

This extremely dangerous "special species" is a mystery to Ryan now. Only by constantly probing for useful information can he eventually succeed in defeating it.

There is only one way to test it: by using the life of the traveling clone!

The long absence of its kin made the dragon-headed crab somewhat anxious, so when Ryan approached it step by step, it immediately noticed this "tiny" enemy.

Their eyes met, and the giant crab raised its two enormous pincers and clashed them together violently, producing a buzzing, crisp sound like metal colliding.