56. Kentrosaurus Mechanic
From atop the rocky outcrop, Rangga once again swept his gaze across the surrounding area.
Not far from his position, inside a depression nestled between two rocky hills, he noticed something protruding from the surface.
Its color was different from the surrounding stone, resembling a metallic vein running along the rock wall.
"Alright... What's that now?"
Rangga carefully climbed down from the outcrop.
The terrain was fairly steep, and several times he had to grab onto the rocks to keep himself from slipping.
Once he reached the bottom, he stopped for a moment.
His eyes moved to the right then the left. Finally, behind him.
Nothing.
No Kentrosaurus, no other mechanical creatures either.
"Hopefully it's safe..." he muttered.
He entered the rocky depression.
The closer he got, the clearer it became that what he had spotted really was some kind of metal deposit.
Once he was only a few steps away, the golden interface appeared again.
Iron Vein
[TYPE: METAL DEPOSIT]
Description: A deposit of high-grade iron ore formed deep within mountainous rock layers. Serves as a primary source of quality iron for the development of intermediate-level metal industries.
Weakness: Can be mined using a Metal Pickaxe.
A wide smile immediately spread across Rangga's face.
"There we go... Found another one."
"Good thing I saved my spare pickaxe."
He immediately took out his spare metal pickaxe. Without wasting any time, he swung it.
CLANG!
The impact was so loud that even Rangga flinched.
"Holy crap..."
Only then did he realize that he was standing between two towering rocky hills.
The sound of his strike bounced in every direction.
Clang... Clang... Clang...
The echoes continued for several seconds and Rangga stopped swinging.
He looked right and left. Then behind him again.
His heart was beating a little faster now.
"Should be fine... right?"
Seeing nothing moving nearby, Rangga slowly exhaled.
"Ah... I'm probably just being paranoid."
He raised his pickaxe again.
CLANG!
The echo once again filled the rocky depression.
Rangga continued mining, completely unaware that the deafening sound had traveled far across the valley.
He swung his metal pickaxe again.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
The sound of metal striking stone continued echoing between the two hills.
The iron deposit turned out to be far richer than any he had discovered before.
Several chunks of Iron Ore entered his inventory.
Not long afterward, something else appeared between the chunks of iron.
Another type of ore. Slightly darker and shinier.
The golden interface appeared again.
Chromium Ore
[TYPE: METAL ORE]
Description: Naturally occurring chromium ore formed alongside high-grade iron deposits. Can be processed into high-strength metal alloys and used to improve resistance against corrosion.
Weakness: Can be mined using a Metal Pickaxe.
"Whoa..."
Rangga immediately grinned.
"Another one."
He had absolutely no idea what chromium was supposed to be used for.
But metal was metal.
"It's gotta be useful."
His enthusiasm immediately returned, and his swings became even faster.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
The echoes filled the entire rocky valley and Iron Ore continued appearing. Every now and then, another piece of Chromium Ore appeared among it.
"Damn... This is awesome."
Rangga kept mining, completely unaware that every swing of his pickaxe was producing a sound that could be heard from extremely far away.
Until finally—
CRACK!
The metal pickaxe in his hands fractured and Its head snapped off and fell onto the ground.
"Huh..."
Rangga bent over slightly and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"This one couldn't take it either."
He stored all the resources he had mined inside his ship's inventory.
"Not bad... Got a lot."
Then he raised his head and froze.
Just a few meters behind him. The head of a Mechanical Kentrosaurus was staring directly at him.
"..."
Rangga stared back. His face slowly turned pale then, in a very quiet voice, he muttered,
"...I'm fucked."
KRRRREEEEEK!!
The Kentrosaurus released a mechanical screech that echoed throughout the entire valley.
At the same time, one of the metallic spikes along its back rose into position.
JDEET!
The spike shot forward like a bullet.
Rangga instinctively threw himself sideways.
BOOM!
The spike slammed into the ground.
There was no fiery explosion. Instead, the sheer kinetic impact shattered the surrounding rocks.
Stone fragments flew everywhere and Rangga rolled across the ground several times.
Before he could even get back up—
KRRRREEEK!!
The Kentrosaurus screeched again and a second spike launched.
"HEY!"
Rangga immediately ran.
BOOM!
The second impact struck the ground directly behind him.
The earth shook. Dust and shattered stone blasted across his back.
Rangga immediately started climbing the rocky hill he had crossed earlier.
His feet slipped several times against the steep surface but he kept forcing himself upward because behind him—
JDEET!
The third spike.
BOOM!
"HEY!"
JDEET!
The fourth.
BOOM!
"SHIT!"
"HEY!"
"CHILL THE FUCK OUT!"
The Kentrosaurus continued advancing. It wasn't particularly fast but every few seconds, another metallic spike fired from its back.
JDEET!
BOOM!
JDEET!
BOOM!
Most of them missed but then—
BOOM!
One impact landed close enough and the shockwave slammed into Rangga's body.
"UGH!"
He was thrown off his feet and sent tumbling down the rocky slope.
Fortunately, the Swamp Armor he was wearing absorbed most of the impact.
His chest still felt tight, but he hadn't suffered any serious injuries.
"Motherfucker..."
He immediately scrambled back to his feet. Without even looking behind him, Rangga ran as fast as he could.
Up one hill.
Down another.
Past jagged rocks.
Behind him, the Kentrosaurus continued its pursuit with heavy footsteps, occasionally launching more metallic spikes.
Rangga had absolutely no intention of fighting anymore.
"NOPE! NOT TODAY!"
"I'M NOT COMING BACK HERE ANYTIME SOON!"
He kept running toward the coast. Toward the only place he considered safe.
His ship.
Rangga continued sprinting without looking back.
The moment the coastline came into view, he poured every last bit of strength into his legs.
"Almost there... Just a little more!"
Behind him—
KRRRREEEEK!!
The Kentrosaurus screeched again.
JDEET!
Another metallic spike shot forward.
BOOM!
The impact shattered the rocks behind Rangga into pieces but Rangga had already leaped onto his ship.
"Hah... hah..."
Without wasting a second, he rushed toward the helm and slammed the return button on the blue interface.
He still had plenty of exploration time remaining but this time, he didn't even think twice.
The ship immediately began pulling away from the shore and behind him The Kentrosaurus still hadn't given up.
KRRRREEEEK!!
JDEET!
Another spike launched.
BOOM!
It struck the beach, blasting sand high into the air. Several seconds later—
JDEET!
Another spike flew.
SPLASH!
This time, it struck the ocean surface, sending a towering spray of seawater into the air.
Standing at the helm, Rangga could only stare in disbelief.
"Holy shit... It's still shooting at me?!"
The Kentrosaurus released another mechanical screech.
KRRRREEEEK!!
JDEET!
SPLASH!
One spike after another continued flying but the ship was already getting farther away. Eventually, every projectile simply crashed harmlessly into the sea.
Rangga rubbed his face and let out a long breath.
"Fuck... That thing's seriously dangerous."
He looked back at the island one last time as it slowly disappeared into the distance.
The Kentrosaurus was still standing at the shoreline.
Every now and then, it continued roaring while launching the last few spikes from its back.
Rangga fell silent.
His mind replayed what had just happened.
"...How the hell am I supposed to fight that thing next time?"
He lightly bit his lip.
For the first time, Rangga genuinely felt like he had encountered an enemy completely beyond his current abilities.
"This... I can't do this alone."
The words escaped his mouth before he even realized it. He slowly shook his head.
"No way."
The ship continued sailing away until the Rock Island was nothing more than a distant silhouette on the horizon.
Only then did Rangga open the regional chat.
His fingers immediately began moving.
Rangga: GUYS!
Rangga: Three-star islands are fucking dangerous, I swear!
A few seconds later, the chat exploded.