Who Says I’m Not a Legitimate Adventurer?

Chapter 59: Stone-Shell River Crab Research Progress

Seeing this notification, Lance was greatly surprised.

So this research system could not only study physical structures—even research and guidance on the mental level could also count as research results?

The scope of this Biological Research was far broader than he had imagined.

Truly eye-opening.

“Yes!”

This time, Cecilia responded with exceptional volume. The dejection on her small face was replaced with renewed fighting spirit.

She secretly reminded herself: next time, she absolutely must not act clever on her own—she had to follow Senior Raven’s instructions.

Though her senior appeared strict, every decision he made carried a reasoning that was impossible to refute.

Truly impressive.

But then again…Cecilia sneaked a glance at Lance, who was checking his bow.

A term like “Raven,” so clearly symbolic, must only be an Adventurer codename.

So what was her senior’s real name?

Before she could think further, Lance had already finished organizing his equipment. With agile movements, he leapt down the slope and quickly advanced toward the rock gap.

Cecilia hurriedly refocused, following Lance’s instructions to hide within a patch of bushes at a higher and concealed position.

She lay prone in the grass, exposing only her eyes as she carefully observed the activity on the riverbank below.

After confirming Cecilia was properly hidden, Lance took a deep breath.

He leaned his back against the cold rock wall within the crevice. The space was not wide, but just enough for him to maneuver, while the rocks on both sides served as the sturdiest shields.

Lance took down the Hazel Short Bow from his back and drew an arrow from the quiver.

Nock, draw, aim.

“Twng!”

The bowstring trembled.

The arrow cut through the air, precisely striking a moss-covered “boulder” thirty meters away.

“Clang!”

The arrowhead collided with the hard rocky shell. Though it only produced a spark before being deflected, the kinetic force was enough to awaken the slumbering monster.

Like a stone dropped into a still lake—

From the struck crab as the center, an invisible ripple rapidly spread outward.

“Clack… clack…”

Across the once silent riverbank, a series of grinding rock-like sounds echoed.

Pairs of eyes hidden beneath rocky shells suddenly opened, revealing yellow pupils.

Then, the bodies disguised as stones began to unfold.

Pairs of long, powerful pincers extended from beneath the rocky shells.

These pincers were completely different from ordinary crabs—they exhibited a bizarre multi-segmented structure, with thick joints covered in spikes, and sharp, cone-like tips.

This unique body structure allowed them not only to clamp but also to launch rapid thrusts like spear-wielding soldiers.

More than twenty Stone-Shell River Crabs awakened simultaneously, brandishing their terrifying weapons as they swarmed toward Lance’s position at the rock crevice.

Dense and overwhelming, like a tide of moving stone.

Lance calmly stowed his short bow and drew the Kite Shield from his back, crouching behind it in preparation.

Watching the tide-like surge of monsters on the riverbank, then the lone, seemingly fragile figure at the crevice—

Even knowing her senior was confident, Cecilia couldn’t help but feel her palms grow sweaty.

“Please be careful…”

The girl bit her lip, hardly daring to breathe as she stared at the battlefield.

In a one-on-one fight, those cowardly Goblins would likely stand no chance against these heavily armored creatures.

But when it came to group combat—

These instinct-driven Stone-Shell River Crabs weren’t even worthy of polishing the Goblins’ boots.

No coordination whatsoever.

The enraged crabs swarmed into the V-shaped crevice where Lance stood, instantly clogging the narrow entrance.

Once the front was blocked, those behind could only wave their pincers helplessly, pushing and jostling one another.

As a result, at any given moment, only one or two at the very front could actually attack Lance.

And that was exactly the effect Lance wanted.

“Crack!”

With the sharp friction of shell against shell, one crab at the very front launched its attack.

Its pair of mutated, multi-segmented pincers retracted sharply, clearly gathering strength.

Then—

Those cone-tipped pincers shot forward like heavy spears, even leaving a gray afterimage in the air.

This was the Stone-Shell River Crab’s signature skill: Heavy Thrust.

“Clang!!!”

A deafening impact exploded across the riverbank.

A burst of sparks erupted from the surface of the Kite Shield.

Even through the thick steel, Lance felt a massive force like a charging bull travel through his arm.

His left foot slid half an inch backward on the gravel, and his arm instinctively executed a precise force-dissipating motion, barely neutralizing the impact.

“Quite heavy.”

Lance shook his slightly numb wrist, quickly making an assessment in his mind.

The force of that strike—translated into human attributes—would require at least 7 to 8 points of Strength at full output to replicate.

For an ordinary Adventurer, even blocking such a blow with a shield would likely leave their arm sore and weakened for quite some time.

After taking ten or so hits in succession, their stamina would be completely drained.

But for Lance, it was merely a slightly stronger breath.

At the moment the crab’s pincers exhausted their momentum and began to retract—

The short sword in Lance’s hand struck like a viper.

Castro Swordsmanship.

Although the crabs’ mutated multi-segmented limbs granted them terrifying reach and explosive power, it also came with a fatal physiological flaw.

A necessary trade-off for flexibility.

At the connection between each segment of thick shell was only a layer of tough yet relatively soft translucent joint membrane.

This membrane might withstand abrasion from sand and gravel—but it could never resist the precise cut of a sharp blade.

“Slice.”

There was little resistance—the thick pincer was severed cleanly, falling onto the pebbled ground.

The intense pain instantly caused the crab’s body to stiffen.

Before it could react, Lance’s second strike had already arrived.

The sword tip pierced into the soft flesh beneath the eyestalk base—a blind spot the shell could not cover, and a direct path to the brain.

With a twist of the blade, it died instantly.

【System Notification: Stone-Shell River Crab Research Progress +1】

Lance did not pause in the slightest. With a smooth motion, he kicked the still-twitching corpse out of the crevice like a football.

The second crab waiting outside immediately filled the gap, rushing forward with raised pincers.

And then—the same process repeated.

Block, dissipate force, sever limb, pierce brain, kick away.

The entire sequence flowed seamlessly, without a single unnecessary flourish, carrying a brutal yet elegant efficiency.