CHAPTER 468: CHAPTER 455: WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ENCOUNTER A HEDGEHOG?

As soon as he approached the mine entrance, Han Qiwu immediately heard the sound of something being fired.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh"

"What’s that noise?" Han Qiwu pressed down on Xiao Dian, crouched low, and quietly slid over to see what was going on.

Could it be those bugs that shoot remote attacks again?

Approaching the mine area, Han Qiwu discovered that the entrance was quite narrow—only about three people wide. From a distance, he saw dozens of fluffy, plump little creatures crawling close to the ground. Their backs were covered in red spikes, and occasionally one or two of them would shoot these spikes into nearby rocky walls.

"What are these things? Hedgehogs? Or maybe small porcupines?"

As if they heard Han Qiwu’s muttered words, the hedgehog-like creatures rolled over, their spiked backs facing up.

With enhanced dynamic vision, Han Qiwu could clearly see how these spikes punctured the ground as easily as stabbing tofu.

Razor-sharp!

"Xiao Dian, zap one and let’s see what it’s all about."

"Chirp chirp!"

Following Han Qiwu’s command, Xiao Dian flapped its wings and flew toward the nearest hedgehog at the entrance, launching a stream of electricity at it.

"Crackle crackle"

As sparks of electricity flashed, a notification appeared:

[Blazing Iron Hedgehog]

[Level: 85]

[Attack methods: Spike firing, rolling attack]

[Notes: The spikes from the Blazing Iron Hedgehog deal considerable damage]

"So they really are hedgehogs. I wonder if there might be a weakness around their bellies?" Han Qiwu mused, calling Xiao Dian back.

But just then, the Blazing Iron Hedgehog that had been shocked wasn’t happy anymore.

I was rolling peacefully just now!

Why zap me?!

"Rumble rumble"

Angry, the Blazing Iron Hedgehog suddenly ducked its head, connecting its ends together to transform into a ball, rolling rapidly toward Xiao Dian’s location.

To be fair, this thing rolled impressively fast.

In just a matter of seconds, it was already under Xiao Dian.

Once it reached its target, the Blazing Iron Hedgehog returned to its hedgehog form, then arched its back aggressively.

"Shoosh shoosh shoosh shoosh"

Dozens of long spikes ejected from the Blazing Iron Hedgehog’s body, targeting Xiao Dian high above.

Han Qiwu could see the glowing red tips of the spikes shimmer ominously in the surrounding lava light.

If these hit their mark...

...Xiao Dian would definitely be riddled with holes.

After tracking the trajectory of the spikes, Han Qiwu quickly commanded, "Retreat five meters! Avoid the attack first!"

The volley of spikes boxed Xiao Dian in, cutting off its path forward.

Retreating was the only viable option.

In mid-air, Xiao Dian followed Han Qiwu’s instructions and successfully dodged the spikes.

But now it was Han Qiwu on the ground who found himself in danger.

Hearing Han Qiwu’s shout, a dozen Blazing Iron Hedgehogs near the entrance immediately transformed into little balls and barreled toward him.

After rolling for just two seconds, the hedgehogs returned to their original forms, arching their backs to launch spikes simultaneously.

"Shoosh shoosh shoosh"

Hundreds of spikes shot toward Han Qiwu’s position at high speed.

Evading them was no longer an option.

"Please hold up!"

Han Qiwu crouched down, grabbing the Scorching Plate Shield from his storage compartment and lifting it in front of himself.

The massive Scorching Plate Shield enveloped Han Qiwu safely within its protective range.

"Bang bang bang bang bang"

A barrage of spikes hammered the Scorching Plate Shield like pouring rain.

Behind the shield, Han Qiwu was filled with tension, ready to bolt at any moment.

A few seconds later.

All the spikes had fallen.

Hearing that the area had gone quiet, Han Qiwu seized the opportunity to stand and inspect the front of the Scorching Plate Shield.

Not even a scratch!!

Impenetrable!

A true fighter needs something solid!

"Is that all you’ve got?"

Han Qiwu swelled with pride.

Having a shield feels amazing!

But something wasn’t adding up.

Why didn’t the Blazing Iron Hedgehogs keep attacking?

Was Xiao Dian keeping them occupied?

Perplexed, Han Qiwu turned to look at the hedgehogs that had attacked him earlier.

On the lava-covered ground, the dozen or so hedgehogs had now turned into roasted hedgehogs, each carrying noticeable sparks—some with two, some with three flames dancing on them.

The damage from these flames was significant, burning four-digit numbers off the hedgehogs’ health bars with each hit.

"Their spike firing causes self-ignition?" Han Qiwu murmured in confusion, gripping his ice staff as he prepared to finish them off.

Approaching one of the hedgehogs, he noticed it carried two stacks of the Flame Poison Mark.

Now he understood.

This wasn’t self-ignition.

This was a Flame Poison Mark detonation!

"I wouldn’t have guessed—direct contact between the hedgehogs’ spikes and the shield leaves behind Flame Poison Marks, which cause damage!"

Han Qiwu burst into laughter.

What a delightful surprise.

Before the hedgehogs further inside noticed what was happening, he swiftly finished off the charred hedgehogs with a single strike each.

"Wham wham wham"

One hit per hedgehog.

Truth be told, it had been a long time since he felt this exhilarated smashing things.

After clearing all the Blazing Iron Hedgehogs near the entrance, the dozens of hedgehogs further within began to realize something was amiss.

Why is there a door at the entrance?

Why are strange noises coming from behind the door?

Exchanging puzzled glances, the Blazing Iron Hedgehogs collectively decided to fire first and ask questions later.

"Shoosh shoosh shoosh"

A hail of arrows filled the air.

"I’m out!" Han Qiwu, worried about any possible stragglers, spun his Wind-Fire Wheels and retreated with his poison combo back to the corridor entrance.

About ten seconds later, the sound of flames igniting erupted from deep within the mine.

"Let’s see who the real hedgehog is now," Han Qiwu muttered as he waited for the sound to die down before stepping forward to inspect the Scorching Plate Shield.

After enduring such a bombardment of spikes, the shield’s surface inevitably bore a few scratches.

"Still usable—that’s enough for me."

Han Qiwu stowed away the Scorching Plate Shield and called for Xiao Dian and Xiao Lai to help finish off the remaining Blazing Iron Hedgehogs.

To be honest, without the Scorching Plate Shield, the fight wouldn’t have been nearly as easy.

With his blast grenade effects weakened, Han Qiwu no longer had a reliable long-range attack.

If he had to fight, he’d be forced to rely on his Fireball Technique to bomb the hedgehogs from afar.

But judging by their rolling speed earlier, he would be lucky to hit them with even one Fireball.

Looking at the streams of white light in the distance, Han Qiwu casually bent down to pick up the loot at his feet.

[Hedgehog Spike]×3

[Use: Ammunition]

[Special Effect - Poison Infusion: Hedgehog Spikes feature hollow tips to store poison]

[Notes: Hedgehog Spikes also boast excellent penetration]

The Hedgehog Spikes had paler hues compared to the original spikes. Their lengths were consistent, and they felt hefty in hand.

"Couldn’t have timed it better! Just now I was complaining about the lack of durable long-range attack options, and now look what showed up." Han Qiwu pulled out his Ice Slingshot, pinched a Hedgehog Spike, and aimed at a distant Blazing Iron Hedgehog, releasing.

"Whoosh"

The Hedgehog Spike flew at remarkable speed.

Its penetration was equally outstanding.

The instant it hit the Blazing Iron Hedgehog, it pinned it directly to the lava ground, its tail wobbling furiously.

Brutal!