“I can see why Megan hates this quest,” I said after stepping into the first cave in a network of several. The whole area was labeled ‘Maggroth Clew’ on the [Tattered Map]. I had no clue what a ‘clew’ was, but I bet it didn’t fully capture the horrors I witnessed.

Holes covered the cave’s floor. It was like Swiss cheese. Or maybe comparing it to casu martzu was more apt. I wasn’t a connoisseur of cheeses, not interested in learning about different varieties and their fancy-sounding names—to me, cheese was cheese. However, I was familiar with casu martzu because it was sheep milk cheese intentionally infested with maggots.

Okay, it is weird for me to know that. Not sure why the Vitalians did it that way. For flavor or fermentation, maybe?

Casu martzu was illegal, even in its country of origin, Vitalia. Like casu martzu, Maggroth Clew and everything in it should be banned.

Maggroths wiggled out of the holes upon my arrival, from PVC pipe-sized to as large as banana boat rides. Some of them had chitinous armor, some were covered in spikes, others had fleshy and bulbous bodies, and there were also thin, snake-like ones. Their mouth parts were diverse, with the massive Maggroths sporting formidable bolt-cutter mandibles, while their spaghetti cousins had circular rows of tiny teeth reminiscent of a lamprey’s mouth.

I snapped my fingers. The mass of Maggroths looked like [Tongues of Flames]. “So, that’s why this feels familiar.”

According to the guide Kezo gave me, this cave didn’t contain any of the five golden crystal shards required to move the sealed wall blocking the exit of Maggroth Clew. I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for—how big it was and if it was a crystal fragment or an actual key—because I skipped talking to some villagers. My teammates assured me there was no need to bother with the story part of the quest. So long as I had the crystals, I should be able to finish this.

I could ignore this cave and move on. But this cave had something I couldn’t ignore.

Wriggly Essence and Gli.

I used [Poison Bottle Cast] to start things off, targeting a dense Maggroth clump to my right. A poison cloud blossomed where the bottles shattered, engulfing the worms with [Morabodry].

Lvl. 2 Poison Bottle Cast: Throw an Akhos Poison bottle and a vaporizing reagent, turning the specific poison into a gas cloud that spreads over a small area (maximum of two). The Akhos Poison in cloud form has a 25% increased chance of inflicting its negative status, with its duration increased by 4 seconds. Enemies in the affected area have their poison resistance reduced by 15%.

Item Cost: 1 Akhos Poison Bottle, 1 Vaporizing Reagent

Duration: 50 Seconds

Cooldown: 10 Seconds

Morabodry | Item Level: 10

Rare | Consumable | No Requirement

A mild poison brewed from the extract of choice herbs and infused with toxic effects by arcane magic. It causes the poisoned unit to lose (1% of Max Health+24) per second. It also hinders the senses and induces sluggishness, reducing Accuracy and Attack Speed by (7%). (If applied to equipment, it has a 10% (+3.5%) chance of poisoning the enemy per damage instance. Poisoned Status lasts for 4(+5) seconds.)

Duration: 15 Minutes

Uses: 5/5

I could barely see the floor with all the Maggroths blocking the view. A risk that my legs would shoot into one of the holes by diving ahead. Instead, I embraced the walls where the Maggroths were sparsest while galloping in the direction opposite the [Morabodry] cloud.

Maggroths curved their bodies like combed hair, trained on me as I ran around the perimeter of their squiggly crowd. Most stayed in their holes, content with snapping their mouths and body-slamming me as I passed. Some had ranged attacks, spitting acid, spikes, and sticky strings. Projectiles rained on my shields.

Smaller Maggroths, including Grubs, left their burrows and gave chase, squeezing themselves through the forest of the bigger worms. I cast [Horde Stampede], preventing the webs that covered parts of the floor without holes from slowing me too much.

Lvl. 1 Horde Stampede: Lead a valiant charge, inspiring others to follow you to battle, increasing the movement speed of self and all nearby party members by (25%). The charge is unrelenting; affected units may not be slowed below 80% of the base speed. Passively grants self (5%) movement speed for every other Mardukryon in the party (maximum three stacks).

Cost: 35 Energy

Duration: 10 Seconds

Cooldown: 50 Seconds

But the worms still caught up, snapping at my heels. The bigger Maggroths bit my metal-plated behind. Soon, I got surrounded, and the floor became a carpet of writhing flesh.

My [Greater Pyro Shell] didn’t pop despite the attacks.

A broad grin crossed my face. Same as DPSers flexing their damage, I also got a dopamine rush when monsters could barely scratch me. It’s fun to be hard—that’s what… I said.

Armor-stacking did excellent, given that most monsters in my level range only dealt physical damage. Some Maggroths could have magic-based attacks, but my Magic Resilience was more than sufficient, even if not as high as my Armor. Low-level monsters also didn’t have much in the way of damage modifiers like crits or Elemental Penetration. Debuffs that reduced my defenses weren’t common in the low levels either.

But it would get tougher to be a tank the more levels I climbed. It’s hard to be hard.

I cast [Heaping Infections] and [Compelled Frenzy]. Retribution and [Blight Cloud] shredded through debuffed Maggroths attacking me. Add in the [Tongues of Flames] planted by my hooves. Though not great in the way of damage, the fiery tentacles sprinkled Poison, Burn, and the occasional Freeze.

[Poison Bottle Cast] was off cooldown. I dropped another [Morabodry] cloud as far right as I could cast. Two was the maximum AoEs I could generate at level two of the skill, and they could kill most Maggroths within them before their durations expired.

[Greater Pyro Shell] exploded after holding out several second longer than expected. Space opened up around me with the Maggroths dying. But I couldn’t enjoy the swirls of Essence and Gli because a new wave of worms surrounded me. With a fresh shell, I pressed further into the cave, stomping Maggroths while taking care not to slip on their bodies. It felt weird plunging my hooves into heaps of giant worms. It was like stepping on a very thick but not completely filled waterbed mattress.

Funnily, it was the numerous Maggroths piled up to my knees, at times reaching the chest of my lower body, that kept me from tumbling.

About ten meters to my right was a small island in the sea of worms—craggy rocks piled into a jagged pedestal. Judging by the ceiling above it, the rocks must’ve fallen during a quake.

I turned right and aimed for that spot, waiting for Maggroths in my path to die before stepping over the holes, stopping when more worms surged and covered the floor. Eventually, I clopped on top of the rocks and surveyed the cave.

“Attack me from all sides and die faster!” I maniacally laughed.

Maggroths slithered and slinked up the rocks. Larger worms began leaving their holes as smaller ones died. I didn’t bother with [Healing Touch] or [Penitent Fortune Healing]. I wasn’t at a hospital or a wellness center. No healing needed here, thank you very much.

My regeneration could handle the wormy onslaught whenever [Greater Pyro Shell] was down.

Then a thought emerged. Can I do it?

I didn’t recast my shell after it popped. Yes, my DPS would decrease without it. But this was a test of the greatness of Herald Stone. I spread my arms, shields wide open, to welcome those brave enough to feel my hardness.

“I’m not dying!” I declared to the world.

I stood firm despite doing nothing, not even Head-On Blocking attacks. The Maggroths couldn’t make my health bar go down past halfway. And once the hard-hitting Maggroths died, my health shot back up. This was true AFK-leveling!

Memories of my first meeting with the Maggroths flashed in my mind. Cue sentimental background music.

It was the start of the Blight outbreak. A few village guards and I ran into Spite Maggroths—level twenty-sevens, same as I was now. The Spite Maggroths seemed to be escaping the Blight, wandering into an area different from their usual haunt. I couldn’t fight them, obviously. I hid my squishy ass behind the village guards.

Since then, I have come a long way. Those village guards would be proud of my hardness… if they were still alive.

Was it my fault they were dead? No. Other players must’ve killed their mutated forms. But could I have saved them while they were inside the vats in Bawu’s laboratory?

Probably…

But I didn’t have time to ponder about it. Some funky business was going on with my health bar.

Instead of my health steadily rising due to regeneration, punctuated by downward nudges from incoming damage, it also pulsed up. It was as if the Heal over Time secondary effect of [Healing Touch] was active. But I wasn’t using that skill.

No one else was healing me, and I wasn’t drinking any potion. So, what gives?

I tuned out the static shocks from the Maggroths’ attacks and focused on the puzzle. I didn’t need Nitana for this. This was right up my alley—or my stable if going with horse puns—and I was excited to solve it. Theorycrafting gears turned in my brain, and my unboxlike senses tingled.

I checked if a Maggroth debuff caused it. Nothing. Next, I scanned my stat table. I had two lines for health regeneration—a percentage and a flat amount.

Was [Band of Loamy Renewal] the culprit? I removed both rings.

Band of Loamy Renewal {1} | Item Level: 17

Relic | Ring

146 Magic Resilience

8% Physical and Magical Damage Reduction when not moving for the last 3 seconds

2% Health Regeneration per Second when not moving for the last 3 seconds

Requires: 62 Vigor, 25 Sense

--------------------

+175 Health

+16% Water Resistance

+13% Earth Resistance

Band of Loamy Renewal | Item Level: 17

Relic | Ring

146 Magic Resilience

8% Physical and Magical Damage Reduction when not moving for the last 3 seconds

2% Health Regeneration per Second when not moving for the last 3 seconds

Requires: 62 Vigor, 25 Sense

--------------------

+42 Armor

+9% Earth Resistance

+5% Stun Resistance

The pulsing was still there. I wore both rings again and walked over the rocks, stepping over Maggroths, so the rings’ effect wouldn’t activate.

[Tongues of Flames] grew from the rocks and slapped the climbing Maggroths. Each time the fiery tentacles hit the worms, my health bar had a slight upward tick.

Another clue? I hurriedly checked my footgear.

Smoldering Hooves of Kaghao| Item Level: 25

Relic | Med-Armor | Feet

220 Armor

15% Movement Speed

Leave [Tongues of Flames] in your trail, lasting 5 Seconds

25% additional Burn Chance and Duration

Requires: 83 Might, 45 Vigor

--------------------

+3 Seconds Burn Duration

+14% All Ailment Duration

+12% Burn Resistance

Lvl. 3 Tongues of Flames: Fiery tendrils rise from the ground, dancing across a small area. They strike nearby enemies with (50% Attack Power) as Fire Damage (affected by the user’s Attack Speed). Each attack has a (55%) chance to Burn for (15%) of the initial damage per second, lasting 4 seconds. (Stacks with other Burn instances.) Enemies inside the area of effect will have their Fire Resistance reduced by (-12%).

“Tongues of Flames don’t have lifesteal,” I muttered, no closer to solving the puzzle. Then I paused, blinking as my mind raced. “Wait! Not lifesteal. Something else.” I scanned my inventory, sensing I was near the answer.

And I finally found it!

Bracer of Fiery Devise | Item Level: 20

Epic | Heavy Armor | Wrists

156 Armor

6% Additional Ancestral Shroud (Only for Mardukryons)

Requires: 43 Might, 58 Vigor

--------------------

+12 Health Gained for Each Enemy Hit by Your Skill

+18% Wind Resistance

+71 Magic Resilience

Health gained for each enemy hit by your skill… I bought this particular [Bracer of Fiery Devise] from the auction because of this modifier, figuring it could be a decent additional sustain. I didn’t think it would be impactful—something more of a side dish.

The small pulse of regeneration was due to [Blight Cloud], the skill granted by the final set bonus of Blighted Vinereaver’s Revenge, hitting enemies every second.

[Blighted Vinereaver’s Revenge] Set Bonuses:

(2 pieces) + 105 Retribution Damage (Neutral), +5% Armor

(3 pieces) 50% of (Might + Vigor) added as Retribution Damage (Earth), +5% Armor

(4 pieces) +25% Neutral Retribution, +25% Earth Retribution, +25% Poison Retribution, +450 Health

(5 pieces) Blight Cloud: Inflict 37% of all Retribution Damage to enemies in a small area around you per second.

Twelve health was laughable but multiplied by a sizeable mob inside the AoE of [Blight Cloud], and it came up to a respectable self-heal per second. Apparently, [Tongues of Flames] added to that amount too.

Reading up on Health on Hit while blue and purple lights sparkled around me, I confirmed my hunch that it didn’t work with DoTs like Poison and Burn. But it could pair with channeled skills that continuously did damage like the earthquake of the Living Statue.

I trotted around the pile of rocks, careful not to step on holes, seeding [Tongues of Flames] everywhere. Because I wasn’t stationary, I lost four percent health regeneration from my rings.

It should be a noticeable loss in sustain, but… I couldn’t notice it.

[Tongues of Flames] made up for it, generating twelve health for each slap on a Maggroth’s fat body. There were many tentacles and many worms. Non-stop slapping action going on. The flaming tendrils attacked about once a second, probably my base attack speed. A higher attack speed meant more Health on Hit from [Tongues of Flames]. Actually, how about I equip a weapon and attack as well?

The thought of Kezo’s lifesteal tanking came to mind. Was there a potential here?