Apart from Basic and Elite monsters, he even found one Special Elite Earth Salamander roaming around in this part of the wilderness.
The last time he fought a special elite monster, the Ice Troll Sentinel, it was alone. It was a whole ten levels higher than him. In addition to that, the monster had received a buff due to the cold environment, while he had received a debuff from the cold. While he hadn't been able to defeat it, he hadn't gotten killed as well.
Now the special elite in front of him was only four levels higher, and also without any apparent buff from its environment. It was not even considered a boss. He estimated that with the improvements in his equipment and the repertoire of skills and spells in his possession, he should be able to deal with the special elite.