Chapter 10: Feat

In many cases, because of scenes in some film and television dramas, people often think that those who possess burly bodies and plump muscles, although they have specialties in strength, agility and dexterity will be their flaws.

To some extent, this is indeed the case.

Muscles that are too strong to the point of appearing bloated will greatly affect their flexibility; and weight far exceeding ordinary people will also make their figures no longer light.

But these all have a premise:

That is, the opponent is at the same level of strength as you.

In modern society, this premise may not be important; after all, there is no such thing as supernatural power, and no matter how you practice, you will eventually stay at the level of mortals.

But in a fantasy world where there are legends, incarnations of saints, and gods and demons coexisting, this point is quite important.

Compared to the eighteen-year-old "field boy" Xia Nan who had just come of age, the Bugbear can be said to be completely ahead in all aspects except intelligence and farming.

Even including knowledge—it knows two languages, Gnomish and Common.

Therefore, even if Xia Nan temporarily forgot his fear under the effect of adrenaline and launched an offensive after dodging,

The Bugbear "Hengke" still reacted quite easily.

It didn't even pull out the morning star hammer that had been smashed into the ground; facing the longsword swinging over, it just waved its thick arm covered in brown hair.

Bang—

Xia Nan flew out instantly.

As if hitting a train head-on, he only felt a huge force coming from his chest, and even his thinking stopped, and the extreme dizziness accompanied by intense pain almost washed away his consciousness.

"Damn!"

He climbed up with difficulty, his mouth filled with a rich smell of blood.

And on the other side, Hengke's burly figure had already stood in front of him.

"Bug, not obedient!" The Bugbear let the shallow wound on his neck drip blood, and his yellowish-brown turbid eyes were full of anger and shame, as if he had been bitten by a rabbit that was about to be put on the chopping board.

"Hengke wants to eat you alive!"

The Bugbear tribe did not develop means similar to "torture." With their cognition close to primitive people, letting the prey watch themselves being eaten alive is the cruelest behavior.

For this reason, the priest in the tribe even found a plant that could keep the prey in a conscious state even in a severely injured state.

Of course, the current Hengke didn't have that condition and didn't have such profound "cooking" skills.

Therefore, Xia Nan could still die quite painlessly.

Things had come to this.

Looking at the Bugbear gradually approaching him, and further understanding the gap in strength between each other, he didn't have any thoughts of begging for mercy in his heart.

On one hand, he didn't think that with the opponent's moral level, there was any kindness to let him go;

On the other hand, it was also because Xia Nan noticed that not far behind the Bugbear, Hunter Maji, who had his calf smashed and was wailing in pain, was sitting up slowly against the wall, holding his longbow tightly in his right hand and reaching for the quiver with his left hand.

Their eyes met quietly and then separated.

Although the two hadn't been together for long and had no tacit understanding at all, at this moment, Xia Nan still instinctively read the meaning hidden in the other party's eyes.

Buy time, attract the enemy's attention.

His brain operated rapidly, and he opened his mouth and said:

"Hey, you won't taste good if you do this."

"Hmm?" Realizing that the little bug was talking, Hengke, who was holding the hammer high, couldn't help but be stunned. "No! Human, delicious!"

"If you want to eat it without roasting it, I recommend the raw marinated method."

Seeing that the other party seemed to be attracted by his words, Xia Nan didn't care what he was saying at the moment and just rambled.

"You can put me in a basin and wash me clean first, then add fine salt to sterilize and season, stir for five minutes, then add ginger, garlic, chili, and soy sauce, and seal it for thirty minutes."

"That taste..." Seeing that Hengke seemed impatient because of the steps he made up randomly, Xia Nan instantly understood and shifted the focus of the topic to the taste.

"The taste is fresh and sweet; it can not only ensure my original flavor but also taste the sour and spicy taste of the seasonings, which is very appetizing."

"Sweet? Spicy... what does it taste like?" Hengke held the morning star hammer in his hand high, but it never fell, instead asking with some doubt.

But after all, it is a Bugbear, not an Ogre who is more greedy for meat and single-threaded.

As soon as he opened his mouth, Hengke reacted.

"Little bug, trying to trick me, die!"

It stepped forward two steps fiercely, the muscles of its right arm holding the hammer expanded, as if it would smash this annoying little bug under it into meat paste in the next second.

And just at this time, Maji finally made preparations again.

Bending the bow and nocking the arrow, aiming and storing power.

Whoosh—

The familiar sound of metal traveling through the air sounded in the air again.

Compared to before, this time the distance between him and the Bugbear was shorter, which meant that even if the opponent possessed reaction ability far exceeding ordinary people, it would be difficult to dodge;

And that energy barrier that could almost become the nightmare of all shooters did not appear.

Thus...

"Chirp!"

Blood splashed.

Maji, who had his calf smashed, shot the arrow while sitting on the ground, sticking to the cave stone wall.

Although it was still accurate under the effect of the combat technique, the power was much smaller.

Therefore, even though the metal arrow almost instantly pierced the right eye of the Bugbear who turned back because of the sound, only a small half of the arrowhead sank into the opponent's eye socket.

The toxin with paralyzing effect quickly spread inward from the wound.

Severely injured, but not fatal.

And facing this last opportunity to seize the vitality, Xia Nan was also fearless.

Just when the Bugbear was howling because of the intense pain of the eyeball being pierced, he gripped the one-handed sword in his palm tightly with both hands, and despite the difficult soreness of his arm muscles tearing, he forcibly used the fourth 【Spinning Slash】 of the day.

Cold light flashed.

The brown hair had no resistance to the sharp blade;

The thick skin layer like cowhide was the first line of resistance, slightly stagnant;

The accumulated fat was like the muddy water in a swamp, the blade was still smooth, but the force was consumed invisibly;

The muscles as solid as rocks almost digested all the sharpness carried by the longsword, but they were still difficultly broken through under the bonus of 【Spinning Slash】;

Then, the blade that broke through the fur and flesh encountered the hardest line of defense in the biological body—

Bones.

"Crack."

No longer needing to be tossed around in the hands of those newbie adventurers, the battle-hardened one-handed sword finally obtained the ending it deserved.

In a fierce encounter that was enough to be remembered in its battle history, it broke.

The sudden empty feeling of broken contact in his hand, the accumulated force was difficult to pour out.

Xia Nan watched with his own eyes as the cracks on the sword body appeared and gradually expanded, and then his whole body flew out diagonally under the effect of the inertia brought by 【Spinning Slash】.

"Roar!!!"

Howling, the intense pain never suffered before let the beast with a brown bear-like burly body completely lose its remaining sanity.

Together with the eyeball, it pulled the arrow directly out of the eye socket, and the scarlet blood that emerged with it dyed its body red like a waterfall, adding a few more points of violence.

Facing this crazy beast, a weak hunter with a smashed calf, plus a newbie adventurer with exhausted physical strength and a broken weapon.

The ending of the Scum squad seemed to be clear.

Maji's face was full of despair.

The second use of 【Precision Strike】 made his body completely fall into a paralyzed state after overload.

As if every strand of muscle was twitching and jumping, even a trace of strength could not be mobilized.

His eyes were empty, and he didn't know what he was thinking.

Perhaps regretting breaking into this cave because of greed, or hating himself for why he didn't learn a lesson and be more cautious;

Of course, it might also be recalling the girl who looked at him with a smile under the white oak tree in his hometown.

Unexpectedly.

Compared to Hunter Maji, who had completely lost hope for life, Xia Nan, whose body was also on the verge of collapse, had a complex expression on his face.

Yes, complex.

Just like when playing mahjong in his previous life, he intended to defend and finish the game with a bad hand, but unexpectedly got a win before the game was declared a draw; after spending thousands of dollars in the game without getting a gold card, he got an SSR with the last draw sent by the official before quitting the game.

It was a strange emotion mixed with relief, surprise, and resentment of "Why didn't you come earlier?"

Because at the same time he used 【Spinning Slash】 and swung that sword just now.

A large string of translucent characters flashed before his eyes like a screen refresh.

"Proficiency +1"

"【Spinning Slash】 lv4 (100/100)——【Spinning Slash】 lv5 (Max)"

"Strength +1, Agility +1"

"Feat 【Cleave Expert】 unlocked"

……

【Cleave Expert】

Category: Feat

Effect: Slashing damage +5%

Description:

Day after day of practice, you have gradually understood the mysteries hidden between the blades.

Remark 1:

"Back in the day, I held this sword in my hand and slashed all the way from the Heavenly Mountain to the Nine Hells. Five years and six months, back and forth, without blinking an eye."

——Yuliusi, the 35th Contractor of the "Sword of Extinction," the Abandoned One

Remark 2:

"Sweat will not let you down!"

——Yong Wu, Legendary Martial Monk of the "Li Jie Sect," Stone Saint

……

Facing the crisis of life and death, Xia Nan didn't have the opportunity to carefully check this information.

He just glanced at it hurriedly, knowing that in the battle just now, he obtained the last point of proficiency for 【Spinning Slash】, upgraded it to lv5 full level, and obtained a series of improvements accordingly.

Immediately, an inexplicable force burst out from the depths of his body like a spring, and quickly spread throughout his body.

The exhausted muscles were relieved and relaxed like bathing in a hot spring; the originally slightly loose figure tightened a circle instantly, and his strength and explosive power were significantly enhanced; the ground under his feet seemed to suddenly become soft, and his shoes seemed to be equipped with springs, vigorous and light.

As if he had changed into a body, the original fatigue and pain were swept away in an instant.

Xia Nan raised his head, his pitch-black eyes staring at the fierce and savage figure rushing straight towards him.

He threw the one-handed sword that only had a handle left to the side.

A silver-white flash passed by the corner of his eye, and he glanced sideways—

Gagu's corpse was lying on the ground, with his half-person-high two-handed axe stuck upside down beside his feet.

Thoughts drifted, and he had already made a decision in his heart.

The Bugbear "Hengke" had completely fallen into an uncontrollable state of madness due to the heavy injuries.

The brain was manipulated by endless desire for destruction, and even if its younger brothers who had already died were standing in front, they would be torn into pieces by it without mercy.

In this state, it naturally wouldn't realize what kind of changes had happened to this weak human youth in front of it.

Hengke just instinctively repeated the countless hunting steps it had taken in the past ten years.

Charging, aiming at the prey, raising the hammer, smashing...

Hum—

A silver-white streak, purer and shorter than before, flashed past in the dim cave.

What it meant was further powerful explosive power and more exquisite technology.

The 【Spinning Slash】 that had been upgraded to lv5 full level allowed Xia Nan to thoroughly understand everything related to this move.

How to exert the greatest power while saving the most physical strength, from what angle to swing to cause greater damage, the most appropriate timing...

It almost became a part of his body.

And the 5% bonus brought by 【Cleave Expert】, although the number looks very small, it is a damage increase that is cumulatively added to every attack without restriction.

Not to mention the two precious attribute points obtained in "Strength" and "Agility" that were most critical.

Muscle strength and physical potential, reaction speed and alertness...

From "5" to "6," it is by no means a 20% increase at the numerical level, but a more complex, all-round growth involving various levels.

Combined, in just a few seconds, Xia Nan's combat power almost crossed several levels.

And the power that could be produced by 【Spinning Slash】 based on this also had a qualitative change.

The two-handed axe, which should have been incomparably heavy, was quite handy after his body was strengthened.

Abundant strength rose from under his legs, quickly gathering and transmitting.

The axe blade swung diagonally upward, gathering all his strength at one point, and then burst out fiercely!

"Roar!"

The foul smell with the smell of blood rushed towards his face, and the shadow of the morning star hammer held high above his head shrouded him.

Xia Nan could even clearly see the bloodshot threads rising in the Bugbear's yellowish-brown turbid eyes and feel the air waves slightly vibrating due to its roar.

But that was all.

Because the next second, his hand felt the stagnant touch of the sharp blade breaking through the body, which had gradually become familiar in multiple battles.

Fur, flesh, and bones... the defense that had blocked his broken sword blade was easily broken through.

After a moment of lag, it was incomparably smooth and refreshing.

The axe blade drove Xia Nan's body to complete a 180-degree rotation.

Chirp—

The Bugbear's huge head spun and left the position it should have been in, and its face even maintained the expression of roaring.

The hammer fell to the ground.

The scarlet scalding blood pumped out like a fountain, and the burly body fell accordingly.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 11 =====