Chapter 14

Thick smoke rose into the sky, the stench of burning gunpowder mingling with the smell of charred hair, creating a strange odor that made Su Xiao frown.

His vision was blocked by the dense smoke, preventing him from determining the exact location of the giant tiger.

“Roar~~!!!”

A furious tiger roar came from within the smoke; upon hearing it, Su Xiao’s focus sharpened, yet his entire body remained relaxed.

Tense muscles slow movement and create fatal openings in combat.

The long blade in his hand hung naturally downward, its tip touching the ground.

The giant tiger had not yet emerged, still hidden in the smoke, but Su Xiao could feel it had already spotted him.

A strong wind blew through the forest, scattering the rising smoke with a hiss.

At that moment, a massive figure burst forth from the smoke, carrying faint traces of smoke—it was the giant tiger.

The giant tiger now visible before Su Xiao no longer looked imposing; large patches of its fur were burned, charred strands clinging tightly to its skin, faint sparks still flickering.

Its massive body was riddled with wounds, countless iron nails embedded in its flesh.

The most severe injury was its eye—surrounded by a cluster of iron nails, black-red fluid oozed from the socket.

Seeing the tiger’s injuries, Su Xiao smirked; even if it didn’t die, its combat power had dropped by at least ninety percent—his trap had worked perfectly.

Indeed, humans were the most dangerous creatures in nature.

The giant tiger lunged at Su Xiao with a howling wind, covering several paces in an instant.

Compared to the colossal beast, Su Xiao wasn’t even as tall as its front leg.

Yet for some reason, his heartbeat quickened; this massive opponent stirred excitement in him.

Before the tiger could close in, Su Xiao kicked off the ground hard, sending dry leaves flying; he dashed forward several steps and swung his long blade at the tiger’s front paw.

“Squelch.”

Blood sprayed—the tiger’s front paw was slashed open. The [Dragon-Slicing Flash] was unquestionably a rank-10 weapon; it cleaved through the tiger’s hide effortlessly, sinking deep into its muscle.

The tiger roared in pain; the earlier explosion had slowed its movements, and its mind was still dazed.

As the tiger prepared to counterattack, Su Xiao sidestepped, positioning himself precisely to the tiger’s left—the blind spot behind its blind eye.

Two massive paws, the size of millstones, lashed forward repeatedly; the claws glinted with metallic sheen—if Su Xiao were caught, he’d pay a terrible price. Yet the tiger failed to land a single hit.

Seizing the opportunity, Su Xiao surged forward, gripping the hilt with both hands and slashing again at the tiger’s paw.

He chose to strike the paw out of necessity—the tiger stood at least four meters tall; attacking vital areas like its throat or head was extremely difficult.

With those claws threatening him, Su Xiao dared not rashly target the tiger’s vital points.

But it didn’t matter—the deadline for the side quest was still hours away, and Su Xiao had time; the tiger did not.

Only a short while into the fight, the ground around them was already soaked in blood; in no time, the tiger would collapse from blood loss, leaving it helpless before him.

The tiger realized this too; its single eye glared with hatred at Su Xiao, and it began to consider retreating.

Beasts are like this—when conditions turn dire, most will flee, unless they have cubs to protect behind them.

Seeking advantage and avoiding harm is not merely human instinct; beasts share it too, especially this giant tiger, which possessed high intelligence.

The tiger panted heavily, its claws sunk deep into the soil, ready to bolt at any moment.

The battle had reached this point—how could Su Xiao let the tiger escape? He’d spent precious time setting up the trap.

As the tiger showed signs of retreat, Su Xiao’s [Dragon-Slicing Flash] struck repeatedly, leaving several gory slashes across the tiger’s body.

Seeing the tiger’s health bar at only 8%, it was certain—the tiger would die.

In the Cycle Park, there was no mechanic where a creature would go berserk below 10% health; below 10%, all life forms grew extremely weak.

Not even berserk—now the tiger could barely run, its attacks were chaotic, and all it wanted was to flee.

On the sixth attempt to escape, Su Xiao drove his long blade into the tiger’s hind leg, then gripped the hilt with both hands and yanked outward violently.

The sound of the blade cutting through muscle was distinct; Su Xiao, gripping the hilt tightly, clearly felt the slight vibration transmitted through the blade as the muscle tore.

The tiger let out a mournful howl—a deep wound opened on its hind leg; before the blood fully flooded it, Su Xiao saw a severed tendon inside.

With the tendon cut, the tiger had lost all chance of escape—it was dead today.

Perhaps the tiger realized this too; it changed its demeanor, facing Su Xiao and emitting threatening roars.

Su Xiao stood before the giant tiger, his bare upper body stained with vast amounts of tiger blood.

The slick, warm sensation of the blood stirred Su Xiao’s ferocity, making him appear exceptionally brutal at this moment.

Standing before the beast as large as a house, Su Xiao smiled—a strangely gentle smile.

The “Lord of Ke’erbo Mountain” had ruled Ke’erbo Mountain for years, never fearing any creature.

But now, at this moment, the giant beast feared Su Xiao—because this smiling human might take its life.

“Roar~!”

A roar tinged with anger and fear echoed across the entire Ke’erbo Mountain.

Su Xiao darted toward the tiger with agile steps, constantly shifting his position.

The tiger lowered its body—it was preparing to fight to the death.

One massive paw, carrying the stench of blood, slashed toward Su Xiao’s face—fast and sudden; the giant tiger had concealed its speed until this dying moment, aiming for a fatal strike.

If struck by this claw, even if Su Xiao survived, he’d have no choice but to flee.

Su Xiao seemed to hold the advantage, but he did not—he was vastly outmatched in strength; even after a dozen slashes, the tiger’s health bar had dropped by only about 1%, insignificant—this 1% already accounted for the tiger’s rapid blood loss.

But if he were hit by even one of the tiger’s claws, the battle would end.

The fatal claw was already upon him—yet Su Xiao maintained his forward momentum, deliberately charging into it.

Just before the claw struck, he spread his legs, dropped into a kneeling stance, lowered his center of gravity, and leaned his entire body backward.

The claw, thick with the stench of blood, skimmed past Su Xiao’s nose; the strong wind lifted his stray hairs.

His knees kicked up fallen leaves; Su Xiao narrowly avoided the claw.

Slapping the ground with one hand, he leapt upward like a fish—now he was directly beneath the tiger’s head, its vulnerable throat exposed.

Su Xiao had no intention of mercy—he slashed straight down.

A torrent of blood gushed forth; Su Xiao was drenched in blood.

As Su Xiao fought for his life with the tiger, a slender figure hid among a thicket far away—by its size, it was a child.

“So… so strong.”

The thicket rustled; the child’s head peeked out, a grass hat atop its head, still bearing a few green leaves.