[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete":3,"chapter-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-37":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Starting from the Apocalypse, I Alone Severed Eternity",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2312419,4518,"Chapter 37: Superior Defense, Weakness Insight","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-37",37,"\u003Cp>Inside the pale white palace door, the remaining members of the Giant Scorpion Bandit Gang were being cornered by four earth elementals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The earth elementals’ bodies were composed of rock, granting them formidable defense but also greatly increasing their weight, making movement extremely slow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, nearly all earth elementals had mastered the specialties of Charge and Advanced Charge to compensate for their lack of mobility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earth elementals possessing these two specialties gain a +6 Strength bonus during a charge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This means they can initiate a charge at higher speed and slam into enemies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If there were only one earth elemental, the bandits, even if outmatched,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>could exploit its poor maneuverability to escape the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now there were four earth elementals; after a few charges, they had sealed off all escape routes for the bandits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then they slowly drove them into a corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bandits were utterly desperate; having lost all room to evade, they could barely dodge the earth elementals’ attacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One more charge from the earth elementals would mean total annihilation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You monsters!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One desperate bandit roared and charged at an earth elemental, hacking wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, aside from dislodging a few rock chips, it had no effect on the elemental’s overall structure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Smack!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a single slap from the earth elemental, the desperate bandit was flung across the room, his internal organs shattered to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t that he couldn’t dodge the slap—he simply no longer wished to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since escape was impossible, he had no desire to cling to life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others witnessed this, their hearts filled with bleakness, regretting their decision to hunt the dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s all that bastard Pade’s fault! I told you not to come hunt the dragon, but he forced us here just because he’s the leader.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly! Look—he was the first to charge earlier, but now? Not even a corpse to be seen. He probably ran off.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“F**k you, Pade—I curse you to burn in hell after death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surviving bandits poured their fury and resentment into curses directed at Pade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strangely, no matter how much they cursed, not a single word touched the dragon or Fang Shi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turs watched it all, finding it utterly amusing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Humans are truly creatures that bully the weak and fear the strong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That guy giving orders earlier—was that Pade?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think I remember he was killed by a human.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ran away? How laughable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turs glanced again and found it boring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he ordered the earth elementals to finish quickly, wrap up, and go to sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hm?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why has that human who killed Pade come back?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I clearly recall humans turning on each other just now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This sword-wielding human was one of the factions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was the lone survivor of his group, and the strongest among them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boring. Doesn’t matter how strong he is—anyone who disturbs my sleep deserves to die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then ordered the earth elementals to kill the last bandit and move toward him immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi saw the four earth elementals advancing together, and noticed not a single bandit left alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t surprised at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Large earth elementals have a natural Armor Class of 10.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These bandits, lacking divine weapons and mostly at level 1, had nothing capable of piercing that defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did they think a level-5 earth elemental was harmless?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If low-level beings could so easily defeat high-level ones, what meaning would biological levels hold?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi used these cannon fodder merely to drain the earth elementals’ stamina.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To test Shi Long’s tactics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never expected any real results.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boom! Boom! Boom!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The earth elementals’ stone fists slammed down,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>kicking up clouds of dust and leaving the ground pockmarked with small craters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi darted between the elementals’ limbs, just as the bandits had done earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he was far more agile and nimble than they had been.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially when all four earth elementals attacked together, their massive bodies became their own hindrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi used them to block attacks from other elementals, further dismantling their coordinated assault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the earth elementals’ signature move—Charge—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boom!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two earth elementals crashed into each other head-on, large chunks of rock breaking off their bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the most severe damage they had sustained since being summoned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason was simple: it had been deliberately provoked and exploited by Fang Shi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When two earth elementals prepared to charge, simply aligning their trajectories would cause them to collide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It sounds simple, but executing it was extremely difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, high Agility or relevant specialties boosting reaction speed were required.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then could one react in time to the earth elementals’ attacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, sufficient Strength was needed to generate explosive power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then could one dodge with enough speed when the elementals initiated a charge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, extensive combat experience and precise battlefield awareness were essential.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then could one create favorable small details in the chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When all three were combined, the result was two earth elementals colliding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, it wasn’t that Fang Shi didn’t want to attack the earth elementals directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just that there was an embarrassing problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi’s own attacks barely pierced the earth elementals’ defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Against their 68 HP, it was like a drizzle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, such attacks required full exertion, making evasion difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why Fang Shi resorted to making the earth elementals fight each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, if every basic strike could easily deal damage, his agility would have turned them all to rubble long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the earth elementals weren’t fools; after the first collision incident,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>they largely stopped using Charge in subsequent combat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, Fang Shi could no longer create any significant results.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At best, the elementals occasionally brushed or bumped into each other—damage so negligible it was meaningless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed the next phase of battle would be a test of stamina.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoever broke first would lose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turs saw this too. As a dragon, he had the power to alter the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he simply didn’t want to move; the coming hibernation had left him utterly drained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was either sleeping or on his way to sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just now, after a moment of peace, he was already growing drowsy again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fight, fight—I’ll just watch. This human may be strong, but he has no divine weapon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He can’t break through the earth elementals’ defense—they pose little threat. If he doesn’t run, he’ll eventually be worn down.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll just sit here and enjoy the show.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, Fang Shi, with his vast combat experience, could never forget the dragon watching from the sidelines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter what happened, he had contingency plans ready.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides—who said Fang Shi lacked the ability to pierce the earth elementals’ defense?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now was the time!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Weakness Insight]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Multi-Force: Double-Strike Hand (Incomplete)]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Multi-Force: Double-Strike Leg (Incomplete)]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flash of sharp light seemed to pass through Fang Shi’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Powerful force erupted from his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He leapt upward and thrust toward the spot on one earth elemental equivalent to the seventh rib of a human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Piercing Attack activated.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You dealt 3 damage to the target.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Piercing Attack initiated.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You dealt 24 damage to the target’s energy core.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Target received fatal damage.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Target died.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Absorbing target’s soul energy, you gained 210 experience points and 21 survival points.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rustle-rustle!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Fang Shi’s strike unleashed, the earth element before him collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stones forming its body scattered across the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason was that Fang Shi had shattered the earth element’s energy core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The earth element, when summoned from its plane, had no physical body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only its energy core was teleported, condensing a shell from the environment of the summoning site.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the shell’s damage meant nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as the energy core remained intact, the earth element could return safely to its plane, even after defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, Fang Shi was one of the few who knew this secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since his attacks could not inflict effective damage, he might as well strike the energy core directly and kill the earth element.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Implementing this strategy relied on the skill Weakness Insight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"[Weakness Insight I]: Your keen eyes easily discern enemies’ vulnerabilities.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Weakness Insight I had always been the first skill Fang Shi intended to master independently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had it not been for the Fang Family Breathing Method, he had planned to claim a reward for acquiring this skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During his earlier battle against the dog-headed creatures, after prolonged combat, Fang Shi finally mastered this skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was now fixed on his attribute panel, granting corresponding stat bonuses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to this skill, Fang Shi had slain Pade and Harris more easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the recent battle, after repeated probing, Fang Shi noticed the earth element consistently flinched slightly at the same spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logically, earth elements had thick, rugged hides and should ignore ordinary attacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if pierced through, it would merely leave a hole—minimal impact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless that spot was vital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thus deduced it might be where the energy core was hidden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid constant movement, Fang Shi finally found an opening and struck with full force, piercing the earth element’s shell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the earth element, it was like a chopstick thrust into its body—3 damage proved it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet it was precisely this 3-point damage that allowed Fang Shi’s sword to strike the earth element’s energy core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shattered the core, killing the earth element.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack-crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sound like grinding stones echoed across the earth element’s body, accompanied by a low rumble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the earth element mourning, grieving its fallen companion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately after came a storm of violent collisions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turs was stunned, no longer drowsy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How did this human do this? Is this even possible for a human?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was no wonder Turs was shocked—theory was one thing, execution another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even knowing the secret of the earth element’s energy core, how many could actually find it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When forming its shell, the energy core’s placement depended entirely on the earth element’s whim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no fixed location like a brain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had Fang Shi not mastered Weakness Insight I, even with vast experience, he could never have found it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turs realized the gravity of the situation—this human truly had the power to kill him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He himself had no ability to kill an earth element.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was said dragonkind was among the strongest races in the multiverse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But \"strongest\" referred to overall power and growth potential.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It did not mean a creature of the same level was invincible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turs knew it was time to act—delay any longer and it would be too late.\u003C\u002Fp>",1737,"2026-06-20T12:43:33.559Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","55123565b6efd0a6bc0448b6cc58ecae84e10b5f292e034cfd02392523b529f0","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-38","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-36",109,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-cover.jpg"]