Chapter 53: Gatu Monster: Misfortune and Luck

At the center of the intersection ahead was a small mud pit.

Completely different from the flat stone tiles before.

A massive creature over four meters long crouched beside the mud pit.

It resembled a bloated water buffalo, its entire body coated in muddy earth-tone sludge, its short, thick legs like a hippopotamus’s.

Its neck was long and thin, barely able to support the weight of its head, forcing it to constantly keep its head lowered.

Its face resembled a warthog, but was uglier.

It also possessed a powerful tail, nearly two meters long, capable of moving like lightning.

Combined with its 26-point extraordinary strength and first-tier creature rank.

Plus the strength bonus of being a super-large creature.

It equated to a zero-tier human’s 40-point strength.

Though its tail had little muscle and could only exert limited force.

Still, it could generate two or three tons of force, easily wrapping up a small car.

Not to mention the chitinous node at its tail’s tip, incredibly hard.

When it struck the ground, it left a deep crater.

That wasn’t all—it could shoot streams of green lines from its eyes, with a range of fifty meters.

Any creature hit by these green lines must pass a DC 18 Fortitude save.

Failure meant instant death.

This was the Level 6 overlord of the mud pit—the Gatu Monster.

To be honest, Fang Shi wasn’t afraid of such large creatures.

Though these creatures had high strength, their agility was low and their weight immense, so their natural speed wasn’t fast at all.

As long as one’s reaction speed was sufficient and strength decent,

One could dodge them freely when facing such large beasts.

Even the Gatu Monster’s lightning-fast tail strike had a fatal flaw.

That was its own tail vertebrae.

What did a natural AC of 10 matter?

Too slender, easily severed with a single blow.

Fang Shi feared only the Gatu Monster’s unreasonable death ray.

Anyone with Fortitude below 18 couldn’t resist it.

Even with 17 Fortitude, bad luck meant immediate death.

Fang Shi had only 12 Fortitude [3 Constitution (16–10)/2 + 5 class level + 4 Toughness I].

If struck by the death ray, survival depended entirely on luck.

He didn’t think his luck was good.

If his luck were good, how could he keep encountering powerful creatures like Rune Hounds and Gatu Monsters?

“I can only dodge—the Gatu Monster gives warning before firing its death ray.”

“Its eyes turn blood-red; if I pay attention, I can predict it in advance.”

“Thankfully not those treacherous liches—they conceal the casting motion of Death Touch and use Metamagic to accelerate it.”

“Those are the real monsters.”

Thud!

The Gatu Monster, hearing the sound, rose up and lashed its tail like a steel whip toward Fang Shi as he charged.

…

Somewhere in the labyrinth, Zhang Di and Jiang Xian frantically pumped their legs.

Both faces flushed red, gasping for breath, sweat sliding down their faces and flung behind them.

Yet not a single step dared to pause.

Behind them, clusters of green, viscous protoplasm writhed and advanced rapidly.

These monsters had a common folk name—Slimes.

Among mages’ species classifications, they were called Mud Wretches.

The ones chasing Zhang Di and Jiang Xian were a group of Level 2 Courtyard Mud Wretches.

They typically lived on plants, appearing as clusters of diseased fibrous matter.

Those with poor observation skills couldn’t detect any difference.

Thus, when Zhang Di and Jiang Xian passed the crossroads, they didn’t even notice their presence.

Moreover, Courtyard Mud Wretches only attacked creatures that came near them.

The center of the crossroads was wide; logically, with caution, they could pass safely without fighting the Mud Wretches.

But Zhang Di, being clumsy, plucked a vine branch and played with it in his hand.

That triggered an attack from one Courtyard Mud Wretch.

The Mud Wretch’s strength was average—so long as you prevented it from latching onto you and releasing strong acid to corrode flesh,

And endured its stench, you could easily kill it.

Jiang Xian reacted quickly and shot the Mud Wretch through with a crossbow bolt at once.

But it was too late.

The moment attacked, the Mud Wretch immediately released its stored stench.

It smelled worse than herring cans.

Zhang Di couldn’t hold back—he swung his kitchen knife wildly, hacking at the Mud Wretch.

But he accidentally cut nearby leaves and branches.

That stirred the hornet’s nest—swarms of Courtyard Mud Wretches surged out, relentlessly chasing Zhang Di and Jiang Xian.

“It’s all your fault! Everything was fine before. We passed ten crossroads without incident—this one could’ve been safe too, but your clumsy hands!”

Jiang Xian snapped, feeling not just physically exhausted, but mentally drained.

“I didn’t want this either—yelling at me won’t help. If we don’t think of a plan now, we’re both dead.”

During the frantic running, Zhang Di’s abdominal wound had split open again, fresh blood seeping out.

“What plan can I come up with? Don’t you see we can’t shake these Slimes off?”

“You’re usually so smart—you must have a plan. If you don’t think of one, we’re just waiting to die.”

In truth, Jiang Xian had long understood this, and had been racking his brain.

But he couldn’t break the deadlock.

Where was the lifeline? Where?

Courtyard Mud Wretches were small creatures, yet their strength was no low—eleven points, moving swiftly.

They simply lacked legs, which was why they hadn’t caught up yet.

But over time, their abdomens secreted slime.

Their movement grew smoother, speed increasing steadily.

At this rate, they’d be caught eventually.

Damn it, why are all these paths straight? Where are the turns? Left? Right?

Is there not a single spot to block our view?

Jiang Xian was nearly driven mad—he’d had dangerous runs before.

But most times, after running a while, a corner would appear.

Once you turned the corner, the monsters lost sight of you and stopped chasing.

But now, only one glaringly straight road stretched ahead.

Not a single turn had appeared.

Do we have to run all the way to the next crossroads?

The next intersection—won’t it have monsters too? Going there is just suicide.

Jiang Xian gritted his teeth—Fuck it, let’s go down together.

“Fatty, listen up—save your strength. When we reach the next crossroads, I’ll lure them, make them fight each other, then you sprint full speed.”

Zhang Di shook his head: “You’re too frail to lure them—you’ll die from one hit.”

Jiang Xian snapped: “Aren’t you the same? These monsters are insane!”

“No matter how high your defense, one hit and you’re dead.”

“I’m not saying you can’t lure them—I’m afraid you’ll fail, the monsters won’t fight, and I won’t escape.”

“Puff… my lungs are about to burst, no energy left to talk.”

Zhang Di wanted to say more, then suddenly his eyes lit up: “Jiang Xian, we’re almost there—ahead is the crossroads.”

“There’s a huge monster—we can see it from this far.”

“Wait—there’s also a person.”

Jiang Xian squinted—Zhang Fatty wasn’t lying; they’d truly reached the crossroads.

And not only was there a monster, but a person too.

The person seemed to be fighting the monster—and holding his own.

Jiang Xian estimated—the monster was roughly the size of an elephant.

Although size doesn’t necessarily mean strength, it absolutely means power.

How powerful must a human be to fight a monster like that?

Zhang Di’s way of expressing emotion was simple.

“Jiang Xian, there’s a great god over there—let’s go join him, then we can eat well and drink fine from now on.”

Jiang Xian was speechless. A great god who’s that easygoing? Eat well and drink fine?

He might think you’re interfering with the battle and wipe you out outright.

Still, Jiang Xian glanced at the courtyard mud monster approaching from behind.

Either way, it’s worth a try—having someone else around is better than nothing.

…

Fang Shi had underestimated the Gatu Beast’s combat power.

His knowledge of monsters came mostly from the Monster Compendium.

It was a monster-killing guide compiled by a Mage before his rebirth.

Its purpose was to increase human survival rates when encountering unknown monsters.

Fang Shi’s own experience wasn’t nearly that extensive—he hadn’t actually fought every kind of monster.

So often, it was just theoretical knowledge.

This Gatu Beast might have fought humanoid creatures before.

It didn’t use charges, lunges, or any such attacks.

Instead, it whipped its tail like a master of the whip art, creating an impenetrable blur.

It cracked the air with sharp, popping reports.

The reason was simple: the tip of the Gatu Beast’s tail had exceeded the speed of sound.

What did that mean? Fang Shi saw it—and still didn’t react in time.

The whip had already moved eight meters.

Fang Shi could only rely on prediction and his high perception to warn him.

And he wasn’t even blocking—he was just dodging around the Gatu Beast.

As for his earlier idea of severing the tail at the coccyx:

In practice, it was nearly impossible.

Because Fang Shi had no guarantee he wouldn’t get hurt while cutting the tail.

This was an attack faster than sound—taking one hit could break bones and tear tendons easily.

The tail’s segments were as big as a human head; a strike to the limbs would cripple, a strike to the torso or head would kill instantly.

Fang Shi, unable to break through, slowly began to consider retreating.

The Gatu Beast hadn’t even used its Death Ray yet.

Continuing this fight was too dangerous.

Fortunately, Gatu Beasts were naturally timid creatures that saved their Death Ray as a last resort.

Otherwise, who knew what state he’d be in now.

“Looks like my strength ends here—I’m powerless against such a powerful creature.”

“If only there were a Mage here—whether Slow, Monster Immobilization, or any elemental buffs, they could solve this predicament.”

“Pure physical classes are at a disadvantage—I must upgrade to a class with supernatural abilities.”

“I don’t want to face another embarrassing situation like this.”

Before his rebirth, Fang Shi often fought in teams.

A five-man team of Warrior, Mage, Priest, Tank, and Assassin wouldn’t even approach battle without stacking a dozen buffs.

A complete level-five squad, even if their attributes and specialties were inferior to Fang Shi’s,

could still have a single Warrior match him in strength thanks to stacked buffs.

Not to mention the full coordination of the five-man team.

It was just that human class levels were still generally low and the system hadn’t been formalized.

Otherwise, what were first-tier monsters? With proper coordination, they could still slay higher-tier foes.

Even so, the Zhaowen Army had assembled a group with complementary classes.

Combined with tools, they could slay the Firewing Bird even without Fang Shi.

Huh? Who are those two over there?

In Fang Shi’s peripheral vision, Zhang Di and Jiang Xian were sprinting frantically toward him.

Based on his experience, that posture clearly meant they were fleeing.

Shhh!

A piercing sound cut through the air—the Gatu Beast seized the moment Fang Shi’s attention wavered.

It suddenly accelerated its tail’s speed.

Boom!

Fang Shi barely blocked it with his steel sword, but his hand trembled violently.

Even with the force dissipated, his hand went numb from just that one strike.

“No more fighting—retreat and kill rating are the same.”

Thinking this, Fang Shi turned and sprinted down an empty corridor.

He ignored Zhang Di and Jiang Xian entirely.

In the apocalypse, it’s better to be cautious.

Besides, who knows what monsters might be hiding behind those two?

Some monsters are powerful but not fast-moving.

If something unexpected happens now, it’ll be hard to predict.

Seeing Fang Shi flee, the Gatu Beast naturally chased after him.

Even though its limbs were short and its body massive, it moved at about twenty meters per second.

Fang Shi’s top running speed on flat ground was at most sixteen to seventeen meters per second.

If he used Double Force, he could push it to over twenty meters per second.

So to escape completely, Fang Shi still needed some time.

Seeing Fang Shi flee, Zhang Di’s excitement vanished instantly, and his fleeing speed even slowed slightly.

“Jiang Xian, that great god ran off—what do we do now?”

Jiang Xian beamed: “Good he ran! If he stayed, I wouldn’t know what to do—hurry up, follow me!”

Saying this, he grabbed Zhang Di’s arm and charged straight into the mud pit.

“Shut up!”

Zhang Di wasn’t truly stupid—he understood the situation at once.

He quickly closed his eyes and mouth and jumped into the mud pit.

Plop!

The courtyard mud monster arrived at the edge of the pit, swayed slightly, and didn’t see Zhang Di or Jiang Xian.

It simply slithered away in blobs.

By normal logic, courtyard mud monsters weren’t afraid of mud pits.

But the labyrinth’s mechanism was this: losing line of sight meant losing aggro.

Zhang Di and Jiang Xian had thus escaped danger.

Glug glug.

After about a minute, unable to hold their breath any longer, the two surfaced quickly.

Fortunately, the mud pit contained very little soil.

Otherwise, if it had formed a swamp, jumping in would’ve been suicide.

“Damn, finally safe.”

Zhang Di gasped heavily, not caring that mud water filled his mouth.

He’d been fleeing nonstop—his lungs were already low on oxygen, then he’d held his breath underwater.

Only his fierce will to survive had kept him going.

“Fatty, stop gasping—move now. If the monster at that crossroad comes back, we’re in trouble again.”

Jiang Xian urged him—he was thinner and recovered faster than Zhang Di under the same physical condition.

Zhang Di ran again, furious: “Damn it, why am I so unlucky!”

“How the hell should I know!”

If Fang Shi knew what these two had gone through, he’d scream fate was unfair.

These two weren’t unlucky—they were incredibly lucky.

They had just earned a free level-six clearance evaluation.

Fang Shi, on the other hand, was truly unlucky—the labyrinth had weaker monsters too.

But he’d Pianpian encountered a strong one, the kind a pure physical class struggles to kill.

Unknown to them, as Zhang Di and Jiang Xian left, a pair of deep eyes surfaced behind Jiang Xian.

They gazed Youyou ly toward the direction Fang Shi had fled.

PS: Thank you to Xiyue Canyun for the monthly ticket.