Chapter 54: Slaying and the Divine Spirit

Thump thump thump!

In the wide corridor, the Katu Beast stomped along on its thick legs, pursuing Fang Shi relentlessly from behind.

Fang Shi's expression was calm; only when the Katu Beast drew close did he unleash the Second Layer Burst to speed his way forward.

One moment near, one moment far—each time giving the Katu Beast hope.

This back-and-forth made the Katu Beast grow ever more enraged.

A sweet treat slipping from its jaws—it could not endure that no matter what.

So the Katu Beast's eyes began to redden, and a thin green ray shot out from them, streaking straight toward Fang Shi.

Just waiting for that move from you!

Aiming was already difficult while running, and on top of that Fang Shi's path of movement was unobstructed.

Combined with the early warning from his high Perception, he dodged that death ray with ease.

The Katu Beast could not fire the death ray twice in a row, which created a cooldown window for the skill.

The threat it posed to Fang Shi dropped sharply.

Boom!

【Second Layer Burst】

Fang Shi spun around and charged back, gripping his long sword as he slashed toward the Katu Beast's neck.

During the earlier running, Fang Shi had already controlled the distance between himself and the Katu Beast to about three meters.

With such a sudden turnabout, the Katu Beast was caught off guard.

In the earlier fighting, it had always stood in place and attacked with its tail.

The moment Fang Shi circled slightly to the Katu Beast's front, it would turn around.

Pulling Fang Shi back into its attack range.

Because the Katu Beast was on the inside while Fang Shi was on the outside.

No matter how he circled, Fang Shi could not break in, so the Katu Beast's attacks were watertight.

But while running, that tactic could not be used.

On top of that, Fang Shi had also schemed to cripple the Katu Beast's death ray.

For a moment, apart from biting, the Katu Beast actually had no way left to attack Fang Shi.

But biting was the most useless of all—it couldn't even force Fang Shi to reposition.

Because the Katu Beast's neck joints were stiff and there was too little muscle, it couldn't move flexibly.

By the time Fang Shi charged in, the Katu Beast's head had only just turned ninety degrees.

That was already the Katu Beast's limit; one hundred eighty degrees was out of the question—that was something only a giant dragon could do.

On top of that, the Katu Beast's four limbs were just four pillars, dooming it to never move with the agility of sharp claws.

And its neck was too long and thin, so there was a gap between its body and its head.

That gap happened to be just enough for Fang Shi to attack, keeping him from slamming directly into the Katu Beast's body.

"Slash Attack activated."

"Target received fatal damage."

"You dealt 12 damage to the target."

Boom!

A massive head crashed to the ground.

Fang Shi had split the Katu Beast's neck clean in two.

It was only because the Katu Beast's neck was so thin—swap it for an elephant of the same height,

and Fang Shi's strike would only have lodged halfway through.

This was the awkwardness humans faced against large creatures.

Sometimes, even when the defense was clearly broken, the weapon was simply too small to cut through.

But it didn't matter—once he reached level 6 and could use Sword Qi, situations like this would improve.

In fact, the Katu Beast whose head had been lopped off did not die immediately.

Its body still carried vitality, along with residual nerve signals.

It charged straight ahead, its tail whipping like a lash, each swing producing bursts of cracking thunder.

But all of that was just a death throe.

From the severed stump of its neck, a geyser of blood shot skyward.

Like a high-pressure water cannon, it sprayed across the corridor, pooling into small puddles everywhere.

Even Fang Shi himself was splashed head to toe, his entire body a sheet of blood-red.

Fresh blood kept dripping from the hem of his clothes, like a bloodthirsty demon.

"Target dead."

"Absorbing target soul energy. You gain 462 experience points and 46.2 Survival Points."

"Detected that the player has reached level 5.

"

"You have obtained partial information on the advanced class Earth Sword Saint."

"You have obtained partial information on the advanced class Death Sword Saint."

Death Sword Saint?

What does this class do?

Surely every attack isn't the equivalent of a Finger of Death, right?

What if he encounters a monster that doesn't eat and has a firm physique?

Or perhaps, in the future, can the concept of death be sublimated to all things?

Now, Fang Shi is very curious about various advanced professions.

After all, he has already realized that his own strength is lacking.

Physical practitioners who only know how to slash have no future.

This time, relying on experience, he killed the Gato monster.

But what about next time?

Not every monster's intelligence is very low.

If it weren't for the high experience penalty for dual-classing.

Fang Shi would have loved to go all the way with a Sword Saint in one hand and a Mage in the other.

How high is this experience penalty?

It directly calculates the sum of the character's profession levels.

For example, a level 5 Warrior wants to dual-class a level 1 Mage.

The experience for dual-classing isn't 1,000, nor is it 1,500.

It is directly 15,000, which is the experience needed for the current level-up.

This completely eliminates any behavior of trying to exploit loopholes, dual-class infinitely, and then advance.

"I hope the next crossroads brings good luck."

Fang Shi rested a little, then continued moving forward.

He didn't believe his luck was really that bad.

"If some humanoid monsters like Lion-Footed Eagle-Men or Half-Scorpions would just show up, that would be even better."

"Generally, these humanoid monsters are strong in organization; in the labyrinth, they are all individuals, so dealing with them is a piece of cake."

Unfortunately, Fang Shi was wrong, and wrong in an outrageous way.

When he was one hundred meters from the crossroads, he indeed saw a humanoid creature.

Its body was a mass of unknown substance rolling endlessly like a giant eye.

It had no head, but a tail extending out and four grayish arms.

Apart from being a bit terrifying, it was indeed humanoid.

But that wasn't the main point.

The most deadly thing was that this monster carried a heavy pressure, containing the aura of life and death.

Fang Shi's hands and feet were trembling; his heart was cold and calm, but his body's instinct could not be suppressed.

It seemed as if a fear was engraved deep in the genes.

This was a Tier 3 monster!

Absolutely no mistake; that feeling was exactly the same as the Tier 3 creatures he had seen before his rebirth.

It was even stronger, not far from Legend.

"What kind of monster is this? I haven't seen it in the Monster Compendium!"

"The book seller is simply a swindler, claiming to have all the monsters in the world!"

Of course, all of the above was just Fang Shi's venting.

He knew clearly that the multiverse was so vast; how could a single book record everything?

He just wanted to soothe his mood, calm his body's instinct, and make himself run away quickly.

Fortunately, the mechanism existed that monsters could not attack proactively if one had not stepped into the crossroads.

Otherwise, Fang Shi deeply suspected that even at a hundred meters away, he would already be dead.

"Jiang Xian, look, there's food here." Zhang Di pointed at the branches on the wall.

The Endless Labyrinth was not empty; occasionally, stone tablets, plants, weapons, soil, and so on would appear.

Some speculated that these might have been brought in by the monsters themselves.

But shouldn't things carried by the monsters themselves exist in the crossroads?

How could they appear on the road?

Unless someone had come to the Endless Labyrinth a long time ago and a battle broke out.

Humans of the Blue Star were definitely not the first creatures to use the labyrinth.

"Is it this fruit?"

Jiang Xian jumped up and plucked the fruit from the branch.

It was a bright red fruit, like an apple, but only the size of a plum.

"Can it be eaten?" Jiang Xian asked in confusion.

Zhang Di didn't care at all; he reached out, grabbed the fruit, and threw it into his mouth: "Who cares? When I was young in the countryside, I ate wild fruits every day; it's all the same anyway, and it won't kill anyone."

He swallowed the fruit in three or two bites.

"Ah!"

A scream came from Zhang Di's mouth; his whole body trembled uncontrollably, as if he were having an epileptic seizure.

"Fatty, what's wrong with you!" Jiang Xian held Zhang Di up, his face pale with shock.

"I... am... ex... tremely... well!"

Zhang Di gritted his teeth, his voice mixed with joy and pain.

"What's gotten into you! Your whole body is shaking; how could you possibly be comfortable!"

Jiang Xian felt that Zhang Di might have consumed something hallucinogenic, his mind beginning to show signs of instability.

"No, hurry up and eat the remaining fruit; this fruit adds attributes. What's happening now is transforming my body."

Zhang Di finished saying this sentence in fits and starts, as if he had exhausted all his strength, and immediately closed his eyes and collapsed.

Jiang Xian supported Zhang Di, helping him sit against the wall, feeling somewhat startled and uncertain.

Logically speaking, Zhang Di would not lie to him.

Yet Zhang Di's state was truly abnormal; words spoken in such a condition must be questioned.

Therefore, Jiang Xian decided to wait, until Zhang Di woke up, to ask carefully what exactly was going on.

"Why are you here?"

Before Jiang Xian could wait for Zhang Di to awaken, he instead heard a cold male voice coming from the right.

Jiang Xian turned around in a panic and saw a man appear not far away.

The man was covered in blood from head to toe, holding a dark red long sword, with a resolute and cold face.

Like a demon from hell.

Jiang Xian couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.

When did he arrive? Why hadn't I heard his footsteps?

Filled with fear, he quietly pulled Zhang Di and prepared to stand up, afraid this was an unknown monster existing in the maze.

The man seemed to perceive Jiang Xian's fear and said indifferently, "Do not be afraid; I am human too."

Jiang Xian stammered, "Y-you... h-how... p-prove... d-demons... c-can... a-also... s-say... t-they... a-are... h-human..."

The man, who was Fang Shi, said indifferently, "No proof is needed; I am simply curious about you."

After turning back from the fourth crossroads, Fang Shi discovered he had only one place to go.

Two were paths he had already visited; one was the path Zhang Di and Jiang Xian had taken.

Fang Shi did not choose the latter path because, since two weaklings were alive,

the probability of high-level monsters on that road was not great.

So he took the last path.

But unexpectedly, halfway through, he found Jiang Xian and the other person sitting beside him.

Moreover, when he saw Jiang Xian, a sudden palpitation struck his heart.

Out of the principle of self-preservation, Fang Shi decided to slip away quietly as soon as possible, absolutely avoiding causing any incident.

Who knew that the further he walked forward, the more this palpitation did not decrease, but instead grew heavier and heavier.

It felt as if walking away was truly the path to death.

So Fang Shi decided to go and figure out exactly what was happening.

"Curious? What is there to be curious about? I am just an ordinary person."

Jiang Xian found Fang Shi's words very strange; apart from knowing a bit of DIY, his life was extremely plain, with nothing remarkable at all.

"You are indeed ordinary, but the things on your body are not simple."

Fang Shi shouted loudly, "Come out! What exactly do you want to do!"

As soon as the words fell, an abnormal change suddenly occurred!

Streams of Jin Guang began to surge forth from Jiang Xian's body.

At this moment, he seemed to have become another person; his expression was solemn and sacred, his pupils golden, supreme and cold, looking down on Fang Shi with disdain.

"Mortal, why have you called me?"

Divine Descent!

This was something Fang Shi never could have anticipated.

He had originally thought that what was hidden on Jiang Xian might be some kind of ghost, or a demonic object, or something similar.

But he never expected it to be a deity.

The reason was simple: other worlds have deities, but Blue Star absolutely cannot have them.

This is a decree, from some great power.

Engraved within the ocean of primal force, it will be announced to the world by legendary strong ones in the future.

Wait!

This is the Endless Maze, the Tower of Trials; it is not Blue Star!

"Which Your Majesty are you?"

Fang Shi forced himself to suppress the trembling in his heart and said with difficulty.

The pressure of the deity acted not only on the flesh but also on the soul.

When facing a third-tier monster, Fang Shi could guarantee his mind remained unharmed.

But when facing a deity, it was extremely difficult.

This was not even the deity's true body; it didn't even count as an avatar.

It was merely a trivial projection.

With a solemn demeanor, Jiang Xian said, "Mortal, I am the Master of Gamblers, the Protector of Adventurers, the Guardian of Light-Footed Halflings, the Embodiment of Luck in the Multiverse. My name is Tymora."

Tymora! The Goddess of Luck, Tymora, the deity who controls luck in the Multiverse.

Anything related to luck falls within her authority.

"So it is the Lady of Luck; what business do you have with me?"

Fang Shi's tone was neither humble nor arrogant, but he still made the proper gesture, bowing deeply and performing a bow.

This was not worship of a deity, but respect for a strong one.

"Wasn't it you who called me?"

Tymora's tone was indifferent, her expression showing not a trace of fluctuation.

Fang Shi was speechless; although these deities sat high above, they each possessed their own personalities.

Just like Tymora, who in legend was a bold, brave, and capricious woman.

It is normal for women to care about face; he just needed to give Her enough face.

Besides, She was not a lady, yet one still had to give face directly.

The one across was a deity, an existence far surpassing legendary powerhouses.

"It was I who called, Lady. Recently my luck has been a bit poor; may I ask what solution the Lady has?"

Fang Shi was no fool; after Tymora appeared, he harbored deep doubts about his own situation.

The Rune Hounds and Gato beasts were nothing much; one could say they were normal phenomena with low probability.

But that last unknown Tier Three monster was utterly absurd.

How could the dungeon's mechanism be so absurd? He hadn't even encountered a Tier Two, yet went straight to Tier Three.

Moreover, this happened while Fang Shi was only Level 5; it was practically telling you outright.

"My Lady Luck wishes to see you."

Fang Shi guessed that all this planning must have started only after he entered the Trial Tower.

After all, on the Blue Star, deities could not even project.

With the stat panel's dominance, someone had turned into a deity's priest.

They directly hijacked the power; only divine grace could be bestowed, divine grace could not be stripped.

Why did Fang Shi know these tidings?

Naturally, in the future a priest had committed blasphemy against a deity, yet the power remained undiminished by a single fraction.

It caused an uproar, and thus spread widely.

Who would have thought that after hearing Fang Shi's words, the Lady Luck, possessing Jiang Xian, revealed a seductive smile.

【203】 "Naturally, Lady Luck favors you."

"Naturally, Lady Luck favors you."