Chapter 42: The Beastling (Third Chapter)

Li En’s squad finally encountered the interceptors, yet did not panic or launch an attack.

“Scan for evil.”

The holy light illuminated the cave ahead.

Blocking the passage was a peculiar beast.

It walked on all fours like a dog, its body pure white as snow, its canine head oddly adorable. Tailless, it possessed eyes that seemed utterly pure.

Yet this one-meter-tall adorable creature appearing here was itself suspicious.

There was no food here to sustain normal life—what did it eat?

Larry’s “Scan for Evil” emitted a brief flash of white light.

This was standard practice for a paladin, used to test the aggression of foreign beasts.

Generally, “neutral” meant the animal would not initiate attacks on humans under most circumstances.

But it still seemed unsafe, so she cast another spell: “Judgment of Sin.”

Again, a faint white glow—the beast had not killed any humans in the past two weeks.

“It’s clean. No trace of blood on it.”

Talia’s sense of smell made the judgment, yet she blocked Larry’s attempt to walk straight past.

Even though all detection methods indicated no threat, her biological instinct had already confirmed this thing was wrong.

Her hairs stood on end. She could not comprehend what manner of life stood before her, but it was certainly not benevolent.

“Kill it.” Talia made her final judgment.

This was no time to protect animals.

Larry, the frontline fighter, paused, drew his sword—but before he could strike, an anomaly occurred.

“Ah!”

The “puppy” suddenly tilted its head, its skull rotating 180 degrees as if lacking any joint constraints.

Its mouth faced upward, its eyes now glinting below.

The mouth of a creature that should have been dead curled into a strange smile.

Its once-pure eyes trembled violently, the pupils within the orbs shaking wildly.

In an instant, the elongated canine eyes multiplied into countless pupils.

Dozens of black-and-white pupils seemed to stare at you.

From this moment on, merely seeing this creature induced severe discomfort.

But an even more unbelievable sight had just begun.

It stood up.

The small beast rose upright on two legs; flesh expanded, its body swelled violently, transforming into a towering, bear-like humanoid beast.

“Smite Evil!”

Li En moved fastest—since it was an enemy, there was no need to hesitate.

This strike was swift and brutal; silver light arced through the air, striking the creature’s chest directly.

“Wrong feel.”

Yet the next instant, he frowned—he felt no divine power enhancement. The monster was neither evil nor guilty.

“Clang!”

Li En’s pure warrior’s “cleaver” strike was instantly flung back.

Li En was stunned—this monster, once a small beast, now possessed greater raw strength than an ogre.

And the wound from the blade healed at visibly rapid speed!

“What kind of monster is this?” Li En had never heard of such a creature in recent days; none matched the common denizens of underground ruins.

No one could answer, but since it was an enemy, killing it was enough.

The knights drew their swords without hesitation; Talia slipped into shadow, ready to deliver a fatal backstab.

But this battle would prove far more grueling than anyone expected.

Ordinary weapons could not penetrate its defense; Dimon’s twin diamond blades had little effect—even cuts left no mark.

Li En’s Sword of Courage was powerful enough to break through, yet the physical wounds it inflicted could not outpace the creature’s regeneration.

Only Larry, thanks to the varied damage and curses from his magical blades, could inflict real harm.

We cannot waste time here.

“Get out of the way!”

Li En roared, swinging his sword with full force, forcing the creature back.

If “Smite Evil” failed, then simply cut it to death.

One slash, then another—Li En unleashed every ounce of strength.

He roared continuously, built up power relentlessly; even by a warrior’s standards, Li En was now at his peak.

Finally, a near-perfect full-power “Smite Evil” cleaved the creature completely open.

Then came a brutal downward slash—raw strength transformed into pure physical force, splitting the monster cleanly in two.

Even so, it did not die; the two halves still writhed on the ground.

This sight left the group frustrated—this was the problem of a same-class team: when facing a counter, everyone was countered.

Paladins always stand on the front line against evil. But if the target is not evil, the paladin becomes a weakened, ordinary warrior—Li En lacked Su Er’s ability to swing “Smite Evil” at the God of Law.

If elemental damage worked, now would be the time for a mage.

Fortunately, this time, it did not revive.

After struggling for dozens of seconds, it died, dissolving into a pool of black water.

“Finally.” Larry exhaled, preparing to sheath his blade.

This time, his fine sword had been dulled by countless strikes—repair costs would be heavy.

But the group had rejoiced too soon.

“Tap. Tap. Tap.”

From a corner of the cave, familiar footsteps echoed again.

“One… two… four.” Soon, four “puppies” stood silently in the corridor ahead, watching them.

This time, everyone drew a sharp breath—this battle would be brutal.

Li En’s side was locked in a desperate fight; others’ encounters were even stranger.

A slave-market squad also encountered them.

“Heh, there’s a puppy here?” The lead scout, upon first sight, turned to chat with his comrades while reaching out to pet it.

“Crack!” In the eyes of the group, in the blink of an eye, he vanished—transformed into nothing.

Only the “puppy” chewed happily.

Its tiny body stretched into a mouth larger than a human’s.

Within seconds, it finished chewing, resumed its adorable posture, and silently watched the squad ahead.

“Aaaah!”

Before the fighters could react, the young priest at the rear screamed, clutching his hand.

The next instant, he collapsed dead—the humanoid monster chewed his severed hand, then smashed his body flat with one palm.

Similar events unfolded throughout the cave: one after another small beast appeared before the invaders.

These creatures, with no malice, savored the pleasure of feeding.

What could delight a pack more than waking from sleep to find food delivered straight to its mouth?

Not every squad had the ability to escape—or resist.

In one corner, a skirmish had just ended.

Two small beasts lay dead on the ground—but all five members of the squad were gone.

Amidst the carnage, only one small beast remained alive, happily enjoying its extra meal.

As it ate, its body gradually swelled.

“Woooh!” Finally, it emitted a deer-like cry, its body expanding another full circle.

And stranger still—two short, broken horns sprouted from its forehead, beginning to spiral faintly.

It, once dog-like, was slowly becoming deer-like.

Within its strange eyes, the pupils multiplied further.

“Get out of here!” In the pitch-black cave, holy light still flashed, battle cries still roared.

Even facing so many “dogs,” Li En’s group still fought on.

But unquestionably, Li En’s squad was now locked in a desperate battle.

At this desperate moment, the one who still stood firm was still Li En, the squad leader.

Though confined in a narrow cave, his two-handed sword spun like a windmill, moved as swiftly and deftly as a dragonfly, and stood as unyielding as a stone shield—he alone held back at least three small beasts.

“Clang!”

Even when flung back again, his defensive dance steps allowed him to instantly dissipate force and strike anew.

Constantly pushed back by brute strength, yet constantly advancing—this was the combat technique of a veteran.

Surviving this long was a matter of experience and skill crushing raw, reckless newcomers.

At this moment, channeling the formidable battle instincts and techniques of the Heroic Soul, Li En displayed near-perfect fighting and defense.

Of course, also the unwavering consistency of his movements and fearless mental resilience.

But with the Exorcism Slash proving ineffective, he could not serve as the primary attacker.

“Judgment Strike.” The slender sword behind him pierced another small beast’s eyeball once more.

Beside Li En, back-to-back, the six-armed female knight delivered steady, efficient output.

Her demon sword bore fire, lightning, or curses of weakness and dull misfortune—all of which inflicted real damage upon these beasts.

The effect was far from ideal, yet consistently reliable—at least better than Holy Power.

Both sides inevitably slipped into a war of attrition, and these beasts possessed astonishing regenerative abilities.

Had it not been for Li En absorbing most of the pressure, casualties would have already occurred.

On the other side, Talia lured away one beast and continuously sought to weaken it.

Her twin daggers worked well against humans, but inflicted too little damage on beasts; their effect against these powerful, undead creatures was negligible.

“Heal Minor Wounds.” A deep voice rang out behind him.

A warm light settled upon Li En; his wounds healed rapidly.

Li En turned—he saw the fierce, decisive twin blades of Dimon, rendered ineffective by their lack of enchantment or magical metal, now relegated to rear-line support.

His midday decision had been correct; fortunately, Li En had allowed Dimon to accumulate sufficient Holy Power.

Now, with Dimon and Larry alternating in healing support, Li En had personally held this frontline.

Could they win by attrition? Li En felt helpless—if they truly won by outlasting, how could they ever hunt down that murderer?

Who knew how many more of these beasts lay ahead?

But there seemed to be no shortcuts; overthinking might mean dying right here.

“Perhaps they have some weakness?”

A previously unseen beast having a fatal flaw was only natural.

Here, Li En made a potentially fatal mistake.

Just as Su had taught Dainya—casually “opening your eyes” to look at others was never a good habit.

But at this moment, Li En himself had deliberately opened his Dragon Eye.

When the vertical Dragon Pupil opened, what he saw was not the grotesque “upright beast-men,” but clusters of twisted spirals.

In the Dragon Eye’s vision, these strange lifeforms appeared as upright horns, faintly marked with peculiar spiral patterns.

“Dragon Dragon Dragon! There’s a Dragon!!”

But suddenly, a scream shattered Li En’s thoughts.

The beasts, even in death previously silent, now emitted eerie howls.

Then, the other beasts began to howl as well.

The roar of “Dragon Dragon Dragon” echoed throughout the cavern.

“What are they screaming about?!”

“Headache! So painful!”

The others heard nothing Li En heard—only perceived the beasts’ chaotic roars as a mental assault.

The next moment, a stranger transformation occurred.

The previously smooth, snow-white skin of these dog-like beasts twisted violently and darkened, turning black as oily fluids dripped from their bodies.

The upright “bear-men” swelled dramatically, their bodies stretching all the way to the ceiling.

Their pupils were now densely packed with twisted fragments.

As they roared incessantly, thick blood seeped from their mouths; their entire bodies convulsed as if driven mad.

“Dragon Dragon Dragon!” They continued screaming that word, then charged at Li En like frenzied beasts.

To everyone else besides Li En, the roars merely induced dizziness and nausea.

Li En realized—perhaps his “Beast Transformation” system’s “Linguistic Comprehension (Understanding Human Speech)” had activated.

“Boom!” The mad beasts roared as they slammed into “the Dragon” with brute force.

This time, Li En, who had tried to block them, was directly flung back by the sudden surge of strength.

The immense power granted by the Cannibal’s Gauntlets was now utterly useless.

“Li En! Catch!”

The thrown gauntlet was caught midair by Li En.

Now, perhaps he needed strength on the level of a Hill Giant.

He hadn’t yet slipped them on when the mad beasts launched their next assault.

“Boom!” This time, Li En gritted his teeth and held his blade against the impact.

But his legs were shoved backward, carving two deep grooves into the ground; his palms bled from the strain.

“Exorcism Slash!” Behind him, desperate Larry swung his Holy Light blade without hesitation, relieving the pressure.

“Dragon Dragon Dragon!” The monsters shrieked in pain.

This time, the silver Exorcism Blade actually repelled the monsters!

Where the Holy Power blade touched their flesh, it melted like snow.

Massive gashes appeared instantly on the monsters’ bodies where struck.

Now, they were no longer neutral hunters—they were bloodthirsty killers attacking all life.

“Dragon Dragon Dragon Dragon!” But suddenly, a scream pierced Li En’s ear.

“Li En, watch out!!”

While Li En was still stunned that the Exorcism Slash had worked again, Talia’s warning came too late.

The monster chasing her abandoned her instantly, leaped backward, and lunged straight at Li En.

“Too late!”

His twin blades were still parrying the front assault; turning around was impossible.

The monster’s foul saliva was already before his eyes; its gaping maw, closing in on his head, seemed ready to snap shut.

Li En instinctively swung his fist to resist; his battle-hardened body recoiled to dodge—but it was already too late.

“Boom!”

A sudden explosion shocked everyone.

The outstretched arm had pierced the monstrous beast mere inches away.

That beast, which had refused to die no matter what, had its entire head crushed by this instinctive blow.

The monster’s constant regeneration ceased entirely; its body turned instantly to ash.

Li En’s arm had also grown unnaturally thicker; patches of faint red dragon scales now appeared on the exposed skin.

Yet the Codex had already provided the answer.

【Stimulated by contact with ‘Beasts,’ Dragon Blood is boiling. Dragon Transformation level increasing.】

Dragon Transformation has reached 5%. Racial talent 'Dragon Claw' has been activated!

At this moment, Li En felt the transformation of his entire left hand—his fingers twisted, taking on a claw-like shape.

Coupled with the Dragon Eye, he instinctively reached out, trying to grasp something in the air.

“Crack.” It felt as if something had been extinguished.

In the void, something had begun to change—from this moment forward.

“Watch out!”

Another mad beast, shrieking “Dragon Dragon Dragon,” was now within arm’s reach; Li En swung his fist again.

“Snap!”

This time, the punch pierced straight through the front—and the beast showed no regeneration, crumbling piece by piece into ash.

One punch, one beast—the once-invincible horde vanished effortlessly.

At this moment, everyone stared in stunned silence—most bewildered of all was Li En himself.

He looked at his own fist.

“So… I’m this strong?!”

(End of Chapter)