Chapter 191

As the creature approached, the faint blue phosphorescence in the cave illuminated its face—

It was a humanoid creature about two and a half meters tall.

The upper body barely maintained a human outline, but the skin presented an unnatural gray-white color, covered in fine scales.

The most shocking thing was that it possessed six arms, growing in different positions on its upper body.

Each was muscular, covered in scales, holding different weapons in its hands.

Its face had completely mutated, closer to a snake than a human.

A pair of vertical pupils shimmered with cold light in the gloom, a forked tongue occasionally spitting out from its mouth, sniffing in the air.

"Hybrid snake demon..." Luo En whispered this name, the long sword in his hand pointing forward.

The snake demon slowly approached, six arms moving simultaneously, displaying a dazzling array of weapons:

The top pair of arms held a scimitar and a shield respectively;

The middle pair of arms held a spear and a chain hook;

The bottom pair of arms held a giant axe and a long sword.

"Human... flesh... delicious..." the snake demon hissed, its voice filled with bloodthirsty desire.

The pure malice emanating from its body reminded Luo En of the description in the "Abyssal Creature Illustrated Guide":

Abyssal creatures, even these non-native mutated species, often carry an instinctive evil tendency, and they have a near-pathological pursuit of the pain of other lives.

"Come, reptile."

Luo En's fighting intent was high.

The snake demon emitted a harsh hiss, six arms moving simultaneously, launching an attack on Luo En with astonishing coordination.

The scimitar slashed down from above, the chain hook swung from the side, the spear stabbed directly at the chest, the giant axe swept the legs, the long sword aimed at the weak point of the abdomen, while the shield maintained a defensive posture.

This six-armed coordinated attack method formed an almost impeccable offensive and defensive system, leaving one with nowhere to escape.

But Luo En's reaction speed already far exceeded ordinary people.

In the boiling blood state, he keenly captured the only gap in this wave of attacks—the tiny angle between the scimitar and the spear.

His body suddenly dodged sideways, while the sword tip precisely stabbed into that gap, narrowly avoiding multiple attacks while simultaneously hitting the snake demon's upper arm.

"Hiss—!" The snake demon emitted a painful hiss, but the wound healed extremely quickly, recovering as before in almost the blink of an eye.

"The self-healing ability of abyssal creatures..." Luo En narrowed his eyes, his vigilance increasing even more.

Not only the terrifying six-armed coordinated attack method, but this near-instant recovery ability was also the terrifying part of abyssal creatures.

The snake demon was clearly surprised by Luo En's reaction speed, but quickly adjusted its attack rhythm.

It no longer used all weapons simultaneously, but adopted a more rhythmic attack method.

Two or three weapons coordinated in a group, attacking alternately, forming a more unpredictable attack pattern.

Luo En was forced into a state of high focus, every movement precise to the limit, without the slightest waste of power.

Even so, he was still slightly grazed by some of the snake demon's attacks, leaving a few shallow wounds on his arms and legs.

"Must change tactics..." Luo En thought quickly while dodging the snake demon's attacks.

Relying purely on hand-to-hand combat, even if his swordsmanship had reached proficiency, facing this special six-armed coordinated combat method, he was still at a disadvantage.

It was time to test more powerful means.

After one dodge, Luo En quickly opened up the distance.

"Sonic Oscillation, Erosion State!"

An invisible energy ripple expanded from his palm, carrying the strange babble from the depths of the starry sky, striking the snake demon directly.

The snake demon seemed to sense danger, six arms waving simultaneously, attempting to block this energy with weapons.

However, the invisible sonic wave easily penetrated the physical barrier, directly impacting the snake demon's body.

"Hiss—!"

The snake demon emitted an unprecedentedly sharp hiss, a rare fear appearing in its six eyes.

Its body began to undergo subtle changes, black spots appearing on the surface of the originally smooth scales, as if being eroded by some invisible corrosion.

Even more surprisingly, those wounds that usually healed quickly were now maintaining a split state, black liquid slowly flowing from the wounds.

"This..." the snake demon looked at its wounds in horror, seemingly unable to understand what had happened:

"Impossible! Humans should not have this power!"

Luo En calmly observed this scene, gaining a deeper understanding of the effect of the "Erosion Movement."

This strange power originating from the starry sky was equally effective against abyssal creatures, perhaps even producing additional effects due to some mysterious "natural enemy" relationship.

The snake demon did not retreat because of this attack, instead becoming even more fierce.

It emitted a roar, six arms waving simultaneously, the entire body lunging forward, attempting to make up for the loss just now with overwhelming melee advantage.

"Flowing Barrier!"

Luo En closed his hands, a flowing barrier composed of fine metal powder instantly taking shape around him.

The snake demon's six weapons struck the barrier almost simultaneously, emitting harsh metallic collision sounds.

Ripples appeared on the surface of the barrier, but under the blessing of the "memory" trait, these attacks failed to break through the defense.

The Flowing Barrier not only blocked the attacks but also utilized the attack patterns just remembered to automatically strengthen the corresponding areas, making the snake demon's subsequent combos equally futile.

The snake demon retreated repeatedly, those six eyes filled with disbelief:

"What kind of monster are you?"

Luo En's mouth curled into a cold sneer: "A nightmare that is about to come for you."

As the words fell, he actively separated the Flowing Barrier, his body leaning forward, the whole person rushing forward like an arrow from a bow.

In the boiling blood state, his speed had completely exceeded the limit of what the naked eye could capture.

Plus the insight and speed bonus brought by the "Sharpness Exposed" trait, every step he took landed on the position most difficult for the snake demon to defend.

The snake demon attempted to form a defensive circle with its six arms, but Luo En's attacks always appeared at the most unexpected angles.

One sword stabbed at the weak scales under the armpit, one sword swept across the neck connection, one sword aimed directly at the eyes—every strike was precise, without the slightest waste.

—Ring of Radiance

Luo En condensed a golden-red spell configuration in his hand, instantly erupting with dazzling light and scorching flames centered on him, simultaneously bringing dual effects of severe burns and blindness.

The snake demon emitted a scream, six arms waving wildly, attempting to resist this sudden pain.

In this brief opening, Luo En launched an attack again.

The long sword drew an arc in the air, aiming directly at the weak point in the center of the snake demon's chest.

The snake demon barely came to its senses, six arms crossing simultaneously, attempting to form a line of defense.

But the moment Luo En's sword tip approached, it suddenly changed direction, bypassing those crossed weapons and stabbing into the snake demon's chest from an almost impossible angle.

"Hiss—" the snake demon finally emitted a short hiss, the light in its six eyes gradually dimming.

Its six arms hung down powerlessly, various weapons falling to the ground one after another, emitting crisp metallic clashing sounds.

Luo En slowly pulled out his long sword, looking at the fallen body of the snake demon.

In the snake demon's eyes, what he saw was not just bloodthirst and cruelty, but a kind of evil rooted in the soul from the depths of the abyss.

That was not a simple distinction between good and evil, but a fundamental difference in the way of existence.

The very existence of abyssal creatures was a distortion and erosion of conventional order.

"Simulated combat ended, successfully passed 'Abyssal' difficulty!"

A mechanical prompt sounded in the air: "Evaluation: Excellent."

As the sound fell, the surrounding environment began to fade, returning to that simple circular room.

Luo En stood in place, adjusting his breathing and mental state.

The duel with the snake demon gave him a clearer understanding of his own strength.

By combining the use of various spells and buff skills, he already possessed the ability to fight against opponents close to the formal wizard level without activating his trump cards.

But at the same time, he also deeply experienced the terror of abyssal creatures:

That kind of near-instinctive evil and powerful self-healing ability were enough to make anyone who underestimated them pay a heavy price.

When the iron door opened again, Grison stood at the door in surprise: "Apprentice Luo En, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Mentor Grison." Luo En answered calmly, no exhaustion visible on his face.

"This is simply unbelievable!" Grison said excitedly while guiding Luo En out of the room:

"Usually, apprentices who choose the hybrid snake demon as an opponent need countless attempts to win, and you actually succeeded on the first try!"

Luo En smiled slightly, not saying much.

"And I noticed that your combat style is very unique."

Grison continued, eyes filled with appreciation: "That perfect combination of spells and combat techniques is rare in the school."

"Oh, right!" He suddenly remembered something:

"According to our previous agreement, you only need to pay 5 magic stone fragments each time in the future. Also, if you are willing, you can help us with some basic maintenance work, so the usage fee can be further reduced."

Luo En accepted gladly:

"This is my honor, Mentor Grison. Being able to learn and understand the operating principles of the simulated combat device is also of great benefit to my alchemy research."

And he came here specifically, not just to test his strength using the simulated combat device.

"Also, this is the special prize promised by the school for passing the 'Abyssal' difficulty for the first time and obtaining an 'Excellent' evaluation—the tissue cells of the multi-armed snake demon."

Grison said, searching for a storage box and handing it to him.

"Thank you, this is precisely the purpose of my coming here." Luo En thanked him with a smile, then put away the storage box.

Before the bloodline altar began, perhaps his "substitute puppet" could gain some more combat power improvement.

(End of chapter)