Sam's combo attack wasn't over yet!
Charge, thrust, stab—clearly a three-part killing sequence.
Every magical beast had its defensive weak points, even dragons.
For an Explosive Brown Bear with such thick hide and fur, its eyes, ears, mouth, and nose were weak points in its defenses. But it would instinctively protect them, its bear paws waving so densely that it gave no one any opportunity at all.
Yet aside from its head, it actually had another fatal weakness!
The instant the giant bear crashed to the ground, it exposed the softest patch of flesh beneath its belly.
Just as Rein stared in stunned disbelief, Uncle Sam, who had knocked the giant bear over in two moves, struck again.
Without the slightest hesitation, he thrust out his spear like a hunting venomous snake, accurately stabbing toward the giant bear's lower abdomen!
The spear sank in without any obstruction.
Rein was dumbfounded.
"Did he get it?"
Rein looked at the Explosive Brown Bear, which had stopped struggling, and the anticipation in his eyes grew stronger and stronger.
If there was any way to achieve a one-hit kill against a thick-skinned magical beast like an Explosive Brown Bear—
Then stabbing it up the ass was definitely among the top choices.
Though this smelly move was hardly elegant, it truly was the cleanest and most decisive one.
A Third Tier Demon Hunter could already project battle aura through their attacks.
When that spear went in just now, Uncle Sam's battle aura had undoubtedly poured into the giant bear's body as well. It felt like taking a repeating musket, pressing its barrel against the bear's rear, and pulling the trigger—rat-a-tat-tat.
Every strike hit soft flesh.
Splat~
The next moment, Uncle Sam yanked out the spear, and a jet of blood burst forth.
The enormous brown bear never rose again, its limbs going limp as it collapsed.
"He killed it! Hahaha!"
"The Explosive Brown Bear is dead! We're saved!"
"..."
The others saw a ray of hope amidst their despair. Their faces lit up with wild joy, and their morale soared.
With the most troublesome enemy dead, Uncle Sam was free to help them. They were saved.
Rein was equally excited, but he also found it somewhat unbelievable. Just moments ago, they had been shrouded by the threat of total annihilation. Now they had suddenly won?
The turn of events had come so abruptly that it felt like a dream.
This Uncle Sam, who claimed his martial skills were "nothing special," had actually soloed a Third Tier Explosive Brown Bear? A forest overlord that other Demon Hunters would only dare challenge with an entire squad?
No matter what, though, the most dangerous moment had passed. If nothing else went wrong, they should live to see tomorrow's sun.
At that moment, Uncle Sam, now free to act, charged over like a god of slaughter.
Clad head to toe in heavy armor, he had no fear of the Gale Wolves' bites. A slam of his shield or a thrust of his spear was often enough to heavily wound a magical wolf.
Then, while his berserk state was still active, he found the Second Tier wolf king capable of spitting wind blades, pinned it to the ground, and gave it a savage beating, directly stabbing it full of holes.
By then, the pack of more than fifty Gale Wolves had already suffered heavy casualties. Now, with their leader dead, the pack was scattered in the blink of an eye.
Almost every member of the Chamois Scavenger Group was wounded, but at that moment, seeing hope of victory, each of them erupted with astonishing combat strength.
Before long, corpses littered the area around the camp.
After the most dangerous Gale Wolf pack had been nearly wiped out, the scattered magical beasts posed little threat to them.
The sounds of battle came from deep within the forest. Other Scavenger Gangs caught in the Beast Tide were still fighting, and the commotion sounded even fiercer than that caused by a Tier 3 Magical Beast.
Who knew how many scavengers would leave their corpses in the wilderness along this mountain road leading to the City of Radiance tonight?
Bart, captain of the Mountain Antelope Squad, led his members in clearing the battlefield and rebuilding their defensive perimeter and traps to prevent any further accidents.
After going berserk, Uncle Sam entered a period of weakness.
He removed his helmet, revealing a pale face that looked utterly drained, then found a rock beside the campfire and leaned against it to rest.
Rein was bandaging a wounded man. Seeing the greatest contributor to their survival tonight walk over, he asked with concern, "Uncle Sam, are you hurt? Do you need treatment?"
"No... I'm just a little dizzy and weak."
Sam shook his head and forced a smile. "It's fine. A night's rest will do. These are the aftereffects of my Berserk Secret Technique."
"Oh."
Rein nodded.
Strength could be concealed, but one's personality could not be changed. He always felt there was something odd about this honest-looking uncle's expression...
However, he had no time to think about it, because there were too many wounded.
Aside from the Gunslingers and archers hiding in the trees to snipe from afar, nearly everyone in the Mountain Antelope Squad had been injured.
Yet after taking stock of the casualties, everyone was overjoyed to discover that although two members had been seriously wounded, not a single person had died in this terrifying Beast Tide.
That was already a blessing amidst misfortune. Everyone's face was filled with relief at having survived the disaster.
They gathered the wounded together. Now it was time for the doctors to get busy.
Pasha, the Mountain Antelope Squad's doctor, was a nun. She could use healing magic and also knew some surgical techniques.
Watching Rein's smooth, flowing suturing technique, she could not help exclaiming, "Doctor Rein, you're incredible. Did you study medicine at the Oma Empire's medical academy? Your surgical foundation is so solid. Watching you suture is like watching an artistic performance!"
Only professionals understood professional matters.
To outsiders, suturing a wound was no different from sewing clothes. But to a doctor, one glance was enough to tell how skilled someone was.
"No. I only learned a little from a doctor. I never received systematic training at an academy."
Rein spoke without pausing his hands.
He sutured quickly and precisely, each stitch landing neatly like a weaving machine. In the blink of an eye, he could close a wound and stop the bleeding. The Corpse Stitcher potion had awakened extraordinarily keen senses in him, allowing him to work with extremely high efficiency, as if touch-typing on a keyboard.
Being praised so highly made him a little embarrassed. "I'm still only a medical apprentice. I'm not that impressive."
"Doctor Rein, you're too modest. Your teacher must have been a Senior Doctor from the Royal Medical Academy. Otherwise, he could never have taught such an outstanding student with such a solid foundation."
Pasha spoke, then laughed self-deprecatingly. "I learned my surgical techniques in the church. They aren't systematic, and my foundation is far inferior to yours."
"You flatter me."
Rein smiled and shook his head slightly.
He had found many medical texts among Piscis's belongings that proved the existence of a formal medical lineage. That guy had probably really been formally trained at the Royal Medical Academy of the Oma Empire.
After a pause, he added, "Besides, you're part of the Caster Sequence. Your Healing Spell is what makes a surgeon like me, who only knows how to use a blade, incredibly envious."
In terms of surgical technique alone, he truly was not much better than Pasha.
But Pasha had taken the healer route of the holy cleric Caster Sequence, so it was only natural that she was not proficient in surgery.
The healing magic she could cast was miraculous Transcendent power that could make wounds visibly heal.
The two branches of medical practice each had their own advantages. One worked from the outside in, the other from the inside out. Neither could be said to be superior.
Hearing that, Pasha revealed a gentle smile as well.
A humble expert could always earn people's respect.
The lightly wounded members of the Mountain Antelope Squad had been assisting the two doctors. Hearing their conversation, they began joining in as well.
"Doctor Rein must be amazing. After all, he's the Countess's personal physician."
"Yeah, Doctor Rein is also the best-fighting surgeon I've ever seen!"
"I never expected it. Doctor Rein isn't just skilled in medicine—his combat skills put even us scavengers who have spent years roaming the wilderness to shame!"
"That Mechanical Arm doesn't look light at all. Doctor Rein's strength is truly astonishing."
"..."
They made no effort to hide their praise and gratitude, all smiling warmly at Rein.
Having fought side by side through life and death in this Beast Tide, their relationship had suddenly grown much closer.
Besides, doctors naturally came with a "friendly aura."
There had originally been so many wounded that Pasha alone might have exhausted all her mana without treating them all, and some might even have died as a result. But with Rein, a surgeon, now present, everyone received timely treatment.
Everyone saw this life-saving favor clearly.
At that moment, Captain Bart walked over as well. Looking at Rein and Sam by the campfire, he said solemnly, "Mr. Sam, Doctor Rein, from now on, the two of you will forever be friends of our Mountain Antelope Squad!"
Thanks to "October Dragon City, Flowers Filling the Sky" from Book City for the 1,888-coin tip. Thank you~
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