Fluid Skeleton

The Plague Dead were level 1 monsters with the ordinary template. Their total attributes were around 20 points, about the same as Bai Pu's; factoring in their three skills, they were somewhat stronger than him.

In comparison, the Brandenburg Militia were far weaker. It took roughly three or four of them to fight one Plague Dead!

"Don't panic, everyone! Follow my command!"

Bai Pu saw that the captain-like militiaman was already badly wounded and struggling even to speak, so he immediately and unceremoniously took command.

He shouted, "You three, and you three over there, draw the attention of the two Plague Dead on the left! Everyone else, come with me and take down the one on the far right first!"

Perhaps the +300 reputation in the Brandenburg Territory had taken effect, or perhaps the headless-chicken militia simply needed someone to rally around. The militiamen Bai Pu pointed out obeyed his orders and split into two groups to tie down the two Plague Dead.

Relying on the fact that the keratin layer on his body was still intact and reduced the Plague Dead's sharp damage, Bai Pu lunged directly at the third Plague Dead.

Led bravely by Bai Pu, the remaining militiamen also swarmed forward and delivered a righteous group beating.

Under the group assault, the Plague Dead staggered every which way and could hardly mount a proper counterattack! Even when it did strike back, Bai Pu took the hits at the front. Its claw strikes landing on him were little more than scratches.

In just a few dozen seconds, the third Plague Dead fell. Bai Pu had only been hit once, losing 5 Health Points, and had even resisted the bleeding effect.

This time, there was only a notification of +10 Spirit Energy Points. No treasure chest appeared.

Bai Pu immediately directed everyone to surround the other two Plague Dead. Using the same method, the remaining two were quickly killed as well, each providing Bai Pu with around ten Spirit Energy Points.

Only one enemy remained: the Blood Ring Hammer Knight!

The female knight followed the agility path. Her footwork was exceptionally nimble, and she dodged the Blood Ring Hammer Knight's heavy hammer blows whenever possible, only using her shield to block those she truly could not evade.

The Blood Ring Hammer Knight followed the strength path. Clad in heavy armor, he moved forward and back with heavy, powerful steps, his defense well-disciplined.

He protected only his face, the joints of his armor, and other vital areas. Against the female knight's other attacks, he chose a desperate, injury-for-injury style, forcing her to defend.

As a result, even after fighting for so long, neither had managed to determine a winner. Neither had even lost much Health Points.

At that moment, the Militia Captain lying off to the side weakly gave an order. "Brothers, get in there and kill Blood Ring's lackeys..."

The militiamen looked at one another. The Blood Ring Hammer Knight's iron hammer was tremendously powerful. A graze would wound them, and a direct hit would kill them. Who dared get involved?

"Brother... what should we do?" a young militiaman asked Bai Pu quietly.

After the battle against the Plague Dead, Bai Pu had already earned the trust of quite a few militiamen.

Bai Pu had long since formed a plan. With a wave of his hand, he said, "Everyone, go gather some rocks!"

Compared with the Militia Captain's suicidal order, Bai Pu's command was naturally much more welcome. They scattered in all directions, searching for rocks of all sizes and carrying them over to Bai Pu.

The Militia Captain questioned him, "What good will moving rocks do? Do you think you can stone him to death... Ridiculous..."

The militiamen also looked confused. With their aim, it would be difficult to hit the Blood Ring Hammer Knight. They might even hit the female knight instead, which would only make things worse.

Even if they took a step back and assumed the rocks hit the Blood Ring Hammer Knight, they would struggle to break his defenses. The militiamen's strength and agility were too poor, and their ranged attacks had very limited power.

Bai Pu shook his head. "Not at him... Throw the rocks at their feet!" As he spoke, he picked up a rock the size of a basketball and, with some effort, hurled it into the battlefield.

The rocks in this Plane World were much heavier than those in reality. Bai Pu's 5 points of strength were more than double that of an ordinary person, yet throwing a basketball-sized rock still took effort.

At first, no one understood his intentions. They only knew to follow his instructions.

Soon, the formerly flat ground of the battlefield was littered with rocks of all sizes.

Suddenly, the Blood Ring Hammer Knight stepped forward to attack, kicked a rock, and stumbled! His original strike lost its accuracy.

The female knight's eyes lit up. Naturally, she did not miss the opportunity. She drifted sideways and slashed upward with her sword.

Blood sprayed, and muffled roars rang out. The Blood Ring Hammer Knight suffered a loss and furiously swung his iron hammer in retaliation, only to carelessly step on another rock and stumble again.

At that moment, everyone understood.

The purpose of throwing rocks was to ruin the flat terrain and create obstacles!

With obstacles on the field, the situation was unfair to both sides. The female knight followed the agility path, and her light footwork made avoiding rocks effortless. The Blood Ring Hammer Knight followed the strength path, and with his heavy steps, he had no time to avoid them during battle!

The female knight gained the upper hand. However, the Blood Ring Hammer Knight's heavy armor possessed extraordinarily high defense. At the female knight's scratch-like level of damage, who knew how long it would take to bring him down?

"I'll help her!" Bai Pu did not want to drag this out. He had to complete the Main Quest as soon as possible!

Bai Pu was not merely showing off reckless bravery; he had a point of reference. The Militia Captain was noticeably weaker than Bai Pu, yet after taking a blow from the iron hammer, he had only been seriously injured rather than killed. That meant the Blood Ring Hammer Knight could not one-shot Bai Pu.

As long as Bai Pu was not killed in a single strike, his mutated physique's targeted defense could be activated!

The benefits of fighting side by side with that mysterious female knight went without saying.

Fortune was found in danger. Bai Pu's conflict with the Superpower Corporation was not over yet. He had to grow stronger as quickly as possible; he had no right to enjoy peace and comfort!

Still, the bone hammer was too short. Attacking from a distance with a long weapon would be safer.

Bai Pu walked to the side of a warhorse not far away. A three-meter cavalry lance lay quietly there.

Bai Pu bent down and tried to pick up the lance, but the moment he touched it, he received a notification:

You lack Spirit Energy Resonance with this equipment. You cannot wield its power, nor can you take it out of this plane.

Equipment requirements: Basic Strength 10, Basic Agility 15. You do not meet the equipment requirements.

Bai Pu could only lift one end of the lance. He could not pick up the entire thing, much less wield it in battle.

Even if his strength and agility met the requirements, the lance would not display its power in his hands. It would be little different from a hard, long wooden stick.

"Ha, figures there wouldn't be such an easy advantage. How could the Spirit Realm Will leave such a huge loophole?"

Bai Pu sighed. He could only abandon the lance, grip his bone hammer tightly, and charge at the Blood Ring Hammer Knight.

The ground was littered with scattered rocks, which were also a challenge for Bai Pu. If he tripped over one of the rocks thrown by his own side, that would be ridiculous.

Bai Pu did not possess the female knight's agile movements, but he had meticulous observation and a powerful memory! With a single glance, every rock's position was imprinted in his mind!

Bai Pu stepped forward, landing precisely in a gap between two rocks, and struck the Blood Ring Hammer Knight's helmet solidly with his hammer! With a hum, the Blood Ring Hammer Knight's body shuddered.

Compared to the sharp damage of blades and swords, the bone hammer's blunt damage was more effective against heavy armor! The resulting shock force was something armor could not disperse.

The Blood Ring Hammer Knight roared and swept his hammer toward him!

Ordinary people would usually retreat, but Bai Pu instead charged forward fiercely, actively slamming into the Blood Ring Hammer Knight!

Caught off guard, the Blood Ring Hammer Knight failed to hit Bai Pu with the most powerful part of the attack—the hammerhead. Only the iron shaft struck him, dealing merely 15 points of blunt damage!

Bai Pu endured the pain and swung his hammer again. He shifted half a step sideways, planting one foot precisely between two rocks once more.

The keratin layer on his body vanished as it writhed, while his bones crackled softly! In an instant, Bai Pu felt his skeletal structure change, his hard bones becoming somewhat softer.

For an unknown reason, your body has undergone a Stress Response Change. Your defense against blunt damage has increased. Duration: 120 minutes, or until the next Stress Response Change occurs.

The targeted defense appeared once again. Bai Pu's courage surged, and he charged at the Blood Ring Hammer Knight once more!

Blood-colored light flickered over the Blood Ring Hammer Knight's body as he made an obvious charging motion! His target was Bai Pu.

"Watch out!" the female knight warned.

Bai Pu had no time to dodge. His attributes were far inferior to the Blood Ring Hammer Knight's. Even if his mind could react, his body could not keep up!

But the female knight had time. She thrust out her shield and blocked Bai Pu's path.

Boom!

With a muffled impact, the iron hammer, carrying a trace of blood-colored light, swept upward from below and carved out a blood-colored arc! The female knight's small shield was sent flying, and her body swayed slightly.

The Blood Ring Hammer Knight let out a sinister chuckle. The blood-colored light did not dissipate. Borrowing the momentum of the heavy hammer, he spun around, sweeping the iron hammer sideways in a murderous blood-colored arc toward the female knight's ribs.

The Blood Ring Hammer Knight had originally intended to attack Bai Pu. He had not expected the female knight to abandon her strengths for her weakness, choosing to protect Bai Pu by matching him in raw strength and using her shield to directly withstand his prized combat skill, Chain Forging!

The result was that the female knight fell into brief stiffness.

The Blood Ring Hammer Knight was not some ignorant, brainless NPC, nor was he a mindless Plague Dead! Seeing his formidable enemy trapped in difficulty, he unleashed the second attack of his two-stage Chain Forging. Its more powerful latter half, a sweeping strike, went straight for the female knight. There was no way she could dodge it!

Boom! A muffled impact rang out.

The iron hammer struck... Bai Pu!

Because the female knight had blocked the first upward strike of Chain Forging, Bai Pu had sufficient time to react. Seeing the female knight in danger, he immediately stepped forward and used his flesh and blood body to block the sweeping blow.

The iron hammer's immense force twisted Bai Pu's waist and ribs into an exaggerated shape.

"You!"

There was obvious urgency in the female knight's voice. She drew a deep breath, and blood-red radiance suddenly erupted from her Sting Sword as it thrust repeatedly toward the Blood Ring Hammer Knight's face with hissing sounds!

The Blood Ring Hammer Knight was in attack recovery and could not defend. Every strike in the female knight's chain thrusts landed as a vital hit, dealing doubled damage and instantly inflicting severe wounds on him!

"Argh, argh, argh!"

The Blood Ring Hammer Knight screamed loudly. Nothing remained of his eyes but horrifying blood holes! With sufficient damage, the female knight's attack had inflicted the maiming effect of blindness in both eyes!

The female knight showed no mercy. Her Sting Sword danced, quickly emptying the Blood Ring Hammer Knight's remaining Health Points.

Thud!

The Blood Ring Hammer Knight fell heavily like a sack filled with grain.

The female knight immediately supported Bai Pu. "How are you? Hang in there!"