Fluid Skeleton

The Plague Dead are Level 1 ordinary monsters with total stats around 20, similar to Bai Pu. With their three skills, they are slightly stronger than Bai Pu.

In comparison, the Brandenburg Militia are much weaker. It takes about three or four of them to fight one Plague Dead.

"Don't panic, everyone, listen to my command!"

Bai Pu saw that the captain-like militiaman was already seriously injured and could barely speak. He immediately took over command without hesitation.

He shouted, "You three, and you three, attract the attention of the two Plague Dead on the left! Everyone else, follow me, let's take down the one on the far right first!"

Perhaps it was the +300 reputation with the Brandenburg Territory that worked, or perhaps the panicked militiamen needed a leader, but the militiamen Bai Pu pointed to followed his orders, splitting into two groups to engage two Plague Dead.

Relying on his keratinous outer layer, which reduced Sharp Damage from the Plague Dead, Bai Pu charged directly at the third Plague Dead.

Under Bai Pu's brave leadership, the remaining militiamen also swarmed forward for a righteous group beatdown.

Under the group attack, the Plague Dead staggered, finding it difficult to counterattack effectively. Even if they did counterattack, Bai Pu was there to tank it, and the Plague Dead's Claw Strike felt like a tickle on him.

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

This time, there was only a notification for +10 Spirit Energy Points, and no treasure chest appeared.

Bai Pu immediately directed everyone to surround the other two Plague Dead. Following the same strategy, the remaining two Plague Dead were quickly killed, each providing Bai Pu with about ten Spirit Energy Points.

Only one Blood Ring Hammer Knight remained!

The Female Knight followed an Agility build, her footwork exceptionally nimble. She dodged the Blood Ring Hammer Knight's powerful hammer strikes whenever possible, only blocking with her shield when absolutely necessary.

The Blood Ring Hammer Knight followed a Strength build. Clad in heavy armor, his movements were heavy and powerful, and his defense was methodical.

He only protected his face and the joints of his armor, choosing a high-risk, high-reward fighting style for other attacks from the Female Knight, forcing her to defend.

As a result, neither of them had gained an advantage in their prolonged fight, nor had they lost much Health Points.

At this moment, the militia captain lying on the side weakly ordered, "Brothers, attack, take down the Blood Ring's lackeys..."

The militiamen exchanged glances. The Blood Ring Hammer Knight's iron hammer was incredibly powerful. A graze was an injury, and a direct hit was death. Who dared to get involved?

"Brother... what should we do?" a young militiaman asked Bai Pu in a low voice.

After the recent battle against the Plague Dead, Bai Pu had gained the trust of many militiamen.

Bai Pu had already made a plan. He waved his hand, "Everyone go and move some stones!"

Compared to the militia captain's suicidal order, Bai Pu's command was something the militiamen were more willing to follow. They scattered to find stones of various sizes and brought them to Bai Pu.

The militia captain questioned, "What's the use of moving stones? Do you want to smash him to death with rocks... ridiculous..."

The militiamen also looked confused. With their accuracy, it would be difficult to hit the Blood Ring Hammer Knight, and they might even hit the Female Knight, which would be counterproductive.

Furthermore, even if these stones hit the Blood Ring Hammer Knight, it would be difficult to break through his defenses. After all, the militiamen's Strength and Agility were too low, and their ranged attack power was very limited.

Bai Pu shook his head and said, "Not to hit them... everyone throw the stones at their feet!" As he spoke, he picked up a basketball-sized stone and, with some effort, threw it into the arena.

The stones in this plane were much heavier than those in reality. Bai Pu's Strength of 5 was more than double that of an ordinary person, yet he felt strained throwing a basketball-sized stone.

At first, everyone didn't understand his intention and just followed his lead.

Soon, the originally flat ground in the arena was littered with stones of various sizes.

Suddenly, the Blood Ring Hammer Knight stepped forward to attack, kicked a stone, and stumbled! His attack lost its aim.

The Female Knight's eyes lit up. She naturally didn't miss this opportunity, gracefully sidestepped, and counterattacked with a sword sweep.

Blood splattered, and muffled roars followed. The Blood Ring Hammer Knight suffered a disadvantage. In his fury, he swung his iron hammer to retaliate, but accidentally stepped on another stone and stumbled again.

At this moment, everyone understood.

The purpose of throwing the stones was to disrupt the flat terrain in the arena and create obstacles!

With obstacles in the arena, the situation was unfair to both combatants. The Female Knight, following an Agility build, had light footwork and could easily dodge the stones. The Blood Ring Hammer Knight, following a Strength build, had heavy footwork and had no time to dodge in combat!

The Female Knight gained the upper hand. However, the Blood Ring Hammer Knight's heavy armor had extremely high defense. With the Female Knight's minor damage, it was hard to say how long it would take to defeat him.

"I'll go help her!" Bai Pu didn't want to prolong the fight; he needed to complete the Main Quest quickly!

Bai Pu wasn't just acting on brute courage; he had a reference. The militia captain's strength was inferior to Bai Pu's. He was only seriously injured, not killed, by an iron hammer blow, which meant the Blood Ring Hammer Knight couldn't instantly kill Bai Pu.

As long as he couldn't kill Bai Pu in one hit, his mutated physique's targeted defense would activate!

Fighting alongside that mysterious Female Knight had obvious benefits.

Fortune favors the bold. Bai Pu's confrontation with the Superpower Corporation was not over; he had to become stronger quickly and had no right to enjoy peace!

It was just that his bone hammer was too short. Using a long weapon for ranged attacks would be safer.

Bai Pu walked to the side of a nearby warhorse, where a three-meter-long Lance lay quietly.

Bai Pu bent down to try and pick up the Lance, but as he touched it, he received a notification:

[You lack Spirit Energy resonance with this equipment, unable to unleash its power or bring it out of this plane.]

[Equipment requirements for this item: Basic Strength 10, Basic Agility 15. You have not met the equipment requirements.]

Bai Pu could only lift one end of the Lance; he couldn't even lift the entire Lance, let alone wield it in battle.

Furthermore, even if his Strength and Agility met the requirements, the Lance would not be able to unleash its power in his hands, being no different from a sturdy wooden stick.

"Sigh, as expected, there's no such thing as a free lunch. How could the Spirit Realm Will leave such a huge loophole."

Bai Pu sighed, had no choice but to drop his lance, grip his bone hammer, and charge towards the Blood Ring Hammer Knight.

The ground was littered with scattered stones, posing a challenge for Bai Pu. It would be rather comical if he tripped over a rock thrown by his own side.

Bai Pu lacked the Female Knight's agile movements, but he possessed meticulous observation skills and a powerful memory! With just a glance, the positions of all the stones were imprinted in his mind!

Bai Pu took a step, landing precisely in the gap between two stones, and steadily hammered the Blood Ring Hammer Knight's helmet! With a hum, the Blood Ring Hammer Knight's body trembled.

Compared to the sharp damage of swords, the blunt damage of a bone hammer was more effective against heavy armor! The resulting shockwave was something the armor couldn't dissipate.

The Blood Ring Hammer Knight roared and swung his hammer over!

While normal people would typically retreat, Bai Pu instead charged forward, deliberately colliding with the Blood Ring Hammer Knight!

The Blood Ring Hammer Knight was caught off guard. His most powerful hammer blow missed Bai Pu, only the iron shaft of the hammer grazing Bai Pu and dealing a mere 15 points of blunt damage!

Bai Pu endured the pain, swung his hammer again, shifted half a step, and precisely planted his foot between two stones once more.

The keratin on his body writhed and disappeared, his bones emitting a series of faint cracking sounds! In an instant, Bai Pu felt his bone structure change, his hard bones softening slightly.

[Due to an unknown reason, your body has undergone a stress response change, increasing your defense against blunt damage. Duration: 120 minutes, or until the next stress response change occurs.]

With his defense bolstered, Bai Pu's courage surged, and he charged at the Blood Ring Hammer Knight again!

The Blood Ring Hammer Knight's body flickered with blood-red light, and he made a clear charging motion! His target was Bai Pu.

"Be careful!" the Female Knight's warning rang out.

Bai Pu didn't have time to dodge. His stats were far inferior to the Blood Ring Hammer Knight's. Even if his mind reacted, his body couldn't keep up!

However, the Female Knight had enough time. She suddenly thrust her shield forward, blocking in front of Bai Pu.

Thud!

A muffled sound, and the iron hammer, imbued with a trace of blood-colored light, swung upwards from below, carving out a blood-colored arc! The Female Knight's small shield was directly knocked away, and her body staggered slightly.

The Blood Ring Hammer Knight let out a sinister chuckle. The blood-colored light had not dissipated. Using the momentum of his heavy hammer, he spun around, his iron hammer sweeping out a blood-colored arc filled with killing intent, striking the Female Knight's side.

The Blood Ring Hammer Knight had originally intended to attack Bai Pu, but he hadn't expected the Female Knight to sacrifice her advantage for weakness, using her shield to directly counter his signature skill, [Chain Forging], in order to protect Bai Pu and herself!

The result was that the Female Knight was briefly stunned.

The Blood Ring Hammer Knight was not an ignorant, brainless NPC, nor was he a mindless Plague Dead! Seeing his formidable enemy, the Female Knight, in trouble, he unleashed the second, most powerful sweep of his [Chain Forging] skill directly at the Female Knight, who absolutely couldn't dodge it!

Thud! A muffled sound.

The iron hammer struck... Bai Pu!

Because the first upward strike of [Chain Forging] was blocked by the Female Knight, Bai Pu had ample time to react. Seeing the Female Knight in danger, he immediately stepped forward, using his own flesh and blood to block the sweeping attack.

The immense force of the swinging iron hammer caused Bai Pu's waist and ribs to contort grotesquely.

"You!"

The Female Knight's voice was filled with urgency. She took a deep breath, and her sting sword suddenly emitted a blood-red glow as she rapidly stabbed towards the Blood Ring Hammer Knight's face.

The Blood Ring Hammer Knight was in a post-attack stagger and couldn't defend. The Female Knight's consecutive stabs each dealt double damage as critical hits, instantly inflicting heavy damage on the Blood Ring Hammer Knight!

"Aiyaiyai!"

The Blood Ring Hammer Knight roared loudly, his eyes reduced to terrifying blood holes! The Female Knight's strike, with its sufficient damage, had inflicted the debilitating effect of blindness on him!

The Female Knight showed no mercy, her sting sword dancing, and quickly depleted the Blood Ring Hammer Knight's remaining Health Points.

Plop!

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

The Female Knight immediately helped Bai Pu up, "How are you? Hold on!"