Feat

At many times, because of scenes in film and television dramas, people tended to believe that those with burly bodies and bulging muscles, while gifted in strength, would be lacking in agility and dexterity.

To some extent, that was indeed true.

Muscles so strong they became bloated would greatly hinder flexibility, while body weight far beyond that of ordinary people would also make one's movements less light.

But all of that had one prerequisite:

That the other party was on the same level of strength as you.

In modern society, this prerequisite might not matter much. After all, supernatural powers did not exist, and no matter how hard one trained, one could only remain at the level of an ordinary person.

But in a fantasy world where human Legends, saintly incarnations, and Gods and Demons Coexist truly existed, this was extremely important.

Compared to Xia Nan, an eighteen-year-old "country boy" who had only just come of age, the Bear Goblin could be said to surpass him in every aspect except Intelligence and farming.

It even included knowledge—it understood both Goblin Tongue and Common Tongue.

Therefore, even though Xia Nan had temporarily forgotten his Terror under the effects of adrenaline and immediately seized the chance to attack after dodging,

the Bear Goblin, Heng Ke, still reacted with considerable ease.

It did not even pull the Morningstar embedded in the ground back out. Facing the Longsword slashing toward it, it merely swung its thick, brown-furred arm with force.

Bang—

Xia Nan was sent flying backward in an instant.

It was as if he had collided head-on with a train. A tremendous force struck his chest, halting even his thoughts. Extreme dizziness came with searing pain, nearly scattering his consciousness.

"Fuck!"

He struggled to his feet, his mouth filled with a thick Blood Scent.

On the other side, Heng Ke's hulking figure was already standing before him.

"Bug, disobedient!" The Bear Goblin let blood flow from the shallow wound on its neck. Its yellow-brown eyes were filled with anger and humiliation, as though it had been bitten by a rabbit about to be put on the chopping block.

"Heng Ke eat you alive!"

The Bear Goblin tribe had not developed methods resembling "torture." With their near-primitive understanding, letting prey watch itself being eaten alive was the cruelest thing imaginable.

For that reason, the tribe's Priest had even found a plant capable of keeping prey conscious despite severe injuries.

Of course, Heng Ke did not have the conditions for that right now, nor did it possess such advanced "cooking" skills.

Therefore, Xia Nan would probably still get a relatively quick death.

Things had come to this.

Watching the Bear Goblin gradually approach, now even more aware of the gap in their strength, he had no intention of begging for mercy.

On one hand, he did not believe the other party's moral standards would allow it the kindness of sparing him.

On the other, Xia Nan noticed that not far behind the Bear Goblin, Hunter Maji, whose lower leg had just been shattered and who had been howling in pain, was slowly sitting up against the wall. His right hand gripped his Longbow, while his left reached toward his quiver.

Their gazes met briefly, then immediately separated.

Though they had not known each other long and had no coordination to speak of, Xia Nan instinctively understood the meaning hidden in the other man's eyes at that moment.

Buy time. Draw the enemy's attention.

His mind raced. He opened his mouth and said,

"Hey, you won't taste good if you do it like that."

"Hm?" Realizing that the little bug was speaking, Heng Ke paused, its iron hammer raised high. "No! Humans tasty!"

"If you want to eat me raw instead of roasting me, I recommend marinating me."

Seeing that the other party seemed to be drawn in by his words, Xia Nan no longer cared what he was saying and simply rambled on.

"You can put me in a basin and wash me clean first, then add refined salt to kill bacteria and season me. Stir for five minutes, then add Ginger and Garlic, chili peppers, and soy sauce. Seal it up and wait thirty minutes."

"The flavor..." Seeing Heng Ke grow impatient with the steps he had made up, Xia Nan instantly understood and shifted the focus to the taste.

"The texture will be Fresh Sweetness. It preserves my original flavor while letting you taste the sour and spicy flavor of the seasonings. It's very appetizing."

"Sweet? Spicy... what flavor?" Heng Ke held the Morningstar high but did not bring it down, instead asking with some confusion.

But it was a Bear Goblin, not an Ogre that was even more obsessed with meat and single-minded.

The moment it spoke, Heng Ke realized what was happening.

"Little bug, trying trick Heng Ke. Die!"

It suddenly stepped forward twice. The muscles of its right arm, which gripped the Spiked Hammer, swelled as if it were about to smash the hateful bug beneath it into mincemeat the next second.

And at that moment, Maji was finally ready once more.

He drew the bow, nocked an arrow, gathered strength, and took aim.

Whoosh—

The familiar sound of metal cutting through the air rang out again.

Compared to before, the distance between him and the Bear Goblin was shorter this time. That meant that even with reaction speed far beyond that of ordinary people, it would be difficult for the creature to dodge.

And the Energy Barrier that could almost be every archer's nightmare did not appear.

So...

Squelch!

Blood sprayed.

Maji, whose lower leg had been shattered, fired the arrow while seated on the ground with his back almost against the cave wall.

Though it was still accurate under the effects of his combat skill, its power was much weaker.

Thus, even though the metal arrow almost instantly pierced the Bear Goblin's right eye, only less than half the arrowhead entered its eye socket.

The paralyzing poison rapidly spread inward from the wound.

A grave injury, but not a fatal one.

And facing this final chance to seize life, Xia Nan showed no fear.

As the Bear Goblin howled from the agonizing pain of its pierced eyeball, he tightly gripped the One-handed Sword in both hands. Enduring the indescribable soreness in his arm muscles, as though they were being torn apart, he forcibly used [Whirlwind Slash] for the fourth time that day.

Cold light flashed.

The brown fur offered no resistance whatsoever against the sharp blade.

The hide, as thick as cow leather, was the first source of resistance, slowing it slightly.

The accumulated fat was like muddy water in a swamp. The blade remained smooth, but its force was invisibly consumed.

Its rock-hard, solid muscles almost absorbed all the sharpness carried by the Longsword, yet they were still penetrated with difficulty under the boost of [Whirlwind Slash].

Then, the blade that had cut through fur, flesh, and blood met the hardest defense within a living body—

Bone.

Crack.

No longer needing to pass through the hands of those novice adventurers, the battle-worn One-handed Sword finally met its proper end.

In a fierce encounter worthy of remembrance in its history of battle, it snapped apart.

The weapon suddenly broke in his hands, leaving him with an empty sensation and nowhere for his accumulated force to go.

Xia Nan watched with his own eyes as cracks appeared across the blade and gradually spread. Then, carried by the inertia of [Whirlwind Slash], his entire body flew out at an angle.

Roar!!!

Howling wildly, the unprecedented agony completely erased what little sanity remained in the beast with the body of a Brown Bear.

Along with its eyeball, it yanked the arrow directly out of its socket. Scarlet blood gushed forth, dyeing its body red like a waterfall and making it even more violent.

Facing this crazed beast, there was a weakened Hunter with a shattered lower leg and a novice adventurer whose stamina was exhausted and weapon destroyed.

The fate of the Stinky Fish Rotten Shrimp team seemed clear.

Despair filled Maji's face.

The second use of [Precise Strike] had plunged his body into paralysis after complete overload.

Every strand of muscle seemed to twitch and convulse, leaving him unable to summon even a trace of strength.

His eyes were vacant, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Perhaps he regretted entering this cave out of greed. Perhaps he hated himself for never learning his lesson and being more cautious.

Or perhaps he was recalling the girl smiling at him beneath the white Oak Tree in his hometown.

Unexpectedly,

compared to Hunter Maji, who had completely lost all hope of survival, Xia Nan, whose body was also on the verge of collapse, wore a somewhat complicated expression.

Yes, complicated.

It was like playing mahjong in his Previous Life: holding a terrible hand and intending to defend his way through the round, only to unexpectedly scrape together a tiny winning hand before the draw. Or spending thousands in a game without pulling gold, only to get an SSR from the final free pull the officials gave him before he quit.

It was a strange emotion mixed with relief, surprise, and resentment. Why the fuck didn't you come sooner?

Because just as he had used [Whirlwind Slash] and swung that sword,

a long string of translucent characters flashed across his vision like a flood of scrolling messages.

Proficiency +1

[Whirlwind Slash] Level 4 (100/100) — [Whirlwind Slash] Level 5 (Max)

Strength +1, Agility +1

Feat [Slicing Master] unlocked

[Slicing Master]

Category: Feat

Effect: Slashing Damage +5%

Description:

Day after day of practice has gradually allowed you to comprehend the mysteries hidden between the edges of blades.

Note 1:

"Back then, I held this sword in my hand and hacked my way from Heavenly Realm Mountain all the way to the Nine Hells. Five years and six months, back and forth, and I never blinked once."

—Ragnarok · "Sword of Annihilating the End" Thirty-Fifth Contractor · Forsaken One · Julius

Note 2:

"Sweat will not betray you!"

—Saint of Stone · "Temperance Sect" Legendary Martial Monk · Yong Wu

Faced with a life-or-death crisis, Xia Nan had no chance to examine the information closely.

He only gave it a hurried glance, learning that he had gained the final point of proficiency for [Whirlwind Slash] during the previous battle, raising it to Level 5, its maximum level, and gaining a series of improvements as a result.

Then, an inexplicable power burst forth from deep within his body like a spring, rapidly spreading throughout him.

His exhausted muscles relaxed as though soaking in a hot spring. His originally somewhat loose physique instantly tightened, his strength and explosive power significantly enhanced. The ground beneath his feet seemed to suddenly soften, as though springs had been placed inside his shoes, making him swift and light.

It was as if he had changed into an entirely new body. All his former exhaustion and pain vanished in an instant.

Xia Nan raised his head, his black eyes fixed on the savage figure roaring as it charged straight toward him.

He tossed aside the One-handed Sword, of which only the hilt remained.

A silver-white glint flashed in the corner of his eye. He turned and glanced over—

Ga Gu's corpse lay on the ground, with his half-man-tall Hand Axe embedded upside down beside his feet.

The thought passed through his mind, and he had already made his decision.

Due to its grievous injuries, the Bear Goblin Heng Ke had completely fallen into an uncontrollable frenzy.

Its mind was controlled by endless destructive urges. Even if its dead Goblin henchmen were standing before it, it would tear them to pieces without hesitation.

In this state, it naturally would not notice what changes had occurred in the weak human Youth before it.

Heng Ke merely instinctively repeated the countless hunting steps it had performed over the past decade or so.

Charge, aim at the prey, raise the Spiked Hammer, smash...

Hum—

A silver-white streak, purer and briefer than before, flashed through the dark cave and vanished.

It signified even greater explosive power and more refined technique.

Having reached Level 5, the maximum level, [Whirlwind Slash] allowed Xia Nan to thoroughly comprehend everything about this move.

How to unleash the greatest power while conserving the most stamina, what angle of attack could inflict greater damage, the most appropriate timing...

It had almost become part of his body.

And though the 5% bonus granted by [Slicing Master] looked small, it was a tangible increase to the damage of every attack, without restriction.

Not to mention the two precious attribute points gained in Strength and Agility, the most crucial improvements.

Muscle strength and physical potential, reaction speed and nimbleness...

Going from "5" to "6" was by no means merely a twenty-percent increase in numbers. It was a more complex, comprehensive growth involving every aspect.

Taken together, Xia Nan's combat ability had crossed several thresholds in just a few seconds.

And the [Whirlwind Slash] unleashed on that basis had undergone a qualitative transformation in power.

The Hand Axe, which should have been incomparably heavy, felt perfectly manageable after his body had been strengthened.

Abundant power surged up from beneath his legs, gathering and transmitting rapidly.

The axe blade swung diagonally upward, concentrating the strength of his entire body into one point before erupting violently!

Roar!

A foul stench carrying the Blood Scent rushed into his face. The shadow of the Morningstar raised high above his head enveloped him.

Xia Nan could even clearly see the streaks of red spreading through the Bear Goblin's murky yellow-brown eyes and feel the air waves trembling faintly from its roar.

But that was all.

Because in the next instant, his hands felt the familiar resistance of a sharp blade breaking through flesh, a sensation that had gradually become familiar through many battles.

Fur, flesh, bone... the defenses that had just blocked his broken sword blade were pierced with ease.

After a momentary delay came incomparable smoothness and exhilaration.

The axe blade carried Xia Nan's body through a full one-hundred-eighty-degree rotation.

Squelch—

The Bear Goblin's massive head spun through the air, leaving the place where it should have remained. Its face still held the expression of a roar.

The hammer hit the ground.

Scalding scarlet blood pumped forth like a spring, and its hulking body collapsed.