Red Demon, Why Is Your Head So Pointy

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[
 {"type": "monster_card", "data": {"name": "Crimson Demon", "template": "Elite Template", "race": "Abyssal Demon", "hp": 200, "mp": 35, "stats": {"strength": 10, "agility": 15, "spirit": 7, "charm": 5}}},  {"type": "monster_trait", "data": {"name": "Demonic Trait", "detail": "Flame Gargoyle"}}
]

Since Cheng Tian didn't have any detection skills, he couldn't see the Red Demon's specific stats.

But that didn't stop him from knowing very clearly that the Red Demon was a high-agility unit far surpassing him.

In the original NES version, Red Demons were notoriously fast, with erratic movement, the ability to fly freely, and the terrifying power to spit fireballs.

This was also the main reason Cheng Tian didn't start with Polymorph.

After all, it wasn't a Polymorph that directly affected the target like a beast's magic, but a spell with a projectile trajectory, making it highly likely to be evaded by a high-agility unit.

The Red Demon's behavior logic was also exactly as Cheng Tian remembered. It immediately chose to create distance, flying high into the air and looking down at him from above.

However, what Cheng Tian didn't know was that a large part of the reason the Red Demon acted this way was caused by himself.

From the Red Demon's perspective, a strange human wearing Kingdom Knight Armor, with a twisted expression on his face comparable to a Demon World Demon, charging straight at a true Demon World Demon like himself without dodging or evading, was an inherently counter-intuitive action.

Although they were sarcastically called the "all-purpose grunts of the Demon World," it was precisely because of this that the Red Demon Clan had accumulated a vast amount of combat experience, which had been passed down.

The Red Demons weren't unfamiliar with human kingdom knights, nor with their strongest, Arthur. But even they, who had stormed the Demon King's Castle and stolen the map, had never performed such a seemingly reckless act.

This made the Red Demon feel suspicious, hence its decision to distance itself and observe.

However, just as the Red Demon thought the human below could only watch helplessly, it saw the opponent directly and generously hurl the Goblin Cleaver he was holding towards the sky.

The cleaver spun clockwise as it flew in a parabola towards the hovering Red Demon.

Yet, even though the cleaver had been thrown, the opponent's hand still held an identical blade.

In almost an instant, the Red Demon recognized the origin of this move, while simultaneously wondering.

Didn't Arthur have a beard? Had he taken the time to shave it all off?

Despite the confusion, a large amount of practical mercenary experience allowed the Red Demon to quickly react with a sideways dodge. The cleaver, which had already reached the apex of its trajectory, missed by a mile.

At this moment, the Red Demon suddenly ducked and plummeted downwards.

The Red Demon was now almost certain that Cheng Tian was Arthur or Arthur's successor, and one who wielded an inferior weapon, rendering his throwing ability almost threatless.

Arthur's throwing ability's output and threat level depended entirely on the weapon he currently held.

Taking the original game as an example, most players probably favored the daggers the most. The daggers' straight trajectory and high attack speed were enough to deal with ninety-nine percent of the monsters in the Demon World Village.

The Knight Spear that came with the character was considered average. It had a straight flight path and moderate attack speed. While not ideal, it was usable.

But if there was one thing that was truly disappointing, it was the "fireball."

The fireball's throwing speed was similar to the Knight Spear, but its trajectory was a small parabola. Not only was the attack range incredibly short, but there was also a chance it would fly over the enemy's head and miss entirely.

Although a small fire wall would rise after the fireball landed, lasting for about 1 second and capable of damaging enemies, this still couldn't hide the fireball's biggest disadvantage.

If the fireball could barely be used against something like a Zombie Crow, facing a Red Demon with it would be akin to seeking death.

Cheng Tian could only throw his single-handed cleaver in a parabolic arc. In the Red Demon's eyes, it was much the same situation, meaning Cheng Tian posed no threat to the great Red Demon.

Arthur was known for having almost zero close-combat ability. An Arthur who was successfully closed in on by a demon would basically be left with nothing but shattered armor, running around the ground in Strawberry Underwear, and finally being reduced to a skeleton by an elbow strike – a tragic end.

Facing the diving Red Demon, Cheng Tian hastily threw another cleaver as a projectile, but it still yielded no results. The Red Demon, like a nimble Fighter Jet, tilted its body forty-five degrees to the right with its wings, successfully evading the second blade.

At this point, the Red Demon believed Cheng Tian had exhausted all his tricks. Even if he had one more throw left, its body's toughness was sufficient to tank a hit, requiring no evasion at all.

And with just one opportunity, the Red Demon could directly break open the human's tin can and feast on the delicious human flesh within.

Extending its claws, the Red Demon seemed to have already envisioned the scene of Cheng Tian being opened like a can.

However, at this very moment, a stick that looked somewhat familiar to the Red Demon suddenly appeared from Cheng Tian's left hand.

But before the Red Demon could complete its mental retrieval, Hexagram-shaped magic missiles erupted from the tip of the staff aimed at it.

"By Satan!"

The Red Demon, now completely recognizing the source of the Polymorph, was filled with shock and anger. But because it had already prepared not to dodge and had accelerated too quickly, it was unable to move sideways and crashed headfirst into the Hexagram.

With a small puff of smoke, the Red Demon had transformed into an enraged Summer Duck, its feathers entirely red, its head pointed, and its beak looking more like a bird's.

Polymorph, Hit Rate!

Here, Cheng Tian had actually utilized a mechanism related to equipment switching inherent to Chosen Players.

Simply put, in combat state, players could not freely switch the equipment they were currently holding with backup equipment in their Inventory.

For example, when Cheng Tian held the Goblin Cleaver in his main hand, if he switched it to a baseball bat from his Inventory, the two items would swap positions. However, the baseball bat moved to the main hand Equipment Slot would display a 6-second countdown. During these 6 seconds, the baseball bat could neither be used nor swapped again.

It was somewhat similar to Dota's mechanics.

But Cheng Tian had exploited a minor mechanism that wasn't quite a bug. He had preemptively removed his off-hand weapon and placed it in his Inventory before entering combat.

And temporary equipment changes while empty-handed could take effect immediately.

It was through this method that Cheng Tian successfully concealed the existence of the Vampire Gentleman's Cane. Coupled with the Red Demon's own fixed mindset, believing Cheng Tian only had one non-threatening weapon, it ultimately led to the current outcome.

Without a word, without any wasted movements, what awaited the sharp-headed Red Demon Duck was Cheng Tian's extremely cruel and targeted assault—

Cheng Tian directly discarded the cane, sidestepped, and grabbed the flapping duck wings. Then, raising the Goblin Cleaver, he ferociously chopped towards the base of the duck's wings!