Smoke billowed into the sky. The stench of burning gunpowder mixed with the smell of singed hair, creating a strange odor that made Su Xiao frown.
His vision was blocked by the smoke, making it impossible for him to determine the Giant Tiger's exact location.
"Roar~!!!"
The Giant Tiger's furious roar came from within the smoke. Hearing it, Su Xiao focused his attention completely, yet kept all the muscles in his body relaxed.
Tensed muscles would slow his movements, creating fatal openings in battle.
The long saber in his hand hung naturally, its tip touching the ground.
The Giant Tiger had yet to appear, hiding within the smoke. But Su Xiao could sense that it had already spotted him.
A strong wind swept through the jungle, scattering the mass of rising smoke.
At that moment, a huge figure burst from the smoke, trailing wisps of smoke behind it. It was the Giant Tiger.
The Giant Tiger that appeared in Su Xiao's vision was no longer as majestic as before. Large patches of its fur had been burned, and the singed hair clung to its skin, with faint sparks still flickering among it.
Its enormous body was covered in wounds, with countless iron nails embedded in its flesh.
Its most serious injury was one of its eyes. Iron nails had pierced the area around it, and blackish-red liquid flowed from the socket.
After seeing the Giant Tiger's injuries, a smile appeared at the corner of Su Xiao's mouth. Even if it did not die from such wounds, its combat power had fallen by at least ninety percent. His trap had been highly effective.
As expected, humans were the most dangerous creatures in nature.
The Giant Tiger pounced at Su Xiao amid the howling wind, reaching him in just a few strides.
Compared with the Giant Tiger's massive frame, Su Xiao was not even as tall as its forelegs.
Yet for some reason, Su Xiao's heartbeat began to quicken. An opponent this huge made him somewhat excited.
Before the Giant Tiger could charge all the way over, Su Xiao stomped hard against the ground. Dead leaves flew into the air as he dashed toward it in a few steps, his saber slashing at its forepaw.
"Splurt."
Blood sprayed through the air. A wound was carved into the Giant Tiger's forepaw. Dragon Slayer Flash truly deserved its rating of 10—it had cut through the Giant Tiger's hide effortlessly and plunged deep into its muscles.
The Giant Tiger let out a painful roar. The injuries from the earlier explosion had slowed its movements, and its mind was still somewhat hazy.
Just as the Giant Tiger prepared to retaliate, Su Xiao had already leaped sideways, landing precisely on its left side—the blind spot created by its lost eye.
Its two millstone-sized paws clawed forward repeatedly. The claws glinted with a metallic sheen. If Su Xiao were caught, he would pay a terrible price, but fortunately, the Giant Tiger failed to injure him in the slightest.
Taking advantage of this, Su Xiao surged forward, gripped the saber with both hands, and slashed down at the tiger's claw again.
Su Xiao had chosen to attack the tiger's claws out of helplessness. The Giant Tiger stood at least four meters tall, making it extremely difficult to attack vital areas such as its throat or head.
With those two tiger claws threatening him, Su Xiao did not dare recklessly attack its vital points.
But it did not matter. There were still several hours before the side quest's time limit expired. Su Xiao still had time, but the Giant Tiger did not.
The battle had only lasted a short while, yet the nearby ground was already soaked in blood. Before long, the Giant Tiger would collapse from excessive blood loss, and then it would be at his mercy.
The Giant Tiger noticed this as well. While glaring at Su Xiao with its remaining eye, it began to consider retreating.
That was how beasts were. When faced with an extremely bad situation, most beasts chose to flee unless they had young to protect.
The instinct to seek benefit and avoid harm was not exclusive to humans. Beasts were the same, especially a Giant Tiger with such high intelligence.
The Giant Tiger panted heavily, its sharp claws sinking deep into the soil as it prepared to flee at any moment.
The battle had reached this point. How could Su Xiao let the Giant Tiger escape after spending precious time setting up the traps?
Just as the Giant Tiger began to retreat, Dragon Slayer Flash in Su Xiao's hand struck repeatedly, leaving several mangled wounds across its body.
Looking at the Giant Tiger's remaining 8% health bar, Su Xiao knew that, barring accidents, it was certain to die.
In Reincarnation Paradise, there was no such thing as entering a berserk state after one's health fell below 10%. Once their health dropped below that point, all creatures became extremely weak.
Forget becoming berserk—the Giant Tiger could barely run now. Its attacks were even more disorganized as it focused entirely on escaping.
When the Giant Tiger attempted to flee for the sixth time, Su Xiao stabbed his saber into its hind leg. Then, gripping the hilt with both hands, he violently dragged it outward.
The sound of a blade slicing through muscle was peculiar. Holding the hilt tightly, Su Xiao clearly felt the faint vibrations transmitted through the blade as the muscle was torn apart.
The Giant Tiger let out a miserable howl. A deep wound appeared on its hind leg. Before blood could fill the wound, Su Xiao saw a severed tendon inside it.
With its tendon severed, the Giant Tiger had lost its chance to escape. It was doomed to die today.
Perhaps the Giant Tiger realized this as well. Its manner changed completely. Facing Su Xiao, it repeatedly let out threatening roars.
Su Xiao stood directly before the Giant Tiger, his bare upper body stained with large patches of tiger blood.
The slick warmth of the blood stimulated Su Xiao's ferocity, making him appear especially savage at that moment.
Standing before the house-sized beast, Su Xiao smiled—a particularly gentle smile.
Master of Mt. Colubo had ruled Mt. Colubo for many years and had never feared any creature.
But at that moment, the beast felt a trace of fear toward Su Xiao, because this smiling human might take its life.
"Roar~!"
A roar tinged with anger and fear resounded across the entirety of Mt. Colubo.
Su Xiao charged toward the Giant Tiger with nimble steps, changing direction from time to time.
The Giant Tiger lowered its body, apparently preparing to fight Su Xiao to the death.
One tiger claw swept toward Su Xiao's face amid a foul wind. The strike was both fast and fierce. The Giant Tiger had actually concealed its speed, revealing it only on the verge of death to deliver a fatal blow to Su Xiao.
If that claw struck him, Su Xiao would have no choice but to flee even if he survived by luck.
Su Xiao seemed to have the advantage, but that was not really the case. The gap between his strength and the Giant Tiger's was simply too great. Even after he had slashed it more than a dozen times, the health bar above its head had only fallen by about 1%. It was practically insignificant, and even that 1% included the health it was rapidly losing from bleeding.
But if he were struck directly by one of the Giant Tiger's claws, the battle might end immediately.
The fatal claw had already reached him, yet Su Xiao maintained his forward momentum and actually moved toward it.
Just as the tiger claw was about to strike him, Su Xiao spread his legs into a kneeling stance, lowered his center of gravity, and leaned his entire body backward.
The tiger claw, carrying a heavy bloody stench, skimmed past the tip of Su Xiao's nose. The fierce wind lifted his tousled hair.
His knees kicked up the leaves on the ground as Su Xiao narrowly evaded the tiger claw.
Slapping the ground with one hand, Su Xiao sprang up like a fish leaping from water. He was now directly beneath the Giant Tiger's head, exposing its vulnerable throat.
Of course, Su Xiao showed no hesitation and slashed down.
A great quantity of blood gushed out, drenching Su Xiao from head to toe.
While Su Xiao and the Giant Tiger fought for their lives, a small figure hid in a distant thicket. Judging from its build, it was a child.
"S-so strong."
The bushes rustled. The child poked their head out from within, with several green leaves resting on top of the straw hat.
Guess who this little one is. Hehe, you've probably all figured it out by now.
Before you continue