Entering the Sewers

Z City bordered the sea, battered by wind and rain year-round.

The city's sewer system was built unusually vast, its tunnels wide enough for four or five people to walk side by side without feeling cramped.

Xu Feng stepped along the stone ledge on the side, the slow-flowing sewage to his right, the stench of rot and damp hitting him full in the face.

Even though the tunnel was spacious, the pitch-black darkness and deathly stillness were like a classic horror movie scene, sending a chill creeping up his spine.

He clicked on his flashlight, the beam cutting through the thick ink-like darkness, shining straight into the depths of the waterway.

On the stone ledge, dense trails of slime twisted and crisscrossed.

There was no way this was just from the Octopus Monster earlier.

Others of its kind were hiding here too.

Xu Feng's heart tightened. He stopped in his tracks, no longer venturing deeper recklessly, instead carefully groping and searching near the entrance.

The gurgling flow of sewage was mixed with faint, indistinguishable sounds.

The sewer's stench of fishy rot also heavily interfered with his sense of smell.

Now, he could only focus completely, listen intently, and sweep his flashlight beam over every shadow.

"This is where it climbed up from."

Xu Feng locked his gaze on the area dense with marks, crouching down to examine it closely.

The trails of slime left on the stone slabs twisted and coiled, and he quickly pieced together the pattern.

Several Octopus Monsters must have been lurking here earlier, and one of them caught the scent of the kitten outside the tunnel, so it crawled out to attack.

"That means... the rest haven't gone far!"

The thought had barely settled when the sewage beside him, which had been flowing calmly, suddenly churned violently, the current surging like an arrow!

Several tentacles as thick as buckets burst out of the water with a fishy wind, shooting straight at his face!

Xu Feng was already on guard. His legs exploded with force, pushing off the stone ledge, his body shooting backward like an arrow from a bowstring.

Almost the moment he dodged, those tentacles slammed hard into the spot where he'd just been standing.

Smack smack smack—

A series of sharp cracks rang out!

The hard stone slabs split on impact, debris flying everywhere, deep gouges carved into the ground!

If he'd been half a beat slower, his ribs would have been shattered to pieces.

"Underwater? Can't fight them here!"

Xu Feng's gaze darkened as he swept his eyes over the murky water.

Beneath the surface, three hideous heads loomed faintly, their pea-sized eyes fixed on him, pupils churning with thick, bloodthirsty malice.

Seeing Xu Feng retreat, the three Octopus Monsters didn't hesitate. With a crash, they burst through the water, riding a wave of stench and foul wind, claws outstretched as they lunged at him.

Luckily, the rat hole wasn't too far from here.

Xu Feng pushed off with his legs, leaping out of the narrow sewer in a few bounds, slipping into the dense forest outside.

"Gurgle gurgle gurgle—"

From deep in the rat hole came the Octopus Monsters' furious roars, their murderous intent clear—they wouldn't stop until one of them was dead.

But Xu Feng wasn't about to let them go either.

He crouched at the entrance, a flash of cold light flickering in his right hand.

It was a crosshead screwdriver.

Chopping at these slippery monsters with a Kitchen Knife was already a losing game, and he had no skill with blades anyway. Better to change tactics.

Stab instead of slash, concentrating all the force of his punches into the tip of this tiny blade.

Flesh and blood were no match for sharpened iron.

And with the entrance so narrow, even if the first Octopus Monster struggled to squeeze through, only one could come out at a time.

Just then, that round, grotesque head forced its way out of the hole, its tiny pea eyes meeting Xu Feng's cold gaze.

Xu Feng let out a low shout. His right hand exploded with power, every muscle in his body tensing in an instant as he gripped the screwdriver and drove it viciously into the monster's head!

Rip—

The sound of metal piercing flesh was piercingly sharp. The screwdriver sank in to the hilt, buried deep in the Octopus Monster's skull.

The creature thrashed wildly in agony, its eight tentacles flailing chaotically, desperately trying to crawl out of the hole and fight back.

But its skin, though tougher than cowhide, had no bones beneath it. Once pierced by a sharp weapon, it was a fatal wound!

Xu Feng stepped forward, planting his foot firmly on the monster's head, twisting the screwdriver inside with savage force.

In three seconds, the creature went completely limp, motionless.

[Breakthrough Points +4]

"Only four?" Xu Feng frowned.

Although both were E-class Demonic Beasts, this one's strength was clearly far inferior to the previous one.

"It seems even within the same realm, there are grades of quality."

Xu Feng hoisted the dead Octopus Monster and casually tossed it aside, clearing an unobstructed path for its kin deeper in the cave.

Yet inwardly, he was startled—the power of magic was truly terrifying.

These Octopus Monsters weighed at most thirty kilograms, yet the force from a single tentacle could exceed one hundred fifty kilograms, far surpassing his current limit of one hundred kilograms with one hand.

"Gurgle gurgle!"

The second Octopus Monster in the cave, seeing no obstacle ahead, assumed its leader had already crawled out to wreak havoc. It let out an excited screech and eagerly poked out its round head.

What greeted it, however, was a glint of cold, sharp steel.

Rip—

Another piercing sound of flesh tearing rang out.

Xu Feng's expression didn't change. He twisted his wrist sharply several times until the tentacle stopped twitching entirely, then pulled out the bloodstained screwdriver.

Following the same pattern, the last Octopus Monster also met a gruesome end.

Three monsters contributed a total of 12 Breakthrough Points.

Adding the one he had slain earlier, Xu Feng's Breakthrough Points had accumulated to 17.

He lowered his gaze to the panel in his mind. The plus sign beside Iron Wire Fist had turned a vivid crimson.

Breakthrough Points were full—he could break through to a higher realm at any moment!