Killing the Great Barking Dog

"Is this Great Barking Dog really this big?" Zhang Ruofeng was caught off guard after rushing in. The Great Barking Dog was twice the size of a normal Barking Dog, its high spine reaching Zhang Ruofeng's waist. Its head was massive, and every sharp tooth in its maw was the size of a dagger; taking a single bite would definitely result in a severe injury. "And it's so fast!" Zhang Ruofeng had intended to adjust his footing to fully build up momentum, but the Great Barking Dog, which had charged around the corner, gave him no time. Its speed was nearly identical to that of a normal Barking Dog. With only about 5 units of distance left before they collided, Zhang Ruofeng felt that if he were hit by its tank-like frame, his entire body would surely fall apart.

The situation was extremely unfavorable for Zhang Ruofeng. He knew the distance between them was no longer enough to unleash his full strength, but Xin Mu was right behind him; if he retreated, she might be in danger. He had no choice but to keep his feet moving, holding his left arm horizontally in front of his head as he continued to sprint forward. The Great Barking Dog, a monster with little intelligence, naturally did not back down either. As they collided, the Great Barking Dog was forced to a halt because Zhang Ruofeng's bracer struck it right on the nose. The Great Barking Dog let out a mournful howl and retreated two steps, while Zhang Ruofeng was sent flying, landing flat on the ground.

"Damn it!" Zhang Ruofeng felt as if everything before his eyes had gone black, but he forced himself to scramble up quickly. The moment he stood, his vision was stained red; he knew his forehead must have been split open, as blood was flowing into his eyes. His right arm throbbed with waves of pain from the impact with the ground. When Zhang Ruofeng was sent flying, Xin Mu had thrown both of her daggers. One failed to hit the Great Barking Dog's vitals, only carving a bloody groove into its face, but the other luckily embedded itself in its eye, causing endless howls to fill the air.

"Ruofeng!" Xin Mu cried out loudly. She was worried about Zhang Ruofeng, as the impact had made it seem as if he had been struck by a car. However, seeing him struggle to his feet made her feel a little more at ease. Xin Mu had already lost both daggers; without any weapons to support Zhang Ruofeng, she resolutely refused to step forward. As long as Zhang Ruofeng could still fight, her rushing in might only cause more trouble.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch." Zhang Ruofeng clutched his left arm, the pain from the violent impact causing him to gasp. If not for the protection of his bracer, his arm would surely have been broken. Even so, a faint scratch remained on the bracer, left by the Great Barking Dog's teeth, highlighting the danger of the previous collision. Zhang Ruofeng had no way out. Although the damage from the violent impact was coursing through every part of his body, he gritted his teeth and charged. If he didn't finish off the Great Barking Dog while its eye was injured, he and Xin Mu might never get another chance to kill this brute-force monster. Zhang Ruofeng attacked from the right side, where the Great Barking Dog couldn't see, but despite its right eye being blinded, the beast's instincts made it turn its left eye to track him while it growled. Zhang Ruofeng couldn't care less; he sprinted right up to the Great Barking Dog. The beast didn't hesitate and lunged to bite him, but Zhang Ruofeng had already anticipated this. He stopped abruptly and jumped backward, dodging the bite. He raised his left arm and slammed a fist into the beast's head. Just as the Great Barking Dog lowered its head from the blow, Zhang Ruofeng pinned it down with his right hand to keep it from rising, then delivered another heavy punch with his left. This time, the Great Barking Dog's head was slammed directly into the ground, yet it still let out a low growl, trying to crawl back up.

"Even this isn't enough?!" Zhang Ruofeng was horrified. In the real world, he had never dared to strike someone's head with full force. Now, even with the bracer, he had landed two heavy blows, and the pain in his arm made him clearly realize how much force he had used, yet it still wasn't enough to kill this elite-level monster.

Zhang Ruofeng's arm was nearly exhausted, and the Great Barking Dog was preparing to stand again. Zhang Ruofeng quickly steadied himself and delivered a downward kick with his left foot. His sneaker flew off during the collision, and the Great Barking Dog was pinned to the ground once more, unable to rise. Zhang Ruofeng's leg, lacking any protection, throbbed with such piercing pain that he could barely stand. Although the Great Barking Dog lay motionless, Zhang Ruofeng knew that if it didn't turn into black sand, it wasn't dead yet, but he found it extremely difficult to throw another punch.

At this moment, Xin Mu fortunately arrived in time. She picked up a dagger from the distance and plunged it into the left side of the Great Barking Dog's neck. The beast instantly dissolved into countless grains of fine sand, leaving Xin Mu's palms covered in blood.

"Huff, huff." Both Zhang Ruofeng and Xin Mu were breathing heavily. Zhang Ruofeng, drained by his recent outburst, lost all his strength and slumped against the wall.

"I'll go get your shoe." Xin Mu walked toward the corner where the shoe had rolled, but as she reached it, she let out a cry of surprise. Zhang Ruofeng, who had just begun to relax, sprang back up. Just as he was about to rush toward her, he saw Xin Mu returning with two Magic Stones the size of tennis balls. Zhang Ruofeng quickly looked back at the pile of black sand and found another Magic Stone identical to the two in Xin Mu's hands, along with a white tooth nearly 15 centimeters long—likely a drop from the Great Barking Dog.

"Isn't this the beginner floor?" Zhang Ruofeng gave a bitter laugh. "Doesn't the guide say that elite monsters are so rare you might not even see one in three or four trips?" He compared the three Magic Stones carefully and found no difference in size, leaving him speechless.

"That person... there's something wrong with him." Xin Mu returned the shoe to Zhang Ruofeng and put away the two daggers she had picked up.

"Next time I see him, I'm going to have a 'heart-to-heart' with him." Zhang Ruofeng said helplessly. The other party had been so fast that Zhang Ruofeng hadn't even seen his face, so how could he know who had brought this unprovoked disaster upon them? "At least he ran away, and the loot is ours." He comforted himself; one effort for four rewards was still a great deal.

Zhang Ruofeng had sustained injuries that left him limping. Without any protective gear, the downward kick had caused him severe damage—after all, the Great Barking Dog's head was as hard as stone—and his arm was in a state of extreme soreness. After a brief discussion, the two decided to call it a day. Zhang Ruofeng was in poor condition, and Xin Mu was exhausted; continuing to explore would be dangerous, so they began to carefully make their way back to the upper floors. Because Zhang Ruofeng, who was primarily responsible for the fighting, was limping, they moved very cautiously, yet they were still discovered three times on the second floor. Each time, it took a while to resolve the conflict, and Zhang Ruofeng sustained another 5-centimeter-long bite wound on his right arm.

Upon returning to the first floor, Zhang Ruofeng and Xin Mu finally breathed a sigh of relief. The monsters on the first floor were far too weak; a normal person with a weapon could handle them easily. Even though both were in poor shape, they encountered no obstacles on the first floor and successfully made it back to the sunlight. After all the trouble, Zhang Ruofeng and Xin Mu had spent a full 4 hours in the Dungeon, and the sunlight made them squint.

"It looks like the other adventurers are coming up soon, too." Zhang Ruofeng watched the crowds bustling along the Babel Tower boulevard, knowing that night was about to fall. At night, the Dungeon became more violent; rare monsters appeared more often, and common monsters became more frequent. Entering the Dungeon at night was an unwise choice.

"Let's go, let's go exchange these for money." Zhang Ruofeng patted his bulging Storage Pouch. Despite the pain throughout his body, he was in a good mood. "I'll make braised pork for you tonight."