A Narrow Escape

Crunch, crunch, crunch!

Behind Xia Lun came the grotesque sound of bones breaking and flesh crawling. He glanced back, and a hair-raising sight struck his eyes.

The fused monster had withdrawn its salt-encrusted spear and greatsword. It lay flat on the ground as pairs of shriveled, salt-coated limbs extended from its body, scrabbling forward like a spider's legs. Among the mass of arms and legs, salt-covered heads rolled like wheels.

Despite its bloated bulk, the monster moved with terrifying speed. The ground trembled with every step it took.

"Gah-woah, gah-woah!"

The gray-black reefs shook in the struggle, scattering fine gravel. Several gulls perched nearby took flight in terror.

Beside the fence, the twisted, blasphemous monster ignored the gravely wounded, groaning Gunner. It vaulted over the fence and crawled straight toward Xia Lun!

"Give us... the branch, the branch, the branch..."

For some reason, Xia Lun understood the monster's muttering. He paid it no heed and sprinted through the gate onto the mountain path riddled with traps and spikes.

Xia Lun knew almost nothing about this path. He had no idea where the traps were buried or how many there were. Taking it was a gamble with his life. But with 20 points of Extraordinary Perception and 16 points of Agility, far beyond an ordinary person's, he thought he could try.

Crack!

His boots struck loose gravel, sending stones flying. Xia Lun raced past several spiked barricades, and then the view ahead abruptly opened up.

A stretch of unusually level ground, roughly ten meters long, appeared on the narrow, steep path. A lone branch jutted from a crack in the rock.

Unease rose in Xia Lun for no clear reason. He saw no trigger, but instinct told him something was wrong. Running flat out, he had no time to think. He