I Became the King of Villains in the Game

A yellow critical damage number popped up.

But even a hit to its weak point was not enough to kill it. Chen Lun only felt an even fiercer surge of force through his shortsword.

The grievously wounded rotting hound struggled violently. Chen Lun pressed down with his sword hand, wrestling against its strength, while his other arm shot out.

As he moved, he activated his serpentine trait, wrapping his arm tightly around the rotten dog's neck.

Then he wrenched the shortsword free.

"Die!!"

He turned the shortsword and thrust upward into the rotting hound's lower jaw.

With a muffled squelch, the shortsword sank deep into its skull, then burst out through the top of its head.

[-110]

A bright red fatal damage number.

Chen Lun flung the dog away with a swing of his arm. It slammed into the wall with a bang, then fell to the floor.

Yet the rotting hound was still breathing and would not die immediately-a testament to its tenacious vitality.

Chen Lun knew these supernatural creatures possessed a passive skill that let them temporarily survive fatal wounds, much like the five-second invincibility of a certain champion in an old online game from his previous life.

The difference was that they would still die once the time ran out.

Awoof, woof!! Awoo!!

Everything had happened in the blink of an eye. A second later, the other three rotting hounds followed close behind and lunged at Chen Lun.

They spread out in a triangle, squeezing away what little room he had left to dodge.

Any ordinary person caught in that pincer attack would have been knocked down and bitten to death!

But Chen Lun twisted his body into an impossible posture and slipped through the gap in their attack.

His neck, bent backward a full hundred and eighty degrees, slowly returned to normal. He turned his head and let out a call.

Invisible sound waves spread outward, and the swarm of bats he had drawn over immediately began fighting the three rotting hounds.

Without breaking stride, Chen Lun charged in with his shortsword.

At the same time, he switched animal languages again and summoned the rats.

The rotting hounds were monsters created by fusing supernatural substances, after all. The bats and rats were no match for them.

The three large dogs paid no attention to the little creatures biting and clawing at them, snapping their jaws and shaking their heads without restraint.

A single bite could kill several large black rats or bats.

Chen Lun knew the bats and rats would not last long, but at least they could briefly distract and tie down his enemies.

Seizing that opening, he strode forward and swung his shortsword hard. One rotting hound failed to dodge in time and had half its head sliced off.

The severed half remained tethered by torn flesh and its spine, keeping it from falling to the floor.

Bang!!

Chen Lun drove a side kick into the badly wounded hound's belly. It yelped and tumbled backward, landing on the floor, unable to stand.

He took several deep breaths and sighed inwardly in frustration.

These large dogs were supernatural creatures mutated through exposure to a mysterious substance. They had no reason left in them.

Otherwise, his professional skill level would have been enough to make them switch sides on the spot and accept their enemy as their master!

The rats and bats were steadily driven back as the rotting hounds slaughtered them.

Seeing this, Chen Lun dared not waste any time. Shortsword in hand, he plunged back into battle.

In less than ten seconds, Chen Lun brought down the remaining two dogs.

Before he could finish them off, the two heavily armored guards arrived and thrust their spears at him!

Whoosh!!

The cold, gleaming spearheads stabbed straight toward Chen Lun's chest and abdomen. He had not even caught his breath before he was forced to dodge again.

Fortunately, his considerable Dexterity allowed him to narrowly evade them.

Chen Lun leaped backward and rolled, quickly putting distance between himself and the two armored guards.

He looked up at their towering bodies and impenetrable armor, then glanced at the shortsword in his hand, its edge already curled. His expression changed.

"What joy is there in life, and what is there to fear in death..."

With a fierce expression, Chen Lun roared and hurled his shortsword.

"Come and fight me to the death! Even with my bare hands, I'll smash your tin cans to pieces!!"

Amid his hysterical roar, the shortsword flew through the air and struck one armored guard square in the chest.

Clang!!

The shortsword gave a pitiful ring, spun away, and dropped helplessly to the floor.

The two armored guards looked up, only to find the corridor ahead empty.

"..."

Chen Lun had already made his getaway the moment he threw the shortsword.

Only an idiot would have fought them to the death. One hit from those heavy spears would kill or cripple him, while he could not even be sure he could pierce their armor.

Without the four dogs holding him up, those two lumbering brutes could do nothing but eat his dust.

"Huff..."

Panting heavily, Chen Lun returned to his original cell. Without pausing to rest, he pulled aside the straw pile and plunged into the hole.

Froy should have escaped by now, right?

The thought crossed his mind.

Hunched over in the narrow, pitch-black tunnel, Chen Lun activated his serpent form. His protruding tongue became a long, forked snake tongue.

Hiss, hiss...

The scents tell me Froy left traces here.

That also meant Froy had indeed escaped through the tunnel.

He returned to human form and let out a long breath, the weight lifting from his heart.

It took some time for Chen Lun to crawl through the winding passage.

He pushed aside the dead branches and fallen leaves concealing the exit and climbed out.

Dazzling sunlight shone down on him, leaving Chen Lun struggling to adjust.

He raised a hand to shield his eyes and slowly stood up.

"Exhale-inhale-!"

Squinting, Chen Lun took deep breaths of the fresh outdoor air, fragrant with flowers and clean earth.

And the long-missed scent of freedom.

At that moment, he wanted only to shout-

Dobby is free!

"I'm very curious. How did you manage it?"

An elderly voice came from nearby, startling Chen Lun.

He instinctively crouched and looked to the side.

To avoid detection by the Church, he had deliberately dug a roundabout route to this spot, a patch of untamed woodland several hundred meters from the underground prison.

There should not have been anyone here!

A brown-haired old man in a dark red priest's robe stood beneath a tree, holding a pot containing a wilted sunflower in both hands.

At his feet, Froy sat leaning against the tree.

Despair filled her face. With her lips pressed together, she cast Chen Lun a conflicted look.

"Froy..."

At the sight, Chen Lun inwardly cursed.

No wonder he had not received a notification that his mission to save Froy was complete. That old man was the culprit.

"Run!"

Froy suddenly cried out, her voice filled with urgency.

"He can't escape."

The priest spoke without expression.

He slowly set down the pot. The half-dead sunflower seemed to sense something enticing beside it and extended a small branch, leisurely reaching toward Froy.

"It seems the moon's power really did stimulate it and cause a new change..."

The priest watched the plant with interest. The tiny branch drew closer and closer to Froy, who could only inch backward in terror.

Suddenly, he heard a flurry of faint sounds that steadily grew louder.

Squeak, squeak, squeak!!

The priest turned to look, surprise appearing on his face.

Countless large black rats poured out of the tunnel behind Chen Lun, accompanied by a vast swarm of bats.

The dark mass surrounded Chen Lun as though he were their king.

"Die!"

Chen Lun stared coldly at the old man and pointed. The rats and bats surged toward the priest!

"A supernatural..."

Seeing this, Father Carter understood exactly how his opponent had escaped the prison.

"But this is nowhere near enough."