Finishing blow
The heavy snow continued to fall, snowflakes fluttering down on Lu Heng and the Forest Rock Tiger. A thin layer of snow covered their shoulders and the beast's back, leaving a chilling sensation.
Lu Heng leaned on his Hunting Blade to barely stand, but just as he regained his balance, the internal injury in his waist and abdomen suddenly throbbed, a wave of intense dizziness washed over him, and he staggered, almost falling heavily into the snow.
Last time, the tiger's tail only grazed me, and my hasty dodge absorbed most of the force. This time, the situation is completely different.
After a series of entanglements, he already had many hidden injuries in his waist and abdomen. The tiger, poisoned by two types of poison, no longer held back in its playful antics, and poured all its remaining brute force into its tail. Coupled with the slippery snow and insufficient range of movement, he had to bear the full impact without any cushioning. The internal injuries from the shock were several times more severe than the first time.
He gripped the hilt of his sword, panting heavily. Puffs of white mist vanished instantly in the cold wind. Half his body was numb and stiff, barely able to maintain his stance; his legs were weak, threatening to collapse to his knees at any moment.
The Forest Rock Tiger, just a few meters away, was also in extremely poor condition.
Its reckless charge had exhausted its last bit of strength, and the two toxins in its body spread rapidly through the intense exercise, spreading along its blood vessels to all parts of its limbs.
The massive tiger swayed twice before crashing heavily into the snow, creating a deep crater.
Its limbs thrashed about in vain, its muscles remained numb and stiff, its head was spinning, and its vision was a blank. Several times it tried to lift itself up by its front paws, but as soon as it raised its body, it collapsed back into the snow. Its chest heaved violently, and heavy, murky breaths escaped from its throat intermittently. Blood kept seeping from the wound on its shoulder, dripping onto the snow and congealing into dark red spots, which were quickly buried by the new snow.
The entire snowfield was deathly silent, save for the howling wind and the soft patter of falling snowflakes.
The man and the beast stood locked in a stalemate, several meters apart, neither having the strength to launch an attack first.
The excruciating pain continued to assault Lu Heng's nerves, and exhaustion nearly overwhelmed his consciousness. Yet, the intense pain kept his mind clear. He knew he couldn't stay here any longer; the strong stench of blood would soon attract the strange beasts roaming the area.
He dared not delay any longer. Despite the aches and weakness all over his body, he raised his hand to touch the Tattoo Space on his wrist and took out Hand Crossbow. The cool crossbow handle in his palm calmed his scattered mind slightly.
Lu Heng slowly bent his knees, half-kneeling in the snow, his other hand pressing tightly against his waist to suppress the churning pain in his internal organs. He adjusted his breathing, repeatedly exhaling and inhaling slowly, trying to steady his trembling arms.
His gaze pierced through the swirling snowflakes, locking firmly onto the tiger's head.
At this moment, the Forest Rock Tiger's consciousness was already blurred, its head drooping on its front paws, its eyelids half-closed, and only its instinctive ferocity was barely keeping it going.
Lu Heng gritted his teeth and slowly pulled his finger toward the trigger.
With a whoosh, the crossbow bolt pierced through the wind and snow, heading straight for the tiger's head.
A dull thud rang out as the arrowhead struck the tiger's hard skull. Its thick fur and hard skull meant the arrow only barely penetrated the surface, failing to pierce the skull and completely sever its life.
The tiger, in pain, let out a low, muffled roar and struggled to raise its head to pounce, but its limbs were completely out of its control, and it could only shake its head in vain.
Without pausing, Lu Heng used the last of his strength to quickly retrieve a second arrow from his Tattoo Space and chamber it.
The cold wind made his arm sway, so he braced it against his knee to stabilize it, aimed at the same spot, and fired again. The second arrow pierced the original wound.
After being struck twice in succession, the tiger's struggles grew weaker and weaker, its thrashing limbs gradually quieted down, and its breathing became faint and intermittent.
Unwilling to take risks and wary of any potential counterattack, Lu Heng struggled to fire his third arrow.
The third arrow pierced precisely into the gap in the skull, completely penetrating the defenses.
The massive body of the Forest Rock Tiger convulsed a few times, its limbs tensing before completely relaxing. Its body transformed into countless tiny, pale white data streams, dissipating into the wind and snow, leaving only a card lying quietly on the white snow.
With his tense mind suddenly relaxed, Lu Heng could no longer hold on and fell sideways into the cold snow.
Snowflakes landed on his cheeks, the icy touch barely keeping him conscious. He looked up at the gray sky, the clouds thick and the heavy snow showing no signs of stopping. His chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath, the exhaustion of surviving the ordeal completely engulfing him.
The battle ended, and he survived.
But the stench of blood still lingered in the air, and with no cover around, danger still lurked in the shadows.
Lu Heng couldn't lie down for long, so he forced himself to turn to his side and groped in the snow with one hand to open the Storage Slot his Wristband. He took out the last remaining Mud-Clearing Anti-Inflammatory Pill. This pill was originally used for external injuries and bumps. It couldn't cure internal organ turmoil, but it could suppress inflammation and prevent the wound from festering in the low temperature.
He tilted his head back and swallowed the pill. It tasted slightly bitter, and as it went down his throat into his stomach, a faint warmth slowly spread, soothing the wounds of all sizes on his body.
The severe pain from the concussion in my lower back and abdomen persists, and the weakness and soreness in my limbs have not improved. However, my condition has stabilized for the time being, and I will not completely lose my mobility in the short term.
Lu Heng plunged the Bronze Hunting Blade into the snow as a crutch, and using both his hands and feet, he managed to sit up, inching forward with the blade as support, leaving a trail of crooked and messy marks on the snow. The short distance of just a few meters exhausted all his remaining strength.
He bent down and picked up the monster cards from the snow, his fingertips tracing the cold surface of the cards.
[Item: Tiger Potion]
Grade: Black Iron Tier
Description: Forged from the core of Forest Rock Tiger, this potion, once absorbed into the body, can quickly repair internal organ tremors and hidden injuries to muscles and bones, restore most of one's physical strength in a short time, and permanently and slightly enhance the toughness and impact resistance of the body and bones.
Lu Heng stroked the card, feeling slightly more at ease. As long as he left the trial grounds and found a secluded and safe place to take the potion, these severe injuries, which were enough to render him incapacitated, would improve significantly.
This place is not safe to stay for long.
He stored the card in his Wristband, gripped the hilt of his sword tightly with both hands, leaned half his body against the blade, and slowly moved towards the invisible boundary of the trial, one step at a time. The wind and snow lashed against his body, the cold biting to the bone, and with each step, a pulling pain shot through his wounds.
Scattered bloodstains on the snow behind him were gradually buried by the new snow, and the traces of the battle were being slowly erased by the heavy snow. The vast snowfield was deathly silent, and a disheveled and thin figure slowly moved forward against the wind and snow, making a difficult retreat towards a safe area.