Chapter Twelve: The Fierce Spirit of Junshan!

From a distance, Dashan was wielding a battle axe at a hefty crocodile, while Liang Wei darted about like a nimble thief, shooting arrows with a curved bow whenever the crocodile swung its thick tail. Xiaoyue’s healing spells never left their sides.

*Cough*—just a level 25 big-mouthed crocodile, is it really that tough? Here I come! As soon as my Azure Blade struck, the difference was clear. The advanced Haoran Heart Method combined with a level-upgraded sword technique truly unleashed extraordinary power; the white glow trailing my sword outshone Dashan’s axe by far. A horizontal slash—384 damage. The cool sword move had to pause because Dashan’s axe had already cleaved the crocodile in two.

“Brother Bat, you’re here!” Xiaoyue exclaimed with delight.

“Boss, why are you so quiet? I thought someone was stealing our monsters!” the unruly youth jabbered like a machine gun.

“Bat, perfect timing. The three of us are struggling hard. Now that you’ve joined, I can step back from frontline tanking,” Dashan said. Near darkness corrupts, and China’s future seemed a bit more bleak; once a promising youth, Dashan had now picked up some cunning habits.

“Damn, you rushed me here just to make me do your hard labor,” I said sternly.

“Brother Bat, Xiaoyue didn’t mean that! I just want to level up with you, chat when bored, and heal you when you’re low on health...” Xiaoyue’s innocence was clear, no ulterior motives.

“When you get good gear, I’ll help you use it; when you have money, I’ll help you spend it, teehee.”

Next time, I must listen to the whole sentence before reacting.

“Move forward, move forward! The boss’s responsibility is heavy, and we trust you! You lead the charge without worry; we’ll support you fully in spirit. Don’t worry about money or gear; Xiaoyue and I will clean up for you,” a certain fly whispered poisonous words to skew perception.

“Poor choice of friends! Hmph.” I cast a cold, disdainful glance at the three, but saw Dashan grinning foolishly, Liang Wei disgustingly pulling a pure face, and Xiaoyue looking innocently clueless. Sigh, uninformed onlookers would surely take me as the villain.

“Let’s move out. Anyone slacking off, don’t say I didn’t warn you! When you want gear later, don’t blame me for not recognizing you.”

The big-mouthed crocodiles and white lizards in the swamp became our prey. I held off one solo, capable of handling it easily and occasionally aiding Dashan. Liang Wei played the archer role; his trap skills were useless in the soft swamp soil. Xiaoyue happily hummed tunes and bounced beside me, flashing radiant smiles that momentarily distracted me for a fraction of a second, while Liang Wei took over inventory management.

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“Hahaha, I’m 18 now!” Dashan laughed heartily to the sky.

“They say a girl at eighteen is a blooming flower, but I wonder what Dashan at eighteen is like,” Liang Wei teased.

“Hey, Dashan is only eighteen? Look at that old face—he’s like a hundred-year-old pine tree. Xiaoyue, don’t tell me Dashan’s your twin brother,” I seized the chance to jab.

“Not at all! My brother is five years older. I’m the eighteen-year-old one,” Xiaoyue giggled, covering her mouth.

Dashan awkwardly said, “Oops, slip of the tongue!”

Switching to his whirlwind axe, Dashan’s attacks rose to a new level. We pulled several monsters simultaneously: I tanked upfront, while Dashan’s whirlwind slashes swept madly among them. Our kill efficiency improved greatly, though I bore the brunt as the tank, sometimes holding off four monsters at once. Thanks to Xiaoyue’s frequent “Water Therapy” and enhanced defense buffs, I barely managed to hold my ground. The thick-skinned big-mouthed crocodiles couldn’t withstand Dashan’s heavy axe blows; blood splattered as my Azure Blade struck vital points swiftly, dispatching them quickly.

“Brother Bat, look, that crocodile is so beautiful!” Xiaoyue gestured excitedly at a nearby group of big-mouthed crocodiles.

“Boss, boss! That one’s half a body bigger than the normal crocs! Wow, its tail is at least four meters long! Jackpot—great gear incoming,” Liang Wei’s eyes gleamed brightly as he stared at the colorful giant crocodile. His gaze resembled a famished shrew meeting a strong man; he was fully energized.

“Bat, the feast is here!” They all spoke so casually, as if they’d been fighting tigers since they were toddlers.

“You guys go ahead, don’t hold back! Look at those five little minions! Don’t mistake my steel plate for tofu,” I warned.

“Hey, what’s there to fear? The boss has our back!” That’s suspicious!

“Bat, how should we fight?” Dashan asked.

“Here’s the plan: I’ll tank the boss; you guys handle the five minions. Xiaoyue, don’t worry about me—just watch over those two and especially make sure Dashan’s buffs stay up.” I took charge. “Liang Wei, can you lure one or two away? That would ease Dashan’s pressure a lot. Just pull them to an empty area, that’s all.”

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“Got it, boss!”

Dashan swung his axe, spinning into the crocodile pack like a whirlwind. The “Five-Colored Crocodile,” with red, green, yellow, purple, and black scales, was about to attack Dashan when I intercepted with a sword strike. The Azure Blade sliced through the air, aiming for the fist-sized eyeballs.

Surprisingly, the bulky five-colored croc was more agile than the regular big-mouthed ones, twisting its waist and dodging my blow. It snapped its blood-red maw full of thumb-sized sharp teeth at me. Meanwhile, Liang Wei had successfully lured away two big-mouthed crocs, and Dashan’s assault was fierce and relentless, fully supported by Xiaoyue’s efforts—safe and secure.

I twisted to evade the crocodile’s “kiss,” then swung my sword to hack its back. “Clang!” It was like hitting steel; its hide was so tough that my attacks couldn’t penetrate. No wonder it remained calm and unhurried when I struck. Level 32? How is it so ridiculous? Using intermediate appraisal: Five-Colored Crocodile, Level 32, unknown. Ten levels above me, intermediate appraisal powerless.

Creatures designed by the AI couldn’t be without weaknesses! I tested its head, limbs, tail, even its belly with various potions, but total damage from all hits didn’t exceed 100. And I’d already taken down my sixth medium red potion—so frustrating! Dashan had already killed three crocs, and Liang Wei was handling the remaining two. This time, I was embarrassed.

Repeated failures ignited my fury. Ignoring the wide-open jaws, my Azure Blade sliced a crescent arc and stabbed into its eye.

“Aargh!” At the instant it bit, my sword tip pierced its gray-white eyeball—its vital spot hit. The five-colored croc wildly shook its head, but the sword’s paralysis effect slowed its movements noticeably. With my stubborn persistence, the Azure Blade landed a brutal blow: -242, -214, -248 damage numbers appeared in quick succession. The croc’s left eye was badly injured, losing its former agility. Its petrification skill weakened significantly; it was no longer copper-skinned and iron-boned. However, its massive tail whipped the air fiercely. Dashan and Liang Wei’s support sealed its fate.

“Damn, this croc’s hide is really tough; one arrow only takes off about 20 HP.”

“My axe can only chip away around 100 HP. Its defense is insane.” Dashan’s heavy axe struck the croc’s tail, spraying a fountain of blood.

—End of this chapter. Please click next page to continue reading! Page 1 of 2.

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