Clara’s heart sank. She had just landed in this world, and she was about to die?
This is such bullshit.
Wait... Her eyes lit up.
“Right. At close range, a bright light can blind it.”
If Strength wasn’t enough, brains made up the difference. Just as Clara was about to pull out her high-beam flashlight, a black shadow flashed past her like a ghost.
Two muffled squelches.
The two mutant wolves about to pounce on Clara froze midair, then slammed hard to the ground. Their throats had been slit with a single strike from an entrenching tool. At some point, he had finished off the enemies on his side and appeared beside her.
“What are you spacing out for?”
Derek didn’t even turn his head. The corner of his mouth curled into a faint smile.
“Hurry up and replenish your Spirit. The fight isn’t over.”
Clara blinked, staring at the tall back blocking her way, and frowned.
What the hell? Saved by a man? And the one she hated most?
She rolled her eyes, took out milk to restore herself, then gripped the Bloodthirst Longsword tight. By now only one wolf remained on the field: the huge alpha standing in the distance, motionless the whole time. It was nearly twice the size of a normal mutant wolf, its dark green pupils gleaming with intelligence and cruelty far beyond any ordinary beast.
“My control doesn’t work on it,” Clara said in a low voice.
She could have controlled it perfectly well. She just didn’t want him to know that.
“Expected.”
Derek’s gaze locked hard on the alpha.
“I’ll keep it busy. Find a chance and use crossbow bolts on its flank.”
The words had barely left his mouth when the alpha moved. Almost before they could blink, it charged right up to them. Derek raised his entrenching tool and blocked the alpha’s claws precisely, but the blow knocked him back half a step. The wolf missed and immediately backed off.
Derek swung his entrenching tool and charged in, trading blows with it. He was barely holding the stalemate, unable to deal any real damage. If this kept up, once his Stamina ran out, they would both die. Clara backed up a few steps and switched to crossbow bolts.
She didn’t aim at the alpha. She aimed at the path it was about to take. A predictive shot. The alpha seemed to sense the threat at its flank. It glanced at Clara in the distance, and a flicker of almost human contempt crossed its eyes. To it, this woman was the weakest and easiest to kill.
It let out a sudden roar, abandoned its struggle with Derek, spun around, and shot straight at Clara like a black cannonball.
“Oh no!”
Clara’s expression changed. She tried desperately to dodge, but it was too late. Just as the massive bloody maw was about to clamp onto her neck, Derek grinned. Then he activated Demon Body. He let out a low growl, and his combat uniform split apart as his muscles bulged.
His body shot up a notch, eerie black patterns surfaced under his skin, and a savage, primal aura surged into the sky. Strength and speed jumped 50% in that instant.
Boom!
The asphalt under Derek’s feet cracked, and his figure left an afterimage in place. The next second he appeared in front of Clara, raised his entrenching tool, and outright blocked the alpha’s lunging bite.
Clang!
A piercing metallic clash rang out, sparks flying. With his talent active, Derek’s Strength crushed the alpha completely. He gave it no chance to breathe. His right foot shot up and slammed hard into its belly. A dull thud, and the huge alpha was kicked several yards away, crashing heavily to the ground.
Roar!
The alpha struggled to its feet, still wanting to counterattack, but Derek was already closing in again. The entrenching tool in his hand kept leaving wounds deep enough to show bone. The alpha’s proud speed and strength were completely suppressed in front of Derek in his Demon Body state, leaving it unable to fight back. Under that ferocious assault, the alpha finally collapsed, unwilling to accept defeat.
The black patterns on Derek’s body faded. He swayed slightly, his face a shade paler, but his eyes stayed sharp. He was completely unharmed. He suppressed the weakness inside him, and his face betrayed nothing.
If this happens a few more times, she’ll hand the milk over willingly. Forcing it would be so boring.
Derek said in a flat tone, “It’s over.”
Then he stretched lazily, as if it had been easy. Clara stared at the man, her brain still short-circuiting. The Strength he had just unleashed was beyond her comprehension.
So this is the true strength of a top-tier player?
Derek didn’t look at her.
“You deal with the body. You’re on watch now. I’m going back to sleep.”
With that, he turned and yawned. With steady but slightly stiff steps, he walked calmly back to his car.
Bang! The car door closed.
Inside, shrouded in darkness, Derek could no longer hold on. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. His body slumped softly into the driver’s seat. He gasped for breath, his vision darkening. Read the latest chapters at novelping.com.
The talent’s backlash... worse than I thought. But today’s effect should be enough. She probably won’t dare try anything. For the next hour, whether I live or die is up to fate.
He closed his eyes and slipped into a half-conscious state. Outside, Clara stared at the closed door and froze for a moment.
“This guy... he just showed off and left?”
She pursed her lips and grumbled internally, but didn’t dwell on it. She couldn’t see anything unusual in the dark anyway, and Derek was too good at faking it. She looked away and walked toward the wolf corpses littering the ground.
“Forget it. Loot first. As for that show-off, once I level up, I’ll grind him into the dirt sooner or later.”
She began dismantling the corpses.
DismantleNotice¦ Ding! Dismantle successful.ItemDetails🥩 Wolf Meat 1027 lbMeat from a mutant wolf. Fills the stomach.🟫 Animal Hide x18Beast hide. Crafting material for clothing and armor.🦷 Wolf Fang x72Sharp fang from a mutant wolf. Crafting material.🔹 Energy Crystal Fragment x1Crystal shard from a dismantled beast. Crafting material.Ding! Dismantle successful.ItemDetails🥩 Wolf Meat 84 lbMeat from a mutant wolf. Fills the stomach.🟫 Animal Hide x1Beast hide. Crafting material for clothing and armor.🦷 Wolf Fang x4Sharp fang from a mutant wolf. Crafting material.🍃 Wood Element Core x1Rare elemental core. A key material for high-rank crafting and vehicle upgrades.
Haha, I’m rich.
Then she put the Wolf Meat into a pot in batches and boiled it. A short while later, once the B-rank Wolf Meat was cooked, Clara picked up a piece and put it in her mouth. A rank stench filled her mouth, and she fought back the nausea.
If she wanted to get stronger, she had to swallow it. In this man-eating world, if you didn’t turn yourself into a beast, you became someone else’s food.
After she ate her fill, Clara felt waves of warmth flowing from her belly out to every limb.
“This feeling is even stronger than when I ate the C-rank leopard meat. Could it be...”
She opened her personal panel.
StatusPlayerClara BennettRaceCow DemonTalentSS-rankConditionHealthyStamina12/12Spirit20/20AttributeValueStrength8Stamina12Agility7Spirit20✧Enchanting GazeConsume Spirit to control atarget. The duration and costdepend on the target's Spirit.✧Essence CondensationConvert stamina into high-energymilk, rapidly restore Spirit,slightly restore Stamina, andprovide a weak healing effect.
Clara’s breathing quickened. The numbers had finally moved.