A Mi rushed back to the dilapidated Tree House beneath the Ancient Tree at the fastest speed.
He carefully held Xiao Ye, climbed the rickety ladder, and gently placed her on the "bed" covered with dry grass.
Ignoring his own wounds and exhaustion, he immediately took out the medicine exchanged from the Contract Hall, concentrated his spirit, and began to clean Xiao Ye's wounds and apply ointment according to the detailed instructions in the System Encyclopedia regarding the treatment of corrosive wounds and burns.
His movements were as gentle as possible, fearing he might worsen her pain.
The cool, green ointment covered the horrific burn, temporarily suppressing the inflammation and bringing a slight soothing relief, but Xiao Ye remained unconscious, her face frighteningly pale.
Just as A Mi finally breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to tend to his own injuries—
"Bang!"
A fist-sized Rock suddenly smashed through the Tree House's flimsy wooden wall, flying in with splinters, nearly hitting Xiao Ye!
Immediately following, arrogant shouts came from below the tree:
"You unlucky crow and that trash Contracted Spirit inside! Get out here for me!"
"Don't think you're safe hiding in there! Master Ma brought backup today, let's see how arrogant you can be!"
"Hurry up and return the things you snatched... no, stole from us!"
A Mi's expression instantly turned so gloomy that water seemed ready to drip from it.
He gently placed the remaining ointment aside, tucked the old cloth covering Xiao Ye, and a cold killing intent flashed in his eyes.
He stood up, pushed aside the makeshift cover for the hole that had been smashed open, and looked down.
Under the tree was the same Mixed-blood Orc Thug calling himself "Master Ma," along with his two lackeys.
But this time, there was also a Fox Clan Child standing beside them—a small, thin figure who looked young, with timidity and unease on his face.
What was even more eye-catching was the figure standing quietly behind the Fox Clan Child—
It was a humanoid creature about half a person's height, entirely composed of dark gray Rock.
It had a pair of folded Stone Wings on its back, a ferocious face, sharp claws and teeth, and two faint red lights flickering in its hollow eye sockets.
An energy fluctuation, clearly different from that of ordinary creatures, emanated from it—the Aura of a Contracted Spirit.
Race: Gargoyle
Level: 13
A Level 13 Contracted Spirit!
Master Ma saw A Mi appear, especially noticing his wounds and exhausted state, and a more triumphant, sinister grin spread across his face: "Oh? Looks like you didn't have a good time yesterday, ending up so ragged? Perfect, saves Master Ma some effort!"
He pointed at the Fox Clan Child and the Gargoyle beside him, boasting, "See that? This is a genuine C-Rank Contracted Spirit! Not something a piece of trash like you, who doesn't even have a Magic Tool, can compare to!
If you know what's good for you, obediently climb down, kowtow, and admit your mistake, then hand over that unlucky crow girl. Maybe if Master Ma is in a good mood, I'll only break a few of your legs!"
The Fox Clan Child kept his head down, nervously twisting his hands together. He seemed very unwilling but dared not resist Master Ma and the others.
A Mi stood at the Tree House entrance, his icy gaze sweeping over Master Ma's arrogant face, finally settling on the Gargoyle emanating a dangerous Aura.
Based on previous knowledge, this enemy was basically C-Rank or higher.
And he was D-Rank, only leveled up to Lv. 12 after defeating the Slime King, was not at full strength, was injured, and his only Spirit Master was severely wounded and unconscious.
The gap in strength was obvious.
However, there was no fear on A Mi's face, only the surface of a frozen lake with strong undercurrents churning beneath.
He slowly climbed down from the Tree House, stood before them, and his voice was terrifyingly calm:
"You disturbed her rest."
"Hmph! Still talking tough when death is near!" Master Ma spat, his ferocity growing as A Mi showed no sign of yielding.
He suddenly slapped the back of the Fox Clan Child's head, making the child stumble forward.
"Brat, what are you spacing out for! Send your Gargoyle up! Demolish that broken shack and drag that unlucky girl out!" Master Ma threatened viciously. "If you dare disobey, you'll have a hard time later!"
The Fox Clan Child cried out in pain, tears welling up, looking fearfully at Master Ma and his two eager accomplices, then at A Mi, whose eyes were as cold as frost.
In the end, he could only cry out toward the Gargoyle, "S-Sorry... Gargoyle, Attack!"
The motionless Gargoyle's red light flared intensely. It let out a low roar, like the grinding of stones, and its wings suddenly spread open. Although not enough for sustained flight, they allowed for brief gliding and acceleration. It charged toward A Mi's face with fierce claws, bringing a gust of foul wind!
The Speed was extremely fast, incomparable to the Goblins from yesterday or the sluggish Slime King!
A Mi's pupils contracted; he dared not meet this claw Attack that clearly contained the power of Rock head-on.
He reacted extremely quickly. The moment the Gargoyle moved, his left hand slammed down onto a nearby tree trunk as thick as a bowl—Yellow Creation Artifact!
The tree's bark and some of the wood flowed and peeled away as if alive, instantly condensing in his hand into a thick, rough, yet exceptionally sturdy wooden shield!
"Boom!"
The Gargoyle's sharp claws fiercely struck the wooden shield, producing a dull impact sound!
Wood chips flew everywhere, and several deep claw marks were left on the shield's surface, but it was ultimately not pierced!
The immense impact forced A Mi to stagger back several steps. His shield-bearing arm went numb, and his already injured body throbbed with sharp pain, but he had successfully defended against the swift strike!
"Oh? You have some skill?"
Master Ma sneered from the side, but a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. This D-Rank Trash's reaction speed and that strange creation ability were indeed something special.
The moment he blocked the Attack, A Mi's right hand pressed against the ground again—Rock flowed, and a familiar Stone Sword rapidly took shape!
Without any pause, taking advantage of the slight stiffness after the Gargoyle's Attack, A Mi leaned forward, and the Stone Sword, cutting through the air, fiercely counter-attacked, stabbing directly at the Gargoyle's relatively slender Rock joint!
"Clang!"
The Stone Sword accurately struck the Gargoyle's knee joint, but only produced a burst of sparks!
The Gargoyle's Defense was extremely strong; the Stone Sword only managed to leave a white scratch, failing to inflict effective damage.
Struck by this blow, the Gargoyle merely swayed slightly, and its other stone claw swept over with a whistling wind!
A Mi quickly sidestepped, the stone claw grazing past his chest, the resulting gust of wind stinging his skin. He lowered his body along with the movement, turning the Stone Sword's thrust into a sweep aimed at the Gargoyle's supporting leg.
The battle instantly entered a rhythm of high-speed offense and defense.
Unlike the Slime King, which relied on its massive body and area-of-effect Acid attacks, the Gargoyle was a typical humanoid combat unit.
Its Attacks were more methodical, mainly relying on the claw's grab, tear, and sweep, occasionally utilizing the Stone Wings for pounces and acceleration. Its Strength was formidable, and its Defense was astonishing.
However, A Mi soon discovered that under the passive effect of Imitation Analysis, his brain seemed to have turned into a high-speed computer.
Every subtle sign preceding the Gargoyle's Attack—such as the slight friction of the Rock on its shoulders, the shift in its weight-bearing foot, the rhythm of the red light flickering in its eyes—was keenly captured, recorded, and analyzed by him.
Although analysis required time and he couldn't predict every move immediately, he could feel his understanding of the Gargoyle's attack patterns deepening bit by bit.
Initially, he could only block and evade clumsily, but gradually, he began to anticipate some simple linear lunges and sweeping attacks, allowing him to make more effective evasive or blocking maneuvers in advance.
"Clang!" "Boom!" "Screech!"
The Stone Sword and stone claws collided continuously, sending sparks flying.
After enduring several heavy blows, the wooden shield finally broke under the strain with a "crack."
A Mi did not hesitate; he immediately created a new wooden shield while constantly shifting his position, using the trees as cover to avoid being cornered by the Gargoyle.
His Level and stats were lower than the opponent's, after all. Every block sent numbness up his arm, churning his Qi and Blood, and his Corrosion wounds ached faintly due to the strenuous movement.
But his eyes grew brighter, like a lone wolf searching for prey in the darkness.
He was learning, adapting, and utilizing the information gained from analysis to delay the battle as much as possible, searching for that minuscule chance of victory.
"Damn it, why can this piece of trash take so much punishment?"
Master Ma watched A Mi, who was repeatedly in danger but managed to narrowly dodge or block the Attacks at critical moments, his expression gradually turning ugly.
He had expected the C-Rank Gargoyle to easily crush the opponent, but instead, they were locked in a protracted struggle.
"Kid, tell your Gargoyle to put some effort in! Stop tickling!" Master Ma yelled impatiently at the Fox Clan Child.
The Fox Clan Child flinched in fright and could only timidly order again, "Gargoyle, hurry up and defeat him..."
The Gargoyle's red light intensified, and its attack rhythm suddenly accelerated. Its claws whipped out like a storm, forcing A Mi into an even more perilous defensive posture.
But A Mi knew he had to hold on.
The longer he held out, the more information Imitation Analysis would gather, and the greater the chance he would find an opening to counter-attack.
This battle of disparity between D-Rank and C-Rank was far from over!