Chapter Eight: Mike's Experience

"Craig, protect Anna!!!"

The man with chestnut hair grew desperate, shouting at the towering man who was being relentlessly battered by Leila. The blue-haired youth whom the giant had been shielding had already fled to a safe distance.

Hearing the shout, Craig turned his head just in time to see Luo Xiu sprinting madly toward Anna. He felt a surge of panic, desperate to use his "Sacrificial Guard" skill to intercept Luo Xiu, but Leila gave him no opening to cast any abilities. Wave after wave of strikes hammered against his shield, the impact so severe it nearly made him vomit blood. Had it not been for Anna, who was constantly casting "Divine Protection" upon him from a distance, he would have collapsed long ago.

With no other choice, he gritted his teeth and roared, "I can't get there! Let Anna run! This beast-kin's transformation is almost over! I can hold on a bit longer if I use my 'Holy Shield'!"

But he would have been better off staying silent. His words only served to alarm Leila, who, fearing for her master’s safety, intensified her onslaught. Under the force of her increasingly powerful blows, the shimmering film of Divine Protection over Craig’s shield began to show signs of shattering.

Craig was on the verge of a breakdown. He had never seen a beast-kin slave fight with such suicidal ferocity. *What are you even gaining from this? Don't all beast-kin despise humans?!*

On the other side, the priestess named Anna watched as Luo Xiu charged toward her. Panicked, she stopped casting her Divine Protection and fled into the distance. But as a priestess, her speed was no match for Luo Xiu. Seeing the smiling Luo Xiu lunging toward her like a wild beast with an iron hammer in hand, Anna’s face turned pale with terror.

"Mike! Save me!!!"

Hearing Anna’s cry for help, the chestnut-haired man felt an agonizing mix of anxiety and helplessness. Without Anna’s healing, there was no possibility of his arm recovering, and even with her intermediate healing spell, it would take time. But now, with Anna struggling to save herself, there was no chance for her to treat his injury.

Everything seemed to have reached a dead end. The chestnut-haired man began to regret ever provoking Luo Xiu. He had never imagined that a second-tier Berserker combined with a beast-kin could drive their team to such a state! If Luo Xiu caught up to Anna, it would be the end. Yet, he still clung to a shred of hope. He knew that the "young master" must be carrying some life-saving artifacts that could turn the tide.

In mere seconds, Luo Xiu caught up to Anna.

*Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—*

The whistling sound of the iron hammer reached Anna’s ears. She turned back in terror to see Luo Xiu standing before her with a smile, his hammer swinging.

"Don't, don't kill—"

"Game over."

Before Anna could finish her plea, the hammer in Luo Xiu's hand descended heavily.

*Splat!!!*

Blood sprayed. Not just Anna’s blood, but Luo Xiu’s as well. Luo Xiu pulled back his hand, which had been pierced through by a beam of red light. Looking at the blood-red barrier that had suddenly appeared, and the blue-haired youth standing behind it, Luo Xiu chuckled.

"I knew a team like this wouldn't be without a first-tier piece of trash."

The blue-haired youth stared at Anna beside him, whose shoulder had been crushed into a concave mess. Terror flickered in his eyes, as if he had never seen his team suffer such a miserable fate. But looking at the red, rune-dense barrier manifesting before him, his confidence returned. He glared viciously at Luo Xiu and spat, "It's over!!! The 'Thorn Guard' not only weakens attacks but also reflects the same damage back onto the attacker. Once Anna recovers, I will torture you slowly and make you wish you were dead!!!"

*Beautiful!!!*

That was not just the inner thought of Anna, but also of the chestnut-haired man and the giant. Their pent-up resentment had reached its limit; they longed to grind Luo Xiu and Leila into dust.

"Heh, hehe, just wait!" Anna, inside the red barrier, looked like a disheveled demon. Her voice was sharp as she hissed, "I will make you beg me to kill you!!!"

With that, she began to cast a healing spell on herself. As she chanted the prayer and pure holy light descended, the healing was about to begin.

But the next instant—

*BOOM!!!*

A massive force struck, and Anna vomited another mouthful of blood. She looked in disbelief at Luo Xiu, who stood opposite her with yet another bloodied hole in his arm. "What are you doing?!!"

"Killing you!"

Luo Xiu’s smile remained unchanged, as if he felt no pain at all, and he swung his hammer frantically.

*BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!!*

The hammer kept crashing down. Anna, trapped within the Thorn Guard, was beaten until she was nearly unconscious, blood spraying everywhere. The blue-haired youth beside her was caught in the crossfire; coughing up blood, he stared at the riddled body of Luo Xiu in disbelief and screamed, "Are you crazy?!! If you kill Anna, you won't survive either!!!"

Luo Xiu, now completely drenched in blood, curved his lips into a smirk. He looked at the blue-haired youth like a demon.

"One more word, and I'll kill you first."

*Gulp.*

Fear filled the blue-haired youth’s eyes. He swallowed hard and fell silent, too terrified to speak. The entire jungle was filled only with the sound of the frenzied bombardment from Leila and Luo Xiu. Occasionally, one could hear a few faint pleas for mercy from Anna.

A few seconds later, Anna fell completely silent. By now, Luo Xiu’s body was covered in puncture wounds, making him look like a blood-drenched statue. His iron hammer fell to the ground.

The battle on the other side was equally tragic. The giant’s shield was twisted, and he lay unconscious on the ground. Leila’s transformation had ended, and she had returned to her human form, barely able to stand. She stumbled toward Luo Xiu, desperate to check on his condition.

But someone else appeared before Luo Xiu first. The chestnut-haired man, Mike, his arms dangling uselessly at his sides, ran up to the motionless Luo Xiu with a manic grin.

"You idiot! So what if you killed Anna? We’re still the ones who won in the end!"

He laughed loudly, then looked at the blue-haired youth, who had not yet recovered from his shock. "My lord, kill him! Bring back his corpse, and that great master will surely praise you for this!!"

Hearing the mention of "that great master," the blue-haired youth seemed to wake from his trance. He looked at the gasping Luo Xiu, licked his lips, and muttered, "Yes, kill him. Father will be proud of me."

He kept murmuring, as if psyching himself up, the light in his eyes growing more intense. "That's right. I will bring your head back and hang it on the wall of my bedroom. This will be the proof that I have become a man!"

The blue-haired youth’s voice grew louder. He pulled out a dagger and stepped closer to Luo Xiu. He recalled what his father had said about "metamorphosis." Yes, this was his metamorphosis! After today, he would be a completely different person!!!

But just as he reached Luo Xiu, Luo Xiu’s hand suddenly moved, curling into a fist. At this sudden motion, the blue-haired youth shuddered so violently that his dagger clattered to the ground. The courage he had just mustered vanished into thin air, and his grand thoughts evaporated instantly.

"He, he can still move!!!"

The blue-haired youth’s voice cracked with terror. Luo Xiu raised his head, looking at the horrified faces of the youth and Mike, and gave a miserable smile.

"Of course I can still move. I’m not dead yet."

"He's bluffing!! The damn bastard is bluffing!!!"

Mike, having made too many errors in judgment today and suffering a massive mental blow, was now consumed by fury and shame. He kicked the dagger from the ground into the air and shoved the panicked blue-haired youth aside. Under normal circumstances, such an action would have cost him his life a dozen times over, but he no longer cared. Utilizing the agility of his Hunter class, he leaped up, caught the dagger in his teeth, and charged at Luo Xiu.

His eyes were fierce, and he shouted incoherently, "Damn trash! Can't even kill a man, you haven't inherited a shred of that great master's style!"

In the distance, Leila used every ounce of her remaining strength to reach Luo Xiu, but her legs refused to cooperate, and tears of frustration welled in her eyes. She knew her master had a plan, but whether it could succeed at this final moment was another matter.

Mike watched as the dagger in his mouth was about to pierce Luo Xiu’s throat, his inner excitement reaching its peak. *Die, die, die!!! I’m the one who wins in the end!!*

But in the next instant, the man who had been so sure of his victory suddenly saw Luo Xiu smile.

Then, light flickered.

Mike stared in disbelief at the warm glow radiating from Luo Xiu’s body.

*A healing spell?!*

*Why, why is there a healing spell?!*

*A priest? Was there another priest hidden here? A high priest capable of long-range casting?*

Questions and dread flooded his mind. He couldn't understand it; everything that had happened today exceeded all his so-called experience. But he had no time to ponder it further.

For the moment the healing spell flared on Luo Xiu, Luo Xiu picked up his hammer and retreated rapidly toward Leila. From the jungle, a green, muscular creature charged out with a low growl.

Mike looked at the creature in despair. It was a goblin.