Chapter 63: Fighting with Wisdom
The Troglodyte Guard gave Su Xiao the feeling of a lump of iron. Although not large in build, its body was extremely tough.
Su Xiao was currently at the entrance of the clearing. He took a few quick steps to a steel mechanism and swung his blade, severing a pipe several dozen centimeters thick.
Pfft~.
A large amount of scorching steam erupted. Su Xiao leaped back, and the Troglodyte Guard pursued relentlessly.
The steam spread, cooling upon contact with the air. Though still hot, it wasn't enough to burn the skin.
The steam enveloped Su Xiao and the Troglodyte Guard, turning their vision a blinding white.
Su Xiao's perception was strong. He could clearly sense the Troglodyte Guard's position and its attack movements. This environment was very advantageous for him.
Within the steam, the Troglodyte Guard wildly swung its spiked hammer, occasionally letting out furious roars.
A flash of cold light appeared. Su Xiao slashed at the back of the Troglodyte Guard's neck. The hard sensation of cutting into bone met his blade. After wounding the enemy, he immediately retreated.
The Troglodyte Guard ran around like a headless fly, desperately searching for Su Xiao but finding nothing.
Blade light flashed again. This strike landed on the Troglodyte Guard's back, leaving a bloody wound with skin and flesh turned outward. The searing pain from the Cyan Steel Shadow Energy made the Troglodyte Guard's eyes redden, with large bloodshot veins appearing.
"Roar!"
Letting out a beast-like roar, the Troglodyte Guard gripped its spiked hammer and swung with full force. The powerful wind pressure dispersed some of the steam.
Su Xiao slowly approached behind the Troglodyte Guard, like the Grim Reaper in the mist. Holding his blade with both hands, he thrust it toward the Troglodyte Guard's back.
Swish.
Dragon-Slaying Flash pierced through the Troglodyte Guard's chest, the blade penetrating its heart.
The Troglodyte Guard looked down at the bloodstained blade tip, disbelief in its eyes.
"Ah!"
A shout filled with anger and unwillingness, but the Troglodyte Guard was helpless.
This injury was fatal, but the Troglodyte Guard's vitality was too tenacious. Though blood sprayed from its chest, it still swung its spiked hammer with all its might, trying to crush the enemy within the steam.
After struggling for a full two minutes, the Troglodyte Guard began to stagger.
With a clang, the spiked hammer fell from the Troglodyte Guard's hand, and its body pitched forward.
Looking at the Troglodyte Guard's corpse, Su Xiao's expression wasn't good. This "small fry" was already this strong. How powerful would a leader-level creature be?
[You have killed the Troglodyte Guard.]
[The Troglodyte Guard is a creature of a hidden location. The Hunter may choose one of the following options as a reward.]
Option 1: 3500 Paradise Coins.
Option 2: Treasure chest dropped by the Troglodyte Guard.
Option 3: Soul Crystal (Fragment) ×1
Option 4: Type V Alchemy Virus Resistance 5%. (The core area of the 'Bilumark Alchemy Laboratory' is saturated with Type V Alchemy Virus.)
...
This was the first time Su Xiao encountered this situation. Instead of dropping a treasure chest directly after killing the enemy, several options appeared.
First, he ruled out Paradise Coins. Although valuable, there were many ways to obtain them.
The Troglodyte Guard was just a minor minion in the 'Bilumark Alchemy Laboratory,' so the value of its dropped chest might not be high.
As for the Soul Crystal (Fragment), Su Xiao had never heard of it. After checking, he learned that ten Soul Crystal (Fragments) could be synthesized into one Soul Crystal (Small).
The final option, Option 4, was interesting—a resistance to an alchemy virus.
The fact that Reincarnation Paradise offered this reward suggested only one possibility: upon reaching the core of the 'Bilumark Alchemy Laboratory,' Reincarnation Paradise likely wouldn't provide stronger air filtration devices. Su Xiao would have to endure it with his own body.
Without hesitation, he chose Type V Alchemy Virus Resistance 5%. He needed to traverse the 'Bilumark Alchemy Laboratory' and would most likely pass through the core area.
Su Xiao looked over at Bubuteni's situation.
Unlike Su Xiao's side, Bubuteni's situation was unusually lively. Bubuteni ran ahead while three Troglodyte Guards chased behind.
Bubuteni occasionally turned his head to bark, his tail wagging rapidly, drawing aggro effectively.
The three Troglodyte Guards roared in anger, causing chaos in the clearing.
Su Xiao didn't immediately engage. Instead, he severed several main pipes in the clearing, releasing a massive amount of steam. The steam spread, rapidly raising the temperature.
Bubuteni's combat intelligence noticeably increased. He trotted with small steps into the steam.
Having been led around by Bubuteni for so long, the three Troglodyte Guards naturally wouldn't let it go. They followed Bubuteni closely into the steam.
Just as the three Troglodyte Guards entered the edge of the steam, a long blade thrust out from within.
Pfft.
One Troglodyte Guard was directly pierced through the throat. With the strike successful, Su Xiao immediately retreated back into the steam.
An unexpected situation occurred. A steel spiked hammer was hurled by a Troglodyte Guard, whistling toward Su Xiao.
Bang.
The tip of the hammer struck Su Xiao's chest. He staggered a few steps, nearly falling. A sweet, coppery taste rushed to his throat. The struck area went numb and quickly swelled. After the numbness passed, intense pain set in, as if a large stone were pressing on his chest.
Gently pressing his chest, Su Xiao sucked in a sharp breath from the pain. Though his ribs weren't broken, they were definitely cracked.
The three Troglodyte Guards entered the steam. Su Xiao endured the pain and met them.
Within the blinding white steam, the three Troglodyte Guards poked their heads around, searching for Su Xiao.
Su Xiao seized every opportunity to strike, targeting the Troglodyte Guard that was empty-handed.
With their vision obstructed and occasionally taking a hit, the three Troglodyte Guards became extremely furious, wildly swinging their spiked hammers.
Bang.
A dull thud rang out—one Troglodyte Guard's hammer smashed into another's head.
The struck Troglodyte Guard shook its head, blood streaming from its skull, which showed slight indentation.
"Obute tata... (Unknown language)."
"Kikikakamen... (Unknown language)."
The two Troglodyte Guards exchanged hostile words, their voices growing louder until they started arguing.
The unarmed Troglodyte Guard opened and closed its mouth, seemingly trying to mediate, but a spiked hammer smashed into its nose. Blood splattered, and its face was a mess.
The two Troglodyte Guards actually began infighting. The one who had been hit for no reason stood aside aggrievedly, while also staying alert to its surroundings.
How could Su Xiao miss such a golden opportunity? He slashed at the unarmed Troglodyte Guard.
Three minutes later, the battle ended. The unarmed Troglodyte Guard was decapitated with a single strike.
The remaining two Troglodyte Guards continued fighting in the steam, the battle brutal as they aimed their hammers at each other's heads.
Troglodytes weren't unintelligent, but their nature was exceptionally brutal. They would even devour injured kin, a rare trait among intelligent beings.
Su Xiao didn't disturb the two Troglodyte Guards' fight. This was the first time he encountered such a good opportunity to reap the benefits without lifting a finger.
Five minutes later, both Troglodyte Guards' heads were deformed, their faces covered in blood. Yet even so, they still swung their hammers with force, showing just how ferocious these creatures were.
The timing was perfect. Su Xiao stepped in. Without much effort, he finished off the two Troglodyte Guards.
For the rewards from the three Troglodyte Guards, Su Xiao chose 'Type V Alchemy Virus Resistance' each time, bringing his resistance to 20%.
Su Xiao tried killing a Troglodyte Laborer but received no reward—not even an increase in mana.
Checking the records, he found that his innate ability, Soul Devourer, had already increased his mana by 100 points, reaching the upper limit for a single derivative world. Su Xiao's current mana was a full 573 points.