Chapter 15: Finishing Blow

Surveying the battlefield, Liu Feng said to Zhou Wan in an urgent tone, "I'll deal with the big one. You find a way to kill the small one. Do it now!"

With that, he shot forward like an arrow released from its bowstring.

He rushed toward the Oil Saw that had fallen to the ground during the Giant Crocodile Lizard's violent thrashing and snatched it up. Without a moment's hesitation, he spun around and lunged at the Giant Crocodile Lizard, which was tightly entangled by dozens of frenzied vines.

Sensing a lethal threat, the beast struggled to open its vine-bound maw to bite the charging Liu Feng. However, it was so firmly restricted by the vines that even parting its jaws was incredibly difficult.

Liu Feng's eyes flashed with ruthlessness. Ignoring the Crocodile Lizard's futile movements, he raised the buzzing Oil Saw, aimed it at the bleeding wound Lu Minghu had sliced open earlier, and pressed down viciously.

SQUELCH! CRUNCH! RIP!

The piercing screech of the Oil Saw cutting into flesh instantly drowned out the monster's roar. The high-speed rotating teeth violently clashed with the tough Scale Armor, muscle, and bone.

"Die!" Liu Feng roared.

Instantly, crimson beast blood sprayed out like a fountain, splashing across the walls, the ceiling, and Liu Feng's ferocious face. Bits of shredded flesh and fragments of bone splattered everywhere amid the roaring of the Oil Saw.

ROAR!

Suffering such a grievous blow, the Giant Crocodile Lizard let out a wretched howl, its massive body thrashing violently.

On the other side, Zhou Wan drew a fresh arrow from her quiver. Gripping the end of the shaft with both hands, she put her entire body weight and strength behind it, driving it forcefully into the wide-open yellow slitted pupil of the small Crocodile Lizard.

SQUELCH!

The sharp alloy arrowhead pierced through the relatively fragile cornea without resistance, plunging deep into the eyeball.

HISS!

The small Crocodile Lizard shuddered violently. Its entire body then went into a frantic spasm, as if it had been struck by a high-voltage current.

At the same time, the terrifying force generated by the death throes of the two Crocodile Lizards bore down entirely on Han Ning, who was controlling the vines.

"Urgh..."

Han Ning let out a muffled groan. For a moment, he could barely maintain the vines' grip. It felt as if his brain was being repeatedly pierced by countless red-hot steel needles, while his body was being torn apart by two giant elephants.

His Spiritual Power drained away madly like floodwaters through an open dam. His face turned deathly pale in the blink of an eye, blood trickled from his nostrils, and his vision darkened as stars danced before his eyes.

On his interface, his Spiritual Power plummeted straight from [6/15] to [1/15].

"Hurry! Hurry up! I... I can't hold on much longer!" Han Ning's voice was hoarse as he desperately maintained the vines through sheer willpower alone.

Just then, a voice called out. "I'll... help..."

Chen Yan, who had earlier been sent flying by the Giant Crocodile Lizard, staggered to his feet and stumbled toward the beast. He threw his arms wide, using both his intact right arm and injured left arm to lock the Giant Crocodile Lizard's thick neck in a death grip.

With Chen Yan's help, the pressure on Han Ning and Liu Feng dropped sharply. The latter violently pressed the Oil Saw down and pulled.

CRUNCH—RIP!!

Amidst the teeth-setting sounds of splintering bone and tearing muscle, the Giant Crocodile Lizard's hideous head was finally cleaved completely open. Nearly half of its head drooped at a grotesque angle, barely attached by a flap of bloody skin. The vicious glint in its ping-pong-ball-sized yellow slitted pupils gradually faded, and the strength behind its struggles slowly vanished.

Almost simultaneously, the small Crocodile Lizard, whose brain had been scrambled by Zhou Wan, went limp. Only its tail continued to twitch erratically from residual nerve impulses.

Han Ning, who had been maintaining the vines this whole time, slightly raised his head, an inexplicable glint flashing in his eyes. His previous experience of obtaining Energy from killing the juvenile Crocodile Lizard told him that upon death, these monsters would likely release Energy that could nourish their bodies. He wondered if the Energy would be distributed based on who landed the killing blow, potentially allowing the others to reap the rewards.

Expending his very last shred of Spiritual Power, Han Ning silently controlled two vines, stabbing them respectively into the eyes of the Giant Crocodile Lizard and the small Crocodile Lizard.

SQUELCH! SQUELCH!

With the faint sound of piercing flesh, the tips of the vines plunged deep into their eyeballs. Following the optic nerve pathways, they drilled right into their brains and churned viciously!

The Giant Crocodile Lizard's massive body gave a violent twitch before falling completely still. The small Crocodile Lizard's final nerve reflexes also abruptly ceased.

The moment the life force of the two Crocodile Lizards completely dissipated, an anomaly occurred.

Two Energy Flows of different sizes, emitting a soft, pure blue light, drifted out from the corpses of the large and small Crocodile Lizards respectively. The larger mass was the size of a ping-pong ball, swirling with a light blue halo. The smaller one was about the size of a marble, its light slightly dimmer.

Unlike last time, these two masses of Energy did not fly directly toward Han Ning. Instead, they suddenly split apart in midair.

The large blue Energy Light Group abruptly split into five. The largest portion, taking up fully half of the original mass, sank into Han Ning's chest. The next largest flew toward the blood-soaked Chen Yan. Two more, roughly equal in size, shot respectively toward Liu Feng, who was leaning heavily on the Oil Saw panting for breath, and Zhou Wan, who had just pulled out her brain-matter-coated arrow. The smallest stream drifted like a gentle brook toward the corner of the room, entering the still-unconscious Lu Minghu amidst a pile of wood shavings.

The small blue Energy Light Group likewise split into five even smaller streams of light, entering the five people's bodies in a similar proportion.

After entering Han Ning's body, the two masses of light merged into one. A warm current, far more massive than the one he had experienced after killing the juvenile Crocodile Lizard, surged from the depths of his body. Wherever the warm current flowed, the intense pain in his brain caused by overdrawing his Spiritual Power was relieved. The hollow sensation of his body being completely drained also gradually faded away.

Lines of illusory text automatically floated into Han Ning's vision.

[Druid Level increased, Level 2 → Level 3, Current Progress 1/300]

[Spiritual Power Cap increased, 15 → 20]

[Current Spiritual Power: 11/20]

[Awakened New Skill: Tree Skin Technique]

[Tree Skin Technique (Basic Level): Condense a layer of tough, woody skin on the surface of the body to provide additional protection; Current Skill Level 1/100]

"I leveled up again..." Han Ning muttered.

He acted just like the others, wearing an expression of shock. However, his surprise was due to his Level increase. The others, who had clearly just killed a Crocodile Lizard for the first time, were amazed that the beasts could release Energy Light Groups upon death.

"What... what is this?" Chen Yan asked, flexing his left arm. His eyes widened as he watched the lingering blue light on his body slowly dissipate. Looking toward Han Ning and Liu Feng, he marveled, "I feel like my body is recovering."

After going through a battle, his demeanor was no longer as cold and aloof as before.

"It's pretty obvious. Killing monsters grants you these orbs of light. It's just like gaining experience to level up in a game," Liu Feng said. He turned off the Oil Saw, sat off to the side, and carefully savored the changes in his body. He murmured, "It feels like soaking in a hot spring. It's incredibly comfortable."

"Kill monsters to gain Energy... what kind of rule is this? This world... is very bizarre," Zhou Wan muttered, her expression complex.

"Who cares about the rules!" Liu Feng said, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "If it makes us stronger and keeps us alive, it's a good thing! It turns out coming out to gather intel was the right move. If we had just stayed holed up in our rooms, how would we ever have discovered a secret like this?"

"That brings up another question. How exactly are the orbs of light distributed after a monster dies?" Zhou Wan asked with a frown.