Chapter 540: Chapter 274: Iron Stomach Flail and the Ruined Chapel
Already accustomed.
The rusty scent of blood silently permeates the mist.
A blood-stained gauze glides lightly over the surface of the dark brown wooden sword, the warmth remaining on the blade can still be felt by the fingertips.
Wipe away the final trace of blood.
Xia Nan sheathes the sword.
Stepping forward, Grey White leg armor strides over the headless body of the half-orc.
The pitch-black eyes contain nothing but coldness, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
Not knowing when, he seems to have grown accustomed to this feeling of plundering life.
Clearly a little over a year ago, he was just an ordinary office worker striving in the workplace, having never even killed a chicken, yet now he could disregard the passing of life.
Is it due to the Green-skinned goblins he used to vent his suppressed emotions, or the increasingly strong power gained from his adventure?
Or perhaps... his true nature is just like this, merely hidden by the comfort of his past life?
Now is not the time for inner analysis.
More important in comparison is the timely maintenance of the wooden sword.
After all, it comes from an Exotic Secret Realm, and it is highly probable that there are no related materials for it on the Aifala Continent. Even though the body is sturdy, if there is damage from daily wear and tear, it is feared repairs wouldn’t know where to start.
If there is this chance, it should be carefully taken care of to extend the weapon’s usage time.
And as for the Green-skinned orc who has been turned into a headless corpse on the ground, the bad impression it left in Grey Valley Village is reason enough for its death.
Xia Nan consistently harbors disdain toward these bastards who use some strength to oppress ordinary civilians baselessly.
Not self-proclaiming as any "ally of justice," nor thinking of himself as a benevolent good person.
It is simply instinctive revulsion influenced by his worldview.
Looking forward, Xia Nan sees no more living beings ahead, only corpses scattered across the small plaza.
His gaze sweeps over a few bodies whose heads have been neatly severed, as well as the nearby fat knight, also decapitated.
His keen Perception Ability, even compared to the adventurer team who are farther away, and despite the strange thick mist in the air, Xia Nan noticed the oddities of the plaza far earlier.
Of course, he also discovered the decayed knight in the center of the field, appearing like an Elite Monster fallen into slumber.
He naturally would not let those deliberately left ahead for him to explore, step onto traps smoothly.
Making the best use of things.
Xia Nan needs to know the actual combat strength of these monsters and the aspects that may require caution and vigilance.
If it’s overly dangerous, it would also allow him, who has not been exposed, to retreat promptly and come back to explore later.
Thus, utilizing his own Gravity Control ability, he gave these adventurers hidden surprises within the thick fog.
There is no need to exert much effort, nor be concerned about revealing himself.
Gravity is shapeless and colorless; it only requires the right timing and a subtle position, to slightly reduce or increase.
It’s enough to achieve his aim.
Without even using a backup plan, Xia Nan successfully made the tall human Ranger generate sufficient commotion.
A skirmish commenced.
Though there was no actual confrontation with the Elite Monster on the field, merely through their temporary battle against the nearby corpses, determining their rough strength wasn’t difficult.
Not far from his expectations, Professional Levels should be between lv1-3, with none significantly surpassing or lagging behind.
Their professional competence was also within expectations.
Using a teammate’s life as a cost, they tacitly secured the opportunity for the team to progress safely.
Xia Nan observed very clearly from the sidelines, after receiving the command of the captain, the half-orc rushed forward, the remaining individuals did not utter a sound directly; their eye contact completed the communication.
With a strange tacit understanding — breaking through, retreating, leaving the half-orc alone on the field.
Whether this big fellow’s position in the team was originally like this, or whether the remaining three had a private plan beforehand, is unknown.
Furthermore, through the battle between the half-orc and the fat knight, even if it was just a few simple rounds, he roughly understood the Elite Monster’s fighting style and weaknesses.
With a massive, fat body, metal armor on the surface of the fat and skin grants the opponent exaggerated physical strength and instant explosiveness, while also endowing it with considerable Defense Ability.
Even if employed in the barbarian profession, the naturally gifted half-orc is inferior in grappling, unable even to break through defense.
All strengths on his body are perfectly covered by the knight, with Professional Level’s actual battle power playing out less than half.
But to Xia Nan, it’s quite easy to handle.
Sparing a few trump cards for the time being aside, his own combat style, balancing explosive power and mobility, swift and fierce, perfectly counters this clumsy giant.
And with effective damage bonuses, the wooden sword Green Pine with Yang Flame effect further drastically reduces the opponent’s Defense Ability.
Originally capable of easily blocking the blunt force of the half-orc like a sandbag, the fat, under the dim flame-lit blade, provides no resistance, melting and splitting smoothly.
Furthermore, the layered fat around the opponent’s neck pushes the metal neck guard meant to protect vital points upwards, as if voluntarily opening a pathway for Xia Nan’s attack.
With only slight aim, adding Yang Flame damage to Green Pine, combined with Full Level Vortex Slash, following the creases piled between the fat, gripping the sword hilt with force, a round head smoothly rolls down from the shoulder.