Chapter 23: -44!

“Awoo!”

Before the longsword in Luo Taozhi’s hand could thrust forward, the Wild Wolf King’s **[Angry Howl]** rang out. Ripples of black energy formed with the howl, spreading out in circles in every direction.

-55

-55

…

Xiao Nanchu, who was standing close by, had no time to react. The moment he came into contact with the black ripples, bright red damage numbers popped up over his head as he took the full brunt of two hits.

However, subsequent black ripples that hit him produced no damage numbers. Instead, an invisible force pushed Xiao Nanchu back a significant distance.

The moment Luo Taozhi saw Xiao Nanchu take damage, she reacted. She leaped into the air, attempting to dodge.

Unfortunately, her level was still too low.

With insufficient Agility, she could smoothly dodge small-range attacks, but against a large-scale, persistent AOE like this, she couldn’t guarantee that her jump height or distance would be enough to escape perfectly.

Caught by the multiple circles of surging ripples, Luo Taozhi eventually took a hit by mistake.

-168

…

“Ugh!”

A slight pang of pain resonated in her mind. The moment the black ripple hit her, Luo Taozhi inevitably felt a wave of dizziness.

Her vision blurred and wobbled as a string of small text appeared alongside the damage value.

**[Player has been hit by [Angry Howl]. Performing Qi Defense check…]**

**[Qi Defense: 3550]**

**[Check failed. Stunned…]**

Compared to Luo Taozhi, Xiao Nanchu suffered no negative status effects.

Being pushed back by the ripples didn’t bother him. He immediately raised his sword and shield, charging once more toward the boss, which was temporarily immobilized after finishing its skill.

-600

**[Shield Bash]**!

-250!

**[Stun]**!

The Wild Wolf King recovered from the ending lag of its **[Angry Howl]** and was about to pounce on the stunned “two-legged beast.” However, it was immediately frozen by Xiao Nanchu’s **[Shield Bash]**.

Although it only faltered for a brief moment, its next move was successfully interrupted.

Xiao Nanchu quickly glanced at his own Health Points before turning to run as far away from the Wild Wolf King as possible.

**[HP: 90/400]**

‘Are you kidding me? If I don’t run, I’m dead.’

He didn’t think his mechanical skills were good enough to dodge the boss’s attacks indefinitely.

The Wild Wolf King shook its head violently, shaking off the stun from Xiao Nanchu. Its eyes filled with ferocity as it charged toward the stunned Luo Taozhi.

Fortunately, Luo Taozhi was still some distance away from the wolf. Between the ending lag of the **[Angry Howl]** and the interruption from Xiao Nanchu’s stun, her two-second stun finally wore off just a second before the Wild Wolf King reached her for a **[Bite]**.

Luo Taozhi’s body twisted sharply, and she narrowly avoided the wolf’s jaws in an incredibly close call.

Taking advantage of the Wild Wolf King’s recovery animation, she performed a light hop. She thrust her longsword forward again, aiming straight for the wolf’s other eye!

-150!

**[Weak Point Critical Hit]**!

**[Blindness]**!

With both eyes now severely damaged by Luo Taozhi, the Wild Wolf King was instantly plunged into darkness.

Furious and panicked, the wolf began to leap and thrash about, blindly biting and clawing at everything around it. It used every means possible to drive away the invisible “two-legged beasts” that were trying to kill it.

Unfortunately, it couldn’t hit Luo Taozhi even when it could see her, let alone now that it was blind.

Its haphazard movements were full of openings in her eyes. It was just like any other dying Demonic Beast. At the final moment, they always tried to take their enemies down with them, but unfortunately, no Demonic Beast had ever succeeded against her.

The Wild Wolf King would be no exception.

Luo Taozhi’s figure danced alongside the wolf’s madness, looking like a leaf in a storm or a small boat amidst giant waves. A single mistake would mean being crushed to pieces.

-44

-44

-44

…

-68!

-68!

…

As the wounds on the Wild Wolf King’s body multiplied, Luo Taozhi’s damage increased from forty-four to sixty-eight. Consistent, bright red critical numbers continued to float up from the wolf’s body.

Clearly, Luo Taozhi was not only surviving the wolf’s desperate counter-offensive but was even doing so with enough ease to precisely strike the existing wounds with her longsword.

[Wild Wolf King]
Level: 8
HP: 2352/5000

With over half of its Health Points gone, the Wild Wolf King’s struggles grew even more violent.

Its massive body crashed into the surrounding bushes, snapping branches and sending dirt flying. Its frantic claws slammed into the ground, gouging out deep pits, yet it could never even touch the hem of Luo Taozhi’s clothes.

Meanwhile, Xiao Nanchu’s Health Points had recovered, and he returned to the battlefield. Seeing the scene before him, he couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement.

It was terrifying.

If it were him, he would never have been able to counter-attack so gracefully amidst such a fierce assault.

-68

-68

-44

-68

…

The Wild Wolf King’s HP continued to plummet.

Seemingly realizing that nothing it did could stop its steady march toward death, the wolf suddenly stopped its meaningless biting. It jerked its head toward the sky and unleashed another wolf howl laced with black energy.

“Awoo!!”

The familiar black ripples radiated from the Wild Wolf King once more. Circles of black energy surged outward—it was another **[Angry Howl]**!

“Tch!”

Luo Taozhi had already seen this move once. The moment the Wild Wolf King raised its head, she had already started sprinting in the opposite direction.

Unfortunately, her Agility was still insufficient.

The black ripples eventually caught up to her, and damage numbers appeared above her head once more.

-168

**[HP: 204/540]**

Her Health Points dropped below half in an instant, and the familiar two-second stun returned. Luo Taozhi froze in place again.

At this point, the Wild Wolf King had finished its skill animation. Although it couldn’t see Luo Taozhi’s position, its keen sense of smell guided it toward her general location.

“Awoo!”

An excited howl escaped its throat.

The Wild Wolf King knew that the fragile “two-legged beast” that had blinded it could definitely not survive another one of its attacks!

Just as it was about to charge toward her, a sudden, sharp pain exploded in its lower back.

-600

**[Shield Bash]**!

-250!

**[Stun]**!

The Wild Wolf King’s body stiffened. Blinded by rage, it had actually forgotten that there was another “two-legged beast” present!

It swung its claws violently behind it!

-200

Taking the hit, a bright red damage number popped up over Xiao Nanchu.

But Xiao Nanchu didn’t care anymore. At that moment, the indicator above the Wild Wolf King’s head was flashing brightly!

[Wild Wolf King]
Level: 8
HP: 605/5000

Xiao Nanchu and the Wild Wolf King attacked almost simultaneously.

However, the Wild Wolf King, which had been momentarily stiffened by the **[Shield Bash]**, was ultimately one step slower. Xiao Nanchu’s damage registered on the wolf first.

-600

A second later, the wolf’s claws landed on him.

-200

As the damage number popped up, Xiao Nanchu’s body dissolved into specks of starlight and disappeared.

But before the Wild Wolf King could make its next move, a longsword struck home.

-44!