Chapter 36 – Second Encounter with One-Eye

Volume 1: Apocalypse Beginning

"You damn Beast, I'll kill you!!!"

Guan Tao roared, wanting to fight One-Eye to the death, but was held back tightly by Wan Ping behind him.

His bloodshot eyes turned to look back, only to see Wan Ping's tears streaming down in large drops. Trembling, he said, "Don't go, Tao-Ge, don't go. We can't win, we can't win…"

"Let go, let go! So if we can't win, we just give up? What about Wan An?!" Guan Tao cried out in pain, but his strength to move forward grew weaker and weaker, until it vanished completely.

In the face of death, his courage quietly faded away.

"Go, hurry!" Wan Ping forced himself to stay strong, unable to bear looking at his broken, fallen brother on the ground. He dragged Guan Tao and shouted at Lin Li.

Lin Li was clearly caught off guard by the situation, staring blankly at the Mutant Beast across from them, then at Wan An lying lifeless on the ground. He rubbed his eyes hard, grabbed Guan Tao, and quickly fled to the rear.

Fortunately, One-Eye's attention was not on the remaining few.

Just as Wan An was flung aside, Wen Yu was also teleported out from the Treasure Land, and immediately saw this persistent Dead Dog.

The sight of One-Eye made Wen Yu's heart shudder. In just a few days, its entire body had grown even larger, now as tall as a person. Its thick limbs and blood-filled maw dripped fresh blood continuously from its sharp teeth. That blood belonged to Wan An.

Although Wen Yu had no particular fondness for Wan An-they barely even knew each other-it didn't stop anger from rising in Wen Yu's heart.

Scenes like this, Wen Yu had seen far too many in his previous life: humans eaten by Mutant Beasts, humans slaughtered by Demonic Creatures, even humans tortured by other humans. It had nothing to do with personality, just the empathy of being human.

One-Eye also realized it had grabbed the wrong target, but it didn't matter-the mistake had already been dealt with.

Staring coldly at his old neighbor, the killing intent in One-Eye's eyes grew ever stronger.

Why had it come here? For revenge, to kill the humans before it-and that goal was now within reach.

…

Wen Yu drew his Steel Blade. There was no avoiding this fight, and today, he had to deal with One-Eye. This Beast's thirst for revenge was too strong. If Wen Yu had been the one ambushed just now, he wasn't confident he could escape One-Eye's jaws unharmed. If he didn't kill this Beast, his days ahead would be plagued by trouble.

A thief may steal for a thousand days, but you can't guard against him for a thousand days.

Once again entering Combat State-Wen Yu had exited it after the previous challenge ended, but as his Soul Beast's physique grew stronger, his recovery rate had clearly improved. In just a short while, Wen Yu could once again muster his full strength to face the crisis before him.

One-Eye sensed the human's killing intent and let out two fierce roars, its deep growls echoing through the silent park.

Wen Yu launched the attack first. Leaning forward, his whole body, fueled by the explosive power of 20 points in physique, shot toward One-Eye like a gust of wind. He raised his Steel Blade, aiming straight for One-Eye's eye and stabbed fiercely.

Though One-Eye had evolved to Level 2, its physical attributes were still slightly inferior to Wen Yu in Combat State. It barely managed to dodge Wen Yu's assault by turning its head, but the Steel Blade sliced open the corner of its eye, blood seeping out bit by bit. At the same time, its soul was shaken violently.

One-Eye couldn't help but let out a miserable howl, driven by the stabbing pain. A massive wave of sound and the stench from its mouth burst forth, kicking up a cloud of dust.

S-Rank Ability: Fate Struggle activated.

Its enormous claw swept rapidly toward Wen Yu, but Wen Yu dodged with a swift sidestep. Although Fate Struggle was a powerful ability, Wen Yu had noticed during their earlier exchanges that One-Eye had clearly just undergone Promotion. Its physical attributes were only slightly above 10 points, completely incomparable to Wen Yu's own.

Ignoring One-Eye's unknown abilities, Wen Yu once again swung his Steel Blade, slashing repeatedly at One-Eye's body. Relying on the effects of Soul Strike, he continuously inflicted massive damage on One-Eye.

One-Eye's fighting will was undeniably strong. Despite the heavy blows, it stubbornly endured the damage Wen Yu dealt, counterattacking relentlessly. Although these counterattacks had little effect, they did slow Wen Yu's offensive momentum.

Moreover, Wen Yu clearly felt that One-Eye's physical attributes were continuously strengthening.

"It should be some kind of amplification ability where the more severe the injuries, the stronger it becomes. The only thing I don't know is the upper limit." Having fought One-Eye twice now, if Wen Yu still couldn't deduce the effect of its skill, then all his years of experience would have been for nothing.

Wen Yu understood. With the battle at this stage, there was no room left for maneuver. No matter what this Beast's ability was, or how much it could amplify its own strength, as long as One-Eye continued to suffer damage from Soul Strike, Wen Yu still had a chance-he could still kill One-Eye with a decisive blow.

As the fight went on, the dynamics of the battle subtly shifted.

At first, Wen Yu's combat power completely outclassed the newly Promoted One-Eye. But as One-Eye's physical attributes grew stronger, the gap gradually closed, and Wen Yu inevitably began to fall behind. The newly replaced Protective Suit now bore several fresh scratches.

At the same time, as One-Eye's strength increased, the effect of Soul Strike grew weaker, and Wen Yu's attacks landed less and less frequently. Gradually, when One-Eye's physical attributes reached around 25 points, the situation reached a stalemate.

On one hand, Wen Yu was doing his utmost to control the pace of the fight. At this point, he could already sense that One-Eye's ability was extremely formidable. As Soul Strike continued to take effect, it was only a matter of time before One-Eye became so strong that Wen Yu would be powerless to resist. Wen Yu's only chance now was to land a single, fatal blow and kill One-Eye. Otherwise, his chances of victory were slim.

On the other hand, One-Eye was deeply terrified of the Soul Strike ability. It could feel its own consciousness growing increasingly muddled. If it continued to take hits, its soul might be completely torn apart by the human before it. Even if it survived, it would likely become a raving, deranged monster. For One-Eye, who already possessed considerable intelligence, such an outcome was absolutely unacceptable.

Both sides tacitly stopped at the same time. Wen Yu raised his blade and stared at One-Eye, while One-Eye, panting heavily, glared back at Wen Yu with hatred. It seemed this Beast also realized it had no way to deal with Wen Yu today.

Wen Yu was equally frustrated. His weapon wasn't powerful enough; physical attacks alone couldn't inflict significant damage on One-Eye, and Soul Strike only served to continuously strengthen it. This battle was simply unwinnable.

Wen Yu decided not to waste any more time with One-Eye. There was no point, and judging by One-Eye's demeanor, it clearly had no hope for revenge today either.

However, the two of them seemed to have forgotten where they currently were-or rather, whose lair they were in.