After Su Xiao delivered what seemed to be a nearly fatal blow, the massive tiger's body began to collapse, its huge frame falling toward him.
Feeling the shadow overhead, Su Xiao immediately sensed danger and rolled to the side.
Boom!
Dust flew into the air as the tiger crashed to the ground, seemingly dead.
Covered in blood, Su Xiao stood up, his gaze fixed cautiously on the fallen beast. He didn't approach because the tiger's health bar still had 5% remaining—The Lord of Mt. Colubo wasn't dead yet. This intelligent tiger was playing dead to deceive Su Xiao.
"What a clever beast."
He flicked his sword, shaking off the blood. A spray of it formed a semi-circle on the ground.
Huff...
He heard the tiger's heavy breathing. Though the battle had lasted only a few exchanges, each had been perilous. Su Xiao had already expended a large amount of energy. His endurance was only average, his Constitution stat being 5 points.
In the real world, increasing even 1 point of stats was incredibly difficult. It took Su Xiao three years of hard training to raise his Strength by 1 point and his Agility by 2. These 3 extra points alone were enough for him to dominate ordinary people, showing how significant each stat increase was.
One minute passed, then two. Man and tiger stood in a stalemate. The Lord of Mt. Colubo continued its act of being dead, and Su Xiao didn't attack, choosing to catch his breath.
The tiger, lying in a pool of blood, suddenly opened its remaining eye—its gaze filled with despair and unwillingness.
It's surprising for a beast to show such complex emotions, but it's not unheard of in this world. In fact, in the desert kingdom of this world, there's even a perverted camel that only allows women to ride it.
The Lord of Mt. Colubo managed to stand, its one eye fixed on Su Xiao, black-red blood dripping from its mouth.
Now that Su Xiao had recovered some stamina, he started slowly advancing toward the tiger.
Roar...
The tiger gave a low, threatening growl and swiped a massive paw at Su Xiao in a probing manner.
Su Xiao dodged backward but returned a few seconds later.
He wasn't going to fight the tiger head-on. Despite its wounded state, Su Xiao knew it could still kill him if he wasn't careful. The level of power in this pirate world was simply too high, forcing Su Xiao to remain cautious.
Realizing that Su Xiao was stalling, the Lord of Mt. Colubo finally lost hope. It had encountered a seasoned hunter.
The tiger trembled as it stood tall one last time, letting out a deafening roar that echoed across the entire mountain. It might have been its final roar.
With a burst of energy, the tiger charged directly at Su Xiao, its broken body ignoring the pain of its ruptured organs. It no longer cared about the blade in Su Xiao's hand—its sole focus was to bite him.
Boom. Boom.
As the tiger charged, the ground shook slightly. The beast was about to make its last desperate attack.
But despite its overwhelming momentum, the tiger's severely injured body could no longer support it. After a few strides, its rear legs failed, causing it to stumble and fall to the ground. The attack it had planned to launch turned into a death sentence.
Its wide-open jaws came straight toward Su Xiao. Surprised, Su Xiao didn't hesitate—he drove his sword forward.
Slash.
The blade pierced the soft tissue of the tiger's mouth, cutting through bone and sinking deep into its brain.
Dragon Slayer, a white-rated weapon with a score of 10, was at the pinnacle of white-grade gear, even surpassing some green-grade weapons. Its sharpness was unmatched.
Despite this critical wound, the tiger still wasn't dead. Its health bar had dropped to near zero but wasn't fully depleted. Its resilience was astounding.
What happened next was even more shocking. The tiger, with Su Xiao's blade in its brain, moved forward on its own, forcing the sword deeper into its skull. But this also brought Su Xiao's arm within biting range.
With a powerful snap of its jaws, the tiger clamped down on Su Xiao's right arm.
Pain surged through Su Xiao as his arm was pierced by the beast's teeth. First came the numbness, then excruciating pain.
Even though his entire arm was going numb, Su Xiao didn't let go of his sword. Cold sweat trickled down his face as he pulled out a flintlock pistol with his left hand.
He pressed the gun to the tiger's remaining eye and pulled the trigger.
Bang.
The eye exploded in a burst of fluids.
That shot was the final blow. The tiger's health bar finally emptied, and its jaws loosened from Su Xiao's arm. He yanked his arm free.
His upper arm was a mess of torn flesh, but after checking it, he realized his bones were unharmed. It was painful, but he had avoided serious damage.
The tiger's final attack had been a desperate, instinctive move. Though it looked terrifying, Su Xiao had survived.
[You have killed the Elite Creature, Lord of Mt. Colubo.]
[The Lord of Mt. Colubo was an Elite Creature. You have gained 3.2% World Source. You now have a total of 8.9% World Source.]
[Your talent Soul Devourer has activated, permanently increasing your Mana by 15. Your Mana is now 91.]
As the system messages appeared, Su Xiao relaxed. The Lord of Mt. Colubo was finally dead.
The massive blood loss and exhaustion caused Su Xiao to feel weak all over, and he collapsed onto the ground.
He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, the thin trail of smoke rising into the air.
"Heh... heh heh..."
Still covered in blood, Su Xiao sat on the grass, his shoulders trembling. He was thoroughly addicted to the thrill of battle, the rush of walking the edge between life and death.
In this world, it was simple—the strong survive, and the weak die. Cruel, but straightforward.
Exhaling a cloud of smoke, Su Xiao turned to look at the tiger's corpse.
Floating above the tiger's body was a light green treasure chest, glowing with a mesmerizing green light.
Blood-soaked, Su Xiao struggled to his feet. This was his first time seeing a Green treasure chest.
If opening a white chest could get him something like The Dead Wife's Pendant, then what kind of treasure would a green chest hold? Su Xiao felt a surge of excitement, but now wasn't the time.
In this mysterious forest, danger could lurk at any moment. The blood-soaked ground would soon attract other beasts.
Su Xiao stored away the Green chest, knocked out the tiger's teeth with his sword handle, and prepared to clean up by a nearby water source.
Just then, a faint rustling sound came from a bush about a dozen meters away.
Su Xiao's eyes narrowed sharply, and he gripped Dragon Slayer, staring at the bush.
"Who's there? Come out!"
His shout was firm and commanding. If it was a wild animal, it would surely react.
But the bush remained eerily quiet, which made Su Xiao even more alert.
Someone might be hiding inside.
(End of Chapter)
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Translator's Note :- I am Not that familiar with a lot of the fictional worlds mentioned in the story. So if I make a mistake naming something please correct me by writing a paragraph comment on the mistake. Thank you.