Chapter 42

The mysterious person who once appeared in North Cape Village now stood before Xu Dong once again.

What thoughts would arise in the mind of North Cape Bear, Xu Dong did not know, but he was clear about his own feelings—a strange feeling that could not be described with any words. This feeling, at its core, was a sense of trust.

The mysterious person appeared inexplicably and then stood before Xu Dong.

The three bodyguards by Yang Shaoting's side exchanged glances. The round-faced Awakened who had previously used his powers to kill a villager asked tentatively, "Adventurer?"

The term "adventurer" literally means someone who loves adventure. But with enough knowledge, one would know that adventurers in this world are a transcendent profession. In terms of their work, they travel to every corner of the world, exploring undeveloped secret places. In a more noble sense, their job is to bring benefits to humanity.

Of course, what truly makes adventurers worthy of respect and attention is their strength. High-level adventurers are treated with respect even by the rulers of a country.

The appearance of this adventurer in North Cape Village was fleeting, and Xu Dong had no chance to catch up. Now, she stood less than two meters away from him, and he had lost the impulse to ask her questions. His intuition told him that one day, she would reveal everything on her own.

The adventurer had a certain impact on Yang Shaoting, but after sizing her up a few times, he resumed his indifferent expression. "No badge, no equipment, you have nothing. Just a cloak commonly worn by adventurers. What are you, anyway? But I am quite interested in the duel you proposed."

The female adventurer said indifferently, "Since you agree, let me explain the rules. Your side has three Awakened, and their side has two. Let's have three matches, best two out of three. The winner can make any request, and the loser must comply. What do you think?"

Yang Shaoting looked at the adventurer strangely, scratching his head. "Aren't you the help those villagers hired? According to your proposal, it means our side has three against their two, so one of them will have to fight two consecutive matches... I have no problem with that, but I'm afraid they won't dare."

Yang Shaoting was indeed uneducated, but the fact that he had lived to this age also indicated that he was not stupid. Xu Dong's ability to defeat and capture the bayonet, regardless of the method, was a display of strength. It was best to resolve the matter peacefully without a fight, as the one who would ultimately suffer if things escalated would be himself.

Unexpectedly, Xu Dong shouted, "Why wouldn't they dare?"

Yang Shaoting clapped his hands and laughed. "Good kid, you've got some guts. I actually like you. Don't worry, if you lose, I won't take your life. Just work for me, and you'll never go hungry or thirsty."

From his appearance, it seemed he was certain that Xu Dong would lose.

Yang Shaoting turned to his three bodyguards. "Who among you wants to go first? Don't worry, I, Yang Shaoting, am always generous. Win, and you get ten gold coins as pocket money."

According to the gold coin minting standards of the Great Chen Empire, each coin must weigh 25 grams before circulation. In other words, if we consider the modern perspective, with gold priced at 400 yuan per gram, 25 grams would be worth about 10,000 yuan. Yang Shaoting casually offered ten gold coins as pocket money, which showed that the Yang family behind him was indeed wealthy.

Winning ten gold coins for a fight against an unknown opponent was a small fortune that came too easily. One of the men stepped forward, walking to the side of the arena drawn by the female adventurer with a branch. This man had a square face, and he was about 35 or 36 years old. He was the strongest of the three Awakened, with a broad back and a muscular build, giving a solid and formidable impression just by standing there.

Yang Shaoting was quite satisfied with this subordinate. After all, a big guy always provided more security. Once the big guy was in position, Yang Shaoting looked at Xu Dong provocatively. "Kid, are you going to fight, or is your boss?"

North Cape Bear rumbled, "I'll go first. I won't let you down."

But just as he spoke, the mysterious adventurer suddenly extended her hand to stop him, her indifferent eyes falling on Xu Dong's face. "Let him go first."

North Cape Bear frowned, wanting to scold her, but Xu Dong stopped him. Xu Dong took a deep breath. "I don't know who you are, and I've never seen you, but... never mind."

He turned to North Cape Bear. "In the end, this is all because of me. I'll deal with the trouble I caused. It's only right. Don't try to talk me out of it. I have some confidence in myself."

North Cape Bear sighed softly. He wasn't too optimistic, but since Xu Dong had said so, he could only let him go. Besides, if even Xu Dong couldn't win, he had even less hope.

As Xu Dong stood in the arena, a soft voice whispered in his ear, "This big guy's flesh armor, the Strong Body Magic Armor, ranks 98th on the armor chart. The only feature of this magic armor is its excellent defense against blunt attacks."

Xu Dong pursed his lips, quickly realizing it was the adventurer's voice.

Armor chart? 98th place for the Strong Body Magic Armor? It doesn't seem that impressive, just 98th place.

Although Xu Dong didn't show his disdain on his face, the adventurer seemed to sense it immediately. Another soft voice followed, "There are hundreds of types of human flesh armor, and the chart only has 100 places. Each one that makes the chart has a unique skill. Underestimating your opponent will only lead to one result, and I believe you don't want to see it."

Xu Dong's expression turned serious, and he couldn't help but wonder if his own Ancient Vine Armor could make the chart. However, his initial disdain was now gone.

The big guy bowed from a distance, his voice deep. "I'm Mad Bull. What's your name?"

Xu Dong returned the bow. "Dongzi."

After exchanging names, they fell silent. Mad Bull's arms trembled, and without taking a breath, his chest and abdomen suddenly swelled. His tall and muscular build, already in the largest size of clothing and equipment, now expanded even further, making a creaking sound as the leather armor tightened. In an instant, he had grown to a true mountain of flesh.

He then drew a thick green steel plate from his back, folded it quickly, and in the next second, a hard, round shield with a diameter of about 50 centimeters appeared in his hand. The back of the shield had leather straps and iron chains, and Mad Bull slipped his right hand into them, securing the green steel shield firmly. It became a versatile weapon, both offensive and defensive.

Although Xu Dong had little combat experience, he had played online games in his previous life and quickly understood the opponent's strategy: a defensive counter-attack. A typical tank approach.

Since the opponent was going all out, Xu Dong didn't dare to be overconfident. With a thought, the power of the flesh armor within him surged, rapidly converging in his right leg. A hint of green appeared through the tear in his pants, revealing countless green serpents rapidly climbing inside. When they spread throughout his leg, the vines solidified, forming the intricate and thin Ancient Vine Armor.

A familiar surge of power emerged, and Xu Dong pursed his lips, casting the Insight skill at his opponent.

Race: Human

Name: Mad Bull

Level: 1st Rank 1-Star Awakened

Description: Mad Bull is a warrior trained by the Yang family from a young age. He is resolute and loyal, granted a Power Fruit, which gave him the power of flesh armor.

Abilities:

1. Shield Mastery: Mad Bull is skilled with the round shield, with a 60% overall block rate.

2. Windmill: Mad Bull spins using his weight, using the round shield as a weapon to strike forcefully, pushing back the opponent and causing intense dizziness. The overall dizziness time is 2 seconds, with an 80% hit rate.

3. ???

After receiving this information, Xu Dong subconsciously drew a sharp breath. A 60% overall block rate, an 80% hit rate, and a 2-second dizziness time—these numbers alone spoke volumes. The key point was that this opponent was strong. If the bayonet was a cunning and sharp blade, then Mad Bull was a resilient and rolling mass of flesh. The fight would not be about burst power!

Both sides entered combat mode and began to approach each other slowly.

Young Master Yang had his subordinates bring chairs and snacks, ready to watch a good show. The adventurer crossed her arms, watching coldly. As for North Cape Bear, he could only choose to believe. The villagers, who had stopped working to watch, began to hope, hoping that Xu Dong, as the white fox had said, had the strength to free them.

Finally, the distance between them closed to the last three meters.

Suddenly, Xu Dong accelerated, his empty right hand subtly touching his waist. A sharp and fierce bayonet instantly appeared in his hand. He then swung his arm, the bayonet pointing at a weak spot in the opponent's defense, and thrust it forward with the force of his charge.

The sudden change easily caused visual confusion, disrupting the opponent's plans. After his battle with the bayonet, Xu Dong's experience in fighting Awakened had rapidly increased. Although it was just a regular attack, it was executed with precision and already posed a threat.

As the Insight skill had shown, Mad Bull was indeed skilled with the round shield. He quickly sidestepped, his steps swift, causing a splash of mud between his legs. His right hand deftly extended the shield, blocking Xu Dong's attack. A spark flashed where the weapon and shield met.

Blocking the attack, Mad Bull felt the force was as expected and stepped forward, using the shield to strike Xu Dong in a combined offensive and defensive move.

A life-or-death struggle had begun.