Chapter 34

The ground split open again with a thunderous roar, and Rodi cursed as he immediately dodged to the side, feeling another large tree behind him shatter into pieces. He quickly hid under the giant tree he had used to stall Serix, listening to the rapidly spinning wood chips pierce deep into the trunk with a "thud, thud, thud." He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

There was no way out now. Since this mutated scorpion had entered the battle, Rodi could no longer escape—this fight had to be won, not lost, or it would mean certain death.

But as for a strategy, Rodi's chaotic mind couldn't come up with anything... In the end, he decided to try the old method first.

He took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the giant tree that countless players had used to kite the scorpion, preparing to draw the Scorpion King's attention—only to see a rapidly enlarging black shadow as soon as he showed his head.

"Boom!"

If Rodi hadn't dodged quickly, he would have been smashed into a pulp!

The Scorpion King, whose name he didn't even know, shattered a third of the thick tree trunk with a single strike. Rodi felt a bunch of insects and leaves fall from above, and his heart turned cold.

Running to a distance, Rodi realized that trees of this thickness couldn't stop the scorpion's advance. With no other choice, he found the thickest tree in the forest and waited for the scorpion to come. Before he could catch his breath, he noticed the Scorpion King suddenly stop and start pounding the ground with its large pincers, while emitting a shrill hiss.

"Is... is this the second phase summon?!"

The rustling sound grew louder, and countless dimly glowing shadows appeared in the dark forest. These small fluorescent scorpions, which should only appear when the Scorpion King's health dropped to 70%, were already swarming in large numbers!

Thinking of Sally, who was nearby and had no idea how to deal with the situation, Rodi shouted into the darkness, "Run! Run as far as you can!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the giant tree he was leaning against suddenly shook!

Numerous splinters flew past his face, and Rodi saw the Scorpion King's pincers deeply embedded in the once solid tree trunk, the bristles on them less than ten centimeters from his eyes...

Everything was out of his control, completely different from what he had imagined.

According to the original plan, Rodi was supposed to lead the Scorpion King to the trap, use the hanging stones to chip away at its health when it was lured by the fish smell, and then use poisoned arrows to cause continuous damage when it was dazed. Finally, he would use the long spear made from the giant tree to deliver the fatal blow...

But now, the raging giant scorpion was completely immune to this strategy. Rodi could feel its immense strength, which could easily crush a tree that required two people to encircle it. The thickness of its carapace was also beyond imagination. When a fallen giant tree hit it, it seemed to have no effect at all. Although Rodi maintained a calm face, he felt immense pressure, and the distant scream from Sally made his heart sink even further.

If Sally died at the hands of those scorpions, all his efforts would be in vain—thinking of this, Rodi steeled his resolve and, with the trap only a few dozen meters away, sprinted forward.

No matter what, he had to try.

Sally, who was hiding behind the giant tree that Rodi had placed her in, was experiencing the most terrifying moment of her life.

She never imagined that so many fluorescent scorpions would suddenly emerge from the ground, each one incredibly large—despite Rodi's warning, Sally still screamed in terror. She was forced back by the dense swarm of scorpions until her back hit the tree, only to realize that she had attracted all the scorpions to her.

Sally might not have known about the "group taunt" skill in the game, but her actions clearly embodied its essence. Looking at the hundreds of scorpions surging toward her, she gripped the dagger Rodi had given her, her legs trembling and unable to move. She looked toward where Rodi was, hoping for help, but heard his determined shout.

"Run?"

When Sally heard the vague shout, she realized she couldn't rely on anyone else.

Strength seemed to return to her body, and the calm and intelligent girl she usually was finally regained control. She took a deep breath and, seeing the scorpions' encirclement not yet complete, ran out!

"Circle the trees. Circle the trees."

Repeating the method Rodi had taught her, Sally's face tensed as she darted through the forest. Her running speed was far inferior to Rodi's, but it was still faster than the short-legged, slow-moving scorpions. Cold wind blew across her face, and she frowned, trying to focus on the path ahead, calmly dodging around the thick tree trunks.

In theory, if the scorpions surrounded her, she would have no way out, but the actual situation was astonishing—when Sally disappeared behind a tree, the scorpions that were rapidly approaching suddenly paused, and only a few continued toward the tree she was behind, while the others slowed down, queuing up behind them!

For players, this was just a strategy exploiting the game mechanics, not even a "bug," but for Sally, it meant she could use Rodi's advice to save her life!

The shock in Sally's heart gradually turned into a strange feeling, and as she ran, she couldn't help but wonder what Rodi was doing and if something had gone wrong.

Before she could spare a glance at the distance, the Scorpion King's agonized hiss echoed through the forest.

The fluorescent scorpions on the ground suddenly paused, then, as if receiving a stimulus, their pace quickened, making the already breathless Sally even more nervous, and she quickened her pace...

In the distance, Rodi had just cut the second vine holding the stone, causing the massive rock to smash onto the scorpion's head—

"Bang!"

The Scorpion King was hit directly on the head, and the shattered stones flew everywhere, but it stood there motionless...

Rodi was quite surprised; he never expected the fish he had thrown into the trap to have such an effect—after smelling the fish, the scorpion completely abandoned Rodi, using its pincers to flip through the stinky fish Rodi had thrown into the trap, showing no intention of continuing the chase...

What was this? Confused aggression? A bug?

Faced with this unfamiliar Scorpion King boss, Rodi was puzzled but immediately seized the opportunity to smash the giant rock onto the scorpion. The scorpion's hiss immediately gave him hope of winning the battle.

When the third giant rock hit the scorpion's head, blood splattered, and a dent appeared in the scorpion's carapace—yet, even so, it did not shift its attention to Rodi. Its massive body moved through the forest, and even when it fell into Rodi's trap, it could escape in two seconds, seemingly obsessed with eating the live fish used as bait...

Rodi took advantage of the situation and consecutively smashed five more giant rocks onto the scorpion's head.

The battle, filled with unexpected turns, took on a bizarre atmosphere. Rodi's panel showed the boss's health, which had been reduced by 50%, but this situation made him even more nervous—his supply of rocks was not infinite, with only seven stones and a wooden spear, and he still had no confidence in defeating the scorpion.

The scorpion's strange behavior was completely out of the ordinary, and even the strategy to deal with Serix did not involve the scorpion foolishly jumping into the trap and getting smashed.

The peculiarity of the situation made Rodi extremely uneasy, but he dared not stop his actions. When the scorpion ate the seventh fish, the last giant rock was deflected by its pincers!

"Bang!"

The sound of the hard bone and the rock colliding echoed through the forest, leaving Rodi stunned—he never expected the scorpion to be smart enough to block such an attack!

If it were the previous Serix, the seven rocks would have been enough to leave it on the brink of death, and the final wooden spear would have sealed the victory. But now, the scorpion's movement was still incredibly swift, and it still had more than 40% health.

It seemed that Rodi had the upper hand, but in reality, one wrong move would lead to his downfall!

After eating the last fish, the scorpion turned its target to Rodi. With only a shortbow left and still more than twenty meters away, Rodi knew he couldn't break through the scorpion's carapace. So, he ran toward the tree that had previously blocked the scorpion, hoping to find a weakness while circling around it—

But he never expected to see Sally running around a tree and heading straight toward him!

This was a blunder no one wanted to see. Both of their legs were already stiff from running, and they watched each other grow larger in their vision before colliding with a "bang."

Rodi instinctively extended his arms, and as he fell to the ground, he rolled, his weight and speed far greater than Sally's, causing her to be dragged along—when she regained her senses from the dizziness, she was so exhausted from running that she couldn't even speak...

"R... Rodi, I—"

Sally wanted to say something, but when she clearly saw the scorpion charging toward Rodi, the little girl, who had never seen such a terrifying creature, opened her mouth in shock, completely frozen.

Rodi knew without looking that the scorpion was in range. In a panic, he knelt and grabbed Sally's body...

"Get up—"

With a roar, Rodi seemed to unleash all his potential, throwing Sally like a sack of potatoes several meters away!

He didn't know why he did it; his mind was filled with instinctive thoughts—perhaps because he had never been cruel enough to treat human life as grass, and his actions were simply to keep Sally away from the danger behind him.

In Sally's vision, the world spun, and Rodi's shadow was moving away. She tried to reach out to grab him but only saw the dim light reveal a giant pincer suddenly appearing behind Rodi...

"No—"

Her body rolled uncontrollably for two circles before stopping, but she completely forgot the pain, only trying to get up and run toward Rodi—then what happened next made her feel as if her heart had been drained of blood.

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