Chapter 26: Underestimation

The Gluttonous Dog extended its nearly ten-centimeter-long claws and slammed them down. The claws immediately sliced into the Corpse Beast’s body as easily as if cutting into tofu.

To complement the impact of the Corpse Beast’s body, Su Li simultaneously and silently swung the iron rod in his right hand.

Over the past two days, he had been through many fights, large and small. Starting from sheer panic, he had slowly calmed down, and now he could think during battle, utilizing terrain and environmental advantages to create openings in his enemy’s defense. Su Li was growing at an alarming speed.

The physical enhancements gained from being a Level 2 Spiritual Source Wielder, combined with the strength unleashed by “Muscle Enhancement Type I,” allowed his arms to exert 700 jin of force. Paired with the one-meter-long iron rod, the Gluttonous Dog, though terrifying, held no fear for Su Li. The force of the Corpse Beast’s body he had just kicked up was immense. When it struck the Gluttonous Dog, the creature, covered in blood-red muscle, was incredibly powerful; arguably, purely in terms of strength, it surpassed Su Li.

But no matter how strong it was, its body would momentarily halt the instant it blocked the Corpse Beast’s body. Su Li was capitalizing on that moment of stagnation.

Otherwise, given the Gluttonous Dog’s strength, speed, and leaping ability, he would find it extremely difficult to strike it accurately, which would put him at a huge disadvantage.

Su Li’s iron rod appeared almost flush with the bottom of the horizontally colliding Corpse Beast’s body. He swept it out, landing a solid strike on one of the Gluttonous Dog’s forelegs.

Although the Gluttonous Dog was covered in tough, exaggerated muscle, it couldn’t withstand the impact of the heavy iron rod striking its foreleg. With a crisp sound of snapping bone, the dog’s struck leg immediately bent.

With one leg ruined, the Gluttonous Dog opened its massive, bloody mouth and let out a low growl—a sound laced with pain, rage, and madness. Relying only on its remaining three legs, it charged again.

Su Li let out a quiet sigh of relief. With one leg broken, the Gluttonous Dog’s jumping power and speed were at least halved. Watching it rise up, Su Li gripped the iron rod and swept it out again. If he could break its other foreleg, the creature would be completely neutralized.

Just as the iron rod was about to strike its other foreleg, the Gluttonous Dog suddenly twisted its body. Pushing off the ground with its hind legs, its body contorted like a slippery loach. It pulled its upper body back, not only evading Su Li’s iron rod attack but also stretching out one of its hind legs. Its nearly ten-centimeter-long claws extended and sliced past one of Su Li’s legs.

With a muffled groan, Su Li felt a sharp pain in his left leg. Four deep gashes immediately appeared, spraying blood. White was faintly visible in the deep cuts; the bone had been exposed.

He had been careless!

Su Li gasped, chilled. This Gluttonous Dog was far more formidable than he had imagined. He had underestimated it just now.

The four gashes were extremely deep. Su Li’s brows furrowed in pain, and his left leg was almost useless. Although he immediately activated his muscle control to constrict the surrounding muscles and close the wounds, the pain still caused beads of sweat to form on his forehead and face.

The Gluttonous Dog, having successfully struck, didn’t immediately follow up the attack. Instead, it stared intently at Su Li, moving slowly, supported by its three good legs, as if searching for an opening in Su Li’s defense before delivering a fatal blow.

Su Li’s left leg was useless. He used the iron rod for support, his entire body tensed. He returned the Gluttonous Dog’s gaze, wondering if the monster that killed Xu Xuehui’s father was, in fact, this creature.

The claw marks left on the wall and the wound ripped open on Xu Xuehui’s father’s chest all looked very much like the Gluttonous Dog’s handiwork.

“If you’re truly the beast that did it, I’ll take revenge for him today.” Su Li suddenly grinned, using the sleeve of his left arm to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. Dragging his barely functional left leg, he swung the iron rod and attacked first.

Su Li swung the iron rod fast and hard, but the Gluttonous Dog, despite only having three legs, was still extremely agile. It simply leaped to avoid Su Li’s attack. It then thrust a forepaw out, aiming for Su Li’s abdomen.

If struck there, Su Li would suffer the same fate as Xu Xuehui’s father: his abdomen ripped open.

Just then, Su Li’s left leg, unable to support his weight, gave out. He fell backward heavily, hitting the ground, which caused the Gluttonous Dog’s claws to miss.

Seeing Su Li fall, the Gluttonous Dog naturally didn’t miss the opportunity. It lunged forward, opening its massive, bloody mouth and viciously snapping at Su Li’s throat.

Su Li had just fallen and was scrambling, so there was no way he could avoid the Gluttonous Dog’s attack. Just as the creature was about to bite him, Su Li suddenly smiled.

“A beast is just a beast; simple-minded.”

The fallen Su Li was not panicked; or rather, the panic was a deliberate pretense to mislead the Gluttonous Dog.

Su Li slightly shifted his body, evading the Gluttonous Dog’s massive mouth. He raised his left hand, and a cleaver appeared in it, which he brought down heavily onto the Gluttonous Dog’s skull.

Su Li put all his strength into the blow. Blood splattered, and Su Li knew the blade had sliced deep into the Gluttonous Dog’s skull, embedding itself deeply.

Su Li had deliberately fallen in the direction of the two large bags he had thrown down earlier. He had temporarily placed his cleaver and hammer inside the bags. Falling down served two purposes: first, to trick the Gluttonous Dog into attacking, and second, to allow him to retrieve the cleaver or hammer for a counterattack.

Though this was incredibly risky and he could have been hit by the Gluttonous Dog, Su Li had prepared himself for trading injury for injury.

As long as the damage wasn’t fatal, he could heal and recover once he killed the Gluttonous Dog and absorbed the Spiritual Source.

Therefore, he allowed the Gluttonous Dog to pounce, grabbed the cleaver from the bag with his left hand, and instantly counterattacked, landing a solid blow on the dog’s head.

However, the Gluttonous Dog’s vitality was astonishingly tenacious. With a cleaver deeply embedded in its skull, it was still alive. It stretched out its claws and raked them across Su Li’s chest.

A chill ran across his chest, and Su Li knew he was in trouble. Fortunately, his reaction was instantaneous. He rapidly drew up his leg and used his foot to support himself against the Gluttonous Dog’s soft abdomen. He violently shoved his leg out, sending the Gluttonous Dog flying through the air and off his body.

The Gluttonous Dog tumbled twice in the air before crashing heavily onto the ground. Despite its entire body being covered in muscle, its abdomen was a soft spot. Kicked by Su Li’s foot, its intestines burst inside its belly. It lay on the ground, blood pouring from its mouth and nostrils, its body convulsing. It was clearly moments away from death.

Su Li was also seriously injured. Lying on the ground, panting heavily, a layer of cold sweat soaked his back in fear.

If he hadn’t reacted so quickly, and the Gluttonous Dog’s foreclaws had fully sunk into his chest and sliced downward, he would have truly been gutted. Even absorbing a Spiritual Source might not have saved his life.

(End of Chapter)