Chapter 103: Meeting an Equal Opponent

Neither side made any rash moves. Taking advantage of the moment the creature rushed over to retrieve its axe, Lu Kuan took a careful look.

The beast was half again as tall as he was, its body glistening with moisture and covered in uneven, rough scales. Where its hands and feet were exposed, large, sharp claws were visible. Looking higher, atop a thick, squat neck sat a massive, hideous crocodile head. A pair of pale green reptilian eyes were locked onto Lu Kuan with unblinking intensity.

"Crocodile man!"

Lu Kuan instinctively blurted out the name, his heart sinking. Crocodile men possessed naturally formidable defense, and depending on their intelligence, there was a significant gap in their individual strength. They ranged from nameless 14th-level mobs to 70th-level Crocodile Warlocks, widely distributed throughout the marshes and waterways of the Mythic Continent.

According to official game lore, this species was a natural-born melee expert. However, as Lu Kuan had clearly witnessed moments ago, its ranged attack power was nothing to scoff at either!

"Roar-ha!"

The crocodile man pulled its heavy axe from the tree trunk with a grunt and let out a furious roar at Lu Kuan, foul-smelling saliva spraying from its tooth-filled maw. It was savage and terrifying.

It was met by a lightning-fast Bone-Splitting Arrow from Lu Kuan!

"-57!"

"Roar!"

The arrow struck the crocodile man square in the upper jaw, causing it to wail incessantly. Unfortunately, its defense was too high; against any other monster, the feathered shaft would have pierced right through for a critical puncture wound.

Seeing the damage figure, Lu Kuan frowned. "That’s not right. Why is the damage so low? Could this be an elite template, or is its level just that much higher than mine?"

Before Lu Kuan could ponder it further, the crocodile man savagely tore the arrow from its jaw, roared again, and charged toward him, brandishing its massive axe.

Lu Kuan stuck to his old tactics, using the sparse forest to circle the creature. His hunting bow hummed incessantly, and the arrows never stopped flying. Unfortunately, the target was thick-skinned and sturdy, limiting the damage, and many of his shots were deflected by the crocodile man’s shield. After a dozen seconds, the beast was still looking as vigorous as ever.

Lu Kuan sighed inwardly, desperately missing the advanced skills of a Beastmaster. If only he had "Rapid Fire" to turn the target into a pincushion... "Snipe" to pierce through the armor on its chest... or his animal companion's "Tyrant Bite"...

Thoughts were just thoughts; he had to resolve the crisis at hand. The crocodile man was closing in, its axe whistling through the air as it chopped down several small trees, clearly eager to carve Lu Kuan in two.

Lu Kuan performed another somersault to dodge the attack, stood his ground, and fired two Bone-Splitting Arrows in quick succession, triggering the special effect of his ring!

"Roar!!"

Seeing Lu Kuan pause, the crocodile warrior charged faster, but it tripped abruptly, its legs ensnared by a Vine Trap. Unable to overcome its own momentum, its massive body slammed into the ground with a thud.

Lu Kuan wouldn't miss this opportunity. He unleashed a barrage of shots at the crocodile man. With the effects of the Ranger's Vow combined with the Arcane Shot skill, the light trailing from the arrows formed a dazzling blue-and-white ribbon between the bowstring and the creature!

"-70! -16!"
"-120! -27!"
"-99! -23!"

A string of bold numbers representing critical hits flashed before his eyes, giving Lu Kuan a rush of satisfaction. However, he knew he couldn't get greedy; if that massive axe connected, there was no telling if he could survive even a single blow.

As soon as the Vine Trap effect wore off, Lu Kuan stepped back to regain distance. Just then, a sudden change occurred!

The crocodile man, still on the ground, remained in a half-kneeling position. It looked up at Lu Kuan, then suddenly and without warning, raised its axe with both hands and slammed the handle into the ground with a roar.

"Die!"

"Crack!"

A violent shockwave erupted from the crocodile man, instantly engulfing everything within a ten-meter radius. Lu Kuan, positioned behind the beast, was not spared. He felt a massive force hit him, his body lifted uncontrollably into the air, and he crashed heavily to the ground.

"System Notification: You have been affected by 'War Stomp'. Received 10 physical damage."
"You have been struck by the shockwave and are now Stunned. Movement speed reduced by 50%."
"You are unable to maintain balance. Effect lasts 6 seconds."

The system text flashed before his eyes; Lu Kuan didn't need to read it to know what had happened. *Dammit, it really is an elite mob! How could a normal crocodile man possess 'War Stomp', a skill exclusive to warriors!?*

*So insidious!*

Lu Kuan felt a surge of regret. Why hadn't he been more cautious? The crocodile man had been acting like a common mob the whole time, using no skills other than its high defense, which had caused him to let his guard down.

Everything was spinning. He couldn't keep his balance; every time he tried to stand, he would immediately keel over—that was the effect of War Stomp. Fortunately, the skill level wasn't high; if it had triggered a full coma effect, he wouldn't have enough lives to survive the axe blows.

Though his body was unresponsive, his mind remained sharp. As he scrambled away, he looked back to see the crocodile man charging over with its axe. He simply threw himself flat on the ground and began to roll.

"Thud!"
"Thud, thud, thud!"

The first axe blow grazed his backside and struck the mud, sending dirt flying. The second and third followed in quick succession. Lu Kuan swore that in this life or the last, he had never rolled this fast.

But just as the stun effect had one second remaining, he felt a sharp pain in his forehead. *Bang!* He collided with a tree trunk, leaving him dizzy and his heart sinking.

*It’s over. It really is "it never rains but it pours." Is this where my first death is going to happen?*

Despite the thought, Lu Kuan wasn't the type to wait for death. He tossed his bow aside, drew the dual swords from his waist, and prepared for a final, desperate stand!

Before he could even orient himself or locate the crocodile man, a monstrous roar erupted from nearby.

"Take this, you beast!"

The next moment, a streak of red light arrived, piercing straight through the crocodile man's chest! The force was so great that the beast was knocked back two steps before its legs buckled and it knelt to the ground.

Lu Kuan instinctively turned his head, his mouth dropping open in shock. Old Murloc had emerged from the red mist. The old creature was now blood-red, even the scales on its back having turned a deep, scarlet hue!

Compared to before, Old Murloc’s size had clearly doubled, now nearly matching Lu Kuan’s height. Its muscles were bulging, and it radiated an aura of pure, violent rage.