Eldritch Horror Theatre

Come to think of it, this was his first time seeing a transcendent creature in this world.

Whether it was the initial werewolves and Maggot-Men, or the aggregate of Residue in the Furnace, they all retained traces of humanity at their core. None had possessed the appearance of a pure beast like this one.

In short, his PvE experience was sorely lacking.

He had to admit, the creature's appearance seriously challenged the limits of human imagination, and its massive frame exuded immense, oppressive pressure.

He had no idea where the White Tower Company had procured such a vicious beast.

Its furious roaring finished, the crocodile monster finally locked onto its target. The massive single eye atop its head fixed firmly upon him.

Thud! Thud!

Its massive hind claws slammed down, each step tearing deep gouges into the solid ground.

An instant later, the beast reared its upper body high. With another furious roar, it charged forward with unstoppable momentum.

He didn't expect it to do much damage; it was merely a test of the creature's toughness.

The test proved its defense was staggeringly high. An Air Bullet powerful enough to blast straight through a human body left virtually no mark on its thick hide.

The crocodile monster blew right past him, charging madly for over a hundred meters and carving a long, deep trench into the ground before finally slamming headfirst into the arena wall.

Crash!

Half the spectator stands shuddered from the impact. People tumbled over the edge like dumplings dropping into a pot, and a chorus of terrified shrieks and wails instantly erupted.

Yet even a collision of that magnitude left the monster dazed for less than half a second.

It whipped its massive tail, randomly turning a few lucky spectators into bloody paste, before pivoting to fix its sights back on Fu Qian.

The gory spectacle actually drew another wave of cheers from the stands. Amidst the screaming, a few people were even thrown directly into the arena by their peers.

It practically had a head of bronze and limbs of iron. The beast's vitality was absurdly strong; unless he hit a vital organ, inflicting substantial damage would be nearly impossible.

Fu Qian's mind raced.

The problem was its sheer size. Its hind legs alone were taller than he was. Combined with how wildly it dashed around, landing a lethal blow was easier said than done.

Wait a second. Size.

Fu Qian considered this, then took a deep breath.

A rapid-fire crackling of bones rang out.

As his blood surged, every bone and muscle in his body began to splinter and swell, expanding outward with reckless abandon. His frame shot up in height.

When the transformation settled, Fu Qian stood as a towering giant, well over twice his original height.

That wasn't all. Bending entirely to his will, his right arm warped into a long, razor-sharp claw.

'You really do see further when you stand taller,' he mused. 'The view is much better from up here.'

The only downside was that even the highest-quality clothes couldn't withstand this level of expansion; his entire outfit had been shredded to pieces during the transformation.

As a man of civic virtue, Fu Qian astutely noted this and politely manifested a set of Iron Man-style Bone Plate Armor over his lower body.

He wouldn't be able to maintain this state for long. He had to end this quickly.

Along with the explosive surge in size and strength came a nearly tangible urge to slaughter that continuously battered his consciousness. If he dragged this out, his SAN Value would surely drop.

This was a realm of power he shouldn't be touching just yet.

The crocodile monster clearly wasn't burdened with high intelligence, remaining completely oblivious to Fu Qian's drastic transformation.

Having regained its balance, it charged at him in another mad dash.

'Perfect!'

Facing down the giant beast barreling toward him like a runaway tank, Fu Qian didn't dodge.

He leaned forward, lowered his center of gravity, and coiled his strength.

Just as the crocodile monster reached him in a rush of violent wind, its massive jaws snapping open to bite, Fu Qian thrust out his right claw.

Amidst an earth-shattering wail, the crocodile monster skidded forward another dozen meters before collapsing heavily to the ground.

A horrifying gash had been ripped straight down its underside, from its belly all the way to its tail. Blue-black blood geysered from the wound, flooding the deep trench.

Fu Qian stepped forward.

[SAN Value -1]

The notification ringing in his ears gave him a sharp pang of heartache.

Speak of the devil—his SAN Value had actually dropped!

Whoosh!

At the sound of the rushing wind, the downed crocodile monster swept its bloodstained tail at him, only for Fu Qian to casually kick it away.

As he stepped closer, rows of razor-sharp fangs, identical to the ones in its maw, actually sprouted from the gaping wound on its belly. The ghastly flesh peeled back, attempting to swallow Fu Qian.

'You dare use a Saint's trick against me?'

Fu Qian effortlessly dodged the ambush and stomped down on the creature's lower jaw.

At that exact moment, a blinding orb of golden lightning was converging deep within its bloody maw. Even from this distance, the static electricity prickled against his skin.

It looked like it was charging up some kind of desperate final attack.

But Fu Qian didn't give it the chance. Keeping his foot planted firmly on its lower jaw, he gripped its upper jaw with both hands and violently wrenched upward.

Amidst a bloodcurdling shriek, the monster's iron-hard hide splintered and gave way.

The crocodile monster's massive jaws were ripped completely apart. The ball of lightning gathering in its mouth fizzled out and dissipated.

A roar of applause, ten times louder than the monster's agonizing shrieks, erupted from the stands. The crowd had already forgotten all about the spectators who had fallen to their deaths just moments prior.

Having finished off his opponent, Fu Qian was in no rush to revert his form. Instead, he raised his head and stared up toward Bai Jinting's viewing platform.

A moment later, he hoisted the torn half of the crocodile monster's head toward them.

This blatantly provocative gesture left the announcer momentarily choked for words.

Bai Jinting, however, maintained his poised demeanor. He remained seated, as steady as Mount Tai, the smile on his face never faltering.

Fu Qian's real target wasn't him anyway.

The demigod Ibu, standing beside Bai Jinting, had already risen to his feet.

Hmph!

With a cold snort, an Electric Sphere as blinding as the sun materialized in the air above the White Tower. Its intense radiance was so glaring it threatened to scorch the onlookers' vision.

In the very next second, hundreds—thousands—of silver-white lightning serpents lashed out from the sphere. They bombarded the arena below, the apocalyptic thunder drowning out every other sound.

The crocodile monster's corpse was instantly incinerated to ash. A Lightning Prison shrouded the entire arena before rapidly shrinking inward, compressing until it stopped just inches in front of Fu Qian.

Faced with this terrifying display, Fu Qian remained utterly unfazed. Murderous intent rolled off him as he stared down the legendary demigod without giving an inch.

Just when everyone thought a fight was about to break out, Bai Jinting—still as steady as Mount Tai—finally reacted. He nodded toward Ibu and murmured a few words.

Ibu gave another cold snort. The sky full of silver light dissipated in an instant as he turned and sat back down.

'Done!'

Fu Qian's body shrank accordingly, reverting to its normal size.

Of course, everything from the waist down remained covered by his manifested Bone Plate Armor.

'That was exactly the reaction I wanted.'

Experiencing a mild bout of weakness for the first time, Fu Qian was nevertheless immensely satisfied with how the situation had unfolded.

He hadn't provoked them just because he was bored and wanted to protest the rigged matchmaking.

Since hiding his true strength from a demigod was impossible anyway, why not blow the situation out of proportion?

Overflowing battle lust, a desperate hunger for victory, and an open mockery of their underhanded tactics.

Painting himself as a fanatic willing to do anything to win was far better than trying to act unassuming.

There was one more thing. Now that he had publicly displayed the intent and courage to challenge a demigod, if that guy had any sworn enemies lurking about, they would almost certainly come knocking.

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