After Su Xiao delivered a nearly fatal blow, the giant tiger's body began to go limp, its massive form collapsing towards him. Su Xiao, lying beneath the giant tiger, felt a darkness above him and quickly realized something was wrong. He rolled to the side.
"Boom."
Dust erupted as the giant tiger fell to the ground, appearing lifeless.
Covered in blood, Su Xiao stood up, keeping a wary eye on the fallen giant tiger. He didn’t approach it because the health bar above the tiger’s head still showed 5% life remaining.
The master of Kolbo Mountain was not dead; this clever giant tiger was pretending to be dead to deceive Su Xiao.
"What a smart beast."
With a flick of his wrist, he shook off the blood from his long knife, creating a semi-circle of splattered blood on the ground.
"Haah..."
Heavy breathing filled the air. Even though they had only fought for a few rounds, it had been dangerous, and Su Xiao had exhausted a lot of energy.
His physical strength was only 5 points, which meant his endurance was not strong, just average compared to normal people.
In the real world, improving a single attribute is incredibly difficult. Su Xiao had trained hard for three years and only managed to increase his strength by 1 point and agility by 2 points.
With just these 3 extra points, he was already strong enough to overpower ordinary people, showing how significant each point of improvement could be.
One minute, two minutes passed, and both Su Xiao and the tiger were at a standstill. The master of Kolbo Mountain continued to pretend to be dead, and Su Xiao didn’t attack. He needed to recover some stamina.
Suddenly, the giant tiger lying in the pool of blood opened its single eye, filled with despair and unwillingness.
It was hard to imagine a beast showing such complex emotions, but it wasn’t too surprising; animals in the pirate world were known to be quite intelligent.
In a desert country within the pirate world, there was even a lecherous camel that only carried women.
The master of Kolbo Mountain struggled to stand, its single eye fixed on Su Xiao, black-red blood trickling from the corner of its mouth.
Having regained some strength, Su Xiao slowly approached the master of Kolbo Mountain.
"Roar..."
A low growl came from the tiger, filled with a sense of threat, as one of its claws reached out tentatively toward Su Xiao.
Su Xiao quickly stepped back but moved forward again a few seconds later.
He knew better than to clash head-on with the giant tiger. Even in its current state, the tiger still had the ability to kill him.
The ranks in the pirate world were too high, so Su Xiao had to be cautious.
Realizing that Su Xiao was stalling for time, the master of Kolbo Mountain fell into complete despair; it had encountered an experienced hunter.
The master of Kolbo Mountain trembled as it tried to stand straight, then let out a thunderous roar. This might be its last roar in the mountains.
After the roar, the master of Kolbo Mountain lunged at Su Xiao, disregarding the knife in his hand and the internal injuries it had sustained.
"Boom, boom."
As the tiger ran, the ground shook slightly for hundreds of meters around.
Here it came; the beast was ready to fight to the death.
The master of Kolbo Mountain was indeed fierce, but its battered body lacked the strength for a strong follow-up.
Its attack method was simple: to bite, opening its massive mouth to lunge at Su Xiao.
However, due to the injury to its hind legs, the master of Kolbo Mountain didn’t get far before it collapsed to the ground. Its attempt to bite quickly turned from an attack into a death sentence.
The giant tiger’s wide-open mouth came right in front of Su Xiao, surprising him, but he didn’t hesitate and thrust his knife forward.
[Dragon Slash] first pierced through the soft mouth of the giant tiger, then through a layer of bone, deeply embedding itself into the tiger's brain.
[Dragon Slash], rated at 10, was one of the finest white-tier weapons, even surpassing some green-tier weapons, and its sharpness was absolutely reliable.
After taking such a severe blow, the giant tiger’s eyes finally began to dim, and its health bar dropped to the lowest point, almost empty.
Injured like this, the tiger was still alive, showcasing incredible vitality.
Then, an unexpected scene unfolded.
The giant tiger, with its brain pierced, actually pushed its body forward, causing the blade to sink even deeper into its brain. Su Xiao’s expression changed.
As the tiger pushed forward, one of Su Xiao’s arms entered the tiger’s biting range.
The tiger's mouth closed around Su Xiao's right arm.
He immediately felt the sharp pain as his arm was pierced, starting with numbness and then a sharp, intense pain.
Although his entire arm began to go numb, Su Xiao didn’t let go of [Dragon Slash].
Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as he pulled out a flintlock pistol with his free left hand.
He pressed the pistol against the tiger's single eye and pulled the trigger.
"Bang."
The eye exploded, and fluids splattered everywhere.
This shot was the last straw for the giant tiger. Its health bar emptied, and the massive mouth that had clamped onto Su Xiao’s arm released him, giving him the chance to pull his arm free.
The area around his upper arm was a bloody mess, but when he tried to move it, he was relieved to find that the bone wasn’t broken; it hurt a lot, but it wasn’t damaged.
The tiger that had bitten him was now at its last gasp. Though it looked severely injured, it was not as bad as it seemed.
[You have killed the Elite Beast: Master of Kolbo Mountain.]
[The Master of Kolbo Mountain is an elite beast. You have gained 3.2% of the World Source, totaling 8.9% now.]
[Your talent 'Soul Devourer' has activated, permanently increasing your mana by 15 points. You now have 91 points of mana.]
The notification from the Reincarnation Paradise made Su Xiao relax a bit; the master of Kolbo Mountain was completely dead.
The massive blood loss and exhaustion made Su Xiao feel weak, and he slumped to the ground.
He took out a cigarette from his storage space, lit it with a snap, and let the thin smoke rise.
"Haah... Hehe..."
Sitting on the grass, covered in blood, Su Xiao lowered his head, his shoulders trembling. He had become addicted to the feeling of life and death during battle.
The winner lives, the loser dies. It was cruel but also very simple.
Exhaling a puff of smoke, Su Xiao looked at the tiger's corpse.
Above the tiger's body floated a light green treasure chest, shimmering with an enchanting green glow.
Struggling to stand up, Su Xiao was excited; this was his first time seeing a green treasure chest.
Opening a white treasure chest had given him the marvelous [Necklace of the Deceased Wife]. What could he get from a green treasure chest, which was even more precious?
Su Xiao's heart raced, but now was not the time to open it.
In this forest full of unknowns, there could be other dangers lurking nearby. The ground was stained with blood, and the smell might attract other fierce beasts.
He stored the green treasure chest away, knocked out all the tiger's teeth with the hilt of his knife, and prepared to head to a nearby water source to clean himself up.
Just then, he heard a faint sound coming from a thicket about ten meters away.
Su Xiao's gaze sharpened, gripping [Dragon Slash] tightly as he looked towards the bushes.
"Who’s there? Come out!"
Su Xiao shouted sharply. If there was a beast in the bushes, it would definitely respond.
But contrary to that, the bushes remained very quiet, making him more alert.
There might be someone in the bushes.
The weather was getting hotter, and the mosquitoes hated the heat~~~.
(End of Chapter)