CHAPTER 253: CHAPTER 63: FIGHTING WITH WISDOM

The Cave-keeper gave Su Xiao the impression of being a lump of iron. Although not very large in size, its body strength was quite high.

Su Xiao was currently at the entrance of the open area. He quickly ran to a steel machine and swung his knife to cut through an iron pipe that was several dozen centimeters thick.

Poof~.

A large amount of scorching steam spurted out, and Su Xiao jumped back as the Cave-keeper pursued relentlessly.

The steam spread out, and its temperature dropped upon contact with the air. While still somewhat scorching, it wasn’t enough to burn the skin.

Steam enveloped Su Xiao and the Cave-keeper, turning the visible scene into a stretch of white mist.

Su Xiao’s perception force was strong, allowing him to clearly sense the position and attacking moves of the Cave-keeper. This environment was advantageous for him.

Within the steam, the Cave-keeper swung its nail hammer wildly, occasionally letting out angry roars.

A cold gleam suddenly appeared, and Su Xiao slashed a knife at the back of the Cave-keeper’s neck. He felt the hard sensation of cutting into bone, and after injuring the enemy, he immediately retreated.

The Cave-keeper stumbled around like a headless fly, trying everything but failing to spot Su Xiao’s figure.

The flash of the knife appeared once more, striking the Cave-keeper’s back. A bloody wound appeared, with flesh turning outward as the intense pain from the Blue Steel Shadow caused the Cave-keeper’s eyes to turn red and fill with bloodshot lines.

"Roar!"

Letting out a roar akin to a wild beast, the Cave-keeper gripped its nail hammer tightly and swung it with all its might, causing a powerful wind pressure that dispersed some of the steam.

Su Xiao approached the Cave-keeper’s back slowly, like a Soul Reaper in the mist. Holding his knife with both hands, he thrust it into the Cave-keeper’s back.

Shua.

The Dragon Slash pierced through the Cave-keeper’s chest, penetrating its heart.

The Cave-keeper looked down at the blood-stained knife tip, disbelief in its eyes.

"Ah!"

An outcry filled with anger and unwillingness, yet the Cave-keeper was powerless against it.

Such a wound was lethal, but the Cave-keeper’s life energy was incredibly tenacious. Even though blood spurted from its chest, it continued to swing the nail hammer with all its strength, desperately trying to kill the enemy within the steam.

It struggled for a full two minutes before the Cave-keeper started to falter.

With a clang, the nail hammer in the Cave-keeper’s hand fell to the ground as its body collapsed forward.

Looking at the Cave-keeper’s corpse, Su Xiao did not seem pleased. This ’little monster’ was so strong, what would a leader-level creature be like?

[You have killed a Cave-keeper.]

[The Cave-keeper is a hidden location creature. The Hunter can choose one of the following options as a reward.]

Option 1: 3500 Paradise coins.

Option 2: The treasure chest dropped by the Cave-keeper.

Option 3: Soul Crystal (fragment) ×1

Option 4: V-type Alchemical Virus Resistance 5%. (’Bilumake Alchemy Testing Ground’ core is filled with V-type Alchemical Virus.)

...

It was Su Xiao’s first time encountering such a situation; instead of a direct treasure chest drop, several options appeared after killing the enemy.

Firstly, he ruled out Paradise coins. They were precious, but there were plenty of ways to obtain them.

The Cave-keeper was merely a minion in the ’Bilumake Alchemy Testing Ground’, so the dropped treasure chest might not be very valuable.

As for the Soul Crystal (fragment), Su Xiao had never heard of it. Upon checking, he discovered that ten Soul Crystal (fragments) could be combined into one small Soul Crystal.

The last option, option 4, was very interesting, offering resistance to an alchemical virus.

The fact that Reincarnation Paradise offered such a reward suggested only one possibility: upon reaching the core area of ’Bilumake Alchemy Testing Ground’, Reincarnation Paradise might not provide a stronger air filtration device, leaving Su Xiao to rely on his body resistance.

Without hesitation, he chose the V-type Alchemical Virus Resistance 5%, as he needed to cross the ’Bilumake Alchemy Testing Ground’, and it was very likely he would pass through the core area.

Su Xiao glanced over at Bubute Ni’s situation.

Unlike Su Xiao’s side, Bubute Ni’s side was strangely cheerful. Bubute Ni was running up ahead, with three Cave-keepers chasing behind.

Bubute Ni occasionally turned to bark twice, its tail wagging rapidly, pulling a lot of aggro.

The three Cave-keepers were furious, shouting angrily, causing chaos in the open area.

Su Xiao didn’t immediately engage the enemy. He cut through several main pipes in the open area, causing a large amount of steam to gush out, spreading and rapidly increasing the temperature.

In combat mode, Bubute Ni’s intelligence significantly increased, and it ducked into the steam with small, quick steps.

Having been led around by Bubute Ni for a while, the three Cave-keepers were, of course, unwilling to give up and followed Bubute Ni into the steam.

As soon as the three Cave-keepers entered the edge of the steam, a long knife stabbed out from within it.

Plush.

One Cave-keeper was pierced directly through the throat. After making the hit, Su Xiao retreated into the steam immediately.

An unexpected situation arose when a steel nail hammer was thrown by one of the Cave-keepers, whistling through the air toward Su Xiao.

Bam.

The tip of the nail hammer struck Su Xiao’s chest, causing him to stagger a few steps and almost fall. A fishy-sweet taste rushed up to his throat, and the spot where he was struck became numb and quickly swelled. The numbness was followed by intense pain, as if a large stone was pressing down on his chest.

Gently pressing on his chest, Su Xiao inhaled sharply in pain. Although his ribs weren’t broken, they were certainly cracked.

The three Cave-keepers entered the steam, leaving Su Xiao to endure the pain as he confronted them.

Within the expanse of white steam, the three Cave-keepers peered around in search of Su Xiao.

Su Xiao seized the right opportunity to slash, targeting the unarmed Cave-keeper.

The visibility for the Cave-keepers was obstructed, and occasionally one would get slashed, making the three Cave-keepers exceptionally angry as they swung their nail hammers wildly.

Bam.

A dull thud was heard as one Cave-keeper inadvertently struck another Cave-keeper’s head with its nail hammer.

The stricken Cave-keeper shook its head, blood flowing from its head, and its skull appeared to slightly collapse.

"Ou bu te ta ta...(unknown language)."

"Qi qi qi ka men...(unknown language)"

The two Cave-keepers exchanged words in a hostile tone. As their voices escalated, they began to quarrel.

The unarmed Cave-keeper opened and closed its mouth, seemingly trying to mediate, but a nail hammer struck its nose, causing blood to spray as its face blossomed.

The two Cave-keepers actually began to fight amongst themselves. The Cave-keeper that was hit for no reason stood aside pitifully, simultaneously watching its surroundings warily.

How could Su Xiao pass up such a good opportunity? He slashed at the unarmed Cave-keeper.

The battle ended three minutes later, with the unarmed Cave-keeper having its head sliced off.

The remaining two Cave-keepers continued their brutal battle in the steam, fiercely swinging nail hammers at each other’s heads.

Although the Cave-keepers had some intelligence, their nature was exceptionally brutal, even devouring injured comrades—a rarity among intelligent beings.

Su Xiao didn’t interfere with the two Cave-keepers’ fight; it was the first time he encountered such a good situation to reap benefits as a bystander.

Five minutes later, the heads of both Cave-keepers were somewhat deformed, covered in blood, yet they continued to swing their nail hammers with vigor, showcasing the ferocity of these creatures.

The timing was just right, and Su Xiao stepped in. It didn’t take him much effort to settle the two Cave-keepers.

Su Xiao chose the ’V-type Alchemical Virus Resistance’ for the rewards of the three Cave-keepers, bringing his total resistance to 20%.

Su Xiao tried to kill a Cave Laborer, but it yielded no reward, not even an increase in mana value.

Reviewing the records, it was revealed that the Talent Ability Soul Devourer had already increased his mana value by 100 points, reaching the ceiling for a single Derivative World, bringing Su Xiao’s current mana value to 573 points.