Free Web NovelChapter 221: Chapter 214: Corrupted Beast Night Raid
The night wind cut across the gravel beach like a knife, kicking up fine sand that stung the face.
The bonfire had burned down, leaving only a few dark red embers flickering in and out of existence among the Ashes.
Most people were asleep, curled up under tattered blankets or burlap sacks.
The sounds of snoring, grinding teeth, and a child’s sleepy sobs mingled together, the only signs of life in the dead-silent Wilderness.
Li Yao was sleeping soundly, huddled behind a waist-high Stone.
Ian sat beside him, his back against the cold stone surface, his Iron Sword resting across his knees.
His eyes were half-closed as he used Meditation to substitute for sleep.
[Starlight Perception] spread out slowly from him like an invisible net.
Fifty meters... eighty meters... one hundred meters—his limit.
The flow of Energy within this range gradually became clear in his mind.
Most of it was dim and chaotic, like water mixed with mud.
But in a few directions, there were abnormal points of "stagnation" and "squirming."
It was as if something was... digging rapidly underground.
Its direction... was straight toward the camp.
Ian opened his eyes, a faint golden glint flashing in their depths.
"Watch out below." His words had barely left his lips.
At the edge of the camp, a seemingly flat patch of sand suddenly bulged upward.
Sand erupted like a fountain as a dark, calf-sized creature burst from the ground!
The thing was covered in a jet-black Shell riddled with honeycomb-like holes that constantly oozed a viscous, dark red liquid.
Its head looked like a flattened lizard’s, its mouth split open to reveal three rows of spiraling, sharp teeth.
Its limbs were short and thick, but its claws were as sharp as scythes, gleaming with a cold, metallic light under the dim red sky.
"A Corrupted Earth-Burrowing Beast!"
Someone shrieked in terror.
Immediately after, a second, then a third... a total of six of them burst from the sand simultaneously from different directions around the camp.
They seemed to possess a rudimentary hunting intelligence, not pouncing immediately but forming a loose semicircle.
Their dark yellow eyes stared intently at the crowd, and a low, gurgling growl rumbled in their throats as if they were sizing up their prey.
"Guard Team, get them!"
Chen Scarface’s furious roar erupted.
He leaped up from the fire, machete in hand. In the flickering firelight, the scar on his face looked as grotesque as a centipede.
A few Guards scrambled to grab their weapons and gather around him.
But they were too slow.
The first Earth-Burrowing Beast had already made its move.
It kicked off with its four limbs, its massive body crashing toward the nearest Guard.
The Guard was a young man, not even twenty by the looks of it, and he hadn’t even managed to steady the Long Spear in his hands.
"Look out!"
Someone beside him screamed in terror, but the Earth-Burrowing Beast was too fast.
Its sharp claws swung, leaving a dark red afterimage.
SHRED!
The Leather Armor was torn apart like paper.
Three wounds, so deep the bone was visible, appeared on the young man’s chest as blood gushed out like a fountain.
His eyes widened. He glanced down at his chest, a rasping sound coming from his throat, before he collapsed limply.
"Ah Jie!"
Someone cried out in anguish.
Panic spread through the camp like wildfire.
"Run! Monsters!!"
"Mom..."
...
The crowd erupted into chaos.
Women screamed, clutching their children and recoiling. Men grabbed whatever was at hand to use as weapons. Most people just ran around like headless chickens.
Chen Scarface’s face was ashen as he swung his machete at the nearest Earth-Burrowing Beast.
CLANG!
The machete struck the Shell, sending sparks flying.
It left only a white scratch on the Shell, not even breaking the skin.
Pained, the Earth-Burrowing Beast whipped its head around and snapped at Chen Scarface’s arm.
Chen Scarface scrambled back, tripping on the loose gravel and nearly falling.
"Boss!"
Two of his trusted Guards rushed forward, grabbing him by the arms and dragging him back.
The other Earth-Burrowing Beasts had already charged into the crowd.
Claws swung and teeth tore.
A cacophony of screams, cries, and the sickening crunch of breaking bones filled the air.
Blood splattered on the sand, quickly absorbed by the thirsty ground, leaving only dark brown stains.
Ian stood up and took a deep breath.
"Li Yao, stay hidden."
He gave the young man a gentle push back before raising his sword and walking toward the nearest area of Chaos.
An Earth-Burrowing Beast had pounced on a middle-aged man, its claws pinning his shoulders as its mouth gaped open, foul-smelling saliva dripping onto his face.
The man’s face was white with terror. He pushed desperately with his hands, but couldn’t budge it.
The Earth-Burrowing Beast’s teeth were already closing in on his throat.
Just then, a silver glint flashed.
SHHNK!
The tip of the sword precisely pierced the Earth-Burrowing Beast’s skull through the gap where its eye socket met its Shell.
Under his [Starlight Perception], that was the spot where the Energy flow was most turbulent and the defense was weakest.
The blade sank half a foot deep.
The Earth-Burrowing Beast’s body stiffened, its dark yellow eyes instantly dimming.
It released its claws, its massive body toppling to the side. It twitched twice and then went still.
[Basic Swordsmanship Skill Level +1.5%]
[Starlight Perception Skill Level +1.2%]
The panel notifications flashed past.
Ian looked at the remaining Earth-Burrowing Beasts, shifted his feet, and activated [Star Step].
His body flickered like a phantom as he charged another Earth-Burrowing Beast that was chasing down a woman.
The beast sensed someone behind it and whipped around, swiping its claws horizontally.
Ian didn’t dodge or evade. He swung his right hand, meeting the claws with his Iron Sword.
The moment the blade made contact with the claws, his wrist trembled slightly, and the tip of his sword traced a tiny arc.
His [Starlight Perception] operated at full capacity. The faint specks of Starlight in the surrounding air were slightly disturbed, forming a weak, chaotic "Force Field."
Under the interference of this Force Field, the trajectory of the Earth-Burrowing Beast’s claws shifted by an inch.
Ian’s sword had already slipped past the inside of the claws and stabbed into the base of its forelimb.
Right at the joint, an area not covered by the Shell.
SHHNK!
Foul blood sprayed out.
The Earth-Burrowing Beast shrieked in pain, its forelimb hanging limply.
Ian kicked its flank, using the momentum to drift backward. At the same time, he flicked the tip of his sword, slitting the major artery on the side of its neck.
Black blood gushed out like an opened faucet.
The Earth-Burrowing Beast staggered a few steps and collapsed with a thud.
The Skill Level notification popped up on the panel again.
Ian caught his breath. The wound on his chest began to throb with a dull ache again.
But he didn’t stop. There were still four left, and as long as he kept fighting, he would gain Skill Level.
Even though his wound hadn’t fully healed, he didn’t mind personally taking care of these beasts.
"Everyone, get behind me!"
He roared. His voice wasn’t loud, but it pierced through the chaotic screams and roars, reaching everyone’s ears clearly.
A few people who had been running around in panic froze and instinctively looked at him.
Those last two sword strikes were too fast, too vicious.
This young-looking man killed monsters... like it was child’s play.
"Listen to him!"
A Guard shouted, dragging his injured comrade toward Ian.
The others reacted as well, scrambling and crawling to gather around him.
Supported by his two trusted men, Chen Scarface retreated to the edge of the crowd. He stared at Ian’s back with a complicated expression.
There was shock, wariness, and a sliver of irrepressible... jealousy.
’Isn’t this kid just in the Awakening Stage? How can he be so strong against Demons!’
Ian had no time to worry about what Chen Scarface was thinking.
He stood at the forefront of the crowd, his Iron Sword angled toward the ground, its tip still dripping with black blood.
The remaining four Earth-Burrowing Beasts had gathered, forming a semicircle that trapped him in the middle.
They also seemed to have sensed the threat this human posed. They didn’t pounce immediately, instead growling as they slowly closed in.
"Li Yao!"
Ian shouted without turning his head.
"Here!" The boy peeked out from behind the Stone, his face pale but his eyes bright.
"Take a few people, find some sturdy clubs or rocks, circle around to their sides, and smash their leg joints!"
"Okay!"
Li Yao gritted his teeth, picked up a broken piece of wood as thick as a bowl, and pulled two other relatively calm-looking young men with him. They hunched over and began to sneak toward the flank.
"The rest of you!"
Ian looked at the dozen or so people who could still move—a mix of civilians and Guards.
"Groups of three, back-to-back, don’t get separated! When they charge, throw things at their eyes and mouths! Don’t fight them head-on!"
With someone giving orders, the camp instantly became different; people were no longer running around aimlessly.
The crowd calmed down a bit. They began to huddle together, clutching Stones, clubs, and even half-burnt fire pokers.
The four Earth-Burrowing Beasts could finally wait no longer.
The one on the far left suddenly charged, its target aimed squarely at Ian.
Ian’s eyes turned cold. Just as he was about to meet it, he caught a glimpse of one of Chen Scarface’s trusted Guards out of the corner of his eye.
It was the short man who had bullied Li Yao. He was hiding behind the crowd, his face deathly pale, the short spear in his hand trembling.
An idea flashed through his mind.
Ian slightly shifted his feet, activating [Star Step] and sliding half a meter to his right.
The Earth-Burrowing Beast’s claws scraped past his left arm, the force of the wind stinging his skin.
At the same time, Ian flicked his Iron Sword diagonally downward with his right hand.
He gashed its front paw, sending a splash of viscous, corrupted blood flying.
With a seemingly casual flick of the blade, he precisely flung the splash of black blood.
The black blood traced an arc through the air and landed squarely on the short Guard’s face.
"Ah!"
The short man yelped in fright and scrambled to wipe his face.
Some of the viscous black blood seeped into his skin and mouth, quickly disappearing.
The short man wiped the blood from his face, which now had an unnatural, ashen-gray pallor.
But at that moment, no one was paying attention to him.
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Ian.
Ian was already locked in combat with the Earth-Burrowing Beast.
Flashes of the blade glittered, and a faint, silver Starlight flowed along its surface.
Every thrust was precise, striking the gaps in its Shell, the joints, its eyes...
There were no superfluous movements, no flashy techniques.
Only efficiency, simplicity, and lethality.
SHHNK! SHHNK! SHHNK!
Three strikes.
Three bloody holes appeared on the Earth-Burrowing Beast’s neck, black blood gurgling out.
It staggered a few steps and collapsed with a thud.
Seeing this, the other three Earth-Burrowing Beasts pounced at the same time.
Ian took a deep breath. The Starfall Core in his chest grew faintly warm as a surge of warm Energy flooded his limbs.
His eyes glittered. He looked at the Earth-Burrowing Beasts as if they were just bags of experience points.
He pushed [Star Step] to its limit, his body leaving an afterimage in the air.
His Iron Sword transformed into a silver Light Curtain, enveloping all three Earth-Burrowing Beasts at once.
Every flick of the sword’s tip was accompanied by the crisp crack of bone and the sizzle of spraying foul blood.
Li Yao and the two men charged out from the side, their wooden clubs smashing down hard on the rear leg joint of an injured Earth-Burrowing Beast.
CRACK!
The joint was dislocated.
The Earth-Burrowing Beast howled in pain and its body stumbled.
Ian’s sword was already there.
The tip plunged into its open mouth and pierced through the back of its skull.
He pulled it out, spun around, and the blade flashed again.
The second Earth-Burrowing Beast’s neck was nearly severed.
Seeing that things were going badly, the third one turned to flee.
Ian shifted his feet, flicked his wrist, and the Iron Sword flew from his hand.
SHHNK!
The blade accurately pierced the back of its neck and emerged from its throat.
The Earth-Burrowing Beast ran a few more steps before crashing to the ground. It twitched a few times, then went still.
