Chapter 334: Strike the Weak Spot
"Mountain Dragon!"
Liam’s voice rang out again, but this time something had changed.
Without drawing attention to it, he had switched ammunition. The arrows now resting against his bowstring were no longer ordinary Mythic arrows but the far rarer Mountain Shatter Demon Arrows. Three of them gleamed with concentrated Light-element energy as Liam released the bowstring in one fluid motion.
The arrows tore through the air like streaks of sunlight.
Each one carried a precise purpose.
One aimed for the serpent’s left eye.
One for the right. The final arrow targeted the infamous three-inch mark beneath its belly, the fatal weakness every high-level hunter knew could end the creature instantly if struck cleanly.
’Not good.’
Marcus saw it immediately. The serpent saw it too.
Even blinded by rage moments earlier, the Divine Beast’s instincts screamed danger. Those arrows were not ordinary attacks. They carried killing intent.
But its horn was still wedged through the Five-Element Demon Trap’s barrier from its failed escape attempt. Its head was locked in place, pinned by its own momentum.
It could not move.
The serpent thrashed violently, tail whipping through the air in desperate panic. The rest of its body twisted and coiled, yet its head refused to budge even a fraction.
All it could do was watch the arrows close in.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
The world went dark.
Three perfect impacts landed almost simultaneously.
-40000.
-40000.
-150000.
Massive damage numbers exploded into view. The twin eye strikes combined with the lethal three-inch attack tore away two hundred thirty thousand health in an instant.
HISSSSS!
The serpent’s scream was no longer furious but agonized. Pain ripped through its entire body, forcing violent spasms that shook its massive frame. The horn embedded in the barrier slipped free with a sharp snap as the creature lost control.
It had been moments away from breaking out, but Liam’s critical strike reversed everything.
Not only had the serpent failed to escape, it was now critically wounded. And the situation worsened immediately.
Still writhing in agony, the serpent felt the formation respond. The cracked barrier it had nearly destroyed shimmered as ripples of energy spread outward. The fractures sealed themselves smoothly until the surface looked flawless once again.
Then the metal element activated.
"Golden Dragon Frenzy!"
Blinding golden light flooded the interior of the trap. Countless razor-sharp energy blades formed and swept across the imprisoned beast like a storm of swords.
-13000.
The attack carved mercilessly into its already ruined body.
The serpent could endure no more.
With a heavy thud, the once-proud Divine Beast collapsed from midair and crashed onto the ground inside the formation, utterly stripped of dignity.
"Nice!" Marcus could not stop himself from shouting.
’Strike the snake’s weak spot. Exploit the monster’s vulnerability. He grinned, feeling as though he had just learned something priceless.
"Heh heh." Today had been educational.
Hiss...
The serpent struggled upright, its body smeared with blood and mud. Less than half of its health remained, and the wound beneath its belly had clearly crippled it. Its movements were stiff, uneven.
More importantly, its vision was gone. Both eyes had been destroyed.
Blind, the serpent stumbled within the Five-Element Demon Trap like a creature lost in darkness, unable to orient itself or locate its enemies.
Marcus crossed his arms thoughtfully. Even if the trap disappeared right now, this thing probably could not find its way back to the marsh.
Liam showed no mercy. Arrows rained down continuously, each strike drawing fresh sprays of blood. The battle had turned into pure execution.
The Divine Beast’s health melted away under the combined pressure of trap and bow.
Marcus’s blood began to boil. He stepped out from behind the tree, there was no way he was missing a fight like this.
Grinning shamelessly, Marcus jogged toward Liam, said nothing, and casually sent him a party invitation.
"You..."
Liam turned, staring at him as if witnessing something unbelievable. The sheer audacity nearly made him choke. His expression clearly suggested he wanted to curse Marcus into the ground.
"Heh heh." Marcus ignored the look entirely and maintained a warm, friendly smile.
An opportunity like this came once in a lifetime. Walking away from free experience was simply not in his nature.
"Boss, I’m here to help. I need the experience." He delivered the line with such righteous sincerity that refusing almost felt unreasonable.
"You..."
Liam glared at him, visibly struggling to maintain composure. Help him? The nerve of this kid almost made him kick Marcus on the spot.
"Fine. I’ll let you help."
Instead of accepting Marcus’s request, Liam sent his own party invitation.
A system prompt appeared.
Ding!
[Stonehaven, Liam Windrunner has invited you to join his party. Do you accept?]
Marcus grimaced slightly.
So Liam wanted leadership authority. Whatever, it was the same result.
"Accept!"
He joined instantly, already imagining the explosion of experience points waiting at the end of this battle.
A level eighty-plus Divine Beast. That had to be worth at least ten levels. He was practically drooling, then another system notification appeared.
Ding!
[Stonehaven, you have joined Liam Windrunner’s party. Experience and items will be distributed according to contribution-based distribution principles. Greater contribution grants greater rewards.]
Marcus froze.
’What?!’
This supposedly dignified expert had just pulled a fast one on him.
"That’s dirty," Marcus protested immediately.
So this so-called Mountain King was actually stingy.
"Shameless," Liam shot back without hesitation, continuing to fire arrows while returning the insult. Clearly, he had already figured Marcus out.
"You’re wasting resources!"
"Wasting resources?"
Liam suddenly grew serious. He turned fully toward Marcus, expression stern.
"A true warrior grows through battle. Through struggle, blood, and effort. Not by cutting corners and leeching off others."
He was so worked up he nearly stopped attacking altogether, pointing directly at Marcus’s nose.
"If you don’t want to waste resources, fight your own battles."
Marcus opened his mouth, then closed it again. This old guy really could lecture.
"I’m level thirty! You want a level thirty player to fight a Divine Beast? You want me to grow through battle when I’m more than thirty levels under it?"
Marcus finally exploded.
Okay, he was technically level thirty-four. But that was not the point.
Liam glanced at Marcus, then at the serpent, and slowly realized he had no rebuttal. His righteous momentum deflated instantly.
He had completely forgotten the level difference.
Hiss!
The serpent’s sudden cry broke the awkward silence.
Despite everything, it was still a Divine Beast. Power surged through its battered body as the fatal wound beneath its belly stabilized slightly. With a violent motion, it rose back into the air.
Two-fifths of its health still remained, more than six hundred thousand HP. The fight was far from over.
Green light gathered at its horn once more.
"Poison Mist Blots the Sky!"
A dense cloud of toxic mist erupted outward, growing thicker and stranger by the second until the serpent vanished entirely within it.
This time the ability was not offensive. It was defensive. The mist wrapped around its weakened body, concealing its three-inch vulnerability as the serpent curled inward protectively.
Instantly, the damage from Liam and the trap was cut in half, And then its health began regenerating.
+5000 HP per second.
At present, Liam and the formation only dealt roughly two thousand damage per second combined; which was barely enough to offset the healing.
The serpent was stalling. Marcus felt his stomach tighten. Did it have another trump card?
He glanced toward Liam.
The older hunter, who had lost his temper moments ago, now looked completely calm again, continuing his attacks as if nothing unusual had happened.
Confidence radiated from him.
’Alright then. Nothing to panic about.’
This was still an incredible opportunity. Marcus activated every buff he possessed.
Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.
Power surged through his body as he entered full combat state and summoned his companions one after another.
"Those are your pets?"
Liam’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
Earlier he had already noticed the Nightmare Dragon Steed Marcus rode, and his experienced gaze recognized it instantly as a Divine Beast mount. That alone had shocked him.
But now?
Goldie appeared, a ninth-tier companion, then the infamous Eight-Tailed Vixen Spirit of Dreamland. And then came Lyanna, the radiant female knight astride a dragon.
Liam stood frozen, his mouth slightly open, looking as though he might attempt to swallow an egg whole.
A thousand years ago, the Wyvern Saint Knight Lyanna had been a legendary figure, servant of the Goddess of Dreams herself. Very few people had ever seen her true appearance, so Liam failed to recognize her identity.
Still, a female knight riding a dragon spoke for itself. The Glacier Ice Dragon beneath her was unmistakably real.
It was not a drake, or a mutated lizard. It was a true dragon.
What kind of lineup was this?
"Heh heh."
Marcus felt deeply satisfied watching Liam’s composure crumble. Judging people by appearances had consequences.
"CHARGE!"
Marcus roared like a storm breaking loose.
He, Pebble, Goldie, Lyanna, and Camillo the Vixen Queen charged straight toward the trapped Divine Beast.
The serpent was sealed inside the Five-Element Demon Trap, unable to escape and heavily restricted. What was there to fear?
Marcus glanced briefly toward the camera he had hidden in a tree and flashed a confident smile, capturing the moment. Proof of this epic battle. It was something to proudly show later.
His ego swelling, Marcus rushed forward as if he owned the battlefield.
"Desperate Strike!"
Ten meters from the serpent, Marcus switched to a massive two-handed scythe. He and Pebble hurled their weapons simultaneously.
Wooom...
The spinning scythes passed cleanly through the formation barrier and disappeared into the poison mist.
-80.
-60.
"What?!"
Marcus nearly fell off his mount. His five-times damage attack had barely scratched it.
"What?!"
Even Liam stared in surprise.
Despite the serpent being in full defensive mode, Marcus had still managed to break through a Divine Beast’s defenses at level thirty. That amount of damage was far beyond what Liam expected.
’Maybe this kid isn’t just a shameless moocher, Liam thought. Maybe he actually has some skill.’
His opinion of Marcus shifted slightly. At level thirty, even Liam himself had not possessed this level of combat capability.
’Ugh.’
Marcus, meanwhile, felt nothing but frustration.
Still, experience and loot were on the line. He continued attacking relentlessly, seizing every opportunity he could.
"Peach Blossom Slash!"
Standing carefully ten meters away, Marcus used his only ranged attack. Small damage numbers appeared, twenty or thirty at a time. He kept his distance deliberately, leaving enough space to retreat if the situation turned dangerous.
His pets fought beside him nonstop. He even summoned his Sea Demon Soul to add whatever extra damage he could contribute.
Honestly? His damage barely mattered, but he was having the time of his life.
"This is fun," Marcus muttered, grinning as the battle raged on.