Chapter 437: Fighting the beetle.
He wanted to test how his physical attributes compared to superior-rank creatures at similar levels.
This would be pure skill, strength, and speed against natural armor and predatory instincts.
The beetle’s diving attack came with the force of a falling boulder, its golden carapace gleaming as it aimed to crush Arthur beneath its considerable mass. Arthur sidestepped at the last possible moment, his katana flashing upward in a precise arc.
CLANG!
The blade struck the beetle’s side armour with a sound like a bell being struck. To Arthur’s satisfaction, what should have been an impenetrable defence showed visible damage—a large crack caused a spider-web illusion across the golden surface where his sword had made contact.
The beetle landed heavily, its talons gouging deep furrows in the earth as it spun to face Arthur with obvious confusion. That strike should have bounced harmlessly off its legendary armour. No creature at its level had ever managed to even scratch the golden carapace that was its pride and evolutionary advantage.
Arthur pressed his attack, moving with fluid precision as he struck again. This time, he aimed for the junction where the beetle’s head connected to its thorax, a classic weak point in the anatomy of similar creatures.
This wasn’t the first time that Arthur had fought against a beetle. In fact, one of his very first fights was against some beetles inside the forest of Village #420. Of course, this beetle was in no way, shape or form similar in strength or size, but such weak points were very difficult to change in this species.
SLASH!
His katana bit deep, and the golden armour that had protected the beetle for years cracked like an eggshell. Golden fragments scattered across the forest floor, revealing the softer chitin beneath.