Chapter 26: The Rook

Inside the cave, the flickering lamplight mirrored the group's fluctuating emotions.

The team, who had initially planned to farm the boss, immediately abandoned their strategy upon witnessing the Mountain Tiger's overwhelming power.

We can't beat it. Absolutely no way.

The ferocious tiger face lifted, its gaze locking onto Su Rou and the others, sending their hearts racing to their throats.

Consider this: if the frontline of a team can't withstand the enemy's assault, what's the inevitable outcome?

The answer is simple: total annihilation.

Among all classes, the frontline roles capable of withstanding enemy attacks are the Defense Class and the Melee Class. In the later stages, Healer Classes with advanced skill sets can also adopt a frontline build.

The frontline serves as the team's shield, providing a stable environment for the backline to deal consistent damage.

If the shield crumbles under the enemy's onslaught, the backline won't have time to react and will immediately be exposed to the boss's attacks, leading to the entire team's demise.

Now, with their frontline tank already kneeling on the ground after a single exchange, the most perilous warning signs were flashing red. Had they not noticed the boss already turning its attention toward them?

The backline players understood this all too well.

The two who had been worrying about Shi Lei and doubting Ke Lu's command immediately turned tail and fled the moment they saw the terrifying tiger face.

It wasn't a matter of disloyalty; if even a Melee Class fighter had been swatted to the ground in a single blow, what chance did these fragile people stand?

Were they supposed to wait around to be instantly killed?

Even though the Secret Realm could safely teleport them out, injuries would still hurt, and pain would still sting.

At the same moment, the Mountain Tiger glared at the group with its massive eyes and charged forward with lightning speed.

The wind from its charge slammed into their faces, stinging their skin. The putrid stench of its gaping maw filled their nostrils, shreds of meat clearly visible between its teeth.

To be frank,

The fetid breath of these wild beasts, with their lax hygiene habits, could be considered a bio-weapon for those with fastidious standards.

Its target was clear: Ke Lu among the team.

Normally, the Mountain Tiger wouldn't hesitate to treat any who dared challenge its authority as mere snacks.

These fools who dared trespass on its territory simply weren't strong enough.

But now, the Mountain Tiger's sole focus was devouring Ke Lu. The others were utterly insignificant to it; if they tried to flee, it wouldn't even bother to stop them.

It raised its head, locked its gaze on Ke Lu and her retreating companions, and lunged with all its might—only to come up empty.

The distance was too great.

Even before its initial attack on Shi Lei, Ke Lu had directed the group to retreat to the extreme edge of its attack range, far beyond the Mountain Tiger's reach.

Moreover, a massive force was pulling at the Mountain Tiger's hind legs, hindering its movements.

Shi Lei's arm had transformed into a colossal black claw, its bony joints sharply defined and wreathed in an eerie black aura.

[ Demonic Transformation ]—a bloodline skill unique to the Demon Race.

As the river of time relentlessly flowed, the various races gradually evolved toward a common path, their differences blurring until some regions even permitted interspecies marriage.

Yet certain ancestral traits remained indelible, marking the paths from which they had come.

[ Demonic Transformation ] was such a trait—a symbol of the Demon Race.

"Did I... say you... could pass, little bastard?!" Shi Lei planted his feet firmly on the ground, wrapping his arms around the Mountain Tiger—a creature several times his size—and unleashing an astonishing burst of strength.

"Get... over here!" His voice was hoarse and broken from exhaustion, yet the move he pulled off was undeniably cool.

He arched his upper body backward, then slammed down with a thunderous crash, driving the Mountain Tiger violently into the ground.

In that moment, his body shielding the group appeared remarkably heroic.

"Not bad for a show-off," Ke Lu heard Su Rou mutter beside him.

Previously, Su Rou had dismissed Shi Lei as an arrogant fool, but this display had begun to change her mind.

Roar! The Mountain Tiger abandoned all restraint. Frustrated by the disrupted plan, it lashed out with its tail, striking Shi Lei's head with lethal precision.

Shi Lei felt as if his brain had been concussed. Blood gushed from his nose and mouth as he was hurled against the cave wall. Only Su Rou's healing magic kept him from being teleported out.

"Captain!" Bai Yu cried out in alarm. He fired three fireballs from his staff at once, which struck the Mountain Tiger's fur and released a faint aroma of roasted meat.

Enraged beyond measure, the Mountain Tiger's bloodshot eyes now burned with murderous intent and primal fury.

Ke Lu remained calm, issuing measured commands:

"Ma Fei, move to the stone cave at my seven o'clock position."

"Bai Yu, take cover behind the stone pillar at nine o'clock."

"Rou Rou, stay with me."

Ma Fei and Bai Yu charged in the direction Ke Lu had indicated. As soon as they entered the area, they immediately sensed something was off.

Deep within the cave, they discovered it wasn't entirely empty. The area where they now stood was actually a dense forest of stone pillars!

These massive pillars, like natural barriers, formed a complex network of cover.

Even better, the mountain walls were riddled with frequent protrusions and narrow ledges, creating an ideal battlefield for a machine gunner like Ma Fei to conduct guerrilla tactics, reposition, and find optimal firing angles.

Most importantly, the Mountain Tiger's colossal size would inevitably make it clumsy within this stone pillar labyrinth.

Ke Lu had correctly anticipated that Shi Lei couldn't hold off the Mountain Tiger, ordering them to retreat beyond its attack range. They had already considered that excellent command, but the fact that she could identify such favorable terrain in such a short time, while under the Mountain Tiger's oppressive presence, was truly remarkable.

This level of composure under duress, combined with her razor-sharp observational skills, was far beyond their own capabilities.

A shared thought surfaced in both their minds: This woman... is not to be trifled with.

The Mountain Tiger naturally recognized the terrain's disadvantage to its size at a glance. But what did it matter?

Its assault never faltered. Instead, its burning blood-red eyes gleamed with condescending mockery as its voice boomed like muffled thunder:

"Mere parlor tricks. Utterly meaningless in the face of overwhelming power."

"Is that so?" Ke Lu's voice remained calm and steady, utterly devoid of emotion.

She didn't even glance at the charging Mountain Tiger. Instead, she lowered her gaze to the faintly glowing chessboard hovering in her hand.

As her fingertip gently tapped the board, the chess pieces stirred to life.

With a swift pinch of her left hand and a flick of her wrist, a blue-glowing chess piece materialized precisely in the Mountain Tiger's path.

"Hmph, mystical mumbo jumbo," the Mountain Tiger scoffed, raising its massive paw to crush the piece without hesitation.

"Advance, Rook," Ke Lu commanded, tapping the air. Under the astonished eyes of everyone present, the delicate chess piece underwent a sudden, miraculous transformation.

[ Chess Piece Manifestation ]: Summon chess pieces to attack. Enhanced by [ King's Castling ]: [ Swift Repositioning ].

In an instant, the scene before them shifted. The chess piece, originally no larger than a fingernail, expanded exponentially, surging forward with unstoppable momentum to collide with the Mountain Tiger's descending paw!

Boom—!

A deafening crash echoed as the Rook and the tiger's claw clashed violently!

The immense impact forcefully pushed Mountain Tiger's seemingly inevitable strike upward.

Leaping into the air, Mountain Tiger's claws instantly sharpened, splitting into jagged, ridged blades.

Skill: Tear

Ke Lu didn't flinch, her eyes burning with arrogance and unwavering resolve.

"To become a soul crushed beneath the Imperator's Legion is your honor."

The Rook activated its skill: [ Charge ].

The two skills collided with earth-shattering force, unleashing an impact far greater than their previous clash.

A violent shockwave exploded outward from the point of impact, swirling up shattered bones and dust from the ground.

After a few breaths, the smoke and dust gradually cleared.

Mountain Tiger shook its numb, massive claws, its enormous body recoiling slightly. Apart from a few superficial white scratches from the claw tips, it appeared largely unscathed.

In stark contrast, the Rook, materialized from a chess piece, was now riddled with deep claw marks, its radiant glow flickering erratically, clearly having sustained severe damage in the brutal collision.

Yet... it had held its ground!

In a boss fight, soloing was never an option. As long as the frontline could withstand the boss's attacks, creating space for the backline damage dealers to operate, victory would be within reach.

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