Realizing the gaze meant for dog meat soup, Bubuwang's fur stood on end.
"Woof!" Bubuwang turned and wagged its tail provocatively at the five silver-scaled humanoids.
"Bala Ku!" one of the silver-scaled creatures roared, its scales flaring out like sharp blades, providing both defense and the ability to injure in close combat.
The five silver-scaled creatures quickly charged towards Bubuwang. In the food-scarce Forest of the Strong, they couldn't afford to miss out on fresh meat.
Though Bubuwang appeared calm, he was quite panicked. Digging its claws into the soft soil, it turned and ran.
Bubuwang's retreat made the five silver-scaled creatures burst into laughter, chasing after it like predator after prey.
However, these creatures had no idea that Death was watching them.
The five silver-scaled creatures chased Bubuwang to the tree where Su Xiao was hiding, a result of Bubuwang's deliberate provocation.
Su Xiao had been lying in wait on the tree for some time. Silently, he leaped down, the Butcher's Knife already in hand.
Descending rapidly, the sound of the wind alerted the silver-scaled creatures below. They instinctively looked up.
One silver-scaled creature saw a dark shadow descending just two meters above it.
An energy shield covered Su Xiao's right knee as he utilized the momentum from the fall, smashing his knee into the creature's head.
With a crack, the sound of bones breaking echoed as the creature's neck twisted unnaturally. Yet, it instinctively reached for Su Xiao, showcasing the tenacity of its species.
Using the force from the impact, Su Xiao flipped his body, maintaining balance and avoiding the creature's grasp.
Landing smoothly leaves fluttering around him, Su Xiao crouched low, the Butcher's Knife flipping in his hand from a standard grip to a reverse grip.
Scanning his surroundings, he saw that the creature before him was dazed from the impact, while the other four were just turning their heads.
Su Xiao charged forward, approaching the dazed creature. Circling it, he reached its back.
The Butcher's Knife pressed against the creature's throat, and with a swift motion, he cut deeply.
With a slicing sound, the blade cut through skin, muscle, and bone, leaving a gruesome wound. The Butcher's Knife was designed for throat slashing, inflicting 60% additional damage by ignoring defense and causing a bleeding effect that dealt damage equal to 4% of the enemy's maximum health per second for 10 seconds if they failed a physical check.
Blood gushed out, and Su Xiao knew without looking that the bleeding check was successful.
The silver-scaled creature slumped forward, and Su Xiao grabbed its neck, swinging it into another approaching creature. Blood splattered in the air, and with a thud, the two creatures collided, one dying on impact, the other getting drenched in blood.
A green metal wire wrapped around the surviving creature—this was the String of Fate.
Su Xiao stepped forward, the Butcher's Knife vanishing and the Dragon Flash appearing, the swift switch thanks to one of the Butcher's Knife's abilities.
Equipment Effect 4, Rapid Switch: Weapon switch speed +70%.
This property made Su Xiao use the Butcher's Knife as a secondary weapon, aided by its gold quality.
With Dragon Flash in hand, Su Xiao's presence changed from a stealth attacker to a frontal combatant.
Clang!
Several blades of energy flew out, slicing into the creature bound by the String of Fate. Its eyes filled with terror as it struggled to break free.
However, the upgraded and +10 reinforced String of Fate held fast, its durability reaching 280 points, surpassing even 90% of gold equipment.
"Ahhh!" the bound creature roared, the String of Fate cutting into its flesh.
With a slash, six intersecting energy blades shredded the creature into pieces.
Su Xiao tugged on the String of Fate, a fine bloodline trailing in the air.
Three silver-scaled creatures remained. Su Xiao shifted his gaze to them, noticing something unusual.
The three creatures had already moved ten meters away. After witnessing their comrades being swiftly killed, they chose to flee rather than seek revenge.
These silver-scaled creatures weren't mindless game enemies but intelligent beings from an unknown planet. When faced with a significant strength disparity, they chose to escape.
As the three creatures fled, Bubuwang blocked their path.
"Laka!" one creature yelled. Su Xiao didn't need a translation to understand it meant something like "Move aside, make way."
Bubuwang stood firm, not forgetting the insult of "dog meat soup." It held grudges deeply.
Blocked by Bubuwang and with Su Xiao closing in fast, the creatures were soon caught.
With a swift slash, Su Xiao beheaded one creature before it could turn, his movements large and forceful. Once hit, his targets were sure to lose parts.
The remaining two creatures stopped, realizing their predicament.
Cracks appeared on their bodies, making Su Xiao halt and leap back. Bubuwang, seeing the same, rolled behind a large tree, the soil flying as it dug in.
Boom! Boom!
Two explosions sent blood mist into the air, and countless silver scales shot out in all directions.
Bubuwang's tree turned into a sieve, making it yelp in pain.
More scales flew towards Su Xiao, but he activated his intuition ability fully. There were too many scales to dodge them all, so he conjured an energy shield with 200 durability in front of him.
With a snap, the shield shattered, but it absorbed most of the scales' energy. Su Xiao dodged and deflected the remaining scales with his sword, embedding them into nearby trees.
The forest returned to silence. Su Xiao sheathed Dragon Flash, unharmed. These silver-scaled creatures weren't too strong.
Despite their strength, their self-destruction had been powerful. The silver scales had pierced a 200-durability energy shield, showcasing their destructiveness.
These silver-scaled creatures were likely the "guests" mentioned by the wolf butler. If all guests had such lethal power, the Forest of the Strong would be exceedingly dangerous.
Moreover, these guests wouldn't coexist peacefully with the players. If they killed a player, they would gain freedom.