As the world of the Shadow Ravine was in black and white, the stream in the Crystal Forest wasn’t as limpid as the ones in the outside world. At a glance, the stream was like milk, flowing down the river course. Due to that reason, no one was able to see what was hidden beneath it. But Rhode clearly knew that the stream wasn’t as beautiful and harmless as it appeared…
Rhode bent over slightly, narrowing his eyes at the Crystal Ape in alertness. Even though the Crystal Ape wasn’t impossible to defeat, he would need to exert a lot of force. The Crystal Ape replenished its energy through devouring the light elements of the Crystal Forest. Areas with their light abstracted would turn dark and become a gathering place for shadowy creatures. As a matter of fact, in the game, the Crystal Ape BOSS had a killer move. It absorbed all light elements around it and all players within the range were instantly inflicted with a ‘darkness’ debuff. As the Crystal Ape restored its health, a mass of shadowy creatures would leap out of the darkness and ambush the players.
BOSSes that dominated the battlefield, healed their own health, and summoned critters all at the same time were the most annoying to players.
Back then, even Rhode and his party weren’t willing to fight against it. If it weren’t for the decent item drops from defeating BOSSes in the Shadow Ravine, Rhode didn’t wish to encounter one. Now that he was alone and his strength was limited at the player’s peak of level 85, he had no intention of taking this BOSS one-on-one. Besides, now wasn’t the time to find trouble. Rhode’s enemy was Chaos. He was better off avoiding the local BOSSes!
Rhode stooped over and stared at the Crystal Ape that was absorbing the light elements from the branches and leaves. At the next moment, he dashed toward the rear and along the riverbank in a trail of afterimages. The instant he zoomed past, the Crystal Ape seemed to realize his movements. The Crystal Ape turned to him abruptly and upon witnessing his presence, it snapped its jaw open and let out a deafening bellow. Then, it turned decisively and started pursuing Rhode!
“Oooo———!”
Along with the raging snarl, the Crystal Ape metamorphosed into a formidable hurricane that charged straight at Rhode. Although it was massive, its speed wasn’t slow at all. Rhode sprinted as quickly as possible, but the Crystal Ape followed him closely. The trees that obstructed its path snapped, and the Crystal Ape showed no intention of stopping. Not only that, but the gap between Rhode and the Crystal Ape was also closing!
I knew it.
Hearing the loud bellows of the Crystal Ape, Rhode felt somewhat nervous. The Crystal Ape might seem bulky, but its movement speed was incredibly fast. In the beginning, players tried to outrun it, but to their astonishment, it caught up with them and hurled its fists, sending them to their graves, not to mention even running at the fastest speed possible. Rhode chose to sprint in a straight line as that allowed him to exert minimal effort, which was why he didn’t evade the dense shadows in his path. Upon detecting his existence, the creatures lurking in the shadows also sprung up to hunt him.
If one were to witness this scene, one would be absolutely stunned as Rhode metamorphosed into a dark lightning bolt that shuttled across the forest. The instant he flitted past the forest, the trail of shadows behind him shook and warped into terrifying and ugly creatures that howled and ran after him. Right behind them was the Crystal Ape that had transformed into the hurricane, accelerating in insanely large strides. Its speed became increasingly faster, so much so that one could barely witness a sphere of light and couldn’t see the Crystal Ape itself…
I need to be faster!
Rhode glanced at the stream. His movement speed was at the max. If it were him in the past, he would have no difficulty instantly shaking off the Crystal Ape. But it was a pity that his strength was limited at level 85, and he couldn’t be like his old self. Come to think of it, if he were like his old self, he didn’t need to flee at all. He could instantly slaughter the Crystal Ape in a single blow!
This fella is relentless!
Rhode looked over his shoulder, only to witness the Crystal Ape continuing to pursue him ‘loyally’. Even though he knew that the Crystal Ape was a territorial creature and anyone who trespassed on its land would only head down the road to extinction, after experiencing its persistent pursuit, Rhode felt his head throbbing in pain. Moreover, the Crystal Ape also had another ruthless move…
Swish!
The instant this thought cropped up in Rhode’s mind, his vision dazzled. At that moment, he turned over abruptly to deviate from his original path, stamped his foot, and leaped up like a fleeing hare. At the same time, along with a blinding brilliance, the Crystal Ape disappeared without a trace, only to stop right in front of his intended path in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, Rhode had switched direction. If not, perhaps he would have walked right into the trap of the Crystal Ape!
“Roar!!!”
The Crystal Ape that completed its teleportation swung its arms furiously from above and slammed onto the ground. But it was apparent that Rhode was ready to dodge this deadly attack. Without any hesitation, he zoomed past with a trail of afterimages. The Crystal Ape realized its attack had failed to hit its prey and couldn’t help but feel bewildered. But at the next moment, it let out a furious bellow, turned around, and charged at Rhode.
“Phew, finally avoided it.”
Upon hearing its bellow, Rhode couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief. The Crystal Ape’s most disgusting move was its ability to ‘teleport’. This was a deadly skill to most players, where even Rhode’s party had been annihilated by it several times. As the Crystal Ape’s movement speed was too fast and unpredictable, players often fell short after not grasping their chances well. During the chase, Rhode was already prepared for this move. If not, he would have ended up miserably if he were caught off guard and stopped by the Crystal Ape.
At that moment, Rhode had arrived at the end of the stream, where a lake emanating a faint, white brilliance like a cream-filled pool ran before his eyes. The instant he reached the shore of the lake, he turned around, gripped his sword, and unleashed a dozen blade rays at the Crystal Ape!
“Roar!!!”
The sight of Rhode not only escaping from it, but also brazenly retaliating enraged the Crystal Ape. It raised its muscular arms and hurled its fists at Rhode. Winds blustered in the vivid, powerful force, shattering the blade rays into powder. The Crystal Ape jumped, clenched its fists, and rammed into Rhode’s body.
Boom!
Along with a deep, resounding crash, the Crystal Ape obliterated Rhode. The ground trembled and sank, but this wasn’t the end yet. Because at that moment, Rhode showed up behind the Crystal Ape like a stealthy ghost. The moment the Crystal Ape launched its attack, Rhode released three afterimages to attract its attention, while he seized the chance to sneak behind it. The instant the Crystal Ape’s punches landed onto the ground, Rhode displayed his offense.
“…!”
Gazing at the Crystal Ape, Rhode’s expression turned abnormally grim. He clutched the holy sword, where dazzling spiritual radiance had coalesced and shimmered on its blade. He sprung up, penetrating the sword into the creature’s massive back.
Along with this attack, the coalesced brilliance on the blade transformed into spots of starlight that enfolded the Crystal Ape’s entirety. Clang! Clang! Clang! In the loud collisions, the Crystal Ape trembled and realized the source of the problem. It attempted to turn around and slam its prey into minced meat, but the moment it turned, Rhode had withdrawn his right arm, gathered the infinite blade lights, and unleashed them all at once!
Boom!
The timing of this attack was exceptionally ingenious as it caught the Crystal Ape on unstable footing. Even though Rhode’s strength was limited, this all-out attack shouldn’t be belittled. Due to that reason, the defenseless Crystal Ape who suffered from the attack couldn’t maintain its balance. Its huge body couldn’t help but sway, before crumbling into the lake head-first and setting off tall currents that rushed in the stream. Rhode who successfully landed this attack had no intention to seal the deal at all. After witnessing countless bubbles emerging on the surface of the lake, he displayed a subtle smile and shuttled across the forest swiftly for his getaway.
Upon realizing that its prey had escaped, the Crystal Ape was unable to restrain its anger. It rolled over, stood to its feet, and stomped toward the shore in large strides. But this time, it didn’t succeed because the peaceful water surged all of a sudden. Shortly after, a dozen, thick pitch-black tentacles broke out of the water surface and bound the creature! The lake started to roll, separate, and a round-mouthed monster with countless razor-sharp teeth appeared from beneath the lake, launching an attack on the Crystal Ape!
