Chapter 225: The Giant |
Day twenty-five.
Bai Mu finally saw the final boss. It was a giant as massive as a mountain, formed entirely from some condensed fluid. Perhaps because a human was acting as a parasitic head, it retained a humanoid shape, possessing both legs and feet.
The giant's body was incredibly massive, but its head was disproportionately small. It was a bizarre, grotesque beast's head—it sported deer antlers, yet its nose, ears, and mouth belonged to entirely different wild animals. Its fur resembled a goat's, while its ears looked like those of a black bear.
That head wasn't much larger than a human's. Set against the giant's colossal frame, it looked like a tiny grain of rice. If Bai Mu's eyesight hadn't been so sharp, he wouldn't have been able to see it at all. Anyone else would have probably just mistaken it for a tiny black speck.
It slowly lumbered over from a mountain peak. The fluid making up its body sloughed off like melted butter, covering and devouring the wilderness. Wherever it passed, all life rapidly withered away. Then, that very same fluid would converge back together, reforming its body as it swiftly pressed forward.
This thing looked like a super monster straight out of a classic superhero show, but Bai Mu didn't hold a transformation wand in his hand. One glance was all it took for him to realize this entity was absolutely not something he could defeat through brute force. Even if he used the Book of the Witch to randomly trigger a Perfect-grade magic spell, it would still be nearly impossible to kill it. At most, he could only inflict severe damage.
Killing it would require strategic weapons like fighter jets and missiles. At the bare minimum, it would need to be blown sky-high along with the very earth it stood on to completely obliterate it on a physical level.
When the refugees saw the towering monstrosity, looks of sheer despair washed over their faces.
Its massive husk blotted out the sun, casting a suffocating shadow that left everyone struggling to breathe.
Their food and water supplies were almost completely depleted. By now, they had reached the stage where they had to store their own urine as drinking water. Everyone's lips were parched and split, their skin so dry it cracked. Their minds were scattered, and their bodies reeked with the stench of going unwashed for over ten days. Their untamed hair and beards stuck out wildly like bird's nests, making them look even worse than beggars.
Bai Mu wasn't in the best condition either. His Stamina constantly hovered around sixty percent. Over the past few days, they had run into two more Mountain Evil Gods. His Mana was down to half. As for those two Mountain Evil Gods, both had been herbivores in life. One was a rock sheep, which had been relatively easy to deal with. He managed to kill it relying solely on his musket and explosives, coupled with his Quick Draw and Critical Strike skills.
The other one, however, was a water buffalo, and it proved to be incredibly troublesome. A frenzied water buffalo was far more terrifying than a maddened wild boar. That beast was a full size larger than the giant boar they had fought before, and it had nearly trampled the refugee caravan.
To take it down, Bai Mu had to use the skill from the Book of the Witch again, while simultaneously tossing two Cherry Bombs just to force it to a halt.
Furthermore, this water buffalo had forced "Best Friend's Help" into cooldown. Witch was killed by the beast during that battle. She had clung to the creature's abdomen, tearing its stomach open with her sharp claws, but ended up getting trampled and crushed by the buffalo in the process.
"Best Friend's Help" still had twelve hours of cooldown remaining before it could be used again. Xiao Wei had turned into a doll and was resting in his arms. Inside Bai Mu's inventory, he still had bottled water and compressed biscuits. On top of that, he had yet to open his "Survivor's Supply Pack." If he only cared about himself, his resources could easily last him until the end of the Script.
After all, there were less than five days left. Just as he expected, the danger level of this Script continuously escalated as time went on. The closer it got to the end, the higher the danger became.
The moment he saw that giant, he knew their safe roaming area had shrunk drastically. The places they could see that still clung to a patch of green were currently the safest spots available.
But judging by their experiences over the past few days, this entire region would undoubtedly be fully corrupted in five days. Both the giant and the Mountain Evil Gods were highly likely to flood into this area, obliterating all life that existed here.
He might not even need to wait five days before facing that apocalyptic scenario.
He figured that according to the standard clearance process of a Script, the final day or two was what truly tested a Player's caliber. However, as things stood, clearing it was still not a difficult task for him.
After all, he only needed to survive until the countdown ended. As long as his Health hadn't hit zero the exact moment the timer ran out, he would be teleported back to the community, successfully completing the Script.
He had kept enough capital to clear the game. At this stage, Witch could no longer be of assistance, but over the next five days, he could still summon Lucy five more times. The consumables Lucy provided could swiftly restore him to peak condition. Furthermore, he could use his mushroom language and Guard Mushrooms to find a secure hiding spot just for himself.
As long as he didn't drag along this burdensome group and turn himself into a conspicuous target, surviving until the thirtieth day would be no difficult feat for him.
Tuya nudged his hand with its snout, seemingly unsettled by the giant's looming presence. Bai Mu glanced back at the people trailing him. Adai and Ashi still stood faithfully behind him with unwavering expressions. Even after witnessing such a terrifying sight, the young girls showed not a shred of hesitation.
The Shaman gently stroked the beast-tooth necklace resting against her chest. Meanwhile, the refugees leaned on one another for support. Their legs trembled violently—whether from pure exhaustion, or perhaps from sheer terror.
However, Bai Mu didn't see a single person crying or shedding tears. Those who had managed to endure this far simply had no tears left to shed. The only thing keeping them on their feet was a stubborn, unyielding willpower. They were currently like a tightly drawn bowstring; the moment they relaxed even a fraction, they would snap entirely.
Both their bodies and minds had been pushed to their absolute limits.
When Bai Mu turned around, they all lifted their heads to look at him. Just what exactly was contained in those gazes?
Bai Mu let out a long breath. Without saying a word, he took the lead once more and guided the group toward the right.
That was the direction leading away from the giant. That colossal monstrosity was far more terrifying than any Mountain Evil God born from a wild beast.
He didn't know how long he could keep this fragile team alive, but he had no intention of simply walking away right now. Regardless of anything else, he had lived alongside these people for twenty long days. The handmade jewelry he had received was still tucked safely in his pocket, and the memories of those tranquil days wandering the forest like a leisurely excursion were still vivid in his mind. He intended to stay until the very end before leaving. Even if his assumptions were wrong, and these people following him ultimately died at the hands of the Mountain Evil Gods and the curse, he would bear witness to their final moments.
He knew he would clear the scenario. Even if it resulted in a slightly lower rating, he remained fully confident in his survival.
Perhaps these people were destined to die and return to dust. Perhaps everything he had done was ultimately an exercise in futility. But at the very least, he would carry the memory of them as he pressed onward.