Chapter 51: The Road to Strength |
“Chokehold, chokehold! That’s the move you need! You’re gonna lose like this, it’s driving me crazy.”
“Bro up there, quit talking nonsense. Does the Owl-Headed Fiend have hands? How’s he supposed to choke it? Why don’t you just say slide in and uppercut it?”
“Peck its neck! Based on my observations, that’s its weak point. Hit it and you’ll crit!”
—
With the livestream viewers yelling instructions from afar, Lu Xing and the Mystic Butterfly rolled and tussled all over the ground.
This was Lu Xing’s third attempt at challenging the Mystic Butterfly.
When it encountered other players, the Mystic Butterfly fled instantly. But when it saw him, its initial fear turned into arrogant disdain, its raised head practically shouting the words, ‘I’m strong!’
This infuriated Lu Xing.
The Mystic Butterfly’s attitude toward him was completely different from how it treated other players. Clearly, it had decided he was an easy target to bully.
But the outcome remained unchanged.
He quickly discovered that the viewers in the livestream were full of empty boasts. Before the fight, they had all claimed they’d coach him remotely. Some even bragged about knowing ancient martial arts, close-quarters combat, and Gene Warrior combat techniques… but none of those skills applied to his Owl-Headed Fiend form.
His resistance against the Mystic Butterfly’s bullying was utterly feeble.
He couldn’t even inflict any meaningful damage on it. This wasn’t a fight, it was a beating.
Before long, Lu Xing was exhausted, collapsing weakly on the ground, unable to continue.
The Mystic Butterfly stepped on him with its hind leg, pressing his head halfway into the dirt, spreading its wings and looking down at him with a mocking gaze that seemed to say, ‘You’re weak!’
“Stupid bird, don’t get cocky. One day I’ll take you down. Bullying a scenery seeker like me isn’t something to be proud of. If you’re so tough, go fight through the Ancient Battlefield.”
Lu Xing grumbled weakly, having given up resistance.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Though the Mystic Butterfly didn’t understand his words, it seemed to pick up on his tone, flapping its wings and slapping him repeatedly on the head until stars danced before his eyes.
Yet compared to the physical pain, the humiliation gnawed at him even more. In his heart, Lu Xing swore he would one day slay this bullying creature.
The final blow from the Mystic Butterfly landed, and darkness swallowed his vision.
One hour and thirty minutes later.
Lu Xing returned to Ripple Pool, this time bringing a combat blade purchased for 70 sacrificial power points.
Since fists didn’t work, he decided to use a weapon and fight in his human form.
Upon seeing him again, the Mystic Butterfly showed a hint of confusion, seemingly unable to comprehend the concept of death and resurrection. But excitement soon replaced its confusion as it flapped its wings, eagerly welcoming him.
Without the Owl-Headed Fiend’s stat boosts, Lu Xing was pummeled so badly that he threw up the food he had eaten on the way there.
Bruised and battered, Lu Xing’s sorry state made the livestream viewers wince, but they continued to cheer him on.
“Explorer bro, your combat technique has clearly improved! Don’t be afraid of failure, you’ll definitely win next time!”
“Your last strike almost landed! The Mystic Butterfly just got lucky. Such a shame!”
“Keep going, Explorer! Failure only makes you stronger. Believe in yourself, you can do it!”
—
Encouraged by the viewers, Lu Xing was eventually grabbed by the Mystic Butterfly, lifted into the air, and slammed down in free fall, ending yet another attempt.
After multiple defeats, Lu Xing finally shut down emotionally.
He realized there was no way he could defeat the Mystic Butterfly like this unless he massively boosted his strength, raising both his Body Tempering Level and Star Vein Level, along with stacking various monster form bonuses.
Upon resurrecting once more, Lu Xing ignored the viewers’ pleas and refused to return to Ripple Pool.
The donations were tempting, but the combined physical and mental torment was unbearable.
He was never that greedy for money anyway, nor did he face any financial difficulties in real life.
But this wasn’t surrender.
The frustration still burned within him, he just wanted to strengthen his Owl-Headed Fiend form first before challenging the Mystic Butterfly again, rather than walking into a beating he knew he couldn’t win.
Even if leveling up meant the Mystic Butterfly would flee, Lu Xing saw its retreat as an admission of defeat. That would be his victory.
He opened the chat channel to find a monster farming party, officially embarking on his path to self-improvement.
Two days later.
After 48 hours of non-stop grinding, Lu Xing raised his Owl-Headed Fiend form to Level 11.
Compared to Level 7, his wings had grown fuller, a glowing crimson feather sprouted from his forehead, and even his aura had transformed.
The massive stat boost gave Lu Xing the courage to face the Mystic Butterfly again.
He reopened his livestream, updating the title to.
“Fighting the Dumb Bird Again.”
Then he set out for Ripple Pool.
The moment he went live again, a flood of viewers rushed in.
Many couldn’t help but sigh, predicting that this battle probably wouldn’t happen, the cowardly butterfly would likely fly away as soon as it saw him.
Soon after, with the viewers watching eagerly, Lu Xing arrived at Ripple Pool.
Looking across the water at the bushes, those familiar emerald-green eyes were staring right at him.
Seeing the Mystic Butterfly was still there, a smile spread across Lu Xing’s face as he waved provocatively.
His body twisted and shifted into the Owl-Headed Fiend form.
Surprisingly, the Mystic Butterfly leapt out of the bushes but didn’t flee. Instead, it proudly raised its head and stared him down.
Lu Xing’s smile froze.
He noticed something had changed in the Mystic Butterfly’s appearance, its vibrant feathers were even more dazzling now.
Activating analysis, he got his answer.
[Mystic Butterfly (Fourth-Generation Primordial)]:
Hunt Level: 13
Guide Analysis: A Fourth-Generation Primordial Monster that controls wind manipulation powers. It has developed basic intelligence and can control wind elements for flight, combat, or greatly enhanced movement speed.
Personality Analysis: Bullies the weak, fears the strong, lazy.
—
Huh?
Hunt Level 13?!
“Guide, how did the Mystic Butterfly’s Hunt Level increase?”
In response to his question, Guide floating beside him lazily explained.
[It’s a Primordial Monster, they can increase their strength through certain means. My guess is that the Mystic Butterfly’s growth relates to its personality: bullies the weak, fears the strong. By bullying you repeatedly, it gained a boost from the rules of Monster World, increasing its power.]
[As for why it’s Level 13 now, I’m not sure. In theory, Fourth-Generation Primordials have far higher growth potential than First-Generation Primordials, so their rapid strength gain is perfectly reasonable.]
“What do I do now?”
[Fight like a warrior, or curl up and take the beating like a coward until the Mystic Butterfly gets bored and delivers the finishing blow. Afterward, I’ll haul your corpse back to the nest.]
Watching the Mystic Butterfly dive at him again, Lu Xing could even see the arrogance gleaming in its eyes.
This scene left the livestream audience both laughing and crying.
One player’s comment quickly soared to the top.
“When I saw the stream title, I thought you figured out a way to win. Turns out we’re just here to watch you get beat up again. Are you addicted to getting pummeled?”
Comments 3