Chapter Five: Slaying the Brutal Foe, Rich Rewards

“Sorry, once a player makes a selection, it cannot be returned…” The cold, indifferent voice echoed once again.

Xingye glanced at his watch—two minutes left before the boss would arrive. To drink, or not to drink? That was the question…

At that moment, Liu Wei and Zhang Long also exited the GM interface, looking in silence at Chen Ling, who was writhing on the ground. They were at a loss for words: for someone his age to… Well, best not to mention it. It would only be embarrassing to bring it up—after all, he was their team captain.

“Ahhh!!” As the saying goes, perseverance leads to victory. I will endure, I cannot die before I see Lan’er! Though these were only shouts in his heart, they filled Chen Ling with boundless motivation—the will to endure!

The effect of the Human Grade Physique Potion was remarkable. After using it, Chen Ling’s height instantly increased from 169 centimeters to 179—a full ten centimeters higher. More importantly, his… well, you know… was also much improved. To his surprise, he could now see within himself and confirm that all the hidden injuries he once carried were gone—he was finally free of burdens! The potion’s effect was far superior to any rookie reward!

As soon as Chen Ling’s enhancement ended, a crowd gathered around him. He told them everything without reservation, mentioning in passing that the GM had informed him: those who had chosen to enhance their physical constitution as their rookie reward would experience much less pain when taking the potion, and the degree of pain would vary depending on one's innate physique. Chen Ling had asked curiously, “So, what level of pain did I experience?”

GM: “Judging by the data… the highest level of pain. In other words, your physique equals trash!”

“Pfft! GM, you’re too blunt!” The verdict that his physique was trash nearly made Chen Ling cough up blood on the spot…

Jokes aside, the difference in pain between those who had enhanced their bodies and those who hadn’t was striking. After Xingye took the potion, he merely clenched his fists and bit his lip. And that was it. Damn, what a scam.

Liu Wei’s case was even simpler—he just ground his teeth a few times, barely broke a sweat, and the enhancement was complete. Compared to them, what Chen Ling suffered was a living hell. Still, he was grateful he’d made it through.

The road ahead would only get harder, but for Lan’er’s sake, I cannot die! Unconsciously, Chen Ling clenched his fists, his mind roaring with determination.

“Boss countdown: ten, nine, … one!”

“Dong! Dong!…” The thunderous footsteps of the boss grew steadily closer, each tremor more distinct. Most people were sweating bullets, their hands shaking as they gripped their guns. Yet Chen Ling stood out from the crowd, calmly watching the city gate entrance, paying no heed to the approaching footsteps. This was the very reason his master had chosen him as his only disciple.

As the boss approached, Chen Ling recalled what his master had said when accepting him as his sole apprentice: “You have the heart and hands of a gambler, but you lack the eyes of one! Destruction and rebirth are your destiny!”

Only after betrayal by his brother and locking eyes with Lan’er did Chen Ling finally understand his master’s words.

“Owooooo!!” After the wolf’s howl, a monstrous creature appeared before them—a wolf’s head, tiger’s body, lizard’s tail, and wielding a massive meteor hammer. It was as tall as a five-story building!

No one had expected that [Brutality] would turn out to be a composite monster. Who the hell designed this monstrosity? Not quite anything—it was an abomination! Everyone, including Chen Ling, cursed it in their hearts.

“Owooo! Roar! Hissss!” Even its cries were a bizarre mix.

Three beasts, three voices—had the designers gone mad?

What kind of god-awful setting was this…?

A cacophony of curses erupted, but was quickly suppressed. This was no time for complaints—it was time to team up and slay the monster, even though death here meant no respawn.

“Attack!” “Fire!”…

Captains barked their orders. Without hesitation, Chen Ling raised his rifle and opened fire. This time, the recoil was negligible for him, and [Brutality] was such a big target it was impossible to miss!

Ratatatata! Countless bullets rained down on the boss; if it had been a low-level zombie, there’d be nothing left but dust. Unfortunately, this was a boss.

The boss was not going to sit there and take it. With a sudden leap, it landed amidst the crowd—one stomp, and countless lives were snuffed out.

That one stomp drove some people mad with rage. “I’ll kill you!” one man shouted, rushing forward and emptying his magazine. Click. Click. Out of bullets…

[Brutality] turned its head, spotted the attacker, and with a swing of its arm, sent the meteor hammer crashing down like a falling star. The man was still reloading, oblivious to the doom above.

“Chang Shen, get out of there! Run!” Those who knew him shouted desperately, but the gunfire drowned out their voices. He barely heard the word “run”…

Too late. As he tried to move, the meteor hammer struck him dead-on. [Brutality] lifted its weapon, and all that was left was a bloody smear—some bits even stuck to the hammer…

“Aaahhh!” The girls began to scream again. Nothing could be done. As Chen Ling’s attention was drawn by the shrieks, he noticed a particular girl—apparently the leader of the female team. She quickly rallied the girls who could still think, leading them and the terrified ones to a new position. Anyone still lucid knew [Brutality] was now fixated on them.

Sure enough, [Brutality] first hurled its meteor hammer, then leapt to the spot the girls had just vacated, announcing its arrival with a wolf’s howl.

As [Brutality] howled to the sky, the people below continued firing. After ten minutes of fierce battle, half the group lay dead, but [Brutality] had lost three-fifths of its health, and the survivors were nearly out of ammo.

Chen Ling had long since expended his bullets and had only been able to keep fighting by scavenging from the dead.

How to continue the attack became the biggest problem facing them all.

Chen Ling looked at his only remaining grenade and thought of a desperate plan.

“Who has grenades? Give them all to me!” he shouted. [Brutality] couldn’t understand him, nor would it care about an ant like Chen Ling. For some reason, [Brutality] kept chasing the girls… the only explanation: it was a pervert!

“What do you need grenades for?” the female team leader demanded.

“There’s no time to explain. Tell everyone to give me their grenades! Hurry!”

“All right! I trust you!” She gave Chen Ling a resolute look, then resumed running.

Soon, all the grenades were in Chen Ling’s hands—sixty in total, counting those collected from the dead. Amusingly, one person had bought nothing but grenades…

Chen Ling bundled the grenades in a shirt, then tied a long fuse to the pin of one. The giant grenade was ready!

[Brutality] was still mindlessly chasing the girls—eight had already fallen victim… The men could only stare in frustration. With limited bullets left, only the most skilled shooters could be trusted with them. Chen Ling had already donated his rifle…

Taking advantage of [Brutality]’s distraction, Chen Ling leapt up, grabbed a handful of rotting flesh on its body, and began to climb. The first thing he noticed was the stench.

[Brutality] continued its predatory game, perhaps guided by nothing more than instinct. Chen Ling slung the giant grenade over its shoulder and climbed with utmost caution. “Damn, this reeks!” he muttered with every upward movement.

Everyone below was on edge, silently praying that Chen Ling would succeed.

“Boss, you can’t die! If you do, I’m doomed!” Zhang Long wailed nearby. Chen Ling’s luck had held—none of his team had died yet. Liu Wei had almost been swept by the meteor hammer, but Xingye’s flying tackle had saved him at the last second.

After three grueling minutes, Chen Ling finally reached the boss’s neck, but another girl had perished…

He waited in silence for [Brutality] to unleash another howl…

Five minutes later, two more girls had died, and Chen Ling watched in horror as the monster chewed their bodies. Fury threatened to overwhelm him.

Crunch, crunch—the sound of bones splintering was relentless. Red blood and white brain matter splattered from [Brutality]’s maw, some of it landing on Chen Ling’s face.

Hold on. Endure, and you’ll have your chance for vengeance! Chen Ling kept telling himself.

At last, the heavens favored the determined. His moment came: after devouring two more girls, [Brutality] threw back its head and howled.

Now! With a leap, Chen Ling pulled the fuse on the massive grenade and hurled it into the creature’s mouth. [Brutality], thinking it was just another lump of meat, swallowed it whole.

The result—

BOOM!!!

The explosion was deafening. Chen Ling was not spared: chunks of flesh and half-digested human remains rained down on him.

[Congratulations, player Chen Ling, for killing the boss [Brutality]. Reward: [Brutality Grenade], skill [Three Beast Forms]; one spin of the Goddess of Victory’s Wheel, 200 Battle Spirits, and 500 Black Coins! For defeating the boss ahead of time, all players receive 50 Battle Spirits and 100 Black Coins. The Human Game officially begins—class advancement unlocked, inventory unlocked, monster compendium unlocked…]

The final blow to the boss yielded unimaginable rewards! With kills on low-level zombies, the last hit, and the early boss kill bonus, Chen Ling had amassed 305 Battle Spirits and 600 Black Coins. [Brutality] had even dropped a skill book!

Now, Chen Ling was ahead of everyone!

A white glow enveloped him as the GM announced, “Congratulations, you have advanced to Human Rank, Level 2. Remaining Battle Spirits: 5.”

So that’s what Battle Spirits are for! At Level 2, Chen Ling felt a surge of strength—his rifle now felt as light as a bottle of water. Zhang Long and the others leveled up as well, but their glow was dimmer—just Level 1, it seemed.

Chen Ling no longer cared about rank. He opened his inventory and immediately saw his two unique items: [Brutality Grenade]: a title-grade grenade—five simple words; [Three Beast Forms] (Passive Skill): Wolf King Form—can be activated during the full moon, boosting attack speed and power; Tiger King Form—can be activated at noon, granting a random skill cooldown reset upon killing an enemy; Lizard King Form—can be activated at any time, enhancing jumping ability.

An extraordinary skill! Even without knowing all the rules, Chen Ling realized how powerful it was. More importantly, it was passive!

“Hahaha!” Chen Ling burst out laughing, wild with joy, leaving everyone around him utterly baffled.

There were still ten minutes before the next wave of Raging Zombies arrived. No rush! Chen Ling collected his thoughts and entered the GM interface…