Apocalypse: Grinding EXP through Hunting

A fierce wind swept up millstone-sized rocks and hurled them at the Extraordinary Crocodile Turtle.

The turtle stomped the ground, causing it to collapse and massive boulders to topple over.

The two Wolf Kings closest to the battlefield staggered, barely managing to keep their footing.

An injured Exotic Beast is the most dangerous.

Especially an Extraordinary Exotic Beast.

Tang Wen didn’t dare approach, even though it was blind.

He could only circle the perimeter, looking for an opening.

The Extraordinary Crocodile Turtle punched the air, and the resulting tremor sent out a shockwave.

Tang Wen quickly ducked for cover behind a High-Level Sand Wolf.

The shockwave swept out in all directions.

Countless bits of sand and gravel pelted the Sand Wolf’s body.

The Sand Wolf took the hit without flinching, not even trying to dodge.

"SKREEEONK!"

The Extraordinary Crocodile Turtle’s killing intent was so frenzied it was almost palpable.

This pressure, born from its formidable Spiritual Power, made the wolves tremble.

After becoming Extraordinary, the enhancement of one’s physical body was secondary.

Whether it was controlling gale-force winds or causing earthquakes, Extraordinary Exotic Beasts required immense Spiritual Power for it all!

「From dawn until dusk.」

The entire pack of Crocodile Turtles had been wiped out.

Qian Dong was leading a group of Martial Artists in butchering the Crocodile Turtle corpses. They packed up the brains and bone marrow to be taken back and refined into medicine.

The meat and organs, however, were split evenly with the Sand Wolf Pack.

The battle between the three Extraordinary Exotic Beasts carried them farther and farther into the distance.

The blinded Extraordinary Crocodile Turtle’s initial rage had subsided. It had calmed down and was now fighting while trying to flee.

"AWOOOO!"

The Sand Wolf King let out an incredibly piercing howl.

The High-Level Sand Wolves all turned to look at Tang Wen.

The Sand Wolf King was summoning him.

Tang Wen finished packing the Steel Plates that had been collected.

These thick Steel Plates had been pulled from the bodies of the Crocodile Turtles. The intense, high-temperature impacts had blackened and warped them.

He hammered them a few times with the back of his blade, beating them back into a reusable shape.

Only then did he call a familiar Sand Wolf over, vault onto its back, and lie flat against its fur.

A wind rose, supporting his body.

Light and swift, the wolf sprinted toward the battlefield.

In just half a minute, they had covered two or three kilometers.

Tang Wen was pleasantly surprised to find that he didn’t feel the slightest jolt while riding on the wolf’s back. It was even more comfortable than Wuzhu!

He was sitting on the wolf without so much as a saddle, yet a gentle wind held his body like an invisible, all-encompassing air cushion. It was indescribably comfortable.

’A Rolls-Royce couldn’t be much better than this, could it? Not that I’ve ever been in one.’

’Natural-born mounts!’

’Sand Wolves... they’re natural-born mounts!’

Tang Wen excitedly patted the wolf’s head.

Confusion flickered in the Sand Wolf’s eyes. Unsure if the gesture was praise or something else, it simply lowered its head and kept running.

"WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!"

A series of whooshes cut through the air.

Tang Wen flung three Steel Plates. Two struck the Crocodile Turtle’s back, and one pierced its thick hind leg.

Without a backward glance, he had the Sand Wolf turn and flee.

The Extraordinary Crocodile Turtle gave chase for a moment, but the two Wolf Kings seized the opportunity to tear into it, leaving it covered in fresh wounds.

It could only turn back to deal with the two pestering Wolf Kings.

Tang Wen circled around, crept closer, and unleashed another barrage.

And then he fled again.

The Extraordinary Crocodile Turtle’s speed dwindled as it lost more and more blood.

With the moon high in the sky, it let out a furious roar, a sound filled with anger, defiance, and sorrow.

It also carried the resolve to take them all down with it!

The two Wolf Kings and Tang Wen reacted in an instant, simultaneously putting distance between themselves and the turtle.

Who would dare face the final, desperate frenzy of an Extraordinary Exotic Beast head-on?

However, contrary to their expectations...

...once they had pulled away, the blind Crocodile Turtle suddenly spun around and fled westward in a frenzy!

It moved like a giant off-road vehicle, kicking up billowing clouds of dust.

The two Wolf Kings roared in fury and gave chase.

Tang Wen also vaulted onto his Sand Wolf, trailing behind them.

The Wolf Kings’ ability was Wind Control.

They closed the distance, on the verge of sinking their teeth into the Crocodile Turtle.

Suddenly, the Extraordinary Crocodile Turtle retracted its head and limbs into its shell and began to spin wildly in reverse.

Its incredibly hard shell was a nigh-unstoppable force!

The two Wolf Kings were about to slam right into it.

Tang Wen’s heart sank. ’The Wolf Kings are in danger!’

’It’s over!’

’We probably won’t be able to kill this Crocodile Turtle today!’

’If the two Wolf Kings get injured, I won’t stand a chance on my own!’

In the nick of time, a tornado erupted from the ground, scooping up the two Wolf Kings and whisking them into the distance.

Tang Wen breathed a sigh of relief.

’As expected of Extraordinary beings,’ he thought. ’Neither side is to be trifled with.’

Although the Sand Wolf Kings were slightly weaker in combat than the Extraordinary Crocodile Turtle, they were faster and more agile.

If Tang Wen had to choose, he would rather fight the Extraordinary Crocodile Turtle than face the Wolf Kings.

Against the former, there was at least a chance of escape. Against the latter, he could neither win nor flee.

"The stones! Blow those stones over to me!"

In the wilderness, there was no shortage of stones.

Not far away was a pile of granite boulders of various sizes.

They were more than hard enough.

RUMBLE RUMBLE!

A fierce wind sent the stones rolling across the ground.

As they neared Tang Wen, the fierce wind abruptly died down.

Tang Wen hefted a rock weighing over a hundred pounds, performed a brief Visualization, and hurled it with a tremendous ROAR!

Just then, the Extraordinary Crocodile Turtle, seeing that the two Wolf Kings had escaped, changed its direction of spin, intending to resume its flight.

BANG!

The huge rock smashed against the spinning turtle and shattered on impact.

The massive turtle’s spin didn’t slow in the slightest.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Tang Wen became a ruthless stone-throwing machine, hurling one massive rock after another!

The bombardment was relentless.

Five times, eight, ten, twenty!

A fine sheen of sweat broke out on Tang Wen’s forehead.

The Extraordinary Crocodile Turtle could finally spin no longer. Its limbs emerged from its shell, and it staggered as it lifted its head to look his way.

"Now’s our chance! It’s unsteady! Flip it over!" Tang Wen shouted, drawing the short Steel Spear from his back.

A tornado swirled up from the ground, shrinking until it precisely wrapped around the Crocodile Turtle’s two front legs.

With a thunderous CRASH...

...the Crocodile Turtle was flipped onto its back like a common turtle, its underbelly exposed.

The Steel Spear became a fiery streak, shooting straight toward its abdomen.

"SKREEEONK!"

An ear-splitting shriek echoed through the air.

The entire 1.2-meter spear sank into its flesh.

The spinning shaft of the spear tore a head-sized gash in its belly.

Blood sprayed out like a fountain, gushing uncontrollably!

Gale-force winds swept up countless rocks, raining them down from above until, just a few minutes later, the Crocodile Turtle was buried beneath them.

"SKREEE...!"

The Life Force of an Extraordinary Exotic Beast was incredibly tenacious.

Even buried, it still struggled, trying to right itself.

Tang Wen shook his head. ’What’s the use of just burying it?’

He pointed to a ten-meter-high boulder in the distance and said,

"Come on! Lift that one over here and smash it down!"

THUMP... THUMP... THUMP!

The massive boulder acted like a pile driver, lifted into the air by the wind time and again, only to be dropped heavily!

Finally, after more than a hundred repetitions, both Wolf Kings were so tired their tongues were lolling out.

Only then did the Extraordinary Crocodile Turtle finally lose all signs of life. Its limbs hung limp, its abdomen a mangled pulp of flesh and blood.

"That was one tough kill!"

Qian Dong, who had approached at some point, felt mentally exhausted just from watching.

The two Wolf Kings flopped right onto the ground, panting inelegantly with their tongues hanging out.

As the tension left him, Tang Wen plopped down, then let his body go limp and fell back onto the ground. "An Extraordinary Exotic Beast... now I’ve seen one up close."

The Sand Wolf Pack gradually gathered around them.

Once they had rested enough, the two Wolf Kings beckoned Tang Wen forward to share the massive Extraordinary Crocodile Turtle with them.

Wolf packs have a strict hierarchy.

Eating with the Wolf Kings showed that Tang Wen held the status of a King within the Sand Wolf Pack.

Flames rose. Tang Wen broke the giant spinal column he had been allotted into smaller sections and began roasting them over the fire.

He roasted it for a full four or five hours, from deep in the night until dawn.

The rich aroma filled the air, making his already-hungry stomach growl loudly.

The Crocodile Turtle’s bone marrow was like panna cotta, pearly white and jiggly.

A gentle slurp revealed a rich, soft texture without a hint of any gamey taste.

Not a single spice had been added, yet it was fragrant and deliciously tender.

Tang Wen took one bite after another, unable to stop. Soon, he had devoured the marrow from the entire length of the spinal column.

The Crocodile Turtle’s spine was several meters long.

The feeling of fullness and satisfaction after finishing it all was simply indescribable.

He tossed the bones to his Sand Wolf mount, rubbed his belly, and lay back on a bed of dry grass, staring blankly at the sky.

At that moment, he wasn’t thinking about anything at all.

He just watched the white clouds, which looked like cotton candy, drift across the sky.

There was nothing more comforting than spacing out on a full stomach.

But after a moment, Tang Wen started scratching his skin. He felt a scorching heat spreading through his entire body.

The Experience Panel flashed, and his Constitution Attribute began to slowly rise!

’What’s this?’ He froze, stunned.