Chapter 25: Successful Kill
Bonus Chapter! Please bookmark, recommend, vote with monthly tickets, and show your support in any way you can! I’d also appreciate it if you guys could spread the word and give me some pointers. Feel free to share any feedback, and I’ll do my best to make adjustments!
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In the blink of an eye, the Skeleton burst from the shadows of the forest and charged into the open area in front of the abandoned gas station.
Meanwhile, the eerie Oil Monster, like a giant snail, was slowly inching its way toward the Skeletons, dragging the heavy wreckage of the gas station behind it.
Its bloated, oily body crushed the ground beneath it, leaving behind a trail of thick, black ooze that gave off a pungent stench.
The Skeleton locked onto the Oil Monster’s position and, without the slightest hesitation, forcefully threw the two heavy bags of salt it was holding.
The white bags of salt traced two short arcs through the air, landing with two soft thuds on the Oil Monster’s viscous body before being instantly enveloped by the surface layer of black oil.
At first, the Oil Monster paid it no mind, maintaining its slow pace. It easily absorbed the two bags of salt as if they were mere debris, the surface of its oil not even rippling.
But the moment the bags were consumed, something suddenly changed.
The Oil Monster moved only two more steps before its bloated body began to tremble violently.
As if in immense pain, its originally smooth, black surface began to copiously secrete a transparent liquid, which mixed with the black oil and spread across the ground.
Its movement slowed abruptly, its already sluggish actions becoming even clumsier. Every inch it moved seemed to take tremendous effort, and the trembling of its body grew more intense.
The Skeleton at the forefront immediately noticed this change. It instantly charged the Oil Monster, swiping its Bone Claws heavily at the creature, clearly intending to press its advantage.
Facing the charging Skeleton, the Oil Monster showed signs of retreat for the first time. Its bloated body recoiled slightly, its black surface rippling with agitation as if in fear.
Clearly, salt was its fatal weakness.
Seeing this from the edge of the forest, Gu Su instantly straightened up, a flash of ecstasy in his eyes.
He immediately issued a low command to the remaining Skeletons beside him who were holding bags of salt: "Go!"
Upon receiving the order, the Skeletons charged out without hesitation, following the one in front. Their Bone Joints clattered as they moved at a startlingly swift pace.
Just then, the first Skeleton to attack used its momentum to leap forward. Carrying the remaining bags of salt tied to its body, it landed squarely on the Oil Monster’s bloated form, its feet sinking deep into the viscous black oil.
Even though the Skeleton had leaped onto it intentionally, and even if the Oil Monster had wanted to dodge, its devouring Trait still triggered instantly.
The viscous black oil surged like a tide, instantly enveloping and swallowing the Skeleton, leaving not even a trace of bone behind.
The bags of salt tied to the Skeleton were also completely swallowed by the Oil Monster.
The next second, even more of the transparent liquid gushed from the Oil Monster’s body, mixing with the black oil to form a murky slurry. The pungent smell of diesel and gasoline grew stronger, so acrid that even Gu Su, standing far off in the woods, could smell it clearly and couldn’t help but frown.
"Go! Bring up the torches!
All of you, get ready to strike at a moment’s notice!"
A thought flashed through Gu Su’s mind, and he immediately raised his voice.
He issued an attack order to the torch-bearing Skeletons behind him while decisively instructing the Elite Skeletons at his side.
He ordered them to immediately light their weapons and prepare for a final charge.
At Gu Su’s command, the few Skeletons holding torches immediately sprang into action, charging swiftly toward the battlefield.
By now, the Skeletons holding the salt bags had also reached the vicinity of the Oil Monster.
Their roles were clear. Instead of approaching recklessly, they simply continued to forcefully hurl the bags of salt at the Oil Monster’s body one after another.
Every bag hit its mark and was completely swallowed by the Oil Monster.
For the Oil Monster, already struggling in agony from the large amount of salt it had consumed, this only made matters worse. It began to roll around frantically on the ground.
Its bloated body sent surrounding debris flying, and the gas station wreckage it dragged behind it shook violently. Rubble rained down from the walls, making it look as if the structure might collapse at any moment. The scene was chaotic.
Before the salt-carrying Skeletons could even consider leaping onto the Oil Monster to deliver the rest of the salt, the torch-bearing Skeletons arrived at the edge of the battlefield.
Without the slightest hesitation, they raised their hands in unison and hurled their burning torches at the frantically rolling Oil Monster.
BOOM—! With a massive roar, flames instantly erupted, engulfing the Oil Monster’s entire body like a fiery dragon. The blaze shot toward the sky, illuminating the entire clearing.
Just as Gu Su had guessed, the transparent liquid leaking from the Oil Monster was indeed flammable fuel.
It ignited the instant it came into contact with an open flame.
Engulfed in flames, the Oil Monster was in extreme agony. It rolled on the ground even more violently, its black body SIZZLING as it burned and emitting an even more pungent stench of charring and fuel.
It even mustered all its strength to lunge at the surrounding Skeletons, trying to drag its attackers into the flames to perish together.
But the Skeletons weren’t stupid. The situation was clear—there was no need for them to fight a dying Oil Monster to the death.
So, all the Skeletons quickly retreated to a safe distance, their empty eye sockets fixed on the flame-engulfed Oil Monster, remaining vigilant for its final counterattack without letting their guard down in the slightest.
And at that moment, the Elite Skeletons, who had already set their weapons alight, charged out from the woods.
Their weapons were emitting thick black smoke—the result of burning plastic.
These burning weapons not only had a searing flame effect but were also extremely adhesive. Once they stuck to a target, they were impossible to shake off and would only burn more fiercely.
The Elite Skeletons’ timing was perfect.
The Oil Monster was using the last of its strength to expand its body for a final, fatal blow, leaving it with no energy to notice anything else.
The moment the Elite Skeletons appeared, they hurled their burning weapons without hesitation.
Like falling stars, the burning weapons accurately pierced the Oil Monster’s bloated body, pinning it to the ground.
Aided by the adhesive, the flames burned its body relentlessly, continuously devouring its last vestiges of Life Force.
The Oil Monster’s struggles gradually weakened and the trembling of its body slowed, yet the flames upon it only grew more intense.
Finally, it stopped struggling completely. Its bloated body slowly shriveled and melted in the fire, eventually turning into a pile of charred ash, utterly consumed by the flames.
[You have killed an Oil Centipede (Level 2). You have gained 14 Experience Points. All participating subordinates have gained 13 Experience Points.]