Chapter 8 Hidden Combat Talent

"It's gone mad, get out of the way!"

"Dodge, dodge, don't get greedy for attacks!"

"Don't give it a chance to escape!"

Balong and the remaining six hunters who were still able to fight continued to circle the White Spider Beast, not daring to be distracted in the slightest.

As experienced old hunters, they couldn't let the deaths of their companions throw them into disarray; continuing to fight was the best thing they could do for their fallen comrades.

The heavily injured White Spider Beast had entered a frenzied state, making it even more dangerous. Its giant claws swept out gusts of suffocating wind pressure, forcing everyone to dodge in a sorry state, facing constant peril.

Blood flowed unceasingly from Balong's mouth and nose. Even after undergoing a Strange Blood strengthening, his body was covered in wounds from the frequent collisions.

If he hadn't drunk a hunter's potion that reduced pain and provided sustained excitement before the battle, he would have been exhausted by now.

"With three men missing, it's difficult to coordinate and inflict serious damage on the White Spider Beast again. It seems we can only hold out and see who outlasts the other."

Balong's mind raced as he analyzed the battle situation.

Even at this point, they still had a chance of complete annihilation... But hunting Strange Beasts was never a simple matter. Battles changed in an instant, and a single mistake or a momentary lapse in reaction could lead to serious consequences. There was never a completely risk-free hunt.

Just as everyone was determined to stall for time, a figure suddenly rushed into the battle circle like a whirlwind, ignoring the giant claws sweeping in all directions and heading straight for the White Spider Beast.

Balong and the others were stunned.

Which injured companion had rallied so fiercely!

The next second, everyone saw that it was Zhou Jing, and their expressions changed.

Wasn't this guy supposed to be on lookout in the trees? When did he jump down?

Even if this guy was strong, he hadn't trained!

Although the way he was rushing in head-on looked cool, wasn't he afraid of dying!

…

Tap, tap, tap—

Zhou Jing held a hunting knife in his right hand and a dagger in his left, striding towards the frenzied White Spider Beast.

The ferocious aura rushed towards him, but Zhou Jing felt no fear, only the excitement brought by the surge of adrenaline.

This life-or-death situation allowed him to concentrate to the highest degree.

At this moment...

The world in his eyes seemed to slow down.

Even the slightest movements of the White Spider Beast were captured by his eyes, as if shadows were emerging from its body, predicting its next action.

He foresaw everything!

The wind pressure rushed towards him, and the giant claws rapidly magnified in his vision.

Tuck his neck, crouch down, side roll!

Bang! The giant claws missed and smashed into the original position, splashing up a large amount of mud.

Get up, take two more steps, side flash!

Bang! The giant claws missed again, narrowly missing him.

Zhou Jing performed several consecutive dodges, and his strong physical fitness supported him in completing the maneuvers, narrowly avoiding the White Spider Beast's chaotic claw attacks.

His gaze fell on the White Spider Beast's vital abdomen, which had suffered multiple serious injuries and was now bleeding profusely.

He hadn't rushed up to just scratch and trim its feet...

Its vitals were already injured like this, so he would just go up and finish it off!

Today, he would become a Sliding Tackle God!

Balong felt the pressure ease, and as he watched Zhou Jing's clumsy but well-timed dodges, his eyes widened and his heart pounded.

He could see that Zhou Jing's dodges were somewhat unskilled, but he could always predict the White Spider Beast's attack intentions and leave enough time to evade.

He didn't seem trained... He was fighting on instinct!

This wasn't just a matter of good physical fitness. Some people might be strong and have received some training, but even so, their minds would still be blank in a real battle, and they would forget all their skills.

But some people, even without training, could keenly perceive the elements of combat and know how to use their advantages to deal with their opponents, as if they were born knowing how to fight.

"This guy's combat talent is so strong!"

Balong had seen many Strange Beast hunters, and they had undergone countless training sessions and battles to acquire basic combat skills, but he had never seen someone with such outstanding combat talent.

He has skill!

Because Zhou Jing was continuously dodging attacks as he approached, the White Spider Beast's attention was inevitably diverted, and it tried to stop him.

There's a chance!

Balong's eyes lit up, and he suddenly roared, grabbing the axe handle with one hand and bracing the axe blade with the other, and slammed into the beast.

Bam!!

The White Spider Beast staggered.

"Now!"

Zhou Jing's eyes lit up.

Eat my faith-based slide!

Swish—

Zhou Jing seized the opportunity and slid in from the side. The sliding force brought by his strong physique prevented him from stopping halfway.

He slid directly under the White Spider Beast's abdomen, out through the gap in its leg joints on the other side. A perfect slide.

"Zzzt!"

The White Spider Beast suddenly let out a mournful cry, and its abdominal sac instantly burst.

Blood mixed with a pile of bizarre body tissues splattered out!

The completely opened belly was like a bag with a hole in it, no longer able to hold its contents.

Zhou Jing's twin blades were covered in blood. When he slid under the White Spider Beast's abdomen, he pulled his blades, cutting open the beast's belly.

Coupled with the serious injury caused by the sacrificed hunter earlier, this attack became a fatal blow!

A successful slide!

"It hit!"

Balong was overjoyed, but his expression suddenly changed, and he shouted, "Get out of the way!"

Zhou Jing had just gotten up, and a fierce wind suddenly rose behind him. The White Spider Beast, filled with rage, made a backhanded grab.

The huge arm swept over, rapidly magnifying in Zhou Jing's peripheral vision.

His pupils shrank, and he only had time to raise his twin blades to block.

Bang!!

Zhou Jing instantly felt a terrifying force, as if he had been hit by a truck.

The next moment, the battlefield in his vision instantly receded, and his whole body flew out.

On the other side, after delivering this blow, the White Spider Beast seemed to have exhausted its strength, and it crashed to the ground, a pool of blood gathering beneath it.

The White Spider Beast wailed incessantly. It was already at the end of its rope, and after suffering a fatal blow on top of that, it was in a near-death state. Its two powerful giant arms could no longer be lifted.

Seeing this, Balong's eyes flashed, and he immediately seized the opportunity, forcefully throwing the giant axe in his hand towards the White Spider Beast's unprotected head.

Thwack!

The axe blade deeply embedded itself in the White Spider Beast's head, almost splitting it in half.

The White Spider Beast's arms drooped, and it stopped moving completely. It was dead as dead could be.

"Finally killed it..."

Zhou Jing was about to grit his teeth and get up when he saw this scene and breathed a sigh of relief, lying back on the ground.

His whole body felt like it was falling apart, his bones seemed to be broken in several places, and his internal organs were suffering from dull injuries and contusions.

It was a pity that the panel didn't have data on health or status, so he could only feel it himself.

Although his own resistance attributes were not high, his strong physical fitness would increase his resistance to blows to some extent. An attack that could instantly kill an ordinary hunter had only seriously injured him.

Zhou Jing silently lay on the ground and looked at the sky, and a sense of ease and pleasure suddenly surged in his heart.

This was the first time he had experienced a life-or-death battle.

He, a law-abiding citizen who had never seen blood, actually dared to rush into the battlefield and fight such a monster...

Most importantly, he didn't feel any lingering fear. Instead, he found the feeling of risking his life... alluring.

Without any distractions, as if he could let go of everything, the only thing that needed to be paid attention to was the moment that decided life and death.

Fighting wholeheartedly, dancing on the tip of a knife.

An indescribable pleasure. He liked this feeling.

Zhou Jing realized today that he had such a side to him.

Moreover, participating in the battle for the first time, he was surprisingly calm and not flustered.

Recalling the feeling of clearly capturing the White Spider Beast's movements just now, Zhou Jing had a little understanding.

"I'm probably quite talented in combat..."

If he didn't have Star Realm Transmigration and hadn't encountered this life-or-death battle, he might never have discovered his potential in this area.

He wouldn't know where his true talent lay.

At this moment, Balong retrieved his axe and walked over, plopping down beside Zhou Jing, raising his chin and asking:

"Are you alright?"

"...That's what I should be asking you."

Zhou Jing turned his head and glanced at him.

Balong looked much worse than he did. He had been holding off the White Spider Beast head-on the whole time, the tiger's mouths of his hands were a bloody mess, and blood was still flowing from his mouth and nose.

"Haha, I'm just a little weak after the outburst. These minor injuries are nothing. I've suffered worse injuries than this. It's normal to shed a little blood when hunting moderately dangerous Strange Beasts."

Balong laughed heartily.

Zhou Jing's face twitched.

Are you really okay? Your ears are starting to bleed!

At this moment, Balong stopped laughing and became serious:

"Will, you didn't have to risk participating in the hunt, but you still helped, helping us solve this Strange Beast faster and avoid more casualties. I have to thank you."

Hearing this, Zhou Jing supported himself as he sat up and said carefully:

"There's no need to say that. Everyone is in the same situation. If you guys fail, I won't be able to leave the forest either. You were willing to help me, and although it may have been an easy task for you, it was very important to me. I can't sit aside and watch you suffer heavy casualties in peace."

Hearing this, Balong found Zhou Jing even more pleasing to the eye, and he laughed and extended an invitation:

"We fought side by side today, and from now on, we're brothers who have gone through life and death together! I don't know where your hometown is, but Frostwood Village is always welcome to have you. Your combat talent is very good. You're a good seed for becoming a Strange Beast hunter."

At this moment, Griff walked over with injuries. He had survived the battle just now and said with a smile:

"Will, I didn't misjudge you. You're indeed someone who can be trusted. That guy Dean kept saying you were suspicious, he..."

Griff suddenly paused, remembering that Dean had died in battle, and fell silent.

Although they usually had friction, he was still a comrade who could be trusted with his back at a critical moment, and he couldn't help but feel a little sad.

Zhou Jing gently shook his head.

They had only been together for a few days, so there was naturally no friendship to speak of, but he still felt a little regret when he remembered Dean's desire to return to the battlefield before his death.

At least for these hunters, he was a reliable partner.

Balong stood up, leaning on his axe, and swayed before he stood steady. He shook his head and said:

"Let's bury the dead brothers. Don't let the beasts eat their bones. And remember to collect the spoils of war. Take away the White Spider Beast's carapace and arm bones. They're all very good materials that can be sent to the town's workshops to be made into protective gear..."

Hearing this, everyone nodded and dragged their tired, injured bodies to clean up the battlefield.

Zhou Jing checked his injuries and confirmed that he shouldn't die because of them, so he struggled to get up and helped dig holes and collect the hunters' bodies.

At this time, he had time to open the panel and take a look at the information that had just appeared.

[You have triggered the achievement [First Combat Victory]!]

[You have received 200 Star Realm Points!]

[You have triggered the achievement [Participated in a Hunt]!]

[You have received 100 Star Realm Points!]

[You have triggered the achievement [First Kill]!]

[You have received 200 Star Realm Points!]

[You have triggered the achievement [First Kill of a Strange Beast - Medium Threat]!]

[You have received 500 Star Realm Points! [Aptitude Enhancement - Physique (Small)] x1, [Attribute Enhancement - Physique (Minor)] x1]

He had no time to pay attention during the battle, but now he knew that he had triggered four consecutive achievements, all related to combat.

The Star Realm Point income added up to 1000 points, and the Star Realm Points in his hand had reached 1305 points, a small windfall, which was considered a bit of a surplus.

And these specific rewards for [Attribute Enhancement] and [Aptitude Enhancement] did not take effect on this Star Realm Apostle immediately, but were stored in the achievement warehouse, and he could choose when to activate them or use them on different apostles.

Zhou Jing thought that he didn't have much time to stay, so he would store them in the warehouse first.

He didn't know what the situation would be when he returned, so he felt that it would not be too late to arrange these rewards after he had fully explored the functions of the panel. If he used them hastily without understanding all the mechanisms, there might be waste.

With the prey dealt with and the situation safe, Zhou Jing relaxed and began to plan for the future.

'These hunters have completed their goal, so next they should take me out of the forest and to Frostwood Village, where they are located. Speaking of which, is this considered exploring a new area?

When I get to Frostwood Village, I'll think about my next actions. I have a friendship with these hunters who fought side by side, so I should be able to integrate into the village and inquire about the situation...'

After spending four days together, through the hunters' stories, he only had a rough understanding of this world, and there were many details that he didn't know.

When he got to a village with people, he could inquire slowly, and then he could consider how to proceed.

Zhou Jing was digging a hole, his thoughts already far away.

However, at this moment, a sense of crisis suddenly arose, and his tired mind was shocked.

Swish, swish, swish—

It was the sound of footsteps... dense, high-frequency footsteps!

"Be careful! Something's approaching... crap!"

Zhou Jing immediately became alert, but before he could finish shouting, he heard a series of whooshing sounds.

The next moment, dozens of arrows rained out from the forest, coming swiftly!