Chapter 81: The Power of the Abyssal Tentacles

He could no longer hold on and collapsed heavily to the ground. As he fell, Xue Feifei, who was in the basket on his back, almost tumbled out.

“Ah... Hey, are you alright?”

Kong Zhe had no time to answer her. He struggled to open his panel.

As expected, all three of his attributes and his attack value were now displayed in red. Every stat had dropped by over eighty percent, nearly down to the level of an ordinary human.

This meant the puppy had died. Whenever a summoned creature perished, its master would be plunged into a period of weakness. Kong Zhe wasn’t sure how long this would last, but judging by the steep drop in his stats, it would be at least ten minutes—more than enough time to get him killed in a crisis like this.

“Master, look out!”

Tuan Tuan’s warning jerked Kong Zhe to his senses. Sensing a sudden rush of air at his side, he hastily raised the Apocalypse Sword to block.

Clang.

His blade met a long, sharp fang, and a tremendous force sent the weakened Kong Zhe flying, tumbling far across the snowy ground.

“Ah!”

At the moment Kong Zhe was struck, the basket carrying Xue Feifei was flung from his back and rolled aside. One of the Hydra’s heads lunged at her. Worst of all, after being cooped up in the basket for so long, her legs had gone numb, leaving her stuck and unable to break free.

Xue Feifei screamed, her body trembling, and closed her eyes in despair.

Just as she was about to be swallowed by the serpent, a thunderous sound rang out—a massive purple tentacle materialized above her and smashed down on the snake’s head. At the same time, a smaller tendril coiled around Xue Feifei and the basket, whisking them away to Kong Zhe’s side.

The Hydra’s scales visibly dented from the blow, and it let out a hideous shriek, glaring furiously into the distance to spot the source of its assailant: a thick, outlandish tentacle that had appeared from nowhere.

The tentacle was mottled with purple spots, its head bristling with spikes like a mace. When it swung, it howled through the air, easily cracking the ground—proof of its monstrous strength.

Clearly, this was no creature of the land. And with the young man standing calmly beneath its protection, even the not-so-bright Hydra realized it must have been conjured by that insignificant human.

“Master, are you alright?”

Tuan Tuan had arrived, bringing Xiao Lei with her. Her face was pale, and the blue flames that had cloaked her were now gone—evidently, maintaining the aura of a level-fifteen mimic had drained her reserves; her magic was now completely spent.

“Tuan Tuan, take them both and fall back.”

Without further delay, Kong Zhe withdrew the green-glow fish he’d caught yesterday from his ring and swallowed it whole.

The Hydra was still being held at bay by the tentacle, so they were momentarily safe. Kong Zhe, however, knew that even with the help of the Abyssal Tentacle, there was no way to defeat the Hydra outright. The tentacle’s summon time was limited, and it was immobile. The Hydra, if wounded, could simply retreat to recover; thanks to its formidable regeneration, it would be as good as new within minutes. Kong Zhe had to keep the Hydra engaged, preventing it from escaping the fight.

The green-glow fish was a magical item. Though Kong Zhe appeared to swallow it, it dissolved instantly into pure energy upon entering his mouth, coursing through him and restoring his weakened body to full strength.

He glanced at his panel—every stat had returned to normal, and his intelligence had risen by three points, reaching a total of forty. That was a top-tier value for the early stages of the game—even elementalist mages who invested all their points in intelligence might not reach that.

He flexed his hand, feeling magical power surge through his body, and nodded in satisfaction. Rising, he told Tuan Tuan, “Your level’s too low. You probably couldn’t even withstand a single blow from it. Don’t try to fight—just keep them safe.”

Without another word, he charged at the Hydra, sword in hand.

Tuan Tuan hesitated, glancing instinctively at Xue Feifei, who was still huddled in the basket.

“What are you doing? You’re just an ordinary person—run!”

“You think I don’t want to? I’m... stuck...”

Xue Feifei’s cheeks flushed faintly.

“Huh? Are you stupid?”

“…”

Xue Feifei choked back a retort, but before she could speak, she saw Tuan Tuan raise her sword and bring it down on the basket, cleaving it neatly in two without so much as scratching Xue Feifei inside.

“I’m not going to thank you!”

“Shut up, you ordinary person!” Tuan Tuan grinned wickedly at the girl sprawled on the ground. “So? Rescued from danger by the enemy—wasn’t that a little bit cool?”

“Stop talking and run!”

In the distance, Kong Zhe was already locked in battle with the Hydra, deliberately leading it away. Staying here would only get in his way. Yet even in such a perilous situation, Tuan Tuan could still joke as if nothing was wrong! Xue Feifei shot her a glare, scrambled up, and dragged Tuan Tuan and Xiao Lei away from the Hydra.

Kong Zhe dodged another strike, his peripheral vision confirming that the three had retreated to safety. He finally relaxed.

With them out of harm’s way, he could fight freely without worrying about the Hydra turning its attention to them. Still, “battle” was a generous term—the Abyssal Tentacle did most of the heavy lifting, holding the Hydra at bay while Kong Zhe limited himself to harrying it from the edges, provoking and enraging the beast to keep it within the tentacle’s reach. A direct confrontation would be fatal: even a glancing blow from the Hydra, laced with potent venom, could paralyze him long enough to spell certain death.

Fortunately, the Abyssal Tentacle, if judged by level, was a formidable beast in its own right—at least level fifteen. It could go toe-to-toe with the wounded Hydra and even held a slight advantage. Occasionally, it managed to shield Kong Zhe just in time, saving him from several close calls.

The Hydra shrieked as the tentacle lashed it again and again, finally retreating beyond its reach. The monster glared at its foe but did not immediately attack.

It realized that, though this thing was lower level, it was fast, powerful, and capable of a prolonged stalemate. Its hide was as tough as elite armor, making it nearly invulnerable, and, most crucially, it was immune to the Hydra’s venom—its trump card, now rendered useless. For the first time, the Hydra felt doubt, even fear, and considered retreat.

But then it spotted the insolent human still taunting it—leaping, gesturing, even making rude faces.

As a sovereign of the sea, the Hydra had never suffered such indignity. Rage overcame its urge to flee, and it charged at the human, eyes burning red.

Kong Zhe was in the middle of flipping the Hydra off when the beast suddenly shot toward him like lightning. He was startled.

Apparently, he had overdone it—the Hydra’s target had shifted from the tentacle to himself.

The Hydra was a beast famed not for magic, but for its brute physical might. At full speed, there was no way Kong Zhe’s agility could let him dodge in time.

In that instant, he could only command the tentacle to protect him. As the venomous fangs closed in, he felt himself enveloped by something soft.

A moment later, a massive force slammed into his chest, making his body feel as if it had been torn apart, his organs shifting so violently he nearly vomited.

When his vision cleared, he found himself face to face with a gigantic serpent head.

Its fangs were sunk deep into the tentacle coiled around him, dark green venom dripping from their tips.

The venom coursed through the Abyssal Tentacle, causing it to falter and slow.

“Damn!” Kong Zhe cursed inwardly. The tentacle had taken the blow for him, but now, with the venom rampaging through it, its strength and speed plummeted. The tide of battle turned in an instant.

The Hydra shrieked in triumph, recognizing its advantage. Seizing the opportunity, it unleashed a furious assault with all nine heads, overwhelming the tentacle, which, though it struck back hard, was quickly lacerated by tooth and toxin. More and more venom poured in, ensuring the tentacle would not recover.

Kong Zhe, landing hard, grew anxious. The tentacle’s health was dropping rapidly; at this rate, it would die first—especially since its summon time was almost up. If the tentacle fell, he would have no means to fight the Hydra. Given the monster’s crawling speed, his group wouldn’t even be able to flee; they would all be doomed.

Then Kong Zhe noticed a peculiar detail—the Hydra was carefully protecting its underbelly, even lowering its body at times to shield it, preferring to risk other injuries rather than exposing its stomach.