I maxed out the Scholar talent at the start, but I want to be a Warrior.

Three shots.

Gu Chang'an used only three shots to reduce the tiger's combat power from 8% to 15%.

This is absolute strength.

Every shot has a purpose.

The first shot forced it to tilt its head—exposing its throat.

The second shot forced it to tilt its head back—exposing its abdomen.

The third shot was aimed directly at the old wound.

The three shots were fired in one smooth motion without any pause.

It's like playing chess.

Every step was calculated.

Gu Cheng watched his uncle's retreating figure and clenched his fists.

Is this what master-level marksmanship looks like?

Bully.

Gu Cheng watched his uncle's retreating figure, his eyes practically sparkling with admiration.

The tiger was injured, but it did not retreat.

Its right eye looked at Gu Chang'an, and a low growl came from its throat.

Gu Cheng's investigation revealed a line of text—

[Mythical Beast - Fierce Tiger] [Current Status: Charging Up]

Charging up power?

Gu Cheng's pupils contracted.

He stared intently at the tiger, observing its fluctuating strength—45% was dropping, twice as fast as before.

Enraged state.

Physical exertion doubled.

It is burning its own life force, forcibly urging something to move.

"Uncle! It's gathering power!"

Gu Cheng shouted it out.

Gu Chang'an heard it.

He did not back down.

He gripped the iron spear tightly, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground, his feet slightly apart, his center of gravity lowered.

The tiger's roar grew louder and louder.

The air was vibrating.

Gu Cheng felt it—an invisible pressure emanating from the tiger, like the oppressive, suffocating atmosphere before a storm.

Thirty paces away, Gu Daliang could no longer hold on. His legs were trembling, his face was pale, and he was clinging tightly to the tree trunk.

Gu Cheng wasn't much better off.

His ears were ringing, his chest felt like it was being crushed by a heavy stone, and his breathing became shallow and rapid.

But he didn't lie down.

His high mental attribute gives him greater resistance when facing the tiger's might.

He gritted his teeth and used the probe—

[Mythical Beast - Fierce Tiger] [Stamina: 45% → 38%] [Current Activity: Charging Up]

It's still falling.

almost.

The tiger's right paw lit up.

It's not a reflection; it's a deep, dark sheen that comes from within.

Three streaks of black light detached from the tiger's claws, leaving three afterimages in the air.

The iron claws tore it apart.

Tier 3 combat skills.

Gu Cheng's blood froze.

This tiger has a strength of 72 and has awakened a third-tier combat skill.

However, due to old injuries that weakened his combat power, he remained in a sealed state at the third tier.

It's now unsealed.

Forcefully unblock using rage.

The price was that my physical strength was dropping rapidly.

[Mythical Beast - Fierce Tiger] [Stamina: 38% → 31%]

"Awooo—!!!"

A roar erupted.

It wasn't the low, muffled thunder of before; it was explosive.

The sound waves crashed in from all directions like an invisible wall.

Gu Cheng's legs went weak, and he knelt down on one knee.

The buzzing in my ears turned into a sharp, piercing pain, my vision went black, and it felt like I'd been punched hard in the chest.

Gu Daliang was in an even worse state, curled up under the tree roots, covering his ears and trembling all over.

Gu Chang'an stood still.

The gun was stuck in the ground, and he gripped the barrel with both hands.

His foot slid half a step backward in the mud.

His white hair was blown backward by the blast wave, and his robes fluttered in the wind.

He held on.

Gu Cheng quickly used the detection skill—

[Gu Chang'an] [Current Status: Tiger's Roar Effect (All attributes reduced by 15%, lasting 3 seconds)]

Fifteen percentage points.

three seconds.

He was not given a moment to catch his breath.

Three streaks of black light, accompanied by a strong gust of wind, crashed down upon us.

Gu Chang'an made a move.

The tip of the gun rose, tracing an arc of light.

fast.

Gu Cheng could only see a fleeting afterimage as they approached.

The spear tip swiftly pierced through three streaks of black light—

The first step: break.

The second step is to break it up.

The third course—

The moment the spear tip struck the black light, Gu Chang'an let out a muffled groan and slid back a step.

But the black light shattered as well.

The three iron claws tore through, but were all blocked.

Gu Cheng's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of his throat.

He stared intently at the probe—

[Mythical Beast - Fierce Tiger] [Stamina: 31% → 28%] [Status Update: Post-skill stun (lasts approximately 5 seconds)]

Stiff.

The tiger stood still, its limbs trembling slightly, and the black light on its right paw had dissipated.

It's panting.

Heavy, bloody breathing.

The cost of a Tier 3 warrior skill is not just stamina—after it's used up, the entire body will be in a brief state of stiffness.

Gu Cheng saw it.

Five seconds.

There is only a five-second window.

"Uncle! It can't move! Five seconds!"

Gu Cheng roared out, his voice cracking.

Gu Chang'an didn't need him to remind him.

He had already moved the instant the black light shattered.

In just a few breaths, they rushed up to the tiger.

It took less than a breath.

The tiger was frozen and unable to move, but its right eye was still moving.

That one yellowish eye was fixed on Gu Chang'an, who was rushing towards him.

instinct.

It instinctively tried to raise its right paw to block Gu Chang'an's attack.

Gu Chang'an thrust the tip of his spear forward.

There were no fancy changes.

One shot.

It pierced straight into the tiger's right eye.

"Awooo—!!!"

The tiger let out a mournful scream.

The tip of the gun pierced the eye socket, penetrating deep inside.

The force of the shot pushed the tiger's head backward.

The tiger shook its head wildly, lost its balance, and crashed heavily to the ground.

Dirt splashed everywhere.

Gu Chang'an drew his gun and took two steps back.

Blood spurted from the tiger's right eye socket, staining half of its face red.

It struggled to its feet, but its body was swaying.

It can't see anything anymore.

His left eye was long gone, and his right eye had been pierced.

A completely blind beast.

But it was still roaring.

It wanted to pounce towards Gu Chang'an.

Three steps.

Two steps.

step.

The tiger's body tumbled forward and it lay sprawled on the ground.

It struggled to stand up.

Its front legs braced for a moment, then went limp again.

Blood gushed from his eyes, from the old wound on his abdomen, and from the scratches on his cheeks, spreading a dark red stain on the muddy ground.

It lay there, making low, intermittent whimpering sounds from its throat.

It was like taking its last breath.

Gu Cheng got up from the ground, his legs still weak.

He walked over to his uncle and looked at the tiger lying on the ground.

The probe jumps out—

[Mythical Beast - Tiger] [Stamina: 28% → 11%] [Status: Blind, Re-exposed Old Abdominal Wound (Combat Power Reduced by 15%), Near Death]

Near death.

Gu Cheng looked at it.

For a moment he was dazed. The tiger was guarding the treasure and did not attack him.

However, in order to obtain the rare treasure, he ultimately killed the tiger.

Is it right or wrong?

He was silent for a long time.

"Let's go."

Gu Chang'an patted him on the shoulder.

Gu Cheng did not move.

"This world is just like that, the strong prey on the weak." Gu Chang'an's voice was very calm, as if he were talking about something very ordinary. He paused for a moment.

"Besides, this vicious tiger has eaten many people. Killing it would be doing a service to the people."

Gu Cheng looked at the tiger.

The tiger's howls grew weaker and weaker.

Its breathing became shallow and slow, and its body stopped struggling.

Gu Cheng drew a long sword from his waist.

"I'll do it."

Gu Chang'an glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Gu Cheng walked up to the tiger and squatted down.

Blood was still seeping from the tiger's right eye socket, its empty eye socket staring at the sky.

It can no longer feel pain.

Gu Cheng raised his knife.

My hands are shaking.

He took a deep breath and steadied himself.

A knife.

Clean and neat.

The tiger's body twitched once, then remained completely still.

The probe jumps out—

[Mythical Beast - Tiger] [Status: Dead]

Gu Cheng stood up and wiped the blood off the knife onto the grass.

He didn't speak.

Gu Chang'an walked over and hoisted the iron spear onto his shoulder.

"Daliang, come here."

Gu Daliang peeked half his head out from behind the tree; his face was still pale, but his legs had stopped trembling.

He ran over, looked at the tiger on the ground, and swallowed hard.

"This...this big?"

"Cut down a tree and carry it back," Gu Chang'an said. "Give the tiger meat to the people in the village, and keep the tiger bones and skin; they can be exchanged for a lot of silver in the city."

Gu Daliang looked at the tiger, then at Gu Chang'an, opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end only uttered two words.

"Okay."

He turned and went to cut down the tree.

Gu Cheng stood there, looking at the tiger's carcass.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, illuminating the tiger's scars.

When it was alive, it was the king of this mountain forest.

Now it's just a corpse.

Gu Cheng withdrew his gaze and followed his uncle.

The three men cut down a large tree, trimmed its branches, and carried the tiger carcass up to it.

Gu Daliang was in front, and Gu Cheng and Gu Chang'an were behind.

The tiger carcass was very heavy, causing the tree trunk to creak.

The three of them walked silently toward the mountain stronghold.

After walking about a hundred steps, Gu Cheng looked back.

There was nothing to be seen in the direction of Broken Soul Gorge.

Only the sound of the wind passing through the trees could be heard.