Ch. 260 - High Damage AND High Insult

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The three arrived at the base of a hill, set up their tent, and lit a campfire.

Chen Shu was practiced and efficient, skewering beast meat onto sticks and settling into a barbecue feast.

Even at night, [Lieyang Hills] still had a distinct glow, never plunging into pitch-black darkness.

This was also to prevent any accidents for the third-year gaokao students.

Xu Xingxing picked up a skewer and asked, "Chen Shu, do we have any kind of battle plan?"

Just as Chen Shu was about to answer, new options appeared before his eyes.

[Option 1: Hunt one Lord-level fierce beast! Completion reward: Large amount of Beast Taming Power]

[Option 2: Hunt two Lord-level fierce beasts! Completion reward: Elemental Beast obedience +5]

[Option 3: Hunt three or more Lord-level fierce beasts! Completion reward: Both contract spirits all stats +5%, plus an extra +2% for each additional Lord]

Chen Shu grinned. He hadn't expected options like these to trigger.

He spoke up, "Originally, there was no plan. Now there is!"

Early the next morning.

The three flew further into the depths of the alternate dimension.

During this time, Chen Shu trained the Elemental Beast, and the results were astonishing.

"Derpy husky, shoot a fireball!"

Chen Shu held a urea bag, smiling cheerfully.

The Elemental Beast, who originally had no intention of listening to him, trembled the instant it saw the urea bag and obediently spat out a fireball.

"Mhm! So well-behaved!"

Chen Shu nodded with satisfaction. Did they really think he, the mighty Nanjiang Bandit, couldn't handle a mere derpy husky?

Xu Xingxing and the other looked on with pity in their eyes and silently sighed.

Another child traumatized by the urea bag...

One day later.

The three reached the deeper parts of the alternate dimension. During the day, the temperature here was probably a full forty degrees, and even at night it felt somewhat sweltering.

"Let's stop here!"

Chen Shu spoke up. This place was already extremely far from the dimension entrance, and the roars of fierce beasts rang out from the distance from time to time.

Clearly, even under normal circumstances, few beast taming corps came this far.

"It took two whole days just flying here..."

Du Ming shook his head. Were the three of you here on a sightseeing tour or what?

"Chen Pi, the surroundings feel a little dangerous!"

Xie Sunan touched the Winged Caterpillar on his shoulder. As a reconnaissance-type contract spirit, it had a certain level of premonition.

"Don't worry. Tomorrow, we officially begin the hunt!"

Chen Shu said, casually swinging the gray potion vial in his hand as he spoke.

"Holy shit! Don't screw around with that!"

The other two simultaneously took a step back, panic flashing in their eyes. They'd clearly recalled some unpleasant memories.

Chen Shu shrugged. "Relax, I'm just swinging it around because my hand's itchy."

"You're literally casually playing with a fucking nuke..."

"Awooo!"

At that moment, the husky let out a howl and immediately came bounding over, as if it had just discovered a new continent.

Clearly, it was extremely interested in the Explosion Potion.

Chen Shu remained perfectly calm. His right hand instantly grabbed the urea bag beside him.

The husky, coincidentally lunging right at him, jumped straight into the bag.

Chen Shu immediately sealed the bag shut, the entire sequence flowing like water. The husky was sealed in an instant.

"You dare mess with me?!"

Chen Shu dusted off his hands and tossed the husky aside directly.

The previously hyperactive husky went dead silent in an instant, even trembling slightly.

"We can sleep now!"

Chen Shu yawned and headed straight back into the tent.

The other two wore flat expressions, clearly long used to this.

The Winged Caterpillar and Mutant Thunderbird kept watch outside the tent, ready to alert them at the first sign of any danger.

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, Chen Shu and the other two emerged from the tent.

"Huh? What the hell?"

In the distance, Du Ming rubbed his eyes, genuinely doubting whether his Silver-rank vision had developed a problem.

"Why the fuck are you wearing psychiatric hospital uniforms for no reason?!"

Chen Shu and the other two kept smoothing down the hospital gowns on their bodies, surprised by how well they fit.

Xie Sunan spoke up, "Xingxing, this fabric is great! Did you have them modified?"

"Of course! The temperature's hitting forty now, so wearing these is perfect for not overheating!"

All three had faces full of satisfaction. They mounted the Mutant Thunderbird's back in their hospital gowns and set off on the day's hunt.

"Old Xie, find us some mutant fierce beasts! From now on, we're only targeting mutant-grade and above!"

Chen Shu spoke, his eyes filled with confidence.

The husky's obedience had already risen a bit, and with its newly learned skill [Ice Ball Spray], it could now participate in Black Iron-level combat.

Of course, the Slime was still the main damage dealer!

"No problem!"

The Winged Caterpillar on Xie Sunan's shoulder immediately released its reconnaissance skill.

Both of their contract spirits were support-type, which naturally earned them bonus points. Everything depended on how the graders chose to score them.

Half an hour passed.

"Mutant-grade Black Iron, a thousand meters dead ahead!"

The Mutant Thunderbird flapped its wings and flew forward.

Behind a hill, several large white hounds lay resting.

At the center, one of them was around five meters in size, its presence exceptionally imposing.

"It really is a Black Iron-level mutant Light Flame Hound!"

Three people in psychiatric hospital uniforms lay flat on the Thunderbird's back, approaching silently.

The sight was bizarre no matter how you looked at it.

Chen Shu made a downward gesture, and the Mutant Thunderbird immediately descended without a sound.

Just as the three were about to launch a sneak attack...

That Light Flame Hound actually opened its eyes and instantly went on high alert.

"Whoa, that sharp?"

Chen Shu raised an eyebrow but wasn't surprised. As a Black Iron, it was bound to have some tricks up its sleeve.

A crafty glint crossed his eyes, then he immediately summoned the husky.

"Awooo! Awooo!"

The husky's eyes brimmed with curiosity as it kept sizing up the Light Flame Hound before it.

"Grrr!"

The Light Flame Hound's eyes were full of wariness. It let out a low growl, trying to drive the husky away.

"Awoo awoo awoo!"

The husky circled around the opponent, bouncing back and forth, with no apparent intention of attacking.

This series of maneuvers left the Light Flame Hound's brain struggling to keep up.

"What the hell even is this thing?!"

The moment the Light Flame Hound's attention slipped...

The space above shattered. Little Yellow descended from the sky!

BOOM!

The Light Flame Hound wasn't fast enough and got sat on directly...

"Grrr!"

Only then did it realize — it had fallen for a massive fucking con!

The enormous Slime squirmed its body, adjusted its position, and then... gradually began shrinking!

"Huh? Chen Pi, your skill wears off that fast?"

Xu Xingxing asked. They'd just started the fight and Gigantification was already ending?

Chen Shu smiled without answering. The Slime's body finally stopped at around fifteen meters.

"You can control the skill?!"

Xie Sunan's eyes went wide. He immediately grasped what was happening.

Clearly, it wasn't that [Gigantification] had ended — it was that Chen Shu was controlling the amplification multiplier.

After reaching Black Iron rank, his physical fitness had greatly improved, and his control over skills had climbed to the next level.

"Groooowl~~"

At this moment, the Light Flame Hound had only its head exposed, pinned down as if trapped under Five Finger Mountain, completely unable to move.

"Derpy husky, go!"

The husky's face was full of excitement. Almost as if worried it might miss...

It bounced forward and stopped just one decimeter from the Light Flame Hound.

"Groooowl~~"

The Light Flame Hound lifted its head and was met with the husky's eyes brimming with wisdom.

Feeling the skill charged at point-blank range, the psychological pressure it endured was simply too much!

Why don't you just stuff the damn skill straight down my stomach?!

This scene dealt damage of the highest magnitude AND insult of the strongest intensity!

[1] Five Finger Mountain (五指山 / Wǔzhǐ Shān): From Journey to the West — the mountain Buddha used to trap Sun Wukong after his rampage in Heaven. A common Chinese cultural reference for being utterly pinned down with no escape.