mchenry-crisis.org Chapter 22 Swift and Decisive Strike
Chapter 22 Swift and Decisive Strike
Song Chen stood still, looking at the giant beast in front of him. His right hand was on the hilt of his sword, the standard combat sword that Lin Qingxue had given him. It had been with him for five days of practical training, during which he had killed hundreds of strange beasts.
The armored rhinoceros began to charge, its speed much faster than it appeared. Its four hooves pounded the ground, causing the entire iron cage to vibrate. Its single horn was aimed at Song Chen's chest, like a giant arrow shot out.
"Get out of the way!" Lin Qingxue shouted from outside.
Song Chen didn't dodge; he charged straight at the armored rhinoceros.
Just as they were about to collide, his body suddenly lowered, almost sliding along the ground. The armored rhinoceros's horn swept past his head, narrowly missing him. At the same time, he raised his battle sword.
With all his strength and the power of the Bloodbath Blade Technique, the blade precisely struck the area below the Ironclad Rhinoceros's neck, the thinnest part of its armor and its only weakness.
"puff."
The blade sank half a foot into the ground.
The armored rhinoceros let out a mournful cry, its charge halted, and its massive body staggered, nearly falling over.
But it didn't die. The vitality of a peak first-tier creature was too strong, and this strike was not enough to kill it.
The armored rhinoceros's eyes turned red. It turned around and charged at Song Chen again. This time it was even more frenzied, stabbing wildly with its horn and stomping wildly with its hooves, as if it wanted to crush the human in front of it into mincemeat.
Song Chen took a step back, and then raised his left hand.
"Sizzle..."
A bolt of lightning shot from his palm, striking the armored rhinoceros precisely in the eye.
The paralyzing effect of the lightning ability took effect instantly, and the armored rhinoceros's body froze for a moment.
Just this one moment.
Song Chen had already rushed forward. He leaped up, gripped the knife with both hands, and concentrated all his strength into the blade. Tiny electric sparks crackled around the blade, a result of him forcibly channeling the power of lightning into its edge.
He slashed down with a single stroke.
It struck the armored rhinoceros squarely in the neck, leaving the same wound as before.
The blade pierced most of the neck, almost severing it completely.
Blood gushed out.
The armored rhinoceros's massive body crashed to the ground, shaking the earth. Its limbs twitched a few times before it remained motionless.
Silence reigned inside the iron cage.
Outside the iron cage, all was silent.
Everyone stared in disbelief at the scene, speechless.
How long did it take from the moment the armored rhinoceros charged until it fell to the ground and died?
Five seconds?
Ten seconds?
No one remembers; they only remember the lightning-streaked blade and the colossal beast that crashed to the ground.
The examiner was the first to react; he opened his mouth, his voice somewhat hoarse.
"Number four... Song Chen, approved."
A deafening gasp erupted in the hall.
"Holy crap! That's incredible. I've never heard of this guy before."
"Just one cut..."
"It wasn't one cut, it was two cuts. The first cut wounded him, and the second cut killed him outright."
"Are you blind? The first cut went in half a foot, the second cut was the finishing blow, it only took one cut in total."
"He has lightning powers! He also has lightning powers!"
Lin Qingxue stood there, completely dumbfounded. She stared at the familiar figure in the iron cage, her mind blank.
Is that Song Chen?
The Song Chen who was stopped by her on the training field and persuaded by her "don't go to your death"?
How...how did he become so strong?
Song Chen walked out of the iron cage, wiped his knife clean, and sheathed it. His body was splattered with the blood of the armored rhinoceros, but his eyes were calm, as calm as if nothing had happened.
He walked up to Lin Qingxue.
"The knife works well, thank you."
Lin Qingxue stared blankly at him, her lips moved, but she couldn't say anything.
Looking at her like this, Song Chen suddenly smiled: "Didn't you tell me to cheer up? Are you done?"
Lin Qingxue finally came to her senses, and her eyes suddenly reddened.
"You...you liar..."
"You're clearly that strong, yet you pretend to have only 0.6 HP, making me worry unnecessarily..."
There was a cry in her voice.
Song Chen was taken aback for a moment: "I'm not lying to you, I really only had 0.6 before the training."
Lin Qingxue wiped her eyes and glared at him: "And now?"
Song Chen thought for a moment: "Now? Right now... it's probably okay?"
Lin Qingxue was amused by his words: "Not bad? This is what you call not bad?"
Someone nearby came over.
Hey bro, wanna add each other as friends? We can team up sometime!
"Dude, which school are you from? No. 3 Middle School? I'm from No. 3 Middle School too, how come I've never heard of you?"
"How did you awaken your lightning ability? Is there any secret?"
Song Chen was surrounded by a group of people who asked her all sorts of questions.
He frowned, about to speak, when the examiner's voice rang out.
"Alright, alright, everyone disperse, there are still candidates behind!"
The examiner waved his hand, clearing the crowd, and then looked at Song Chen: "Go to the second floor to get your badge. You've passed."
Song Chen nodded and handed the knife to Lin Qingxue: "Here's the knife back, thank you."
Upon hearing this, Lin Qingxue's face darkened: "Do you dislike the knife I gave you?"
Song Chen shook her head: "No, I like it very much, but I said I would pay it back."
"Since you don't mind, then you can keep it."
"Hmm... okay."
……
Half an hour later, Song Chen stood in the lobby on the second floor of the Martial Arts Association, holding the martial arts badge he had just received. The badge was bronze, with a sword and a shield engraved on the front and his number, Anning-607932, on the back.
From this day forward, he is a formal first-tier martial artist.
He pinned the badge to his chest and walked out of the building.
Actually, Lin Qingxue had invited him to dinner before, asking him to tell her stories about the outside world, but Song Chen declined the invitation. He didn't have time for such nonsense now.
Outside the building, the sunlight was blinding.
He squinted at the sky; it was still early, not even ten o'clock.
He needs to accept the mission as soon as possible, leave the city as soon as possible, and kill the strange beasts as soon as possible.
Zhao Wei's grandfather's threat was like a thorn stuck in his heart; he couldn't eat or sleep until it was removed.
Song Chen took out his phone and searched for "Anning City Martial Arts Mission Hall". The map showed that the mission hall was located in the west of the city, near the city wall, about half an hour's drive away.
He hailed a hover taxi and headed straight for the west of the city.
Half an hour later, Song Chen stood at the entrance of the mission hall.
This is a five-story gray building with an inconspicuous exterior, but the entrance is full of martial artists. Some carry battle swords, some carry greatswords, and some are covered in bandages, obviously injured after returning from outside the city.
Song Chen went inside.
The hall was bustling with noise, with long queues at dozens of windows and various tasks scrolling across the large screen on the wall.
The East City Patrol Team is recruiting temporary members. Rank 1 or above required. Salary negotiable.
[Reconnaissance mission outside Changqing City, requires Tier 2 or higher, Danger Level B, Reward: 5000 points.]
[Buying first-order crystal cores, minimum order 50, preferential price.]
……
Song Chen's gaze swept across the screen, finally landing on a line of small print in the corner.
[Outside the City Hunt Mission: Hunt exotic beasts freely on the outskirts of Changqing City. Rewards are determined by the number of exotic beast cores obtained.]
He nodded. This was good. He wasn't interested in the mission rewards, only in the kill points.