The sudden appearance of this monster, with its low growl, immediately caught the attention of Su Li and his four companions.
"What the hell is this monster? It's so strange!" Ding Longyun exclaimed. He had indeed never seen such a translucent, bizarre creature before.
The sudden emergence of this translucent, crocodile-lizard-like monster startled the Water Monkey Beasts and Arrow Snake Beasts that had been besieging Su Li, Gong Xiao, and the others, causing them to scatter. With another low growl, the monster charged straight at Su Li's group.
A "Peeking Rune" surfaced on Su Li's brow, locking onto the massive charging creature to glean its information.
"Name: Crocodile Lizard, Level: Tier 4 Elite Beast. Its mouth contains a variety of bacteria and viruses. Once bitten, the victim is easily infected, leading to uncontrollable bleeding and eventual death. It possesses great strength, and its tail can be whipped out like a lash. Defeating a Crocodile Lizard has a certain chance of granting the special skill 'Venomous Fang.'"
"Careful, this thing's mouth is poisonous—don't let it bite you!" Su Li shouted, tightening his grip on his machete as he charged toward the Crocodile Lizard.
Seeing such a massive monster, Ding Longyun and Gong Xiao felt no fear—instead, they were exhilarated.
Defeating a special monster like this offered a chance at gaining a unique ability, and a good one could dramatically boost combat power, much like Su Li's "Spider Walk."
Without "Spider Walk," Su Li wouldn't have been a match for Chen Xiangyu, a Tier 5 Source Spirit user. But because he possessed that ability, he had become stronger than Chen Xiangyu.
The bipedal Crocodile Lizard moved swiftly. As a Tier 4 Elite Beast, it was far more powerful than the Water Monkey Beasts or Arrow Snake Beasts. Its charge even sent those lesser beasts retreating in fear, too intimidated to approach.
Su Li dashed forward. Just as they were about to collide, he activated "Spider Walk," his body flickering as afterimages of his legs lingered in place. He had already circled to the Crocodile Lizard's side, raising his machete.
At almost the same moment, a translucent tail lashed out—the Crocodile Lizard had launched its whip-like tail attack.
Having seen the data earlier, Su Li was prepared for this move. He twisted his machete mid-swing and brought it down hard against the incoming tail.
A sound like tearing cowhide rang out. The Crocodile Lizard let out a pained roar as its translucent tail flew off, blood splattering. Su Li had severed its long, slender tail with a single stroke.
Ding Longyun, Gong Xiao, and Xu Haishui quickly closed in, ready to attack the Crocodile Lizard.
Just then, a loud "bang" echoed from the rooftop's edge. A figure rose up and landed heavily on the roof with a thunderous impact. The concrete beneath its feet showed faint spiderweb-like cracks, a testament to the terrifying force of its landing.
The newcomer was a hulking, over-two-meter-tall humanoid monster. It had no skin, its entire body covered in bulging, blood-red muscle tissue. After landing, it took long strides and charged toward the group.
Its speed wasn't fast, but each step shook the rooftop with a massive tremor, leaving faint cracks in the ground. The spectacle was utterly intimidating.
"Another one?" Ding Longyun gasped. A monster with such an imposing presence was clearly no ordinary Source Spirit Beast.
Su Li had just stepped back after severing the Crocodile Lizard's tail, putting distance between them. He turned to look at the newly arrived muscular humanoid monster, scanning its data.
"Name: Brute Force Beast, Level: Tier 4 Elite Beast. A powerful Source Spirit Beast specializing in strength. It can sprint quickly in a straight line but is poor at turning or changing direction, making it clumsy. Its body is covered in muscle tissue, granting immense strength and formidable defensive power. Its only weak point is its head, which lacks muscle protection. Defeating a Brute Force Beast has a certain chance of granting the special ability 'Brute Force Burst.'"
Another Tier 4 Elite Beast. Su Li was stunned, quickly realizing that too many Corpse Beasts had fallen into the water, stirring up these deeper, more powerful monsters. Something was off.
"This is a Brute Force Beast. Its weak point is the head, and it moves slowly. You three handle it! I'll take care of this Crocodile Lizard!"
Su Li barked out orders. Compared to the Brute Force Beast, the Crocodile Lizard, with its bacteria-ridden mouth, was far more dangerous. He decided to let Ding Longyun, Gong Xiao, and the others stall the Brute Force Beast while he dealt with the Crocodile Lizard alone.
"Got it!" Ding Longyun replied, immediately charging toward the Brute Force Beast. They weren't foolish—they could see the beast's raw power and knew better than to clash head-on.
Gong Xiao and Xu Haishui followed suit, closing in on the Brute Force Beast. The creature, which had been striding forward, suddenly crouched slightly and launched into a straight-line sprint.
Its only burst of speed came from this charge, like a tank barreling forward with devastating force. Anyone who failed to dodge and got hit would have their bones shattered and flesh pulverized, possibly even exploding into a bloody mess.
As the Brute Force Beast rammed forward, Ding Longyun and the others scattered to avoid it.
On the other side, Su Li let out a sharp cry and lunged at the Crocodile Lizard again. Though Ding Longyun and the others should have little trouble taking down the Brute Force Beast together, he feared even more terrifying monsters might appear. He needed to finish this quickly, slaying the Crocodile Lizard first.
Activating "Spider Walk," Su Li moved like a ghostly shadow. The bipedal Crocodile Lizard swiped with its thick claws, but all strikes missed. Its gaping maw dripped with foul saliva, teeming with bacteria and viruses, but it couldn't even track Su Li's position anymore.
Su Li flashed to its side in a blur, leaped up, and gripped his machete with both hands, putting all his strength into a downward chop aimed at the Crocodile Lizard's head.
Blood gushed from its neck as Su Li decapitated the Tier 4 Elite Crocodile Lizard. The massive, blood-soaked lizard head thudded to the ground and rolled away.
A Source Spirit appeared and merged into Su Li's forehead. A message surfaced in his mind: defeating an Elite Beast of the same tier granted two Source Spirits at once. He still needed 13 more to level up.
He had successfully slain the Crocodile Lizard. On the other side, the three had surrounded the Brute Force Beast.
The beast's straight-line charge had missed, and turning around proved clumsy. Xu Haishui seized the opportunity, gripping his short spear and thrusting with all his might.
The Brute Force Beast swung its arm horizontally. The short spear struck its muscle-covered limb, and Xu Haishui was horrified to find that his sharp weapon couldn't even pierce it.
"This thing..." He took a deep breath, finally understanding why Su Li had specifically mentioned its head as the weak point—it was the only part without muscle protection.