Feeling the breeze blowing against his face, Mu Zhou's mood had become extremely happy. His unrestrained feet stepped on the muddy ground, and his pace unconsciously became brisk. His long purple-black hair spread out behind him, playfully bouncing with each step.
"Mmm... hmm..."
Mu Zhou felt like he was about to hum a tune...
He didn't realize that he already had.
The varying heights of grass, twisted and leaning plants, slightly muddy ground, withered yellow leaves scattered all-around, and the half-covered sun behind dark clouds – it was a somewhat gloomy scene. Occasionally, there were traces left behind from some sort of struggle.
By any measure, this wasn't exactly a pleasant sight.
But Mu Zhou was just so happy!
He smelled the bloody scent of the soil, and the rotting odor from the branches.
He listened to the chirping insects and bird songs, as well as the rustling sound that was getting closer and closer...
"Huh...?"
【Rustle...rustle...】
Mu Zhou stopped in his tracks, standing still and carefully listening.
"There does seem to be something approaching."
【Rustle...rustle...】
"It doesn't sound like a human... more like a reptile, fast-moving, and... more than one!"
Mu Zhou gripped the heavily damaged metal greatsword in his hand and held it in front of him, the sword tip pointing forward.
With narrowed eyes, he whispered, "They're coming!"
【Splash!!!!!!】
Mu Zhou's pupils contracted.
Three bizarre creatures emerged from the trees and leaves in front of him!
These creatures appeared to be over two meters tall and resembled ants that had grown many times larger.
Their bodies were covered with black exoskeletons, their six slender legs were used for walking, and their front body raised, with an additional pair of scythe-like limbs – albeit much thicker and covered in barbs.
Their appearance was hideous! The huge round mouths took up more than half of their faces, and their two pairs of slender red eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty glow.
Behind their bodies was a long tail covered with dense scale armor, and the tip was extremely sharp!
These strange creatures seemed to have just discovered Mu Zhou as well. Their rapid movements suddenly halted, their pointed feet anchored into the ground as their six pairs of red eyes stared intently at him.
"Roar!!!!!!!!"
"Roar!!!!!!!!"
"Roar!!!!!!!!"
An unpleasant screeching sound, like something rubbing together, came from the creatures' mouths.
The scythe-like front limbs pointed towards Mu Zhou and the creatures' bodies swayed slightly, their legs tensed and ready to pounce.
Mu Zhou narrowed his eyes even further, focusing intently as he kept the greatsword in front of him, his body's weight lowered, and his front leg bent.
【These things are terrifying. What on earth are they?】
Ever since he saw these creatures, Mu Zhou had been searching his memory for any information on them. However, both his 20-plus years of peaceful life and the various fragments he had encountered before held no information on these creatures.
【I'm not panicking. This is a different world, where encountering strange creatures is normal.】
His strong heart was still at work.
【Fine, I'll decide to strike first. I'll take the opportunity to attack one of their weaker joints.】
"Roar!!!!!!!!"
These creatures didn't give Mu Zhou much time to think. One of them suddenly leaped towards him, its scythe-like front limbs ready to deliver a powerful strike.
However,
Mu Zhou watched all this happen. His narrow eyes widened slowly.
【What is this...?】
His initially tense posture gradually relaxed.
【...So slow.】
At this moment, in Mu Zhou's eyes, the hideous creature seemed like a comedy actor hanging from a wire, slowly moving towards him.
【No, it's not that they're slow.】
Mu Zhou lowered the sword that was held in front of him.
Just then, the creature had finally come close enough to him.Taking a step forward with his bare feet, he stretched out one hand and pressed it against the monster's wide lower jaw, giving it a strong push.
Crack!
First, there was a sour-sounding breaking sound.
Boom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dust was flying, a deep trench was created in the ground in front of Mu Zhou, and far away, a black object that had broken through numerous obstacles lay silently there. Its entire head had twisted in a bizarre way, and it had stopped breathing.
The remaining two monsters froze, their crimson eyes wide open as if they didn't understand what had just happened. Mu Zhou retracted his arm, scratching his head with some distress. He glanced at the still bewildered black monsters.
Suddenly, his body flickered, and he appeared in the center of the two beasts, holding his chin and looking down at the ground. "Based on the touch alone, a copper pillar tree is much tougher," he muttered.
As soon as the words fell, the two monsters split in half, making four, and fell heavily to the ground, their eyes still round and unchanging. Green liquid splattered from their bodies and slowly seeped into the ground.
"Ah…"
Mu Zhou sighed helplessly, ignoring the fact that even he didn't know how strong he was. "Actually, I was quite looking forward to it," he said.
Although Mu Zhou had been gentle and mild in the past, he also had a side of him that was a bit introverted. He thought that since he had come to this alien world, there might be some tense and exciting battles to look forward to.
Looking forward, Mu Zhou's sensitive ears told him that he was getting closer to living things. Then his brows furrowed slightly; behind him, there was a rustling sound that was disorderly and dense. This sound was familiar - it was the sound of the black monsters, and this time, there were so many of them!
Unfortunately, the direction these creatures were moving in was also his destination. "It should be fine, right? Anyway, it's time to make contact with the natives of this alien world."
