62: Chapter 62: The buffs are fully stacked.

The monster's skin was a dark red, resembling rotting meat, and its body was covered in twisted patterns that writhed as if countless worms were burrowing beneath its skin.

Its eyes had turned completely dark red, devoid of pupils and containing only two spheres of burning light; its mouth split open to reveal a maw of sharp fangs with bits of shredded meat still clinging to the gaps.

The most terrifying part was its back.

Two massive sarcomas bulged there, writhing and expanding as if something were trying to burrow out from within.

In the distance, the students hiding behind the trees happened to witness this scene.

Someone vomited immediately.

Someone's legs gave way, and they collapsed onto the ground.

Some covered their eyes, not daring to look, yet left wide gaps between their fingers.

Shen Yi's face was as white as paper, and her lips trembled so much she couldn't utter a single word.

Lin Sisi leaned against a tree trunk, her stomach churning as she fought the urge to vomit.

Ye Zhixia's pupils constricted violently, and an icy blue light flickered at her fingertips, but she knew that her meager strength was not even worth mentioning in the face of such a creature.

Yi Xiaoyu stood her ground, gripping the short blade at her waist and staring fixedly at that figure.

Lin Mo was still there.

She couldn't run.

"Does it look good?"

The creature suddenly spoke, its voice completely different from before—it was a cacophony of countless voices mixed together, as if dozens of people were speaking simultaneously, including men and women, young and old, along with the roaring of wild beasts.

Lin Mo tightened his grip on the hilt of his blade.

"You're from the Sixth Battalion patrol; I've seen you!"

The creature laughed.

Its laughter sounded even worse than its crying.

"The patrol? That was the identity of the thirty-seventh person I ate."

It tilted its head as if reminiscing.

"Oh, no, the thirty-eighth. I ate another one yesterday."

It took a step forward.

As its foot landed, the surrounding air seemed to solidify.

An overwhelming sense of pressure radiated from its body.

Third Stage Late Phase.

A thin layer of sweat broke out on Lin Mo's forehead.

He had killed a Third-Order Fierce Beast before.

But that was a beast.

Not something like this.

This creature's aura was ten times more terrifying than that of a Third-Order Fierce Beast.

One student finally couldn't take it and let out a sharp scream.

The creature turned its head and looked in that direction.

It laughed.

Its laughter sounded even worse than its crying.

"There's still so much food?"

It began walking in that direction.

But Lin Mo blocked its path.

"Your opponent is me."

The creature stopped and looked at Lin Mo.

"You?" It tilted its head.

"There is a scent on you... very fragrant, exceptionally fragrant."

It sniffed as if catching a scent.

Its eyes fixed on Lin Mo's finger, on that spatial ring.

"Give me the ring, and I will let you die quickly."

Lin Mo did not speak.

He simply tightened his grip on his blade and took a deep breath.

Then—

He moved.

Blade light exploded!

Lin Mo's figure instantly vanished from where he stood, and in the next second, he appeared before the creature, slashing his blade toward its neck!

Clang—!

The sound of metal colliding was deafening.

The creature raised its hand, using its arm to directly block the strike.

The blade bit into its flesh, but it only went in two inches before it could go no further.

The creature looked down at its wound, then raised its head to look at Lin Mo.

The corners of its mouth curled up.

"That's it?"

It extended a twisted arm and threw a punch!

Lin Mo held his blade horizontally to parry—

Bang!

He was sent flying back like a cannonball, snapping two trees as thick as bowls before coming to a stop.

A sharp pain flared in his chest.

Two of his ribs were broken.

The students in the distance were dumbfounded.

They had never seen Lin Mo in such a wretched state.

The captain who had just been slaughtering Second-Order Fierce Beasts like stray dogs was actually helpless in this thing's hands?

"Captain..." someone murmured.

They seemed to want to step forward to help, but their bodies uncontrollably retreated.

Lin Mo gritted his teeth and scrambled up.

The creature had already closed in on him.

Its speed was astonishingly fast, more than three times faster than before.

Just as Lin Mo steadied himself, its claws reached his face.

Lin Mo twisted his body, barely dodging the strike.

But another claw followed immediately.

Lin Mo was forced back repeatedly, possessing only the power to parry and no opportunity to strike back.

The gap was too large.

Third Stage Late Phase.

He was at the Second-Order Sixth-Fold; even with God Speed and Flowing Cloud Aurora Slash, he could at most exchange a few moves with an ordinary Mid-Third-Order.

But this thing was no ordinary Third-Order.

It was a Mimic.

A monster that had devoured dozens of its own kind.

Another claw struck.

Lin Mo failed to dodge in time, and his shoulder was grazed by the sharp claws. Blood spurted out as he was sent flying back again.

This time, he crashed into a pile of rubble, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

The creature walked over, looking down at him from above.

"It's useless."

"You are strong, but you are too young. Give you a few more years, and perhaps you could fight me. But now—"

It raised its foot, aiming to stomp on Lin Mo's head.

Right then—

"Lin Mo!!!"

A sharp cry came from the distance.

It was Yi Xiaoyu.

She hadn't left.

Standing two hundred meters away and witnessing this scene, she didn't run; instead, she formed a hand seal.

"Mirror Lakes Blessing!"

A pale blue light flew from the distance and settled on Lin Mo.

Lin Mo's entire body jolted.

It was a gentle power that enveloped him like water, repairing his broken ribs and soothing his pain.

He raised his head and looked not far away.

Yi Xiaoyu stood there with her hands extended, her palms still glowing.

This scene felt familiar to Lin Mo.

Back when he faced the Mid-Third-Order Rock-Armored Earth Dragon, it was by relying on Yi Xiaoyu's Mirror Lakes Blessing that he narrowly managed to stand until the end.

But that Mid-Third-Order Rock-Armored Earth Dragon had been heavily injured, had just finished giving birth, and was in a state where it hadn't fully mutated—it was stacked with debuffs.

The Mimic before him, however, was a genuine Third Stage Late Phase.

Furthermore, its combat strength was terrifyingly high.

Its strength and speed had almost reached the absolute limit of the Third-Order.

Lin Mo had no doubt that this thing was likely even stronger than a full-health Third-Order Earth Dragon.

The creature paused, turning its head to look at Yi Xiaoyu.

Then it laughed.

"Accomplices? Perfect, I'll eat you all together—"

It didn't finish its sentence.

More lights began to shine.

Lin Sisi stood there with her palms pressed together, and a golden light shot toward Lin Mo, forming an almost completely transparent light barrier around him.

Her Guardian's Oath had been activated.

This was the first time she had used her trait in front of Lin Mo; previously, no one had known who the target of her oath was.

But now, she couldn't afford to care about that anymore.

"Buff the Captain!"

Yi Xiaoyu shouted to the crowd behind her.

The massive commotion caused by this Mimic had long since alerted all the students in the area.

Over a hundred people had already gathered behind Yi Xiaoyu and the others.

In the next moment, everyone reacted.

Beams of light lit up from all directions.

One by one, those students released their traits.

Some could increase attack, some speed, some defense, and some recovery; some were even just the lowest-level White Traits with negligible effects.

In an instant, Lin Mo was like a lightbulb that had suddenly been plugged into a power source, emitting a burst of blinding light.

"Captain! Go for it!"

"Kill that monster!"

"Captain, we'll help you!"

"..."

Streaks of light, like countless colored ribbons, flew toward Lin Mo and merged into his body.

Power.

A continuous stream of power poured entirely into Lin Mo's body.

...