17: Colossus

Whether it's forming a team to adventure in the Star Realm in the future, or teaming up in professional competitions, a good reputation will increase one's leverage.

In the strong competition, a lucky person who got a bye was overjoyed; he was a second-tier Assassin, not very strong, but had continuous good luck.

Lin Ye's opponent was still a third-tier. In this round, except for the third-tier Ice Element Mage eliminated by Lin Ye, all other third-tiers were basically selected. One can only lament the dog system; the matching mechanism is not random at all.

Stepping onto the arena, Lin Ye's mouth twitched as he looked at the two-and-a-half-meter tall Muscle Master.

"Lin Ye? I watched your combat video yesterday. I didn't expect to be matched against you today. My name is Wang Meng."

"Hello, Brother Wang. Are you a Colossus?" Facing such a super giant, Lin Ye's voice became much softer. He was afraid of campus violence.

"Yes, a third-tier Colossus. Let's see if you can break through my defense." Wang Meng was slightly smug. A Colossus is not simple; it can be said to be the ultimate Tank, and its self-control and output are also extremely strong.

"Two contestants, please prepare," the mechanical referee's voice came.

The two stood ready. As the signal for the start of the match sounded, Wang Meng roared. His body instantly underwent a drastic change, rapidly expanding, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a colossal creature reaching five meters tall! At the same time, his clothes were torn into countless fragments, scattering everywhere, with only a highly resilient pair of shorts barely hanging on.

Facing such a formidable enemy, Lin Ye knew he could not hold back. He unhesitatingly activated the Muscle Master skill, going all out. His muscles quickly swelled, his heart pounded like thunder, and his breathing became heavy and rapid.

Lin Ye was naturally familiar with a profession like Colossus. After all, he once dreamed of becoming a Shield Warrior, and Colossus is the top-tier replacement for a Shield Warrior.

Every Colossus is a terrifying War machine. They possess an Unbreakable defense, astonishing attack range, and area-of-effect crowd control abilities. It is by virtue of these unique advantages that a Colossus can rampage across the battlefield, achieving victory in every War.

Its professional template includes five Star Level abilities.

Colossus, Indestructible Body, Colossus's Courage, Earth Power, Unshakable, five Star Level abilities, plus War Roar and Gravity Doubling, two Gold Level abilities.

Colossus is his core ability, allowing him to transform into a Colossus, which is many times stronger than simple Gigantification.

Indestructible Body has terrifying recovery and becomes stronger the longer the battle lasts.

Colossus's Courage can only be absorbed after absorbing Colossus. Its effect is overbearing, allowing one to ignore all mental control, deterrence, suppression, etc., and making the Colossus brave and fearless.

Earth Power draws strength from the Earth and can control part of the Earth's power, making it exceptionally versatile in offense, defense, recovery, and control.

Unshakable links with Earth Power. With feet on the Earth, I am invincible.

War Roar can mentally intimidate opponents and buff teammates. When linked with Colossus's Courage, it will carry the Colossus's intimidation, and teammates can gain part of the Colossus's Courage's power.

Gravity control is also very terrifying under the blessing of Earth Power.

Lin Ye now confirmed that his opponent had absorbed Colossus, but he didn't know the details of his other abilities.

A colossal fist, like a small mountain, came crashing towards Lin Ye with fierce wind. He dodged nimbly, avoiding the attack, and then unleashed a Force Emission ~ Cannon Fist, striking his opponent hard.

At this moment, Wang Meng protected his groin with his other hand, his face full of annoyance. Actually, Lin Ye couldn't be blamed for this, because Wang Meng, after transforming into a Colossus, was simply too tall. Even if Lin Ye jumped with all his might, he could only reach his chest.

"Pfft~"

With a muffled thud, Lin Ye's full-powered Force Emission ~ Cannon Fist only caused Wang Meng's hand to turn slightly red.

Lin Ye couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness. Facing such a thick-skinned giant, without using penetrating Force, it was impossible to break through his defense.

After successfully dodging one of Wang Meng's grabs, Lin Ye retreated two steps, but just then, a sharp stone spear suddenly burst out of the ground behind him. Due to the suddenness of the event, Lin Ye had no time to dodge, and the stone spear pierced his back, instantly splattering blood. Wang Meng immediately seized the opportunity, flying up and sweeping with a whip kick.

Lin Ye could only hastily block with his arms, but he was still sent flying five or six meters away by the powerful force.

Despite having the miraculous cooperative ability of Serpent Body, Lin Ye still felt his arms numb and his entire body seemed to be falling apart. He inwardly fumed, "They are all cunning villains!"

Wang Meng stomped his foot hard, and then another sharp Earth spike shot towards Lin Ye. However, this time, Lin Ye, who was already prepared, agilely dodged sideways.

Suddenly, he felt his body sink, and then another Earth spike attacked, which he shattered with a punch.

Lin Ye understood. Colossus, Earth Power, Gravity Doubling—his opponent's entire setup was revealed.

No sooner said than done! Wang Meng pressed towards Lin Ye like a mountain, his enormous fist striking down like a giant rock. Facing such a fierce offensive, how could Lin Ye dare to be negligent? He dodged swiftly, cleverly avoiding the fatal blow.

However, Wang Meng grew even more enraged. He pursued Lin Ye like a maddened tiger in a thrilling chase. Lin Ye, on the other hand, was like a slippery loach, weaving freely around Wang Meng, occasionally throwing a punch when he was unprepared.

At this moment, Wang Meng's control over gravity was not yet skilled enough. Despite the blessing of Earth Power, this level of restraint had minimal effect on Lin Ye, who was powerful and agile.

Moreover, due to his bulky physique, Wang Meng's movements were relatively clumsy. Lin Ye knew that to win, he absolutely could not engage his opponent head-on. Thus, he decided to transform into a swimming flood dragon, relying on his agile movements and flexible tactics to deal with this fierce battle.

If a Colossus's template matures and learns a few area-of-effect skills, it won't fear flexible opponents who can withstand gravity, but at present, everyone's level is low, so there are naturally some flaws due to incomplete configurations.

Wang Meng didn't intend to be worn down. The ground began to boil, and a large number of Earth spikes appeared around him. Lin Ye quickly retreated.

Wang Meng condensed a long staff and swung it at Lin Ye.

Lin Ye dodged, and a pit was smashed into the ground beside him. The giant staff swept horizontally again, and Lin Ye jumped to evade, but another Earth spike condensed and struck him while he was airborne.

What a sly old fox, too insidious.

Having encountered two insidious third-tiers in a row, Lin Ye was utterly disgusted. These professions that could set traps on the field to ambush people were blacklisted by him.

After hastily dodging sideways, narrowly avoiding the powerful blow, he finally managed to close the distance with his opponent and unleash his full strength—a sudden punch, the formidable Cannon Fist! This blow landed heavily on Wang Meng's already bruised and swollen right knee, a spot he had been targeting and had already struck multiple times.

Wang Meng felt his right leg gradually becoming unresponsive. He immediately understood Lin Ye's intention: if this leg were completely crippled, he would be helpless against the agile and flexible Lin Ye!

With a deafening roar, the ground trembled violently again, and sharp, pointed Earth spikes erupted like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. Lin Ye dared not delay for a moment, retreating at top speed to create a safe distance from Wang Meng. Clearly, Wang Meng's mastery of this skill was still lacking; although its power and range were perfect, its casting speed was astonishingly slow.

Having finally gotten rid of this annoying "fly," the large staff Wang Meng held tightly began to change. The cylindrical club head instantly twisted and deformed, turning into a broad, thick iron shovel, which then slammed down on Lin Ye like a raging storm.

As the attack range suddenly expanded, it became increasingly difficult for Lin Ye to dodge, and he took several heavy blows. Fortunately, due to the increased surface area, the damage caused by the shovel was significantly less than that of the staff, but it still left bruises on the parts of Lin Ye's body that were hit.

He finally understood Wang Meng's intention—to reduce attack power in exchange for higher accuracy, thereby gradually exhausting his strength. This made him anxious, as he tried to approach his opponent but was always forced back by the surging Earth spikes.

This kind of prolonged battle was extremely disadvantageous for him. After all, Wang Meng was not only a third-tier powerhouse but could also recover Star Power by drawing on Earth Power. In his anxiety, Lin Ye constantly thought of countermeasures and tried to break through the predicament multiple times, but Wang Meng did not spare his Star Power, always using Earth spikes to force him away.

Lin Ye was incredibly annoyed by the Earth Spike skill. Its attack range was wide, its power immense, and it was almost flawless except for its slightly slow condensation speed. During this process, he suffered several more heavy blows, his entire body aching. However, thanks to Muscle Master's powerful self-healing ability, although the injuries still existed, they did not hinder his movements.

At this moment, Lin Ye noticed that his Star Power was about to be depleted, and he could not afford to hesitate any longer. Thus, his eyes became firm and resolute, and he charged resolutely towards Wang Meng. As expected, Wang Meng once again unleashed a circle of Earth spikes, attempting to force Lin Ye to retreat. But this time, Lin Ye did not dodge. Instead, he cleverly chose to advance through the direction where the Earth spikes were relatively sparse.

He suddenly felt a sharp pain from the sole of his foot. Looking down, he saw that one of his feet had been pierced by a sharp Earth spike! Blood instantly stained the ground beneath his feet. However, he did not stop, gritting his teeth and charging forward with all his might, finally reaching Wang Meng's side.

Lin Ye took a deep breath, gathered all his strength in his right arm, and unleashed a powerful punch—Cannon Fist! This punch landed heavily on the old injury on Wang Meng's right knee. Wang Meng had originally thought that the previous blow was enough to drive Lin Ye away, but he never expected that Lin Ye would choose to trade injuries. Due to the suddenness of the event, Wang Meng was completely unprepared, and his right leg could not withstand such a huge impact. With a crisp "crack," his knee joint snapped!

At this point, Wang Meng could only rely on his left leg to barely support his body, attempting to seize this opportunity to subdue Lin Ye. But Lin Ye was no ordinary opponent either. Although his left foot was severely injured, his other foot was unaffected. He quickly jumped on one leg, agilely avoiding Wang Meng's attack range, and created some distance.

After successfully escaping the danger, Lin Ye endured the pain and carefully examined his injured left foot. Fortunately, only one Earth spike had pierced his foot, creating a penetrating wound about one centimeter in diameter. Although the injury was not light, as long as he endured the pain, his left foot could still perform some simple movements.