214: Chapter 214 even

As his thoughts churned, Hu Gualing stopped complaining. After all, he had chosen this path himself and had to see it through. Besides, upon reaching Level 5, Farmers Three Punches automatically granted the [Bronze Skin] passive skill, which significantly improved his body's surface defense. If not for this passive skill, the frantic barrage of attacks he just unleashed on the Millennium Tree Demon would have left his hands a bloody mess instead of just slightly scuffed.

Hu Gualing was just about to throw another punch at the Millennium Tree Demon when he heard Xiao Niao's voice coming from behind him.

"The BOSS's health is full again." There wasn't much surprise in Xiao Niao's voice; it sounded more like a sense of powerlessness.

Hu Gualing was startled by that flat, indifferent remark.

He had only dodged an attack from the Millennium Tree Demon. Although many thoughts had crossed his mind, he was naturally prone to overthinking during combat, and his mind raced incredibly fast. Despite all his random thoughts, only a few dozen blinks' worth of time had actually passed. In that short span, the Millennium Tree Demon BOSS's health had fully recovered?!

Hu Gualing didn't believe it for a second. He immediately retreated over ten meters, craning his neck to look high up at the tree's canopy. Sure enough, the long health bar above the Millennium Tree Demon's head was currently completely full. It didn't look like it had taken any damage at all.

Hu Gualing's eye twitched, and he was instantly filled with a deep sense of powerlessness.

He had landed at least fifteen or twenty punches just now. Even if the damage per hit was pathetic—only four or five points—it should have added up to several dozen points. In just a few dozen blinks, the Millennium Tree Demon had recovered all of it?

Hu Gualing stood frozen for a moment before something occurred to him. He turned to look at Xiao Niao, who was sitting on the ground, and asked nervously with eyes flashing, "Did the BOSS use a skill just now? While I wasn't looking, did it use some kind of healing skill?"

He truly couldn't believe the BOSS could automatically regenerate dozens of health points in such a short time. He suspected the Millennium Tree Demon had used a recovery skill to top off its health while he was distracted. After all, tree demons were clearly associated with terms like 'nature' and 'vitality.' It was perfectly understandable for a tree demon BOSS to have a health recovery skill.

However, such a skill would surely have limitations and couldn't be used at will. It just meant the difficulty of the kill had increased slightly; it wasn't yet an impossible feat.

Thinking this, Hu Gualing looked at Xiao Niao and asked, "You must have seen some white or green light effects on the BOSS, right? Right?"

To his surprise, Xiao Niao shook his head helplessly, as if reluctant but forced to shatter his hopes. "To tell you the truth, I've been watching the whole time. Aside from the skill that sends an Earth Spike up from the ground, the BOSS hasn't used any other skills. It hasn't even moved an inch."

The light of hope in Hu Gualing's eyes suddenly vanished. He was stunned for a moment, unable to accept it. "Then its health..."

Xiao Niao sighed. "Sigh, the BOSS has been regenerating health from the very beginning. Basically, for every four points of damage you deal, it recovers two. That's why the health bar was dropping so slowly, which is also why I didn't announce how much health it had left."

Hu Gualing frowned. No wonder. He had felt like something was missing during the fight—it was the sound of Xiao Niao's constant updates on the BOSS's current health...

Xiao Niao continued, "The BOSS's health is constantly regenerating, so it seems to drop very slowly. It was only visible during your flurry of attacks, and even then, it wasn't much. In the brief moment you spent dodging back, that bit of health was quickly restored." Xiao Niao also looked weary. He had called Gualing back to rest and discuss a strategy precisely because he saw the BOSS's health return to full, meaning Gualing's previous attacks had all gone to waste.

Hearing this, Hu Gualing understood. The Millennium Tree Demon hadn't used a healing skill; its base health regeneration was simply incredibly powerful.

High health, high defense, and fast health regeneration...

Calculating the situation, Hu Gualing's expression became as sour as if he had eaten something foul. Could they really defeat a BOSS whose tankiness was maxed out in every category?

Tang Yao, who had been observing the battle from the edge of the circle, walked over and couldn't help but say, "This BOSS... seems a bit hard to deal with."

"..." Hu Gualing didn't speak, but his expression clearly showed his current frustration.

"Hey, it's fine. That was just a probe anyway. Even if we didn't lower its health, it's not like we gained nothing," Xiao Niao offered timely comfort. He proactively took some euphorbia humifusa out of his bag and handed it to Hu Gualing, gesturing for him to treat his wounds. Hu Gualing dazed for a moment before taking it, as Xiao Niao continued, "Even though we didn't drop its health, we have more information now. For one, this Millennium Tree Demon BOSS has higher defense than the Mutated White Wild Boar."

"It can even reflect damage!"

"Even its health regeneration is incredibly fast!"

"Even its total health is much higher than the Mutated White Wild Boar's!"

Listening to Xiao Niao's string of 'evens,' Hu Gualing couldn't help but clench his fists. 'What the hell are you saying! Do you think I don't know this? Do you really need to say it out loud!'

Fortunately, after the triple 'even,' Xiao Niao finally made a turn. "However, it's not without weaknesses. At least we've discovered that this Millennium Tree Demon can't chase us like other monsters. It seems immobile. So, when you can't hold on, you can retreat to rest and recover your strength. This will reduce the pressure during combat."

"That's the first point. Second, the Millennium Tree Demon BOSS's attack pattern is very simple. At least for now, it only has one skill: summoning an Earth Spike from the ground. Of course, as a BOSS, it definitely knows more than one skill, and will likely unlock others as its health drops. But its standard means of attack should be this Earth Spike Technique. Although it's a bit elusive and hard to predict, as long as you watch your feet and move immediately when you feel the soil becoming soft or loose, you have a chance to dodge it."

"Third, this tree demon has high health and defense, so we must be prepared for a war of attrition. We can't rush, nor can we recklessly attempt a burst of damage. We have to be steady and slowly grind down its health bit by bit."

"Alright, that's all I have to say. I'll alert you to any specific changes during the fight."

Hearing Xiao Niao's methodical explanation, the dejection on Hu Gualing's face turned into a smile. Heh, this guy Xiao Niao really had a way of formulating plans, and what he said made a lot of sense. Hearing it this way, the Millennium Tree Demon BOSS didn't seem so invincible after all.

His confidence rekindled, Hu Gualing crushed the euphorbia humifusa Xiao Niao had given him and applied it to his scuffed knuckles. He waited for the injury to improve while also waiting for his stamina to recover.

Once all his stats had returned to their Peak, Hu Gualing approached the Millennium Tree Demon again, with Tang Yao and the Sharp-toothed Piglet following close behind.