215: Chapter 215 The Attack

Facing the Millennium Tree Demon at full health again, Hu Gualing was no longer so impatient. He walked up to the trunk of the Millennium Tree Demon and threw two light punches, dealing only -4 and -3 damage. Of course, the recoil damage from hitting the trunk was -1 and -1, but Hu Gualing didn't care much. After all, according to what Xiao Niao said about fighting a war of attrition, he couldn't use his full strength right from the start; he had to hold back a bit of power, just as he was doing now.

At this moment, the Millennium Tree Demon's attack arrived. Although the Millennium Tree Demon stood motionless like a giant tree—without even the rustling of leaves to signal its skills—the precursor to its Earth Spike Technique was quite obvious. As soon as one felt the ground soften underfoot, they would know the hard yellow earth had turned to sand, and in the next second, hard Earth Spikes would erupt from underground.

Hu Gualing had seen this skill from the Millennium Tree Demon BOSS two or three times already. Combined with the fact that he was holding back some strength while punching, his body's reaction speed was a fraction faster, allowing him to dodge this Earth Spike Technique with relative ease.

At this time, Tang Yao took the opportunity to step forward. She swung the steel longsword in her hand and struck the massive trunk of the Millennium Tree Demon, producing a 'clang' like metal hitting stone.

-9.

As a red damage number rose from the Millennium Tree Demon's trunk, the longsword in Tang Yao's hand was also deflected.

So hard!

Tang Yao rotated her wrist to pull back the longsword and looked at the bark she had just struck; only a thin white mark had appeared on it. Its defense was truly high!

However, Xiao Niao, who was watching from behind, said happily, "Great, Tang Yao didn't lose any health! It seems attacking with a sword doesn't trigger recoil damage!"

Tang Yao was stunned for a second upon hearing this. When she watched Hu Gualing attack the Millennium Tree Demon earlier, every time he attacked and the demon lost health, a -1 recoil damage would also pop up above Gualing's hand. She had been worried that since her damage was slightly higher than Gualing's, her recoil damage might also be higher. Now she found she wasn't taking any recoil damage at all, which was a good thing.

Hearing what Xiao Niao said, Hu Gualing couldn't help but glance back at Tang Yao. Seeing that her health bar was indeed full and she hadn't taken any recoil damage, a slight sense of imbalance arose in his heart. However, this feeling was fleeting, and he turned back to focus on fighting the BOSS.

-1.

-1 (Recoil Damage).

Two consecutive -1 damage numbers popped up.

This time it was Sharp-toothed Piglet taking a bite out of the tree trunk. It likely hadn't even broken through the Millennium Tree Demon's defense, barely dealing 1 point of damage, while simultaneously taking 1 point of recoil damage...

Tang Yao glanced over but wasn't too worried. After Sharp Tooth consumed the monster essence and evolved, it didn't just gain 50 health points; it also gained a passive health regeneration ability that restored 2 health points per second. Although it still looked small, its current tankiness was nothing she needed to worry about. Tang Yao just took a glance and then confidently swung her sword at the BOSS.

"990 health."

"985 health."

"..."

"950 health!"

Xiao Niao sat on the ground, bracing his body with his hands behind him. He not only had to observe every movement in the battle but also had to look up occasionally to see how much health the BOSS had left. He watched the health bar atop the Millennium Tree Demon BOSS's high canopy; it was hard enough to knock it down a bit, but it would recover slightly in the next second. The health bar fluctuated like it was taking three steps forward and two steps back; the health drop was incredibly difficult. Watching this, Xiao Niao felt anxious and uneasy.

However, when he called out the numbers, he didn't let his anxiety show. Only every once in a while, when the BOSS's health had steadily dropped a certain amount, would he announce the current health to Hu Gualing and Tang Yao.

Furthermore, because the Millennium Tree Demon was over ten meters tall, the health bar floating above its head was also over ten meters off the ground. Hu Gualing and Tang Yao, who were fighting in close quarters, couldn't see the BOSS's health and naturally didn't know how terrifying its health regeneration was. Hearing Xiao Niao's rhythmically controlled announcements, they simply thought the BOSS's health was steadily declining under their assault and that the situation was excellent.

It was at this moment that Tang Yao suddenly felt the ground soften beneath her feet, as if she had stepped into a sandpit. She immediately knew the Tree Demon BOSS was using an attack skill on her. She wanted to dodge and retreat, but even though she had been mentally prepared, she still felt a surge of panic when the moment actually arrived. In her hesitation, she was struck by the Earth Spike.

-35.

Tang Yao was in great pain. Fortunately, this Earth Spike attack wasn't like the Mutated White Wild Boar's attacks that frequently caused dislocations or broken bones; it was just pure pain, which Tang Yao could barely endure. Enduring the pain, she retreated outside the Tree Demon BOSS's attack range according to the pre-arranged tactic and took some Pig Grass from her backpack to recover health. At this time, Xiao Niao, who had been maintaining full mana, waved his hand from a distance. With a 'whoosh', a green light flashed over Tang Yao. +19! Most of her missing health was instantly restored. Heh, this 'Recovery Spell' really was useful.

However, Xiao Niao stopped after just one heal, leaving the rest for Tang Yao to treat with euphorbia humifusa. He was saving his mana for when it would be truly needed.

After Tang Yao retreated from the fray, Hu Gualing and Sharp Tooth's output efficiency dropped by more than half. However, the damage they dealt was still more than the Millennium Tree Demon BOSS's health regeneration, causing the BOSS's health to drop bit by bit.

Moreover, after adapting to the BOSS's attack patterns, Hu Gualing could be said to be handling them with ease, never getting hit again. As for Sharp-toothed Piglet...