Chapter 157: Victory and Spoils

Liu Zong’s leap was far from a simple jump. Activating his skill mid-air across the dozen or so meters of descent, the whirlwind materialized once more upon the tip of his longspear.

With this single blow, the spear plunged deep into the Ghost-Faced Rabbit’s body, tearing open a massive, gaping wound.

Pushing off the rabbit’s back rather than withdrawing his weapon, Liu Zong drove the spear downward with all his might.

Having secured his position, he pressed his left hand firmly against the shaft while his right hand pummeled the beast's back muscles with a rapid succession of punches.

One should not underestimate the force behind Liu Zong’s blows. As a player with an affinity for Yin-attribute mana and martial arts, he had practiced pugilism for nearly a decade before even entering school.

Though those martial arts were primarily intended for physical conditioning and stat alignment, that did not render the strikes useless. On the contrary, after over ten years of diligent practice, his punches naturally carried a lingering Yin effect. While this did not inflict catastrophic damage on the Ghost-Faced Rabbit, it was enough to disrupt its composure.

Combined with the spear still embedded in its spine and the Shepherd Bear relentlessly chewing on its flesh, a rabbit unable to leap could only meet one inevitable end: defeat.

The Ghost-Faced Rabbit tried several methods to break the deadlock, but none availed. Moreover, as it thrashed about, the three combatants sank deeper into the viscous cream, immobilizing them further.

Pummeled blow after blow by the rider entrenched in its back, the beast suffered a massive indentation as its health plummeted to around fifty percent.

Suddenly, the Ghost-Faced Rabbit let out a roar. Its already hyper-hypertrophied muscles swelled once more, and its legs—acting like compressed springs—pushed off the swamp-like cream with explosive force, hurtling upward toward the rim of the pit, carrying both Liu Zong and the Shepherd Bear with it.

That single jump exhausted all of the rabbit's remaining strength, clearing the pit and landing a dozen meters away in the cream. Yet, the beast never anticipated that the moment it broke free, the Red Clockwork—which had been lying in wait outside the trench—had already completed its transformation.

The Red Clockwork had morphed into a towering, one-meter-thirty-tall armored magical girl clad in a sailor uniform, wielding a brightly colored, garish wand.

This wand was by no means a magical weapon; the instant the rabbit cleared the pit, the magical girl swung it like a one-handed axe, raining nearly forty blows upon the beast's frame.

Battered by forty successive strikes, the Ghost-Faced Rabbit was covered in a crisscross of wounds, and before it could unleash its fury, it was once again slammed back into the cream.

Fortunately, it had finally escaped the pit; given half a chance, escape remained a possibility.

However, the Red Clockwork had no intention of granting that opportunity. Just as the rabbit shook off Liu Zong and prepared to dislodge the Shepherd Bear as well, the magical girl's wand descended once again.

Striking at a dizzying rate of roughly fifty blows per minute, the Red Clockwork carved lacerations of all sizes across the rabbit’s body.

Before the creature could even react, its health bar plummeted rapidly until it hit the critical five-percent threshold.

The Ghost-Faced Rabbit, which had been rolling frantically in the cream, let out another roar. This time, instead of trying to tear itself free from the mire, its body rapidly shrank until it stood slightly taller than an average human. Simultaneously, its musculature condensed and hardened, granting it the appearance of a mythological demigod.

Clenching its fists tightly, the rabbit glared at the nearby Red Clockwork and roared, "I am not merely a rabbit that hops around! My name is Ghost-Face! Do you know of the Ghost-Face?"

This marked the first time Liu Zong and his companions had heard a boss roar, but it would also be the beast's last.

Mid-roar, a shadowy figure surged from beneath the cream—it was Bai Qi, who had prepared everything in advance.

His trident pierced the rabbit's neck with absolute precision and speed, followed by a fierce upward heave that severed the beast's head entirely.

The airborne head still wore an expression of sheer disbelief before the body collapsed, transforming into black chocolate syrup that stained the surrounding cream pitch-black.

Beneath the cream, Liu Zong spotted a black gummy bear left leg—the proof of slaying a Level 3 Ghost-Faced Rabbit.

[Gummy Bear King’s Power]
[Quality: Level 3 (Blue)]
[Description: A component of the Gummy Bear King. Can be used to assemble the Gummy Bear King, devouring the world that spawned the bear and ultimately transforming into a world spiritual vein. 3/6 (Note: 5 fragments can be combined to form a Level 3 Purple Quality Gummy Bear King; 6 fragments will yield a Level 3 Pale Gold Quality Gummy Bear King).]

Watching the gummy bear leg merge seamlessly with the other two parts in his possession, Liu Zong nodded in satisfaction. By this time, the Red Clockwork—having reverted to its lolita attire—had brought over the other two drops left behind by the rabbit.

To everyone's surprise, the final remnants of the Ghost-Faced Rabbit were its head and its shorts, with the head bizarrely categorized as a food item.

[Chocolate Muscular Bro Rabbit Head: The strongest chocolate rabbit head. Consuming it permanently grants +1 to Strength and Agility.]

Staring at the head-sized chocolate rabbit head, Liu Zong froze for a long while. He wasn't stunned by the permanent stat increase—such consumable items did exist, albeit at a steep price.

Instead, Liu Zong was contemplating its sheer size and composition: since it was entirely made of chocolate, would he die of sugar overload if he ate it?

Taking a hearty bite out of the rabbit head, Liu Zong shifted his attention to the shorts. Much like the Hulk’s indestructible trousers, these were the creature's sole garment, designed to remain intact regardless of how much the wearer's body morphed.

Checking the stats, Liu Zong realized his luck was truly remarkable; he had actually managed to acquire a piece of purple equipment here.

[Bro's Jumping Safety Shorts]
[Quality: Level 1 (Purple)]
[Stats: +1 Strength, +1 Agility]
[Equip Skill: Kick Technique Level 1]
[Equip Skill: Heroic Leap Level 1]
[Equip Class: Undead Minion]
[Description: Despite the Ghost-Faced Rabbit's heavily muscled physique, the only part it could truly control was its legs. Whether kicking enemies away or stomping them from above, it had all become instinct.]

Just as Liu Zong was debating to which subordinate he should assign these shorts, the voice of the Eggshell Lion echoed from afar.

"Hey hero, didn't you already take care of that rabbit? Let me tell you... I've already talked to Doxi... I..."

Ultimately, Liu Zong and Bai Qi had no choice but to stand in place, listening to the Eggshell Lion's endless rambling while watching a massive piece of candy plummet from the sky and crash heavily into a distant valley.