Chapter 97: The Death of the Tyrant

"Cough, cough!"

Landing heavily, Zhang Ran's feet sank several centimeters into the ground. His arms and shoulders throbbed with acute soreness, his internal organs churned uncomfortably, and a faint metallic sweetness lingered at the back of his throat. The “Brutal Slash” he had just unleashed was devastating; the Tyrant’s strike rivaled the full-force blow of a creature with a strength of fifteen. Under such an assault, even Zhang Ran had been wounded, and his greatsword, Breaker, was badly damaged.

If the Tyrant managed another “Brutal Slash,” Zhang Ran would be gravely injured, perhaps even spitting blood. But at that moment, the Tyrant’s face contorted in pain, its body trembling uncontrollably, as if it had lost all command over itself.

“Thank goodness! The Blood-Spike worked!”

Relief flickered across Zhang Ran’s face as he watched the Tyrant falter. For these creatures, the heart was their source of power. Though the Tyrant had managed one last strike after being pierced by the Blood-Spike, the spike was now devouring the blood in its heart, robbing it of energy and rendering it powerless.

“This is my chance! Sweep the Army!”

Strike while the enemy is weak! Zhang Ran’s eyes gleamed with ferocity. In that instant, every muscle in his body surged, channeling all his strength into Breaker. He set his sights on the Tyrant’s neck and brought down his sword in a frenzied, sweeping blow.

Seeing Breaker slicing toward it, terror flashed in the Tyrant’s eyes. It raised its mutated blade-arm, desperately trying to block the attack.

“Too slow!”

If the Tyrant were at full strength, its mutated blade-arm might have deflected the blow. But with its heart injured, its power and speed had dropped to half, leaving it unable to keep pace with Zhang Ran’s heavy sword.

A sharp crack echoed as Breaker shattered the Tyrant’s neck bone and severed its head.

Thud!

The Tyrant’s head hit the ground, rolling forward several times before coming to rest. Its body, now devoid of control, pitched forward and collapsed, gray-green blood gushing from its neck and pooling across the earth.

Even after being decapitated by Zhang Ran, the spark of life lingered in the Tyrant’s eyes for nearly half a minute before fading. Its body still quivered faintly, a testament to its extraordinary vitality.

“Stubborn life force! But it’s time to die.”

Zhang Ran’s gaze grew cold as he looked at the Tyrant’s remains. He stepped forward, raised Breaker high, and brought it down upon the creature’s heart.

With a sickening squelch, Breaker plunged through the Tyrant’s back, destroying its heart completely, ending its life at last.

As the Tyrant died, a surge of potent evolutionary energy erupted from its corpse and flooded into Zhang Ran. At the same time, he released the “Boiling Blood” state; his heartbeat returned to normal, his blood cooled, and his physical attributes settled.

Compared to the evolutionary energy from the level-three Flame Fang Boar, the bounty from this level-four Tyrant was tenfold richer. Once inside Zhang Ran, it transformed into a hot current, coursing through his veins.

“So satisfying! No wonder level-four mutants are prized for their evolutionary energy—it’s so abundant!”

Every cell in Zhang Ran’s body greedily absorbed the influx of energy, morphing and growing. A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

About twenty percent of the energy was taken up by his cells, while the remaining eighty percent circulated throughout his body, finally converging upon his spine and fusing into the embryonic form of his first evolution point.

“Slain a level-four Tyrant; absorbed evolutionary energy; evolution point condensation +17.41%. Current progress: 20.88% (03).”

“Slain a level-four Tyrant; physical attributes enhanced by evolutionary energy: Strength +0.012, Constitution +0.010, Agility +0.009, Spirit +0.003.”

With the influx of evolutionary energy, warmth spread through Zhang Ran’s spine, making his whole body feel indescribably comfortable. Just then, the chip’s notification sounded in his ear.

“Seventeen percent evolution point condensation, and over one-tenth of an attribute increase! This Tyrant truly lived up to its reputation as a top-tier level-four mutant; the rewards for defeating it are immense!”

The chip’s voice filled Zhang Ran with excitement, but he quickly regained his composure.

“Although the rewards for killing a level-four mutant are great, the risks are equally immense! Take this Tyrant, for example—if my Blood-Spike had been blocked, missing its heart, and it managed another ‘Brutal Slash,’ I would have been seriously wounded, perhaps even killed!”

Despite his satisfaction, Zhang Ran, shaped by experience from before his transmigration, remained cautious and analyzed the situation calmly.

“Moreover, even though I can slay level-four mutants, I can’t sell their materials; it would expose my true strength! ‘The tallest tree in the forest is the first to fall.’ If my abilities are revealed, the company will grow suspicious, possibly even hunt me down. They want capable fighters, not someone who could replace them!”

“But I need Black Eagle coins to forge a second-generation Breaker. Only then can I stand against mutants above level four! For now, I’ll hunt level-three mutants, sell their materials, and build up my funds.”

“Of course, if I come across any level-four mutants, I’ll kill them and store their materials until I’m promoted to a level-four evolver—thanks to my spatial box, I can keep these materials safely.”

Having analyzed his path forward, Zhang Ran resolved his future direction. He then approached the Tyrant’s body once more, willing the Blood-Spike embedded within to return, bringing with it a surge of blood energy.

At his command, the Blood-Spike withdrew and merged with Zhang Ran, infusing him with blood energy and swiftly replenishing his stamina.

During the fierce battle with the Tyrant, Zhang Ran had expended thirty percent of his stamina, but the blood energy restored it rapidly. Even the injuries caused by the clash healed quickly.

After restoring his stamina and healing his wounds, about ten percent of the blood energy remained. This residual energy gathered in Zhang Ran’s heart, becoming a red aura of blood, ready to replenish his strength when needed.