King of Beasts

Chapter 7: Anomaly

Lu Ran’s scalp tingled.

One, two, three, four, five…

What appeared were five demon cats!

Damn, do demon cats have a social habit?

These five demon cats are currently staring intently at Lu Ran and his group.

If it were just five demon cats, it would be one thing.

But Lu Ran noticed something else about the five demon cats that had arrived—one of them was markedly different from the other four.

The four of them were similar to the previous demon cat they had encountered, all considerably smaller in size compared to General Ha.

However, the last one was significantly larger, its size now rivaling the original General Ha, its body not lean like the other demon cats, but instead, brimming with muscle.

Attribute: Unawakened

Species Level: Middle Supernatural

Growth Level: Level 3

With a quick sweep of the Eye of Data, Lu Ran pursed his lips—this was a level 3 demon cat…

At this moment, Lu Ran really wanted to suggest they just slip away.

As brave as General Ha was, two fists are no match for four hands.

However, these five demon cats had clearly surrounded them, leaving no chance to slip away…

What to do.

Should he let General Ha enter that state?

Previously, Lu Ran referred to General Ha’s state as the normal state, implying there was also an abnormal state.

If one considered Lu Ran’s superpower, the strange dream, as a kind of illness.

Then, it wasn’t just Lu Ran who was ‘ill’.

General Ha was too, perhaps, this was also the reason for their encounter.

Once it engaged in battle and reached an excited state, it would lose its sense of reason and pain, becoming like a mad dog.

In this state, General Ha’s potential seemed to be fully unleashed, significantly increasing its combat power.

Currently, only Lu Ran’s telepathy could awaken General Ha into this state.

General Ha also had hidden potential, which was why Lu Ran believed in its combat capabilities.

But actually, Lu Ran didn’t want General Ha to enter that state.

He always felt that state was somewhat dangerous, and every time General Ha came out of that state, it would have to faint for a while.

“Forget it, let’s take it one step at a time.”

“Don’t worry about me, quickly thin their numbers.”

“Also, keep an eye on that demon cat leader.”

With the previous battle experience, Lu Ran adapted quickly and immediately issued orders to General Ha.

During the fruit picking period, Lu Ran also found a new weapon—a handy wooden stick.

The stick was fairly sturdy, and combined with his enhanced physical condition, Lu Ran felt that as long as he didn’t get his neck or other vital areas clawed by the demon cats, he stood a good chance of taking one down.

Of course, this was assuming he was up against the lower-level demon cats.

Facing the massive level 3 demon cat, Lu Ran felt that it would be a bit more challenging.

In that case, he would have to rely on General Ha.

“Meow!!!”

Surprisingly, the leader-like demon cat did not seem to have any immediate plans to attack.

With a roar, the four level 1 and level 2 demon cats charged first.

Perhaps sensing that General Ha posed a greater threat, they had a surprisingly unified target. They leaped forward, simultaneously swinging their sharp claws at General Ha, not considering Lu Ran as their primary target.

Whoosh!

A stone flew through the air.

“Got lucky there, hit one.”

In the blink of an eye, three demon cats had closed in on General Ha. The one whose movements had paused was the one that had been suddenly hit in the head by a stone, looking stunned.

Lu Ran, armed with a stick in one hand and throwing stones with the other, tightened his grip on the stick as he eyed the demon cat he had hit, which was now glaring back at him with a vicious gaze.

Meanwhile, General Ha had already engaged in battle with the three demon cats, showing tremendous combat strength. Just one clash was all it took to bite the neck of a demon cat, blood spraying everywhere, instantly killing it. But given the current situation, General Ha could only defeat one instantly; the attacks of the other two demon cats undoubtedly hit General Ha. Claws flashed, and in the blink of an eye, General Ha’s back and side were torn open, blood spurting out, skin and flesh bursting apart.

“Argh!!!” General Ha felt a terrifying pain, its blue eyes starting to show bloodshot rage as it furiously charged at the nearest demon cat. Although Lu Ran very much wanted to check on General Ha’s condition, he too was in a dangerous situation, having attracted the attention of one demon cat.

While General Ha was battling the three demon cats, Lu Ran, armed with the wooden stick, rushed over, and the demon cat that had been hit leaped into the air, claws tearing through.

Lu Ran swung his wooden stick, anticipating the demon cat’s intention to claw through his weapon. Given the sharpness of the demon cat’s claws, the stick might very well be torn apart. However, Lu Ran wasn’t intending to clash head-on with the enemy. Utilizing the length of his weapon, he altered the trajectory of his attack, dodging the demon cat’s swipe and, with a thud, jabbed the stick into the demon cat’s body. Impacted by the blow, the demon cat was sent flying several meters.

“Should’ve sharpened the stick.”

Watching the demon cat being knocked away, Lu Ran quickly followed up, grateful for his training. Since childhood, he had dealt with various unruly animals, including disobedient large dogs. Otherwise, an ordinary person would surely falter in such a situation.

It could be said that General Ha’s obedience was half due to Lu Ran’s stick reinforcement training.

After all, who else had been suppressing its combat desire all this time?

That “Boss Lu” was General Ha’s recognition of Lu Ran!

At this moment, Lu Ran’s goal was to quickly land another blow on the demon cat’s head. Unfortunately, the previous attack wasn’t fatal; the demon cat landed and, in a flash, agilely got back up and charged ferociously once again.

“Useless,” thought Lu Ran, planning to repeat his earlier maneuver.

However, as Lu Ran focused intently, suddenly, a roar caused the attacking demon cat to halt abruptly, as if giving up the assault, immediately stopping and stepping back a few paces.

This cry made Lu Ran’s expression stiffen, and he quickly turned towards the leader demon cat, thinking it was about to strike, since the roar had just come from it.

But to Lu Ran’s astonishment, the “leader demon cat” in the distance, after that cry, didn’t launch an attack but instead gave him a deep, almost human-like look, then turned and left the area.

At the same time, the remaining two demon cats, except for the one General Ha had bitten through the neck, also chose to retreat, as if following the leader demon cat’s lead.

“Roar—” Seeing this, General Ha seemed eager to pursue, but Lu Ran immediately ordered, “Wait.”

Lu Ran’s command was effective. On hearing it, General Ha, though still maintaining a fierce posture and watching the retreating demon cats, began to suppress its own ferocity.

One of the conditions for General Ha to enter its mad dog state was its own bloodshed, which had already been met. However, seeing the group of demon cats voluntarily withdrawing, Lu Ran hesitated.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Ran and the four demon cats at a standoff watched as several demon cats completely retreated back into the jungle.

As the demon cats disappeared, Lu Ran finally breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing his body and looking at his trembling hands.

Although he didn’t understand why the demon cat leader ordered the retreat, continuing the fight would have clearly been disadvantageous for him and General Ha. Even if they ultimately won, it would have been a pyrrhic victory with serious injuries.

He still thought to himself, “Is this really a novice trial?”

At that moment, General Ha seemed rather frustrated, dissatisfied with not being able to kill all five in one second. As for taking on five at once… it didn’t feel like it would lose.

“Sorry, General Ha, things are too complicated here, can’t let you fight to your heart’s content. Next time… Hmm? Wait a second.” While speaking, Lu Ran noticed some changes in General Ha.

Species Level: Middle Supernatural

Growth Level: Level 2

Skill: None

Unbeknownst to him, General Ha, having just killed another demon cat, had reached Growth Level 2, with an obvious increase in attributes.

Because of this, even though it had been scratched a couple of times just now, the responsive General Ha was still able to send a demon cat flying several meters with a single blow, displaying incredible strength.

This change delighted Lu Ran.

“Perhaps the demon cat leader sensed the strengthening of General Ha’s aura and decided to retreat.”

“They must also be extremely unfamiliar with us.”

“That’s why the higher-level demon cat leader ordered its subordinates to probe.”

“And the result of the probing is General Ha’s ability to instantly kill a lower-level demon cat, and it seems to be getting stronger as the fight goes on, with a trend of gradually increasing aura.”

“Although they have the advantage in numbers, the demon cat leader didn’t dare to gamble, didn’t dare to risk injury over the pursuit of two prey.”

“In nature, if a predator is injured during the hunt, what often awaits it is a decline in its own status within its group, as well as the deadly danger from its natural enemies.”

“The projection creatures here, although extremely aggressive, likely hunt just for food, not for senseless attacks, retaining some biological instincts of nature. That is to say, my initial judgment was correct. Some battles don’t necessarily have to be won completely; as long as you can instill fear in your opponent and deter them from fighting, you can survive.”

Lu Ran quickly analyzed the situation, and though unsure if his analysis was correct, it seemed to be one of the few explanations available.

“Anyway, General Ha, let’s quickly get you treated.” Facing General Ha, who had once again made a great contribution, Lu Ran looked at its wounds and then at the hemostatic mushrooms he had collected: “Although I don’t know the efficacy of this thing, we can only rely on it right now.”

Hopefully, these mushrooms are more effective than the medicines he had prepared.

“Woof.” General Ha nodded in response to Lu Ran’s call.

“Woof?”

But the next moment, as General Ha moved towards Lu Ran to receive treatment, it suddenly paused, confusedly staring at Lu Ran’s neck.

From there, unbeknownst when, a golden glow emanated.

It was Lu Ran’s heirloom, the divine deer antler amulet pendant, which had unexpectedly started to emit a faint light.

This sudden change was the reason General Ha halted in its tracks.

The golden glow, as it drew closer, made General Ha feel as if its very bloodline was being suppressed, as if it had encountered a mighty tiger, clearing its eyes significantly.

The glow grew stronger; initially dim, now even Lu Ran began to notice the change in his pendant. As he observed, he couldn’t help showing a puzzled expression.

Because of the Eye of Data, which he had acquired upon entering the secret realm, at this moment… at this very moment, it had also captured data about the heirloom amulet he had brought from the outside world!

Name: Divine Deer Antler

Level: Epic

Introduction: Legend has it that the antler of a divine deer, after absorbing the power of a forest rich with natural energy, will nurture healing powers.

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