NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 335: The Crotch Shot
You had to hand it to this bear—its defense was ridiculously high. Four Shred attacks, each powered up to the max, and not a single one broke ten thousand damage. The weakest barely scratched three thousand.
At last, the bear's eyes adjusted. It stopped flailing and locked eyes with Ethan.
Ethan's panther form straightened.
A moment later—Rend, five stars. Dead center. Target: the crotch.
This was one of Panther Form's finishers.
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[Rend]
Finishing move. Inflicts continuous bleeding damage. The more energy spent, the longer and more brutal the effect.
1 energy point: 200% attack over 8 seconds
Each extra point adds 4 seconds and 100% more damage
Skill Completion boosts total output
Five-star Rend: 24 seconds. 600% damage.
---
"Aooo…"
Ethan couldn't tell if the bear howled from the pain of getting nailed in the nuts—or from something else entirely. Either way, it let out a pathetic, bone-deep yelp.
Just then, Ethan felt a jolt, like a boulder had smashed into his panther form.
-69.
A laughably low damage number floated over his head.
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[Ding… System Notification: You've been hit by [Grizzly Roar]. Movement speed reduced by 50%. Duration: 8 seconds.]
---
Damn it…
His Rend had just finished, and a certain part of the bear was now gushing blood. But now his movement was crippled. Drenched in blood and slowed, Ethan had no time to react before the bear's paws slammed together—charging straight at him.
He recognized the move immediately. It was Lacerate, a high-damage Bear Form skill. He'd used it himself—shattered Maria's Dragon Soul with one slap, broken Markham's arm the same way.
No hesitation.
In that split second, Ethan's panther form surged forward—under the bear's crotch.
Transform: Bear Form.
The sudden change in mass and height launched the bear into the air like a ragdoll. Not only did it cancel the incoming skill, but it also lifted the slow debuff off Ethan.
As the cub soared, Ethan's eyes gleamed. He'd already figured out during their earlier scuffle that the cub's strength was weaker than his own. Now airborne and exposed, it was wide open.
Ethan reached up, grabbed a leg, and swung.
Again.
And again.
And again.
He slammed the bear repeatedly into the floor like it owed him money.
---
It was like watching the Hulk lose his temper. Ethan's Bear Form, modified by his exclusive weapon, had become the embodiment of Grey Throat's Might—a monstrous hybrid, halfway between beast and man. His paws were now clawed hands with four thick fingers. His arms, absurdly long, could support him even while upright.
Right now, Ethan was on a warpath. The bear had become his personal ragdoll.
The damage numbers weren't even that high with each slam…
But damn, it felt good.
---
'My God of Slaughter title isn't just for decoration,' Ethan thought, eyes burning. 'You think I'm playing by the book? No chance. I'm a Druid who knows real combat.'
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[Title: God of Slaughter (Unique)]
Hidden Attribute: Freely use body in combat, not restricted by skill animations. (If Ascended: +50% control precision)
Description: A title requiring immense Soul Power to wield.
---
He'd earned the title long ago, during a brutal war with Blade Syndicate. Back then, he was just a naive rookie. He thought he'd rise to the top using pure skill and finesse. But reality had other plans. These days, it was brute force doing the talking.
---
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
From the second floor of Blood Castle, the echoes of slams and screams thundered down the halls.
Eventually, the noise faded.
With a final smash, Ethan drove the bear into the stone like a discarded rag.
---
[Ding… System Notification: You have slain [Grizzly Grunt]. Gained…]
---
Ethan finally let go. The bear's limp body crumpled to the floor.
"Phew…"
His arms ached. He stretched them out slowly. He'd been swinging that thing around for almost an hour. Took that long to beat it to death—but damn, it was satisfying. No wonder the Hulk fought like that.
The bear's defense was monstrous. Even in death, its body looked pristine. Not a scratch on the surface. But judging from how limp it was, its insides must've been soup.
---
Clang… Creak…
The grinding of ancient gears echoed through the room. Ethan turned. The iron gate to the first floor had opened. Another grinding sound came from above—the gate to the third floor had likely opened too.
Still, not a single item had dropped. Not even a copper coin.
Ethan gave the corpse a disgusted kick, then turned and climbed the stairs.
As he reached the third floor landing, he paused. No barrier blocked his way. But when he peeked around the corner, the room was… empty?
No monsters?
Strange. But he didn't dare walk in just yet. It was possible the guardian of this floor used stealth.
Better to play it safe.
He decided to log out in the stairwell.
---
He needed to head down the mountain today to deal with his VR Capsule. He'd return tonight to continue the fight.
Blood Castle… if everything here was just Commander-tier monsters at level 55, it wouldn't stop him. The only unknown… was the Blood King.
That guy sounded serious.
---
Exit Game.
Ethan pulled off his VR headset and walked towards his capsule. The machine beside his bed—more like a fortress—had cost him more than a hundred thousand. Thinking back, it felt excessive, even for him.
He'd made his first cashout, and immediately burned most of it on this setup.
Now he had to buy another one.
Right… cash.
He probably didn't have much left. That last shopping trip before coming to the Whitmore estate had drained him. Nearly seven million gone—most of it blown on prefab luxury villas and high-end power systems.
In the Hidden Territory, he didn't have a phone signal, so he couldn't check his balance.
He glanced at the clock. Ethereal was closing in ten minutes.
He quickly slapped the headset back on and connected through Ethereal's internal network.
---
[Ding… Your cash balance is $2,158.35]
---
Ethan froze.
"…Holy crap."
Barely two thousand left. Good thing he checked.
No time to waste. He opened his comms and pinged Mad Engineer.
The video call connected.
The workshop in the background looked like it was about to explode, smoke rising and sparks flying.
Mad Engineer's face popped up, exhausted and exasperated.
"Boss! I was this close to finishing a new build! You calling just made it blow up. All night's work—gone!"
Ethan winced but pushed through. "Sorry, no time. How much gold do we have right now?"
The guy huffed, clearly annoyed but understanding the urgency. "Wait—lemme check."
He bolted up the stairs. Since the shop had upgraded to Level 3, it now had three floors. The top one served as the manager's office, complete with the shop control system.
After a short pause, Mad Engineer reported back. "Across all six shops, we've got around forty thousand gold coins we can access."
"Good. Withdraw thirty thousand and give them to Tears of the Fallen. Now."
Ethan ended the call and messaged Celia, telling her to pick up the coins and deliver them to Booth 8 at the SK Tavern.
Then, he dialed Trusty007.
The video connected.
Trusty grinned. "Legend! Coming to pay your debt?"
Ethan scratched the back of his neck. "Uh… not all of it. But I'm sending you thirty thousand gold in a bit. Transfer the cash to my account, okay? I need it urgently."
To be fair, Ethan had paid back nearly twenty thousand gold over the past few weeks. If not for this sudden expense, he would've almost cleared his debt.
Trusty chuckled. "No worries. Take your time. Though… gold prices dropped to 1:800 recently. You're still paying me back at 1:1000!"
He laughed out loud.
Ethan, on the other hand, just sighed, thoroughly embarrassed.