Chapter 1252 - Borrowing a Blade (1/2)

As the world of the Shadow Ravine was in black and white, the stream in the Crystal Forest wasn’t as limpid as the ones in the outside world. At a glance, the stream was like milk, flowing down the river course. Due to that reason, no one was able to see what was hidden beneath it. But Rhode clearly knew that the stream wasn’t as beautiful and harmless as it appeared…

Rhode bent over slightly, narrowing his eyes at the Crystal Ape in alertness. Even though the Crystal Ape wasn’t impossible to defeat, he would need to exert a lot of force. The Crystal Ape replenished its energy through devouring the light elements of the Crystal Forest. Areas with their light abstracted would turn dark and become a gathering place for shadowy creatures. As a matter of fact, in the game, the Crystal Ape BOSS had a killer move. It absorbed all light elements around it and all players within the range were instantly inflicted with a ‘darkness’ debuff. As the Crystal Ape restored its health, a mass of shadowy creatures would leap out of the darkness and ambush the players.

BOSSes that dominated the battlefield, healed their own health, and summoned critters all at the same time were the most annoying to players.

Back then, even Rhode and his party weren’t willing to fight against it. If it weren’t for the decent item drops from defeating BOSSes in the Shadow Ravine, Rhode didn’t wish to encounter one. Now that he was alone and his strength was limited at the player’s peak of level 85, he had no intention of taking this BOSS one-on-one. Besides, now wasn’t the time to find trouble. Rhode’s enemy was Chaos. He was better off avoiding the local BOSSes!

Rhode stooped over and stared at the Crystal Ape that was absorbing the light elements from the branches and leaves. At the next moment, he dashed toward the rear and along the riverbank in a trail of afterimages. The instant he zoomed past, the Crystal Ape seemed to realize his movements. The Crystal Ape turned to him abruptly and upon witnessing his presence, it snapped its jaw open and let out a deafening bellow. Then, it turned decisively and started pursuing Rhode!

“Oooo———!”

Along with the raging snarl, the Crystal Ape metamorphosed into a formidable hurricane that charged straight at Rhode. Although it was massive, its speed wasn’t slow at all. Rhode sprinted as quickly as possible, but the Crystal Ape followed him closely. The trees that obstructed its path snapped, and the Crystal Ape showed no intention of stopping. Not only that, but the gap between Rhode and the Crystal Ape was also closing!

I knew it.

Hearing the loud bellows of the Crystal Ape, Rhode felt somewhat nervous. The Crystal Ape might seem bulky, but its movement speed was incredibly fast. In the beginning, players tried to outrun it, but to their astonishment, it caught up with them and hurled its fists, sending them to their graves, not to mention even running at the fastest speed possible. Rhode chose to sprint in a straight line as that allowed him to exert minimal effort, which was why he didn’t evade the dense shadows in his path. Upon detecting his existence, the creatures lurking in the shadows also sprung up to hunt him.

If one were to witness this scene, one would be absolutely stunned as Rhode metamorphosed into a dark lightning bolt that shuttled across the forest. The instant he flitted past the forest, the trail of shadows behind him shook and warped into terrifying and ugly creatures that howled and ran after him. Right behind them was the Crystal Ape that had transformed into the hurricane, accelerating in insanely large strides. Its speed became increasingly faster, so much so that one could barely witness a sphere of light and couldn’t see the Crystal Ape itself…

I need to be faster!

Rhode glanced at the stream. His movement speed was at the max. If it were him in the past, he would have no difficulty instantly shaking off the Crystal Ape. But it was a pity that his strength was limited at level 85, and he couldn’t be like his old self. Come to think of it, if he were like his old self, he didn’t need to flee at all. He could instantly slaughter the Crystal Ape in a single blow!

This fella is relentless!

Rhode looked over his shoulder, only to witness the Crystal Ape continuing to pursue him ‘loyally’. Even though he knew that the Crystal Ape was a territorial creature and anyone who trespassed on its land would only head down the road to extinction, after experiencing its persistent pursuit, Rhode felt his head throbbing in pain. Moreover, the Crystal Ape also had another ruthless move…

Swish!

The instant this thought cropped up in Rhode’s mind, his vision dazzled. At that moment, he turned over abruptly to deviate from his original path, stamped his foot, and leaped up like a fleeing hare. At the same time, along with a blinding brilliance, the Crystal Ape disappeared without a trace, only to stop right in front of his intended path in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, Rhode had switched direction. If not, perhaps he would have walked right into the trap of the Crystal Ape!