Apocalypse: Master of Soul Beasts

Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Soul Strike and the Terrifying Cyclops_1

Wen Yu barely managed to sidestep, evading Cyclops’s attack, and then ruthlessly kicked its belly.

Although he had just advanced his profession, it was clear that a kick with twice the strength of an average person was not easy to withstand, especially when aimed at a soft spot like the belly.

Cyclops’s movements slowed instantly from Wen Yu’s kick. Wen Yu felt a recoil travel up from his foot, and he took a step back to disperse the force.

It seems that even with twice an ordinary person’s physical attributes, fighting this beast is still too much of a stretch... So, then...

What about the combat state?

The Soul Beast, which had been swaying on Wen Yu’s shoulder, suddenly dove into his body.

Wen Yu felt a rush of heat flow swiftly from his ears, spreading throughout his body. A burning sensation enveloped him, immediately followed by an immense surge of power.

”Go to hell!”

Unleashing his outrageous strength, Wen Yu roared and swung his fist at the approaching Cyclops’s head. Cyclops couldn’t react in time to Wen Yu’s sudden burst of speed and took the punch squarely.

SHRIEK! SHRIEK!

Wen Yu’s punch knocked Cyclops to the ground, and it let out a piercing shriek. The physical pain was surprisingly mild.

However, a strange energy quickly surged into its brain from the point of impact. Cyclops felt as if a rod was relentlessly stirring inside its skull.

Seeing Cyclops’s miserable state, Wen Yu understood that his Soul Beast’s first skill, Soul Strike, was taking effect in combat mode.

With Wen Yu’s current physical attributes at a base value of 4, and Cyclops’s at a minimum of 5, it would be difficult to inflict fatal wounds on Cyclops with just his bare fists and kicks, especially since he had no weapon.

So, Wen Yu naturally staked his chances on the S-class skill, Soul Strike. For now, at least, it seemed his gamble had paid off, as Soul Strike inflicted significant damage on Cyclops.

Wen Yu’s fists and feet rained down furiously on Cyclops’s waist. The saying ”bronze head, iron tail, but a waist as soft as tofu” didn’t just apply to wolves.

Moreover, the spine in the waist area was clearly less protected than other parts of its body.

Overwhelmed by wave after wave of Soul Strikes, Cyclops was utterly disoriented. Apart from its constant shrieks, the strength in its limbs was completely sapped by the excruciating pain in its brain.

This alone demonstrated the terrifying power of Soul Strike. Without external intervention, Cyclops would undoubtedly have its soul torn apart by the skill and die. Judging by the blood vessels becoming visible across Cyclops’s face, that moment wasn’t far off.

But then, something unexpected happened. The surprise didn’t come from an external source, but from Cyclops itself.

As a mutant beast, similar to a professionist, each evolution offered a chance to awaken a mutant ability.

And for a ”genius” like Cyclops, which had advanced to a Level 1 mutant beast right at the apocalypse’s onset, this meant that each subsequent level-up would grant it a high-level ability. The higher its level, the more terrifying the ability would become.

Thus, Cyclops already possessed its first ability.

Mortal Combat (S-class): An extraordinary fighting will renders the host fearless and significantly dulls pain. As injuries worsen, the host’s basic physical attributes increase exponentially, with no upper limit.

Cyclops was currently being tortured by the power of Soul Strike to the point of wishing for death, and this soul trauma naturally also counted as an injury.

So, unbeknownst to Wen Yu, Cyclops’s physical attributes were continuously rising. As the soul injury worsened, its physical attributes grew stronger and stronger.

The damage dealt by Soul Strike was determined by the difference in base attributes between the two parties. Originally, with Wen Yu’s base attribute of 4 against Cyclops’s base attribute of 5, Soul Strike’s immense power was already worthy of an S-class skill. However, as Cyclops’s physical attributes improved, the damaging effect of Soul Strike steadily diminished.

This continued until Wen Yu felt the target beneath him growing increasingly hard, its skin toughening, and the reactive force becoming stronger. Meanwhile, Cyclops’s howls grew weaker. Gradually, Wen Yu stopped his assault.

Then, he saw Cyclops’s blood-red eye.

What an eye it was.

The original mockery and coldness had completely vanished, replaced by nothing but brutal killing intent. This immense killing intent instantly sobered up Wen Yu, who had been caught up in the fight.

Damn it! I was only focused on my own strength and forgot that mutant beasts can also have abilities! Wen Yu instantly realized his oversight.

In fact, Wen Yu couldn’t really be blamed. In his previous life, he was mere cannon fodder, dealing only with the lowest-level humans and monsters, creatures that couldn’t possibly possess abilities capable of altering the course of a battle.

But the current situation was clearly different. Wen Yu himself possessed the terrifying Soul Master profession. As long as he didn’t make any fatal mistakes, he had already completely shed his cannon-fodder status in this life.

And Cyclops, capable of evolving into a Level 1 mutant beast at the very outset of the apocalypse, had a clear path of evolution ahead of it. It certainly couldn’t be considered cannon fodder either.

In a battle between these two, skills were undoubtedly a key factor in determining victory.

Wen Yu, ignoring his lacerated hands, slowly retreated towards the door behind him.

Wen Yu couldn’t figure out what kind of ability Cyclops possessed. The best way to handle the current predicament was undoubtedly to find an escape route first. Fight if he could, run if he couldn’t.

Cyclops slowly straightened its body; its lower half, from the waist down, was temporarily numb from Wen Yu’s assault.

However, the physical pain was nothing compared to the agony in its mind.

This pain drove Cyclops into a frenzy.

ROAR!

A powerful sound wave erupted from Cyclops’s maw, causing the convenience store’s glass to creak violently. Even the glass display counter closest to Cyclops shattered directly. The tremendous roar stunned Wen Yu, blurring his vision and making his ears ring.

Cyclops gave Wen Yu no chance to recover. Bracing itself with its massive front claws, it lunged fiercely, its blood-red maw aiming for Wen Yu’s head. There was no doubt that if he were bitten, survival would be impossible.

Feeling the immense killing intent wash over him, Wen Yu, despite the dizziness in his head, hurriedly twisted his body.

Wen Yu’s combat experience, honed over a year in the apocalypse, saved his life. He sidestepped, dodging Cyclops’s gaping maw.

Although he avoided a direct bite, Cyclops’s claws struck Wen Yu’s arm. fr eewe(b)nove.l.co\m

Wen Yu felt as if he’d been hit by a speeding train. The enormous force sent him flying backward. He crashed through the convenience store’s glass window and rolled several times on the street before he could dissipate the impact, a mouthful of fresh blood spraying from his lips.

Seeing his left arm bent at an unnatural angle, Wen Yu ignored the excruciating pain and scrambled towards the residential complex’s main entrance.

Behind him, Cyclops continued to roar, but its voice was clearly weakening.

Wen Yu guessed that the mutant beast had likely injured its waist, impairing its mobility. This, in turn, had indirectly saved his life.