"Die!"

A cruel, savage grin adorned the giant scorpion's face as he threw a punch. He could practically see the image of Qiao Yu coughing up blood from his mouth and nose after being struck.

Fang Xun and the others beside him even covered their eyes in anticipation.

Bang!

The giant scorpion and Qiao Yu's fists collided, sending a shockwave outward from the point of impact.

Crack! Crack!

The sound of bones breaking echoed. A look of triumph appeared on the giant scorpion's face. It seemed that this overconfident kid would be spending the rest of his life with a broken hand.

However, the next moment, his expression froze. The sound of cracking bones was coming from his own hand!

Crack! Crack! Crack!

As the cracking sound continued, the giant scorpion's entire arm twisted at an unnatural angle. A bright red "-69" appeared above his head.

"Ah! Impossible! This is impossible! What sorcery did you use?!"

The giant scorpion clutched his injured arm, veins throbbing on his forehead, beads of cold sweat trickling down his cheek.

Fang Xun and the others exchanged sympathetic glances. Weren't the people from the Myriad Poisons Cave supposed to be masters of poison?

Why not use poison? Why insist on trading blows with that freak?

At that moment, the giant scorpion's information appeared before Qiao Yu and the others.

[Common NPC: Giant Scorpion]

[Level: lv10]

[Health: 231/300]

[Strength: 40]

[Defense: 20]

[Agility: 15]

[Skills: Insect Swarm, Poisonous Insect Control]

Unlike wild monsters and bosses, the personal attributes of NPCs in the Otherworld are completely hidden unless they are injured.

Moreover, NPCs generally do not actively attack players. They possess intelligence and are subject to the same damage calculation mechanics as players.

For example, Qiao Yu's attack power was clearly 246 points, but because he was attacking the giant scorpion's fist, a non-vital area.

Furthermore, his attack power was partially negated by the giant scorpion's defense, so he only dealt 69 points of damage.

In other words, NPCs can be understood as the natives of the Otherworld. They are no different from players, except that they cannot return to the real world.

When using normal attacks against players and NPCs, only attacks to the torso deal full damage.

Of course, if your attack power is high enough, you can kill someone by attacking their toe...

"Nice one, Brother Yu! I'm useless." Yang Xiangdi grinned sheepishly, hiding behind Qiao Yu without any shame.

*I'm a mage, not a melee fighter. It's perfectly reasonable to hide behind someone, right?*

Yang Xiangdi felt a lingering fear. If Qiao Yu hadn't saved him in time, he would have experienced the full-sensory death simulation of the Otherworld.

"You're all using sorcery! You're sorcerers!"

The giant scorpion roared, clutching his arm, refusing to believe that Qiao Yu had defeated him with pure physical strength.

"Insect Swarm!"

The poisonous insects that Yang Xiangdi had decimated earlier swarmed towards the giant scorpion, relentlessly burrowing into his body.

A bizarre scene unfolded. The giant scorpion's broken arm began to heal slowly, and his attributes steadily increased!

"Ah!!!"

The giant scorpion let out a non-human scream of agony, his voice dry and eerie, sending shivers down the spines of those who heard it.

The poisonous insects were devouring his flesh, fusing with it as they consumed him.

"Move!"

Qiao Yu naturally wouldn't stand idly by. He charged towards the giant scorpion and landed a normal attack.

Bang!

The giant scorpion retaliated with a punch, and both men staggered back three steps after the collision.

This time, however, the damage was reduced to a mere 50 points.

The spells cast by Fang Xun and the others barely scratched the giant scorpion, dealing only single-digit damage.

"Hehehe, you can't stop me! You sorcerers are doomed to die today!"

The giant scorpion raised his head, his entire being shriveled and yellow, resembling a walking corpse more than a living person.

The black scorpion tattoo on his face turned blood red, his eyes flashing with a crimson glow.

His skin had been completely devoured by the poisonous insects! Red, withered muscles clung to his bones, with black insects constantly wriggling and burrowing through them!

The horrifying sight sent a chill down everyone's spines.

[Common NPC: Giant Scorpion] (Insect Swarm State)

[Level: lv10]

[Health: 444/500]

[Strength: 60]

[Defense: 35]

[Agility: 20]

[Skills: Insect Swarm, Poisonous Insect Control]

Seeing the giant scorpion's attributes after using Insect Swarm, despair washed over Fang Xun and the others.

"How can we possibly win? The giant scorpion's stats are almost on par with a boss! This Myriad Poisons Cave quest is impossible for beginners!" Fang Xun's face turned pale.

Long Chang collapsed to the ground, his expression as if he had swallowed ten greenbottle flies.

Yang Xiangdi scoffed at their reaction.

*This is enough to scare you? Have you ever seen the rare boss Nightmare King? Such country bumpkins.*

"Brother Yu, same as always, I'll cover you." Yang Xiangdi, fully recovered, raised his staff.

As long as Sand Restraints could hold the enemy, there was no problem that a Geo Detonation couldn't solve.

And if that failed, Qiao Yu could always finish the job with a punch.

"Okay, be careful. NPCs aren't as stupid as wild monsters," Qiao Yu warned.

"Relax, relax~" Yang Xiangdi patted his belly confidently, his fat jiggling.

The giant scorpion, enraged that Qiao Yu and the others were ignoring him, roared.

"Bastards! I will use your blood to appease my insect swarm!"

The giant scorpion charged like a cannonball, and Qiao Yu immediately intercepted him.

Qiao Yu was completely focused, not daring to be careless. His constitution was still too fragile.

"Boy, I don't believe you can defeat me with sorcery! In melee combat, only the strength of the flesh is true power!" The giant scorpion roared, throwing punches relentlessly.

Qiao Yu didn't back down, returning the blows.

Their fists collided repeatedly, the air filled with the sonic booms of their impacts.

"Muda muda muda muda!"

"Oora oora oora oora!"

Both adopted an offensive-defensive fighting style. This combat was devoid of technique, a pure contest of fist power.

As the battle progressed, the giant scorpion's confidence waned. Every time he exchanged a blow with Qiao Yu, a bright red "-50" appeared above his head. He felt as if Qiao Yu's fist could injure his internal organs through the force of the impact.

On the other hand, Qiao Yu hadn't lost a single drop of blood. How could this seemingly frail man possess such terrifying attack power?

At the same time, Qiao Yu's heart grew heavy. While the giant scorpion's attributes weren't as high as the Nightmare King's, the giant scorpion was much more difficult to deal with.

If he tried to attack the giant scorpion's vital points, the giant scorpion would immediately trade blow for blow.

As expected, when the attributes were not too different, the side with intelligence had the advantage.

*Damn it! What a formidable opponent!*