This monster that fell from the sky had a scorpion-shaped tail, a body exactly like a lion, and yet it also had a pair of bat wings.
Just as Todd was marveling at the infinite wonders of biological forms, the manticore launched its attack.
The bat wings fanned a strong wind on the ground, and the monster used the wind to push off the ground with its four claws, turning from stillness to maximum speed in an instant.
Todd was startled by the swift attack. Caught off guard, he braced himself with his right hand on the ground and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack.
"Focus! Put your attention on your opponent!" Meredith pushed off the ground with both feet, her body soaring like a light bird to the top of the tall stone pillar, looking down at the battle below.
Todd adjusted his balance, put aside his academic thoughts, and looked at the manticore in front of him. Metallic scales slowly appeared on the skin of his right hand.
The manticore looked at the rising black flames on its opponent's right arm, and as if remembering something, it stopped in its tracks, pressed its body close to the ground, and assumed a ready-to-attack stance.
Seeing that his opponent had no intention of attacking first, Todd gritted his teeth, took a step forward, and swung his right claw out with full force.
Watching these clumsy movements, which resembled a street fight, Meredith covered his face with his hands and let out a helpless sigh.
As expected, Todd's attack was too forceful, and the preceding movements were too obvious. The manticore easily dodged the attack with a side leap, then stood upright and, taking advantage of its opponent's momentary lapse in time, left three deep wounds on its body with its claws.
Meredith sat on the pillar, swinging her fair legs, and relentlessly mocked, "New guy, have you never fought before?! I bet all the drunkards in the fishing village are better fighters than you!"
Todd touched the scar beside his ribs and smiled bitterly. The ability of 'regeneration' allowed his skin and muscle tissue to heal quickly, but it also dealt a huge blow to his self-esteem.
Back in the Kingdom of Muxi, he sat on his throne, and aside from symbolically leading his troops with his sword, he never actually participated in battle. Even Cumberland's daily martial arts training was merely a formality.
But now is not the time to reminisce about these things.
Having succeeded in his attack, the Manticore launched another charge, this time targeting Todd's head.
Crouching to dodge the attack, Todd retreated a few steps in a panic.
Meredith shouted anxiously, "Watch your step! Keep your balance!"
The fight lasted two minutes, and the manticore left Todd with no fewer than ten wounds of varying sizes. If it weren't for his increased physical strength, as well as the aid of his 'metal skin' and 'regeneration' abilities, Todd would probably have died ten times over by now.
Scáthach's training of Cú Chulainn came to an end, and the two turned their attention to the battles of the new recruits.
Covered in wounds, Cú Chulainn walked to the foot of the stone pillar, casually wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, and looked up with a smile, shouting, "This guy really passed the 'Strength' trial? Are you sure?"
Meredith used a raven feather as a dagger and threw it at Cú Chulainn's head, yelling irritably, "If you were to encounter that opponent in his 'Power' trial, even you would only meet a defeat."
"What?!" Cú Chulainn caught the raven feather, broke it in two, and proudly shouted, "There's a limit to lies! I am..."
Scáthach flicked her finger, and a round pebble flew into the air, smashing into the back of Cú Chulainn's head and breaking in two: "Shut up and watch carefully!"
Cú Chulainn grinned, rubbing his head vigorously, and looked at his master, asking in confusion, "What are you looking at?"
“Watch how he learns to fight…” After saying this, Scáthach remained silent, intently watching Todd’s movements.
After initially being hit unilaterally, Todd was hit less and less, and even managed to launch a counterattack once or twice occasionally.
His mutated body has far surpassed that of ordinary people in terms of attack power, physical endurance, agility, and reaction speed. This gives him unlimited possibilities for trial and error in battle. The only thing he lacks is combat experience and information about his opponents.
As the battle dragged on, Todd gradually recalled his experiences playing games in his previous life.
When playing hardcore action games like Bloodborne and Dark Souls, facing a boss often starts with endless deaths and corpse runs. But once you get used to the enemy's attack patterns, the battle becomes as easy as drinking water.
The same principle applies to the Manticore, a monster whose attacks consist of four main methods: tail strikes, claw attacks, charges, and bites. The range of its tail's extension and retraction, as well as the length of its limbs, have certain limits. By taking into account factors such as the opponent's speed, attack patterns, and battlefield terrain, one can roughly calculate the opponent's attack range and sequence, thus predicting a concept often used in action games—the safe zone.
Twenty minutes into the battle, everyone present noticed something strange.
Although Todd was no longer struck by the Manticore, he had no intention of killing it. In battle, he always managed to dodge every attack from the enemy with lightning speed, and he meticulously imitated the opponent's attack patterns.
To outsiders, it was less a life-or-death struggle and more like an "alternative duet".
A man and a beast, moving forward and backward, circling and sliding.
However, compared to Todd, the composed "lead dancer," his dance partner seemed somewhat impatient and restless.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com