George didn't look great either. Kane's stupid move had wrecked his original plan.
He had planned to go to the beast's territory, look for an opening, and ambush it first to wear down its HP.
But now the beast had rushed straight at them, leaving both George and Emily off guard.
"No time, George-let's go together!" Emily drew her staff, her face unusually serious.
At the same time, a system chime sounded by George's ear:
[Ding! Quest received: Slay the incoming Crimson Flame Ape. Rewards: Deep Sea Shield, one ultimate skill, and a kiss from Emily.]
George froze. The first two were what he and Emily had agreed on-but what was with that last reward?
But the Crimson Flame Ape was closing in fast, and he had no time to ask.
He summoned Dwarves King Iron Hammer, hammer in one hand and shield in the other, and walked toward the Crimson Flame Ape.
In the distance, the demon ape spotted George and let out a roar. In an instant, the whole forest changed.
The once thick woods withered all at once, and a bloody stench filled the trees.
At the same time, George felt a wave of nausea and discomfort.
-20
-20
-20
...
Watching his HP tick down, George's face changed, and he stared at Emily in disbelief.
When he'd faced the Minotaur-inside its own cave, no less-his HP hadn't dropped this fast.
And now, even in Emily's forest, the Minotaur had somehow turned the field into a debuff zone.
Emily shook her head helplessly and said, "If I could handle it, I wouldn't be begging you."
Seeing that, George could only curse that Emily was a scam.
Emily activated the Deep Sea Shield at once. In a flash, vapor wrapped around him, and the discomfort eased a lot.
The Crimson Flame Ape was less than a hundred meters away. On all fours, it stared at George and roared, "Why do you have the Divine and Demon Origin!"
"It proves I'm your kin!" George said without blinking, lying through his teeth.
"Huh?" The Crimson Flame Ape hadn't spoken to humans in centuries, but it still had basic logic. "You're human. I'm a demon ape. How are we kin?"
"Don't you know humans evolved from apes? Great demon ape, heir of gods and demons!" George said respectfully.
Off to the side, Emily and the other players were stunned. They never thought he'd try that.
But they didn't have the Divine and Demon Origin, so they weren't even qualified to talk to the Crimson Flame Ape.
"So that's it. You really are my kin!" Years of loneliness made the Crimson Flame Ape crave his own kind, and he looked at George with joy all over his face.
"But even with the Divine and Demon Origin, you're still too weak!" The Crimson Flame Ape shook his head with a hint of regret.
"Senior, that's why I need power. Let me be your vanguard, and together we'll sweep this continent clean!" George bowed slightly, his tone sincere.
"Good! I won't be stingy with your reward!" The Crimson Flame Ape was clearly generous toward the little underling he had just taken in.
He waved his hand, and streams of crimson energy slowly poured into George's body.
George felt this mighty energy and was thrilled inside.
But when about two-thirds of the energy had been passed on, Kane-who had fled with serious wounds-suddenly came back.
He pointed at George and roared, "George, aren't you a player? Why are you with the Crimson Flame Ape!"
The moment he said that, the whole forest went silent.
The players stared at Kane like they wanted to eat him alive, and Emily looked like she wanted to pull out her staff and kill him.
The Crimson Flame Ape finally realized something was off and stopped the energy transfer at once.
He widened his eyes, glared at George, and said through gritted teeth, "You lied to me! You're not a beast at all!"
George shrugged, took out the Deep Sea Shield and held it in front of him, and sneered, "You notice only now? That's pretty dumb. But thanks for the energy."
"Damn you! I'll kill you-all of you!" The Crimson Flame Ape pounded his chest like a madman, and clumps of crimson flame spewed from his mouth.
Seeing that, George didn't hesitate. He drew the Dwarves King Iron Hammer and rose into the air.
As he swung the hammer again and again, red fire dragons and blue ice dragons were summoned and crashed toward the Crimson Flame Ape.
Thanks to the energy the Crimson Flame Ape had given him, George believed he could fight it head-on.
Facing George's assault of fire and ice, the Crimson Flame Ape let out a roar and swung both fists to smash them.
The fire and ice dragons shattered the instant they met the ape's fists.
"Flame Demon's Roar!" The Crimson Flame Ape opened his bloody maw, and waves of skull-faced fireballs spewed out, blasting toward George.
George raised the Deep Sea Shield at once, relying on the Quasi-Divine Artifact's strong defense to block the attack.
Even so, he could feel his HP keep falling.
But the Crimson Flame Ape had already attacked more than five times, triggering the Deep Sea Shield's passive, "Deep Sea Shelter"!
Right then, the phantom of a white-haired old man, bare-chested and holding a trident, slowly appeared.
Clearly, this was the Sea God from the skill description!
"Sea God, launch Tsunami!" George shouted.
The old man raised the trident and hurled it forward. In a blink, rolling waves surged out and smashed hard into the Crimson Flame Ape.
The demon flames on the Crimson Flame Ape were wiped out, and it had to hurry to recover its condition.
Of course, George wouldn't miss a chance like this.
He pulled out the Dark Crystal, and his figure vanished like a ghost.
While the Crimson Flame Ape was catching its breath, George had already slipped behind it without a sound.
He took out the Holy Crystal and the Thunder Crystal, then swung the Dwarves King Iron Hammer.
With a thunderous roar, bolts of lightning burst from the Iron Hammer and slammed into the Crimson Flame Ape's back.
Under the constant storm of lightning, the Crimson Flame Ape's back was already charred black, and it could only howl in frustrated rage.
It needed to restore its Demon Flame power right now and had no time to deal with George.
Seizing the moment, George channeled the Holy Crystal again, and waves of chill spread out.
Soon, a layer of Frost clung to the Crimson Flame Ape's body.
It not only slowed its movements but also hindered its recovery.
The Crimson Flame Ape realized something was wrong and began to roar in fury, but it was already too late.
George's Dwarves King Iron Hammer rained down on the Crimson Flame Ape, bang, bang, bang echoing nonstop.
Under George's relentless blows, the Crimson Flame Ape's body was beaten to a ruin.
Scarlet flesh showed in many places, and bone even stuck out in more than a few.
George didn't hold back at all and kept swinging the Iron Hammer madly at the Crimson Flame Ape.
"The last hit!" George took a deep breath, gripped the hammer with both hands, roared, and brought it down with all his strength at the Crimson Flame Ape.
With an unwilling roar from the Crimson Flame Ape, its massive body finally toppled to the ground.
Watching the demon ape fall, George slowly landed as well, and his whole body went limp.
At the same time, a reward notification sounded by his ear.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for slaying the Crimson Flame Ape. Rewards: one thousand drops of Primordial Demon blood, ten Mana Crystals, and the skill: Shadows of the Phantoms!]
[Ding! System blessing successful. The host receives: one thousand drops of Ancient Demon essence blood, twenty Mana Crystals, and the skill: Phantom Shadows.]
[Ancient Demon Essence Blood: The refined blood of an Ancient Demon. Every drop holds an Ancient Demon's power. After taking it, you gain one minute of demonic power.]
[Phantom Shadows: Spend 100 mana to turn your body into a phantom for one minute. For a short time, you can shift your trail quickly. While in phantom form, you are immune to all physical attacks.]
Seeing these rewards, a faint smile finally appeared on George's tired face.
This haul was rich, worthy of the life-risking assault he had just made.
But George didn't notice that, in the distance, Kane was watching him with hateful eyes.
That look was full of jealousy, as if George had stolen what was his.