"Mo Chuan, look out! It's coming for you!"
Wanshuang's voice trembled violently. She shrank behind Chen Mo, clutching his shirt so tight her knuckles whitened, barely daring to breathe.
Chen Mo's pupils constricted sharply. He dared not take the slightest risk. The Sword Profound Heart circulated at full speed inside him; warm energy flooded his limbs in an instant. He held his plain iron sword horizontally before him, taking the sturdiest defensive stance.
The Giant Crab before them was three times larger than the Black Armor Crab King. Its shell was black, thick, and covered in sharp spikes. Its enormous pincers, spread wide, could snap a man in two. Every step shook the river beach, and a savage, oppressive aura crashed over them.
This was without question the strongest enemy he had faced since entering the game!
"Wanshuang, get behind the rock pile! Don't come out no matter what happens!" Chen Mo growled in a low voice, his gaze locked on the crab, not daring to look away for a split second.
"I-I understand! Please be careful!"
Wanshuang did not hesitate. She tiptoed quickly to the nearby rocky pile and immediately pulled all her healing and antidote potions from her basket, ready to support at any moment.
ROAR!!!
The Giant Crab let out a deafening shriek. It stopped holding back. Its eight legs dug into the ground, and its massive body lunged forward like a storm. Its right pincer lifted high, carrying earth‑splitting power, and slammed straight down at Chen Mo's head!
Its speed was monstrous!
Chen Mo tapped the ground lightly and unleashed the basic movement skill he had trained in the game. His body drifted like willow fluff in the wind, darting three feet to the left — narrowly dodging the fatal strike.
BOOM!!!
The giant pincer crashed into the earth. Mud and stones exploded outward. The hard ground was smashed into a half‑meter‑deep pit, cracks spreading like a spiderweb. The power was terrifying.
"So strong!" Chen Mo's heart jolted. Cold sweat broke out all over his back.
If he had been a fraction slower, he would have been crippled or killed instantly.
He knew clearly: against a monster of this level, any mistake was a death sentence.
Missed, the Giant Crab grew even more enraged. Its pincers swept and stabbed nonstop, sealing every path of escape. The attacks were fast, brutal, and unrelenting.
Chen Mo focused completely. Relying on superhuman reflexes and precise prediction, he weaved through the relentless assault. His iron sword struck only at the joint gaps, trying to wear down the crab's stamina.
CLANG!
A sharp metallic clang rang out. Chen Mo's arm went numb, his wrist stinging. The sword left only a faint white mark on the crab's shell — he couldn't even break through its defense.
"Its defense is even harder than the Black Armor Crab King's!" Chen Mo frowned deeply.
At this rate, his stamina would run out first, and he would be slaughtered without resistance.
He had to hit the weak point — one strike to end it!
Chen Mo's mind raced, recalling Lao Wang's warning and his past battles. Crab monsters' weak points were almost always soft areas like the underbelly or eyes. But the Giant Crab pressed flat against the ground, its underbelly completely hidden. Its eyes were too small to target accurately.
The only chance: provoke it into attacking with full force, forcing it to expose an opening!
The idea formed, and Chen Mo's gaze turned resolute.
He stopped dodging blindly. Instead, he charged straight toward the Giant Crab. His iron sword slashed twice in a row, piercing precisely at the crab's eyes!
SSS—!!!
The Giant Crab shrieked in pain and flew into a berserk rage. It abandoned all defense and snapped both pincers at Chen Mo, determined to crush him into pulp.
NOW!
Chen Mo's eyes flashed. This was the moment he'd been waiting for!
As the crab attacked with full force and lifted its body slightly, its underbelly — pressed tight to the ground — finally revealed a narrow slit of soft flesh!
"Wanshuang! Throw the numbing potion!" Chen Mo roared.
"On it!"
Wanshuang reacted instantly from behind the rocks. She hurled the dark green potion given by Lao Wang directly at the Giant Crab.
Chen Mo caught it behind his back and splashed it all over the crab's legs. At the same time, he slid across the ground like an arrow loosed from a bow, charging straight for the crab's underbelly!
Every last bit of warm energy left in his body poured into his iron sword. The blade hummed softly — this was the strongest strike he could unleash right now.
PFFT!
With no hard shell blocking the way, the sword pierced smoothly into the soft flesh of the underbelly, sinking deep.
ROAR—!!!
The Giant Crab let out a bloodcurdling scream. Its huge body thrashed and twisted wildly. Its pincers slammed the ground randomly, shaking the entire beach as mud and sand filled the air.
Chen Mo gripped the sword so tight his fingers ached, gritting his teeth and refusing to let go. Using the crab's own convulsions, he twisted the blade again and again, destroying its insides. Each twist weakened the monster further.
Time stretched endlessly.
One second… five seconds… ten seconds…
Chen Mo's stamina was completely drained. His vision blurred. His arms burned so badly they almost lost feeling. He held on purely by willpower.
Wanshuang watched from the rocks, her heart in her throat, eyes red. She kept throwing healing potions toward him and shouted: "Mo Chuan, hold on!"
Finally, the Giant Crab's struggles weakened. Its roars faded. Its massive body trembled once, then crashed heavily to the ground. It twitched a few times and went still.
Pant… pant…
Chen Mo collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath. He was soaked through with sweat as if he'd just climbed out of water. The wound on his shoulder tore open again, sending stabs of pain through him.
They had won.
"Mo Chuan!"
Wanshuang could not hold back any longer. She rushed out from behind the rocks, knelt beside him, and checked his injuries carefully, her eyes wet with worry. "How are you? Are you hurt anywhere? Drink this quickly!"
She opened a high‑grade healing potion and carefully fed it to his lips.
The cool liquid slid down his throat. Weariness and pain faded fast, and his stamina slowly returned.
Chen Mo recovered a little and forced a smile. "I'm okay. Just tired."
"You scared me to death!" Wanshuang pouted, her voice half-scold, half-concern. "That crab was so strong… and you actually beat it! You're incredible!"
Chen Mo shook his head, refusing to take all the credit. "I couldn't have done it without the old man's potion and your help. I wouldn't have made it."
He knew full well this narrow victory depended entirely on teamwork and strategy. One wrong move, and the outcome would have been completely different.
After resting a few minutes, his stamina returned enough to stand. Chen Mo pushed himself up, walked to the Giant Crab's corpse, and began dissecting it according to the game's rules.
As the overlord of the deep pool, its drops were extremely valuable:
Hard Black Iron Crab ShellGiant Sharp PincersCrab King Core with pure energyIntact Giant Crab Hide
All were rare materials that would sell for sky‑high prices in Qingxi Town — enough to buy mountains of copper coins, equipment, and potions.
Wanshuang helped gather the materials beside him, moving lightly with a sweet smile. The way she looked at Chen Mo was full of admiration and reliance.
[You defeated the Giant Crab of the Deep Pool with Player Wanshuang. Bond +50]
[Current Bond: 90]
The brief system notification sounded. Chen Mo raised an eyebrow. Bond had jumped sharply again. Clearly, fighting and defeating powerful enemies side by side was the fastest way to raise it.
"Mo Chuan! Our bond is almost 100!" Wanshuang pointed at the panel happily, like a child with candy. "Maybe something amazing will unlock when we hit 100!"
"Maybe," Chen Mo smiled faintly. He stuffed the rare materials into his backpack, which was now nearly half full.
"The Giant Crab is dead. The crab army won't attack Qingxi Town anymore. Let's head back," Chen Mo said.
"Mm!" Wanshuang nodded obediently and stayed close at his side. The two walked side by side toward Qingxi Town.
Sunlight spilled over the beach, chasing away the dark haze. Their shadows stretched long, and the air felt warm and peaceful.
Wanshuang stole glances at Chen Mo now and then. Her heart beat strangely fast, and her cheeks warmed.
This quiet, unassuming man who always stepped forward in danger had already taken root deep in her heart.
Chen Mo did not notice her feelings. He was replaying the entire battle in his mind. His combat experience and sword control improved rapidly, and his Sword Control Art proficiency rose quietly.
They chatted along the way and soon returned to Qingxi Town.
The news had already spread. Every player and NPC in town knew they had slain the Giant Crab and saved the whole settlement. All eyes turned to them, filled with admiration.
Lao Wang the blacksmith hurried over excitedly. When he saw the Black Iron Crab Shell in Chen Mo's bag, he praised repeatedly: "Young man, you're amazing! You saved all of Qingxi Town. I thank you on behalf of everyone here!"
"You're too kind, Uncle. It was only what I should have done," Chen Mo nodded slightly.
Without another word, Lao Wang pulled out his best materials and offered to forge a much sturdier iron sword for Chen Mo for free. He also gave him a full set of sword sheaths and armor to show his gratitude.
Chen Mo did not refuse. It was exactly what he needed.
Just as Lao Wang held the Black Iron Crab Shell and turned to enter the smithy to forge the weapon, his gaze suddenly locked onto a strange pattern on the bottom of the shell. His face turned ashen, and he nearly dropped the shell in terror.
"This… this is… the mark of a Space Rift! You've walked straight into a deadly disaster!"