Under the player's command, Seelizan launched a stream of corrosive fluid, splashing directly onto the two leafy sprouts atop Yu Zhou's Kun.
"Heh, heh, heh… My Seelizan's corrosion has never met an equal. No matter what kind of freak monster you are, you'll rot away and—what?!!"
Before the player could even finish boasting, the Kun's health bar ticked upward.
HP +1
"..."
Silence. Anyone who saw this would be lost for words.
"Why did my corrosion… actually heal it?!" the player shouted, scratching his head in disbelief.
The skill he was most proud of had somehow restored the opponent's health!
Even worse—the tiny sliver of damage he had just managed with a normal attack was completely undone.
"Fine then! Time for my ultimate move!"
Furious, the Seelizan player slammed the controls. On the screen, Seelizan spat an orange energy orb that smashed into the Kun's body.
HP -5
"(╯°Д°) ╯︵┻━┻"
"You've got to be kidding me!" the player howled. "That was my ultimate! The whole point of a 'finisher' is that it's supposed to finish things!"
…
Yu Zhou, however, barely noticed. When he looked up, he only saw that his Kun's health bar had dropped by the tiniest fraction.
So, he finally decided to move.
"Flying Leaf Blade!"
After studying the guide Tomoki had given him, Yu Zhou had learned how to use the Vegetable Kun's skills.
The leafy sprouts atop the Kun shot upward, spinning at high speed before slicing toward Seelizan.
Shhhk, Shhhk!
Rotten chunks of flesh flew off Seelizan's body, and its health bar dropped significantly.
"At last, a tanky opponent."
Yu Zhou's eyes lit with excitement.
All the opponents he had faced so far had gone down in two or three hits. For a while he had thought every monster in this game was flimsy. Finally, he had met something tougher.
Then again, Seelizan was a corpse monster. It made sense for it to have thicker health.
But his opponent wasn't thinking the same.
"My Seelizan has never been on the losing end before—and now I'm the one taking damage?!"
As an undead monster, losing chunks of flesh was nothing unusual. But actually losing HP because of it—that was unheard of.
Before the player could even process this, Seelizan's health bar began draining steadily, second by second.
"What the hell is going on?!"
"Oh… so that's it."
Yu Zhou quickly realized. After reading the guide, he found that Flying Leaf Blade carried a built-in poison effect.
Once it hit, it dealt fixed damage over ten seconds.
But against Seelizan, the effect seemed amplified, the HP loss far greater than normal.
"Could it be… corpse monsters don't resist poison? Which means the damage stacks higher?"
Ten seconds later, Seelizan collapsed on the ground, its health bar fully emptied.
Yu Zhou's Kun wasted no time—opening its giant maw, it swallowed the corpse whole.
"Still too strong…"
Yu Zhou shook his head. Even after picking what looked like the weakest possible evolution, his Kun was still overpowering everything.
He hit the matchmaking button again.
This time, the monster that appeared made him pause.
"Golza's body, Zoiger's wings, and… King Guesra's tail?" Yu Zhou blinked, momentarily speechless. "Wait a second—isn't this Charija?"
He glanced at the name hovering above the opponent.
'The Fiercest Monster in the Universe.'
No doubt about it—this was Charija.
…
Meanwhile, at his own screen, Charija himself was stunned.
Because the monster standing across from him—he had never seen it before.
"Large build… looks like it has strong physical power. Green all over—probably plant-based. And those two leafy sprouts on its head…"
"…What the hell are those supposed to be?"
"Hmm. It's got plant traits, but its body structure looks more like a giant sea beast. Strange. Very strange."
Shaking his head, Charija stopped analysing and pressed the attack.
"Let's try a basic strike first."
On-screen, the Fiercest Monster in the Universe slammed a heavy palm into the Kun.
Yu Zhou's health bar ticked down—just barely.
"Not bad defence."
Charija nodded to himself. Whoever had raised such a monster clearly had some skill.
He followed up with a Dragon-Tail Whip, but this time, the Kun didn't even budge.
"What? That move usually knocks enemies flying…"
This thing wasn't just huge—it was heavy.
"But why isn't it moving?"
Charija frowned. He'd already struck it multiple times, yet the Kun remained completely still, not even attempting to fight back.
Could it be that despite its stats, this monster was just a sitting duck?
"No… something's not right."
Charija narrowed his eyes. As a veteran player with countless wins, he knew matchmaking only paired him with worthy opponents.
If this monster were really helpless, why would it be facing him?
"Fine. Let's see how long you can take it."
Yu Zhou smirked at Charija's cautious probing.
"Let him play for now."
He set his controller aside and went back to reading Tomoki's notes.
On the screen, Charija's monster launched into full assault.
Each strike landed solidly, steadily pushing down the Kun's HP.
"If I can devour this beast, my monster will grow countless times stronger!"
Charija muttered as he mashed the controls.
But even after combo after combo, the Kun's health barely dropped to two-thirds.
"This thing is that durable?!"
Finally, after an extended barrage, he ground the Kun down to half health.
"Enough—time for my finisher! Ultimate move!"
On-screen, the Fiercest Monster in the Universe leapt into the air, its body glowing with surging purple energy as it dove straight for the Kun.
But just before impact, countless green spikes erupted across the Kun's body.
(To be continued…)