"Mo Chuan… w-what kind of monster is that…?"
Wanshuang's voice trembled uncontrollably. She hid tightly behind Chen Mo, her hands clutching the medicine hoe until her knuckles turned white.
The huge shadow by the water pool slowly lifted its body. Its shell was hard and dark black, with a cold metallic sheen along the edges. Its eight legs stomped heavily on the mud, making the beach tremble with every step. Its two giant pincers spread wide—half a man's width across, glinting coldly. Just one glance sent chills down the spine.
This was the Giant Pincer Crab General, a rare mini-boss monster near Liusha River Beach, far stronger than ordinary Ironclad Crabs.
Chen Mo's face turned grave. He pulled Wanshuang further behind him, held his iron sword horizontally, and circulated the warm energy inside him at full speed using the Sword Profound Heart.
He could clearly sense that the aura of this monster was far more powerful than any crab he had faced before. Its defense, strength, and speed completely outclassed him. With his beginner-level Sword Control Art and weak warm energy, facing it head-on was suicide.
"Don't talk. Stay behind me. Retreat to the rocky pile on the left—the terrain there is tight, and its pincers can't swing freely," Chen Mo whispered in a rapid, low voice.
"Mm!" Wanshuang didn't dare hesitate. She followed closely behind Chen Mo, moving carefully to the left.
The Giant Crab General seemed enraged by their movement. It let out a deafening roar, pushed off the ground with its massive body, and charged straight at them. Its heavy frame left deep prints on the beach, moving faster than anyone could imagine.
"So fast!"
Chen Mo's heart jolted. He didn't dare slack off. He activated the basic movement skill he'd practiced in the game, darted three feet sideways, and narrowly dodged the sweeping pincer.
Boom!
The giant pincer slammed into the mud, sending stones flying and blasting a deep pit into the ground.
Chen Mo seized the chance to swing his sword. The iron blade struck precisely at the Crab General's joint, producing a clear clash.
Sparks flew. Only a faint white mark was left on its shell—he couldn't even break its defense.
"Its defense is insane!" Chen Mo's pupils shrank. He knew things were bad.
His current attack power was more than enough for normal monsters, but against a boss-level creature, it was barely a scratch.
"Mo Chuan, its shell is too hard—your attacks won't work!" Wanshuang shouted from behind the rocks, panic in her voice. "I heard these crabs have a weak spot on their underbelly… b-but it never flips over!"
Chen Mo's eyes flickered.
Underbelly weak spot?
He quickly scanned the Crab General's body. It pressed tightly against the ground, its underbelly completely hidden—no way to attack it.
To hit the weak point, he had to provoke it into attacking and exposing an opening.
"Wanshuang, I'll draw its attacks. When you see the chance, throw me a healing potion. Don't worry about me—just keep yourself safe!" Chen Mo said firmly.
"No, it's too dangerous!" Wanshuang shook her head at once, her eyes red. "It's too strong! Let's run—don't fight it!"
"We can't outrun it." Chen Mo shook his head, his gaze locked on the Crab General. "It's faster than us. If we turn and run, our backs will be fully exposed. It'll take us down in one hit."
This game was brutally realistic. There was no disappearing HP bar. A single hit caused real pain and stun—even direct teleportation to the respawn point with lost materials.
They had few supplies now. They couldn't afford that kind of loss.
Wanshuang bit her lip. She knew Chen Mo was telling the truth. She could only squeeze her potion bottle tight, ready to support at any moment.
Chen Mo took a deep breath. Without hesitation, he charged toward the Giant Crab General, slashing three times in a row with his iron sword, all hitting its shell.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Three sharp sounds completely enraged the Crab General.
It roared, abandoned defense, and swept and stabbed at Chen Mo with both pincers. Its attacks were fast and brutal, blocking all his escape routes.
Chen Mo concentrated fiercely. He replayed dodge techniques from the game and movement skills from real-life training in his mind. His body flitted like willow catkins in the wind, narrowly avoiding every fatal strike.
His stamina drained rapidly. Sweat covered his forehead, and his breath grew ragged.
Wanshuang watched from behind, her heart in her throat. She clutched the potion tightly, ready to throw it at any second.
"Now!"
Chen Mo's eyes flashed. He spotted a gap and deliberately left an opening. He slowed his dodge by half a beat, letting his shoulder graze the edge of the pincer.
Rip!
Sharp pain shot through him. His cloth shirt tore, a shallow wound opening on his shoulder. His HP dropped instantly.
The Crab General, having landed a hit, went berserk. It lifted one pincer high and smashed it straight down onto Chen Mo's head.
And in that upward motion—its underbelly, pressed tight to the ground, finally showed a tiny gap!
"Wanshuang, throw the potion!" Chen Mo roared.
Wanshuang reacted instantly. She hurled a healing potion and shouted nervously: "Mo Chuan, look out!"
Chen Mo caught it behind his back and drank it in one gulp. The cool healing power spread at once. The pain in his wound faded, and his HP shot back up.
At the same time, he pushed off the ground with all his strength. His body shot like an arrow, sliding under the Crab General. He poured all his warm energy into his iron sword and stabbed fiercely into the exposed gap in its underbelly!
Pfft!
This time, no clashing metal. The sword pierced smoothly, sinking in deep.
The Crab General let out a shrill, miserable scream. Its huge body thrashed violently. Its pincers slammed the ground wildly, trying to shake Chen Mo off.
"Now—full power!"
Chen Mo gritted his teeth, held the sword tight, and twisted it repeatedly with the monster's thrashing, destroying its insides.
One minute… two minutes… three minutes…
In the endless battle, Chen Mo's stamina was almost gone. He survived purely on willpower.
Finally, the Crab General's struggles weakened. Its roars faded. Its massive body trembled once, then crashed heavily onto the beach, motionless.
Chen Mo collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath. He was soaked in sweat, his arms too sore to lift.
They'd won.
"Mo Chuan! Are you okay?!"
Wanshuang rushed over, knelt beside him, and held out a new healing potion, her eyes red with worry. "You scared me to death just now—I thought…"
"I'm fine," Chen Mo took the potion and drank it. His stamina recovered a little. He forced a smile. "Just tired."
Wanshuang stared at the wound on his shoulder and said guiltily: "It's all my fault. I insisted on coming deep to gather herbs. We wouldn't have run into this dangerous monster otherwise."
"It's not your fault." Chen Mo shook his head and looked at the fallen Crab General. "It was good practice. If I'd run into something stronger later, I still wouldn't know how to fight it."
He pushed himself up, walked to the corpse with his sword, and began dissecting it by the game's rules.
Boss-level materials were far more valuable than normal ones: hard black crab shell, sharp giant pincers, and a crab core with faint energy—all high-price goods.
Wanshuang helped clean up beside him, watching his skilled movements with admiration in her eyes.
"Mo Chuan, you're really amazing! You beat such a strong monster. I've never seen anyone solo the Giant Crab General before."
"Just lucky. I hit its weak spot," Chen Mo replied calmly, not stopping his work.
He knew clearly: this victory came not from brute force, but from game skills, real-life warm energy training, and perfect teamwork with Wanshuang.
Lose any one piece, and the outcome would have been completely different.
Soon Chen Mo finished dissecting the boss. His backpack was full of materials—enough to trade for a lot of copper coins and supplies in Qingxi Town.
"We have enough materials. Let's head back to Qingxi Town, sell these, and get some supplies," Chen Mo said.
"Okay!" Wanshuang nodded happily. With Chen Mo beside her, she felt completely safe.
They packed their things and walked side by side toward Qingxi Town.
Night deepened. Moonlight spilled over the beach, stretching their shadows long.
Wanshuang walked next to Chen Mo, stealing glances at him now and then. Her heart beat strangely fast.
This man named Mo Chuan was quiet, but he always stood in front of her at the most dangerous moments, giving her complete security.
"Mo Chuan… will you come gather herbs with me again later?" Wanshuang asked softly, hope in her voice.
Chen Mo paused, turned to look at her, and nodded gently. "Sure. I need to fight monsters to level up my proficiency anyway."
A bright smile broke out on Wanshuang's face, shining like the brightest star in the night sky. "Great! Then we'll team up from now on. I'll gather herbs to make potions for you, and you'll fight monsters for me. We'll get better and better!"
Chen Mo looked at her bright smile. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, showing a rare faint smile.
In this strange game world, he was no longer alone.
They chatted as they walked, gradually leaving Liusha River Beach behind, heading toward the bright lights of Qingxi Town.
They didn't know that after they left, at the bottom of the deep pool in the beach, an even bigger, darker shadow slowly opened its eyes. Its cold gaze locked onto their retreating backs, exuding a bone-chilling murderous aura.
When Chen Mo returned to Qingxi Town and reached the blacksmith's shop, the NPC Lao Wang stopped him. Lao Wang stared at the black crab shell in his backpack, his face changing drastically. He spoke in a hurried, urgent tone:
"Young man… you got this shell from the deep part of Liusha River Beach? Do you have any idea—you've just walked into huge trouble!"