The Plaguebearer was a Level 1 standard monster, with a total attribute score of about 20—roughly equal to Gu Ning's. However, factoring in its three skills, it was slightly stronger overall.
In comparison, the Brandon militiamen were far weaker. It took three or four of them to contend with a single Plaguebearer!
"Don't panic! Follow my command!"
Seeing that the militia captain—who looked to be in charge—was severely injured and barely able to speak, Gu Ning didn't hesitate to take over command.
He shouted, "You three—and you three—distract the two Plaguebearers on the left! Everyone else, follow me. We'll take down the one on the right first!"
Whether it was due to the +300 reputation Gu Ning had with the Brandon Territory, or because the panicked militia needed a leader, those he called on quickly obeyed. They split into two groups and engaged the two left-side Plaguebearers.
Thanks to the protective keratin layer on his skin, which reduced the Plaguebearers' sharp damage, Gu Ning charged directly at the third one.
Under Gu Ning's fearless leadership, the remaining militiamen joined in, swarming the Plaguebearer in a righteous gang beatdown.
Overwhelmed, the Plaguebearer staggered under the assault, barely able to fight back! Even when it did land hits, Gu Ning took the blows head-on. Its claws felt like little more than tickles on his toughened skin.
In less than a minute, the third Plaguebearer was down. Gu Ning had only been hit once, losing 5 HP—he even resisted the bleeding effect.
This time, there was only a +10 Psionic Point reward—no treasure chest.
Gu Ning immediately turned to coordinate the others against the remaining two Plaguebearers. Using the same strategy, they quickly brought both down, earning him around 10 Psionic Points from each.
Now, only one enemy remained: the Bloodring Heavy Hammer Warrior!
The female knight specialized in agility. Her footwork was nimble and precise. She dodged the hammer warrior's mighty strikes whenever possible, and only blocked with her shield when absolutely necessary.
The Bloodring warrior, on the other hand, followed a strength-based build. Clad in heavy armor, his movements were slow but powerful, with a structured and defensive stance.
He guarded only vital points—his face and armor joints—while letting other attacks land in exchange for stronger counterattacks. This forced the knight into a defensive rhythm.
As a result, despite their ongoing duel, neither had taken much damage or gained a clear advantage.
Meanwhile, the wounded militia captain, lying nearby, gave a weak command: "Brothers... take down the Bloodring dog…"
The militiamen exchanged uneasy looks. The warrior's hammer was devastating—just a glancing blow could injure, a direct hit would kill. Who would dare interfere?
One young militia member quietly asked Gu Ning, "Brother... what should we do?"
Having earned their trust after the Plaguebearer battle, Gu Ning already had a plan. He waved them over. "Everyone, gather stones!"
Compared to the suicidal order from the captain, Gu Ning's plan was far more appealing. The militiamen scattered, collecting stones of all sizes and bringing them back.
The captain scoffed weakly, "What good are stones? You think you can crush him? Ridiculous…"
The militiamen looked puzzled too. Their aim was poor—it was more likely they'd hit the knight than the enemy. Even if they hit the warrior, the stones wouldn't pierce his armor.
Gu Ning shook his head. "We're not throwing at him—drop the stones at their feet!"
He led by example, lifting a basketball-sized stone and, with some effort, tossing it into the fray.
Stones in this world were much heavier than on Earth. Even with his 5 Strength—more than double a normal person's—Gu Ning found it tough to throw.
At first, no one understood, but they followed his lead. Soon, the battlefield was littered with stones of various sizes.
Suddenly, the Bloodring warrior stepped forward and stumbled after kicking a stone. His attack lost its precision.
The female knight's eyes lit up. She darted sideways and struck upward with her sword.
Blood spurted. The warrior roared in pain. He swung his hammer wildly, but again stepped on a stone and stumbled.
Now everyone understood.
The purpose of the stones was to disrupt the battlefield terrain—creating obstacles!
This uneven ground now favored the agile knight, who could easily dodge the debris. The heavily armored warrior, focused on offense, couldn't avoid them during combat.
The knight gained the upper hand. However, her attacks were light. Despite the advantage, it could take forever to break through the warrior's defense.
"I'm going to help her!" Gu Ning couldn't afford to drag this out—he needed to complete the main mission quickly!
He wasn't being reckless. Based on what he'd observed, the militia captain—who was weaker than Gu Ning—survived a hammer blow with just serious injuries. That meant the Bloodring warrior couldn't one-shot him.
And as long as Gu Ning didn't get one-shot, his mutated constitution's reactive defense would activate!
Fighting alongside the mysterious knight also came with its own advantages.
Fortune favors the bold. Gu Ning's conflict with the Psionic Corporation was far from over. He had to grow stronger—there was no room for comfort.
His bone mace was too short. A longer weapon would be safer for this kind of fight.
He headed to a nearby warhorse. Lying beside it was a three-meter-long cavalry lance.
Gu Ning bent down to pick it up, but just before touching it, a system prompt appeared:
[You lack psionic resonance with this item. You cannot wield its power, nor take it out of this plane.][Item requirements: Base Strength 10, Base Agility 15. You do not meet these requirements.]
He could only lift one end—it was impossible to fully wield, let alone fight with it.
Even if he had met the stats, without resonance, it was just a fancy stick.
Sigh… of course it wouldn't be that easy. No way the Will of the Spirit Realm would leave such a huge loophole.
With a resigned sigh, Gu Ning dropped the lance, gripped his bone mace, and charged toward the Bloodring warrior.
The scattered stones also posed a challenge to him—tripping on one of their own projectiles would be embarrassing.
Though he lacked the knight's agility, Gu Ning possessed exceptional observational and memory skills! A single glance was all it took to memorize the layout of every stone.
He stepped decisively into a gap between two rocks, slamming his mace into the warrior's helmet. Clang! The blow rattled the warrior's stance.
Unlike blades, blunt weapons like the mace worked better against heavy armor—the shock couldn't be absorbed by metal plating.
The warrior roared, swinging his hammer sideways.
Normally, someone would dodge backward—but Gu Ning lunged forward, slamming into the warrior!
Caught off guard, the warrior missed his strike. The shaft of the hammer clipped Gu Ning, dealing only 15 blunt damage!
Ignoring the pain, Gu Ning struck again, side-stepping precisely into another safe spot.
His keratin layer dissolved, and his bones cracked audibly as a new change occurred!
[Due to unknown stimuli, your body has undergone a stress-induced transformation. Blunt damage resistance increased. Duration: 120 minutes or until next transformation.]
As the Bloodring Heavy Hammer Warrior prepared to strike again, Gu Ning steeled his nerves and charged forward once more!
A crimson glow flickered across the warrior's body — he was clearly charging up an attack! And his target was Gu Ning.
"Watch out!" the female knight called out in warning.
Gu Ning had no time to dodge. His stats were far inferior to the Bloodring Heavy Hammer Warrior's — even if his mind reacted in time, his body couldn't keep up!
But the female knight could.
With a sudden thrust of her shield, she placed herself in front of Gu Ning.
Thud!
A muffled bang rang out as the iron hammer, glowing with a faint blood-red light, swept upward from below, tracing a crimson arc in the air. The female knight's small shield was sent flying, and her figure staggered slightly from the blow.
The Bloodring Heavy Hammer Warrior let out a creepy, guttural laugh. The red glow still lingered as he spun with the momentum of his heavy hammer, following up with a deadly horizontal strike aimed at the knight's side!
He had originally been targeting Gu Ning, but the female knight had selflessly stepped in to protect him, using her shield to block his signature skill: Chain Smite!
The result — the knight was left momentarily stunned.
This enemy wasn't some mindless NPC or an intelligence-deprived Plagueborn. Realizing the powerful knight was briefly incapacitated, he wasted no time unleashing the second, more devastating phase of Chain Smite — a sweeping attack aimed straight at her side.
Thud! Another dull impact.
But the hammer didn't strike the knight — it struck Gu Ning!
Because the first upward strike had been blocked, Gu Ning had just enough time to react. Seeing the knight in danger, he stepped forward without hesitation, using his own body to shield her from the horizontal swing.
The force of the heavy iron hammer was immense, causing Gu Ning's torso to twist in an almost grotesque way.
"You—!"
The female knight's voice was filled with urgency. Taking a deep breath, her rapier suddenly flared with blood-red light and launched a rapid series of thrusts straight at the warrior's face!
The Bloodring Heavy Hammer Warrior was caught mid-attack and couldn't defend himself. Each of the knight's thrusts struck a vital point, dealing double critical damage and inflicting a devastating blow!
"RAAAARGHH!"
The warrior howled in agony. His eyes were reduced to horrifying, bloody holes — her strike had not only done enough damage, but had also left him blinded!
The knight didn't hesitate. Her rapier danced relentlessly, quickly draining the last sliver of health from the Bloodring Heavy Hammer Warrior.
Thump!
Like a sack of grain, he collapsed heavily to the ground.
The female knight caught Gu Ning just in time: "Are you alright? Hold on!"