Chapter 33: What Are You Barking About?

The three heads of the E-rank magical beast operated independently; they lacked the intelligence-sharing capability of A-rank beasts. They only understood that the third head had just taken a bite of Qian Qi and then promptly passed out.

Seeing Qian Qi’s disheveled and wretched appearance, the Magic Electric Lion’s powerful hind legs retreated slightly, its sharp claws raking the earth repeatedly as it assumed a charging stance. It bared its teeth at her, the hostility in its eyes palpable.

Qian Qi was not one to back down. She swallowed a Earth-Tuber Fruit she had hidden under her tongue, bared her own teeth, stepped back with her right leg, and mirrored the charging stance.

The next second, "Ahhhhhhh—"

Qian Qi heroically charged at the Magic Electric Lion, only to be sent flying by a headbutt. She traced a graceful arc across the sky before slamming into a Black-Iron Tree like a butterfly with broken wings, the sheer force cracking the sturdy trunk.

"Ouch, that hit really landed."

She hauled herself up, clutching her lower back, and took a deep breath as the Magic Electric Lion charged again.

"Come on then." The expression on Qian Qi’s face grew wilder. Having learned from the previous impact, she shook out her stiff right hand and fixed her eyes on the approaching beast.

"Roar—"

The left head let out a roar as if cheering on the leader, while the single-horned head lowered itself, aiming its horn directly at Qian Qi.

Qian Qi steadied her stance, and the moment the beast was upon her, she shifted sharply to the left, grabbing onto the second head’s exposed teeth. The tremendous momentum nearly flung her away, but she gripped the teeth tightly, using the force to swing her body diagonally into the lion's gaping maw.

With her battered flip-flop wedged into the corner of its mouth, Qian Qi’s eyes glinted with ferocity. She raised the Thorn-Cloud Sunflower in her left hand and drove it straight into the beast's tongue!

"Roar—"

A sonic wave of pure rage erupted from the lion's throat, leaving Qian Qi’s ears ringing. She bit down on the root of the sunflower, grabbed the Venom Gourd from her waist with her left hand, and frantically smeared the contents into the wound on its tongue.

It took nearly seven minutes of struggle before the second head finally succumbed to the poison and passed out. Several times, Qian Qi was so exhausted she nearly let go, but her stubborn will to survive pushed her to finish the job.

"I’m exhausted. This is truly not a job for humans..." Qian Qi pried the lion's jaws open with great effort, preparing to exit.

The moment she crawled out, she found herself face-to-face with the angry eyes of the lead lion head.

Qian Qi: ...

Qian Qi offered a polite smile. "Haha, if I said I did that on purpose, would you forgive me for my honesty?"

Lead Lion Head: ...

Lead Lion Head: #￥%…*@#￥%…

The Magic Electric Lion naturally could not understand human language, but judging by Qian Qi’s expression, she looked incredibly punchable.

The lone remaining head, sensing Qian Qi’s prowess, no longer wished to waste time. It raised its head high, and a dazzling surge of lightning power began to gather on its horn. This was its strongest attack; if this didn’t finish her, it would have to flee. After all, no lion wants to keep chewing on a hedgehog covered in spikes for too long.

Seeing the lion’s gaping maw, Qian Qi couldn’t help but grab the fur around its mouth and start climbing inside.

Magic Electric Lion: ???

The lion shook Qian Qi off, sending her flying, and continued to gather its lightning.

Qian Qi brushed the dirt off herself, persevered, and started climbing again.

Magic Electric Lion: ...Damn it.

As she climbed, Qian Qi estimated that twenty minutes were almost up. She flicked her tongue and swallowed the second Earth-Tuber Fruit hidden beneath it.

At that moment, the lightning current on the lion’s horn finally coalesced. With a roar, it sent Qian Qi flying, and the silver-white, violet-tinged bolt of lightning lashed out in a ferocious, crackling blast toward her!

"Holy shit, here it comes!"

Qian Qi instinctively raised her arms to block. The lightning hit her, and a numbing, electric sensation surged through her entire body, traveling upwards and downwards from the point of impact. The downward strike went into the ground, while the upward strike upgraded her messy hair into "Messy Hair 2.0."

Qian Qi: ...

Magic Electric Lion: ...

Both were silent. Qian Qi was silent because her clothes and magical plants had been charred, while the lion was silent because its strongest attack hadn't killed her.

"That attack was pretty pathetic," Qian Qi commented.

[It is only E-rank, after all; it only has one elemental skill.]

"Ha, what a weakling~" Learning this, Qian Qi grew even more arrogant.

[But all the usable magical plants on you are charred now, too,] the system reminded her helpfully.

Qian Qi: ...

Qian Qi bolted. She had only hidden two Earth-Tuber Fruits in her mouth, and the rest were stashed with her light-computer at her nest to prevent them from rotting during the fight. Now, with only a small self-defense knife left, it was time to run.

Seeing her flee, the lion, which had just felt a flicker of fear, suddenly felt confident again. It let out an excited roar and gave chase.

"Mommy! Stop chasing me! I was wrong, okay!" Qian Qi ran for her life, clutching her head. Seeing the lion closing in, she frantically reached for her pockets.

The moment she tugged, her charred, brittle clothes disintegrated into dust. The self-defense knife clattered to the ground, and Qian Qi stared in shock.

[Haha, Qian Qi is about to be naked~] the blue panel mocked her mercilessly.

Qian Qi: ...

Qian Qi: ???

What the hell are you barking about?

Looking at her clothes, which were threatening to turn into dust at any moment, and then at the lion already upon her, Qian Qi flew into a rage. She ripped the gloating blue panel from the air and smashed it with all her might into the lion’s middle head!

Blue Panel: ???

Magic Electric Lion: ???

The impact, comparable to that of a C-rank strike, gave the lion an immediate concussion. Its massive body swayed, and with stars dancing in its eyes, it collapsed to the ground with a loud thud.

Qian Qi: Woohoo~

[#￥%…*@#￥%… How dare you—]

"Hahahaha, I knew it! You really are a great bludgeoning tool!"

Qian Qi laughed toward the heavens. Back when she was pinned under a Swift Demon Elephant, the system panel had smacked her in the back of the head to prevent her from sustaining injury due to her small surface area, leaving her with a painful bump.

But how could a system panel give a bump to someone like Qian Qi, who was capable of defending against D-rank damage? The answer was obvious: the hardness and offensive power of the system panel far exceeded the D-rank.

"You didn't really think such an obvious loophole would escape me, did you?"

She hadn't called it out back then precisely to make the system drop its guard, so she could seize the chance to test its true power!

System Panel: [...]

Damn, she was so smug; it was infuriating.

Qian Qi was in a great mood. She looked at the fallen three-headed beast, turned toward the blue panel, and rubbed her hands together. "Wanna do me another favor?"

[...Get lost!]

The blue panel flickered and vanished.

Qian Qi hummed, "Stingy."

Her knife wasn't sharp enough to pierce the beast's hide and kill its heart. Fortunately, she was prepared. Climbing back to her nest, she dug up her hidden Earth-Tuber Fruits and light-computer, then picked up a red magical plant from nearby—a Poison Coral.

This plant looked like American holly; its thin, delicate branches were covered in bright red berries, each highly toxic—enough to kill an adult E-rank beast. However, the Poison Coral was a mobile plant; because it lacked strong offense, it had to keep moving to survive, as some poison-resistant beasts loved to eat it.

Before coming to the nest, she had chased it until she was nearly breathless before finally managing to snag a small bunch. Since the poison was neurotoxic, she wouldn't be affected as long as she didn't get cut.

Returning to the lion, Qian Qi used her knife to crush the berries, coating the blade in the red pulp. Without hesitation, she drove the blade straight into the eye of the single-horned lion head.

The tip pierced the ghostly blue eye, and the toxin instantly traveled along the optic nerve, surging into the beast's three brains and throughout its entire body.

A few minutes later, Qian Qi felt something strange—a sensation she couldn't quite name spread through her body. As if by divine inspiration, she raised her small fist.

"Power..." she whispered. The next moment, she slammed her fist into the lion’s head.

"Bang—"

The lion head exploded. Qian Qi’s eyes widened!

[Congratulations on clearing this dungeon! You have gained a Power attribute bonus. Your current Strength rank is: D-!]

Qian Qi’s jaw dropped: "There’s such a good thing as this?!"