Chapter Nineteen: The Attempt That Backfired

The configurations of the two Shadow Devourer nests were nearly identical: a dozen ordinary juvenile Shadow Devourers, two elite mini-bosses, and a boss-level Shadow Devourer mother. However, the spider-form Shadow Devourer mother posed no pressure to Ash, as attribute advantages allowed him to overpower it through sheer strength. At most, he had to dodge the spider spears, focusing most of his attention on maintaining efficient offense.

But now, facing the mantis-form Shadow Devourer mother, the situation was entirely different.

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Name: Juvenile Shadow Devourer Mother (Boss)
Health: 140/140
Attack Rating: Average (25)
Defense Rating: Average (10)
Attack Speed: Fast
Alert Radius: Normal
Skills: Consecutive Leaps, Enhanced Slash (*3.0)
Description: Omitted.

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Though its 140 health seemed low compared to the spider form, the enhanced slash, which increased damage by 200%, could kill Ash in just two hits, even with his health boosted to 100 points.

Unless he activated a super armor state, surviving two slashes was impossible.

The consecutive leaps granted the mantis mother incredible mobility. Sensing Ash’s threat, it refrained from immediate attacks, continuously leaping within the villa, searching for the perfect moment to launch a devastating strike.

This placed immense pressure on Ash, forcing him to revert to a battle mentality suited for nightmare challenges.

The rewards from completing the Life Forbidden Zone had allowed Ash to dominate single-player challenges on normal difficulty, achieving top ratings effortlessly. Especially with the single-player challenges offering rewards, facing the boss-level “Octopus Brother” posed almost no life-threatening danger, removing much pressure and eliminating the need to risk walking a razor’s edge.

Even entering the Killing Island, combat conditions remained largely unchanged. Clearing the first two Shadow Devourer nests was trivial; countering Huoze was effortless—the former too weak, the latter too fragile. Ash scarcely needed to unleash his full strength.

But now, that was no longer true.

Ash realized that without giving his all, he would surely die at the mantis mother’s hands. Moreover, he had to assume that Replay Chicken might be watching from the sidelines. Even if the chance was one in a thousand, it was enough to plunge him into irredeemable ruin.

Taking a deep breath, Ash focused intently on the mantis mother. At this moment, he quietly shifted his battle mindset, temporarily abandoning offense to concentrate on defense—just as he had in the Life Forbidden Zone. Though he had lost the bloodvine arm shield, the extension effect of his active soft-biochemical arm enhanced his blocking ability. Additionally, his seven points of strength still played a crucial role because the mantis mother clearly excelled in agility and couldn’t engage Ash in brute force.

Swish!

The mantis mother, bouncing continuously along the villa walls, suddenly altered its trajectory. Its thick insect legs powered a sudden burst, propelling its body at a right angle as if defying physics. Like a thunderclap, its sickle-shaped blade slashed directly over Ash’s head.

Clang!

In a flash, Ash reacted swiftly. His active soft-biochemical arm clashed with the sickle, producing a dull sound. The mantis mother’s momentum remained strong, but Ash forcefully pushed it aside, narrowly dodging a follow-up slash.

Failing to land a hit, the mantis mother bounced just before hitting the ground, sprang off the floor, leapt toward the wall, and resumed its continuous villa-bound leaps, cooling down its skill while searching for another opening.

“High attack, fast speed, decent health, and decent intelligence—this type of boss is a player killer. One slip-up, and you’re toast!”

Hiding outside the villa, Replay Chicken stared at the mantis mother’s status panel, impressed and alarmed. Without a team watching each other’s backs, he dared not engage it. Seeing Ash’s wary expression, he admired the top-ranked player’s courage—but that was all. He was increasingly convinced Ash wouldn’t survive the Shadow Devourer nest today—either dying by the mother’s hand or by his own.

Swish!
Clang!

Another exchange of attack and defense with no clear winner. The mantis mother struck and retreated; Ash resumed his defensive stance. Replay Chicken grew anxious, repeatedly glancing behind, fearing an unexpected arrival.

“What’s Ash doing? Does he think endless defense will wear down the mother? Such wishful thinking! The attacker bears psychological pressure far greater than the defender. Besides, this is a monster, not a player—it has endless energy and won’t make mistakes! You can block once or twice, but can you block every time?”

As the stalemate dragged on, Replay Chicken’s mindset shifted. The longer it lasted, the more likely an uninvited guest might appear. Unwilling to let others profit, he kept glancing back repeatedly.

At this moment, Ash blocked the mantis mother’s enhanced slash for the third time.

“Still going?”

Seeing Ash seemingly determined to defend indefinitely, Replay Chicken’s thoughts darkened. Suddenly, a high-explosive grenade appeared in his palm. It was a rare offensive tool he had acquired, capable of causing 50 area damage—his trump card reserved for critical moments.

Now seemed the time to use it.

A ruthless gleam flashed in his eyes as he looked back at the battlefield. Ash remained in a defensive posture, facing the swiftly moving mantis mother without launching attacks. This made Replay Chicken ready to abandon his fishing plan, convinced Ash would die here, even if the kill credit went to the mother.

“Wait, just a bit longer... maybe there’s still a chance...”

Clutching the grenade tightly, Replay Chicken’s eyes filled with reluctance. He decided to wait a bit more, unable to believe Ash would defend to the end.

If even he doubted it, Ash himself doubted it still more.

Having flawlessly defended three times, Ash was merely familiarizing himself with the mantis mother’s rhythm, precisely blocking its landing spots after each strike. He had decided his path to victory would not be a bloody, costly win but a swift, decisive kill using limited means.

Now was the moment.

Ash’s eyes shone brightly. As the mantis mother launched another leap slash, he once again expertly caught it. His active soft-biochemical arm swept through the air, blocking the enhanced slash for a fourth time. The mantis mother’s landing position remained firmly under Ash’s control.

But just as Ash prepared to act, a furious Replay Chicken abandoned all hope, threw the grenade, and sent it hurtling toward the villa battlefield.

Ash’s shoulder sank, and he stepped forward with mighty momentum, precisely targeting the mantis mother so it couldn't leverage its consecutive leaps. The mantis mother was violently slammed, unable to withstand the collision, crashing forcefully into the villa wall.

[Notification: You used "Charge" against the boss-level "Juvenile Shadow Devourer Mother," dealing 20 direct damage.] (30-10)
[Notification: Judging... Judgment successful! Target’s strength level is 4, not exceeding your strength level +1. "Charge" effect activated: during the collision, no matter what object the target hits, it will receive secondary damage.]
[Notification: Boss-level "Juvenile Shadow Devourer Mother" received an additional 23 collision damage.]

Even without activating super armor, Ash dealt over 40 damage to the mantis mother.

Suddenly injured, the mantis mother saw Ash closing in and unleashed its ferocity, raising both sickles to strike down. But Ash paid it no mind—the grenade exploded.

Boom!
Ding!
Clang, clang!

[Notification: You activated the “Sun Emblem” equipment effect “Sun’s Golden Body,” granting immunity to all damage for the next two seconds, during which you cannot perform any actions.]

As if struck by a golden hammer, Ash transformed instantly into his Sun’s Golden Body, dodging both the grenade blast and the mantis mother’s sickle strike. The mantis mother within the explosion radius was not so lucky. The grenade inflicted 40 direct damage plus a knockback effect, causing the mantis mother to collide a second time with the wall behind, suffering a total loss of over 80 health!

What?

Replay Chicken, planning to watch Ash perish from the explosion and fall to the mother’s blade, was dumbfounded. He realized his scheme had inadvertently aided Ash. Even seeing the mantis mother reduced to less than 20 health, momentarily immobilized from the double collision, he lacked the courage to strike first, intimidated by Ash.

He knew he couldn’t kill the mother and escape unharmed with Ash’s health still full. So, taking advantage of Ash’s immobilized state, he immediately retreated.

Though losing the grenade stung, it was better than losing his life!

With a face ashen as death, Replay Chicken nearly ground his teeth but could only flee swiftly into the dark expanse.

After two seconds, Ash regained freedom. Unsure whether Replay Chicken had left or not, he swung his active soft-biochemical arm and decisively slew the gravely wounded, immobile mantis mother.

[Notification: You dealt 38 damage, killing the boss-level “Juvenile Shadow Devourer Mother,” earning a large number of contribution points.]
[Notification: You successfully destroyed a small Shadow Devourer nest, gaining 1 kill point.]
[Notification: You completed the first stage of the main quest “Reconstruction,” earning 1 kill point and future ownership rights to an island apartment.]

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