The apocalypse struck, and I became a druid.

Page 41

Even Yu Na, who had always been indifferent and seemed apathetic, couldn't help but blink her big, watery eyes.

"Your strength exceeds my expectations, continue." Lin Qianqian nodded in approval, "Nana!"

"Um……"

Upon hearing Lin Qianqian's greeting, Yu Na immediately looked at Han Ning, her cold eyes now filled with a layer of aquamarine light.

Wow~

A blue shield spread out, enveloping Han Ning.

The three did not stop and continued deeper into the fog.

The further we went, the thicker the fog became, to the point where we could hardly see our own hands.

The water depth had increased slightly, and the underwater terrain had become more complex, with frequent opportunities to step on broken bricks or twisted metal.

The surroundings were deathly silent, with only the splashing sounds of the three people wading through the water and the dull thud of raindrops hitting the puddles, creating a suffocating atmosphere.

As an animal companion, Xuebing's underwater perception far surpasses that of humans, especially its exceptional sensitivity to the scent of living creatures. Now, with the protection of Yu Na's mental barrier, it is the best scout.

"Mr. Lin, I have a question I'd like to ask you." As they ventured deeper into the foggy area, Han Ning suddenly spoke up.

"Huh? You say."

"Regarding the rules for distributing the energy released after killing a monster, does your association have a relatively unified view?" Han Ning asked, voicing his thoughts.

Lin Qianqian calmly explained while observing her surroundings:

"Let me first talk about the issue of material allocation."

"Within the association, if you hunt alone, the spoils naturally belong to the individual. If you work in a team, the distribution rules are more flexible."

"Monster corpses are important materials that can be used for research, weapon making, or other purposes. These are usually distributed according to the proportion of combat contribution or handled through team negotiation."

"As for the most important thing, the energy that dissipates after the kill that can enhance oneself..."

"This part of the energy cannot be 'allocated'; it will automatically choose its target, and we cannot interfere."

This was exactly what Han Ning was most concerned about, and he continued to ask:

"Have you ever studied the basis for this automatic energy selection? Why is it that sometimes someone who puts in the most effort doesn't necessarily receive the most energy?"

Lin Qianqian pondered for a moment, then slowly said:

"Many people in the association have indeed studied this issue, and the most prevalent speculation is currently..."

"This distribution of energy is likely related to the monster's 'perception' of the awakened beings around it as it fights until it dies."

"It is not based on who delivered the final blow or who dealt the most physical damage."

"Instead... when a monster faces an enemy, it subconsciously believes that the awakened one poses the greatest threat to it, or makes it feel the most fearful. Then most of its energy will automatically flow to that awakened one."

"Simply put, whoever is the most terrifying in the monster's eyes gets the biggest slice of the 'cake'."

"Last hit might not make it think you're the most terrifying. Sometimes, a strong control ability, or some kind of power that makes its soul tremble, can make it feel a deeper fear."

Lin Qianqian added, "Of course, this is just a speculation based on observation, and it may not be correct. We are still exploring the rules of this world."

After listening, Han Ning still didn't know if Lin Qianqian was right or wrong.

He had a vague feeling that the other party's explanation might not be entirely correct.

"Thanks for clearing up the confusion."

Chapter 45 Spiral Crab

Unbeknownst to them, the three people and the lizard had already ventured more than a hundred meters into the fog.

Apart from the mirage worm they encountered at the beginning, they did not encounter any other monsters.

It's only a little over a hundred meters long.

Lin Qianqian walked behind Han Ning, her compound bow half-drawn, a special arrow gleaming faintly nocked on the string, her charming eyes constantly scanning her surroundings, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.

Suddenly, the snow cake in front stopped swimming, half of its body floated to the surface, and a suppressed roar came from its throat: "Roar..."

At almost the same time, Han Ning and Lin Qianqian also noticed something unusual.

"Be careful!" Lin Qianqian warned.

laugh!laugh!laugh!

Several water arrows, as thick as an arm and as solid as a physical object, shot out without warning from the thick fog to the left front of the group.

They were incredibly fast, carrying a chilling killing intent, and went straight for Xuebing and Han Ning at the front of the group.

In Han Ning's visual and mental perception, the location where the attack occurred was clearly empty, just a vast expanse of white.

"Ow!"

Snowcake reacted extremely quickly, its powerful hind legs kicking in the water, its massive body bursting with agility disproportionate to its size, narrowly avoiding an attack aimed at its head.

But the water jet still grazed its neck, slicing away large chunks of flesh.

This is enough to demonstrate its power.

Han Ning was equally quick.

The moment they sensed danger, they immediately ducked down.

A jet of water flew past his head, bringing a chill with it.

Before he could even straighten up...

Another water arrow, piercingly angled, seemed to have anticipated his dodge direction, silently shooting from below and to his waist.

At the critical moment, more than a dozen thick vines burst forth from Han Ning's body, intertwining to form a solid vine shield.

boom!

The water jets splattered against the tangled web of vines.

The immense impact caused the vines to tremble violently, their dark green bodies caved inwards, and water splashed everywhere, mixed with splinters of wood.

Although he successfully blocked the fatal blow, the immense force from the vines caused Han Ning's blood to surge, and he couldn't help but take a step back, splashing the puddles under his feet.

At this moment, Han Ning finally understood why Lin Qianqian had brought a mentally awakened person with her.

His natural blessing cannot be released at all times, making it virtually impossible to defend against such a sneak attack!

“There!” Yu Na’s eyes flashed with a dark light as she pointed to an empty area.

The difference between the direction from which the water rocket was launched and the direction from which it was launched is at least one meter.

There was swirling fog there, and nothing at all.

Upon hearing the reminder, Lin Qianqian pulled the compound bowstring in her hand.

call out!

The arrow left the bowstring, its shaft covered in a flowing, white halo, and silently shot towards the blank mist.

The arrow disappeared into the thick fog.

hum!

In the next instant, visible circles of shimmering white light spread out from the point where the arrow disappeared.

Under the wash of the ripples, a hideous outline, like a negative in developing solution, was forcibly drawn out from an absolutely transparent "nothingness" state, and marked with a glaring gray-white halo.

Although the fog and the markers were both white, the colors were distinct, and Han Ning could see it very clearly.

It was a monster the size of a large water tank.

It has a thick, carapace-like body covered with layers of spiral patterns.

At the front of its body, a pair of enormous pincers are raised high, and the ends are not the usual pincers, but sharp spiral cones like high-speed drill bits.

It is now slowly stopping its rotation, and thick water vapor is gathering around it.

Its tail is a thick, eel-like long tail covered with fine, bluish-black scales.

Several slender tentacles, flashing with dangerous blue-white electric sparks, split from the tip of its tail and twitch gently in the water as if they were alive.

Each twist produced a subtle crackling sound.

The entire monster exuded a savage and powerful aura.

"Damn it, it's a vortex crab! No wonder it's been so quiet for over a hundred meters."

Lin Qianqian quickly stated the key information.

"This monster has an astonishing physical defense, making it almost impossible for ordinary attacks to penetrate. Its drill can spray high-speed water jets, its tail can release high-voltage currents, and it can also emit mental waves that affect thinking, making it extremely dangerous. Its weak points are the joint gaps and its relatively vulnerable eyes."

The compound bow in her hand hummed and vibrated, and an arrow shimmering with a white light flew from the bowstring, striking precisely the gap where the volcano crab's tail and body connected.

The arrow exploded upon impact with the armor, its internal energy and tiny sparks of electricity scattering wildly.

The vortex crab's body was shaken slightly by the force of the explosion, and the electric tentacles dancing on its eel tail were momentarily disordered.

"Ow!"

At that moment, the snow cake moved.

The grayish-white body lunged out with lightning speed, its sharp claws slashing towards the joint of one of the hind limbs supporting the crab's body.

"Keng!"

A screeching sound rang out, and sparks flew from the hard joint shell.

The pale green markings around the claw tip suddenly lit up, and a barely perceptible hint of green seeped into the cracks of the carapace as if it were alive.

"Shh~"

The spiral crab, which was about to raise its pincers, froze again.

"It's now……"

With a thought, Han Ning sent fifteen vines tearing through the water, twisting into three incredibly thick, sharp-tipped vine pythons as they flew, striking the vortex crab's affected joint.

"Pfft, pfft..."

The hard shell was finally drilled through.

A foul-smelling slime mixed with shell fragments sprayed out.