Chapter Thirty-Three: The Highland Tiger

Upon close inspection, the beast that appeared was a tiger, its fur as white as snow. Aside from its crimson glowing eyes and a body four or five times larger than an ordinary tiger, there were few other differences.

The roar of this giant white tiger sent more than a dozen kobold slingers trembling, huddled together on the ground with no will to resist. Only the kobold chief and the kobold warriors remained unafraid, adopting combat stances.

But Jia Zhengjin knew that if the giant white tiger went on a rampage, even the kobold chief and warriors would immediately collapse. His sole hope now was that the white tiger wouldn’t be too powerful.

Tina was terrified, hiding behind Jia Zhengjin and unwilling to step out. The tiger’s presence overwhelmed her, leaving her mind blank.

After several tense minutes, the kobold chief, Cook, took the initiative to attack, hurling a fireball at the white tiger.

The fireball struck the tiger’s forehead squarely, causing it to lose seven health points.

[High Ridge Tiger] 2793/3000

This white tiger had over three thousand health, though that was less than the kobold chief’s five thousand. Jia Zhengjin was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but the tiger let out a roar and swiftly retaliated, darting in front of Cook and clamping its jaws viciously on his shoulder.

A terrifying -100 floated above Cook’s head, a testament to how dangerous the tiger was!

Seeing the stark difference in damage, Jia Zhengjin no longer dared to underestimate this white tiger with just three thousand health. He shouted, “What are you waiting for? Attack!”

The eight kobold warriors responded immediately, swarming around the tiger and stabbing at it with bone spears from all directions.

“-5! -5! -5…” Each attack from the kobold warriors inflicted five points of damage on the tiger.

Yet the white tiger ignored their attacks, holding fast to Cook.

The kobold chief’s health kept dwindling, with -100 damage floating continuously above his head. If this continued, five hundred pieces of raw meat would be wasted!

Jia Zhengjin took a deep breath and hurriedly drew his crossbow. He loaded a poisoned bolt and aimed at the massive tiger, pulling the trigger.

At such close range, given the tiger’s enormous size, missing was out of the question. The poisoned bolt cost the tiger ten health points and caused it to pause briefly.

It worked! Jia Zhengjin quickly loaded another bolt and fired again.

This time, as the tiger faltered, the kobold chief Cook launched a counterattack, sending a fireball straight into the tiger’s nose.

The tiger roared in pain, releasing Cook and shaking its head.

Cook seized the moment and hurled another fireball.

The surrounding kobold warriors attacked with all their might, stabbing furiously at the tiger.

The white tiger, enraged, spun around and struck out with its forepaw, sending an unlucky kobold warrior flying into the abyss with a scream.

Jia Zhengjin aimed for the tiger’s eye and pulled the trigger.

But his aim was off, and the bolt struck the tiger’s right ear instead. The poison caused the tiger to pause, but there was no greater reaction—its resistance was evidently formidable! In fact, most otherworldly creatures of such size could withstand centipede venom.

The tiger, furious because Jia Zhengjin had wounded its ear, abandoned the kobolds and sprang directly at him.

As the tiger lunged, Jia Zhengjin felt his heart leap into his throat. Instinctively, he opened his mouth and unleashed his only battle skill: a beastly roar.

The deep roar startled the tiger, causing it to halt mid-pounce and gaze at him with its crimson eyes.

“Blind you!” Jia Zhengjin seized this rare opportunity, raising the crossbow and aiming at the tiger’s left eye. At such close range, missing would be inexcusable.

The bolt shot out like a streak of black light, striking the tiger’s eye dead-on. Scalding blood gushed forth.

The tiger, caught off guard, roared in agony with all its might. The entire area seemed to tremble; flocks of birds scattered from the forest, darkening the sky.

Behind him, the kobold chief hurled fireballs at the tiger, while the kobold warriors rushed in again, attacking desperately.

The chief threw his head back and let out a loud howl. The dozen kobold slingers, finally recovering from their fear, began pelting the tiger with stones.

The wounded tiger grew even more frenzied, attacking with its sharp teeth and claws. Kobold warriors closest to it were torn apart one after another, the scene gruesome beyond measure. When the last kobold warrior was killed, the tiger lunged at Jia Zhengjin, intent on tearing apart the human who had wounded its eye.

Its hatred was unwavering; despite Cook leading the kobold slingers in relentless assault, the tiger paid them no heed. Its sole remaining eye locked onto Jia Zhengjin.

A foul wind rushed at him, and Jia Zhengjin felt as if his soul was fleeing his body. He dodged with a roll, then aimed the crossbow at the tiger’s other eye.

The more nervous he became, the lower his accuracy. The bolt missed. The tiger leaped forward, jaws open, aiming for Jia Zhengjin’s throat.

Just then, at the critical moment, Tina finally snapped out of her stupor. Seeing Jia Zhengjin about to be bitten, she acted without thinking, launching a fireball that struck the tiger’s soft lips with precision.

The wounded lips only enraged the tiger further; it turned to Tina, growling deeply.

“Look out!” Seeing the tiger abandon him for Tina, Jia Zhengjin’s mind raced. He hurried forward.

The tiger pounced, jaws wide, ready to swallow Tina whole.

“I’ll give you a shield!” Jia Zhengjin reached Tina just in time, quickly switching a poor-quality iron shield from his virtual backpack and tossing it into the tiger’s mouth.

Instinctively, the tiger swallowed, and the shield lodged in its throat. It began to roll on the ground in distress, struggling with the foreign object blocking its airway.

“What are you waiting for? Attack with everything you’ve got!” Jia Zhengjin shouted, then spotted the two pack horses fleeing in terror. He scooped up Tina, leaving the kobolds to battle the tiger, and chased after the frightened horses with her.