Facing this incomparably ferocious punch, if Fang Senyan's agility hadn't been at least decent, he would have been sent tumbling in a complete mess. He landed from a backflip, dropping onto one knee, feeling his entire arm numb. More terrifyingly, this single punch from the Orc had stripped nearly 186 points of his health! If not for Fang Senyan's power peaking at forty points at that moment, coupled with a 13% critical hit suppression rate, the brute might have crippled him on the spot with one blow.

"Damn it, the notes only claimed the Orcs were 'slightly stronger' in combat... I curse you, Saruman! It’s true, better to have no book than to believe everything in it!"

Fang Senyan spat out the blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, gnashing his teeth as he cursed fiercely.

Fortunately, Reef charged forward just then, his black lightsaber slicing horizontally toward the Orc’s left arm. Reef moved with incredible speed. The Orc roared, surprisingly reaching out to grasp the blade edge of the lightsaber with its bare hand!

Of course, this grab was doomed to be futile. As its palm made contact with the black light, an unpleasant sizzling sound erupted, accompanied by an indescribable stench of scorching. Simultaneously, Reef raised his shield, successfully blocking a heavy punch from the Orc.

The Orc's punch landed squarely on the Xenomorph skull shield, emitting a dull, sickening thud, like striking hardened leather. Reef pulled his blade back and slashed again. A thin, black energy screen even shimmered across his body—likely the weapon's special effect: Refraction! While the light shield generated by Refraction could only absorb about 30 points of damage (calculated first), its frequent activation meant the cumulative damage absorption was quite considerable.

Though Fang Senyan's struck left arm was completely numb, after chugging three mouthfuls of potent vodka, he charged forward without hesitation. With a slight snap, like the sound of breaking glass, Fang Senyan had shattered a vial of Debugging Fluid. A faint green vapor diffused outward, enveloping the Orc and abruptly causing it to shiver violently within the mist. As this happened, Fang Senyan suddenly received a notification:

"You have deployed Orc Gene Fluid: Curse Potion!" "Based on the formulation principles of the Curse Potion, your potion's hidden attribute is activated: When affecting an Orc/Half-Orc, effects will be doubled." "Orc Agility reduced by 6 points."

This welcome piece of news was something Fang Senyan hadn't anticipated, but upon reflection, it made perfect sense. The Curse Potion Fang Senyan learned was actually derived from his own experimentation notes on Orcs; granting double the curse effect on his research subject was only natural.

Taking advantage of the moment the Orc was attacking Reef, Fang Senyan stealthily closed the distance. The cold gleam of his Knuckle Dusters flashed. He lowered his center of gravity, stepping forward in a deep lunge, and smashed a heavy punch squarely into the Orc’s knee. For Reef, who would likely be a permanent teammate, Fang Senyan had perfectly executed his duty by intercepting the enemy’s attacks. Therefore, as the primary damage dealer, Fang Senyan had to demonstrate his own worth!

Although Fang Senyan knew his pair of Knuckle Duster gloves were somewhat lackluster and wouldn't deal overwhelming damage on impact, even without a crushing blow, his formidable base damage was anchored by forty points of pure strength. Moreover, Fang Senyan had keenly observed the Orc's characteristic: heavy, powerful strikes, but a relatively longer pause between attacks—which was normal. If this creature possessed high ranged and melee power, solid defense, thick health, and venomous arrowheads, requiring a faster attack frequency would make Legendary creatures weep in envy.

The six points of Agility Fang Senyan shaved off the Orc seemed small, but the practical effect was palpable. The Orc's Agility was likely only around 20 to 30 points to begin with. Thus, this strike weakened the Orc’s attack frequency by at least 15% to 20%, and its movement speed by 7% to 10%. While these numbers looked modest, a closer calculation revealed that the Orc's attack interval was roughly 3 seconds (The Heart-Rending Roar also had a slowing effect). Without the agility reduction, the Orc could attack 10 times in 30 seconds (theoretically). With the 6 points reduced, its interval extended to 3.6 seconds, meaning only 8.3 attacks in 30 seconds. For an Orc with such terrifying attack power, missing even one blow meant a loss of nearly a hundred points in effective damage output!

And this was only theoretical calculation. Fang Senyan and Reef couldn't stand still like punching bags for the Orc to pummel; they were fighting back, dodging, parrying, and blocking. Therefore, factoring this in, the six-point agility reduction likely decreased the Orc's actual damage output by at least 25%.

Under Reef's cover, Fang Senyan usually waited for the Orc to launch an attack before quickly darting in to strike, then immediately retreating back into Reef’s protective sphere, perfectly timing the three-second attack window. Thus, most of the engagement passed without incident. Furthermore, according to the notes, Fang Senyan consistently targeted the Orc’s weak points. At this time, Fang Senyan had switched his equipped Title to "The Gnome’s Gratitude," which was quite useful given the abundance of trees nearby, allowing for continuous health regeneration. After several continuous strikes to the Orc’s knee joint, the passive chance Fang Senyan had been anticipating finally manifested.

Giant's Resolve Passive Ability: Spirit of the Mountain Troll extends your attack interval by 5%, but increases your hit chance against enemies by 8% and may cause the enemy to be knocked back!

The phantom image of the Mountain Troll flashed behind Fang Senyan and vanished, slamming heavily into the Orc’s knee joint!

Fang Senyan’s fists had consistently been aimed horizontally at the enemy’s knee. If a knockback effect occurred, it would effectively throw the Orc off balance, naturally sending it tumbling to the ground! Unless the target was exceptionally unusual, falling over left them completely exposed. Moreover, based on the notes, the Orc's cranial structure meant it had almost no ability to defend itself once downed.

Fang Senyan and Reef certainly wouldn't waste such a golden opportunity, rushing in for a flurry of kicks and punches, a satisfying beatdown. Just as the furious Orc was preparing to heave itself up for a counterattack, the Alien Head Shield held by Reef suddenly began to swirl with dark energy. The mouth of the alien skull gaped open, firing out a long, sharp tongue that whipped out like a lash, striking the Orc’s head!

Ability: Tongue Spike! Inflicts damage upon the enemy while simultaneously causing a three-second stun!

Meanwhile, one must not forget the elven maiden, Mist-Song, still positioned afar. This long-legged girl was no mere decoration; she was actively wielding her arrows and spear. Perhaps due to her Elven constitution, fresh branches and leaves would temporarily sprout from her spear and arrows when used, clearly imbued with abundant natural energy. Every arrow that struck the Orc’s body emitted a distinct green glow; it was estimated her damage contribution alone surpassed the combined total of Fang Senyan and Reef.

Taking advantage of the Elven maiden Mist-Song unleashing another Root Entanglement, Reef signaled Fang Senyan and quickly retreated to apply a bandage that would restore 230 health over eight seconds. The enraged Orc roared, trying to charge, but was bound fast by the roots. Only after the magic effect faded did it find Fang Senyan waiting to block its path—and don't forget, Fang Senyan was also an M-grade anomaly. Although he had lost 186 health earlier, drinking three shots of potent vodka recovered 75 points, plus the continuous healing from "The Gnome’s Gratitude."

The Orc roared repeatedly, sending a punch toward Fang Senyan, who deliberately parried and blocked, knowing he would still lose nearly 140 health, but thankfully, the Orc's attack speed was not its strong suit. Fang Senyan managed to sacrifice just over 200 health points to buy Reef enough time. As Reef unleashed a Heart-Rending Roar, Fang Senyan quickly retreated, drew the Ambition pistol in his backhand, and fired a heavy shot straight at the Orc’s knee!

It had been several hours since Ambition's last normal attack, meaning the firearm’s innate "Charge" skill, granting a 50% critical hit chance, was fully built up! Although this wasn't a vital spot strike, Fang Senyan himself had accumulated bonus critical hit chances, so this shot still landed as a critical hit, terrifyingly multiplying the bonus damage by 300%!

Despite the Orc’s robust defense, Fang Senyan’s blow dealt a horrific 306 points of actual damage against a theoretical high of 420 points. This single shot immediately tore a ghastly wound in the Orc’s left leg, revealing the sickly white shard of its shattered kneecap amidst the flesh and blood. Evidently, the Orc’s mobility and ability to support its own weight would be severely compromised.

Reef, having seen countless battles, possessed vast combat experience. He immediately began shifting his position constantly, circling the Orc as if examining his prey. For the Orc to strike him, it first had to face him. If its legs were sound, this would be manageable, but the Orc, with its left kneecap utterly pulverized, clearly felt its strength waning.

Its offensive power remained fierce, its roar still shook the air, and its eyes burned with madness, but Fang Senyan and Reef treated it like prey caught in a spider's web, meticulously wearing down its strength and spirit bit by bit. And the leg-injured Orc, now, had no chance to flee.