Chapter 39: Lizard

It was a massive lizard, nearly five meters in length.

Its entire body was covered in coarse, rock-like grayish-blue scales; one glance was enough to sense its formidable defensive power. Eight short, thick, and heavily muscled legs supported its bloated and heavy torso.

Crystalline brown bone spikes extended from the top of its skull and snout all the way to the tip of its tail. Its eerie green vertical pupils flickered with a faint light, drifting like ghost fires against the backdrop of the misty air.

The petrifying lizard—the "Basilisk."

Unlike the technological world of his previous life where supernatural powers did not exist, in most cases, the danger level of creatures in the natural world could be judged solely by their size.

But in a fantasy world truly possessing dragons and magic, who could know if a flower elf no larger than a thumb was actually a high-level professional, or if she possessed high-circle spells capable of destroying a small town?

Therefore, to distinguish between these creatures of varying sizes and different levels of danger, a concept was proposed—

"Challenge Rating!"

Generally speaking, a monster with a Challenge Rating (CR) of "1," provided it is fought with moderate equipment, sufficient supplies, and adequate rest...

A well-constructed party consisting of four Level 1 professionals should be able to defeat it without casualties.

Of course, this was merely a cold rule used by players in his previous life to differentiate the strength tiers of monsters under ideal conditions.

In reality, factors such as the monster's own development, whether it was injured, the surrounding environment, and its natural habits all had a significant impact on its danger level and strength tier.

Sometimes, for certain monsters possessing a degree of intelligence, one even had to consider factors like their combat experience against human adventurers and the equipment or items they carried.

Nevertheless, a monster's strength could still be categorized by its Challenge Rating.

For example, the Rust Monster encountered by the Half-Elf party last night had a Challenge Rating of "0.5."

And the Bugbear that had wiped out the "Stinky Fish" party had a Challenge Rating of exactly "1" (slightly less).

Using this as a benchmark.

Right now, not far ahead of Xia Nan, the petrifying lizard waddling closer with its belly dragging had a Challenge Rating of—

"3!"

It would require four professionals with a class level of "3," along with certain preparations, to hunt it down without casualties.

This massive monster, clad in thick scales, possessed an ability called "Petrifying Gaze" from the moment of its birth.

Wherever its eerie green eyes looked, if it activated its ability, any creature within its line of sight would be affected by the "Petrifying Gaze."

Only those with powerful physiques or steadfast wills could avoid the fate of becoming a statue.

This extremely dangerous ability allowed them to roam almost unchecked in the arid regions they inhabited.

With a single sweep of its gaze, unprepared prey would become immobile stone statues.

At such times, the naturally lazy petrifying lizard would slowly crawl forward and use its powerful jaws to crush the stone prey and swallow it whole.

The secretions in its stomach would also help convert the food back into its original form to facilitate digestion.

There was no doubt about it.

Regardless of the current state of the petrifying lizard, with Xia Nan's current strength—

To step forward was to die.

Therefore, even though he had not yet fought this monster, the sight of Larry and the other person being petrified in the blink of an eye, and the Half-Elf and Wood fleeing backward without looking back...

Was enough to trigger a massive internal alarm of approaching death the moment he regained his senses.

Turn, and sprint!

The decapitating longsword he had just drawn was sheathed again, and the bushes on either side receded rapidly from his vision.

Xia Nan's arms swung violently, and his long legs moved rapidly across the leaf-strewn meadow within the forest.

"Huff... huff..."

He gasped for breath, his brain feeling slightly dizzy from the rush of adrenaline.

Occasionally, he could hear the warning hisses of various snakes and insects from the shrubs brushing past his legs.

But at this moment, he couldn't care less; he simply ran blindly into the depths of the dense forest.

He prayed in his heart that the petrifying lizard would not catch up.

However, Xia Nan had underestimated this greedy monster's craving for meat.

Watching Xia Nan and the Half-Elf split into two paths, fleeing in different directions.

A light of thought, similar to that of an intelligent being, flickered in the petrifying lizard's eerie green eyes.

While one side had one more prey, it was clearly faster, and its aura had become vague and difficult to track under the cover of the dense forest.

Coupled with that emerald green light that had just blocked its petrifying gaze...

Driven by hunting instinct, this massive grayish-blue lizard made its decision almost instantly.

Its eight stone-pillar-thick limbs bent, gathering strength.

*Bang!*

At this moment, its massive, bloated body displayed an explosive power that was jarringly inconsistent with its heavy frame.

It was like a tank clad in stone armor.

Tough, troublesome shrubs and thorns, along with the snakes and scorpions fleeing frantically from them, were crushed to powder.

The dense canopy shook violently; birds startled by the commotion had only flapped their wings twice before turning into stone statues and falling to the ground.

Trees were knocked down, and grass was trampled.

As it charged through, wood chips mixed with grass seeds danced in the air.

Xia Nan felt the ground vibrate violently, and a massive sound like a passing train roared from behind him.

His heart raced; he didn't even dare to look back to see the situation, only attempting to increase his speed as much as possible.

But the sound of snapping branches grew increasingly clear in his ears, like the approaching footsteps of the Grim Reaper.

Finally, accompanied by a grayish-blue blur flashing in the corner of his eye.

A piercing gust of wind, carrying the stench of monster saliva, surged from behind him like a gale.

The blood-red maw capable of crushing iron and stone snapped shut!

*Hum!*

The only magic item on Xia Nan's person, the [Deadline] ring, automatically triggered—

[Deflection Field]

Neither light nor gas, the free energy in the air was instantly condensed into a translucent, ochre-red shield that covered his body.

*Crack!*

The petrifying lizard's jaws snapped shut on empty air due to the deflection of the field, its powerful mandibles clashing together.

A bone-chilling sound echoed through the air.

It was merely a defense.

The twenty-four-hour cooldown of the [Deadline] ring's "Deflection Field" meant that in a fierce battle of equal strength, it might serve as a decisive trump card.

But facing such a massive disparity in combat power, it could only allow Xia Nan to run a few more steps.

In the next second, the petrifying lizard's tank-like massive body slammed directly into him.