He loudly reminded the Dwarf Habi, while his body, cloaked in the shadow of the Black Wolf, continued to rush toward Seli according to the original plan.

The Ranger’s defensive capability was weak, and under the current siege, he was gradually struggling, his speed becoming noticeably slower, clearly nearing his limit. Though the Dwarf Habi appeared battered, his life force showed no signs of weakening. One could see a layer of metallic sheen covering his body for defense, ensuring that he could endure for quite some time longer.

Meanwhile, over where Seli was, she had to deal with Gerry’s true form, while Habi was only dealing with a doppelgänger.

In sum, supporting the Ranger was Xia Nan’s best choice.

"Ding!"

The gray-black straight sword and the scimitar collided fiercely, sparks flying at the point of intersection.

The sharp gusts surrounding them left streaks of blood among the little gangsters and Fishmen nearby.

With strength in his arms, Xia Nan, who was clearly stronger, met Gerry’s strike head-on, directly knocking him away.

The effect of [Heavy Tide] accompanying the sword came into play. It was the second time he released it, yet it still caused Gerry to stagger, while the follow-up [Vortex Slash] left a deep mark on Gerry’s chest armor.

Behind him, with Xia Nan’s support, Seli, who was under high pressure and nearing her limit, also got a chance to breathe and pulled some distance from the enemy.

The assault of "Carrion Vulture" Gerry seemingly got neutralized.

Yet, at the same time, a scream full of agony suddenly erupted from the other side of the battlefield.

Thanks to Xia Nan’s timely warning, Habi had already noticed Gerry’s venom doppelgänger before it got close.

His response was simple yet effective.

He lifted his originally firmly grounded right leg abruptly and then slammed it down.

Boom—

Fine cracks appeared from the ground beneath his feet, and the shockwave that followed made the enemies encircling him stagger, giving Habi a brief window of opportunity.

His left arm moved swiftly, shifting the shield that had been positioned in front of him.

He aimed the Tower Shield directly towards the incoming venom doppelgänger.

Since this wasn’t a true sentient doppelgänger, but merely an empty shell split by Gerry using his battle skill, it could only move along its predetermined route.

Facing the imposing Tower Shield head-on, it made no effort to evade or maneuver around, simply crashing into it.

On one hand was the vague humanoid form made of pure liquid; on the other was the solid shield forged from metal.

The result of their collision was predictable.

Almost the moment after Gerry’s venom doppelgänger touched the Tower Shield, it shattered instantaneously into a massive, shapeless blob of green pus.

Did Habi’s defense succeed?

It did succeed, but only partially.

Though he managed to block the impact of the venom doppelgänger with the face of the Tower Shield, he was still affected.

The sticky venom he shattered was propelled into the air, bypassing the shield’s defense due to the impact, and then rained down.

The deep green mucilage, with both poison and corrosive properties, indiscriminately showered both the Fishmen and gangsters around the Dwarf.

Scales shriveled, skin dissolved, poison spread.

And the closest, Dwarf Habi, naturally suffered the most from the venom.

"Sizzle..."

The metal armor he wore offered limited defense against the mucus. It visibly softened and corroded, leaving deep dents.

Compared to physical force, the liquid’s inherent fluidity allowed it to seep through the armor’s seams and infiltrate within.

The soft shirt and padding it covered offered no defense against the corrosion and were swiftly eaten through.

Armor, inner lining, and then, skin.

With the armor as a cover, the outsiders couldn’t discern Habi’s precise injuries.

But one could see his exposed hands and cheeks, corroded by the splashing venom, leaving grotesque wounds akin to severe burns, with the dribbling blood staining a ghastly green.

The intense pain coursing through his body made this Hill Dwarf cry out mournfully.

As a Level 4 [Defense Guard Warrior], he had an inherently robust Constitution, with his pure blood Dwarf lineage making his body as solid as stone.

"Carrion Vulture" Gerry was, after all, just a Level 5 professional. Though skilled in the use of poison due to his profession, it’s wishful thinking to believe that venom alone could incapacitate such a Level 4 Dwarf Warrior.

However... it was already enough for the moment.

The toxins infiltrating Habi’s body significantly weakened his Strength and reaction ability.

And the resulting intense pain not only interrupted the Taunting Battle Skill he had maintained but also severely impaired his awareness and judgment in battle.

Almost simultaneously with Habi’s cries of pain, the Fishmen and gangsters, initially provoked by his Taunting Skill and clustered in front of the Shield, immediately broke free from its influence. No longer futilely attacking the Shield, they started flanking to the side and rear.

"Bang!"

It was the crisp sound of an Edged Hammer shattering an unfortunate gangster’s skull.

"Slash!"

The same time a fish spear penetrated from above into the Dwarf’s foot, making a dull sound.

A newly leveled Wanderer, lurking in the shadows beneath the crowd, seized the chance to plunge his Short Dagger deep into the Dwarf’s thigh muscle.

Though his hands were smashed by the descending Edged Hammer the next second, two Elite Fishmen on the other side managed to pierce the Dwarf’s left elbow and side with their fish spears.

With each Edged Hammer he swung, Habi had to endure sneak attacks from at least two enemies in other directions.

In mere seconds, this turned him into a blood-soaked figure.

The Dwarf Warrior, already barely holding on under siege, was pushed to the brink of despair.

The final straw that broke the camel’s back was an insignificant little gangster, whose name wasn’t even worth having.

He was from a rural background, joining the Ebbtide Gang purely for the money and relishing the thrill over others.

Gerry’s promise before the battle briefly conquered his fear of adventurers, drawing him into the fight.

The shouts and blood on the battlefield heightened his fervor, making him eager to lung forward.

However, he was squeezed out behind the surrounding gang members and Fishmen.

When he finally jostled his way through the crowd, the blood-covered Dwarf Habi was merely two feet in front of him.

The massive Tower Shield, whereabouts unknown, hung loosely at his waist. The Edged Hammer in his right hand, smeared in blood and flesh, swung up and down as he smashed a Fishman’s head in front of him.

Perhaps due to some intuition, or maybe just luck.

The little gangster sharply perceived the fleeting opportunity at that moment.

He crept forward, and when the Dwarf swung his hammer down, he lunged suddenly without concerning his accuracy, unleashing his Short Sword with force.

"Swish."

He could feel a strange tug and dull sensation from his weapon.

Before he could check if he hit, the swinging Edged Hammer made his consciousness fade into nothing.

The headless body collapsed onto the ground.

Revealing Habi’s exhausted figure, soaked in blood, with a Short Sword driven through the right eye socket into the skull.

Nobody knew what the Dwarf felt inside at that moment, or how much pain he was enduring.

Stabbed through the eye by the Short Sword, his entire body became rigid as if frozen after the instinctive counterattack.

The Edged Hammer dropped to the ground.

His blood-stained right hand slowly reaching up, as if trying to pull the Short Sword from the eye socket.

But he only managed to lift it halfway before a scimitar swung by a Professional Warrior from the side severed the entire right arm.

A fish spear thrusting from the side punctured his neck, its sharp tip emerged from the other side covered in muscle fibers and blood.

Two longswords, one from the front and the other from the back, pierced his broad chest almost simultaneously, crossing each other inside his dwarf body, shredding his heart into pieces.

The roar abruptly ceased.

Blood gushed forth.

Habi, dead.