Chapter 89: Victory by Default (Seventh Update)

"Boom!" Beneath the feet of the Beast, an evolution matrix suddenly appeared. In the next instant, he completed his explosive evolution. His figure then materialized atop the Gumbira Beast, delivering a fierce punch.

But to his surprise, the Gumbira Beast being attacked dissolved into a phantom and vanished. It made sense—there was only one true Gumbira Beast, yet six were present here. Naturally, five of them were duplicates created by the [Insect] skill.

The one Gumbira Beast had the power to shatter the hexagram formation, indicating that the others possessed the same capability. So, almost as soon as the Beast eliminated one Gumbira Beast, he rushed toward the second.

That Gumbira Beast, seeing the Beast approach, refrained from continuing its attempts to break the formation. Instead, it used its sacred staff to fend off the Beast's attacks. As for the Beast, he moved his hand and drew a sword of destruction, clashing with the sacred staff.

While the Beast and this Gumbira Beast fought, the remaining four were swept away by the shockwaves of their battle, disappearing instantly. This meant they were all mere replicas, and the Gumbira Beast currently fighting the Beast was the true one.

The Beast could not tell whether his luck had led him to select the one out of five correctly, or perhaps the Dragon Beast’s fortune had intervened to prevent his demise, guiding him to the right choice. Regardless, the one before him was the real Gumbira Beast.

In truth, Gumbira Beast’s most formidable ability was [Insect], the hexagram formation. This power, however, was somewhat lacking. In one-on-one combat, unless ambushed, few Digimon would allow him to cast such a technique without defending against it.

The skill had its limits. Even if one could not defend against it, escaping the range of the hexagram meant Gumbira Beast could not harm his opponent.

To be honest, this ability was only useful in group battles. It could be deployed under the cover of allies, but without mechanics preventing friendly fire, it might even eliminate teammates.

One could say this ability was rather lackluster. Nevertheless, even the most underwhelming skill, when properly utilized, could be formidable. As just demonstrated, if not for the Dragon Beast’s extraordinary feat, the Beast might have been defeated.

Although death here did not reduce attribute values or impose penalties, dying once would mean spending another thousand on a new ticket. Moreover, with insufficient damage, one’s ranking would hardly improve.

[Devil Possession] The Beast drew the demonic aura swirling around him into his body, enhancing his attack power. He wielded his sword of destruction relentlessly against the Gumbira Beast.

Ultimately, after another fierce exchange, the sacred staff of the Gumbira Beast was cleaved in two by the Beast’s sword. After a short interval, the Beast finally slew the Gumbira Beast.

It must be said, fortunately, Gumbira Beast’s abilities were quite singular; once his hexagram formation was neutralized, there was little danger. Furthermore, after entering explosive mode, the Beast’s overall combat power was only two hundred points below Gumbira Beast’s. This meant his attack strength likely surpassed Gumbira Beast’s defense.

Upon slaying Gumbira Beast, the creature transformed into a cluster of radiant data, splitting into two portions. One flowed directly into the Beast’s body; the other settled on the ground, becoming a translucent, crystalline stone.

With this, the Beast’s state returned to its peak, even surpassing his previous strength before battling Gumbira Beast. Unexpectedly, the attributes gained were far superior to those from the hidden dungeon’s boss.

Simply put, the attribute boost from the previous hidden dungeon paled in comparison to what he gained from defeating Gumbira Beast—this could certainly be considered a hidden reward. He wondered how the Digimon Corporation configured these prizes, but was quite pleased regardless.

Meanwhile, as the Beast vanquished Gumbira Beast, the Dragon Beast, who had been sealed within the hexagram formation, emerged unscathed. It could be said that the Dragon Beast had simply enjoyed an effortless victory.

Once the Dragon Beast exited, the Beast approached and picked up the stone from the ground. Dongxu’s eyes examined it, noticing an embossed image of the Gumbira Beast on its surface.

[Gumbira Beast's Proof: This is proof of defeating the Gumbira Beast.] A simple statement, nothing more. Clearly, it was a material. If it were a consumable or weapon, there would have been more information.

The Beast patted the Dragon Beast’s head and, smiling, said, "Alright, let’s move on. Eleven more battles await us."

Afterward, a system panel appeared before the Beast, asking whether he wished to leave the room. Of course, he would; why stay any longer?

Upon leaving the Gumbira Beast’s chamber with the Dragon Beast, he found that the swarm of players outside had dwindled. Occasionally, a flash of white light would herald the arrival of someone who, after respawning, would rush into another chamber.

No doubt, this meant someone was eliminated by the boss inside, revived, and hurried back again. To avoid team wipes, they dashed in once more. Though the Beast couldn’t be sure, this seemed highly likely.

Thus, the surroundings felt quite empty, but every so often, a streak of white light would reveal a player darting out in haste.

The Beast ignored them, taking the Dragon Beast to the adjacent room beside the Gumbira Beast’s chamber. From the illustration on its door, it was clear that the boss in this room was the Vajra Beast.