He simply raised his right hand, his five fingers spread wide like an insurmountable iron gate, accurately catching the Drowned Dead's palm, which was covered in sticky algae.
SLAP-SQUELCH!
Palms met, and the sound wasn't of metal clashing, but of heavy flesh and blood, followed by a tearing noise that made one's scalp tingle!
His seemingly casually opened palm clamped down on the Drowned Dead's claws like hydraulic pincers.
At that moment, the Drowned Dead, strong enough to tear fishing nets and smash the sides of fishing boats, felt as if its charge had slammed into a wall poured with cement—immovable.
Karl looked down at the Drowned Dead with contempt and snorted coldly.
"Your strength is as laughable as a child's game in my eyes."
The Drowned Dead glared viciously at Karl, only hissing softly without response, and secretly raised its other claw in an attempt to attack.
Before it could complete the motion, Karl's five fingers instantly tightened, and the Drowned Dead's tough, smooth hide and the muscles beneath its skin were torn apart by the sharp grip like cheap leather.
Bright red blood and mucus mixed together, bursting from between Karl's fingers.
"Urgh? Gwaah!!" The Drowned Dead's bulging fish-eyes widened in shock, emitting a pained and terrified cry for the first time.
Its webbed feet scraped against the ground as it tried to pull its captured claw back.
Karl's hand was like an iron ring with roots growing from it; it didn't budge.
Karl's eyes were full of disdain, the muscles in his arm twitching slightly as an uncontrollable, terrifying force transmitted through his limb.
"Get up for me!" His low, broken shout was like muffled thunder.
The next moment—amidst the Drowned Dead's horrified screams and the stunned gazes of the remaining Drowners—
Karl actually lifted the Drowned Dead, which was much larger and heavier than himself, with one hand. The Drowned Dead's heavy body, weighing over a hundred kilograms, was as light as nothing in his grasp.
And—!
The Drowned Dead's body turned into a dark-green afterimage with a piercing whoosh of wind, lifted high by Karl and swung using himself as the pivot.
CRASH! CRACK! SQUELCH!
The terrible impact, the sound of breaking bones, and the noise of tearing flesh and blood merged instantly.
The remaining three Drowners, which had just been surrounding them on the Drowned Dead's orders, didn't even have time to react before they were struck as if by a stone troll charging at full speed.
One was hit in the waist; its lumbar spine shattered instantly, and its body was folded in two in a grotesque manner.
Another was hit directly in the head; its head exploded like a ripe watermelon, splattering red and white across the ground.
The last tried to block with its claws, but both its arms and half its chest were shattered by this terrifying "Drowned Dead meteor hammer."
In a single swing, three Drowners were killed on the spot!
Remnants of severed limbs mixed with internal organs and mucus splattered everywhere, turning the surroundings into a charnel house.
Karl swung once and stopped smashing; the Drowned Dead was held high in the air by his one hand.
It had been gathering and taunting its prey when it encountered Karl, but it had taken the hunter less than half a minute to switch places with the victim.
Its proud ability to command Drowners now seemed utterly ridiculous in front of Karl.
The Drowned Dead's body had numerous shattered bones, broken in that brutal smashing collision, and its eyes were filled with unbelievable fear and despair.
It struggled futilely, tearing at Karl's arm with its still-moving claws, but was too weak to leave a mark.
Karl tilted his head up slightly, looked at the twisted Drowned Dead in his hand, and then threw it forward, slamming it onto the ground.
At that moment, the forest was dead silent; even the sounds of insects had vanished.
Only the dying "hoh-hoh" sounds from the Drowned Dead's throat and the "drip... drip" of liquids could be heard.
The Drowned Dead wasn't dead yet, and Karl saw it was still trying to move forward, attempting to crawl away.
Seeing this, Karl walked over to it, then emotionlessly raised his foot and stepped on its neck.
CRACK... CRUNCH! Accompanied by the crack of bones and the squelch of blood and flesh.
The Drowned Dead's neck was bent at an unnatural angle, nearly severed from its body, and the light in its eyes gradually dimmed.
Karl looked at the dead Drowned Dead, leaned on his elbow against his cheek, and thought for a moment.
He felt that with his current strength, if he really wanted to stomp on the Drowners' heads, he could definitely crush their skulls.
However, Drowner brains were valuable, and he wouldn't do that unless necessary.
From the recent battle and the process of dissecting other Drowners, he had discovered that the qualities of Drowners in various aspects were very similar to those of ordinary people.
But the most important thing was that they weren't afraid of poison, had a low perception of pain, and significant blood loss meant nothing to them.
This meant that as long as their limbs weren't completely disabled, even if injured, Drowners were still capable of fighting, and Drowners were social monsters.
In the case of ordinary people without weapons, one-on-one, they really couldn't defeat a Drowner.
After all, if a person was injured, their condition deteriorated depending on the severity of the injury, and there would be psychological and other factors that could determine victory or defeat.
Karl clenched his fists and looked at the dazzling sun in the blue sky, the corners of his mouth involuntarily lifting.
Superman's abilities were far beyond his imagination, and he didn't feel tired at all after the life-and-death struggle.
Even under the sun, the previously lost physical strength was gradually recovering.
"Hmm... this trip has been a real harvest. I need to quickly check if there are any mutagens."
"Besides, I need to get back to hunting, otherwise it'll be hard to explain..."
Immediately, Karl took out his dagger, crouched down, and began to dissect the Drowned Dead's body.
...
After Old Jack slowly finished maintaining the iron sword, he took some bread from the storage bucket and placed it on a wooden plate for their breakfast for two.
He was just about to prepare a drink when suddenly there was a knock on the door of the house.
Knock... Knock!
"Hey, anyone home?"
Hearing a stranger knock on the door, Jack couldn't help but glance at the iron sword lying on the weapon rack, hesitating for a moment before choosing not to take the sword.
Creak! Jack opened the wooden door, but only opened it halfway, making it impossible to see inside the house.
Jack found a middle-aged man in a hood with a feather on it, dressed relatively plainly.
There wasn't a trace of padding on his linen clothes, and behind him, a few figures with swords hanging from their belts were faintly visible.
This scene was quickly noticed by Jack, who, while speaking with the tax collector, observed the figures behind him without leaving a trace.
"Tax collector? What's the matter... I remember there's still some time before the tithe is due."
Facing the tax collector, Jack appeared very calm, without the flattery of ordinary villagers.
If it were normal, the tax officer would have scolded Jack upon seeing his attitude.
He was a dignified tax inspector who had come in person, and even if he wasn't let into the house, the fact that he wasn't even smiled at was simply an insult!
But at this moment, he didn't lash out on the spot, but instead forced a rather gentle smile.
"Ahem... It's not about the tithe. There are other people who want to see you."
With that, the tax officer stepped aside, revealing what was behind him.