Chapter 952: Chapter 475: Desperate Situation
"Bang!"
The sticky mixture of seawater and blood, propelled by the shark beast’s iron fist that seemed capable of piercing through rock-steel, thunderously imprinted on the chest of the barbarian Akken, almost covering the entire chest of a full-grown human.
Pop——
The first to burst was the thick red light covering his skin, triggered by the Anger Power in his heart, the external manifestation when the core "Power of Anger" of the barbarian profession took effect.
Now, it was shattered by a single punch from the shark beast.
Simultaneously, this seemingly fragile and shapeless layer of red light, to some extent, diminished part of the impact of the heavy punch, slightly alleviating the pressure Akken’s body had to endure.
Then came the skin, muscles, and bone.
The barbarian profession does not preclude wearing equipment; in fact, there is even a power branch that uses "Nail Spike Armor" as an attack means, striking enemies through close combat.
But evidently, Akken does not follow this combat style.
Using a giant axe as his primary weapon, Xia Nan noticed from the first day they met that the barbarian from this remote island never wore a top, displaying his wild and primitive posture bare-chested, showcasing his flamboyant and dense tattoos.
Now, when the fist from the shark beast landed right in the center of his chest, there was no additional protection from armor, leaving all the force to be borne by his flesh and blood.
The relatively soft skin caved inward under the formidable power from the fist, while the muscle tissue beneath seemed like a sponge, compressing and crushing blood vessels, the exploding blood staining the skin above into a dark blue.
And as the skin and muscles were compressed to their limits, the bones that supported the whole body also shattered, fracturing with a series of consecutive cracking sounds.
The force from the fist continued downward, with its next target being the vulnerable organs deep within the chest cavity.
And it was then that the skin on the barbarian, which had caved to its extreme by the iron fist, suddenly glowed with a layer of indistinct red light.
The shark beast, already in a berserk state, certainly wouldn’t hold back, and its strength and constitution, robust even among demons, were evident from its massive size.
Under normal circumstances, being hit squarely like Akken, even those senior adventurers with higher professional levels, if not specializing in defense, would fear their souls would depart to Heaven instantly.
But the current situation had shifted somewhat...
Why is the barbarian profession in the world’s impression always depicted as someone who doesn’t even wear Light Armor, often draped only in beast skin, swinging primitive weapons, and charging at enemies with a roar?
On one hand, it’s the influence of the "Power of Anger" as a core source of profession power on combat style;
On the other hand, it is also due to the profession’s inherent specialty.
Perhaps known by different names in many sub-professions, and occasionally having other special effects, the essential nature of this specialty can be termed as "Armorless Defense."
Put simply, when a barbarian is not wearing any armor equipment, his physical defense ability can gain adjustment bonuses from "agility" and "Constitution" attributes.
This is the fundamental reason many high level barbarians, although evidently wearing no equipment, can still hold the front line of the team, enduring more than those lower-level warriors with Heavy Armor.
Though not high in professional level, Akken’s agility and Constitution attribute aren’t at a transformational level of high-level barbarians.
But his actual physical defense was far from as fragile as it appeared.
Of course, this alone was not enough to survive the shark beast’s iron fist that had just struck his chest.
At this moment, what truly worked, offering Akken a lifeline, was that layer of red light that suddenly emerged on the surface of his skin.
——"Path" similar to the Druid’s "Association," branching changes in the combat style of the barbarian profession, a special expression of different angers.
When a barbarian reaches a professional Level of 3, they have the opportunity to choose their path.
Manipulating Flame, Thunder, and Ice, harnessing Elemental Magic with an extraordinary body as a [Storm Pioneer], drawing power from Beast Spirit, transforming into a wild beast like a Druid on the [Wild Beast Path], inheriting ancestral power, summoning tribal spirits to fight furiously as the [Ancestor Guard]...
These different paths each possess unique and distinctive abilities, expanding the power realm of the barbarian profession.
As a level 4 barbarian, Akken had naturally long completed his self-path selection.
——[Unyielding Strong Soul].
One of the inherited paths from his birth tribe.
Only tribal elites who have experienced the brink of life and death, countless times knocked down yet countless times stood up, possessing the most steadfast survival instinct, can walk this unyielding road.
In ordinary times, aside from providing some bonuses in Constitution and Strength, it has no extra special manifestations, neither manipulating magic particles nor transforming into a beast for combat.
But when a barbarian on the [Unyielding Strong Soul] path faces life-threatening severe blows, the anger power from deep within their bloodline, guided by their iron will, morphs into far beyond ordinary defense and healing abilities, vying for a sliver of survival in dire straits.
