Chapter 413 411-The Stones Come to Life
In this moment, Ethan was confronted with an utterly unbelievable sight.
Before his very eyes, the stone men and stone animals began to move. It was a scene that defied all reason.
These beings, crafted from stone sculptures, were not living creatures by any stretch of the imagination.
By all logical standards, they should have remained immobile, but Ethan was witnessing the impossible.
These stones, these lifeless creations, were coming to life right before him.
Such a spectacle would astonish anyone who laid eyes on it.
Ethan, despite his broad experiences, was no exception.
The sight of these stone men and stone animals springing to life was an occurrence he had never encountered before.
The earlier sound he had heard, the "clack, clack, clack," was the result of these stone men and stone animals moving, the friction of their joints creating an eerie cacophony.
As he watched these creatures in motion, Ethan immediately realized that trouble was brewing once again.
Just as he had suspected, the stone men and stone animals, now animated, launched a relentless assault on him.
Facing this multitude of stone men and stone animals, Ethan understood that this was a daunting challenge.
After all, their numbers were overwhelming, and Ethan had no knowledge of their true capabilities.
Therefore, he knew that reckless action was out of the question.
So at this moment, Ethan decided to test the true strength of these creatures.
As the stone men and stone animals closed in on him, before they could make their move, Ethan initiated the attack.
With a swift punch, he struck one of the stone men.
Ethan's punch was merely a probing attack, not a full-force blow.
He wanted to gauge the capabilities of these stone men and stone animals.
His fist made contact with the stone man, and he felt a sharp pain reverberate through his hand.
After all, these stone men were solid stone, and striking stone with one's bare fists was bound to be painful.
The punch, however, had little effect on the stone man.
It momentarily slowed its advance, but it soon continued on its path. This outcome was within Ethan's expectations.
After all, he hadn't exerted his full strength, and these stone men were undeniably solid and resilient.
It was only natural that his punch hadn't caused any harm.
Ethan hadn't anticipated just how painful it would be to strike stone, though.
Nevertheless, the pain was manageable for Ethan, and he had now gained some insight into the strength of these stone men and stone animals.
While he couldn't gauge their offensive capabilities, he had observed their remarkable resilience.
However, Ethan faced a new problem: there were an overwhelming number of these creatures.
If he became surrounded, he would be at a severe disadvantage.
After all, these things are all made of stone, rugged and tough, and Ethan doesn't even know their true attacking power.
Even if the strength of these stone men and stone animals is inferior to Ethan's, defeating them would still take a long time and is by no means an easy task.
So, for Ethan now, the most important thing is to avoid being surrounded by these stone men and stone animals.
Thinking about this, Ethan knows he needs to take action immediately; otherwise, it might be too late.
To avoid being trapped by these stone men and stone animals, Ethan took advantage of the fact that they hadn't completely surrounded him yet and quickly retreated into the narrow passage.
At this moment, the stone men and stone animals saw Ethan retreat and chased him into the passage.
However, their speed was noticeably slower than Ethan's, and it took them quite a while to catch up.
At this moment, Ethan was already prepared.
When he saw these stone men and stone animals approaching, he acted quickly.
Now, Ethan found himself in the middle of the passage, facing a battle against many opponents.
This position was highly advantageous because of the narrow terrain. n()O--V--e/-L-.b--I-(n
The stone men and stone animals couldn't surround Ethan in the middle, so he only had to deal with enemies coming from one direction.
The numerical advantage of these stone men and stone animals didn't come into play, making it relatively easier for Ethan to confront them.
Ethan understood that in this situation, taking the initiative would provide him with a significant advantage.
As the saying goes, "He who strikes first, strikes hardest," and in this critical moment, Ethan hesitated no more.
He unleashed a powerful punch aimed at the nearest stone man and stone animal that were closing in.
This time, Ethan wasn't probing; he struck with full force, directing his fist straight at the head of the approaching stone man.
With no restraint, he delivered a bone-crushing blow, shattering the stone man's head into pieces.
Within the confines of the narrow stone corridor, the sound of shattering stone resonated, and fragments of stone were sent flying.
The decapitated stone man collapsed to the ground with a resounding thud, as if life itself had abandoned it.
Ethan had not anticipated the sheer force of his punch, realizing that his explosive power exceeded his own expectations.
At this moment, as the other stone men and stone animals witnessed one of their own losing its head to Ethan's single punch, they showed no signs of fear or hesitation.
Instead, they continued advancing towards Ethan, as if they hadn't even noticed the gruesome spectacle.
It became evident that stones were just stones, devoid of thoughts, emotions, or instincts akin to those of humans or animals.
Though these stone men and stone animals could move and act like living beings, fundamentally, they remained inanimate, lacking true life.
Their actions were dictated solely by commands, devoid of fear, and any semblance of emotion.
While Ethan had successfully shattered the head of one of the stone men with his powerful punch, he couldn't deny that his own hand was throbbing with pain.
After all, these were genuine stones, and anyone would feel the discomfort of punching solid rock.
As he watched numerous stone men and stone animals approaching him, Ethan felt a sense of frustration.
It was becoming clear that while these creatures weren't formidable adversaries, they still posed a significant challenge.
Defeating all of them would be no easy task, given their numbers.
Even though Ethan had the upper hand in a direct confrontation, it would take considerable effort and time to dispatch each one.
Moreover, fighting these stone men and stone animals was an uncomfortable experience for Ethan.
If he were to shatter them all, he could only imagine the pain and weariness that would follow.
However, in this situation, there seemed to be no alternative.
If Ethan didn't overcome these stone men and stone animals, there was no way to proceed and uncover the treasure that lay ahead.
Although he felt frustrated, Ethan recognized that there was no better course of action at this moment.
He had to engage and defeat these stone men and stone animals to advance further.
It was a painful necessity, and Ethan had no choice but to proceed.
With determination, Ethan no longer hesitated and unleashed another powerful punch, this time targeting the head of another stone man.
This time, just like before, Ethan shattered the stone man's head with a single punch, causing the stone man to fall to the ground once again.
Consecutive punches brought down two stone men, and Ethan's confidence soared.
He knew that in the current scenario, as long as he continued in this fashion, he would eventually defeat all of these stone men and stone animals.
Obtaining the treasure would only be a matter of time.
At this point, Ethan stopped being verbose.
Faced with the relentless onslaught of stone men and stone animals that surged like a tidal wave, he launched a fierce counterattack.
The number of these stone men and stone animals was vast.
Even though Ethan had taken down many, it seemed as if their numbers had not diminished at all.
Ethan's hands were nearly numb from the constant strikes, and he couldn't help but feel frustrated.
However, Ethan had no other choice at the moment.
After all, these stone men and stone animals had no discernible weaknesses.
They couldn't be cut with a knife, burned with fire, or affected by water.
Aside from defeating them one by one, Ethan had no alternative.
If these stone men and stone animals were made of wood, Ethan could simply set them ablaze and be done with it.
But these creatures were all crafted from stone, impervious to water and fire.
Ethan was left with no option but to continue the arduous task of taking them down one by one.