The saber-toothed beast staggered to its feet, just as Fern had said—the paralysis she could inflict lasted only a few seconds.

To be precise, about three seconds.

The saber-toothed beast had regained its ability to move.

But this was exactly what Lin Yu had hoped for.

Because, for a "performance," while everything so far had been flawless and seamless, utterly convincing and believable...

Lin Yu's goal wasn't just to convey truth. He needed this performance to communicate his persona and engrave it deeply into their minds.

So, at this point...

The dramatic tension was insufficient!

From the perspective of drama and performance theory, this show was too mediocre, lacking memorable points and...

A climax!

Therefore, as the finale approached, Lin Yu decided to deliver some more impactful visuals.

The saber-toothed beast gradually recovered, seemingly shaking off the paralytic state.

But its injuries were already severe;the blood loss from its wounds made its stance unsteady and wobbly.

Even if it still retained its ferocity and wildness, the primary problem for this saber-toothed beast wanting to retaliate was that it still lacked the strength!

Being able to move didn't mean it could attack!

This gave Lin Yu ample preparation time.

Enough for Lin Yu to unleash certain moves requiring advance preparation, to use some [items] with longer wind-ups, like...

The newly acquired [Prayer Water Necklace].

There was no water source here, and Lin Yu didn't intend to use the [Pray for Rain] ability here either.

After all...

Most of the components in blood are also water.

And a massive beast had just fallen here.

Typically, blood makes up about 7% to 10% of an animal's body weight.

The sheer volume of blood contained within this giant beast, if extracted, would be enough to fill an entire water vat!

While the [Prayer Water Necklace] seemed incapable of manipulating the blood within a living creature—likely due to interference from some kind of life energy...

But...

The blood that flowed out after death, the blood within the corpse, was just a special kind of water.

Lin Yu activated the ability of the [Prayer Water Necklace], raising both hands.

The blood gushing from the wounds obediently heeded Lin Yu's call, gathering before him.

Then, it swirled and converged, coalescing into a massive, crimson sphere of blood.

An intense, metallic scent instantly permeated the air.

Only this time, the scent of blood, rather than inciting ferocity, stirred something more within the heart of the saber-toothed beast...

Fear!

Though a beast, as one of the top predators in the Black Marsh, it was not without perception and judgment.

This bizarre, almost eerie scene was enough for it to realize...

This might not be a situation it could handle, nor one it *should* handle.

Neither its long fangs nor sharp claws were designed to fight or hunt a sphere of coagulated blood.

It was afraid.

And in the Black Marsh, fear and hesitation were practically a taboo signifying certain death!

"Go."

Lin Yu's hands gently waved, crossing before his chest.

Like the final note of a symphony's last movement, the conductor's last sweep of the hands.

The blood sphere, under his control, surged toward the saber-toothed beast, tons of blood flooding into its mouth and nostrils!

The saber-toothed beast began to struggle violently, but due to severe blood loss, the recent paralysis, and its vision being obscured, it clearly couldn't utilize its full agility!

Moreover... the blood sphere Lin Yu controlled was by no means slow!

It persistently enveloped the beast's head, causing its struggles and twists to grow slower and slower.

This was another form of cruel, predatory violence that Lin Yu displayed.

Cruel to the point of artistry, violent to the point of being magnificent.

Finally...

The saber-toothed beast collapsed abruptly.

Lin Yu slowly relaxed and lowered his hands. The blood, losing control, splattered in all directions with a wet *splash*.

The fur on the saber-toothed beast's head was completely stained crimson, as if pickled.

Its expression was one of extreme agony—to be drowned alive by blood on land, the mere thought of such a death felt excruciating.

But precisely because it was agonizing, Lin Yu knew very well.

This scene was more than sufficient as a finale.

"Especially since it just happened to be blood... If it were just water control, the effect probably wouldn't be as good, and it might not even fit the 'Rakshasa' vibe as well."

"After all, those so-called humans and Spiritkin over there have mastered many spells;water control probably isn't that novel to them."

"Even from a visual standpoint, the impact and symbolism of blood are superior."

And Lin Yu was quite certain that everything that had just happened...

Was enough to serve as a vivid, memorable point, implanting the notion that he was "not human-like" deep into the minds of all onlookers, including Fern!

"Come on, let the seeds of doubt take root..."

"When you hear the rumors later, you'll naturally think you've found the answers yourselves." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Lin Yu let out a breath, turned, and pulled the dagger and spear from the giant bear's body.

...

Not far away.

Fern stood motionless in place, holding the steel crossbow.

Watching the fallen beast and the standing youth clad in animal hides, she felt a shock so intense it made her scalp tingle.

At first, she thought this guy called "Moro" was reckless and impulsive, relying on being a 『Soldier』 to just charge ahead recklessly.

He actually wanted to rush straight in and brawl with two beasts that were in a blood frenzy?!

But seeing his excessive confidence, a sliver of thought crossed Fern's mind.

"What if... he actually can do it?"

Holding onto the idea that even if the plan failed, he'd bear the greater risk anyway, Fern agreed to that seemingly very risky plan.

Originally, in Fern's best-case scenario—or even her wildest fantasy—the best outcome was him using the opening advantage from her paralysis to inflict heavy damage, then slowly whittle them down through attrition.

But...

What actually happened made Fern want to ask, "What the hell is all this?!"

Why did he take the initiative *without* the paralysis?!

So her paralysis was just the key control, huh?!

What? This kid actually killed such a behemoth within a few seconds!

But until Lin Yu killed the giant bear, everything had just been somewhat surprising to Fern.

It wasn't until that youth who called himself "Moro" just stood there, watching the saber-toothed beast rise, then used some kind of blood-control technique she'd never seen before to smother the thing alive.

Watching Moro calmly walk toward her, Fern couldn't help but swallow hard.

This youth seemed less like a Player and more like a native resident of the Black Marsh!

No...

Even those battle-born races within the Black Marsh weren't this exaggerated!