The group moved past the large set of double metallic gates connected to the towering walls of the safe zone, finally exiting its protection.
Immediately as they stepped beyond them, a notification appeared before every member of the group.
Kyle, while unable to see the others’ notifications, clearly knew they had all received one from the way they reacted.
[Welcome to the Dark Woods]
Kyle glanced around his surroundings.
Vast fields of ash-grey grass stretched endlessly in every direction, reaching as far as his eyes could perceive. Beneath the warm touch of the sunlight, the tips of every blade shimmered with an eerie crimson hue, painting the entire landscape with a strange, almost mesmerizing beauty.
Kyle frowned.
’Beauty... No, deception.’
As they moved only a few meters into the sea of ash grass, something strange caught the attention of both Kyle and the handsome, skinny boy, Reed.
Something had shifted several meters away from them within the grass.
To an untrained eye, it would have looked like nothing more than the gentle sway of the wind.
But Kyle’s ever-growing paranoia, combined with Reed’s instincts as a seasoned hunter, immediately picked out the subtle difference.
Both of them paused, their gazes fixed on the exact patch of grass, waiting for another movement to confirm their suspicions.
For a brief moment...
Nothing.
The grass continued dancing peacefully with the wind as though nothing had happened.
Then—
Reed’s expression twisted in panic.
"Scatter!"
The very next instant...
Hell rained upon them.
From the suspicious patch of grass erupted something monstrous.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion echoed across the field.
Then a fountain of thick, green liquid burst into the sky, surging upward with frightening speed before arcing downward toward the group.
It wasn’t water.
It was death.
The poisonous liquid rained down upon the Awakened.
Every one of them reacted instantly, throwing themselves in different directions with desperate speed, barely avoiding the attack.
The green acid splashed onto the exact patch of grass where they had stood only moments earlier.
What happened next made every heart sink.
The ash-grey grass dissolved almost instantly, melting into bubbling sludge before revealing nothing but scorched, brown earth beneath.
Even the soil hissed violently as smoke rose into the air.
Reed unsheathed one of his swords.
"Acid Deviant!"
With his blade pointed toward the distant patch of grass where the attack had originated, everyone instinctively readied themselves.
Rita reacted next.
She raised her elegant staff before unleashing a violently compressed torrent of water.
The high-pressure blast ripped through the patch of grass, tearing everything apart before exploding into countless droplets that scattered through the air.
But...
Whatever had attacked them...
Was gone.
"Where is it?!"
Thors slammed the head of his massive mace into the earth with a thunderous crash before lowering himself into a wide battle stance, his eyes sweeping left and right with unwavering vigilance.
Kyle tightened his grip around his dagger, his sharp eyes scanning every inch of the endless field.
They were surrounded by knee-high grass.
That meant the Deviant was either small...
Or it possessed a long body like a serpent.
Which meant he had no clue just how mobile it truly was.
It could attack from long range with its acid...
And possibly at close range as well.
Meaning nowhere was safe.
’A perfect hunting ground for a treacherous creature like this.’
Kyle maintained his stance.
Then...
He shifted.
Just as he did, something flashed at the corner of his vision.
Another patch of grass trembled.
A second wave of acid erupted from within, hurtling straight toward the group.
This time...
They were ready.
Rita immediately fired another concentrated blast of water.
The torrent collided with the incoming acid midair, dispersing it before it could reach anyone.
Reed moved next.
Despite the heavy armor covering his body, he exploded forward with inhuman speed, shooting past Kyle before arriving at the patch of grass.
Without hesitation, he brought his shimmering katana crashing downward.
The next instant...
The handsome Awakened froze.
A massive monstrosity exploded out of the grass to meet his strike.
CLANG!
His blade sparked violently against its hide, rebounding as though it had struck solid steel.
"What the fuck..."
The creature retaliated immediately.
One of its grotesquely long claws slashed toward Reed’s neck far too quickly for him to evade.
Fortunately...
Before the claw could reach him—
A dagger shot through the air.
THUNK!
It buried itself deep inside the monster’s left eye.
Unlike Reed’s katana, which had bounced harmlessly off its armored hide, Kyle’s dagger pierced through the eye socket with almost no resistance.
The monster released a horrifying shriek.
Its enormous body crashed back into the grass.
But it wasn’t dead.
It wasn’t even weakened.
Instead...
It boiled with rage.
Its remaining eyes slowly settled upon the one responsible.
Kyle.
His arm still remained extended from the throw.
Kyle finally got a clear look at the creature.
Now that it wasn’t hiding within the grass...
Its appearance was truly horrifying.
It resembled a gigantic frog, only far broader and more grotesque.
Four—no...
Three pitch-black eyes remained, each unevenly spaced across its bloated face.
Its enormous mouth stretched almost from one side of its head to the other, revealing countless rows of jagged, razor-sharp teeth.
Its rough, scar-covered hide looked like weathered stone that had survived countless battles.
Across its swollen back pulsed dozens of enormous crimson blisters, each rhythmically throbbing like living hearts beneath its skin.
It possessed six powerful legs, each ending in twin dagger-like claws capable of tearing flesh apart with ease.
The wretched fiend trembled with murderous bloodlust toward Kyle for stealing one of its eyes.
It released a deafening shriek.
The blisters across its back suddenly burst apart.
Jets of concentrated acid erupted from every blister, converging into a deadly storm aimed solely at Kyle.
"Shit!"
Kyle gritted his teeth.
These attacks were different.
Faster.
Far more precise.
And unlike the previous green acid...
This one was black.
Its very color screamed death.
This attack was undoubtedly meant to kill him instantly.
Its range was far too wide.
With Kyle’s current speed...
Dodging simply wasn’t possible.
’Let’s just hope the undying resilience of a roach can beat this...’
He raised both arms to shield his head.
Then—
"What?!"
Kyle’s eyes widened.
Hope...
Relief...
And genuine admiration filled his gaze.
Standing before him was Rita.
Her elegant figure remained perfectly composed as she raised her staff high into the air.
A towering wall of blazing flames erupted before her, intercepting the full force of the incoming acid.
The black venom hissed violently as it struck the inferno, evaporating into clouds of poisonous steam before it could touch Kyle.
Kyle released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
"Thank you."
Rita smiled without taking her eyes off the monster.
"Don’t thank me just yet."
The wretched fiend screeched furiously.
Its remaining eyes narrowed with pure hatred after seeing its attack fail.
The ruptured blisters along its back regenerated rapidly.
Not fast enough for another acid barrage...
But enough.
With terrifying speed, it launched itself toward Kyle.
It crossed the distance almost as quickly as its acid projectiles.
Its massive mouth opened wide, exposing countless rows of jagged teeth eager to crush Kyle’s head in a single bite.
That decision...
Became the creature’s greatest mistake.
From its blind side—
Thors moved.
The giant warrior leapt through the air, his enormous mace already raised high above his head.
Then—
He brought it down with overwhelming force.
BOOM!!
The Acid Deviant exploded.
Chunks of flesh, sizzling acid, shattered bone, and foul grey blood burst outward in every direction.
Some of the corrosive remains splashed across Thors’ heavy armor, leaving smoking stains spread over the metal.
The shattered remains of the monstrosity rained onto the ash-grey grass.
The fiend...
Was finally dead.
[Ding!]
[You have slain a Hideous Creeper.]
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