The girl quickly retracted her hand, sticking her tongue out playfully.
The blue-robed teen carefully extracted the core using a specialized erald-lined box, sealing it tight.
"We spent a lot of energy killing this one," the eldest twin frowned, wiping sweat from his brow. "Back in that cave, we saw at least three of these Saber-Tooth Tigers, and one of them was an absolute giant. An Elite."
"Maybe we should go back to the fortress and ask for help?" the girl suggested.
"If we do that, soone else will claim the Extre Bio-King Plant," the blue-robed leader shook his head grimly. "That plant is ripening as we speak. Its scent is what’s drawing these beasts to the cave. We can handle the normal ones, but that Elite beast is definitely out of our league. Let’s give it up. It’s not worth our lives."
Everyone fell silent, the bitter taste of defeat washing over them.
"How about I tag along?"
A calm voice rang out from the branches above.
"Who’s there?!" A teenager in black spun around, brandishing his sword, poised to attack.
Igris dropped lightly from the tree, keeping his hands visible. "Calm down. I’m not here to steal your loot. I was just passing by."
The teen in black sneered. "You just ’happened’ to walk past? Bullshit! You heard us talking about the plant!"
"Stand down, Leon. We’re all students here," the blue-robed leader said, stepping forward to block his aggressive teammate. He looked at Igris cautiously. "Who are you? I don’t recognize you from the orientation."
"Collins," Igris lied smoothly, using an alias to keep his ’Null Talent’ identity hidden. "Just a solo freshman. I heard the fight and ca to look. I an no harm."
"I see. I am Hector," the blue-robed teen nodded. "This hothead is Leon. These twins are Vonn and Levon, and this is Ivy."
Leon scoffed, looking Igris up and down. "You’re also a freshman? How the hell can a weakling help us clear an Elite boss?"
Igris glanced at him, then looked at Hector. "If my guess is right, that giant beast should be around Level 4. High defense, high speed. But I have a plan to cripple its movents."
"Words are cheap," Leon sneered. "Do you think monsters are trees? They won’t just stand there and let you cut their legs off."
Igris knew he wouldn’t be able to convince them without a demonstration. He calmly placed a hand on the hilt of his iron sword. The group instantly tensed, raising their weapons. Who could trust a stranger when 100,000 Crowns were on the line?
Igris took a deep breath, turned to face a massive, ancient oak tree nearby, and drew his blade.
’SHIING!’
The air shrieked. A terrifying spark of compressed kinetic energy exploded from the edge of the blade, shining as bright as a miniature star.
’BANG!’
The massive oak tree, wide enough to require three grown n to hug it, was effortlessly cleaved perfectly in half. The top half slid off the stump and crashed into the forest.
Hector’s jaw dropped. "S-sword Montum! The legendary step to reach sword intent! What terrifying talent!"
Igris blinked, maintaining a stoic face.
"That’s... impossible," Leon muttered, his arrogance cracking.
Igris grinned. His figure suddenly blurred like a wisp of smoke.
’WHOOSH!’
A sonic boom popped in the clearing. Before Leon could even blink, Igris was standing back in his original spot.
Leon blinked, confused, until he looked down. A perfect square of black fabric had been cleanly sliced right out of the center of his shirt.
Igris casually tossed the fabric onto the grass.
Everyone gasped. To move that fast, pluck a piece of clothing, and return before a Level 3 Player could even react? This "Collins" was an absolute monster!
Hector swallowed hard, a respectful smile forming on his face. "Brother Collins... we would be honored to have your help."
***
Ten minutes later, the group crept toward the mouth of a dark, jagged cave.
"We use the Bleeding-Scorpions to lure the two normal beasts out first," Hector whispered, opening a tal box filled with squirming, pungent purple scorpions.
The plan worked perfectly. The foul sll drew the two normal Saber-Tooth Tigers out, allowing the team to ambush and kill them. But now, only the boss remained.
Inside the cave, the Elite Poisonous Saber-Tooth Tiger was shockingly huge. Its head alone was the size of a small vehicle. Its glowing, murderous eyes locked onto the intruders.
"Now!"
Hector rushed forward, his hands igniting with blazing DUST energy. He slamd his palms forward, unleashing a tidal wave of roaring flas directly into the beast’s face.
The monster grunted in pain, forced backward. Enraged, the beast opened its massive jaws and belched out a thick, violently expanding cloud of purple, explosive poison gas.
Hector’s eyes widened. He pushed his energy to the absolute limit, erecting a blazing shield of fire.
"BAM!"
The poison gas combusted against the fire shield. The concussive shockwave sent Hector flying seven steps backward, his hands trembling and numb from the residual toxins.
"Run!" Leon yelled in terror. Hector was their strongest fighter, and his best attack barely scratched the boss!
But as the team turned to flee, a shadow casually walked past them.
Igris appeared directly in front of the massive beast like an apparition. Stunned, the Elite Tiger opened its jaws to bite him in half.
Igris’s eyes flashed cold. He didn’t bother targeting the legs.
"Swish!"
The dark steel blade whistled through the air, accompanied by that terrifying, star-like spark of kinetic force. The blade traced a flawless arc directly into the monster’s open mouth, sliding through the roof of its mouth and piercing straight into its brain.
The Elite boss froze. Its massive eyes rolled back into its head, and it collapsed to the cave floor, completely dead.
[ Elite Saber-Tooth Tiger (Level 4) Killed. ]
[ 500 EXP. ]
The entire group stood frozen at the cave entrance, their minds completely blank.
"It... it died?" Hector muttered in disbelief.
Igris calmly shook the blood off his blade and sheathed it. "When it ejected that poison cloud, it left its mouth wide open. The roof of its mouth connects directly to the brain. A fatal flaw."
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