At one point, they almost dared to believe it wouldn't attack. Jay even felt the tension in his shoulders begin to ease.
But the creature proved them wrong.
Just as they were preparing to make a run for the plaza, it struck without warning, silent and fast.
A green blur shot from the trees, flashing toward Alex with terrifying speed. So fast that even though they'd been ready, it was immediately clear he wouldn't have time to dodge.
Still, Alex reacted on instinct. He raised his makeshift shield, bracing behind it.
At first it seemed to work, and Alex successfully blocked the attack.
However, the next instant the creature's blade-like appendage lit with a green glow, cut through the shield as if it was made of paper, and continued unimpeded toward Alex.
The latter, despite his best effort, couldn't dodge completely. He twisted just enough to avoid losing the arm, but not enough to escape unscathed.
The creature's strike still left a large, bone-deep gash across it.
All of it happened in a flash. Blood sprayed as the mantis struck, and Lexie and Jay could only watch in horror.
"Shit!" Alex cursed as he felt the creature's blade cut through his flesh and scrape his bone. An overwhelming amount of pain struck his mind. But he did his best to reel it in and dodge.
"Alex!" Lexie screamed, rushing forward and pulling him away just in time to avoid a second blow.
At the same moment, Jay stepped in, swinging his axe in a wide arc to drive the attacker back. The blade met its shell with a harsh clang, forcing it to retreat a few steps.
Only then did he finally get a good look at their assailant.
It was a praying mantis. But not the kind you'd find in a garden.
This one stood as tall as an adult, its body covered in a forest-green, armor-like exoskeleton that gleamed under the filtered forest light.
Its forelimbs had evolved into twin scythe-like blades, each one shining with a razor-sharp, unnatural glow.
Just one glance was enough for Jay to know this was going to be a tough fight.
"A giant mantis. Why not?" Jay grumbled, eyes fixed on the deadly critter in front of him.
"And it's strong." His previous attack barely cracked its shell, and his wrist still ached from the force of the rebound.
Once upon a time, a simple stomp would've been enough to kill something like this. But now, one misstep, and he would be the one going down.
At this point, it really felt like the whole world was turning against humanity.
"This is tricky. I need to end this fast." He frowned as he studied the creature.
It was faster than him. Armed with two scythe-like blades sharp enough to slice through metal. And if he had to guess, it was probably higher-level.
Under normal circumstances, he would've avoided a direct fight and played it safe. But with Alex bleeding out behind him, he had no choice.
"Let's not die first," Jay muttered, stepping toward the mantis.
Almost simultaneously, the creature launched its next assault.
With a powerful push of its hind legs, it shot toward Jay like a bullet.
In a flash, its glowing blade met the edge of Jay's axe, which, unlike Alex's makeshift shield, held strong.
The sharp clang of metal meeting rang through the forest like a gong, marking the start of a deadly duel.
The mantis struck with a flurry of precise, rapid slashes. Jay responded with a fluid mix of dodges and blocks, expertly parrying each blow.
However, it was clear who had the upper hand. It took Jay everything he had to defend himself, and he had no chance to counterattack.
Meanwhile, as Jay held the beast's attention, Lexie had her focus on Alex.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" she sweated profusely as she tore Alex's shirt apart and pressed it against his heavily bleeding forearm.
"Calm down... I didn't lose that much HP," Alex said through gritted teeth, his face contorted in pain.
He was grateful he'd boosted his Constitution earlier. When the mantis's blade cut into him, he had felt his flesh resist, just enough to let him pull back in time. If not….
"Hold it down." Lexie put his hand on the bloodied cloth and tied a tourniquet near his elbow.
"Go. Jay needs your help," he urged, looking at Jay, who was entangled with the mantis.
Lexie stood up, her eyes cold.
"Don't faint. Hold on. We'll be done soon."
And without another word, she was gone, darting toward the mantis with revenge in her eyes.
However, Lexie didn't charge in recklessly. She waited patiently for the right opportunity.
And it came soon.
Just as the mantis's blade locked with Jay's axe once more, she dashed forward in a blur and brought her shovel down hard on its head.
Startled, the creature tried to dodge, but Lexie had timed her strike perfectly. With Jay holding it in place, there was nowhere for it to go.
BANG.
SCREECH.
The mantis let out a grating, metallic cry as the shovel slammed into its head.
Jay and Lexie pressed forward, determined to bring it down.
In response, the mantis lashed out. Its twin blades carved through the air, weaving a deadly net meant to shred anything in its path.
Helpless, they could only retreat first.
But it wasn't done with them.
As it pushed them away, a green glow lit its entire body. Then it vanished.
When it reappeared, it was already in front of Jay, its blade crashing down like a guillotine.
Jay moved without thinking. His pupils shrank as the incoming strike slowed in his vision. A surge of unknown power exploded inside him, and he brought up his axe just in time to block.
But he wasn't trying to win a strength contest.
The blades clashed for only a second. It was just long enough for Jay to absorb the momentum. Then, using the force of the impact, he launched himself backward.
The mantis stumbled, suddenly off balance as its target vanished from beneath it.
Jay's feet landed, perpendicular, against a thick tree. His body coiled like a spring, then flew forward.
He flew through the air and slammed his axe down onto the mantis's head with a brutal crack, the blade biting deep into its carapace.
But even that wasn't enough to bring it down.
The creature shrieked, and a burst of razor-sharp wind blades exploded from its body, tearing through the clearing.
Jay jumped back, managing to dodge most of it. Around them, the grass had been shredded down.
"Of course it has magic," he muttered, breath hitched and blood trickling down his face and his arms.
But it hadn't been in vain.
The sustained outburst had slowed the mantis and had left it sluggish.
Lexie saw her chance. And he wasn't about to waste it.
As she charged, the mantis tried to attack. But it was far weaker now. Lexie spun her shovel, deflecting both blades to the side in one clean sweep.
In the same motion, she rushed forward, and the serrated edge of her shovel bit into the wound Jay had left on its head.
SCREECH.
The mantis let out a sharp cry and instinctively opened its wings, preparing to flee.
But it hadn't accounted for Jay.
Waiting on the flank, axe raised, he launched himself forward with a powerful stomp.
Just as the creature began to lift off the ground, Jay's blade came crashing down.
Slash.
The axe bit deep into the mantis's head and sliced clean through it.
THUNK.
The mantis's head dropped. Its body twitched once, twice, then went limp.
"Ha. Ha. Ha." Breathless, Jay knelt on one knee. "I've had enough surprises for one day."
Then came the familiar, refreshing wave of a level-up, washing over their tired bodies, easing the pain, and clearing the fatigue.
"This is going to be a long day," Lexie muttered, casting one last look at the fallen mantis.
Then, without hesitation, she turned and rushed to Alex's side, Jay right behind her.
"How are you holding up, bro?" Jay asked, crouching beside Alex, who was still holding the bloodied cloth tightly against his wound.
He felt guilty; if it wasn't because of him, they wouldn't have gone through here, and none of this would've happened.
"I'll manage," Alex grunted. "Still have more than half my HP... but I've got a bunch of negative statuses."
"Could've been worse," Lexie said coldly, shooting him a glare.
"Yeah, as if an oversized murder bug wasn't bad enough," Alex muttered, glaring at the mantis's carcass.
Jay gave the fallen creature a wary glance. The woods had fallen back into a heavy silence, but that didn't mean they were safe.
"We need to move. Fast," he said, helping Alex sit upright. "No telling what that fight might've attracted."
"Wait," Alex said, stopping Jay just as he was about to pull him to his feet.
"What is it?" Jay asked, scanning the surroundings again. He didn't think they'd overlooked anything.
"The blades. Take them," Alex said, nodding toward the mantis.
Jay blinked. "Ah… seriously?"
He wanted to argue but then saw the determined look in Alex's eyes. He got it. After a hit like that, taking a piece of the thing that nearly killed you? It meant something.
Besides, they might be useful later.
"Fine."
Jay moved swiftly, cutting off the mantis's scythe-like limbs. The green exoskeleton was hard, but his axe got the job done.
Once it was done, he helped Alex up again, slinging one of the severed blades over his shoulder while Lexie kept the other.
Without another word, the three of them turned and left the woods behind.