Crack—!
The thunderous sound split the air as a serpent's head burst apart, spraying blood like rain.
Alex's kick landed, his gold-tier skill [Bone Shatter] erupting in full force. The surge of seven hundred Strength points detonated inside the serpent's body, erasing its life in the blink of an eye.
But that was only the beginning.
Bone Shatter — Follow-up Burst!
From the point of impact, a tidal shockwave exploded outward from Alex's foot, roaring across the cold pool's shoreline and engulfing the clustered elite serpents.
Boom!
With a muffled roar that seemed to tear the forest itself, the area transformed into a battlefield scoured by a storm.
Blood surged in waves, shards of scales whirled through the air.
The once-ferocious pack of more than a dozen level-five serpents collapsed under the savage blast—nearly all of them slain outright. Only three or four writhed weakly on the ground, their health bars flickering on the brink of death.
And at that moment, a dark blur shot from the grass like an arrow loosed from the string.
Shadows twisted, killing intent surged like a tide.
Lois moved low, a predator in the dark, weaving through the serpents like a phantom assassin. The pitch-black dagger in her hand seemed to resonate with the night itself, each strike dripping with death.
In the span of a few breaths, the wounded serpents were no more.
"Nice work," Alex remarked, half in admiration, half in thought.
He'd noticed it—every time Lois struck with her dagger, the shadows swirling around her lashed out in perfect sync.
"That's your Shadow talent's extra effect?"
Lois flicked her bangs aside and gave a smug little hum. "It's called Shadow Wraith. Every time I attack, it copies the strike—at about a hundred and thirty percent of my base damage."
Then her face darkened, shadows curling around her as her aura turned sharp and dangerous. "But if you ever use me as a catapult again—just try it!"
"Got it, got it," Alex said with a lazy wave of his hand, though his gaze had already shifted past the battlefield, fixing on the depths of the cold pool.
Ripples spread quietly across the surface of the water. A massive form, like a living hill, slowly rose from the depths—its twin eyes burning with a scarlet glow.
LV.8 — Boss-class Monster: [Bloodthirsty Crocodile]
"It's here," Alex murmured.
Lois gave a curt nod, her gaze sharpening.
Both of them were on the verge of reaching level 5, but neither had yet crossed the threshold. For Alex especially, he was just one kill away.
If he could level up mid-battle, refresh [Bone Shatter]'s cooldown, and fight at full status, killing the Crocodile wouldn't be hard.
But right now—
Skills on cooldown. Attributes not maxed. No proper gear…
Facing it head-on was a gamble with death.
"No choice. We'll have to stall it."
Lois spat out her lollipop, her eyes instantly turning razor-sharp.
"Shadowstep Tempest Kill!"
Shadows erupted, clones flaring into existence.
She became a god of slaughter descending to earth, her afterimages flooding the battlefield as she clashed with the Bloodthirsty Crocodile head-on!
Blade-lights rained down from every direction, a storm of death swallowing the giant beast.
The Crocodile roared in fury, jaws and claws lashing out like falling mountains, but no matter how it struck, it could never touch the real Lois.
In just a few short exchanges, the monster's HP dropped by a third!
Alex stood to the side, dumbfounded.
That awakening skill… it was a monster-harvesting machine!
Shame it's on cooldown, he thought. If not, she could probably solo the thing.
But just as he settled in to enjoy the show, Lois zipped back to his side, crouching to catch her breath, cheeks flushed and her surrounding shadows visibly thinning.
"I'm done. Your turn."
Alex: "???"
"It's my awakening skill, genius!" Lois shot him a glare. "Use it once and my Spirit's almost wiped out! A third of its HP should be enough of a head start for you, right?"
Alex sighed, glancing at [Bone Shatter]'s nearly refreshed cooldown.
"The problem isn't whether I can kill it… it's that this thing's Ultimate skill is disgusting."
"That 'laser breath' of its?"
Lois frowned. "You can't tank it?"
"I'm bare-skinned, no armor, zero magic resistance. One sweep and I'm dead."
His tone was deadly serious.
As a boss-class beast, the Bloodthirsty Crocodile was already a high-tier monster. Its Ultimate—Scorching Soul Breath—was a magic-type attack that not only hit like a meteor strike, but moved at terrifying speed.
Tank it head-on? You'd need a full set of epic-grade anti-magic gear just to have a chance.
"You want me… to bait it into using the skill?" Lois raised an eyebrow.
Alex nodded. "Don't you have that 'Feign Death' ability?"
Lois gave a cold snort and snapped her fingers.
From her palm, shadows slithered forth like a snake, curling up onto Alex's shoulder before coalescing into a black sigil.
"Shadow Substitute—if you take a fatal hit, it'll teleport you to my side and take the damage for you."
A spark of shock flashed in Alex's eyes. "It's transferable? That's… ridiculously useful."
Without further hesitation, he burst forward, lightning-fast, closing the distance to the Bloodthirsty Crocodile.
His fists howled through the air. The beast roared in fury, snapping its jaws again and again—but always just shy of catching him.
Weaving between those jagged teeth, Alex's every strike sent waves of blood spraying.
Seconds ticked by. The Crocodile's HP fell again, edging dangerously low.
ROAR—!!
Its bellow shook the air as its jaws opened wide. A blinding beam tore forth like a thunderbolt.
White filled Alex's vision. Before he could even register it, the world warped—he was yanked into shadow.
[—2700]
Lois's shadow substitute shattered into nothingness.
Cold sweat ran down Alex's spine.
If he'd taken that hit head-on… he'd be dead.
"…Thanks," he said quietly.
Then he stepped forward again—gold-tier skill [Bone Shatter] coiling in his leg like a loaded ballista.
BOOM!!
The impact hit like a mountain. The Crocodile's shield shattered; its HP dropped to zero.
The cold pool trembled. The giant beast collapsed.
The fight was over.
Lois stepped forward, giving the corpse a dismissive snort.
"Think I couldn't handle it? I just didn't feel like getting my hands dirty again."
Alex shrugged. "You're definitely useful, though."
"…You looking to die?"
Before she could draw her blade, a light flared overhead.
[Level Up!]
Holy white radiance poured down, and a translucent system panel popped up before them both:
[Level: LV.5]
They exchanged a glance—and, in perfect unison, said:
"Level up!"