The serpent lifted its head high, rising taller than ever, and the air around it burned with killing intent. It was no longer just a Bronze beast. It had stepped beyond—becoming a Silver Level I monster.
Karl's hands tightened around his spear. Sweat stung his eyes, but his voice stayed calm, steady, and sharp.
"Everyone—hold nothing back. Let's end this quickly!"
The ground trembled as the serpent finished its terrifying change. Its new silver scales gleamed, and the air itself seemed to shiver with the power pouring off its body.
Then, without warning, the beast struck first.
Its massive body blurred, moving faster than before, new strength bursting through every muscle. The serpent's tail lashed out with a thunderous crack, like a tree being split in half.
The blow slammed into Drael's shield. The towering warrior braced himself, planting his feet deep into the soil, teeth clenched against the force. But the power was too great—his boots scraped across the ground as he was driven back, carving deep furrows into the dirt.
Karl's eyes widened. "Drael!" he shouted, voice sharp as steel.
Drael was still sliding backward when the serpent's body coiled tight again. Its chest swelled, a low hiss building deep inside its throat. Then it struck—not with fangs, but with venom.
The serpent's throat bulged, and a wide spray of dark green mist burst out, hissing through the air. The droplets hit the ground with a sickening sizzle, eating into stone and soil alike.
"Down!" Renn cried. He shoved Liora to the ground, his spear flashing as he batted aside stray droplets. Grok threw his battered shield up, the wood already cracked from earlier. Acid splattered across it, smoke rising as the shield sizzled and burned in his hands.
"Keep moving!" Renn shouted, hauling Liora back before the mist swallowed her whole.
From the side, Veyra shot her arrows, one after another. Most bounced harmlessly off the serpent's silver scales, clattering to the dirt. But one arrow slipped through, burying itself in the soft flesh inside the beast's open mouth.
The serpent roared back, a furious roar shaking the battlefield, its mouth bleeding where Veyra's arrow had struck. The ground trembled as it thrashed with fury, shaking its whole body.
That was when Ember made her move.
With a sharp cry, she folded her wings and dove from the sky like a streak of lightning. The air howled around her, branches bending as she cut through the wind. Her claws tore across the serpent's brow.
The serpent screamed in pain, shaking its body wildly. For a moment, it could not see.
For one heartbeat, the monster flailed helplessly, its eyes squeezed shut.
"Don't stop—keep the pressure on it!" Karl shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos.
The serpent jerked back from Ember's strike, its head snapping side to side in pain. The ground shook with every violent thrash, but Karl's team did not waste the chance
Sylus moved first. His body blurred like a shadow as he slipped beneath the beast's coils. His twin daggers flashed, and he carved deep into the soft scales of its underbelly and He vanished like smoke into the darkness before the serpent could strike back, he was gone. He vanished like smoke into the darkness.
Tarran followed right after. With a fierce shout, he lunged forward, driving his spear into the fresh wound while twisting it hard. The serpent let out a roar of fury.
Dren was already moving. His heavy mace came down in a crushing blow, smashing against the serpent's jaw with a crack that echoed through the cave mouth.
But the beast retaliated with terrifying speed— its massive coils lashed outward. One shot forward like a whip and wrapped around Thorn. Trone vines flailed desperately as the pressure grew tighter. His breath was crushed in his chest. His eyes bulged and his face turned red.
"Thorn!" Karl shouted as panic struck his chest. He rushed to help. His spear glowed as essence gathered along the shaft.
Before he could reach the coils Ember screamed from above. She folded her wings and dived like a falling star. The winds from her dive gathered into a storm. At point-blank range she let the cyclone explode. The cutting winds shredded the serpent's scales and blood poured out in dark streams.
The coils loosened, while Thorn fell to the ground gasping for breath. His chest heaved as he tried to pull in air.
Karl reached him in the same heartbeat. His spear thrust into the serpent's wound and tore it wider. The beast's body shook with pain.
The serpent writhed violently, its body glowing hot as if its anger itself was feeding its growth.
Karl raised his spear, feeling the weight of the moment. He looked at his friends. Each of them was ready, though their faces were tense with worry.
His voice rang out, steady and strong, cutting through the roar of the beast. "Attack together! Everyone, push it back with all your strength. Liora, stay with Thorn and heal him while he recovers."
The team moved as one, striking, dodging, and supporting each other, their actions guided by Karl's steady commands."
The serpent writhed and hissed, its massive body twisting with fury. Sylus vanished into a shimmer of shadows, slipping beneath its coils, and reappeared in an instant, striking its throat. Ribbons of dark blood sprayed across the cave floor.
Veyra's arrows flew fast and true, landing on the wounds Sylus had made. The serpent's scales began to peel away where her arrows struck, weakening its defenses.
Above them all, Ember moved like a flash of lightning. She dived down, her sharp talons gouging the serpent's snout. She twisted and turned in the air, her wings slicing across its flank in wide arcs of cutting wind. Then she slammed onto its back, claws digging deep.
The monster thrashed violently, trying to shake her off, smashing against the rocks, but every strike from Ember drove it closer to collapse.
Finally, the serpent faltered. Its head drooped low, its eyes ruined and bleeding. Karl could feel it—its life force flickering, weak, like a candle caught in a storm.
"Now!" Karl shouted, his spear glowing bright with essence.
Ember let out a sharp, piercing shriek and dove one last time. Her claws ripped across the serpent's neck, and the wind from her wings whipped through the air like a small storm. At the very same moment, Karl leapt forward, driving his spear straight into the serpent's skull.
The serpent shook and twisted, its body thrashing as if it could fight even now. Then, with a loud, echoing crash, it finally fell to the ground. Dust and drops of blood rained around them, drifting down silently in the quiet that followed.
Karl pulled his spear free, his chest rising and falling as he caught his breath. Ember landed beside him, talons streaked with blood, her feathers ruffled but her body unbroken.
One by one, the others gathered around, bruised and battered but still alive. Together, they looked down at the fallen serpent.
They had defeated a Silver I monster.