"Oh, right, there are crocodiles in the lake… Wait, CROCODILES!!!"

Kimhant screamed in panic. He frantically swam toward the shore at a speed that would put national team swimmers to shame, with three massive freshwater crocodiles swimming right behind him.

"Hahaha, keep it up, Kimhant."

Chang Long laughed heartily, while Kimhant could only focus on reaching the shore as fast as he could.

"Come on, Master. Aren't you going to help me!"

"How should I help? You're swimming pretty fast yourself."

Chang Long replied, still laughing in amusement. But then, a large cluster of bubbles began to rise in front of Kimhant—a telltale sign, known to wildlife documentary enthusiasts, that a very large crocodile was responsible. Fish scattered in all directions, and Kimhant stopped to see what might emerge.

"The king of the lake is coming. Everyone, get ready!"

Destiny commanded his teammates. They quickly spread out into a semicircle formation, with Destiny at the center, weapons drawn and faces set in determination. Chang Long turned to ask Kitsune and Hulu which form they preferred for combat. Hulu's quick, cheeky response was,

"Our true forms, of course, Master. Why even ask!"

Kitsune nodded in agreement, indicating that they both preferred fighting in their true forms, especially in serious battles like this.

"Spread wings!"

Chang Long ordered her pets to get ready and then flew toward Kimhant, who seemed surrounded by crocodiles. As she swooped down to pull him from the water, a giant maw shot up from beneath the surface, snapping just behind them.

"Uaaah. Higher, Master, higherrrr!"

Kimhant yelled in terror as he glanced down at the massive jaws, big enough to be a small cave, with teeth that looked like stalactites and stalagmites, just inches away from him. His feet were almost adjacent to the king of the lake's nose.

"The Executioner Crocodile Beast King Level 89 has appeared,"

announced the system. But the alert was nothing compared to the sight of the beast itself. The enormous black crocodile, over thirty meters long and weighing more than seventy tons, launched itself into the air, chasing after Chang Long and Kimhant. However, it could not reach them as the momentum from its leap diminished, as it was still hanging halfway out of the water.

Boommmm!

The water exploded with a thunderous roar as the colossal Executioner Crocodile hit the surface, sending waves crashing across the lake and flinging small fish onto the shore. Chang Long safely landed back on the ground with Kimhant, waiting for the next move from the Executioner Crocodile Beast King. The beast did not keep them waiting long.

The Executioner Crocodile hauled its massive body out of the lake, and Destiny's group expertly lured it out into an open clearing, far from the water, where they immediately launched a coordinated attack. Although the members of the Immortal Guild were of high level and well-coordinated, Chang Long noticed that they were only equipped with mid-level weapons and armor. This put them at a disadvantage against a beast king, but they compensated for this weakness with their exceptional teamwork. Other players in the vicinity began to join the battle as well—after all, who would want to miss out on hunting a beast king, which offered high experience points and dropped valuable, rare items that were hard to come by.

Seeing that many players had joined the fight against the Executioner Crocodile Beast King, Chang Long decided to lead her companions in search of the Capybara, paying no mind to the battle unfolding behind her. Meanwhile, Kimhant took out his camera and snapped pictures of the Immortal Guild members, particularly close-ups of the charismatic guild leader, Destiny. Satisfied, he then ran after Chang Long.

"Why were you taking pictures of them, Kimhant?"

Chang Long asked as he caught up with her.

"I thought I'd help promote their guild a bit,"

Kimhant replied cheerfully.

"Maybe you shouldn't. The bigger guilds might take offense, especially with how over-the-top your writing style is. You tend to get on people's nerves,"

Chang Long replied, frowning slightly as she considered his idea.

"Aw, come on, Master. I won't cause them any trouble. By the way, I haven't seen a single Capybara here,"

Kimhant complained, looking around and realizing there were no Capybaras near the lake.

"Devi-chan,"

Chang Long called, and without needing further prompting, Devi-chan appeared and informed her of what she wanted to know.

"They've all fled to the shallow water up ahead to escape the crocodiles."

Uh-huh, let's go,"

Chang Long nodded and headed in the direction Devi-chan pointed out. Soon enough, they found a whole herd of Capybaras. This time, they were not just hunting; they also needed to extract the hearts from the creatures, as these were required quest items that needed to be delivered to the Royal Physician at the Sky Palace.

Kimhant eagerly helped Chang Long hunt the Capybaras, finding them to be the easiest creatures he had ever fought in the game. Afterward, they brought the carcasses to Kitsune, who, in his human form, had the most delicate hands and was tasked with carefully extracting the hearts. Everyone had tried their hand at it, but Kitsune was the only one who could do it without damaging the hearts, which were needed in pristine condition as required by the royal physician.

The capybara hunting spree came to an end once they had gathered the required number of hearts. The quest still demanded an Albino Rhino's horn and golden mane fur from the Nemean, which Chang Long had learned was a lion king likely to be the most challenging opponent of all.

Leaving the lake area, Chang Long completely forgot about the fierce battle still raging on the other side, where the Immortal Guild and numerous independent players were locked in combat with the Executioner Crocodile Beast King. She and her group moved toward the center of the savanna, intending to track down the golden mane from the Nemean, which was almost certainly located in the heart of the savanna, before searching for the rarer Albino Rhino afterward.

The savanna stretched out before them, dotted with patches of dry grass and thorny acacia trees, whose leaves were a favorite of giraffes. As they ventured deeper into the heart of the savanna, the landscape became increasingly desolate, with no other players in sight. The beasts in this area were notoriously fierce, but they were also elusive, most of them being nocturnal hunters. It was getting dark soon.

As the sky turned a deep orange, signaling the approach of night, Chang Long sighed. There were no safe zones around here, which meant that if night fell, they would likely be in for a long and difficult battle until morning. Realizing this, she ordered Kimhant to set up the tent. After a hearty meal, everyone settled down to rest, with the men and the pets being relegated to sleeping on blankets outside, while Chang Long enjoyed the tent to herself.

"This is my tent, you know!"

Kimhant muttered under his breath as he spread his blanket on the grass.

"What did you say!"

Chang Long poked her head out of the tent, making Kimhant wave his hands frantically in denial. After that, everyone tried to rest, even though sleep came only fitfully. It was better than allowing fatigue to set in, which would lower their stats.

Roarrrr!

Just as they were beginning to doze off, a loud roar jolted them awake. The sun was almost completely set, and the roar, likely from a massive beast, had everyone scrambling. Chang Long quickly emerged from the tent and took to the sky, her wings carrying her upward. The last thing she saw before darkness fully claimed the savanna was a massive lion, roaring to assert its dominance over the land in the middle of the grass field.

"Found you,"

Chang Long murmured to herself, pleased that the Nemean had been easier to find than expected. She glanced down at her companions, who were waiting for her signal, and pointed in the direction of the lion. With a powerful beat of her wings, she flew toward it. Her two pets, in their human forms, easily kept pace with her, but Kimhant was left far behind, struggling to keep up.

Finally, Chang Long stood face-to-face with the Nemean Lion, the king of the savanna. The beast was enormous, its body stretching about seven meters from head to tail and standing at a height of three and a half meters. Its fur was light brown, with a mane that was dark brown, almost black, with a tuft of golden hair on its head that gleamed in the fading light.

"Level 99 Nemean Lion Beast king, has appeared,"

the system announced as their eyes met.

"A human?"

The Nemean Lion regarded Chang Long with surprise, not accustomed to encountering players in the heart of the savanna.

"Hello,"

Chang Long greeted, folding her wings as she landed to face the lion, flanked by Hulu and Kitsune. Kimhant was still struggling to catch up.

"You've got some nerve, venturing into the heart of the savanna... with Sacred Beasts?!"

The Nemean Lion sniffed the air, its gaze shifting to Hulu and Kitsune in astonishment. However, there was no fear in its eyes—only the pride, for it too considered itself a mighty ruler.

"I want that tuft of golden hair on your head, so I had to come all the way here,"

Chang Long replied, unconcerned about whether the Nemean Lion respected her pets or not.

"Hahaha. The golden mane from my head. I would never give it up easily. If you want it, you'll have to take it by force!"

The Nemean Lion responded with a fierce tone, considering Chang Long's words a grave insult to its royal dignity.

"Why not just give it up nicely..."

Chang Long muttered, pulling out the Sovereign Sword. Her two pets also assumed their battle stances. The Nemean Lion grinned and let out another thunderous roar. Kimhant, who had just caught up and was panting heavily behind Chang Long, jumped in fright and fell on his backside.

In the darkness, more than twenty pairs of glowing eyes appeared, staring hungrily at Chang Long's group. Kitsune unleashed a wave of fire around them, revealing that the eyes belonged to lions—minions of the Nemean Lion. The lions roared in response, retreating a bit as the fire came close to them.

"You guys handle its minions. I'll take care of the big one. Devi-chan, Spirit Possession!"

Chang Long ordered with a serious tone. She called for Devi-chan to merge with her, aiming to battle the Nemean Lion on equal footing. Then, she launched the first attack.

"Pathetic!"

The Nemean Lion sneered, easily dodging Chang Long's sharp sword and counterattacking with a powerful swipe of its massive claws from behind. But Chang Long swiftly ducked, avoiding the attack.

"You're pretty fast,"

Chang Long remarked, turning to face Nemean, staring back at her without blinking.

"Hehehe, I'm no weakling for you to take down so easily, human!"

The Nemean Lion growled with a cruel smile.

"In that case, let's see if you can dodge this?"

Chang Long challenged, pointing her sword at Nemean and charging at it just like the first time. The Nemean Lion grunted in disdain, but then its eyes widened in shock as Chang Long suddenly accelerated, her speed increasing dramatically in an instant. To its surprise, she even seemed to float a couple of feet off the ground.

Shunk!

Roarrr!

Chang Long's sword struck deep into the Nemean Lion's front left thigh, causing it to roar in pain. In retaliation, the lion swung its right claw at her with fierce anger. Chang Long quickly pulled her sword out, which had embedded itself halfway into the lion's flesh, and swiftly retreated.

The Nemean Lion limped, blood gushing from its wound. None of its minions dared to assist, as Kitsune had already surrounded the battlefield with a ring of fire, isolating the fight between Chang Long and the Nemean Lion.

"Y-you! How did you suddenly increase your speed like that?!"

The Nemean Lion asked in a raspy voice, now looking much more fatigued than before. However, its eyes still burned with the fire of life and battle.

"Why would I tell you?"

Chang Long responded, preparing to strike again. But then, she paused, surprised by what she saw. The Nemean Lion bent down to its wound, exhaled deeply over it, and the wound miraculously healed, returning the lion to its full strength.

"Oh..."

Chang Long muttered in amazement. So that was the Nemean Lion's special ability.

.....

The battle between Chang Long and the Nemean Lion grew more intense as the lion could heal itself as long as the injuries were not too severe. Chang Long realized she needed to do something to bring the lion down, as the longer the fight dragged on, the more strain it would place on her. The Nemean Lion's healing power intrigued her, as it was rare and extremely valuable. She thought about capturing Nemean as a pet but had no idea how to go about it, having never tamed a beast before.

"Eye of Ice! Kitsune, Hulu, get out of here as fast as you can. Spread wings!"

Chang Long shouted orders, telling her pets to prepare to retreat. She quickly grabbed the Eye of Ice and threw it at the Nemean Lion without hesitation.

"How would such a feeble attack affect me, human? Hehehe. If you're out of tricks, just admit it!"

The Nemean Lion taunted as it easily dodged the Eye of Ice. But Chang Long smiled, knowing her plan had worked.

Nemean, confused by Chang Long's smile, began to notice the intense cold spreading all around it, including beneath its four paws. It tried to move but found that all four of its feet were frozen solid, unable to budge. The grass, trees, and any beasts within a hundred-meter radius of where the Eye of Ice had shattered were now encased in ice.

"You dare use trickery against me, human!"

The Nemean Lion roared, straining with all its might to break free from the ice, which had now encased half its body. At first, Chang Long's heart skipped a beat when she saw cracks forming in the ice, as if the lion might break free.

But the rapid spread of the ice ultimately held the Nemean Lion in place. The only thing it could do now was open its mouth and roar in frustration and anger, unable to escape its icy prison.

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