Ethan switched his weapon from Tempest Reaver to Bloodblade Ashura. Ashley began preparing her best skill to defeat the Flame Golem.

[Mode Ashura Activated]

The change of battle mode came with a change in appearance and power. A surge of aura burst from Ethan's body, a terrifying crimson red.

A strong gust of wind exploded outward when Ethan shifted from Tempest Mode to Ashura Mode.

"I'll support you from behind, Ethan," Ashley said. Ethan glanced back and cleared his throat in acknowledgment.

With the power of Ashura Mode, Ethan charged forward to defeat the Flame Golem. His sword swung vertically and horizontally, and several times diagonally as well.

Ethan unleashed a crimson slash toward the front, the attack slicing through the air at high speed and striking the Flame Golem's body directly.

A loud explosion erupted, shocking the monster. The Flame Golem stumbled back several steps while roaring loudly, groaning in pain.

Ethan jumped far back and kept his distance from the monster. His attention shifted toward the sky as a giant golden magic rune formed above the monster's head.

In an instant, golden chains shot downward and wrapped tightly around the Flame Golem's body, not allowing it to move at all.

"I can hold it for a few seconds. You, Sherly, and Jill focus on attacking it," Ashley said firmly.

Ethan looked behind him and saw Sherly already standing again, ready to fight. Jill stood beside Ashley, gripping her magic staff and ready to cast.

Ethan nodded, and Sherly did the same. The two of them charged forward, gripping their weapons tightly. Ethan attacked using his skills, and Sherly did the same.

Explosion after explosion burst across the Flame Golem's body. The monster was not only hit by Sherly's and Ethan's attacks but also heavily damaged by Jill's magic.

[Gornash the Flame Golem (Lv. 225) || HP: 45,000/350,000]

Ethan leaped upward and saw the monster's HP bar drop into the critical red zone. He turned to the side and saw Sherly exhausted from the nonstop battle.

"This will be the final attack. Use your best abilities!" Ethan commanded.

Jill and Sherly stared forward, watching the monster's HP bar. Ethan was right—there was only a small amount left. With a few strong skills, they were confident they could defeat it.

Sherly steadied her body and her mind, then dashed forward again with Ethan beside her. Jill focused on chanting her skill's incantation while pointing her staff forward.

Ashley's golden chains shattered, their time running out, and the Flame Golem broke free.

Ethan blocked the flaming fist aimed at Sherly, stopping the monster's power using only the defensive stance of his sword.

"Cough!"

Blood sprayed from Ethan's mouth as he forced himself to protect Sherly. Sherly gasped; she knew she had to do something to end this fight.

She jumped high into the sky, gripping her sword with both hands. Sherly shouted and swung her sword downward, releasing a massive blade shadow—her ultimate skill.

The white sword shadow struck the Flame Golem directly. In another direction, red magic runes appeared and unleashed thousands of falling fire meteors targeting the monster.

A massive explosion erupted. Ethan quickly grabbed Sherly and pulled her away from the blast zone. The two of them landed behind Ashley, and Ashley immediately cast her defensive magic skill.

Flames burst outward and strong winds swept across the area, but Ashley's magic easily blocked the force of the Flame Golem's detonation.

Moments later, the smoke began to fade, revealing the shattered ruins of the village, the ground deeply cratered from the battle.

What caught their attention was the absence of Gornash the Flame Golem. He was nowhere to be seen—only piles of shattered stone remained.

When Ethan moved to confirm, it was clear: Gornash the Flame Golem was dead. That meant all four of them received EXP and loot for defeating a legendary monster.

Ethan gained EXP for helping defeat the Flame Golem. His remaining EXP needed to level up was 11,000, while the total EXP reward from the legendary monster was 55,000.

Because the fight involved four people, the EXP was divided into four portions, with higher damage contributions earning larger shares.

Even so, Ethan turned and saw that Sherly and Jill had leveled up. Sherly advanced to level 61, while Jill reached level 74.

"I've leveled up, Sir Ethan," Sherly said.

Ethan smiled and nodded, happy to see Sherly's impressive progress. Her individual level had now surpassed level 60, unlocking the Class Advancement feature for her.

Their objective had been achieved—Sherly leveled up, and the legendary monster had been defeated. Ethan looked up at the sky and saw that night was about to fall.

They could go to the nearest town and stay there, but Ethan chose to return to Mavelard and rest there instead.

Not only Ethan, but Ashley and the others also agreed. Mavelard City was far better for resting compared to the inns at Tower City.

Ethan led them out of the area. To return to the teleportation crystal cliff, Ethan estimated they needed about six to seven hours.

Why would it take much longer than before? Clearly because of increased monster activity. Nighttime was when monsters wandered aggressively.

Ethan concluded they would encounter monsters two to three times more frequently than earlier, slowing their journey back.

But Ethan didn't see that as a problem. He saw it as an opportunity for Sherly and Jill to collect more EXP. The more EXP they earned, the higher their individual levels would rise.

Ethan stopped walking when he saw a group of red-skinned frog monsters—five of them. Ethan narrowed his eyes, studying them carefully.

"Sherly. Jill. You two handle them," Ethan ordered.

"Understood," Sherly replied.

Just as Sherly and Jill were about to attack, their steps halted as another party emerged from the opposite direction. They numbered five, all wearing black uniforms Ethan immediately recognized.

"Who are they?" Sherly asked, stopping beside Jill.

"Scavenger."

"What do you want?" Ethan asked.

"We want these monsters. If you plan to take them from us, I'll kill every one of you."

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