"You have to be kidding me," Jake said, staring at the blue window hovering in front of him. A laugh escaped his throat. "We were literally just talking about how the System—or the Phalanx—was ignoring us. And two minutes later? A quest."

"It's almost like it heard us," Lena said while reading the reward line. "Or maybe we were wrong about the Phalanx. If they wanted to stunt our growth, they wouldn't dangle two million C.L.A.S.P. points and Legendary gear right in front of our faces."

Reidar didn't join in the speculation. He was reading the fine print of the quest.

—[Level 362 Razorwing Mantis (Corrupted)]—

"It doesn't matter who sent it," Reidar said, dismissing the window with a wave of his hand. "What matters is that it's here and that it's giving us an opportunity to grow. The description of the quest says 'near-perfect camouflage' and 'massive scythe-like forearms.' At this level, those arms will cut through our armor like it's paper. If it's Corrupted, it's going to be aggressive and stronger than a base variant."

He looked at the dense treeline. The monster was tracking the scent of the Monitor's blood. Remaining in this position made them vulnerable targets for an attack, even though the tree roots emitted such an overpowering odor that most creatures shouldn't be able to detect anything else through it. Least of all a mantis-type predator, according to the quest description.

"Well… There is no point in waiting; let's kill this thing," Reidar said. "If we push into the forest, we could at least dictate the terrain. I'd rather fight it where we want than let it pick us off while we're resting or doing something else."

They mounted the Vorathid Sky-Hunters, keeping them low to the ground, weaving through the massive trunks dotting the forest.

…

…

…

Reidar sent a dozen of the insectoid summons ahead as a scouting screen, expanding his net by quite a wide margin.

An eerie quiet had settled over the forest. The usual sounds of wildlife and rustling leaves had vanished, replaced by a stillness that signaled the presence of a powerful predator.

Through the eyes of a Vorathid Sky-Hunter, Reidar saw jagged gouges that scarred the bark of a massive tree. They were fresh since sap was still weeping from the wounds. The cuts were clean, sliced deep into wood that was hard as stone.

"I found some tracks," Reidar said. "It's close."

The group moved toward the area; the tension ratcheting up with every meter. The canopy overhead was thick, which meant it was rather dark there, and the fact the monster had some kind of camouflage didn't help.

"Movement, twelve o'clock," Lena said as she unsheathed her daggers.

Reidar focused on the spot. A branch swayed, but there was no sign of the monster.

<Maybe it was just the wind.>

"False alarm," Reidar said, but he didn't relax. "Be careful." Jake and Lena nodded.

They spread out to cover more ground while still being close enough to support each other but widening their visual coverage. The Vorathid Sky-Hunters could do that job for them, but it would all fall on Reidar, and he might miss something given the visual overload.

Then a sudden displacement of air and a blur of motion dropped from the canopy.

The Mantis had been clinging to the underside of a massive branch, with its camouflage skill making its carapace match the moss and bark of the tree almost perfectly. It dropped straight down, targeting Jake.

Reidar's enhanced A.C.U.M.E.N. let him process the attack in real-time, and within a split second, he commanded the Vorathid Sky-Hunters to shield Jake.

Three of them threw themselves into the space above the young man.

The Mantis' scythe-arms sliced through the air with a horrific whistling sound, which ended up bisecting the three intercepting Sky-Hunters, who fell to the ground in six pieces.

The tier difference was not abysmal, but it was still quite large.

But the delay saved Jake. The boy rolled backward and saved his skin.

"It's another nightmarish monster!" Jake yelled, scrambling to his feet. Those words made Reidar think about the fact that monsters were getting harder and harder to kill, and if he didn't get his hands on new skills, or at least bring the proficiency of those he already had to 100%, he would just get killed.

The creature straightened up. It was massive, standing at least twelve feet tall on its hind legs. Its body was a nightmare of serrated edges and shifting colors, currently fading from bark-brown to metallic green. Wings buzzed on its back, lifting it off the ground.

Reidar's Vorathid Sky-Hunters formed a wall between the monster and the humans. They were Tier 31. The Mantis was Tier 36, which meant they were weaker than it at level parity.

The Mantis lunged. It used Rending Strike, crossing its forearms in a scissor motion. Two more of Reidar's summons exploded into blue mist as they were torn apart.

"It's too fast!" Lena said.

She raised her hand, and five Shadow Operatives peeled themselves from the shadows of a tree. "Go for the joints! My trait is telling me the joints are vulnerable!"

Jake circled wide, his dagger sparking with electricity, looking for an opening while the Mantis's eyes tracked all three of them and the swarm at the same time.

The clearing burst into pandemonium. Lena was the first to land a solid hit. She dashed behind the creature's right leg, driving her new dagger into the knee joint.

The blade bit, and the Mantis shrieked and spun, lashing out with its bladed arms.

"Block it!"

A cluster of Sky-Hunters swarmed the limb, sacrificing themselves to protect Lena. They got sliced on impact, but at least they stopped the blow from turning Lena into ham.

Meanwhile, hemolymph leaked from the leg wound.

"Jake, now!"

Jake slid under the creature's guard, slashing at the lower legs with his dagger. The serrated edge ripped through the chitin, exploiting the opening Lena had created.

The Mantis stumbled, but then its behavior changed. It stopped flailing and activated a skill, [Adaptive Hunter].

The monster anticipated the next wave of Sky-Hunters diving at it. Instead of striking them, it leaped vertically, its wings blurred and making a hum while they brought the monster into the sky.

Then the creature used [Sonic Flight], and its aerial speed surged.

The hum was strong enough that it started disorienting the group, making the world tilt for them. Reidar's aim faltered as he tried to use his skills. The Sky-Hunters buzzed erratically, and their coordination got disrupted by the sonic blast.

Reidar fought the nausea. "Ground it! Aim for the wings!"

He directed the Sky-Hunters upward. The aerial battle was brutal. The Mantis was an ace in the air, slicing wings and heads off Reidar's summons. But they weren't weak either.

However, surprising everyone, the monster dove. It was targeting Lena.

Its mandibles dripped with a fluid. [Paralytic Injection]—it was another one of the monster's skills.

"Lena, move!"

She tried to dodge, but the sonic waves had messed with her balance. She stumbled.

Reidar ordered more summons to intercept the monster, which forced him to consume mana.

Dozens of Sky-Hunters rushed in the Mantis's path. It crashed into them, its momentum arrested by the sheer wall of bodies, but it tore through them, killing ten in a second, but the delay allowed Lena to roll clear.

"Don't let it bite you!" Reidar said. "That venom will kill you!"

The Mantis landed to shake off the rest of the summons. It was injured, but it was far from dead. Its regeneration was already knitting the smaller cracks in its armor.

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