"Will, change the trajectory of the attack. Lena, force it in place." The purple-haired young man gave quick orders to the team behind him.
A young man with short black hair in an army cut stepped forward, his hands aimed at the Dracovore.
Suddenly, a large black sphere, the size of the Dracovore’s head, appeared in front of him. Will controlled the sphere, guiding it straight toward the Dracovore’s mouth, striking it just below the maw, where the red, pulsating core was located.
The force caused the Dracovore’s maw to tilt toward the sky, but it wasn’t permanent. Will focused on keeping the black sphere in place, preventing the creature from lowering its mouth.
"Hurry, I can’t keep this up for long!" Will’s voice sounded desperate.
"Leave it to me." Lena, the orange-haired girl, smiled beautifully as she slapped her hands together, though a small hole remained between them.
She peeked through the hole, observing the Dracovore, and suddenly, orange chains appeared from all directions, wrapping around the creature’s neck and locking it in place. The other ends of the chains seemed to be anchored in the void, trapping the Dracovore, rendering it immobile.
At that moment, the Dracovore unleashed its attack.
The pulsating core emitted a red-hot wave of light that tore through the black clouds above. The wind howled as the red glow illuminated the entire area for a full ten seconds before the attack subsided.
Max’s eyes focused on the attack. ’It’s good they were here on time,’ he thought in relief. As he observed their strength, he noted that they were all at the 1st to 3rd level Adept rank.
"ROAR!!" The Dracovore roared, and its enormous body shook the chains binding it.
Crack!
Moments later, the chains shattered, and the creature broke free.
"Lena, Will, retreat!" the purple-haired man commanded.
Both Will and Lena quickly retreated, appearing behind the purple-haired man, breathing heavily.
Max turned to the purple-haired man and asked, "Which guild are you from?"
The purple-haired man glanced at Max. "You’re quite bold for someone at the 1st level Apprentice rank," he said, his tone turning proud. "But a man should always be fearless and full of confidence."
Max gave him an odd look. "Never mind, you’re from the Knights of the Valor guild."
The purple-haired man smiled confidently. "I am Ramon Galliner, and these are my team members." He gestured to each one. "This is Will, this is Lena — you know what they can do. The guy with his hair covering his eyes is Luke, the team’s archer, and that guy with the flashy smile is Kane. He’s like an assassin, but also the main attacker, like me."
Thump! Thump!
The sound of the Dracovore’s movements echoed as it turned its head toward them. In a swift motion, it swung its tail toward them.
Max’s eyes narrowed, and he activated Ten Directional Shield. A red, hexagonal shield appeared in front of them.
Bang!
The tail slammed into the shield like a sword, but it held firm.
"Damn, good shield," Ramon nodded in appreciation, noting the shield’s sturdiness.
"ROAR!" The Dracovore roared again, so loudly that the windows of nearby abandoned buildings shattered.
Max sensed something with his Three Dimensional Body skill and shouted to Ramon and his team, "Everyone, retreat!"
Upon hearing the urgency in his voice, they didn’t hesitate. They quickly distanced themselves from the Dracovore.
Max also retreated with them.
BOOM!
A powerful shockwave exploded from the Dracovore’s body, crushing the buildings around it and flattening everything in its path.
"No, we won’t survive this!" Ramon shouted in panic.
"We will!" Max said, enveloping himself and everyone in a green spherical force field while stacking five layers of red hexagonal shields in front of the sphere.
"Brace for impact!" Max shouted.
BOOM!
The shockwave collided with the first hexagonal shield, obliterating it. The second shield also shattered into pieces. The third shield held for a moment, but it too was destroyed. It was the fourth shield that managed to hold until the final moments before everything calmed down.
"It was close," Max muttered, his expression tense.
"How the heck is this level 5 Adept Rank monster so strong?!" Ramon exclaimed, staring at the flattened land in disbelief. "Only level 10 Adept rank monsters should be capable of something like this."
Max thought for a moment. "General Gale told me this monster is called a Dracovore, and it’s from The Forsaken Wilds."
"The Forsaken Wilds? No wonder this monster is so strong." Ramon nodded in realization.
Max, understanding his reaction, asked, "Is The Forsaken Wilds really that special?"
Ramon’s expression turned fearful. "The Forsaken Wilds is at the very end of the Valora Continent and is one of the three forbidden lands. It’s said that monsters in this region constantly fight for dominance, so any monsters from there are likely much stronger than your average dungeon creatures."
Max nodded, his expression serious. "Then this is a very difficult situation for us." He pointed at the Dracovore. "It’s charging again."
The Dracovore’s maw began to collect red light, slowly forming a small red core in its mouth.
Boom!
At that moment, in a distant part of the city, a massive mushroom cloud of brown flames erupted, turning the sky into a fiery spectacle. The entire area around it was engulfed in smoke and chaos.
"What was that?" Everyone was shocked by the sight.
"The whole Central City around the dome has turned into a battlefield. We need to take care of this monster before heading to other parts of the city to assist," Ramon said solemnly.
Kane shrugged, eyeing the Dracovore. "Easier said than done."
Max frowned at the situation. ’I should handle this on my own,’ he thought, watching the Dracovore charge its next attack.
"Everyone!" Max called to Ramon and his team. "If you trust me, go help the other hunters in the city. I’ll take care of this."
Ramon frowned but sighed. "If I hadn’t seen your defense, I would’ve definitely scolded you." He shook his head wryly. "We’ll wait for your news."
With that, Ramon turned to his teammates. "Let’s help the other hunters for now."
They nodded in agreement.
Ramon glanced at Max. "You’d better not die." With those words, he and his team flew off.
Max sighed, watching their retreating forms, then turned his attention back to the Dracovore.
’Its strength far exceeds mine, so attacking blindly would be foolish.’ He contemplated and began formulating a plan—one that could take down the Dracovore in a single strike.