BOOM!
Cassie’s blow caught the mantis off guard, and it was sent flying straight back at Leon.
The young man grinned darkly and struck his spear straight at its head.
Alarmed, the mantis did a last-minute pivot and narrowly avoided being killed. However, it couldn’t avoid being injured.
The black spear pierced into its back. But before it could penetrate too deeply, the mantis pulled away and ran. It already felt its life being threatened by those two Tier One humans.
As a cautious creature, it wasn’t the type to risk its life.
"Oh, no you don’t," Leon sneered and gave chase.
Cassie teleported once more, appearing directly in front of the insect. Before it could react, she slammed the hammer directly into its head.
BANG!
The mutated insect was forced to the ground, barely able to stand after receiving such a dizzying blow.
From behind, Leon launched Mental Dominion before he even reached the mantis. Just as the insect was stabilizing itself and preparing to get rid of Cassie, it felt something heavy slam against its mind.
The mantis’s brain shook, and it stumbled. However, it was still able to resist and recover after a few seconds.
Unfortunately for it, Leon benefited from those seconds greatly. He quickly reached its side and stabbed into its shadow without hesitation.
The mantis convulsed, its body spasming as it staggered to the side, slamming into a tree. A cry of pain erupted from its grotesque mouth, and it struck at empty air like it had gone mad.
Seeing this, Leon felt a little surprised. ’So this is how Gwen’s enemies feel when struck by her ability, eh?’
He didn’t let his surprise slow him down, though.
With quick steps, he arrived before the thrashing insect, ducked under its wild flailing of limbs, and plunged his spear into the underside of its neck.
Dark green blood spurted from the wound, and the mantis’s struggles ceased. Its antennae twitched, then went still too.
[You have slain a Level 53 Tier Two Mutated Mantis!]
[You cannot level up!]
[Progress has been stored!]
After confirming that it was dead, Leon sighed in relief and pulled out his weapon. Cassie walked up to him, staring at the corpse darkly.
"Fel would have died if you hadn’t moved," She said, her voice low. "Thank you."
Leon glanced at her, a little surprised. However, remembering how close the two of them were, he understood.
Turning his gaze back to the dead insect, he said, "I’ll always take responsibility for you guys and protect you. That... is a given."
Cassie didn’t reply, but she nodded quietly.
Soon, the two of them returned to meet the others who hadn’t been able to even follow them.
"It’s dead?" Miguel asked, seeing them return.
Leon nodded, then looked around. There were a few mutated beast corpses, proving that they had also been attacked too.
Hearing that the mantis was dead, everyone sighed in relief. Cassie quietly returned Miguel’s weapon to him.
"You’re injured..."
Fel said as she approached Leon, raising her hands to heal him.
Leon stopped her and patted her head. "No, it’s fine. I can still manage."
Surprisingly, Fel remained stubborn. "No, I want to heal you."
Leon was taken aback by her words, and he instinctively wanted to argue back. However, when he looked at her eyes, he fell silent.
Although she was hiding it, he saw it clearly. Fear, helplessness, and a mix of determination.
Sighing, he released her hands. "Alright."
She stepped closer and placed her hands on his shoulder, letting his blood stain her hand.
Leon didn’t know if this was intentional or not, but he didn’t pay much attention. Instead, he closed his eyes as he felt his wounds closing rapidly. In less than a minute, he was fully healed.
Fel pulled back and wiped her hands on her dress, forcing a smile.
Leon looked at her and didn’t say anything for a long while.
Miguel wanted to say something, but Richard pinched his arm and forced him to stay silent.
"You’ll be fine," Leon finally spoke, his voice calm. ’I promise.’
Fel nodded, her smile turning genuine.
"Boss... are we going back?" Richard asked, his gaze solemn.
Their encounter with the mantis had reminded them that Tier Two creatures were still leagues above them.
Leon raised his head to look at the blazing sun above them, then shook his head.
"No. We’re hunting until nightfall."
Although surprised, no one disagreed. They quickly understood why Leon was doing this.
If the Tier Two creatures in this forest were left unchecked before they left for Newark, then they might not have anything to come back to.
Under Leon’s lead, they continued their search through the deeper regions of the forest, far more cautious than they had been.
’No more tests. Any Tier Two creature is getting struck down immediately.’
......
Meanwhile, Marie was currently in a bad situation, having encountered a Tier Two creature while hunting with the evolvers who were with her.
Gritting her teeth, she glanced at the remaining people behind her. Of the more than five hundred Evolvers she had brought with her, only a little over three hundred remained.
The rest had all been killed by the creature that had been harassing their group in the past hour.
"Come out, you sneaky wench," She cursed, her gaze scanning their surroundings with vigilance.
As if reacting to her words, the bush up ahead rustled, and the creature revealed itself.
Even though Marie had seen it before, its sheer size still made her take a cautious step back.
It was a mutated scorpion the size of a public transport bus. Its large body exuded a pressure that made the Evolvers feel like they were being choked, and even Marie began to sweat.
The gleaming blue crystal on its forehead was like a death sentence, and Marie wasn’t sure that she could even beat it. However, as long as it didn’t teleport away like it had been doing over the past one hour, she had a chance.
"So you understand me, wench. Don’t act like a coward and fight me."
The mutated scorpion raised its enormous pincers, while its segmented tail curled over its back, the venomous stinger gleaming menacingly at its tip.
Seeing this, Marie grinned. Surely, it understood.
Without hesitation, she stomped on the ground and dashed straight at it.