If that were the case, killing Darkfang would be nearly impossible for Chris.
Gritting his teeth, Chris pulled a grenade from his pocket and hurled it forward.
Boom!
A powerful explosion echoed through the air.
“Roar!”
Darkfang was injured by the intense blast. Seeing this, Chris let out a fierce shout. Gripping his Dragon Slayer sword, he mustered all his strength and swung down with ferocity.
Thud!
With a deafening crash, Chris severed Darkfang’s head with a single strike.
Panting heavily after the battle, Chris stood over the massive beast. He had brought a small supply of weapons and ammunition with him to Aethelgard, but these resources were limited. Every use diminished his stores further.
Though victorious, Chris had not emerged unscathed. Darkfang’s claws had raked his back, leaving a deep, bloody gash.
“Chris, are you alright?”
Bob rushed over, quickly pulling out a healing salve to stop the bleeding. After tending to Chris’s wound, both Bob and the woman looked at him in astonishment.
They couldn’t believe it-Chris had actually managed to kill Darkfang. After all, Darkfang was a Fifth Grade beast, and defeating it was no small feat.
Bob marveled aloud, “Chris, I never would’ve imagined you could kill Darkfang.”
Chris gave a faint smile. “It was just luck, nothing more.”
Bob knew better. Luck had nothing to do with it. If Chris hadn’t been strong enough, he would have been the one lying dead instead.
Without wasting any time, Chris collected Darkfang’s body and stored it in his spatial ring. To him, even the corpse of a beast like Darkfang was valuable.
Suddenly, the sound of swift movements broke the momentary calm.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two dark figures appeared, blocking Chris and his companions’ path.
“Well, well! Let’s see where you’ll run now!”
“Hand over the goods, or you’ll all die here!”
The two were none other than the bandits who had crossed their path earlier.
“Kill them!”
Without hesitation, Chris shouted and charged forward, brandishing the Dragon Slayer. At the same time, Bob unsheathed his longsword and joined the fray.
Chris and Bob engaged the two bandit leaders in a fierce battle, while the woman, sword in hand, dealt with the lesser bandits.
Clang!
With a sharp crack, Chris shattered one of the bandit leader’s weapons with his blade. Without losing momentum, he swung again, this time aiming for the leader’s head.
The bandit, a Pinnacle early-stage fighter, couldn’t react in time. Chris’s blade struck true, severing his head cleanly.
Chris’s strength was at the Pinnacle mid-stage level, making him far superior to an early-stage opponent.
The remaining bandit leader, sensing the disparity in power, tried to flee.
“Don’t let him escape!”
Chris roared, and he and Bob launched a coordinated assault. Within moments, the Pinnacle mid-stage bandit leader fell under their combined attack.
Meanwhile, the woman efficiently dispatched the remaining bandits.
With the battle over, the group stood catching their breath.
Chris’s expression grew grim. “Although we’ve dealt with these bandits, the real threat is still the bald man. If he catches up to us, we’re doomed. I have a plan-we need to head deeper into Celestial Peaks.”
“What?”
Bob’s face turned pale. “Chris, the inner regions of Celestial Peaks are a forbidden zone! We may be in the outer edges now, but going further in would mean certain death!”
Chris sighed. “We have no choice. We’re at a dead end. That bald man is a Pinnacle late-stage fighter, and he has an army of bandits with him. We can’t match their strength. Our only option is to head into the depths of Celestial Peaks.”
Hearing this, both Bob and the woman fell silent. They knew Chris was right-there was nowhere else to go.
Finally, the woman spoke. “Alright, Chris. We’ll do as you say.”
Just then, Chris’s expression changed. “No! He’s here!”
He could feel a powerful presence approaching from the distance. It could only be the bald man.
“We need to move, now!”
Without hesitation, Chris and his companions fled toward the depths of Celestial Peaks.
Not long after they disappeared, the bald man arrived with his bandits.
Seeing the bodies of his fallen men, the bald man’s face twisted with rage.
“Chase them down! No matter what, I want them dead!”
With that, the bald man and his group gave chase.
Celestial Peaks was an immense, primeval forest, teeming with danger. As night fell, the terrifying roars of beasts echoed endlessly.
By now, Chris and his companions had reached the outer edge of the Celestial Peaks interior.
But the bald man and his men were hot on their trail.
The bald man sneered. “Let’s see where you’ll run to now.”
To him, Chris and his companions were as good as dead. Venturing further into Celestial Peaks was suicide.
“Is that so? Let’s go!”
Chris smirked and led his group deeper into the forest.
“What?!”
The bald man was stunned as he watched them vanish into the forbidden interior.
“Madness! They’re completely insane!” he spat. “The inner regions of Celestial Peaks are full of deadly perils. A mere Pinnacle mid-stage fighter dares to enter? They’re walking to their deaths. Let’s move out!”
The bald man and his bandits retreated, unwilling to risk the dangers of the forest’s depths. Even a Pinnacle late-stage fighter like him wouldn’t venture there lightly.
The next day, as the sun rose, Chris and his companions found themselves deep in the heart of Aethelgard.
The area was crawling with powerful beasts, and the group moved cautiously, every step measured.
Suddenly, a series of thunderous roars shook the forest.
“Roar! Roar! Roar!”
Out of nowhere, a Fifth Grade late-stage beast, a Thunder Leopard, appeared before them.
The Thunder Leopard’s strength was equivalent to that of a Pinnacle late-stage warrior.
Chris and his companions exchanged bitter smiles.
To think they had just escaped the bald man, only to encounter a Thunder Leopard. The Celestial Peaks truly was a perilous place.
“Attack!”
Without hesitation, the three joined forces to battle the beast.
Chris slashed at the Thunder Leopard’s back, forcing it to retreat a few steps.
Realizing it couldn’t take them down, the Thunder Leopard turned and vanished into the forest.