The monster let out another roar, instantly snapping the attention of Liam and his team.


"Damn," Drake yelled, staring at the walking anatomy chart. "What is that thing? It's... distinct, I'll give it that."


The arrival of the transparent croc-lizard-thing sent the lesser mobs into a panic. The Aqua Simians and Arrow Serpents that had been swarming Liam, Gwen, and the others scrambled out of the way. With a snarl, the beast ignored them and charged straight for Liam's team.


The Insight Rune flared to life on Liam's forehead. His vision locked onto the charging behemoth, pulling up its stat sheet in his mind's eye.


[Name: Crocolisk]


[Rank: Level 4 Elite Beast]


[Details: Mouth carries a cocktail of bacteria and viruses. Bites cause severe infection and uncontrollable bleeding (Debuff: Hemorrhage), leading to death. High Strength. Uses tail as a whip.]


[Potential Drop: Special Skill – 'Venom Fang']


"Watch out!" Liam barked. "Its mouth is toxic. Do not get bit!" He tightened his grip on his machete, stepping forward to intercept the charge.


But Drake and Gwen didn't look terrified. Actually, they looked... hungry. Excited.


In this world, killing unique monsters meant a chance at looting unique abilities. A good skill drop could skyrocket a fighter's power—just look at Liam's Spider Climb. Without that skill, Liam wouldn't stand a chance against a Level 5 Ether Wielder like Shane Channing. But with it? He was deadlier than Shane.


The Crocolisk moved with terrifying speed for a biped. As a Level 4 Elite, it was in a different weight class than the fodder mobs. Even the other monsters gave it a wide berth, terrified of getting trampled.


Liam sprinted to meet it. Just as they were about to collide, he triggered Spider Climb. His body became a blur, his legs leaving afterimages as he strafed with impossible agility, flanking the monster. He raised his machete high.


At the exact same moment, the creature's translucent tail snapped around like a bullwhip.


Thanks to his Insight, Liam had seen the attack coming. He didn't flinch. He spun the machete in his hand, intercepting the incoming tail with a brutal downward chop.


There was a sound like tough leather ripping. The Crocolisk shrieked in agony as blood sprayed across the roof. Its long, see-through tail went flying, severed clean off by Liam's blade.


Drake, Gwen, and Harris immediately moved in, encircling the wounded beast to finish the job.


But the fight wasn't over.


BOOM.


A heavy impact shook the entire roof. At the edge of the building, a massive shape vaulted up and slammed onto the concrete. The landing was so violent that spiderweb cracks fractured the cement beneath its feet.


It was a humanoid brute, over two meters tall and completely skinless. It looked like an inside-out bodybuilder, nothing but raw, red, pulsating muscle tissue. It didn't roar; it just started stomping toward them.


It wasn't fast, but it was heavy. Every step sent a tremor through the floor, cracking the ground with sheer mass.


"Another one?" Drake shouted, eyes wide. "Are you kidding me?"


Liam, having just backed away from the flailing Crocolisk, whipped his head toward the new threat. The Insight Rune flashed again.


[Name: Titan Brute]


[Rank: Level 4 Elite Beast]


[Details: A strength-based tank. High straight-line sprint speed, but terrible turning radius. Muscle tissue provides 'Iron Skin' defense. Weakness: The exposed head.]


[Potential Drop: Special Skill – 'Might Surge']


Two Level 4 Elites at once. Liam realized with a sinking feeling that the commotion—and all the monster carcasses falling into the water—had woken up the deep-dwellers. This was getting out of hand.


"It's a Titan Brute!" Liam shouted, assuming command. "Aim for the head! It turns like a truck, but it's slow. You guys take the Brute—I'll finish the Crocolisk!"


Liam barked out a command, cutting through the chaos. Compared to the Titan Brute, the Crocolisk was the bigger threat—one bite from that walking biohazard meant dealing with a cocktail of lethal viruses. He decided to take the lizard solo and leave the Brute to the rest of the squad.


"On it!" Drake yelled back, immediately moving to intercept the giant. He wasn't stupid; he knew better than to go head-to-head with something that strong. The plan was to stall.


Gwen and Harris fell in right behind him. The Titan Brute, which had been lumbering forward, suddenly crouched low and exploded into a sprint.


That charge was the only fast thing about the monster. It was like a tank with the brakes cut—pure, unstoppable force. If you didn't get out of the way, you wouldn't just be broken; you'd be turned into roadkill.


The Brute slammed forward, but Drake and his team scattered just in time.


On the other side of the battlefield, Liam let out a long, piercing whistle as he lunged at the Crocolisk. He trusted his team to handle the Brute, but he was worried about reinforcements spawning. He needed to end this fast.


Spider Climb activated.


Liam moved like a phantom, a blur of motion. The Crocolisk reared up on its hind legs, swiping with massive claws, but it was just shredding air. Thick, reeking saliva dripped from its jaws—a toxic sludge of bacteria—but the beast couldn't land a bite. It couldn't even track where Liam was anymore.


Liam flashed to the monster's flank and launched himself into the air. He gripped his machete with both hands, channeled every ounce of his strength, and brought the blade down on the lizard's neck.


Black blood sprayed. The Level 4 Elite Class Crocolisk was decapitated in a single stroke, its massive head tumbling across the ground.


A wisp of Ether drifted from the corpse and vanished into Liam's forehead. A notification pinged in his mind: Killing a same-level Elite Beast. +2 Ether.


Only 13 more until the next level.


With the lizard down, Liam turned to check on the others. They had the Titan Brute surrounded.


The Brute had missed its charge and was struggling to turn around, looking clumsy as hell. Harris saw the opening. He gripped his shortspear and thrust it with everything he had.


The Brute threw an arm up to block. The spear tip hit the bulging muscle and stopped dead. Harris stared in horror—the blade hadn't even broken the skin.


"Are you kidding me?" Harris gasped. Now he understood why Liam had told them to aim for the head.