Chapter 136: Action

The figure of the man vanished.

It was not that he had run away, but rather that he had completely disappeared, as though he had been erased from existence.

Whether to the naked eye or the perception of Awakeners, the man was nowhere to be seen. His aura had vanished completely, as had that of the Silverheart Lotus.

The monsters rioted upon sensing this.

Someone had actually stolen their treasure right under their noses and escaped!

And the person doing this was a human, no less!

How could they possibly accept this?

"Roar!" A terrifying growl came from a giant wolf. It turned around and stared at an ape covered in crimson fur, as though expecting it to make a move.

The Fiery-Eyed Ape did not let it down.

A circle of flames gathered in front of each of its crimson eyes, enhancing its vision.

Then, its gaze swept across the surroundings, its eyes cold.

It didn’t take long.

Soon, it had locked onto a target.

It was the man.

Seemingly having merged with the shadows themselves, he walked through the shadow of a nearby tree, escaping the area with great haste.

Upon catching sight of him, the Fiery-Eyed Ape did not hesitate. It erupted with power.

"Roar!"

Flames gathered around its right arm as it punched forward with all its strength.

Boom!

The trees and plants along the fist’s path were shattered into pieces.

Soon, the blow landed on the shadows, forcing the thief to come out of them and making him face the next attack head-on.

Watching this happen from dozens of feet away, Aurelius hesitated.

He wondered whether he should take action. Not to save the man, but to grab the Silverheart Lotus.

However, just as he urged his Spirit and was about to step forward, he looked in the opposite direction and seemed to have noticed something. His stretched-out hand, which was ready to launch Radiant Lance, slowly moved back and settled near his waist.

Aurelius’ decision directly changed the man’s fate.

Forced to face the Fiery-Eyed Ape’s attack, the man grumbled.

He had never expected that this monster would have such powerful reconnaissance abilities that it would be able to discover him. They far surpassed those of even Awakeners like Archers.

’Thankfully, I’ve prepared for situations like these,’ the man muttered inwardly, reaching into his pocket and retrieving an item from inside.

The monsters around him had no time to examine this item closely. The man soon clenched his palm, shattering it in a fluid motion.

A green light instantly flashed. It enveloped him before carrying him away at a terrifying speed.

The monsters were left stunned.

Had their prey actually escaped?

The Fiery-Eyed Ape, in particular, grew even more furious when it realized that its punch had failed to kill its opponent.

Its decision was swift. Without any hesitation, it chased after the green light.

It was not the only one.

Nearly all the monsters—save for those that were seriously injured and could no longer compete with the treasure—chased after it.

With their intelligence, they could tell that the green light came from a consumable item.

Once it ran out of energy, the man would slow down and reappear. With them being prepared, there would be no way for him to escape this time.

Within mere moments, the once-packed clearing had become desolate.

Besides the traces of destruction caused by the earlier battle, only a few monsters remained.

Even they, after looking at the backs of their departing companions, sighed in disappointment and prepared to leave, intending to recover from their injuries.

The Millennium-Frost Lizard was the most seriously injured.

Knowing that this was its chance to escape before any other member of its race targeted it, it hurriedly retreated into the forest before anyone could react.

Its massive frame weaved through the trees as it tried to conceal itself to the best of its ability.

Yet the Rank 2 monster could not go far.

Shortly afterward, its footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

A figure was reflected in its blue eyes, hidden beneath a natural landmark.

The figure greatly resembled the man who had just stolen the treasure, causing hatred and resentment to arise within the lizard’s heart.

Although monsters could easily distinguish between humans, the Millennium-Frost Lizard was not in the right state of mind to think.

It did not care whether the other party was related to the man who had tricked it.

Finding a human of the same kind as its greatest enemy was more than enough to fill it with excitement!

It could finally vent its anger on them!

"Roar!" Its mouth opened wide as its front limbs crashed down upon the puny human.

Despite being injured, the Millennium-Frost Lizard’s power was astonishing.

The temperature in the surroundings dropped to the freezing point as its sharp claws rapidly descended toward the tiny figure, shrouding them in their shadows.

Surprisingly, its opponent showed neither fear nor shock.

Instead, they glanced at it with a pitying expression before shaking their head.

"You’re quite unfortunate. First, you were targeted by the other monsters for daring to step forward. Now, you happened to meet me while escaping."

"It seems that your destiny is to die today."

The Millennium-Frost Lizard couldn’t understand human words.

Yet its opponent’s refusal to dodge the attack had already shown their arrogance.

In its eyes, the other party was already dead!

The image of the puny prey being torn apart under its claws emerged in its mind, and it recalled the sweet taste of human blood.

But just then, its expression suddenly froze.

Its pupils shrank.

Under its stunned eyes, an azure silhouette materialized behind the man.

It pointed a finger at it.

Instantly, frost began to form all over its body.

It first appeared on the ground beneath it and then on its legs before spreading across the rest of its body.

Soon, the Millennium-Frost Lizard was encased in a thick layer of ice.

It wanted to struggle. To break free.

Unfortunately for it, it was already too late.

The man smiled faintly.

As though in response...

Bang!

Both the ice prison and the monster body exploded!