Chapter 73: Killing a Level 30 Monster (1)

"Raven, what should we do next?" Rose asked.

Raven, who was sitting back and gazing into the distance, was surprised by the question.

He turned toward Rose, who was sitting next to him.

"I haven’t thought about it yet. Maybe we should go hunting. Leveling up is the safest option for now," he replied casually.

Rose nodded in agreement.

"You’re right. In that case, Claire and I will go hunting first. You wait here."

After saying that, she stood up and walked into the cave.

...

A week flew by. During that time, the players either went hunting or fought among themselves.

But with only a little over six hundred people left, the test area had become quiet. The chances of encountering other players were also very slim.

Even so, Victor and his group didn’t give up searching for Raven. They seemed determined to kill him on the spot.

"Still haven’t found him?" Victor asked in a heavy voice.

Kael, Thomas, and the others lowered their heads.

"Damn..."

Victor growled angrily, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t blame them—it wasn’t their fault.

Searching for Raven and his group was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

After calming down, Victor spoke in a much more measured tone.

"I’m rescinding my order. Don’t look for Raven anymore."

His men were taken aback.

"What do you mean, Victor? Are you just giving up like that?" Kael asked in astonishment.

Victor rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"So, can you find Raven and his group?"

Kael’s face froze as an embarrassed smile crossed his lips.

Of course, he couldn’t.

"Forget it. That’s my decision."

Victor waved his hand.

"The fourth mission will begin shortly. Focus on leveling up as much as possible. Don’t let the others get ahead of you."

Without saying another word, he turned and walked away, leaving Kael, Thomas, and the others confused.

...

"Phew! I finally leveled up!" Claire said happily.

"Open the system panel."

[STATUS]

Name: Claire Hiragi

Age: 24

Level: 21 (1/2500)

Talents: Strength (C), Endurance (C), Intelligence (A), Magic (S), Agility (D), Speed (D), Charisma (S), Vitality (B)

Class: Wizard

First Awakening: None

Second Awakening: None

Third Awakening: None

Skills: Basic Magic Understanding (S), Cooking (B), Sewing (C),...

Storage: Butterfly-shaped ribbon, Magic Staff of Light (Rare)

After checking her progress, she couldn’t help but laugh.

"What level are you now, Claire?" Rose asked as she swung her sword to the side.

"Level 21. It’s getting harder to level up with so few resources around here," Claire replied, shaking her head.

Even so, she was quite satisfied. At least she was stronger than before.

"You’re right. I’m still at level 20. I need sixty more experience points, which means I still need six thousand experience points," Rose said helplessly.

"It’s okay. I’ll help you," Claire assured her.

"Thank you."

Rose smiled.

Claire nodded before turning toward Raven, who was standing in the distance. He seemed to be staring at something.

Curious, Claire pulled Rose closer and asked, "What are you doing, Raven?"

"Shh..."

Raven raised his index finger to his lips.

"Look over there. I’ve been keeping an eye on that monster."

Claire and Rose followed his gaze and spotted a giant white snake guarding the entrance to a large cave.

When they opened the monster’s status panel, they were immediately stunned.

"A-A level 30 monster!?" Rose exclaimed, but Claire quickly covered her mouth with her palm.

"Shh! Don’t make a sound."

Rose flinched as she realized her mistake.

"S-Sorry," she whispered.

Raven smiled. "If we can kill that monster, we’ll earn a huge number of points."

Claire frowned.

"But... isn’t that a little dangerous? I mean, we’re only level 20 and 21. If we’re reckless, we could end up getting hurt."

"I know, but don’t you feel like there’s something strange about that monster?"

"Something strange?" Claire blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Raven didn’t answer right away. He stared intently at the monster before explaining, "That monster has been standing completely still. It must be preparing to lay its eggs."

Claire and Rose gasped.

"Are you saying it’s in a vulnerable state?"

Raven nodded.

"Exactly. Snakes tend to get weaker while laying eggs. This is our chance."

Rose and Claire could barely contain their excitement. If Raven was right, this was the perfect opportunity to take down the monster.

"Follow me."

Raven crouched slightly and began moving forward cautiously.

The two girls followed close behind, careful not to make a sound.

However, because snakes had such keen senses, they couldn’t get any closer than a hundred meters.

"Wait until it returns to its lair. We’ll go in after it."

"Okay!" Rose and Claire replied in unison.

The three of them hid behind the trees and waited quietly. Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, two hours had gone by.

Claire and Rose were starting to get bored, and their legs were feeling stiff and sore.

"Raven—"

Before Claire could finish, the snake monster suddenly slithered into the cave.

"It’s time!" Raven said excitedly.

Claire and Rose both breathed a sigh of relief. If the snake had remained outside, they had no idea what might have happened to them.

The three of them approached the cave. To stay safe, Raven maintained a distance of one hundred meters from the monster.

Fortunately, the cave wasn’t completely dark, as sunlight still filtered inside.

"Ugh! It smells awful!" Rose complained, covering her nose.

"Pfft!" Claire chuckled. "Snake nests usually smell terrible. They leave their feces around to mislead their prey. And since that snake monster is huge, its feces probably smell even worse."

Rose pouted in annoyance but said nothing more.

"We’re here."

Raven’s voice came from ahead.

They turned toward the cave and saw that it was much larger than they had expected.

Sharp stalactites hung from the ceiling. If even one of them fell, the consequences could be disastrous.

"Look, there’s the monster!"

Rose pointed toward the far end of the cave. The white snake was coiled around its massive nest, lying completely still as if it were dead.

"Don’t move until I give you the signal," Raven said.

They both nodded in understanding.

Raven opened the monster’s status panel and smiled broadly.

"Just a little longer..."