Kael had no time for small talk. Now that the Wolf King was dead, it was time to harvest.

  "Wolf King's fangs, monster core, pelt, and claws... that should about do it." With a practiced flick, Kael shifted the Omni-Sphere into a razor-sharp skinning knife.

  In a flurry of precise movements, he stripped away the desired materials and fed them into the Material Synthesizer.

  "Which way to the heart of the forest?" Kael asked, stowing his weapon and walking up to Iron Bear.

  His expression was serene, his tone flat. It was as if he hadn't just slaughtered a Wind-Ripper Wolf King—as if he had done nothing more significant than butchering a chicken.

  "T-That way..." Iron Bear stammered, his mouth hanging open. Still reeling from shock, he reflexively pointed a finger toward the deep thickets.

  "Got it. Thanks." Kael nodded and immediately set off in the indicated direction without a second glance.

  It wasn't until Kael’s silhouette vanished into the darkness that Iron Bear finally found his voice.

  "Wait! That way... that’s where the Class-rank monsters are!"

  But Kael was long gone. Behind Iron Bear, the remaining mercenaries broke into a frantic, hushed chatter, their hearts still pounding with lingering fear.

  "Who was that guy? How can someone be that strong?"

  "He must be a powerhouse from another region. We're damn lucky he crossed our path."

  "No kidding. If not for him, we’d all be wolf dung by sunrise."

  "I can't believe I doubted him earlier. Thank the gods he didn't take offense."

  "As if a man like that has time to waste on a nobody like you."

  Among the crowd, there was shock, relief, and lingering terror. But above all, there was a profound, bone-deep awe for Kael. Only someone with such terrifying power would dare to stroll deeper into the Cloud Mist Forest at an hour like this.

  ROAR—!

  "Defensive formation! Dammit, why is there a Class-rank beast out here?" Blood Wolf grunted as he raised his shield to meet the charge of a Crag-Smasher Ape.

  The impact was cataclysmic. The ape's berserk strength sent Blood Wolf flying backward. His squad members immediately shifted their formation to cover him.

  "Hah... hah..." Blood Wolf scrambled to his feet, holding his shortsword across his chest, glaring at the beast.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  This Crag-Smasher Ape had been stalking them ever since they lit their campfires. It had waited until the dead of night, the exact moment the watch shift was changing—the moment of peak exhaustion—to launch its ambush. Four of his ten sentries had been killed instantly.

  GUR-HRAAA! The ape pounded its chest, letting out a deafening roar of intimidation. Four corded, muscular arms rippled with destructive power. This beast was also known as the Four-Armed Demon Ape, a strength-type Class-rank monster. Curiously, it wasn't even native to the Cloud Mist Forest.

  "Why is a Crag-Smasher appearing here?" Blood Wolf wondered briefly, but he didn't have the luxury of deep thought.

  "Teams of three! Do not engage it head-on!" Blood Wolf barked.

  The Blood Wolf Squad reacted instantly. Within seconds, they were in position—the clear difference between a disciplined elite unit and a mindless rabble.

  "[Ice Spears]!"

  The mages in the center waved their staves. Mana coalesced, and dozens of jagged ice projectiles materialized in the air.

  "Fire!"

  FWOOSH—!

  The spears whistled through the air, slamming into the ape's hide and shattering into a cloud of frost.

  "Tough skin," Blood Wolf muttered. He hadn't expected mere ice spears to bring it down. As the ice settled, the rest of the squad lunged forward with blades and axes.

  ROAR!

  The ape let out a massive bellow, and its fur shimmered with a subtle, metallic glint. When the mercenaries' weapons struck, they let out the shrill clang of metal hitting iron. The ape's hide had hardened into a living suit of armor.

  "Fall back!" Blood Wolf commanded, stepping forward with his shield raised.

  The ape swung its four massive arms in a chaotic, crushing arc. The sound of the wind shearing around its fists was enough to tell the tale—if those hit, even a heavy-armored Knight would lose half their life, if not more. This was the raw, terrifying gap between Brave-rank and Class-rank.

  "Brave-rank Skill: Burst!"

  A intricate, glowing mark suddenly flared on Blood Wolf’s left hand. This was his Brave Mark. His signature skill, [Burst], allowed him to instantly amplify all his attributes for a short duration. However, it required a cooldown period; using it consecutively would put a lethal strain on his body.

  BOOM!

  The ape’s fist slammed into his shield. Gritting his teeth, Blood Wolf held his ground, though the earth beneath his boots shattered under the pressure. The ice shards on the ground suddenly swirled up, freezing around the ape's joints into crystalline shackles.

  Seizing the opening, Blood Wolf thrust his shortsword toward the beast's heart. Driven by the amplified strength of [Burst], the blade pierced through the iron-like hide and sank deep into the ape's flesh.

  HRAAAAAA!

  The pain drove the ape into a frenzy. It flexed its muscles, and the ice shackles shattered instantly. The mages groaned in unison, the mental backlash from the broken spell hitting them like a physical blow.

  The ape’s crimson eyes locked onto Blood Wolf. Its protruding tusks glistened as a massive fist, moving like a black blur, slammed into his shield once more.

  The impact tore the shortsword from the ape's body as Blood Wolf was sent hurtling through the air, a trail of blood mist following in his wake.

  CRASH!

  Several ancient trees snapped like toothpicks as Blood Wolf finally came to a halt amidst a cloud of dust.

  AOOO-HRAAA!

  The Crag-Smasher Ape roared in triumph and charged on all fours toward the fallen warrior. It was thoroughly enraged by the man who had dared to draw its blood.

  "Cough... its strength is too much. The ice couldn't hold it," Blood Wolf groaned as he struggled up. Even though he had blocked the blow, the shockwave had rattled his internals.

  "Use the chains! Bind it now!"

  CLANG!

  Several burly squad members unslung heavy iron chains—each link as thick as a child's arm—and hurled them toward the beast. Their years of shared combat experience allowed them to react without a single word of command.