Overcoming the Odds

This time, he didn't wield the iron rod as a cudgel but transformed it into a spear. With all his strength, he thrust the meter-long rod deep into the gaping maw of the marine behemoth, driving it down its throat.

More than half of the iron rod disappeared into the creature's mouth. Simon let out a guttural roar, exerting his might to lift the impaled sea behemoth high above the ground.

With a thunderous crash, he slammed the creature onto the floor, producing a resounding impact. Blood gushed from its open mouth, and the behemoth writhed violently on the ground. Though it wasn't instantly dead, the rod had pierced vital organs, inflicting a fatal wound from which it would not recover.

Having just vanquished one adversary, Simon saw the other sea behemoth, which he had evaded earlier, turning to lunge at him. Swiftly, he withdrew the rod from the dying beast's mouth and leaped sideways with a powerful push of his legs.

Unexpectedly, the creature's attack pattern changed. It braced itself against the ground, coiling slightly before its tail lashed out like a massive whip. Caught off guard, Simon was struck by the tail and fell with a pained grunt. His thigh burned with pain, but fortunately, it was not seriously injured.

Simon knew things were taking a turn for the worse. Reacting swiftly, he rolled aside just as the rancid stench hit him, and the gaping maw of the sea behemoth loomed before him.

Cursing under his breath, he had no time to evade. Simon quickly raised his iron rod, which the creature bit into, its jaws grazing so close to his face that cold sweat broke out on his skin. 

He dreaded the sea behemoth's venomous bite, which had made him hesitant and cautious in their earlier exchanges. Now forced into close combat, Simon realized that while the creature's body was massive, it lacked his agility in close quarters.

The behemoth bit down on the rod, preparing to release and strike again, but Simon was quicker. His left hand formed a fist, delivering a solid punch to the creature's left temple. The four ten-centimeter-long "Gluttonous Fangs" embedded themselves deeply, piercing the beast's tough hide.

With a decisive motion, Simon used all his strength to slice downward, cleaving half of the creature's head. He finally exhaled in relief, kicking the beast aside and rising to his feet, only to see that Long had also gained the upper hand.

As Simon dispatched two sea behemoths in quick succession, a fourth appeared. Long, seeing this, altered his combat approach.

Previously, Long had been just as wary of the venomous sea behemoth as Simon, avoiding close combat and relying on his steel shovel to strike from a distance. Despite managing to injure the creatures, their formidable defenses prevented him from delivering fatal blows.

As the fourth sea behemoth ascended and charged toward him, Long realized the gravity of the situation. With no other options, he reluctantly withdrew his shovel and for the first time, engaged the creature up close. He evaded its initial attack, then struck with a powerful blow from his right hand as the behemoth lunged.

Bringing his hand near the maw of this venomous monster required immense courage, for a single bite or even a scrape from its teeth could result in poisoning. Fortunately, his strike landed perfectly. His right hand connected with the creature's head, and a faint, elusive substance—his unique ability, "Soul Devourer"—manifested within his palm.

Activated instantly, "Soul Devourer" left the behemoth reeling. It staggered forward a few steps, eyes rolling back, and collapsed heavily. Though its outer head showed no visible damage, its insides were ravaged, with a mix of blood and brain matter slowly oozing from its mouth and nostrils.

No sooner had he dispatched this sea behemoth than the fourth one attacked from behind. Armed with newfound confidence from his previous success, Long swiftly parried with his shovel, striking the creature aside with a resounding slap.

At this moment, Simon had already vanquished two sea behemoths. The essence of their life forces flowed into him, accompanied by two streams of information surging through his body.

"Level 2 Source Being: Source Energy 9/20"

"Level 2 Source Being: Source Energy 11/20"

"Two source energies per sea behemoth—what a pleasant surprise," Simon thought with a flicker of joy, though he did not pause. Gripping his iron rod, he charged toward Long.

Long had just sent the fourth sea behemoth sprawling when Simon came rushing from behind it. With both hands firmly grasping the rod, he swung it down forcefully.

With a resounding thud, the iron rod struck the behemoth's back. The creature roared in fury, its tail lashing out. Anticipating the move from his previous encounter, Simon easily leapt aside. Long seized the opportunity, darting forward and landing a powerful blow to the behemoth's head, unleashing his "Soul Devourer" ability.

"Soul Devourer" was a unique energy capable of penetrating skin and muscle to directly attack the brain, dismantling its structure from within and causing instant death. The behemoth, hit by Long's attack, staggered and collapsed.

"Six more to go," Long said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Simon understood. Six more source energies, and Long would evolve.

"How many are left?" Long looked at the two sea behemoths emerging from the edge of the rooftop and immediately charged towards the one on the left. "I'll take the one on the left!"

"Nine more to go," Simon replied as he headed towards the sea behemoth on the right. In his mind, a thought arose: despite Long being a Level 3 Source Being, one level higher than himself, it seemed that their strengths... weren't that different.

Since their recent battles with the sea behemoths, Simon had begun to sense this faintly. Initially, he had thought Long could easily overwhelm the sea behemoths, but reality proved otherwise; Long's victories were not any easier than his own.

"Could it be because I chose to enhance my muscles while he did not?" Simon pondered. After all, his choice of muscle enhancement directly boosted his strength by a hundred pounds and improved his control over muscles, enhancing his overall strength and speed. In contrast, Long opted to strengthen his lungs and stomach, forgoing muscle enhancement.

Lily, who had been hiding at the stairwell, suddenly heard a dense commotion coming from the dark staircase behind her.