Provocation

As they rushed into the stairwell, the nearest window in the corridor shattered, sending shards of twisted glass flying inward.

"Find the kayak and come back for me!" Simon's voice echoed from above; he had already raced to the rooftop.

"Alright!" Milly did not hesitate, immediately dragging Lily down the stairs.

Long saw the Nightmare Beast's tentacles reaching through the window into the stairwell. Gritting his teeth, he shouted, "Simon, be careful!" and then hurried after Milly down the stairs.

Upon reaching the rooftop, Simon was met with the sight of countless monster corpses piled high. But there was no time to marvel at them; he swiftly moved to the edge of the roof. Below, he saw the enormous form of the Nightmare Beast clinging to the exterior wall of the stairwell on the thirty-second floor. It suddenly reared back, revealing the gigantic eye on its abdomen.

Simon realized it was about to unleash another ultrasonic attack on the stairwell. The destructive power of this sonic blast could easily demolish the stairwell.

"Damn creature!" Simon roared in anger. He transferred the machete and shovel to his left hand and gripped his iron rod in his right. The muscles on his right arm bulged to their limits, veins standing out like worms crawling under his skin.

With a fierce yell, he hurled the iron rod like a javelin at the Nightmare Beast's exposed eye. The rod flew with the speed of an arrow, striking the enormous eye in an instant. Almost simultaneously, the beast's tentacles flailed, hitting the rod.

With a resounding "crack," the iron rod bent and was sent flying far beyond what Simon could have thrown with his own strength.

Although the rod failed to injure the Nightmare Beast's eye, it caused the creature a twinge of pain, making the massive eye roll upward.

Sensing danger, Simon quickly retreated.

With a thunderous "boom," the edge of the rooftop exploded into fragments.

This was the invisible attack of the ultrasonic wave. Had Simon not moved in time, he would have been obliterated.

His only consolation was that, despite the Nightmare Beast's terrifying power and unseen sonic assaults, its movement and attack speed were its only weaknesses.

Although the Nightmare Beast's slower movement and attack speed could be considered a weakness compared to its level and power, it was not slower than Simon.

Simon had intended to use Long's shovel and Milly's machete to attract the Nightmare Beast's attention, luring it to the rooftop. This would give Long and the others a chance to escape and find the kayak. Then, he planned to jump into the water from the rooftop and join them in their escape.

However, merely throwing the iron rod had already captured the Nightmare Beast's attention and provoked it.

As the edge of the rooftop burst open, numerous tentacles emerged from the gap. Clearly, the Nightmare Beast had abandoned its pursuit of Long and Milly, turning its focus to the rooftop.

Simon immediately sprinted towards the other side. Upon seeing the heap of corpses before him, a sudden idea struck him. He set down the shovel and machete, grabbed two beast corpses from the ground, and hurled them at the approaching tentacles.

A constant rustling sound filled the air as the enormous Nightmare Beast climbed upward, its tentacles flailing. The two hurled corpses were effortlessly swatted away by the beast's tentacles, falling into the water below.

Simon continuously grabbed corpses—beast carcasses, water rat corpses, and sea monitor lizard remains—and hurled them with all his might at the ascending Nightmare Beast. Although these corpses couldn't harm the creature, they managed to slow its ascent.

One after another, the corpses flew toward the Nightmare Beast. Some collided with its tentacles and were knocked into the water below; others were swatted away, shattered, and fell into the water.

Simon, exerting all his strength, hurled nearly twenty corpses before sweat began to bead on his forehead. The continuous effort of throwing the corpses took a toll on his stamina, and he began to feel his arms growing numb.

Despite the obstruction, the Nightmare Beast continued its climb.

Now fully enraged by Simon, the Nightmare Beast finally reached the rooftop. Dozens of tentacles lashed out, flailing wildly. It reared up on its hind legs like a human, then lunged towards Simon with its massive body.

It refrained from using its supersonic wave attack because, although devastating, each emission required a recovery period to recharge its energy. Now, it opted for a charge attack against Simon.

Clearly provoked, it abandoned the intent to capture Simon alive, now aiming solely to slay him on the spot.

With its armored carapace, the Nightmare Beast resembled a living fortress. When it charged, its sheer size and weight were akin to a tank rolling forward.

Should Simon be struck, his fate would likely be instant pulverization—bones shattered, flesh torn asunder, possibly reduced to a gruesome pulp.

"Cursed beast!" Simon roared, gripping the shovel with all his might, aiming for the colossal eye on the creature's belly as it barreled towards him.

He suspected this eye to be its vulnerable spot, yet hitting it proved challenging. Even his earlier throw with the iron rod had caught it off guard, but caused no harm.

The shovel flew forth, and the Nightmare Beast, clearly protective of its vulnerable eye, immediately leaned forward, shielding it with dozens of retracting tentacles.

The shovel was ensnared by a tentacle and hurled back towards Simon.

Simon seized the remaining machete, opting not to block the returning shovel with it. He knew his strength was no match for the Nightmare Beast's. Blocking with the machete would likely shatter it and injure himself.

Pushing off the ground with both feet, he narrowly evaded the shovel's trajectory and sprinted at full speed towards the rooftop's edge directly ahead.

The Nightmare Beast whipped up dozens of tentacles like a frenzy of whips, lashing out wildly.