Killing two Rank C, another encounter

Meanwhile, Jeremy had used four more Flamehoof corpses to craft additional glass cannons.

He intended to take down the Glacialhoof.

The dominion of those beasts was working in perfect synchronization to slow down and destroy his two skeletons—he couldn't just sit back and do nothing.

Drae'mon, meanwhile, was locked in a fierce battle against the ice wolf.

He kept launching attacks, and the beast kept dodging.

The Glacialhoof clearly intended to rely on its domain and that of its brother to wear down and stall the deadly skeleton.

Drae'mon was pissed.

Every second felt like an eternity, and he couldn't find an opening.

And to make things worse, he had to remain cautious of the enemy's death explosion.

Then—his chance arrived.

His master hadn't disappointed him after all.

A high-powered Flame Blast came crashing toward the Glacialhoof, who, pressured by Drae'mon's relentless presence, failed to dodge in time.

"-3,560"

The blow made the beast stagger.

Seeing Drae'mon close in to capitalize on its vulnerable state, it quickly used a Glacial Dash, leaving a trail of frost behind that further slowed the skeleton.

7 stacks of frost.

Three more, and he'd be completely frozen.

"Don't worry, little skeleton," Jeremy said in a reassuring voice. "That's not going to happen."

And with that—

Three more full-powered Flame Blasts were fired.

The beast managed to dodge only one.

"-3,560"

"-3,560"

But that wasn't the end.

Jeremy deliberately sent the Flamehoof skeletons to die inside the monsters' domain, just so he could recreate four more and fire another barrage of Flame Blasts.

The beast was frustrated.

How was it supposed to fight something like this?

Drae'mon took the opportunity to sneak in, slash with a venomous claw, then back off just as quickly.

The Glacialhoof was at its limit—one more hit and it would either die… or explode.

But explosions were active skills.

They couldn't be triggered while under suppression.

And so, in a sudden twist of fate—

Leo'sol pounced on the ice wolf, using his Stomp skill to suppress it.

Drae'mon, in turn, switched targets and intercepted the enraged Flamehoof.

The latter's skull was mangled, but it was still alive—and absolutely livid.

So angry, in fact, that it suddenly shot a furious glare at Jeremy… and smiled.

A chill ran down Jeremy's spine.

But he wasn't afraid.

After all, the beast couldn't reach him…

Wrong.

Like many assumptions before, he had miscalculated.

Taking advantage of Drae'mon's slowed state, the Flamehoof faked a move and then dashed straight toward Jeremy with a Flame Dash.

At the same time, Jeremy's summons were busy firing at the now-paralyzed Glacialhoof…

Which is why no one was guarding him.

In the blink of an eye, a furious Flamehoof appeared right in front of him.

Its active domain skill crackled through the air, making Jeremy feel like crispy toast.

Even so, his own aura skill damaged the beast in turn.

Still, the Flamehoof managed to sink its flaming jaws into Jeremy—

He couldn't move.

Not because he didn't want to—

He was simply too slow.

He only noticed the creature once its fangs were inches from his face.

"So this is it," Jeremy thought. "Dying again… Ridiculous."

With an unsatisfied sigh, he accepted his fate.

The enraged, burning beast sank its teeth into him.

His shield shattered instantly.

So did his body—

"-2,500"

The beast was already savoring the taste of human flesh…

But then—

A sudden feeling of "fear" swept through it.

It was the effect of the shield breaking.

And at that exact moment—two things happened.

The fire skeletons fired at the Glacialhoof.

And—

A furious Drae'mon pounced on the Flamehoof, biting into its neck and digging his claws deep into the beast's already-damaged right eye.

The creature let out a feral roar.

But it wasn't over.

It readied a Flame Blast to finish Jeremy, who was still frozen in place—

Until the pain-filled roar snapped him out of his daze.

"YOU BASTARD!" Jeremy shouted, raising both hands. "How dare you bite my pretty face?!"

Then—

"Take THIS!"

An immense surge of energy exploded from his hands—

A ball of power materialized from nothing, hurtling straight toward the Flamehoof.

It was Windshoot of the Aberration, borrowed directly from his mutated summon.

And just like that—

No suspense.

The beast was blown away by the blast, taking an absurd amount of damage.

"-17,000"

"Damn," Jeremy muttered in disbelief.

He hadn't expected to burn one of his lifesaving abilities in this kind of situation.

"Luckily, that went well," he exhaled. "But next time… I swear, I won't get caught off guard."

"I simply won't participate," he added. "I'll just summon from a safe distance and let them handle it. Perfect plan."

"Now then…" he murmured, his eyes narrowing toward a certain direction in the forest.

"…how should I deal with them?"

"I see them," said the girl with the sword. "They're fighting… what are those things?"

"Skeletons!" gasped the other, clearly stunned. "Why are there skeletons here?"

"They're incredibly strong," the first added. "They're taking on those beasts head-on. How is that even possible?!"

"You saying you couldn't do that?" the second replied skeptically.

"I'm not saying I couldn't…" the first muttered. "But I'd need to go all out just to fight on equal footing."

"Winning?" she added. "That… I couldn't do."

Just then—

Something unexpected made them fall silent.

Flame Blasts slammed into the Glacialhoof one after the other—

It dodged a few, but others hit solidly.

Then—

More explosions followed.

And suddenly—

The Flamehoof was sent flying toward a specific area in the forest.

Only now did they notice—

There was a boy standing there.

Frozen in place.

Getting bitten by the beast.

"What is he doing?!" the sword girl shouted, ready to leap in. "Dodge!"

But it was too late.

All she could do was scream.

But strangely—

The boy didn't die.

In fact, the beast froze for no apparent reason.

Then—

A blast.

The Flamehoof was sent flying, dying in the same instant as the Glacialhoof.

"…"

"…"

The girls were speechless.

That guy… had won.

They stared at him, stunned—until—

His gaze turned toward them.

Jeremy had noticed them the moment they entered his perception range,

but he had been too busy not dying to care.

Now their eyes met.

And the sheer pressure of Jeremy's aura made both girls tense up.

"Shit," the younger girl whispered. "He noticed us."

"Sharp observation," Jade rolled her eyes.

But that was it.

Jeremy ignored them.

He didn't have time to waste.

…Or so he told himself.

Why am I avoiding them again? He wondered.

After gathering the loot and the beasts' corpses, he began walking toward the girls.

On his right—

A black-boned quadrupedal skeleton.

On his left—

A humanoid skeleton, covered in patches of rotting flesh, with its entire right side missing—

Charred black.

But no problem.

Storage could fix that—just needed some matching bones.

Jeremy had plenty of Razorfang, Ailurus, and Putorius remains.

Not wanting to appear weak, the girls straightened up and moved to meet him.

Shaking off their fear.

"Hi," Jeremy said, arms crossed. "You've been watching for a while. Need something?"

He activated his aura's passive pressure, thickening the air.

"H-hi," the younger girl stammered, clutching her skirt. "I'm Emily. That's my sister, Jade."

She pointed to the sharper-eyed girl beside her.

"You're strong," Jade said bluntly. "Or rather—they are."

Jeremy didn't respond.

He just stared.

"We don't want anything," Jade continued. "We heard the commotion and came to see. We just wanted to know what was happening…"