"Karnae, support us! Neve starts with the first strike! Get ready!"

Aron raised his sword and shouted.

Karnae, standing a bit further back, raised her hands and whispered a chant under her breath. A faint green light shone from her palms.

[Skill Activated: Blessing of Pulse]

[+5% Stamina Recovery Rate.

+Temporary Resistance to Flames. (1 minute)]

The blessing instantly activated on all members, increasing their stamina recovery and flame resistance.

"Lana! Neve! Twin Technique! Now!" Aron immediately shouted without wasting a second.

Lana and Neve raised their swords at the same time, stomped the ground, and charged forward.

[Technique Activated: Twin Blade – Sweeping Arc]

Their swords hit Ragzar's knees almost simultaneously.

The monster… didn't even move a millimeter.

It just bent slightly and stared at them with glowing eyes.

And then… it smiled.

Neve felt a chilling shiver shoot down her spine.

Her attack hadn't even scratched the monster.

[Technique Activated: Petal Slash]

Seeing Ragzar's attention shift to Neve, Lana delivered a quick strike.

"This bastard… how is his body this hard?!"

But all she got was a thin spark, like hitting molten iron with a blade.

Neve immediately appeared behind her.

[Technique Activated: Backstep Fang]

Her strike landed. A sharp metallic clang echoed.

The monster turned its head... and just looked.

Lana and Neve glanced at each other, unsure if they should laugh or cry.

The skills they relied on so much couldn't even scratch the creature's molten skin.

To this monster… were they even worth as much as ants?

Aron gritted his teeth when he saw their attacks had no effect.

He expected their attacks wouldn't work — but seeing it for himself still made him furious.

[Technique Activated: Falling Edge]

With a shout, he leapt up and brought his sword down from overhead.

The sword struck Ragzar's head — and cracked.

Not the monster.

It was Aron's sword that cracked.

Ragzar exhaled — and it felt like a storm blew out of his mouth.

Aron panicked, jumped back, and landed beside the others.

"What the hell is this thing made of?!"

The others said nothing and stared at the monster.

Fighting it felt like a complete waste of time.

Compared to this thing, they were lower than ants.

Ragzar took a step forward with that wide grin, his eyes full of curiosity.

He looked like he was observing a bunch of toys —

Wondering which one would break first.

As he approached the four of them, Ragzar raised his hand

And pulled a chunk of molten rock from his own body.

"Run, damn it!" Aron's eyes widened at the sight and he screamed with all his might.

Lana and Neve didn't waste any time and immediately moved out of Rag'Zar's direct line of sight.

Right then, the massive stone flew through the air — straight toward Karnae.

Karnae saw the glowing stone coming at her with a whistling sound.Everything happened fast. She dove to the side, hoping to avoid it—

But before she could hit the ground, Ragzar stretched out his hand and caught her.

A huge hand, made of cracked, fiery skin.

It was like living lava, pulled straight from the earth, Now squeezing her heart.

Karnae was caught between sky and ground, in Ragzar's grip.

Her body burned. Not just her clothes — her flesh. Her skin blistered. Steam rose from her arms.

"Ah… aaaaaah!" Her scream was filled with fear.

Her mind was filled with panic. Why her?

Why was she the one he grabbed first?

The monster stared at her with those sun-like eyes. Expressionless.

"Please… don't… don't… I don't want to be eaten alive…" She hit the monster's arm with her free hand, sobbing, breathing hard.

"Help me! Please help me!" she screamed with all her remaining strength, hoping Aron and the others would save her.

"Karnae!" Aron raised his sword and ran toward her.

"Let her go, you bastard!" At the same time, Neve and Lana moved in from both sides of the monster.

[Technique Activated: Sweeping Arc]

[Technique Activated: Petal Slash]

[Technique Activated: Backstep Fang]

Their swords hit the monster's molten skin like raindrops.

And like raindrops, they evaporated.

Ragzar didn't even turn his head.

He just lifted one foot — and slammed it down.

The stomp was like an explosion.

A wave of heat and pressure rippled from the impact like an earthquake.

All three of them were blasted away.

Lana crashed into a rock.

"No no no no—!" Neve flew straight toward the cliff and screamed:

At the last moment, his hand grabbed a frozen branch. he was just a half-step away from falling.

Snow tumbled from above. His hands got cut, but he pulled himself up.

"Please… I… don't…" She didn't want to be eaten alive. She didn't even want to imagine how painful it would be.

Ragzar raised Karnae to his face—

And then… slowly… opened his mouth.

A scream, a horrible crunching sound—

And then silence.

Her head was bitten off in one gulp.

And moments later, the rest of her body was swallowed.

Aron, Neve, and Lana gasped.

Even if death wasn't real here, Karnae still had to fully feel the pain of dying and being eaten alive.

That made them feel that bone-chilling cold run down their spines once again.

If they couldn't find a way to deal with this monster, they would be eaten alive too.

Plus, they had lost a teammate — and that would definitely lower their party's reward in the final

[One of your party members has been killed – Karnae Delnemar]

[Another participant has been eliminated – 6 remaining]

Then… Ragzar turned his eyes toward them.

Now they truly felt fear.