Kargul felt a surge of pride as he watched Evelyn dart through the dense jungle, her movements as sharp and fluid as a predator’s. The transformation after her visit to the system shop was astonishing. She had struggled in fights that should have been trivial for her, and Kargul had worried deeply for her safety. But now, she seemed like an entirely new person.

Evelyn had promised she would grow stronger, and she had. Not just stronger—remarkably so. It was as though the system shop had remade her. Her speed had become almost unnatural, and even after a grueling battle with a pack of metal-fanged lions, she showed no signs of exhaustion. She healed Kargul and Vorlok with effortless grace, empowering them both while maintaining her own stamina.

Watching her now, weaving between the trees with a bright smile as if the battle were nothing more than a game, Kargul felt an overwhelming sense of relief. He wasn’t the only one. Vorlok, stoic as he was, seemed more at ease. The turtle had tried to mask his concerns for Evelyn with his usual unflappable demeanor, but Kargul, ever sharp, had noticed.

The trio was still on their journey to find Evelyn’s missing friends, two humans Kargul didn’t particularly care for. His focus was on the hunt, the bond with his newfound family—Evelyn and Vorlok. It was a bond he had never expected.

Humans had existed on his homeworld long ago, or so the stories claimed. Weak creatures, easily crushed by orcish might, they had disappeared generations ago. Kargul had always scoffed at the tales, never expecting to call one of those fragile beings family. And yet, here was Evelyn—an enigma wrapped in brilliance.

Not that Kargul resented her. Quite the opposite. Evelyn was clever, far sharper than most orcs he’d known. And Vorlok? The mighty turtle had chosen Kargul as his companion—a fact that filled him with pride. “Let others envy me,” he thought. “I’ve achieved something even beastmasters dream of.”

The jungle stretched around them, thick and teeming with life. Unlike the glowing blue forests of earlier stages, these trees were enormous but dull, their lack of luminescence a disappointment to Kargul. “If I can’t have the light,” he muttered to himself, “I’ll settle for smashing something big.”

Vorlok sniffed the air, his massive head swaying left and right. His nostrils flared as he caught a scent, and Kargul’s ears pricked up.

“You found something?” Kargul’s voice softened, playful, as if speaking to a child. “Good Vorlok. Go find it.”

The turtle shot forward, Evelyn still perched on his shell, cheering him on. His speed was astonishing, a blur of motion through the towering trees. Kargul gripped his weapon tightly, his grin widening as they approached their quarry. The source of the scent was soon revealed—a monstrous, 15-meter-long serpent coiled around a tree, its scales shimmering like black glass.

Kargul’s heart raced. This was no ordinary foe; this was a challenge. He resisted the urge to bellow, to announce their battle to the jungle, and instead surged forward. His goal was clear: strike the snake simultaneously with Vorlok, their combined strength overwhelming the beast in one decisive blow.

Runepython Level 80

Oh yes, Vorlok had found a worthy opponent. Kargul grinned savagely as he charged the massive serpent, his skin glowing with the faint orange light of runes etched into his very being. The serpent, a looming shadow of power, coiled in preparation, its gaze locked on the approaching duo.

But Kargul and Vorlok were not deterred. “Master smashers” as Kargul liked to call them, their strategy relied not on finesse but on unrelenting aggression. Above them, Evelyn perched gracefully on a sturdy branch, her hands weaving glowing patterns in the air as she cast her support spell. The aura enveloping Kargul and Vorlok grew brighter, a testament to her skill. Before the system shop, Evelyn would have struggled to dismount quickly, let alone cast from such a vantage point. Seeing her so confident and composed filled Kargul with pride.

Suddenly, the snake unleashed a burst of power, sending a shockwave rippling through the air. It hit with the force of a hurricane, throwing Kargul and Vorlok off their feet. Evelyn, quick as ever, raised her barrier just in time, deflecting the brunt of the blast. Kargul’s chest swelled with pride again—Evelyn wasn’t just strong; she was unstoppable.

Farther back, Eddie and Chloe stood rooted to the spot, their faces pale as they watched the battle unfold. At level 74, they knew better than to risk their lives against such a powerful foe. Their greedy eyes, however, betrayed their intentions—they were already planning how to claim the serpent’s form once Vorlok and Kargul had finished it off.

Kargul crashed into a tree with a thunderous impact, the force splintering the trunk and leaving a deep impression. “Level 80 beasts are always terrifying,” he thought as he pushed himself up, shaking off the pain. His shoulder throbbed, and for a brief moment, he wondered if it had broken. But before the thought could settle, warmth flooded through him as Evelyn’s healing magic knit him back together.

The serpent was relentless, surging toward Kargul with unnatural speed, its sinuous body almost gliding over the forest floor. To Kargul, this was ideal—it just made the target easier to smash. Fueled by Evelyn’s newly enhanced boost, Kargul met the serpent head-on, his mace glowing with energy. The impact was thunderous, but instead of the satisfying crunch he expected, Kargul found himself hurled backward into another tree. Pain lanced through his body again, sharper this time.

His shoulder screamed in protest, but Evelyn’s magic was faster. A surge of warmth and energy restored him almost instantly. The serpent bore down on him again, its glowing runes pulsing with malicious intent. It swiped its tail lazily, sending Vorlok crashing into another tree. Kargul’s instincts screamed at him—this was no ordinary beast.

Determined, Kargul activated every boosting skill he had, his mace swelling to an enormous size. His next strike was precise, smashing into the serpent’s head with enough force to send scales flying. The creature hissed, its movements erratic from the blow, but Kargul could see it was far from defeated. Its wounds began to close, the ground itself seeming to feed its regeneration.

Behind him, Vorlok seized his chance, clamping his powerful jaws around the serpent’s tail and tearing it clean off. The serpent hissed again, this time in fear, its glowing eyes narrowing. Orange light radiated from its body as it released another, even stronger shockwave. Kargul braced himself, but the wave was too powerful. It hurled him thirty meters back, slamming him into yet another tree.

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Groaning, Kargul rose to his feet. His hardened skin had absorbed most of the impact, and Evelyn’s magic took care of the rest. The serpent, its runes now blazing with light, sank into the earth with a serpentine grace, disappearing as though the ground itself had swallowed it. Kargul gripped his mace tightly ready for the snake shooting out of the ground.

“Uh, where is it?” Kargul muttered, his voice uncertain as his eyes scanned the ground where the snake had vanished. He crouched slightly, muscles coiled in readiness, expecting the serpent to emerge at any moment. But the earth remained still.

“It fled—it’s already over fifty meters away,” Evelyn’s calm voice cut through the tension. She landed lightly beside him, her expression as composed as ever.

Kargul didn’t bother questioning her; Evelyn was the smartest of their group, and if she said the snake was gone, then it was gone. Nearby, Vorlok snarled and slammed his heavy flippers into the ground where the snake had disappeared, as if sheer force might drag it back into the fight.

“What do we have here?” a snickering voice echoed from above, dripping with smug amusement. Vorlok’s head snapped upward, his sharp eyes scanning the canopy for the speaker.

Kargul followed his companion’s gaze and spotted four figures perched on a thick tree branch, fifty meters above them. Their glowing red eyes pierced through the shadows. Two of them had leathery wings unfurled, like grotesque mockeries of bat wings.

Vampire – Level 80

Vampire – Level 79

Vampire – Level 80

Vampire – Level 80

The status indicators burned bright in Kargul’s vision.

“Haha, one beast has already escaped,” Kargul roared, his deep voice brimming with excitement. “But now, the true battle begins!” His skin glowed brighter as power surged through his body, braun runes flaring like wildfire on his skin.

“Yeah, come over here, bloodbag,” one vampire sneered, his grin revealing elongated fangs before he let out an ear-piercing screech.

“Quiet!” Kargul bellowed, launching himself upward in a blur of motion. His mace swung in a massive arc toward the vampires. The air cracked under the force of his attack.

The four male vampires didn’t waste time on more taunts. They moved with inhuman speed, their slim builds deceptive as they darted toward Evelyn and the others, bypassing Kargul entirely. Their intent was clear: take out the healer and the weakest members first.

One vampire conjured a sphere of crimson energy in his hand and hurled it at Eddie, who barely dodged in time. The blood orb exploded behind him with a sharp hiss, leaving a smoldering crater. Vorlok sniffed the air and growled, his instincts kicking into overdrive. The moment he sensed the vampire’s blood and the sheer quality of it, the skyturtle charged forward with astonishing speed, his iron-like scales deflecting the attacks aimed at him.

Meanwhile, Eddie and Chloe shifted into their steganosaur forms, the bulky, spiked dinosaurs known for their near-impenetrable defenses. Chloe’s massive tail swung out in a warning arc, the spikes gleaming ominously. One vampire hesitated, clearly regretting his earlier aggression as Vorlok closed in like a living battering ram.

Evelyn had her own pair of pursuers, but she seemed unfazed, weaving through the jungle with an agility that bordered on playful. She laughed mockingly as one vampire’s blood skills missed her, her taunts frustrating him further. Whenever the pair closed in, she would summon shimmering mana barriers in their path, forcing them to halt or redirect their pursuit.

Kargul, meanwhile, was locked in a brutal duel with the vampire leader. His massive mace swung relentlessly, each blow powerful enough to shatter bone—but his opponent was maddeningly quick. The vampire’s long, razor-sharp claws slashed at Kargul, leaving shallow but stinging wounds.

Snarling, Kargul adjusted his grip on the mace, preparing for more precise strikes. His swings wouldn’t deal as much damage, but at least he’d land a hit.

From the ground, Eddie and Chloe watched the chaotic battle. On one side, Kargul clashed with a vampire, his roars echoing through the forest. On the other, Vorlok relentlessly pursued another, his almost iron scales and shell rendering the vampire’s attacks useless. Evelyn danced effortlessly through her fight, her barriers and evasive maneuvers turning her chase into a game.

Despite the grim odds, Evelyn radiated confidence, her every move calculated and precise. Her speed and precision were on a level Kargul hadn’t seen before. Occasionally, she would glance back, her laughter taunting the vampires as she expertly evaded their grasp. Even when cornered, her barriers materialized instantly, leaving her enemies snarling in frustration.

“Help me!” the fleeing vampire screamed, his voice tinged with desperation as he glanced over his shoulder at Vorlok. The turtle seemed to grow more menacing with every step closer, its sheer presence suffocating. In contrast, the vampire’s strength appeared to wither, his wingbeats growing erratic and labored.

One of the vampires pursuing Evelyn hesitated, turning to aid his comrade. But before he could lift off, he slammed face-first into a shimmering mana barrier that Evelyn had conjured mid-air.

Meanwhile, Kargul’s fight was shifting in his favor. His relentless swings, though clumsy, now landed with increasing frequency. His opponent, previously confident, began faltering under the orc’s ferocious determination. With every missed counterattack, Kargul’s fury only grew, and exhaustion never seemed to touch him.

The fleeing vampire’s cries grew more frantic as Vorlok closed the gap to a mere half meter. Panic seeped into his every motion—until a blood-red lance struck the turtle’s head, throwing it violently into a tree.

Then Evelyn appeared, swift and unwavering. Her healing magic knitted Vorlok’s injuries at a speed that bordered on unnatural. In mere moments, the skyturtle rose once more, renewed and enraged, and launched itself at the vampires again.

“What? How is she here?” the vampire who had launched the blood spear hissed, his hatred palpable. He turned to glance at where Evelyn had been moments before, expecting her to be occupied. But his eyes widened in disbelief. Where his comrade once stood, there was now only a headless corpse falling to the ground.

Disoriented, his gaze flickered down to the two steganosaur forms on the ground. Surely, they couldn’t have done this. The idea of Evelyn—a healer—slaying a vampire seemed absurd. Yet, somehow, she had managed the impossible, her swift and deadly precision leaving no room for witnesses or resistance.

It didn’t take long for the remaining two vampires to decide their next move. They exchanged a brief glance before vanishing in a blur, teleporting away to safety.

Now, only one vampire remained, still locked in an intense battle with Kargul. The vampire, so focused on surviving the orc’s relentless assault, hadn’t realized that his comrades had fled.

The fight ended abruptly when Vorlok, renewed and ferocious, descended from above. His massive form smashed through the tree branch where the vampire had been standing. Sensing the impending danger, the vampire dissolved into mist at the last possible moment, reappearing a few meters away. It was then he noticed he was alone. With a hateful glare, he, too, disappeared into the void.

“No! Not again!” Kargul roared, his frustration boiling over as he slammed his mace into the ground. It was the second time today that his prey had escaped. Then he noticed the headless vampire corpse on the ground, moments before Vorlok scooped it up into his maw.

“Evelyn, did you do this?” Kargul asked, his voice tinged with surprise as he stared at the lifeless remains. A beat passed, and then his face split into a wide grin. “Ha! I always knew it—you’re a born headsmasher!” He pulled Evelyn into a crushing hug, laughing and jumping in sheer joy.

Nearby, Vorlok licked at the blood on the ground, still sniffing around for the vampire’s missing head. Eddie and Chloe shifted back into their human forms, sweat dripping down their faces. The intensity of these fights was something else entirely. They exchanged weary glances, silently acknowledging that without Kargul and Evelyn, they wouldn’t have lasted a day in this jungle.

It seemed the area was clear; no other undead had shown up, despite the vampire’s earlier screech.

“Haha! Let’s continue our glorious hunt!” Kargul roared, his booming voice reverberating through the jungle without a care for who might hear it.

With renewed vigor, the group moved deeper into the jungle, their sights set on finding Jack and Josh.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep