"Great, we killed quite a few of them!"
A glance landed on the owner of the voice.
Then another.
And another.
Dozens of stares.
But there was no scorn in them, no contempt. Just confusion.
How had their master taken credit for their hard work?
That seemed to be the collective thought hanging in the air.
"Don't look at me like that—" Jeremy raised his hands in surrender, a nervous smile on his lips. "We're a team, remember?"
Not that he really needed to justify himself or anything.
Jeremy had just started to enjoy talking to his Undead skeletons. A strange kind of joy, I'd say. But hey, we're not here to judge.
He had collected at least two hundred beast corpses and just as many monster Cores. Not all of them were Rank C, unfortunately.
There were far more monsters in this Gate, but Jeremy couldn't sense them due to their special abilities.
And strangely, these beasts seemed to flee from him. Or perhaps from those behind him. They were too weak, after all—they needed help from their leader.
Then, as if to prove a point, a powerful tremor shook the ground beneath their feet, making everyone stumble.
Jeremy looked up. A smile escaped his lips. "Finally, it's coming."
He couldn't wait to face this Rank B monster.
Would it give him a decent challenge?
Jeremy certainly hoped so.
A shadow loomed on the horizon. Massive. Towering.
A monster emerged from the sand, larger than any Desert Reaver Jeremy had encountered before.
But it wasn't just the size.
Jeremy felt it instantly.
It wasn't Medium Potential.
It was High Potential.
"Tsk… Of course," he scoffed, locking eyes with the creature. "I really should stop making predictions. Not my strong suit."
Jeremy didn't know it, but what was happening here was happening in many other Gates as well.
Monsters had suddenly grown stronger. Mutated.
Exactly what the Headmistress had mentioned during their last meeting.
And this particular monster wasn't just High Potential. Its level was also far above expectations.
---
Crystal Reaver
Rank B
Lv 70
HP: 157,000
MP: 23,000
Physique: 250
Agility: 170
Intelligence: 40
Endurance: 100
Skills: Venomous Sting, Quicksand Trap, Dune Camouflage, Sandstrike, Armored Carapace, Burrow Ambush
---
"Crystal Reaver?" Jeremy's eyes widened. "It's a mutation. That explains it."
Its appearance was unrecognizable.
Once, its carapace bore the dull color of sand, a pale yellow that blended with the desert. But now… it shone.
Each plate reflected the sunlight like polished crystal—sharp and radiant. And it wasn't just for show. The armor looked a hundred times tougher.
But what truly shocked him was its tail.
Not one, but three.
They rose behind it like blades ready to strike.
They moved fluidly, independently, like serpents poised to bite. No hesitation, only pure predatory instinct.
They were alive.
Reading through its skills, Jeremy couldn't help but think. Aside from the two new ones, the rest were unchanged. Not much had shifted.
It felt as if the mutation had been forced rather than a natural evolution.
One of the new skills hardened its carapace even further. The other was a highly efficient hit-and-run technique—it could vanish into the sand in an instant, only to reappear anywhere.
But panic was the last thing on Jeremy's mind.
He was excited.
Excited by the appearance of a new aberration.
There was no escaping the battle now.
Jeremy and the Orc Shaman immediately activated their Buff skills.
He and his entire undead army were now powered up, fully enhanced.
They could go all-out. They wouldn't fear even a Rank S.
Okay… maybe that was pushing it.
The first to charge wasn't Drae'mon, but Leo'sol—the Aberration.
With his mythic Stomp, he leapt at the monster.
The creature simply raised its massive claws and swatted him away.
And just like that… Leo'sol was sent flying.
"…"
The damage wasn't much. It was just… embarrassing.
Then came the others.
The skeletal army surged forward, with SuperCannon leading the charge. He activated his GlacialFlame Domain, followed by GlacialFlame Immolation, and then—
A powerful Blast burst from his mouths, joined by ten skeletal Flamehoofs, all wreathed in fire. They, too, had immolated themselves.
The scene was stunning.
But the monster wasn't dazzled by the majesty of the incoming energy.
Without wasting a second, it activated Sandstrike, shaking the ground and stirring a sandstorm.
Then, using Burrow Ambush, it vanished, only to reappear behind the skeletal group.
Just as it was about to burrow—
"Gotcha."
With a flick of Jeremy's hand, several Bone Chains erupted from the sand, wrapping around the monster's legs and claws.
Of course, the chains weren't that strong.
Monsters possessed raw power that far outclassed humans. The higher the Rank, the greater the base strength, enhancing both attacks and durability far beyond human standards.
For a Rank B monster like this, each point in Physique was worth four times that of Jeremy's.
There was no way to restrain it for long.
But one second was enough.
Enough for Jeremy's summons to unleash hell.
The blast from the skeletons converged into a single beam of destructive energy.
A deafening explosion roared out in every direction, flinging sand skyward.
The damage inflicted was on a whole other level—even despite the creature's passive Skill that reinforced its carapace.
Would it have died on the spot otherwise?
Probably not. The Rank gap made a huge difference in effective damage.
Otherwise, SuperCannon alone would've done the job.
The monster took around 100,000 damage from just the magical super-cannon barrage.
That name wasn't an exaggeration.
As the dust settled, the Crystal Reaver looked completely different.
One of its claws was shattered, its head partially mangled, and its body scorched in multiple spots.
It was a grotesque sight.
Its once-impenetrable shell had cracked.
The monster howled—furious, terrified, humiliated.
Conflicting emotions surged within it.
Part of it wanted to flee. Another part refused to abandon its enemy.
With a frenzied roar, it charged at the nearest threat—Leo'sol.
The Aberration stood firm, unafraid to take the charge head-on.
Jeremy watched with fascination as his skeletons battled the Crystal Reaver.
But then, a sudden thought struck him.
Where was Drae'mon?
And just as the thought formed—
From beneath the sand, a small skeleton emerged, forged entirely of black bones.
Hidden in the monster's shadow, he moved like a phantom, darting straight for the scorpion's face.
Then—
A Venomous Claw struck the monster right in the eye.
Its carapace was tough, sure—but eyes were always eyes.
Every monster had a weakness there.
And so, without resistance, those claws plunged deep.
"-15,350" "-392"
The sheer impact froze the monster mid-attack.
Leo'sol had held it off just long enough for the little one to strike at its weak point.
Now was the turn of the Aberration, he wanted revenge.
He pulled his left arm back and lunged—
The claw plunged into the other eye.
"-32,100"
Another outrageous number.
It nearly killed the monster then and there.
Almost.
It had less than 10,000 HP left, he kept bleeding, the poison and burns all over his body were slowly killing him.
But there was no time to think.
Its spirit had already been broken by the merciless assault.
It no longer had the will to fight.
And then—
Another wave of fire and ice surged from afar.
The skeletal magic team was at it again.
"Wait! Dammit, the body needs to be at least partially intact!" Jeremy yelled as he watched the incoming barrage.
Too late.
BOOOM
"Damn you all," Jeremy muttered, glaring at the self-declared magical squad.
"You really can't just burn every monster you see…"