"No way! Towa, does Frenzy Mode make it that wild!?" Pepper shouts.
"No clue! I've hunted a few, but this is new!" Pencilgon replies.
"Not a wild horse… a wild shrimp!" Aitouil gasps.
At the Tear-Glimmering Underground Lake, Pepper, Aitouil, and Pencilgon's mixed party, after fishing Livestide Lake Serpents for power leveling, face the rare Livestide Destrolobster Pepper reeled in. With Gilfeed Breaker and Expyte Warleg, Pepper shattered its head shell, triggering its Frenzy Mode rampage.
"What's that!? Water-pressure lasers from its mouth, air-pressure bullets from its claws—some kind of monster shrimp!?" Pepper dodges an air-pressure blast, clutching Aitouil, as he and Pencilgon keep moving.
Frenzy Mode wasn't enough—it's the shattered head shell that enraged the beast. Each claw snap fires invisible air-pressure bullets, while water lasers carve craters into the ground and walls.
"This is bad… We need to end this fast, or we're screwed, A-kun," Pencilgon warns.
"Risk of collapse, too. This is serious," Pepper adds.
The Destrolobster's chaos leaves them grimacing. They must break the stalemate, or even a max-level player like Pencilgon will be overwhelmed.
"No choice… Big sis is stepping up! A-kun, Aitouil-chan, draw its aggro and make it raise both claws—any way you can!" Pencilgon's eyes burn with strategy, not mischief.
"You've got a winning plan, Towa?" Pepper confirms.
"Obviously," she smirks.
"Count me in," Pepper nods.
"Pepper-han, so quick!?" Aitouil gasps.
Childhood memories of Towa's schemes flash through Pepper's mind—often painful, but now, her resolve feels reliable.
"Stack buffs on Chaos Magic Spear Grisaia, then throw it at the broken spot. Make the target clear for a clean hit," Pencilgon instructs.
"Got it, leave the finisher to me," Pepper says.
"I'm in too!" Aitouil adds.
"Great answer. Let's do this!" Pencilgon rallies.
"Hey, giant crayfish! Round two!" Pepper taunts.
"Pepper-han, don't be reckless!" Aitouil warns.
"You too, Aitouil!" Pepper grins.
With the plan set, Pepper and Aitouil face the Destrolobster head-on, weapons ready. Pencilgon moves to a distance, gauging her throwing skill's range.
"Gyurorororo!" The frenzied beast snaps its claws, shaking the air with shockwaves and slicing the sky with water lasers.
"Whoa!" Pepper activates Skate Foot, gliding to dodge bullets and lasers, diving into the beast's melee kill zone.
"Come on, crayfish!" At close range, Pepper bets the air-pressure bullets have too much wind-up. The Destrolobster switches to hammering its claws like sledgehammers.
"Just as I thought! At this range, your lasers can't aim freely—your head's too rigid. Air bullets need a snap, but crushing me with raw power's easier!" Childhood crayfish fishing with Towa and her brother taught him their movements, now proving vital.
"ORAA!" Using Foresight, Pepper dodges claw slams, countering laser attempts with Expyte Warleg kicks to protect Pencilgon and Aitouil.
"Here!" Aitouil, refusing to burden Pepper, coats her Storm Naginata: Tiger Roar with Drunken Breath, slicing at gaps in the Destrolobster's joints with Focus Eyes, Enchant: Vorpal, Bloody Scar, and Glorious Bright.
As Pepper and Aitouil dance around, striking and slashing to pull aggro and provoke the claw-raise, Pencilgon stacks enchantments on her spear: accuracy, critical, weak-point damage, and strength buffs.
"Come on! I'm right here!" Pepper taunts.
"Over here, shrimp!" Aitouil adds.
"Gyu…rorororo!" Enraged by their relentless attacks and broken shell, the Destrolobster's fury peaks. To collapse the area, it rears, raising both claws skyward.
"Now, Towa!" Pepper shouts.
"Pencilgon-han!" Aitouil calls.
Pencilgon, in view, unleashes her move. "Go! Cosmos Throw!" With Chaos Magic Spear Grisaia stacked with buffs, she trades all stamina for damage via Cosmos Throw, hurling the spear into the neck wound Aitouil pierced.
"Gyuryurororo!?" Blue-white polygons erupt like a geyser. The beast arches back, black bubbles foaming from its mouth, choking.
Yet, it doesn't fall.
"Still standing, huh, giant crayfish!?" Pencilgon grits, frustrated even her max-stats critical throw didn't finish it.
"No, Towa. It arching back is exactly what I needed!" Pepper, igniting High Beat, sprints behind the beast, switching to Vorpal Ledge.
"Pepper-han!?" Aitouil gasps.
"A-kun!?" Pencilgon shouts.
"With the spear in its neck and its body arched back, if I hit the broken head to push it forward…" Pepper leaps via Six-Boat Leap, targeting the head from behind. He'd planned for this since Cosmos Throw, racing to the rear.
The spear in the neck will dig deeper if the head's forced forward—Pepper's gambit. "Sink it!" Wielding Vorpal Ledge for critical weak-point damage, he stacks Jet Attack for speed, Body Purge to halve durability for agility, Dynamo Impact for weak-point boosts, and maxed Rigid Strike and High Press. Every hammer and buff skill unleashes a lethal blow.
The head slams forward, driving the spear deeper, severing nerves. "Gyuryu…rororo…" With a dying cry, the Destrolobster's eyes dim, its body collapses, polygons exploding. Pepper jumps three levels to 38, Aitouil one, despite the Vorpal Soul Collar.
"Livestide Destrolobster… tougher than Quad Beetle, with air-pressure claws and water lasers. Without Towa and Aitouil, it'd have been brutal," Pepper says, collecting drops and honoring the foe.
"You always do that, A-kun?" Pencilgon asks.
"Isn't it normal to thank a tough enemy?" Pepper replies.
"Pepper-han did it for Marsh Digger, Clown Spider, Ruin Keeper too," Aitouil notes.
"Hmm… unexpected side," Pencilgon muses, eyeing Pepper's excited looting. Her expression turns mischievous. "Now, about Gilfeed Breaker and Expyte Warleg… time for a talk, A-kun!"
Realizing his flashy fight spilled secrets, Pepper panics. "Strategic retreat!" he bolts.
"Strategic capture!" Pencilgon chases.
"GYAAAH!?" Pepper screams.
"Pepper-haaan!?" Aitouil cries.
Outmatched by Pencilgon's max-level stats, Pepper's caught, forced to spill details about his new gear like a rug beaten for dust.
Pioneer, Grow Stronger
------------------------------
I've uploaded new chapters on Patreon.
If you like this story and want to read it first, you can support me here:
👉 [patreon.com/Greyhounds]