As soon as everyone saw the several red eyes in the darkness, they felt a chill run down their spine. Slowly, the monsters revealed themselves. They were four-legged beasts, looking like bulldogs. However, their canines were so long it escaped the confines of their mouths. Even more threatening was their red eyes that gleamed with insatiable hunger.
In the middle of the group, Leon calmly remarked.
"Ruin Predators. Known for their brute strength and powerful jaws. No matter what, don't get bitten, else you end up with broken bones. They have no physical weakness. So get your asses tight and face them head-on."
The evolved didn't really appreciate the information this time. Wasn't this just asking kids to face off a bulldog with a shovel? They were strong, yes. However, looking at the rippling muscles of these monsters, they couldn't help but gulp silently. Even Anna had a grave expression.
"Here they come~"
Unlike them, Leon wasn't the least bit concerned. He wanted to see these guys pushed past their limits through life and death situations.
'Only then can human tenacity truly shine…'
The predators sprang forward, their charge as monstrous as their bodies. Facing such a suffocating advance, Anna raised her whipsword and called.
"Old Pipe, Scarface, Ye."
The three immediately understood her intentions. Since the monsters were rushing at them with strength, they needed to reply with equal strength, else they suffered a great collision.
Standing beside Anna and Cassie, the three men raised their weapons and swung them to meet the charging monsters.
BOOM!
The whole cavern shook from the intensity of the clash as both sides retreated, their strength equal. Thankfully, the evolved didn't suffer any injuries while the monsters at the forefront suffered bone-deep damages. Their flesh was shredded, blood spilling from the wounds.
However, they moved like they couldn't feel anything. If anything, they looked even better.
"What?!" Little Tiger couldn't help but exclaim. These monsters were too absurd!
Unfortunately, the ruin predators didn't give them the luxury of complaining. They charged again, swinging their sharp claws at them.
Daddy Ye raised his shield, only for the predator's claws to almost tear through it. His eyes widened. The attack power of these things was simply crazy! He considered using his class ability but decided against it. Since he'd automatically collapse after the fight, he'd only end up being a dead weight for the group.
Grunting, he swung his axe, cutting a deep gash across the monster's side. It winced, then retreated. Unfortunately, Old Pipe's hammer caught it before it could leave.
Bam!
The strike connected cleanly to its head, smacking it to the ground. The monster turned slightly, then went limp—dead. Before they could heave a sigh of relief, another one leapt over its dead mate.
Old Pipe swung his hammer.
Bang!
The strike connected, yet the old man was pushed back. In the moment he lost his balance, the monster swung its claws at his neck.
Fortunately, Daddy Ye appeared just in time to block the attack with his shield. As soon as the strike connected with the shield, it got torn into pieces. Even Daddy Ye's arm was cut just enough to draw blood.
Both men's expressions turned grim. These monsters were definitely stronger than second-level creatures.
On another side, Ice, Shadow and Little Tiger were having their own fair share of problems. In fact, they were faring worse than the older two. Little Tiger had suffered several cuts on his armor, almost tearing through the whole thing.
He crossed his blades, blocking the paws of the monster before him. Knowing that he couldn't win in a contest of strength, he kicked at its exposed stomach. The force pushed the monster back slightly as he distanced himself.
Immediately, he activated his class ability. His swords shone with a deep red light that radiated ferocity and sharpness. This was the ability of his class—Blade Master. It allowed him to enhance the properties of any bladed weapon he was holding.
"Go to hell!"
With a defiant roar, he charged at the monster before him and performed a series of rapid slashes. Blood spurted from all over its body and it finally collapsed. Panting, Little Tiger didn't hesitate and lunged towards another monster.
'I'll do what I can to help the others…'
Close to him, Ice and Shadow worked as one. The young lady already activated her class ability too while Shadow didn't. His class was only suited for assassination and not head-on confrontations.
Wherever Ice's sword cut, frost bloomed on the monster's skin and spread, freezing the wound. While she drew the attention of the monsters to herself, Shadow would try to blend into the surroundings and deal fatal blows to the monsters with his Two-Star Daggers. Knowing that his expertise was in assassination and scouting, Leon had granted the young man a pair of Two-Star Daggers in case he needed to fight stronger enemies. And right now, it helped him relieve Ice's stress slightly.
Seeing the monsters fall one after the other, the young lady showed a slight smile.
Unexpectedly, Rebecca and Aisha were having it quite easy compared to the others. Both girls had been trained in using spears. Although they weren't as strong as the others and didn't have much experience, their skills weren't to be trifled with. What truly made them outstanding was their synergy. Together, they fended off the monsters surrounding them while dealing dangerous injuries to them.
The remaining newly evolved huddled together and fought bravely. They were new to such dangers so they suffered several times in the first clash. However, as Leon had said, human tenacity was very adaptive. In just a few exchanges, they had corrected their attacking patterns to perfectly counter the ferocity of the ruin predators.
As a ruin predator lunged towards one of the evolved, its frightening jaws wide open, another evolved slashed at its neck, cutting deep into its muscles.
The monster was surprised and lashed out in retaliation. However, its previous victim forced it to retreat. Several similar scenarios were occurring around the newly evolved team.
Seeing the results, Leon smiled in satisfaction. 'It seems they'll be able to survive the next few levels. Though, I wonder how they're going to finish that…?'
His eyes shifted deeper into the cavern. Naturally, since there were a pack of ruin predators, there would always be an alpha. Right now, Anna and Cassie, the only second level evolved duo among the team, were facing this Alpha Ruin Predator.