Lizard

That was a gigantic lizard nearly five meters long.

Its entire body was covered in rough, bluish-gray scales like stone, and a single glance was enough to convey its formidable defenses. Eight short, thick, knotted-muscle legs supported the bloated, heavy body above them.

Crystal-like brown bone spurs extended from the tip of its snout and crown all the way to the end of its tail. Its faintly glowing green Vertical Pupils flickered through the misty air like drifting ghost flames.

Petrification Lizard—"Basilisk."

Unlike the technology-based world of his Previous Life, where supernatural powers did not exist, the danger level of creatures in nature could, in most cases, be judged simply by their size.

But in a fantasy world that truly possessed Great Dragons and magic, who could say whether a Flower Elf no bigger than a thumb might be a high-level Professional who had mastered high-circle spells capable of destroying a small town?

Thus, in order to distinguish creatures of different sizes and varying degrees of danger, a concept was proposed—

"Challenge Rating!"

Generally speaking, given appropriate equipment, sufficient supplies, and adequate rest, a Monster with a Challenge Rating of "1"—

Could be defeated without casualties by a properly balanced team of four level "1" Professionals.

Of course, that was merely a cold rule from his Previous Life, meant to help players distinguish between different tiers of Monster strength under ideal conditions.

In reality, factors such as a monster's maturity, whether it was injured, its surroundings, and its natural habits all had a considerable impact on its danger level and strength.

Sometimes, for Monsters with a certain degree of intelligence, one even had to consider whether they possessed combat experience against human adventurers, as well as the equipment and items they carried.

Even so, a Monster's Challenge Rating could still provide a rough indication of its strength.

For example, the Rust Monster the Half-Elf team had encountered last night had a Challenge Rating of "0.5."

The Bear Goblin that had wiped out the Stinky Fish Rotten Shrimp team, on the other hand, had a Challenge Rating of exactly "1"—or just slightly under.

Using that as a comparison—

The Petrification Lizard slowly dragging its belly toward Xia Nan from not far ahead had a Challenge Rating of—

"3!"

It would take four Professionals with a Profession Level of "3," along with a certain degree of preparation, to hunt it without suffering casualties.

This huge Monster clad in thick scales possessed an ability known as "Petrifying Gaze" from the moment it was born.

Those faintly green eyes of its—once it activated its ability, every creature within its line of sight would be affected by Petrifying Gaze.

Only those with powerful physiques or unwavering wills could avoid being turned into statues.

This exceedingly dangerous ability allowed them to roam almost unhindered through the dry regions they inhabited.

With a sweep of their gaze, unwary prey became stone statues unable to move.

Then, the naturally lazy Petrification Lizard would slowly crawl forward and use its powerful jaws to crush the prey's stone statue before swallowing it whole.

The secretions in its stomach would then help restore the food to its original state, making it easier to digest.

There was no doubt about it.

No matter what condition the Petrification Lizard was in, with Xia Nan's current strength—

If he went forward, he would die.

Thus, although he had not yet exchanged blows with this Monster, the sight of Larry and the other man being petrified in an instant, along with the Half-Elf and Wood fleeing without looking back—

Was enough, the moment his mind cleared, to make him turn around and sprint wildly under the urgent blare of alarms in his heart as death closed in.

The Beheading Longsword he had just drawn was sheathed again, while the bushes on either side rushed backward in his vision.

Xia Nan pumped his arms fiercely, his long legs striding rapidly across the leaf-strewn woodland meadow.

"Pant... pant..."

He gasped for breath, his mind slightly dizzy from the rush of hot blood.

From time to time, he could hear warning hisses from all kinds of snakes and insects in the bushes brushing past his legs.

But he could not afford to care about any of that now. He simply ran deeper into the dense forest.

And prayed that the Petrification Lizard would not catch up.

However, Xia Nan had underestimated this greedy Monster's craving for flesh.

Watching Xia Nan and the Half-Elf split up and flee in different directions—

The Petrification Lizard's green eyes gleamed with a thoughtful light, almost like that of an intelligent creature.

Although the prey on one side outnumbered the other by one, they were clearly faster, and their presence had become faint and obscure beneath the cover of the dense forest, making them difficult to track.

And there was also that emerald light that had blocked its Petrifying Gaze just now...

Driven by hunting instinct, the enormous bluish-gray lizard made its decision almost instantly.

Its eight thick limbs, like stone pillars, bent and gathered strength.

"Bang!"

In that moment, its massive, bloated body erupted with explosive power utterly disproportionate to its heavy build.

Like a tank clad in stone armor.

Tough, tangled bushes and Thorns, along with the snakes and scorpions frantically fleeing within them, were crushed to pulp;

The dense canopy shook violently. The startled birds had barely flapped their wings twice before turning into stone statues and falling to the ground.

Trees were knocked over, and grass was crushed flat.

It charged recklessly onward, with wood chips and grass seeds flying through the air.

Xia Nan felt the ground shake violently as a tremendous rumble, like a passing train, came from behind him.

His heart pounded wildly. He did not even dare turn back for a glance, only doing everything he could to run faster.

Yet the snapping of branches grew clearer and clearer beside his ears, like the footsteps of Death drawing near.

Finally, a bluish-gray blur flashed through the corner of his eye.

A fierce gust carrying the stench of Monster saliva surged from behind him like a gale.

A gaping maw capable of crushing iron and stone slammed shut!

"Bzzzt!"

The only Magic Item on Xia Nan's body, the [Dead Line] ring, activated automatically—

[Deflection Force Field]

Neither light nor air, the free energy in the atmosphere condensed in an instant into a translucent ochre-red barrier that covered his body.

"Crunch!"

Deflected by the force field, the Petrification Lizard bit down on empty air, its powerful jaws snapping shut.

A teeth-aching sound rang through the air.

It was only a defense.

The [Dead Line] ring's Deflection Field, with its once-per-twenty-four-hours cooldown, might serve as a decisive trump card in a Fierce Battle between evenly matched opponents.

But faced with such a vast disparity in strength—

It could only let Xia Nan run a few more steps.

The next second, the Petrification Lizard's tank-like massive body crashed directly into him.