Giant Beast's Rampage, Furious Search for Nest

"Rise!"

Lu Chongwei let out a low shout, his arm muscles bulging instantly as veins coiled like dragons beneath his skin.

The next second.

Under Gray's horrified gaze.

That massive beast, weighing several tons, was actually lifted out of the pit by Lu Chongwei with a single hand!

"Holy crap! Is this for real?!"

Gray clutched his head with both hands, feeling his worldview collapsing.

That was a magical beast weighing several tons!

Even with enhancement magic, it shouldn't be this easy, right? Was this guy raised on super-strength pills?

But it wasn't over yet.

Gripping the wing, Lu Chongwei began to spin his body in place.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"

The centrifugal force generated a gale that forced Gray to squint his eyes.

Gidoken's massive body was swung in a circle by Lu Chongwei like a meteor hammer.

"Bang!"

A loud crash echoed.

Gidoken's head slammed violently into the nearby wall, sending stone fragments flying.

"Bang!"

Another sound.

This time, its tail snapped the guardrail.

Lu Chongwei was like someone playing with a ragdoll, dragging the poor magical beast around the rooftop to "demolish" the place.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The sounds of impact were continuous, and the entire clock tower groaned in agony.

Gildarts watched this scene, the muscles at the corner of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

"This kid..."

Gildarts rubbed the stubble on his chin, his expression peculiar.

"This fighting style... it's less like a mage and more like some kind of humanoid beast."

Although it was violent, he had to admit...

It was damn exhilarating!

A moment later.

Lu Chongwei seemed to have gotten dizzy from spinning, or perhaps he had simply grown bored.

He loosened his grip.

"Off you go!"

The disoriented, blood-soaked Gidoken was flung away like a cannonball.

It traced an arc through the air, crashing heavily onto the street hundreds of meters away, sliding for dozens of meters before coming to a stop.

"Squeak..."

Gidoken wobbled as it climbed to its feet.

One of its wings was broken, its body was covered in wounds, and its compound eyes were filled with terror.

It looked up at the two terrifying humans on top of the clock tower (mostly the pervert who had been swinging it around), and its survival instinct instantly overcame its predatory desire.

It let out a shrill, mournful cry, frantically flapping its one remaining wing as it fled crookedly toward the outskirts of the city.

"Hey! It's getting away!"

Seeing this, Gray grew anxious.

He pointed in the direction of Gidoken's escape and shouted:

"Lu Chongwei! What are you doing? Why did you throw it away? Hurry up and chase it! Don't let it get away!"

That was a 400,000 Jewel mission target!

Besides, if this thing escaped, it would definitely come back for revenge later!

Lu Chongwei brushed the dust off his hands and smiled meaningfully.

"What's the rush?"

Lu Chongwei said unhurriedly.

"This is just a soldier out foraging. If we don't let it go back, how are we supposed to find its nest?"

Gray was taken aback.

"The nest?"

"Exactly." Lu Chongwei watched the retreating black shadow with cold eyes. "The mayor said over a hundred people have gone missing. If they are being kept as reserve rations, they are likely still in the nest."

"Only by following it can we find those people and wipe out this nest of pests."

Hearing this, a flash of admiration crossed Gildarts' eyes.

"Meticulous, calm, and decisive."

Gildarts patted Gray on the shoulder with a smile.

"Learn from this, Gray. This is the right way to carry out a mission; you can't rely on brute force alone."

Gray's face flushed, and he lowered his head in shame.

He had been so focused on killing the monster earlier that he truly hadn't considered this angle.

"Let's go, follow it."

Lu Chongwei's figure flickered as he took the lead, pursuing the direction in which the Gidoken had fled.

Gildarts and Gray followed closely behind.

The trio tracked it all the way, passing through the city, crossing the woods, and finally arriving at a desolate mountain area on the outskirts.

The injured Gidoken had clearly reached its limit, diving headlong into a massive cave.

The cave was hidden among a pile of jagged rocks, with white, bleached bones scattered around the entrance, emitting a suffocating stench.

"This is the place."

Lu Chongwei stopped, his brows knitting slightly as he stared into the pitch-black opening.

"I hope we aren't too late."

He was worried about the humans who had been taken.

The three held their breath and slipped into the cave in silence.

As soon as they entered, the sight before them made Gray gasp, his stomach churning violently.

Inside the cavern, there wasn't just the Gidoken that had fled back; there were two other, larger adult Gidokens!

It was a family of three!

Hanging densely from the ceiling of the cave were over fifty white cocoons, looking like giant silkworms.

Some of the cocoons were still twitching slightly, clearly indicating that the people inside were still alive.

However, beneath the three monsters, the ground was littered with many broken cocoons, stained with blood and severed limbs.

Evidently, many had already met their end.

"Damn beasts!"

Gray gritted his teeth, his eyes instantly bloodshot.

This carnage was nothing short of hell!

Gildarts' expression also turned grave.

"Three of them..."

He said in a low voice.

"And judging by their size, those two large ones are likely approaching the peak of A-rank monsters. Given the narrow terrain and the need to account for the hostages..."

Gildarts looked at Lu Chongwei.

"Kid, the difficulty has exceeded the limit; this is practically an S-rank mission now. Do you want me to step in?"

Although he was here to act as a babysitter, he didn't mind stretching his limbs in a situation like this for the sake of the hostages' safety.

However, Lu Chongwei shook his head.

He slowly drew Ryujin Jakka from his waist, the blade scraping against the scabbard with a teeth-gritting sound.

"No need."

Lu Chongwei's voice was terrifyingly calm, but beneath that calm lay a volcanic rage on the verge of erupting.

"Gildarts, Gray, you two are responsible for the rescue."

"As for these three beasts..."

Lu Chongwei raised his head, his eyes boiling with killing intent.

"Leave them to me."

Before his words had even faded.

"Swish!"

Lu Chongwei's figure vanished from the spot instantly.

All that remained was a lingering afterimage and a whisper echoing in the air.

"Flash Step."

In the blink of an eye.

Lu Chongwei had crossed a distance of several dozen meters, appearing out of thin air before the three Gidoken.

There was no wasted breath.

"Severing Slash!"

Ryujin Jakka swept outward.

Although it remained in its sealed state, the condensed sword pressure transformed into a tangible storm.

"Boom!"

The air was sliced open, triggering a violent explosion.

The injured Gidoken bore the brunt of the attack, sent flying directly by the sword pressure to slam into the rock wall with a miserable shriek.

This sudden assault completely enraged the other two adult Gidoken.

"ROAR--!!!"

The beastly bellows echoed through the cavern, the rolling sound waves causing the stalactites overhead to rattle and fall.