The valley erupted.
Hundreds of monsters charged at once.
Their roars shook the towering mana crystals.
The earth trembled beneath countless pounding footsteps.
Leon immediately drew his bow.
"Scouts!"
"Spread out!"
The eight elite scouts vanished into the surrounding forest.
Years of training allowed them to disappear almost instantly.
Their mission wasn't to fight the Regional Boss.
It was to stop the smaller monsters from surrounding their Commander.
Sam smiled.
"They've gotten good."
Leon nocked an arrow.
"They learned from the best."
He released.
WHOOSH!
An arrow pierced the eye of a charging monster.
It collapsed before it could even roar.
The Goblin Mage raised its staff.
"Fire Missiles!"
Six blazing spheres shot across the battlefield.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The explosions tore through the front ranks.
Several monsters fell instantly.
The Goblin Chief charged beside Sam.
Its massive weapon crashed into the first monster.
BOOM!
Bones shattered.
The creature was launched through the air.
Sam activated his skill.
Attack Chain!
His sword flashed.
One strike.
Two.
Five.
Every attack flowed into the next.
Three monsters fell before they even realized he'd moved.
Inside his mind...
Rex spoke.
Commander...
Regional Boss approaching.
Sam looked toward the center of the valley.
The gigantic silhouette was moving.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Each footstep shook the ground.
The surrounding monsters immediately moved aside.
As though making way for their king.
The creature finally emerged.
Sam stopped.
It stood nearly fifteen feet tall.
Its body was formed from black stone and glowing blue mana crystals.
Massive crystal spikes covered its shoulders and back.
Each step left cracks in the earth.
Inside its chest...
A giant mana crystal pulsed like a heart.
Rex's voice became unusually tense.
Regional Boss Identified.
Mana Crystal Golem.
Threat Level: High.
Recommendation...
Extreme caution.
Sam smiled.
"So that's what you've been protecting."
The Mana Crystal Golem looked directly at him.
Blue light flared inside its crystal heart.
Then...
It moved.
BOOM!!
The golem crossed nearly fifty meters in a single step.
Sam's eyes widened.
"So fast!"
He disappeared.
Shadow Step!
The golem's fist smashed into the ground.
BOOOOOOM!!
The explosion threw nearby monsters into the air.
Even Leon was forced backward.
The Goblin Chief charged without hesitation.
With a mighty roar...
It swung its weapon directly at the golem's leg.
CLANG!!
The impact echoed throughout the valley.
The Goblin Chief was thrown backward.
Its weapon nearly slipped from its hands.
Sam frowned.
"It didn't even move..."
The Goblin Mage pointed its staff.
"Fire Missiles!"
Six blazing spheres struck the golem's chest.
BOOM!
Smoke covered the battlefield.
For a brief moment...
Everything became silent.
Then...
A blue light pierced through the smoke.
The Mana Crystal Golem stepped forward.
Completely unharmed.
Not even a scratch marked its crystal armor.
Inside his mind...
Rex spoke.
Commander...
Physical attacks ineffective.
Fire magic ineffective.
Sam's smile slowly disappeared.
"So..."
"We'll have to figure this out."
The Mana Crystal Golem raised both arms toward the sky.
The mana crystals throughout the valley suddenly began glowing.
One after another.
Hundreds of them.
The ground started trembling.
Leon looked around in horror.
"...Commander."
"I don't think those crystals are just decorations."
The valley shook violently.
Then...
Massive crystal pillars erupted from the ground beneath Sam.
BOOOOOOM!!
The battle had only just begun.