Chapter 295: Shark-Lizard Beast

“Everyone, be careful.”

Lonely As Snow cautiously held up his giant shield and whispered.

He now had to guard not only against the maze’s monsters but also against his unreliable teammates. Thinking about the miserable state of being turned into a sheep earlier, Lonely As Snow instinctively took a few steps away from the Flying Witch.

“Oh, that was just an accident just now.”

“It didn’t cause any losses, right?”

The Flying Witch scratched her head awkwardly and chuckled.

Emperor and Kyuri timidly followed at the back of the group, terrified that some strange creature would leap out from the shadows and instantly kill these two novice mage apprentices.

“Watch me speedrun this quest for you all.”

The Flying Witch used her spells to light the way, advancing quickly through the maze.

It was clear she was trying to redeem herself and maintain her dignity as a “veteran.”

Lonely As Snow, however, furrowed his brows again. The paladin’s holy perception allowed him to sense subtle details.

He turned to look at his teammates behind him.

“Have you noticed?”

“The ground nearby is shaking.”

“What do you mean?”

The Flying Witch tilted her head, puzzled.

“Crunch, crunch.”

Before Lonely As Snow could finish speaking, with the sound of earth churning, the surrounding soil and rocks trembled violently. A massive mound of earth suddenly rose in front of him.

He urgently shouted:

“Scatter quickly! It’s dangerous!”

“Roar—”

The mound of earth exploded, sending dirt flying.

With an angry roar, a colossal shadow leapt out from underground.

“Boom!”

The giant beast pounced, its terrifying weight crashing down. The maze’s ground trembled again, dust rising around them, and small stones even fell from the ceiling above.

Thankfully, the four had dodged early, and Lonely As Snow had rolled away with all his might, avoiding the beast’s attack.

But the shockwave from this deadly leap alone sent them flying several meters, some even falling to the ground.

When the dust settled, the group finally saw the true form of this uninvited guest.

—This giant beast looked like a cross between a shark and a lizard, towering over four meters high, akin to a small mountain. Its body was covered in heavy armor, with dirt clinging to its surface. Its massive and sturdy claws, meant for digging, were particularly striking. This was the Shark-Lizard Beast, the undisputed overlord of the underground world.

At this moment, its small, bean-like eyes glowed faintly, fixing on the group. From the edge of its bloody mouth dripped foul-smelling, sticky saliva, as if it couldn’t wait to devour these humans who had trespassed into its territory.

Lonely As Snow lay on the ground, staring up at the terrifying giant beast.

【Shark-Lizard Beast】

Challenge Level: 5 (1800 XP)

“Damn, what a high-level monster.”

The Flying Witch bragged nearby, “You newbies always overreact. Back in my day, I could kill several level 8 Frost Giants with a single spell.”

“Roar—”

Before she could finish, the Shark-Lizard Beast leapt towards them with unstoppable force.

Lonely As Snow quickly raised his giant shield to block. As the team’s only tank, he had a clear understanding of his role.

“Boom!”

With a loud crash, the heavy shield held off the Shark-Lizard Beast’s pounce, but the immense force sent Lonely As Snow flying several meters, rolling over a dozen times on the ground.

“Big Sister, can you focus a bit?”

He still managed to wail out.

The Shark-Lizard Beast opened its bloody maw and charged towards Emperor, aiming to swallow him whole.

“This damn team!”

Lonely As Snow gritted his teeth, ignoring his numbed body. He raised his shield again, channeling divine power.

【Guided Divine Power: Defensive Challenge】

With a radiant white light, an ethereal chain connected the Shark-Lizard Beast and Lonely As Snow, creating an arena-like space where they could only duel one-on-one.

Watching the approaching Shark-Lizard Beast as the ground trembled, he gripped his shield tightly and muttered:

“In the end, I have to shoulder everything.”

“I’ll hold it off; you guys attack!”

Lonely As Snow shouted furiously.

“Witch Arrow!”

Kyuri raised his staff high, sending a crackling green energy beam at the Shark-Lizard Beast, forming a sustained electric arc between him and the beast.

However, this thick-skinned beast barely reacted to the weak electric current.

“Rainbow Spray!”

Lacking a staff, Emperor cast the spell with his bare hands.

Brilliant rainbow light burst from his hands and—hit the ground completely.

“Emperor! Aim properly, damn it!”

Lonely As Snow struggled to fend off the Shark-Lizard Beast while cursing.

Emperor scratched his head, meekly muttering, “My casting level is too low, I’m not very skilled yet. My apologies, my apologies.”

“Watch me!”

The Flying Witch said confidently.

“Fireball!”

As she spoke, chaotic magical currents surged. Butterflies and petals danced in the air, but the expected fireball didn’t appear.

“Huh? Quite romantic,”

The Flying Witch blinked, then chuckled.

Lonely As Snow narrowly dodged the Shark-Lizard Beast’s swipes but was sent flying several meters by a follow-up charge, smashing into the maze wall and leaving a human-shaped crater.

“Romantic, my ass! Attack already—”

He groaned weakly from the pit.

Were it not for the protection of his mithril armor, Lonely As Snow would have already been pulverized.

“I’m casting, I’m casting!”

The Flying Witch snapped out of it, hastily responding.

She couldn’t leave a “unreliable” impression on these newbies; she was determined to be a dependable senior!

With that thought, she gritted her teeth and extended her hands, surrounded by arcs of electricity.

“Lightning Beam!”

“Boom—”

A thick bolt of lightning roared out from her hands, instantly piercing through the Shark-Lizard Beast.

Her luck was extraordinary this time. Under the influence of wild magical currents, the lightning’s power far exceeded her expectations.

“Roar!”

The Shark-Lizard Beast let out a deep, furious roar.

Its body was scorched black in large patches, and the massive creature collapsed under the lightning’s force, causing the ground to quake again.

“Heh, it had to be me, after all.”

The Flying Witch said smugly.

However, she overlooked the fact that 【Lightning Beam】 caused piercing damage, and Lonely As Snow, still stuck in the wall, was also in the line of fire.

“Witch, you forgot about me.”

A weak voice came from the front.

“No way, could it be—”

The Flying Witch seemed to realize something. With an apologetic expression, she cautiously approached.

Lonely As Snow lay on the ground, barely alive. His eyes beneath the helmet were filled with exhaustion.

His entire body was charred black, his hair under the helmet completely burned off, and his mithril armor still crackled faintly with electricity.

Although the Shark-Lizard Beast had taken most of the damage, and his mithril armor had significantly reduced the lightning’s power, Lonely As Snow could not forget the despair of nearly being turned into charcoal by his teammate’s spell.

“If I had known this, why bother in the first place—”

Lonely As Snow stubbornly turned his head away, a puff of green smoke escaping his mouth.

The once noble paladin now resembled a piece of overcooked barbecue.

He should never have joined this cursed guild!

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