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As its body grew larger, the little beetle’s feeding speed also increased considerably. Zane stood dumbfounded, watching as the creature devoured every last bit of the remains.

Its body expanded to the size of a bunk bed, and then, with one final gulp, it consumed all the remaining corpses, leaving the battlefield spotless.

A string of system notifications left Zane staring blankly in disbelief.

***

“…”

‘Can it really evolve infinitely as long as it is constantly fed? No, that’s not right. A pet’s level cannot surpass its master’s, and besides…’

Once it finished, the little—no, big beetle quickly crawled up to Zane. Its half-meter-long antennae brushed aside the golden-haired loli’s bangs.

A cold gust swept past, sending a shiver down Zane’s spine. ‘Is it about to turn on its master?’ But his fears proved unfounded. The beetle gently lowered its head and affectionately nudged the tip of his shoe.

“Whew…” Zane exhaled in relief. Being stared down by such a massive insect was indeed intimidating.

As he looked at its smooth, glistening back, which had somehow remained spotless despite rummaging through piles of corpses, an idea suddenly struck Zane. Pressing his hands against its shell, he carefully climbed up to sit on its back.

“Hahahaha! I finally have a mount too!” the golden-haired girl laughed wildly.

From Starry’s perspective, however, it looked exactly like the antics of a terminally chuunibyou¹ girl. Zane quickly stopped himself from continuing such foolishness.

‘It’s about time to give it a proper name. I can’t keep calling it “beetle” forever, right? But is it male or female? Ah, never mind, I will just pick something at random.’

‘Skies Devourer?’

Ugh, what a corny name.

‘Big Black?’

…Too many problems with that one. Best not. Maybe a Western-sounding name would be better. Something like…

“How about Morthar as your new name?” Zane asked tentatively.

Morthar made no sound, but its behavior suggested it accepted the name. After all, the system notification had already confirmed it.

“Morthar, can you let that big sister ride too?”

Without a sound, it crawled over to Starry and lowered its head slightly.

How clever… and earlier, its speed had already outpaced Zane’s Gray Wolf form even when using Rapid Stride!

Starry climbed up onto its back as well.

Starmew also wanted to try, but Morthar’s shell was curved like a half-rounded hill, and only the center area was suitable for seating. There was no room left once Starry had mounted, so she recalled the Frostfang Tiger back into Pet Space.

Morthar could not enter the Pet Space, and Zane had no idea how to handle it once he logged off…

For now, though, it served as a mount, sparing him the misery of having to transform into a Gray Wolf and carry Starry on his back. Still, Morthar’s HP was only a little over 2000, hardly thick enough to withstand much. If danger arose, dodging would be the first priority.

The Gray Wolf Alpha had intended to claim Saintbloom Village as his territory and migrate all wolf packs there. But that was simply unrealistic.

The ghouls had only retreated temporarily. Once the lingering aura of the Death Knight fully dispersed, they would soon return in force. And more than that, today’s battle was far from the end. Other monsters, or humans, were bound to pass through here. The location had to be changed.

There were still more than two days left, and since his level was already far ahead, he might as well use this time to explore new maps. Advanced herbs were often found only in high-level areas.

As for the two pet eggs, he would save them for later. After all, they were Epic-grade pets, capable of both crowd control and damage.

“Let’s go!” Morthar carried the two girls and sped away.

***

The moment FleetingDream’s avatar turned gray, Spark’s face went green. He had only been mouthing off earlier, but who didn’t know of FleetingDream’s fame? That was a renowned swordsman!

Yet reality had turned out even stranger than fiction. Endless Sea had actually won? He must have thrown the fight; there was no other explanation. Judging by the way they greeted each other before the duel, perhaps they reconciled mid-battle and simply handed over the victory.

Since their Death Match hadn’t allowed spectators, no one could know for sure. But that didn’t stop Spark from reporting back to the boss.

‘What a clown, just because he’s strong, he thinks he can trample all over us?’ Spark roared, “That arrogant fool lost thinking he was hot stuff! Our Rainblossom guild can’t afford to lose face like this! Brothers, wipe them all out! We’ll show them! Two hundred yuan per head!”

“Ohhh—!” Bored from their long standoff, the players perked up at the word bounty. Their spirits flared to life.

At the same time, Endless Sea had just come back out from the Death Match. “Damn, they’re already fighting? I only just finished my duel!”

No one answered. Everyone tensed, bracing for combat. Wanderer slipped into stealth, circling cautiously around YoyoPink and BesideStillWaters. Meanwhile, Yoyo summoned Lordsey, Electrobunny, and Little Butterfly, while Shiu cast Pyrestorm across their rear, ensuring they wouldn’t be ambushed.

Sure enough, the moment Pyrestorm ignited, two assassins were forced into view, their forms singed into visibility, they had been lurking behind the crowd all along!

Their HP now plummeted at over 800 per second. Trapped in the flames, they wouldn’t last three seconds! The assassins’ faces turned purple. They exchanged a look, then with grim resolve hurled the daggers in their hands.

A skill learned after level 20, one of the few ranged abilities assassins possessed. It carried a virulent poison, and if combined with self-brewed toxins, its damage soared even higher!

Shiu saw the daggers whistling through the air but could do nothing, he didn’t have that kind of monstrous reaction speed!

Two consecutive strikes nearly killed the little mage outright, leaving him hanging on with a sliver of HP. But the poison was still eating away at his remaining HP—

At the crucial moment, Electrobunny unleashed a burst of white light upon Shiu, saving his life. Snapping back to his senses, he quickly downed a Heartsteady Pill and a High-Grade HP Potion. The venom effect wore off after five seconds.

Assassins were natural predators of mages. A surprise backstab followed by Venom Dagger could take down almost any mage of equal level. But in the end, both assassins fell in the flames of Pyrestorm.

“They’re still alive?!” Spark was stunned. He could see the enemy had no priest! But this was no time for surprise. “Knights, block the front! Mages, spread your fire! Don’t let a single one escape!”