Time to get serious

The adventurer's team proceeded further in the direction of Mystic Waters. Along the way, they encountered several unevolved monsters that were made to roam around the dungeon. They avoided some monsters that strolled the area in larger groups. Finally, they reached the vicinity of the large water body where the mystic waters domain was located.

The subdomain was placed at the center of the lake which was very far from where these adventurers stood. The subdomain looked tiny from where they were standing. To reach the subdomain, they had to cross the water bodies and the swamp filled with unevolved and first-stage Kroken monsters.

'Ooff, I don't think we can cross the waters. Just look at these kroken monsters. Maybe we can handle seven to eight unevolved monsters and maybe three 1st stage evolved monsters at a time but this many are out of our reach.'

said Alex as he noticed the view before him.

'We can atleast try to take down as many kroken monsters as we can. Their skin is truly valuable.'

mentioned Ronald as their main objective was to hunt monsters and make money out of it.

'We can surely manage to kill dozens of enevolved ones and a few 1st stage monsters. But what happens if any 2nd stage or 3rd stage evolved monsters show up?' suggested Laura reflecting upon the positives and negatives.

The basic Monster evolution limit was up to the 3rd stage where they have intelligence comparable to humans and other intelligent beings. After the third stage of evolution, a monster can unlock its class just like Voilus.

'Then we fight it to our best.' said Alex encouragingly.

All three members approved to proceed forward and hunt as many kroken monsters as they can. They easily dealt with the unevolved monsters. But in the case of evolved ones, they hid behind the trees and started luring the monsters out one by one. When the monsters got separated from their groups, the three of them flooded and defeated them.

This carried on for another hour. The adventurer's team nearly killed five 1st stage kroken monsters and some more unevolved monsters by setting traps and ambushing them.

'Viru Sama, it's really boring to watch these novice adventurers kill weak monsters.'

Pyra expressed her boredom.

Karina, Luther, Rex, and everyone started nodding their heads.

'I feel the same way too!' agreed Viru.

'Let's make it interesting then'

Said Viru as he immediately contacted Voilus and asked him to send a couple of his best 2nd stage-evolved monsters to the place where the adventurers were.

Following Viru's command, Voilus ordered two of his soldiers to go where the adventurers were.

They immediately obeyed and left to find these adventurers. These two were not the most powerful monsters under Voilus. But they were the most powerful 2nd stage monsters he had. They were under the top 10 guards of the subdomain. They evolved into more humanoid beings with agile limbs and decent intelligence as the result of being a second stage monster.

After a while, they both finally reached the place where these adventurers were ambushing the monsters. As Alex, Ronald, and Laura were resting, these two monsters showed up.

The trio stood flabbergasted as they watched these two 2nd stage monsters.

'SSSHHHIIIT!!'

cursed Laura as her worst nightmare came true.

Alex swiftly grasped his mighty sword, assuming a defensive stance. Ronald deftly loaded his bow, poised for a strategic strike. Laura tensed, sensing the imminent chaos.

A colossal kroken monster signaled its readiness with a thunderous palm strike. Without hesitation, it lunged forward, fists clenched, crashing into Alex's formidable longsword. The impact sent shockwaves, forcing Alex to recoil, unable to endure the brutal force.

In a split second, Ronald, witnessing the struggle, unleashed an arrow directly at the aggressor. The monster, reacting with surprising agility, shielded its face with a scaly forearm. The arrow found its mark, but the monster defiantly plucked it out, revealing an unsettling resilience. The battleground intensified, each move escalating the stakes.

The second monstrous adversary, lurking in the shadows, surged forward to engage Laura, who found herself momentarily unoccupied. Alex, sensing the danger, intervened to shield her, but the first monster cunningly struck him with a gut-wrenching blow before he could reach Laura.

Wounded and rolling on the ground, Alex struggled to regain his footing. Meanwhile, Laura faced the second monster, deftly evading its attacks. Swiftly maneuvering her sword, she aimed for the creature's vulnerable blind spot, leaving a superficial wound on its scaly back. Yet, these clever tactics proved insufficient against the formidable foes, and Laura herself wasn't immune to their relentless assaults.

As the trio faced an increasingly dire situation, contemplating retreat, one of the monsters seized Alex's foot, dragging him away to a distant corner. Ronald and Laura, already grappling with the other monster, couldn't spare a moment to rescue him.

Left isolated, Alex bore the brunt of the first monster's ceaseless onslaught, struggling to match its overwhelming strength. Despite severe injuries, he valiantly clung to his position, the odds stacked against him in a battle that seemed increasingly unwinnable.

Maintaining a strategic distance, Ronald cleverly let Laura take on the monster in close combat. Seizing the opportunity, he skillfully fired an arrow at the creature's blind side, momentarily distracting it. Laura swiftly ducked and delivered a deep slash to the monster's vulnerable lower belly, causing a momentary destabilization.

Exploiting the opening, Ronald and Laura closed in on the relentless attacker, Ronald unleashing arrows at its back while Laura aimed for its weak points. The monster stepped back to evade, allowing the trio to regroup and reassess their approach.

Recognizing their initial misjudgments, they shifted to a more agile team formation. As the battle resumed, both monsters engaged simultaneously. Ronald relentlessly fired arrows at the right monster, slowing it down, while the remaining one charged straight at them.

Laura and Alex confronted the oncoming threat, each taking a punch and sustaining injuries. Seizing the moment, Ronald, hidden behind them, unleashed an arrow at the monster's weak spot. Despite the pain inflicted, the monster adjusted its stance and charged toward Ronald. Blocking arrows with its forearms, it swung a devastating punch, sending Ronald crashing into a tree with a shattering impact.