Chapter 38
"Ah! It’s Lisbeth! She’s finally here!"
From her high vantage point, Stalos spotted Lisbeth the instant she arrived to rescue them. A joyful smile spread across Stalos’s face. But it vanished seconds later when Lisbeth pulled out a bunch of potions from her bag and hurled them at the monsters. A blinding flash erupted.
"Whoa! What is Lisbeth doing?!"
The intense light forced Stalos and the others on the tree to cover their eyes instinctively. When they opened them again, a field of monster corpses greeted their eyes.
"Hmm, done. Easier than expected."
Since the monsters had clustered together, the holy light from the potions hit every single one. Holy light was their natural weakness, so not a single monster survived.
After confirming no living monsters remained, Lisbeth smiled and called up to Hilda and the others still hiding in the tree. "Hey! How long are you gonna stay up there? Get down already."
But unexpectedly, Hilda and the others shook their heads from the branches. "Lisbeth, get up here quick!" Hilda shouted back. "The ones that forced us up this tree weren’t the monsters you just killed. They’re giant monsters—level 60 or higher!"
"Huh? Level 60?" Lisbeth scoffed. "Just slightly tougher trash, right?"
For Lisbeth, slaughtering level 60+ monsters used to be routine. Even now, with her abilities drastically reduced after changing bodies, she was confident she could wipe them out easily. But Hilda yelled again, "You idiot! Get up here now! You’ll really get killed if you stay!"
"Ah, I said, a mere level 60 monster won’t—"
"ROAR!!!"
"ROAR!!!"
"ROAR!!!"
Before she could finish, deafening roars erupted behind her. She turned to see over twenty giant bear monsters, each over four meters tall, standing in a pack behind her.
Cold sweat instantly soaked Lisbeth’s back. Her smile froze stiff. Staring at the monsters glaring at her, she stammered, "H-hello?"
"ROAR!!!!!"
"WAAAAH!!!!!!"
"That idiot!!"
The monsters roared in fury and charged without hesitation. Hilda gasped sharply. "Lisbeth! Find a sturdy tree and climb up fast! I’ve sent a rescue request to the Demon King’s Fortress. Help will arrive in half an hour!"
"Are you kidding? We’ll be eaten long before that!"
Lisbeth knew level 60+ monsters had intelligence. Their earlier retreat was just to gather more allies and chop down Hilda’s tree. Hiding up there was pointless.
"Damn it. What to do? I could escape, but the old ladies would be done for."
"Alex, calm down first," Clothilde’s voice echoed in her mind. "The situation’s bad, but not hopeless. How about this—you still have unused healing potions in your bag, right? Throw them all to attract the monsters. Lure them to a deserted spot, then switch to Tier 3 class and wipe them out."
"Tier 3..."
Clothilde’s suggestion was practical—the best option for now—but Lisbeth hesitated. "Little Sword, I get it. But switching to Tier 3 releases massive magic power. Even I can’t fully hide it with a Barrier."
"Besides," she added slowly, "I don’t know if Natalie’s still in this forest. If the old lady and her sense my magic, it’s all over."
"Ah... true..." Clothilde sighed mentally. Tier 3 was the peak class for Heroes, with broken-level abilities and magic power. Lisbeth’s concern made sense. But time was short—the monsters had already started attacking while they talked.
Seeing Lisbeth hadn’t climbed the tree, Hilda and the others yelled anxiously, "Lisbeth! What are you doing? Why aren’t you climbing up?!"
"Because it’s useless!" Lisbeth shouted back while dodging a swipe. In her mind, she told Clothilde, "Damn it. No choice then, Little Sword. Let’s go all out! I’ll lure them to a deserted spot, switch to Tier 3 Sword class, and you manifest instantly. We’ll wipe them out in three seconds! No way they can sense my magic in just three seconds!"
"Three seconds? Lisbeth, are you crazy? Even at your peak, but now with reduced stats, you can’t do it!"
"Only one way to find out! Let’s go, Clothilde!"
"Sigh... Fine. Good luck."
Clothilde sighed faintly and deactivated her stealth mode, ready to manifest from Lisbeth’s hand at any moment.
After dodging several attacks, Lisbeth pulled out every healing potion from her bag and hurled them toward the center of the monster pack.
"ROAR!!!"
The blinding light made the monsters roar in anger, but as level 60+ elites, they weren’t felled by mere potions. Still, it drew their full attention.
"Alright, Clothilde, let’s go!"
"Yes!"
As the light faded, Lisbeth charged in the opposite direction of the forest. The monsters followed without hesitation, each seeming desperate to tear her apart.
Not all were lured away—a few giant bears stayed behind. But that was fine. With only a few left, Hilda and the others could handle them.
After running for a while, Lisbeth finally found a suitable spot to make her stand. She stopped.
"ROAR!!!!!!"
The monsters roared in triumph at their trapped prey. But their roars cut short as they suddenly froze, eyes wide, and instinctively stepped back.
"Oh? Not bad for monsters," Lisbeth murmured with a faint smile. Even with magic, they retained beastly instincts. The monsters retreated another step, as if facing a true monster. Lisbeth’s smile widened slightly. "I’d spare you if I could. But if you escape, my friends are in danger. Sorry—you all die here."
"Class Change Ability Activation, Tier 1 – Swordsman."
"Class Promotion Ability Activation, Tier 2 – Great Swordsman."
A massive magic array flared beneath her feet, completing the class changes in an instant. But this time, the array didn’t vanish. Instead, it shrank and condensed tightly under her.
"Whoosh!"
Overwhelming magic power and pressure burst from Lisbeth’s body. Magic circuits emerged from the condensed array, swirling around her like living threads.
"Class Re-promotion Ability Activation."
"Tier 3 – Black Swordsman."
