The four had just barely cleared the swamp when a violent commotion erupted in the distance.

“What’s going on?” Tina peered northward through the dense forest layers. A battle seemed to be raging there—the disturbance spanned a vast area, nearly rivaling a minor beast tide.

But that wasn’t Sasha’s concern right now.

“It’s here.”

Just two cold words, yet every gaze snapped forward.

Ahead, trees toppled left and right, crushed effortlessly in its path. Before Sasha rose only a fin emerging from the earth—about one and a half meters tall. It sliced past her and Tina like a razor blade. The thick, nausea-inducing berserk aura instantly signaled grave danger.

The next moment—

The monster burst from the soil.

Shark body. Lion limbs. A mane ringed its fish-like head—utterly bizarre. Fangs as fearsome as a lion king’s sent chills down the spine.

A-rank Monster

Lionbite Shark

Its oppressive presence dwarfed the Demon Crocodile’s by multiples. That little lizard seemed like a docile pup beside it. Victory? Impossible.

Sasha’s rational mind screamed: *Run. Now. Don’t look back. Trust no one. Just leave.*

But…

The other three held their ground. Standing before her, their backs silently declared: *We fight on.*

They’d already drained magic and stamina against the Demon Crocodile. Though free of the swamp’s hindrance, they now faced a fully powered A-rank monster.

*She had to try. She had to challenge herself!*

Conflicted yet anchored by the Deity’s safety net, fleeing first would be utterly disgraceful.

Why was it here? Sasha frowned. With northern clashes underway, the territory lord should’ve reinforced its forces—not turned toward them. Only one explanation fit…

The Demon Crocodile. The one that never belonged in the swamp.

Perhaps… the Lionbite Shark wasn’t hunting them—but the Crocodile?

“Sasha, are you thinking about the Demon Crocodile too?”

Xue Die’s voice echoed in her mind—the Faithhunter Goggles’ shared soul transmission linking all four.

“Logically, B-rank monsters would respond to disturbances, not the territory lord personally,” Agnes added. Her deduction mirrored Sasha’s own, pieced together from Roland’s intel.

“So… it came for the Demon Crocodile, not us invaders?”

“The Crocodile doesn’t dwell in swamps. It hid there to mask its scent.”

“Was it hiding from the Lionbite Shark?”

Why?

A shared conclusion. Yet it birthed a deeper question: Why would an A-rank lord obsess over a B-rank monster, racing from its lair at a mere whiff of scent?

Per Roland’s report, the Lionbite Shark had been heading north to reinforce subordinates—until it caught the Crocodile’s trail. Starving, the Crocodile likely lunged at Tina’s group on impulse. The swamp’s scent-muddling hid it… until Sasha’s party passed through.

Then Rakshasa’s sighting in the tree hollow flashed in Sasha’s mind—a Lionbite Shark pup…

*Maybe there was more than one pup.* No wonder the Crocodile’s breath reeked so foul.

*You’ve really dragged us into this mess!*

As the thought surfaced, the Lionbite Shark charged—a massive body hurtling like a speeding train. Even with her Elf physique, Sasha dared not meet it head-on and dodged sharply.

Tina finished her chant, palms aimed forward.

“Ice Thirteen: Frost Guillotine.”

An ice guillotine materialized above the beast’s head.

Agnes struck simultaneously.

“Lightning Seven: Flash Prison.”

Lightning shackles seized its limbs. An A-rank monster could shatter them easily—but it’d cost a full second.

Exactly enough time for the guillotine to fall.

…

Clang!

A crisp impact. The ice shattered. The neck remained unscathed. Crimson crystals armored its body like thick plate mail. The supposed weak point? Now unbreakable.

This anomaly was why so many mercenaries had fallen here.

Suddenly, ambient heat spiked. The Black Forest zone—normally ten degrees—now scorched past forty. Burns became a real risk.

The Lionbite Shark’s belly swelled. A wisp of crimson flame seeped from its jaws.

What?!

Sasha’s pupils contracted. The beast’s maw gaped—violent flames erupted.

Tina threw up an ice barrier. It melted instantly. As fire surged, Sasha grabbed her arm and leaped, landing on a branch ten meters high. Agnes and Xue Die spread out, forming a tight triangle.

“The records never mentioned this…” Sasha murmured.

No innate fire ability. Could an earth-water monster awaken fire? Elemental opposition made it near-impossible.

Her eyes locked on the blazing crimson crystals.

*Could it be linked to those?*

Records confirmed: Only this Lionbite Shark bore the crimson carapace. The source of its fire power?

Exactly like human tools—lighters, water guns, stun batons—technology bypassing elemental incompatibility.

This armor was the same.

The solution was obvious.