Return Of The Strongest Player

Clusters of tiny orbs descended from the ashen sky, illuminating the somewhat dim atmosphere with their lustrous light.

The chaos continued, and dozens of people continued to hack away at each other. Their sole purpose was to commit murder and preserve the honor of their village. It was impressive how devoted a person could be to their town.

However, Arthur would refer to it as stupidity if he were here. The naivety portrayed by mindlessly fighting for something or someone that did not give two shits about them was immense.

As the clusters of orbs rose in the potency of emanated light, they split, scurrying to either side of each other. Then, they condensed while reproducing at a terrifying rate, eventually displaying signs of assuming a physical shape.

Gabriel and Feyright gazed emotionlessly at each other, their eyes determined.

The orbs materialized into a bear and a wolf respectively, the former standing beside Gabriel, and the latter standing beside Feyright. The ground shook, struggling to accommodate their weight.

"Give up, Gabriel," said Feyright, flicking his wrist as golden energy danced across his fingertips. The energy was lustrous, adorned with the occasional streaks of purple that seemed to run through it.

The wolf lowered his head before letting out a thunderous howl; a howl that seemed to pierce the heavens themselves. The bear gritted his teeth, allowing a bit of saliva to escape his jaws. As soon as the saliva collided with the ground, a potent, sizzling sound drowned out all other noises.

Then, a booming growl escaped the bear's jaws, displaying its might.

"Look who's talking," said Gabriel, summoning a massive, two-meter-long, black lance. Despite its weight, Gabriel was able to handle it easily, even going as far as to spin it using solely his fingers.

Both parties were monstrosities, and despite having only cleared a few floors, had refined their power over decades. They surpassed the regular player on single-digit floors, entering the realm of double digits.

"You realize your champion ran away with his tail tucked between his legs, right?" Feyright inquired, his eyes darting across the tattered battlefield. The scent of smoke was potent, coupled with the squalid smell of rotten blood.

Gabriel remained silent.

"He even killed your little friend, too," said Feyright, allowing boisterous laughter to escape his lips. His face contorted, revealing a deranged smile as he gazed mockingly at his former friend; his current rival.

Both Feyright and Gabriel had known Isabella, but the latter was naturally closer.

The subtle sound of gritting teeth escaped Gabriel's lips, causing Feyright's smile to widen. The latter continued to speak, angering the former further. Combat was 10% physical and 90% mental.

Usually, people ignored the latter aspect, battling solely on physical terms. However, Feyright had too much experience in the field to ignore something so glaring. Insulting words continued to flow out of his mouth, causing the anger in Gabriel's heart to increase at a terrifying rate.

Enmity towards all things grew, causing Gabriel to doubt the loyalty of his subjects and allies. But was he so immature to believe such blatant provocations? It was obvious that such words would shake his resolve, but could they decrease his concentration during battle?

Hell no.

"You should–at this point–just curl up and–" Before Feyright could finish his sentence, a few words escaped Gabriel's lips.

"Will you shut the fuck up?"

Feyright let out a sigh, realizing his tactic hadn't worked. But he wasn't too worried, since that wasn't the only card he could play. With a faint smile on his face, he took a few steps forward, the golden-purple light solidifying into a whip.

The whip extended several meters, approaching Gabriel at breakneck speeds. However, Gabriel didn't feel any threat, simply instructing his bear to destroy it using its claw. A giant, furry claw descended, obstructing the whip's advance.

However, at that moment, the whip altered its trajectory, and instead of approaching Gabriel, split into two before slapping down on each side of the man.

Suddenly, two clams ascended from each point of impact, emanating a faint light while opening as wide as possible. The clams were grey in color, lined with black streaks, and splotched with white, circular spots.

Gabriel's gaze darted towards the clams, his eyes widening in response.

"Explosive Clams…"

Explosive Clams were a rarity and were only found on a few floors. However, their low destructive power in comparison to the floors they were located on resulted in a sharp decline in their value.

Still, a single Explosive Clam could absolutely devastate a significant area and could be fatal for weaker players.

Beads of sweat dripped down Gabriel's forehead as he realized that Feyright wasn't aiming to disrupt his concentration. Instead, he was simply distracting him while somehow placing Explosive Clams around him.

'But how did he do it without me noticing…?'

That was a question Gabriel couldn't find the answer to.

He immediately willed the bear to protect him with his body, to which the latter nodded. The bear extended a claw, and Gabriel quickly hopped on it. Then, with seconds to spare, the bear assumed a position in which Gabriel was hidden in the depths of his fur.

Boom! Boom!

Two massive explosions occurred, destroying several hundred meters worth of land. 90% of the residents of both Lijkao and Gargo Village perished in an instant, leaving only those who were fighting far away.

Strong winds blew, destroying nearby trees and carrying debris that weighed several thousands of kilograms.

The bear hiding Gabriel in his embrace was severely injured, with its body half-burnt. Hundreds of cuts and bruises lined its previously glossy fur, which was now stark black on both sides due to the double explosion.

Low growls escaped its snout. Gabriel emerged from its grip. He was practically unscathed, but as he gazed at the beast that had protected him, his eyes widened and his face paled. The explosion was this powerful?

How the fuck was he supposed to contest with Feyright's wolf if his beast had suffered such grievous injuries?