Leon grabbed the hilt and pulled it.

The sword appeared out of nowhere. Or that’s how it looked to others.

Noah, the male hunter and the two female hunters.... All were shocked beyond words.

"He... he can still use magic?"

Alex whispered.

The beast lunged. This time, Leon didn’t hesitate. He surged forward to meet it, far more confident than before.

The white monster swung its massive arm. Leon’s sword cut through the air to intercept it. Flesh met steel. The impact should have torn through flesh, should have drawn blood.

But nothing like that happened. Instead...

Leon felt a numb sensation spreading across his right arm. The impact sent him skidding back. His legs dug a deep trench in the snow.

The four hunters stared, eyes wide, as Leon charged again without pause.

Another clash. Another shockwave. And once more, Leon was driven back, his feet skidding across the snow.

But Leon charged again. And again. Each time, the recoil grew harsher, his condition worsening with every clash.

"We can’t let him take all the blows alone. Let’s help." Without waiting for a response, Noah shot forward.

"Noah! Don’t be reckless..." Alex called out, but it was too late.

Noah was sprinting toward the battlefield with his specter held high. He had already covered a great distance.

"Let me help!" He shouted.

Leon was busy fighting the monster. That sudden shout froze him for a moment. He hadn’t expected anyone to step in. Especially not like this. Nobody’s magic was working for some unknown reason.

In fact... He wouldn’t have done it either... He had his own motives. The monster core. He was pushing himself this hard for that one thing. For leveling up.

Meanwhile, Noah pressed on without the slightest hint of fear. He thrust his specter forward, voice ringing out — "Fireball!"

Nothing happened. He had seen others fail to use their magic, yet after witnessing Leon, a sliver of hope had remained. Now, that hope shattered.

But...

Noah didn’t stop. He gritted his teeth and held the specter like a sword. Then without any hesitation... He charged straight at the beast.

Alex, Meridith, and the female hunter sprinted after him. "Willow, hurry! Stop him before he goes any further!" Meridith shouted.

The female hunter with the daggers gritted her teeth. She pushed her speed to the limit.

Noah had already reached striking range. He raised his specter to swing...

But at the last second...

A firm grip grabbed the back of his tunic. It pulled him backward with force. It was Willow.

"Stop it, Noah! Do you want all of us to get beaten to death by the guild master?"

Willow snapped, her voice sharp with anger.

Alex and Meridith caught up moments later, positioning themselves between Noah and the beast, their gazes fixed ahead.

"He was reckless," Meridith said, her tone steady but tense, "but we can’t just stand here. We need to do something — and fast. Otherwise, we’re next."

Her eyes flicked toward Leon, who was still holding his ground. "And unlike him... we won’t survive more than a few hits."

Leon charged the beast once more. Seizing the brief opening Noah had created — when the creature turned its head at Noah’s shout — Leon closed the distance in near silence and struck from behind.

Schlk!

A crimson arc splashed across the snow. But the tyrant reacted instantly. It spun on its heel, its massive arm whipping through the air...

BAM!

The blow crashed against Leon’s head like a hammer.

Whoosh!

His body was hurled through the air, slamming into a thick tree trunk. Leaves and snow cascaded down in a flurry as the impact echoed through the forest.

The beast’s gaze shifted. This time, it locked onto the others. Without warning, it lunged.

"Damn it... it’s coming!" someone shouted.

The creature leapt high and came crashing down right before them, its forelimbs smashing into the ground.

BOOM!

Snow and debris exploded outward. All four were blasted away in different directions, their bodies flung like ragdolls across the frozen ground.

The beast moved in on its first target — the nearest one. Meridith.

She hadn’t even managed to get back on her feet. The creature landed beside her and brought its massive limb crashing down onto her stomach.

"Blarrghhh...!" Blood burst from her lips as her body folded in on itself. And then...

Silence.

She didn’t move again.

Whether she was alive or dead — no one could tell.

"Meridith!" Willow screamed. She sprang to her feet and charged forward without hesitation.

The beast didn’t even spare her a glance. It simply swung its arm.

Thud!

The backhand struck Willow square across the face with brutal force. Blood sprayed through the air as she was sent flying, her body twisting unnaturally — bones snapping under the impact before she crashed hard into the ground.

"Damn it... are we going to die like this?"

No longer caring about Noah, Alex turned and started running.

"GRAAAAHHH!" The beast roared, preparing to lunge after him...

But just then...

Leon appeared like a ghost behind it. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Without a sound, he drove his blade deep into the monster’s back. Had the beast not been too busy savoring the thrill of its hunt, Leon would never have gotten this close. The creature let out a furious roar, thrashing violently, its massive body twisting left and right in an attempt to throw him off.

But Leon held on. He ripped the sword free...

And stabbed again. And again. And again.

Steel plunged into flesh repeatedly, each strike deeper than the last.

On the fifth blow... The beast froze. Its movements halted mid-struggle, its body locking up as if all life had been cut off at once.

Then...

Thump!

It collapsed into the snow like a fallen boulder.

Leon’s forehead was drenched in sweat. His grip loosened as exhaustion crashed over him. He slumped forward onto the beast’s corpse, every inch of his body screaming in protest. It felt as if each limb weighed several tons.

Not far away, Alex, who had been running like a madman, came to an abrupt stop and dropped to his knees, gasping for breath.

Noah, barely able to stand, staggered toward Meridith, his hands trembling as he tried to check if she was still alive.

"Finally..." Leon breathed out, his voice ragged. "Finally... I did it." A faint, exhausted smile spread across his face.

But then...

The snowy ground started shaking. Heavy footsteps echoed in the distance.

Leon’s eyes snapped toward the sound. So did Alex’s and Noah’s. And all three of them froze. Because it wasn’t just one. Not this time. Emerging from the white haze...

A horde. At least fifty tyrant ice bears... advancing toward them.