Life didn't get easier, even in another world.

Deputy team leader Bray looked at the young man again. His soft, short hair was wavering in the wind. His clear eyes, reflecting the scene of the explosion, seemed to be glowing gold. 

She brushed off her thought about whatever the team leader was planning to do for now. Taking care of the monster in front of them was the most important thing right now. She smirked while looking at Kairen for a moment then opened her mouth.

"I guess this one attack was effective, hmm? What about we keep going like this? Can you do such a thing again, Kairen?"

Kairen looked at the deputy team leader. She was holding her greatsword again while looking at him with a strange look. 

'Everyone is looking at me like that again.'

He had received such looks from everyone whenever he killed monsters. Kairen sighed inwardly and nodded his head.

"Yes. I guess it won't die just by that. It'll be fine now that it is injured. I can cast another spell, but it'll take longer to complete it."

The deputy team leader smiled while rearranging her messy hair.

"Then, warn us before your spell is complete. Be careful not to burn us to a crisp."

"Yes..."

Now that the monster was greatly injured, the force preventing Kairen's mana to move had reduced significantly. It was easier to control his mana and he was now able to cast a spell, though it would take more time than usual. 

The disgusting feeling and the pressure from the monster had reduced. That fact made Kairen feel better and more confident. He started casting his spell as soon as his conversation with the deputy team leader was over.

Deputy team leader Bray grabbed her greatsword with both hands and moved again. There was no need to jump high or use Rai's ability to fly anymore. The monster was sprawled on the ground with a huge part of its body gone. Their attacks, which couldn't pierce its skin before, now could harm the centipede directly.

Moving her sword up in the air, the woman slashed the monster from a distance.

KIEEE

The monster screeched, its voice now weaker and quieter. The greatsword cut down countless centipede legs in one move.

SLASH

KIII

SLASH

She repeated that move again and again. The centipede wiggled around to avoid the attacks, but it couldn't move as fast as before. It helplessly watched its legs get cut off. 

"I'll join as well..."

Darran muttered that with a smirk and ran forward. Holding two daggers wrapped with aura in his hands, he cut the monster's burnt body. His movement was too fast that it was hard to follow them with your eyes. Strengthening his muscles with aura, he had much higher agility and physical strength than the others. Darren was really close to the monster, but he thought the creature wasn't that much of a big threat to him anymore and continued to attack.

The huge amount of pressure that was being emanated from the centipede had lessened after Kairen's attack. That made it easier for other team members to get closer to it and attack properly. 

"Hah, I can finally breathe! Hoo."

Asa, that had been hiding behind Rai's back the whole time, peeked at the monster with a disgruntled face. 

She looked at the others one by one, silently checking to see if anybody was injured. The deputy team leader and Darren were the ones who were fighting from up close so she observed them for a while before looking at the others. Her eyes stopped on Kairen for a moment. She stared at him silently then tilted her head. 

She turned her head to look at Reyan that was standing in front of Kairen. She stared at him for a moment, before looking back at Kairen.

"Hmmm..."

She looked between them for a moment before suddenly smiling. 

"What's with that smile?"

"Nothing~ nothing~ Hmm~ Hmm~"

She shook her head at Rai's question and started singing playfully all of a sudden.

"...."

KK KK KIEEE KKKKEEEE

Everyone turned towards the monster at that moment.

KIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

The monster suddenly started screeching. It raised its head up and twisted its body while making loud noises.

"ACK. This damned thing."

Darren that was nearly hit with the huge body cursed and jumped back hurriedly. The deputy team leader also stapped back at the monster's sudden move. Everybody took a few steps back after seeing the monster's strange behavior.

KIIIIIIIII

It roared loud and shook, raised its body, turned its head, and looked at the one who had hurt its body the most with its vicious red eyes.

KII 

BOMMM

The monster slammed the ground hard, making it break apart, and rushed forward at an unimaginable speed. 

"AH?"

It was rushing towards Kairen once again. This time it was faster than before. The monster glared at Kairen while rushing towards him, its red eyes filled with incomprehensible emotions. 

Kairen looked at its face while casting his spell. He looked at the monster's eyes. This creature had been attacking him from the first moment while looking at him with such eyes.

Why? How did it feel when it saw Kairen?

Was it anger? Was it fear? Maybe disgust or maybe irritability. Kairen couldn't understand. But no matter what it was, it wasn't something positive. He was sure of it.

The monster that looked half-dead a moment ago suddenly became faster and stronger. Did it get stronger all of a sudden?

'It wasn't using its full force before...'

Kairen kept looking at the monster that was rushing towards him. The centipede was severely damaged. It was burnt and cut. It was wounded. But it was still strong. It was now just revealing the power that it didn't use before. 

'Did we underestimate its power?'

Kairen thought the monster would be taken care of if he could hit it. It was like that until now. Kairen had killed quite a lot of monsters in the academy's missions, but he had never faced a monster that could attack him stronger once it was hit by his spells.

'It wasn't an ordinary monster from the beginning...'

It was their mistake to treat this thing like a normal monster.

SHHH SWOOSHHH

The wind blew again. The strong gust of wind hit the monster in the face. But unlike before, the monster wasn't pushed back. It passed through the wind easily and continued to move forward. 

SLASH 

Two daggers flew towards its head after that, digging into its face and wounding it again. Blue blood gushed out of the wound and splashed everywhere, but the monster didn't stop and rushed forward again.

BANG BANG BANG

Bullets were shot towards the monster, piercing its skin severally. Still, it didn't seem to bother the monster that much. 

It looked like that the monster only cared about killing a single human being. Even its own body didn't seem to matter for it at that moment. 

"Move back. Stay behind me."

Reyan raised his sword again and stood in front of Kairen. His aura wavered around his face and created an aura shield. 

SHHH SWOOSH

"Don't move, you two."

There was no time for Rai to move them away from the monster using his ability. The wind wrapped around both of them, creating a circular wind barrier surrounding the two. It was the only thing he could do in that short amount of time.

And then-

BAAANNNNGGGG

The monster slammed the wind barrier with its face. 

A loud banging sound was heard before the monster broke through the barrier. Its face was tattered, but it didn't care and moved forward.

'It's almost finished.'

Kairen's heart was beating fast. He hurried to finish his spell sooner. The monster was too close. Kairen's body was starting to shake again under the huge pressure.

BAAANNNGGG

Another loud sound was heard when the monster's head hit Reyan's aura shield.

"ACK."

Reyan was pushed back by the impact a little bit but he soon corrected his posture and added more aura to the shield. 

KIIIEE 

The monster moved back its head and slammed the shield once more.

BAANNNG

"AH!"

The aura shield broke apart this time and Reyan was thrown back. He rolled on the ground once before hurriedly getting up. He picked up his sword to rush forward again, but it was too late. The monster was now right in front of Kairen's face. 

Kairen looked at the ugly centipede in front of himself. The disgusting feeling that he had managed to overcome to some degree overwhelmed his whole body again.

"Kairen!"

"Boy!"

Others were calling for him, but he couldn't move back even one step. He couldn't turn and run away. He was standing there, frozen in place once again. 

His heart was pounding like crazy and he was getting dizzy again under the pressure. It was hard to breathe properly and his body started to get soaked in a cold sweat.

"Haa..."

Kairen took a deep breath and closed his eyes.