Chapter 309: Who Is the Prey?

This damned thing was trying to crush all of them against the cliff!

He couldn’t afford to drag this out any longer.

Just as he was preparing to order his summons to withdraw, he suddenly noticed a wound along the side of the creature’s neck.

The bone chains had repeatedly tightened and scraped against that area, dislodging several overlapping scales and exposing the flesh underneath.

That would be much easier to attack than its back.

Zich quickly transmitted an order through their contract, then tightened his grip on his scythe and waited for the enormous beast to turn its body sideways again.

Tiamant’s bone chains, which had originally been restraining the predator’s head, suddenly tightened in the opposite direction, forcibly pulling its neck around.

The creature struggled violently, causing the exposed wound along its neck to tear open even further.

Activating [Shadow Blink!], Zich appeared on the skeletal claw Tiamant had secured around the creature’s neck. Without wasting a second, he swung his scythe directly into the exposed wound while activating Blood Arc at same timel!

The enormous beast shuddered violently, nearly throwing Zich off. He hurriedly lowered his body and grabbed onto Tiamant’s bones to keep himself from falling.

By the time he raised his head again, the creature’s massive head had already drooped, and the hooked claws gripping the cliff wall were beginning to loosen.

"Slimy, pull it back!"

Slimy’s white silk tightened, dragging the skeleton soldier dangling in midair back onto the predator’s body.

After confirming that the skeleton soldier had been pulled back and was unharmed, Zich recalled Iron, Slimy, and the four Undead Skeleton Soldiers.

Only Tiamant remained. At his command, her remaining bone chains shot upward and caught the cliff edge. Zich used them to climb back up, and once both feet were safely on solid ground, he recalled Tiamant last.

It wasn’t long before the sound of the enormous beast crashing into the bottom of the gorge echoed from below.

[Twenty-Seventh Floor Trial Completed.]

[Trial Evaluation: S.]

Zich sat on the ground and caught his breath for a moment before examining his left shoulder.

As expected, the wound had reopened. Fortunately, it wasn’t particularly serious, and he managed to stop the bleeding after some simple treatment.

Inside the graveyard, Iron’s breastplate had become even more dented than before, while the other summons had also sustained varying degrees of damage.

But at least they were all still there.

Only after confirming this did Zich turn his attention to the new tombstone that had appeared for the Ravine Predator.

One potion in exchange for clearing another floor and obtaining a new soul resource wasn’t a bad trade.

The only problem was that he still had three floors ahead of him, the Twenty-Eighth, Twenty-Ninth, and Thirtieth Floors, and the remaining two potions might not be enough.

Zich didn’t rush to continue. Instead, he stepped through the trial’s rest portal, intending to restore his stamina and give his summons some time to recover. His shoulder, however, would not fully heal from a short rest.

...

Outside the tower, the moment the stone monument updated, several people nearby immediately rose to their feet.

[Twenty-Seventh Floor Trial Evaluation: SS.]

[First Place: Zich Grave, Twenty-Eighth Floor.]

"He cleared the Twenty-Seventh Floor too."

Those words caused quite a few people to turn their heads.

Some looked toward Zich’s name on the monument, while others glanced at Arthur standing near the front, seemingly curious about his reaction.

Arthur continued staring at the stone monument, his expression considerably more serious than before.

...

After the rest restored much of his stamina and gave his summons time to recover, Zich checked the bandage around his left shoulder. The wound had stopped bleeding, but a dull pain remained. He then stepped onto the Twenty-Eighth Floor.

This time, there was finally solid ground beneath his feet.

What lay ahead resembled a large training arena, surrounded on all sides by towering walls. He had only just begun looking around for the exit when a commanding voice suddenly rang out from above.

"FIRE!"

He hurriedly raised his head. Rows upon rows of crossbowmen emerged from behind the walls, their weapons already aimed directly at him.

Before he could even read the trial notification, he hurriedly summoned Iron.

The bone greatsword swung horizontally in front of him, blocking the first volley of crossbow bolts raining down, but Zich didn’t remain behind it for long.

The arrows were coming from every direction, and staying in one place would only get him riddled with bolts sooner or later. He quickly summoned Slimy, using its Silk Barrier to block the volley coming from the side as he retreated alongside Iron toward the nearest high wall.

By the time they reached its base, the spot where they had been standing was already covered in crossbow bolts.

Zich glanced at the shaft protruding from an already dented section of Iron’s breastplate near its shoulder, and his expression darkened. The bolt had struck damaged armor, but penetrating that deeply still meant the crossbowmen on this floor were clearly not going to be easy to deal with.

[Twenty-Eighth Floor Trial: Kill the Garrison Commander.]

He looked in the direction from which the orders were coming. At the opposite end of the training ground, a commander clad in black armor stood atop a raised platform, surrounded by guards carrying shields.

The commander was also watching him. Upon seeing Zich take cover beneath the wall, it raised a hand and pointed in his direction.

A nearby side gate opened, and a squad of spearmen marched out.

The crossbowmen stationed along the walls also began repositioning themselves, searching for new firing angles.

With a glance, Zich understood the situation. These enemies were operating under someone’s command. Unlike ordinary trial beasts, they wouldn’t simply rush at him in a mindless swarm. If he focused solely on defending against the arrows, the spearmen would soon trap him in the corner.

"Iron, hold this position."

He summoned the Silverback Ape Grunt and four Undead Skeleton Soldiers, ordering them to advance along the wall while he kept his attention on the commander atop the platform.

The shield guards surrounding it hadn’t moved.

Even after Iron engaged the approaching spearmen, the commander remained firmly within its protective formation, adjusting the troops through signals and verbal commands.

’Quite cautious.’

Zich had originally intended to lure it down, but judging by the situation, he would have to go there himself.

Before that, however, he needed to deal with those crossbowmen overhead.

He quickly located a stone staircase leading up to the wall and transmitted its position to the Silverback Ape Grunt. The latter swiftly changed direction, with the skeleton soldiers following behind, while Slimy used its white silk to entangle the pursuing spears, allowing Iron to intercept the enemies coming from behind.

And just like that, the fight spread onto the wall!