The hunters, who had been fighting relentlessly against the monsters, were shocked when they saw the scene before them. But it was when they turned their heads upward that they were truly stunned.

Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that all the monsters in the area would be slain by what appeared to be a 15-year-old boy.

"I know that kid. He's Max Morgan from the Battle Realm, the one who beat the crap out of Killian Blade."

"Yeah, now that you mention it, he does look like Max Morgan."

"But how did he become so strong? He killed so many Apprentice Rank monsters like they were nothing."

"Damn, this Max is one hell of a monster himself. He's only at level 1 of Apprentice Rank, and look at his strength! He slaughtered so many level 5, 6, and 7 Apprentice monsters like cutting vegetables."

The hunters on the ground recognized Max, and they were once again blown away by his strength. They couldn't believe that a level 1 Apprentice Rank hunter could kill level 7 Apprentice Rank monsters as easily as swatting ants.

"It's done." Max smiled from the air above the hunters and turned to General Gale. "I don't think there are any monsters left in this area… Should we regroup with the other groups?" he asked.

General Gale pondered their situation and tapped his holowatch, but just at that moment, an overwhelming pressure descended upon everyone in the area.

Be it the hunters who were celebrating or General Gale himself, they all gasped for breath as the intense pressure bore down on them.

The hunters felt their breathing slow, the weight on their bodies increase, and a sense of weakness envelop them, making them feel utterly helpless.

General Gale himself felt as though he was being pulled down, the pressure forcing him closer to the ground.

"What happened?" Max asked solemnly as he descended to the ground, noticing the distress of the other hunters and the panic on General Gale's face.

"You don't feel anything?" General Gale asked, seeing that Max seemed unaffected by the pressure.

Max frowned at his words, understanding the meaning behind them. 'They're all under some kind of pressure, but I'm not affected at all,' he thought, scanning the area for the source.

It was then that he saw, from the corner of his eye, a towering, reptilian beast with obsidian-black scales streaked with glowing crimson veins making its way toward them from the region closest to the dome.

The creature had jagged horns curling backward and four massive claws capable of rending stone. Its mouth was lined with razor-sharp teeth, and it radiated a fiery aura.

"What is this monster?" Max muttered in shock. Though he didn't feel the pressure from the creature, its size and appearance alone were enough to send a chill down his spine. It was as big as a small building, moving across the streets as it approached them.

"That's a Dracovore!" General Gale exclaimed in shock.

"Dracovore?" Max heard the name of the monster for the first time.

General Gale's eyes locked onto the hulking beast. "Dracovores are monsters that possess remnants of the legendary dragon bloodline. But these types of monsters shouldn't be found in the dungeon."

"They're not found in dungeons?" Max asked, surprised. "Then where would they be found?" he inquired.

"The Forsaken Wilds," General Gale replied solemnly. "Only that forbidden land is infested with such horrifying monsters."

"The Forsaken Wilds?" Max muttered, hearing another unfamiliar term. He understood that the Forsaken Wilds must be a forbidden area teeming with monsters like the Dracovore.

"Can you fight?" Max asked General Gale.

General Gale nodded. "We're similar in strength. I'm at level 4 of Adept Rank, and that Dracovore is at level 5. So, the pressure affecting me is almost gone now."

Max nodded and asked about the pressure. "How are you affected when there's only one level difference between you two?"

General Gale's expression grew serious. "If I'm not mistaken, the pressure acting on us isn't due to overwhelming strength—if that were the case, I wouldn't be affected. It's the pressure from the dragon bloodline that's affecting everyone here."

As he spoke, he cast a strange look at Max, who was the only one unaffected by the pressure.

Max understood the meaning behind that look and explained, "I have a treasure that fends off most of the pressure, if not all of it."

General Gale nodded and turned to face the approaching Dracovore, which was almost upon them. "I should go and test the waters while you help the remaining hunters retreat from this place."

Max thought for a moment and then shook his head. "You know the city and its landscape better. You should go help them retreat while I test its strength."

General Gale's eyes sharpened. "Are you sure?" he asked. Having seen Max's strength firsthand, he understood how powerful Max was, but he also realized that facing the Dracovore was essentially a suicide mission for someone of his current strength.

Max nodded and reassured him. "Don't worry. I have some treasures given to me by the Leader of the Phoenix Order guild, so if things go sideways, I can make an escape."

General Gale sighed and nodded. "Buy as much time as you can," he said, before turning to the remaining hunters on the ground. "We're retreating."

As Max saw the hunters retreating, he turned his attention back to the hulking figure, which was now just a kilometer away from him.

"Dracovore… A level 5 Adept Rank monster," he muttered, flying toward the creature.

Hovering above it, Max used the Magic Sword Bullets to form hundreds of small swords around him.

"Let's see how powerful you are," Max muttered as he commanded the swords to rain down on the Dracovore.

But what Max saw chilled him to the core. The small swords were deflected by the thick skin of the monster, and the few that managed to penetrate only caused minor damage.

The Dracovore then turned its attention to Max, its eyes glowing with red light.

'Damn, did I just draw its aggro?' Max wondered, his senses on high alert.

The Dracovore opened its massive maw, and a menacing cloud of dark smoke billowed outward as the air around it grew heavy.

Experience more tales on empire

Deep within its throat, an ominous red light began to condense, swirling into a fiery core of energy at the center of its mouth.

The glowing sphere pulsated with an unsettling rhythm, each beat radiating waves of searing heat and overwhelming pressure. The ground trembled under the sheer force emanating from the core, and the atmosphere crackled with raw, destructive power.

The Dracovore's intent was clear—this was no ordinary attack. It was a devastating strike capable of annihilating anything in its path.

Max frowned deeply at the sight and turned to look behind him. He saw that some hunters had yet to retreat.

'This is bad,' he thought. He could easily dodge the attack, but the hunters behind him would be obliterated.

"Oh, I'm here on time, I see," a voice called out, and a figure appeared beside Max.

Max turned to see a young man around twenty years old with purple, stylish hair. Just then, several other figures arrived behind him, all with strength at the Adept Rank.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay