Chapter 318: Tier 1 Mutated Beast (1)
Before Ethan could finish clearing out all the tierless mutated pests around them, the people Elena had summoned began appearing one by one.
Everyone gasped as they witnessed the full extent of Ethan’s shadow ability.
Countless massive shadow thorns continued spreading across the ground, ruthlessly skewering and killing every mutated pest in the surrounding area.
"This... Are we even needed if your husband is already capable of killing everything?" Lydia whispered as she walked beside Elena, utterly astonished.
Her dual water and ice abilities were greatly suppressed by the scorching environment. Under the extreme heat, she could barely unleash their full potential.
"It’s only because Ethan has already reached Tier 2 and has complete control over his power," Elena replied, noticing everyone’s amazement.
"Once you fully understand and master your own ability, I’m sure you’ll be able to dominate the battlefield as well."
From her past life, Elena had learned that there was no such thing as a weak ability.
Only those who lacked determination or were too afraid to venture outside remained weak, eventually being surpassed by others who possessed the very same power.
As long as a person continued to fight, train, and persevere, their ability could evolve far beyond their imagination.
Elena had witnessed it with her own eyes.
Some abilities that seemed completely useless in the beginning eventually became terrifying after enough evolution, possessing enough destructive power to level an entire mountain.
"Humph. If I keep upgrading this ability of mine, do you think I’ll one day grow as tall as a towering building?" General Kaiser asked as he enlarged his fist and slammed it into another mutated beast.
WHACK!
"Who knows? As long as you keep working for it, nothing is impossible," Elena replied.
However, she could not help but shudder at the thought of General Kaiser’s ability.
In her past life, he had indeed reached Tier 5. At that stage, he could enlarge his body until it was as tall as a towering building, crushing mutated beasts and aliens beneath his feet without mercy.
The sight had been both tragic and awe-inspiring.
"Alright," Elena said, drawing everyone’s attention.
"I called you all here today because Ethan and I discovered a group of Tier 1 mutated beasts near Building C. Let’s eliminate them before we leave tomorrow."
"But this time, none of you are allowed to use the Paradise space. You’ll have to face them head-on."
Although the Paradise space was an invaluable escape route, Elena wanted everyone to stop depending so heavily on external advantages instead of their own abilities.
This would also serve as a test.
The journey to the main military base would be filled with danger, and encounters with Tier 1 mutated beasts would become increasingly common.
Upon hearing her explanation, everyone grew silent. Only then did they realize how much they had come to rely on the Paradise space.
Soon, however, their expressions became resolute. Elena was right. They could not rely on the Paradise space forever.
In the end, the only strength they could truly depend on was their own.
"Roger!!" everyone shouted in unison before immediately forming teams of four based on their abilities.
Each team decided to have two close-combat fighters and two long-range supporters, allowing them to attack and defend efficiently.
Afterward, they discussed which mutated beast each team would target once they entered the area.
"We’ll take the mutated kangaroo," Brother Elias suggested.
His team consisted of General Kaiser and Ramon as the frontline fighters, while he and Jessa provided long-range support.
"Then we’ll take the mutated rabbit," Oslo concluded.
On his team, he and Xander would engage in close combat, while Shantel and Lydia attacked from a distance.
With two Tier 1 mutated beasts remaining, Uncle Anthony claimed one for his group.
"We’ll handle the mutated cat," he said.
His team consisted of himself and Andrei on the front line, with Aunt Joana and Jetro providing support from the rear.
After the teams had divided their targets, one Tier 1 mutated beast still remained.
Elena decided to deal with the last mutated beast herself, while Ethan would face the mutated boar that was on the verge of advancing to Tier 2.
If Ethan could defeat it alone, that would be the best outcome. Otherwise, his job was simply to hold the beast back until one of the other teams finished their battle and came to reinforce him.
******
Ten minutes later, the sounds of fierce battles echoed throughout the area as each team finally unleashed their abilities against their assigned mutated beasts.
"Take cover! I’ll lure this mutated kangaroo away from the others. It seems determined to stay close to the mutated boar!" General Kaiser shouted.
Activating his size manipulation ability, he uprooted a dead tree and swung it with tremendous force.
Bang!
The mutated kangaroo was sent flying, forcibly separated from the rest of the beasts.
Seeing the opening, the other teams immediately acted. They each drew their assigned targets toward different directions, completely breaking the monsters’ formation.
Back on General Kaiser’s side, Brother Elias wasted no time following up.
He threw a Fire Talisman, refusing to give the mutated beast even a moment to recover.
Boom!
The mutated kangaroo let out a furious screech.
Yet despite taking the explosion head-on, it merely sneered arrogantly, looking at them as though they were nothing more than insignificant insects.
The powerful blast had failed to inflict any serious damage.
In retaliation, the kangaroo suddenly lunged toward Ramon, its muscular fist cocked back before launching a devastating punch.
Caught off guard by its explosive speed, Ramon immediately activated his Strength ability, reinforcing both arms before meeting the attack head-on.
Boom!
Even with his enhanced physique, the overwhelming force sent Ramon staggering backward.
In terms of raw strength, the mutated beast clearly had the upper hand.
"Ramon!" Jessa cried as she watched her husband crash into a wall like a rag doll.
Fortunately, his physical enhancement ability also granted him rapid regeneration.
Within seconds, he pushed himself back to his feet, refusing to let the mutated beast gain the advantage.
"I’m fine..." Ramon gritted through clenched teeth.
"Be careful! This thing hits ridiculously hard!"
Relieved to see him unharmed, Jessa immediately shifted her attention back to the battlefield.
At that moment, the mutated kangaroo was exchanging blows with General Kaiser.
Without hesitation, Jessa gathered her spiritual energy, and brilliant arcs of electricity soon crackled violently around her hands.
"[Lightning Arrow]!"
She immediately unleashed her skill.
Whoosh!
The moment he saw her attack, Brother Elias quickly tossed a support talisman into the air.
"[Amplify]!"
The talisman instantly dissolved into the incoming projectile, causing the single lightning arrow to swell into a massive bolt of crackling energy before it shot toward the mutated beast.
BOOM!
This time, the mutated kangaroo finally let out a pained roar as the amplified lightning struck its body, sending destructive currents surging through every part of it.
"See? You’re not that hard to deal with," General Kaiser snorted as he enlarged one of his legs and delivered a brutal kick.
Bang!
While General Kaiser’s team gained the upper hand, Oslo’s team was having serious trouble dealing with the highly agile mutated rabbit.
The beast moved with incredible speed, launching ambushes from every direction.
Although Oslo also specialized in speed and agility, the mutated rabbit still held a slight advantage, effortlessly dodging every attack he launched.
Meanwhile, Xander used his Density Control ability to make his body intangible, allowing the mutated rabbit’s attacks to pass harmlessly through him.
This made him an excellent defender, capable of intercepting the beast’s assaults without taking damage.
Even so, Lydia and Shantel were still forced into a defensive position.
"Brother Xander, Oslo! It would help if you could lure it farther away from us," Lydia called out as she hastily raised an ice wall in front of her.
"Our skills take too long to cast. It’s hard to attack while constantly defending. Is there any way to cripple its legs?" she added anxiously.
As she struggled to stop the swift mutated rabbit from breaking through her defenses, Lydia finally realized how difficult real combat was without the safety net of the Paradise space.
She silently vowed to train harder and master her elemental abilities to their fullest potential.
Oslo’s frustration only grew as he watched Lydia and Shantel repeatedly become the rabbit’s targets.
He wanted nothing more than to kill the beast immediately.
However, even with his dual Wind and Speed abilities, he still couldn’t keep up with the rabbit’s ridiculous agility.
So, whenever the beast lunged toward the two women, Oslo immediately unleashed a barrage of [Wind Blades] to draw its attention away, refusing to let either of them take the hit.
At the same time, Xander repeatedly altered his body’s density, making it as heavy and hard as solid metal in an attempt to catch the rabbit whenever it launched a kick.
Unfortunately...
He was always just a little too slow.
"Damn it... it’s too fast!" Xander cursed.
Seeing their growing frustration, Elena didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Their abilities were undoubtedly powerful, but they were simply no match for the mutated rabbit’s absurd speed.
With a helpless sigh, Elena realized they were being completely overwhelmed and decided to switch targets with them.
Using [Blink], she instantly appeared beside Lydia and Shantel.
"Let’s switch targets," she said calmly.
"I’ll handle this mutated rabbit. You guys go help deal with the mutated pig."
Hearing those words, everyone’s eyes immediately lit up with relief.
"In the end, Elena is still my knight in shining armor!" Lydia exclaimed with a bright smile before hurriedly retreating toward the mutated pig’s battlefield.
Eager to vent all the frustration she had built up, she immediately unleashed a barrage of ice arrows at the sturdy beast.
Watching her run off so happily, Oslo could only let out a helpless sigh.
A sharp pang of disappointment filled his heart.
He had wanted to show Lydia what he was capable of and prove how reliable he could be.
Instead, they had been thoroughly outplayed by a single mutated rabbit.
Steeling his resolve, he turned his frustration toward their new target, determined to make up for the setback.