Chapter 319: Tier 1 Mutated Beast (2)
On the other hand, Uncle Anthony and Andrei were locked in a fierce battle against the mutated cat, enduring its relentless attacks as they held the front line against its ferocious assaults.
Although it wasn’t an agility-type mutated beast, its reflexes and reaction speed were still far beyond their own.
Fortunately, Andrei’s Gravity ability gave their team a significant tactical advantage.
The only problem was that he had yet to fully master it.
His gravity fields often missed their target, crashing into empty space as the mutated cat slipped away at the last possible moment.
"So slippery... it can even twist its body one hundred and eighty degrees," Andrei lamented after his skill missed once again.
Taking advantage of those openings, the mutated cat burst past the front line and lunged straight toward their long-range support.
Thanks to Aunt Joana’s Wind ability, she easily evaded the beast’s precise pounce.
Jetro, however, found himself at a severe disadvantage.
His Light ability relied heavily on timing, but the mutated cat’s unnatural reflexes allowed it to evade or interrupt nearly every attack he launched.
Each time he attempted to counterattack, the beast would immediately slam down one of its massive paws, forcing him back and leaving him increasingly frustrated.
"[Flash Bomb]!" Jetro shouted, hurling a blazing sphere of light toward the mutated cat.
Rather than taking the attack head-on, the mutated cat simply turned its head away at the last moment, as though it had already anticipated the blinding flash.
Soon, the sphere exploded, flooding the entire battlefield with an intense burst of white light.
"Ugh! Brother Jetro, what are you doing?!" Andrei cried as he covered his watering eyes.
"I’m blind now! You should’ve warned us before using that skill!"
Instead of blinding the mutated cat...
Jetro had accidentally flashbanged his own teammates.
"My bad.. I’m sorry," Jetro apologized sheepishly as everyone struggled to recover their vision while desperately trying to keep the mutated cat at bay.
In truth, their teamwork was surprisingly solid.
It’s just that they simply needed more practice fighting together to fully bring out each other’s strengths.
"Everyone, stay focused! The mutated cat is about to attack again!" Uncle Anthony shouted, reminding everyone not to let their guard down.
This was their first real battle against a Tier 1 mutated beast, and Uncle Anthony was determined to keep everyone alive while allowing them to gain as much combat experience as possible.
After all, Elena had already warned them that, sooner or later, they would have to face these monsters on their own.
Hearing his shout, the team quickly adjusted their positions, bracing themselves for the beast’s next assault.
Sensing the greatest threat among them, the mutated cat suddenly lunged at Uncle Anthony.
Its instincts told it to eliminate the strongest opponent first.
Among the four, Uncle Anthony radiated the most dangerous aura. If he fell, the rest of the team would quickly collapse.
The instant the beast leaped forward, Uncle Anthony activated his Metal ability, summoning a barrage of razor-sharp steel needles.
Whoosh!
He covered every possible landing point with his attack. However, the mutated cat’s flexibility was beyond ordinary.
Its body twisted effortlessly through the air, weaving past the steel needles before instantly closing the distance.
Within the blink of an eye, it appeared directly before Uncle Anthony, raising a massive paw to crush him.
Fortunately, Uncle Anthony had already anticipated its move.
Reaching into his [Inventory], he instantly summoned a thick reinforced metal vault door in front of him.
BANG!
The collision between the metal barrier and the mutated cat’s overwhelming strength released a powerful shockwave, creating a small crater.
"Ngh!"
Uncle Anthony gritted his teeth as the terrifying impact traveled through his arms and body.
The force drove his feet deep into the ground, and a trickle of blood ran down the corner of his mouth.
Even so, he refused to retreat. He quickly strengthened his control over the metal.
The reinforced vault door—taken from a bank they had looted before—was durable enough to withstand the mutated cat’s claws.
However, maintaining control of such a massive piece of metal rapidly drained his spiritual energy.
"Andrei... NOW!"
Hearing the signal, Andrei’s eyes sharpened.
"[Gravity Descend]!"
An overwhelming force suddenly crashed down upon the mutated cat.
Unlike his earlier failed attempts, Andrei poured every remaining bit of his spiritual energy into the skill.
The immense strain immediately caused blood to trickle from his nose as the backlash struck his body.
But he ignored it.
At that moment, all he wanted was to bring the beast down as quickly as possible.
The mutated cat let out a guttural shriek as the crushing gravity pinned it to the ground.
Its bones creaked under the immense pressure while it desperately struggled to crawl out of the gravity field.
Naturally, the others had no intention of letting it escape.
"[Flash Bomb]!" Jetro roared as he hurled a brilliant sphere of light directly into the beast’s face.
This time...
The attack landed perfectly.
Jetro finally let out a sigh of relief, his earlier frustration disappearing.
Blinded by the intense flash and trapped beneath Andrei’s gravity field, the mutated cat panicked.
It thrashed wildly, letting out furious screams as it desperately searched for a way to escape.
Seeing the perfect opportunity, Aunt Joana unleashed a barrage of razor-sharp wind blades.
Whoosh..
At the same time, Uncle Anthony summoned dozens of flying metal daggers, sending them raining toward the immobilized beast.
"Roaaarr..."
From a distance, Elena quietly observed the battle.
A faint smile appeared on her face as she watched Uncle Anthony’s team execute their combination attack almost flawlessly.
Knowing that they were fine, Elena quickly refocused her attention on the mutated rabbit while keeping an eye on Ethan’s battle.
On her husband’s side, the fight had reached a stalemate, with both sides carefully searching for an opening.
The mutated boar was growing increasingly furious.
Its subordinates were struggling against the other humans, while the man standing before it was proving to be an extremely troublesome opponent.