As the notification flashed before the eyes of the Cohort, tension immediately formed on their expressions. At first, they were frozen in their stances, subdued by the malevolent aura of the monstrous figure lurking within the fog.

Steven felt his hands grow weak and his knees buckle as he stared at the rank displayed above the monster.

{Status: Disaster}

This confirmed his suspicions. The King Beast was a rank entirely above the Dreadlings he had fought before. Which meant that the entire Cohort, despite their strength and coordination stood no chance against it.

"Run!" Lin screamed, being the first to react. She swung her hands forward, sending multiple crescent-shaped energy blades slicing through the fog toward the figure.

The crescent blades struck the thick furred skin of the monster, shattering like glass on impact as they did absolutely nothing to it. Instead, the attack only riled the creature up. The King Beast roared so loudly that the fog before its face dispersed, revealing its massive, demonic visage.

The others, including Lin, seeing how useless her attack had been, immediately turned around to flee.

Scribe was already at the front of the group, sprinting toward the end of the hall, while the rest of the Cohort raced after him.

The King Beast watched them gain distance, remaining unmoving, its massive lips slowly curling upward.

Steven noticed the movement as he took quick glances backward while running. "Don’t tell me this monster is giving us a head start!"

Lin grunted, noticing it as well. This did not bode well.

"Stay in groups of two!" Drake announced, running close to Lin. Instinctively, Steven did the same, timing his pace with Favour, who was struggling to keep up. "Whatever happens, do not fight—"

GRRUUUUUCK!!!

It was too late for small talk.

The ear-piercing roar of the King Beast tore through the entire hall, vibrating the stone beneath their feet. In the next instant, it sprang forward, covering the distance between itself and the Cohort within seconds.

Its first targets were Steven and Favour, the slowest of the group.

Reaching them, the King Beast swiped its claws downward, its human-sized paw aimed at tearing the two apart in a single motion.

But Favour had seen it coming.

Gathering a compressed torrent of water into her palm, she blasted it straight at the incoming paw. Her attack connected, yet the spell that was once strong enough to injure Dreadlings only managed to knock the massive limb slightly off course.

Still, the monster was far from finished.

The King Beast snarled as though laughing. Two tentacles erupted from its back, sprinting forward with insane speed toward the duo. It was too fast for Favour to conjure another spell in time.

But Steven reacted.

Thanks to his enhanced physique, he moved just in time, grabbing Favour and hoisting her into his arms as he twisted his body, narrowly dodging the first strike.

From afar, Drake and Lin pushed themselves harder, their pace increasing as they rushed toward the exit of the hall. Still, Lin glanced back at the two battling the formidable Disaster, and her chest tightened painfully. It felt like she was running away once again from a plague she should have faced years ago.

She turned to Drake and grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop. "Wait, Drake! We have to help them!"

Drake turned toward Lin and violently tore his arm from her grasp. An expression she did not recognize twisted across his face. "Are you mad?! We need to escape now, before it kills those two!"

Lin was stunned. Not only was his demeanor steeped in fear, but he no longer spoke with conviction. He had fully embraced it.

"Together, we might be able to escape," she said weakly.

Drake frowned in disdain, roughly grabbing Lin by her clothing as he yelled, "That thing is a fucking Disaster! We can’t win, and we can’t escape if we go back! People are meant to be used, it’s either your life or theirs!"

He paused, his face tensing as his eyes searched Lin’s for an answer. Her resolve wavered under his words.

"You’ve been here the longest," he continued. "Don’t you want to see your family and clan again?"

Meanwhile, back in the battle between the duo and the King Beast—

Steven had been holding on, evading the first three tentacles. Then four more joined in faster than the last, as they shot toward him from different angles.

Steven dodged the first two.

The next two struck true.

One tentacle dug into his shoulder, burrowing so deep it tore away a chunk of flesh as it retracted. Steven groaned in pain, his vision blurring.

The other tentacle slammed into Favour’s knee, shattering the bone with a sickening crack. Her scream echoed through the hall.

Those two strikes cost them dearly.

Steven staggered, losing control of his footing for a brief moment.

And that moment was all the King Beast needed.

With a swift, backhanded slap, it struck both Steven and Favour with thunderous force, sending them flying through the hall. Their bodies crashed violently into the ground several meters away, raising mounds of grit and debris.

The King Beast snarled again, charging toward where they had landed. Its maw opened wide, saliva secreting from its exposed flesh as it prepared to deliver the final blow.

Then it stopped.

The space was empty.

Steven and Favour were gone.

The King Beast craned its head around, confusion and boiling rage twisting its expression. It had been tricked.

In a fit of resentment, it swung its massive paw at one of the stone pillars lining the hall, shattering it into pieces with a single strike.

Not far away, hidden behind another pillar, Lin peered out at the monstrous King Beast. Its vicious gaze scanned the area as it sniffed the air for its prey.

She waited, heart pounding until the Disaster finally turned and began moving in the opposite direction.

Only then did she pull back, her gaze settling on the two she had rescued from certain death.

Steven was bleeding profusely, blood soaking into the ground beneath him. Favour, though injured, had suffered slightly less in comparison.

"Is it gone?" Steven whispered.

Lin nodded, her worried eyes shifting to Favour. "She can no longer run."

"I’ll carry her," Steven replied immediately. His face twitched from the pain wracking his body, but he did his best to hide it. Every second they wasted was another chance for that monster to find them. "Favour, I’ll need you to buff both of us with all the mana you have left."

Favour nodded, biting down on her lips as tears rolled freely down her cheeks. Terror shook her as her chest rose and fell in uneven heaves.

Steven turned to Lin, curiosity flickering across his face.

She understood instantly.

"We’re alone," Lin said quietly. "The others left us... Drake—" She froze, then shook her head, forcing the thoughts away.

"The exit isn’t far," she continued. "If we move fast enough and create a diversion, we can escape and lock the King Beast inside."

The plan was simple.

Yet Steven glowered at it.

To race against a monster twice as fast as they were even with Favour’s buff, was nothing short of suicide.

But it was their only way out.