It all started to make sense to him now.

All these creatures that had somehow bypassed the barrier... they must’ve come in through the pipe systems.

’It’s the only way that makes sense,’ he thought, grimacing. ’But even that’s supposed to be next to impossible...’ 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The sewer systems were maintained constantly, and after he’d found those pipe fragments on the beach, the city had supposedly reinforced the underground foundation with high-level earth mages.

Theo’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’Something doesn’t add up...’

Either the city had failed once again.

Or someone helped this happen, whether it be a creature... or human.

Theo remained crouched atop the rooftop, his eyes locked onto the creatures crawling out of the shattered streets below.

’A group of fifteen D-rank Electric Jellyfiends there. What’s that, over a hundred more Skitter Shrimp? And there, a group of twenty Mire Toads, led by eight D-ranks it seems.’

He suddenly froze, his eyes locking onto the street below.

Something massive was moving between the flooded houses.

A body longer than two buses, covered with black scales, dragged through the low water tide.

Frost slowly spread across the flooded streets wherever it passed, freezing the water solid beneath it.

Then its head slowly emerged from between two buildings.

Theo’s pupils shrank instantly.

Its pale blue eyes scanned the surroundings lazily while its enormous tongue flicked through the air.

Theo immediately flattened himself against the rooftop.

’What the hell...?’

His heartbeat began pounding violently.

’...A B-rank Frost Serpent?’

As its head got closer and closer, Theo crawled back as quietly as possible.

CRRRRK!

The Frost Serpent continued slithering through the streets below, its massive body scraping against buildings as ice slowly spread across the flooded roads behind it.

Theo rolled behind a large rooftop ventilation unit and held his breath.

BOOM!

The Frost Serpent’s tail smashed into a smaller house beside his, destroying it in an instant as it turned onto another street.

Theo felt his scalp go numb.

’How the hell did something like that even enter the city?’

There was absolutely no way the sewer openings he’d seen earlier were large enough for a creature of that size.

And it wasn’t even remotely close.

’Impossible.’

’It’s all impossible...’

There had to be larger tunnels somewhere else.

But it didn’t make any sense at all.

’How did no one notice a tunnel that size being created...?’

Theo slowly clenched his jaw.

Just when he’d thought it couldn’t get any worse, something like this showed up.

’I need to get to my parents,’ he thought, pushing all other thoughts aside.

’With creatures like that roaming around... nowhere is safe.’

His hand moved across his pocket, confirming the five cold slabs inside were still there.

Then, he slowly peeked out from behind the ventilation unit.

The Frost Serpent was still nearby, but it seemed to slowly be moving away.

’Our apartment was a ten-minute drive from here,’ he thought, narrowing his eyes. ’If I keep going at this pace... it’ll take me at least half an hour.’

And that was assuming nothing else blocked his path.

BOOOOM!

A massive lightning bolt shot through the sky far away.

Theo instinctively lowered himself again as a bright flash illuminated the skyline in the distance.

Even from here, he could feel the faint tremor run through the rooftops beneath him.

’The battle near the shoreline is still going o—’

He paused as his eyes widened.

In front of him, a jellyfish-like creature floated through the air, a purple glow radiating from its body.

At first, it didn’t even see him, likely attracted by the battle at the shoreline.

But then—

It turned around.

Electric currents immediately began crackling around the dozens of long tendrils floating beneath it.

Theo’s expression shifted.

’A D-rank Electric Jellyfiend...?!’

KRRRZZT!

The lightning tentacles shot toward him.

Theo reacted instantly.

He jumped aside just in time as the tentacles pierced into the roof behind him.

Sliding to a stop, he immediately lunged forward, lightning crackling around his spear.

SPLASH!

Blue-purple liquid exploded across the roof.

A massive hole had been disintegrated through the Jellyfiend’s body.

But the Jellyfiend’s body still convulsed violently.

CRACKLE! CRACKLE!

Unstable bursts of lightning erupted across the rooftop.

’Shit!’

Theo’s eyes widened.

BOOM!

The rooftop beneath him exploded apart as lightning tore straight through it.

Wood and concrete shot everywhere.

Theo dropped with the debris into the dark house below.

Dust soared through the room as more debris smashed across the floor.

Theo barely rolled to the side in time.

Then—

CRRRRRRK...

His blood ran cold.

A massive shadow slowly stretched across the broken rooftop above him.

A bone-chilling cold washed through the building as frost crept up the windows and the shattered roof.

Theo’s breathing stalled for a moment.

The Frost Serpent had noticed the commotion!

He immediately pressed himself against the wall beneath the opening, not daring to move a single inch.

’There’s no way I can beat that,’ he thought, holding his breath. ’You need at least three Gold Cores or a single Platinum Core for that.’

The serpent’s pale blue eye slowly appeared above the opening.

Just one eye alone was larger than his entire body.

Its slit pupil narrowed slightly as its tongue flicked through the air again.

Theo’s heart pounded violently inside his chest.

For several long seconds, the serpent simply stared into the ruined house.

Then—

Thud!

Part of a scaled tail appeared in the window opposite him.

Theo’s pupils shrank immediately.

The ceiling and walls around him suddenly began denting inward.

’No way—’

CRACK!

The walls shattered instantly as the massive pressure crushed through the structure from every direction.

Theo didn’t even have the chance to move.

BOOM!

Everything collapsed together.

The floor above caved in on top of him, raining down wood, glass, and concrete.

Pain shot through Theo’s body as he got pinned beneath the debris.

’Don’t move...’

HISSSSS...

The Frost Serpent looked at the ruins for a moment.

Ice slowly began creeping through the debris, freezing it together.

Then—

BOOOOOM!

A distant explosion rang out.

The Frost Serpent stopped and raised its head.

For several long seconds, the massive creature remained nearby.

CRRRRRK... CRRRRK...

It slowly began moving away toward the explosion.

Only after the vibrations grew weak and over a full minute had passed did Theo let out a shaky breath beneath the rubble.

Sweat poured down his body alongside thin cuts from the debris.

But... he was alive.