The higher up the mountain they climbed, the more Arthur realized how much he disliked this place. It was probably the low visibility from the endless mist, but it really felt like danger loomed around every corner here.

Even so, it wasn’t as if they had much of a choice.

If he and John wanted to level up quickly, and more importantly earn elemental stones, they had to hunt higher-level monsters that dropped better loot. Otherwise they could go back to the forest and hunt goblins all day and still come up short by the end of the month.

Arthur also doubted he’d find more goblin settlements like the one from before. Even if more of those camps existed, with so many players roaming the place, it was only a matter of time before the entire forest was picked clean.

Their only option was to keep moving forward.

Over the next few hours, Iron Boars and Rock Serpents fell one after another. Arthur lost track of how far they’d climbed, but he soon realized that every monster he and John ran into was now level 7.

After a certain point, not a single level 6 showed its face.

And strangely enough, that one level made a huge difference. The Iron Boars were noticeably stronger, faster, and tougher than their level 6 counterparts, not to even mention the Rock Serpents.

Regardless, despite the increased difficulty, they all fell to his and John’s combined strikes.

Eventually, the third hour mark came to an end, and as it did, another creature appeared in front of them.

...A creature that was neither a serpent nor a boar.

Out of the white mist, a hulking shadow gradually emerged, and Arthur’s eyes narrowed as the beast stepped into view.

Thick, corded muscle rippled beneath a coat of gray fur, with hunched shoulders, and a massive head with teeth that looked sharp enough to shear through stone. The creature’s eyes glowed a faint red, while its claws dug deep into the gravel with each step.

[Mountain Howler]

[Level 7]

[Type: Monster, Rare]

"Damn! What the hell is this thing? It’s even bigger than the damn snakes!"

Arthur nodded, but his attention never left the beast. The way it moved set his nerves on edge for some reason. Every step it took was slow and deliberate, like a hunter that was stalking its prey.

Arthur could tell instantly. This thing didn’t just live here; it ruled here.

The [Iron Boars] and [Rock Serpents] weren’t its match!

The Howler’s head lowered slightly as it glanced at the two humans. Then it let out a deep, guttural growl that reverberated through the mist.

"Get ready," Arthur blurted. The beast moved in that same instant!

It lunged with surprising speed for its size, its claws lashing out in a wide arc as it aimed for John’s head.

John grunted, bracing his spear horizontally as he prepared to take the blow head-on. The impact rattled the spear shaft and forced him back several steps, his feet grinding across the ground.

At the same time, Arthur was already moving, as mana flooded into his left palm. He fired a [Water Arrow] at the beast, only for the Howler to twist its head and avoid it effortlessly, the azure projectile grazing across the creature’s cheek and scattering into water droplets.

"Fast bastard." John hissed while Arthur conjured a second arrow.

But then, the Howler’s eyes flashed, and it suddenly threw back its head.

"ROOOOAR!"

A deafening sound swept across the battlefield, no, probably the entire mountain, as Arthur stopped in his tracks.

He was already preparing his second [Water Arrow] when the deafening sound slammed into him like a wave of physical force, sending him reeling back a few steps and freezing him into place. Arthur’s vision blurred, and a system notification flashed across his eyes that made his heart go cold:

[You have been stunned by the roar of [Mountain Howler].]

[You are unable to move.]

Arthur’s body froze, his mind screaming at him to move. But his muscles simply refused to obey.

One heartbeat.

Two.

And then, just as suddenly, the hold on his body snapped. Arthur moved back into motion just as the beast barreled towards him.

John let out an angry roar as he drove his spear into the monster’s flank. The fanged spear tip skidded across the creature’s thick hide, leaving only a shallow scratch, but the sheer force shoved the beast off course and gave Arthur just enough space.

"Move, Art!" John barked, straining to keep the massive creature at bay.

Arthur gritted his teeth, mana already crackling into his palm as he prepared another [Water Arrow]. He fired again and again, each arrow slamming into the Howler’s body. He hit its shoulders, ribs, and even its neck. But the beast twisted and jerked, protecting its eyes and throat with a disturbing, almost intelligent accuracy. Each hit left only shallow cuts on its body, drawing thin lines of blood, but doing nothing to slow it down.

Arthur could feel his mana bar plummeting with every hit. He could tell because each cast grew heavier and slower than the one before.

"Damn it!"

After a dozen unsuccessful strikes or so, the beast’s first attack finally landed cleanly. The Howler’s claws scraped across John’s chestpiece, tearing it open in a single strike and drawing its first few drops of blood.

John grunted, planting his feet firmly and shoving the beast back with raw strength as veins bulged across his neck and arms. His spear wasn’t doing any damage, but it was sturdy enough to keep those claws from ripping deeper into him. For a second, man and beast were locked together in place.

Arthur didn’t hesitate. He stretched out his hand and aimed for the creature’s eyes!

He tried to draw out the last few drops of mana still in his body and hit its vital spot.

His hand twitched... but no arrow appeared this time.

His mana bar was actually empty!

Still, Arthur only froze for half a second before he steeled his heart and sprinted forward.

"Bro! I can’t hold it much longer!" John roared as the creature slowly pushed him back. Still, John didn’t let go of his spear. He knew the moment he did, he was done for.

Arthur ducked beside John and under the Howler’s massive body and drove his [Goblin’s Fang] upward, plunging it into the soft flesh beneath the creature’s mouth. The tooth sank in just enough to draw a bead of blood before the beast jerked back, howling in fury.

But Arthur didn’t stop. He struck again and again, forcing the fang into the same open wound. After three hits or so, the hide tore apart, blood trickling down over his knuckles.

"Come on, you bastard...!" he growled, slamming the fang in a fourth time. The Howler’s roar turned into a guttural shriek of pain, its body convulsing violently. Unfortunately, every time it tried to break free from John’s grasp and deal with the annoying cockroach trying to kill it, the stockier cockroach would push back even more with its spear, refusing to let go.

Finally, Arthur’s fifth strike drove the fang deep into the beast’s wound, and this time the system finally responded to him!

[Mountain Howler defeated. +84 EXP]

The beast collapsed to the ground with a loud thud, its massive frame shuddering once before going still and dissolving into motes of white light.

Arthur staggered before he plopped down on his butt, his chest heaving as he sucked in a breath.

His hands were still greased with the Howler’s fading blood.

Arthur glanced at the beast, at the fury and hatred that lingered in its red eyes even after death without moving.

And beside him, John planted the butt of his spear into the gravel, sweat streaming down his brow. He let out a ragged laugh and looked at him,

"Damn, dude... you’re insane."