"Urrghh! My head!" Oliver groaned while shaking off the dizziness. His entire body ached from being thrown away. Luckily, Husk had been fast enough to avoid a direct hit from the fragments. But the aftershock still struck them hard.

Seeing his life in the red zone, Oliver quickly drank [Small Rejuvenating Potion] using three out of five charges. The remaining two were for emergencies.

He then looked around. The forest that had once been dense with trees was gone and replaced by a scene of destruction stretching across a hundred-metre radius.

Suddenly, from the rubble of shattered trees, Husk burst out and landed beside him.

"Are you okay, Husk?"

"It is nothing. Just a few scratches," Husk replied.

At that moment, a massive shadow loomed above them.

"Oliver! Above you!"

Startled by Husk’s shout, Oliver looked up, and immediately rolled away from his spot.

BOOM!!

Cannonyx crashed down where he had been standing. It was still alive, and hellbent on killing Oliver, the one who had inflicted such heavy damage on it.

Oliver quickly regrouped beside Husk. He glanced to the side and saw Nolan’s group, most of them were injured, but still alive.

Nolan was helping the injured by ordering Woodthera to cover them with healing roots. After some of them recovered enough, he told them to retreat. He then regrouped with Oliver.

"How do you plan to defeat this boss?" Nolan asked.

"Just wait a few minutes," Oliver replied. He raised his head and looked up at the sky.

Nolan was confused.

Suddenly, a breeze swept through the surroundings. Above them, the clouds began to move faster, until they finally parted, revealing what Oliver had been waiting for.

The Crimson Moon.

[Received a boost in stats due to passive skill: Crimson Moonlight]

[All your stats and Velkryss (Husk)’s stats increased by 200% as long as under the light of the Crimson Moon]

A crimson aura covered the bodies of Oliver and Husk. Nolan could feel the tremendous pressure coming from both of them.

’Who is this boy? And to release this much power... it is comparable to Rank A, like me. To think someone like this has been hiding in this region,’ Nolan thought.

Oliver pulled out the [Taming Meat - Drumstick] and threw it toward the boss. The monster hesitated for a moment before gnawing on the meat.

[Cannonyx Familiarity increased by 10.]

"Only ten... well, it’s better than nothing. Can you help me restrain the boss, old man?" Oliver asked.

"I will try my best," Nolan replied. It felt a little awkward being ordered around after years of serving as a guildmaster.

Oliver then formed a claw of crimson aura on his right hand, the precursor to the Crimson Fang skill. He then charged forward with Husk.

The boss’s cannon clicked, and it fired a scatter of bullets toward them. Husk immediately executed Crimson Slash, deflecting every shot. Oliver kept charging forward. The boss then switched to Rapid mode, unleashing a continuous shots at him.

With the Crimson Moonlight passive, Oliver’s stats were doubled. His speed and reaction were greatly enhanced. He easily evaded all the bullets using a combination of movement and Quickstep.

As he closed in on Cannonyx, the boss quickly began charging its cannon. From the intense light leaking through the cracks, it was clear that it was charging to its maximum.

"GGGRRAAAR!" The boss released its loudest roar.

Moments later, it fired. At the same time, its already fractured cannon cracked further, before exploding. This was its final shot, its last desperate attack as it determined to take at least one hunter down with it.

Suddenly, three large root walls rose in front of Oliver, absorbing the impact. The first was destroyed instantly as the blast tore through it. The second held for a few seconds before breaking apart, leaving the third to take the remaining force. By then, the blast had lost most of its momentum before finally dissipating.

Oliver nodded at Nolan, silently thanking him for the cover. He then leapt onto a nearby fallen tree and launched himself high into the sky.

Cannonyx looked up and saw the figure of a human silhouetted against the Crimson Moon. This time, it did not retaliate. It had already accepted its fate.

"Crimson Fang!"

Oliver slashed down from above, cutting through Cannonyx’s body from top to bottom. The Crimson Moonlight amplified both the size and power of his claw. Blood gushed out as the boss crashed to the ground with a heavy thump. It was barely conscious, staying on the edge of collapse.

"No! You cannot die yet!"

Oliver leapt onto the boss and cut his palm.

[Taming Procedure Initiated!]

A large magical array formed within a ten-metre radius. At the same time, a powerful gust of wind surged outward as a barrier rose, forming a dome around them.

"Did he really intend to tame that monster?! And the size of that summoning circle, I have never seen anything like it!" Nolan was stunned as he struggled to stand against the sheer force of the wind.

Even Lambert and the others noticed the powerful gust released from the summoning circle, despite being hundreds of metres away. One of them was even knocked to the ground by the pressure.

As Oliver focused on the taming, the boss suddenly began to struggle.

"Stay still!" Oliver shouted.

’How dare a human try to control me, the one who brings calamity wherever I go?’ Cannonyx refused to yield.

[Taming Procedure Failed!]

DUSHH!

The summoning circle and the barrier collapsed.

"What? Did I fail?" Oliver could not believe it. The boss was gathering its last strength and tried to retaliate.

"Damn it! How can it still move? Did the taming fail because it is not weakened enough?"

Oliver activated Overlord Eye and scanned the boss’s HP, its life was indeed already below 5%.

’I will not let you tame me!!’ Cannonyx forced itself to stand again, causing Oliver to lose his balance on top of its body.

"Root Frame, Strangle Form! Constraint Root!"

Nolan instantly shifted into his final form that specialized in immobilization. Roots surged toward the boss and wrapping tightly around its body and dragging it back to the ground.

"GGGGRRRAAARR!" A furious roar erupted from Cannonyx.

’You! You have been a disturbance for too long!’ Its gaze locked onto Nolan.

"Go, boy! Finish what you started!" Nolan shouted as he held the boss down.

"Thank you, old man! I won’t forget this!" Oliver restarted the taming procedure.

The powerful gust pushed against Nolan as he stood near the circle. He summoned roots to anchor himself firmly to the ground.

"Just accept it already, Cannonyx!" Oliver shouted.

Cannonyx continued struggling, until suddenly, its consciousness faded. Before it, a vast field of greenery appeared, with countless creatures of its kind roaming freely.

It remembered this.

This was the last thing it had seen... before being consumed by that mysterious darkness.

Just as it thought it was about to be swallowed once more, a radiant light appeared before it.

[Do you want to become stronger? If you seek it, approach the light, and you will be guided by someone who can make you stronger than you ever imagined.]

"Stronger... yes, I want to... become stronger!"

Cannonyx reached out and touched the light. The entire scene turned white.

[Taming Procedure Successful!]

"Finally..." Oliver slowly descended to the ground as Cannonyx’s body dissolved into particles. Husk quickly moved in and caught him before he could collapse.

"Husk... please get me out of here... I can barely stay awake..." Oliver said weakly. The taming process had taken a heavy toll on him.

Without hesitation, Husk dashed away, carrying Oliver deeper into the forest.

Nolan stood there, staring at what had just happened, still unable to believe it.

"Did he really tame that monster? Who... is that boy?"