"What the hell are you talking about?!" Oliver shouted angrily.

The mysterious man said he wanted to tame the monsters? Taming boss monsters was one thing. But trying to tame the monsters that actually belonged to his system, that made Oliver both confused and furious.

And from the way the man spoke, it sounded like he already knew Oliver possessed those monsters within the system all along.

Crimson aura quickly covered Oliver’s body before forming a giant claw around his right arm. His eyes locked sharply onto Messenio.

Without hesitation, Oliver leaped onto the rooftop and swung his crimson claw directly toward him.

However, Messenio simply stood there without moving. He only made a slight movement with his hand.

Suddenly, a small magical array appeared beside Oliver’s extended claw and instantly absorbed the crimson aura into it.

"What?!" Oliver was shocked and quickly jumped backward before the array absorbed all of his aura.

"It looks like his skill revolves around absorbing enemy attacks." Husk said.

"Yeah, I know." Oliver replied seriously.

"Wow, it seems you also have a talking monster. What a coincidence." Messenio said calmly.

"You’d better tell me who you are and how you know I possess those monsters," Oliver demanded.

"We are the Apostles.We are the ones who will guide this world toward its true salvation. As for how I know about your monsters, that knowledge comes from our Lord."

"We merely follow his commandments.Our Lord can see the future far beyond what ordinary people are capable of seeing. And he has already predicted the outcome of our current situation."

"Enough with the nonsense! I’ll defeat both of you here and take back my monsters!" Oliver shouted furiously.

He was genuinely enraged now that someone was trying to steal what belonged to him.

"I think instead of focusing on me, you should pay attention to my friend over there," Messenio said calmly as he pointed toward the other side of town.

Oliver immediately turned his head.

Samiri was currently riding on Ragthorax in midair while continuously punching it as the massive monster flew toward the outer part of the town.

The moment Oliver saw the direction they were heading, his heart nearly stopped. Because they were flying toward his house. And right now, there was still someone there.

"Nyx! Queen! Stop this guy!"

"Husk, let’s go!"

Oliver immediately jumped off the roof before Husk leaped beneath him and carried him away at top speed.

"Oliver, where are you going?!" his mother shouted as she saw him dashing away on top of Husk.

"Mum! You and father go somewhere safe! I’m going back to our house to bring Tamera!"

"Be careful, son!" Irmine shouted before Husk dashed away carrying Oliver.

"Please, Tamera... please tell me you already left the house," Oliver muttered desperately.

He truly hoped he would meet Tamera along the way with her usual sweet smile on her face.

But sadly...

...it did not happen.

---

Boom! Boom!

Dark clouds rumbled loudly with thunder overhead.

"Hmmm... hmmm..."

Tamera softly hummed while preparing Oliver’s bag for tomorrow’s dungeon raid. Her eyes then landed on the mask she had made for him.

She quietly stared at it for a moment before carefully placing it back down.

"Will it rain soon? I should hurry."

She quickly prepared herself to head toward the celebration. She did not want to miss the feast held for her little brother.

BANGG!!

Suddenly, the entire house shook violently. Wood from the roof and walls cracked apart and fell to the ground.

Startled, Tamera slowly turned her head behind her.

In the kitchen, a massive monster was lying there.

It was Ragthorax.

Foods and utensils were scattered all over the floor from the impact.

Fear filled Tamera’s heart as she slowly stepped backward, trying not to attract Ragthorax’s attention.

Ragthorax slowly opened its eyes and shook its head before attempting to stand back up.

Crack!

Suddenly, Tamera accidentally stepped on the mask she had made for Oliver. The mask was thrown out from the leather bag due to the impact.

"RRAAAARRR!"

Ragthorax roared loudly and immediately moved toward Tamera. Because of its massive size, its winged arms smashed against the walls of the house, cracking them apart as it advanced.

Tamera quickly grabbed the broken mask and tried to run toward the front door, but Ragthorax had already moved in front of it, completely blocking her escape route.

She immediately ran toward the upper floor. Ragthorax did not stop chasing her. Tamera rushed into Oliver’s room, but there was nowhere left to run as the sound of the monster climbing upward grew closer and closer.

Suddenly, her eyes landed on the book where she and Oliver used to draw together. Inside it was a drawing of Oliver, his parents, Tamera, and many monsters surrounding them.

All of them looked happy. A tear slowly fell from Tamera’s eyes.

BANG!!

From behind her, Ragthorax burst through the door and opened its mouth wide.

It immediately bit onto Tamera before continuing its momentum straight through the wall and shattering it apart.

"TAMERAAAAA!!"

Oliver screamed at the top of his lungs as he arrived and witnessed the horrifying scene before him.

Tamera was currently trapped within the jaws of the monster from his system, the very first monster he had ever pulled.

Suddenly, Samiri appeared from nowhere and kicked Ragthorax directly in the head. The impact sent Ragthorax flying away while forcing its jaws open.

Tamera was released from its mouth and began falling from high in the sky.

"Synchronization!"

Oliver immediately synchronized with Husk and appeared just in time to catch Tamera before she hit the ground.

He gently placed her onto the grass and quickly checked the extent of her injuries.

But the moment he saw her wounds, Oliver could no longer stop himself from crying. Large holes covered Tamera’s body, each one endlessly pouring blood.

Oliver instantly understood. No one could survive injuries like these.

"Tamera... Ta...mera..." Oliver cried heavily as tears rolled down his cheeks and fell onto her body.

"O...Oliver..." Tamera spoke softly.

She slowly raised her hand, and Oliver immediately grabbed it and pressed it against his cheek.

"I... am sorry... I could not... go to... your celebration..."

Cough!

Blood spilled from her mouth.

"Don’t speak, Tamera!" Oliver shouted desperately. His mind became chaotic as he tried to stand and run to find Old Man Muden.

But Tamera weakly stopped him. Then, she slowly handed him the broken mask, the very mask he once used to hide his identity.

Oliver tremblingly accepted it from her hands.

"I really hoped... I could see you... become the best tamer...but it seems... I can’t be there... when you finally become one..."

A weak smile appeared on her face.

"Please... tell Father and Mum that I love them..."

"And you too... my little brother..."

Those were her final words. Her hand slowly went limp and fell away. Her pupils dilated and her breathing stopped completely.

"TAMERAAAAA!!" Oliver screamed.

Rain suddenly began pouring from the sky.

The cold rain fell onto both Oliver and Tamera as her blood slowly flowed across the ground mixed with the rainwater.

Oliver remained kneeling beside her under the heavy rain for several minutes. His mind had gone completely blank.

(Kid... are you alright?) Husk asked worriedly. Even Husk felt sorrow over Tamera’s death.

Oliver gently placed both of Tamera’s hands onto her chest and carefully closed her eyes. He then carried her body beneath a nearby tree to shelter her from the rain.

After that, Oliver slowly put the broken mask back onto his face.

Then, he slowly turned around.

In the darkness, his golden and red eyes gleamed sharply beneath the rain. Especially the red eye...

Its gaze was so cold and intense that it felt capable of swallowing everything it looked upon.