Just like among humans, monsters had their own hierarchy.
Some were weaker, and some were stronger, it was a natural order of things that could not be changed.
However, even if two creatures were technically at the same power level, it didn't mean they were equal.
In this world, there were too many creatures and details affecting strength, so creatures of the same level could differ greatly in firepower.
"Tttrrrk!" The monster turned its head sharply, looking only at Halvor as its only worthy opponent.
The cascades of black scales covered the monster's lean body, but were dense and muscular, combining both speed and destructive power. Two blue eyes with vertical pupils were filled with bloodlust while the glint from its sharp, long claws reflected in them.
In fact, the monster didn't look as terrifying and horrible as the guards of the passage, much less a mutated moose.
However, Evan's, Klaus's, and Hana's instincts were screaming, doing their best to convey to their minds just how dangerous the creature in front of them was.
"Stand back. That bastard will rip your head off before you can blink. Don't take my words to heart, but it's out of your league." Halvor grew serious, lighting his axe with a bright flame and stepping forward.
At the same moment, the black monster tore forward, quickly leaping at the wall and shifting across the ceiling, sinking its claws into the cold stone.
To any commoner who had never fought, it was a scene of sheer terror. For them, the sight of a monster running across the ceiling would be the last thing they would see before facing bloody death.
However, for a mage, it was not. Mages were free to decide their own fate - especially powerful ones.
A cascade of sparks flew off to the sides, passing between Halvor and the black monster, reflecting in their eyes, cold and determined.
"A true Monster, and yet you're still guarding something... So there's someone stronger than you here, isn't there?" Halvor frowned, took a step forward, and swung his axe.
The momentum threw the black monster forward in a torrent of wind, causing it to crash into the wall.
Without hesitation, Halvor ran forward, shaking the cave with his powerful gait, but the monster reacted faster than Halvor had expected.
Whooooooooooooosh.
The monster, like a black flash, began to bounce off the walls in a chaotic pattern. Calculating its movements as well as seeing the coming attack was impossible, at least for Evan, Klaus, and Hana.
In their eyes, the black monster only stopped for a moment before jumping to another wall, and circling around Halvor.
"I... I can't see anything... How can it move so fast...?" Hana gulped in fear and worried for Halvor.
They all realized that if Halvor lost it would be over for them. Neither Hana's cursed eye nor the catalysts would help them defeat this monster.
Then, the black monster finally stopped, with a deadly spark passing through its claws, attacking Halvor directly in the back.
Hope as a sparkling thought flashed through everyone's mind that Halvor had foreseen the black monster's actions, but... reality proved cruel.
Sharp claws dug into Halvor's shoulder, a torrent of blood gushed outward, raining down on the monster's cruel face.
Hana and Klaus turned pale, their fingertips trembling.
"Rrrrrrkkkk!!!"
The black monster made a strange sound similar to an insidious chuckle as if celebrating its victory. Then, the black monster pressed down on its hand, digging its claws in further so that they cut through the flesh.
However, the black monster's eyes went wide when it realized that it couldn't move its arm. Its claws were trapped by Halvor's muscles as if between a vise.
"Hah, surprised? Thought that if my body wasn't protected I'd be an easy victim? I may not have scales like you, but I don't need them!" Halvor exclaimed before swinging his axe, chopping off the black monster's arm.
Then, Halvor swung the axe once more, intending to sever the black monster's head.
In a heartbeat, the black monster's body bent at a strange angle as the massive axe swept right over its chest.
Seizing the moment, the black monster spun around and kicked the axe out of Halvor's grip, driving it into the ceiling.
The monster took a step back, about to retreat to a more favorable distance, but Halvor just outran him, stomping on the monster's foot.
"Decided to run away? Did you really think I'd let you go? You may be fast, but you're clearly losing to me in strength!" Halvor exclaimed with an excited expression, firmly grabbing the monster's wrist.
Then, Halvor pulled to the side with all his might, pulling the monster's other arm away from the case with a massive burst of blood rushing out.
The black monster was ready to fight without one limb, but now it realized that defeating Halvor was impossible.
Perhaps any other monster would have decided to take every opportunity to escape, but that one was one of the parasites, so it had to warn the others of the upcoming danger.
"No! We have to stop it!" Klaus exclaimed, looking at the black monster who opened its maw wide, preparing to roar.
Halvor's axe was stuck in the ceiling, he couldn't decapitate the monster in an instant.
However, he didn't need to.
Crackle.
Halvor's hand clenched around the monster's neck, squeezing it with immense force. Halvor's muscles strained to the limit, and the veins swelled as if they were ready to rupture at any moment.
"Going to call for help? Hah, you think I'm gonna let you? Maybe against a Creator or Summoner, it would work, but you're unlucky I'm an Amplifier!" Halvor smirked, breaking the monster's protective scales with nothing but his brute strength.
The Mage classes were distinguished not only by their spells but also by other stats, the physique being one of the most striking.
As an Amplifier, Halvor's physical power and body sturdiness surpassed other Mages, it was a natural progression of his Arcanum Path.
Halvor squeezed his grip harder, breaking the black monster's neck and releasing the lifeless corpse. Pulling his axe out of the wall and taking the Core from the monster, he turned around and smiled widely.
"Well? Let's find out what's behind that door!" Halvor encouraged, infecting the others with his emotions.
At this time, fragments of Halvor's combat, especially his physical power, flashed through Evan's mind.
'He's able to use spells and yet he's so strong... Amplifier sounds like an interesting option, but I need to see what the others are capable of before I make a final choice... If I have one, of course.'
Evan pondered before walking over to the pulsing blood vessel clots on the wall and placing his palm against them.