Ailord stretched his arm, something he had often done before engaging in strenuous activities. The monster in front also appeared ready, waiting for an opportunity to attack as not everyone could withstand the blow from its terrifying tail. In other words, it recognized Ailord as a worthy opponent.
The screen warned to quickly fix the rear armor, but Ailord ignored it, knowing he only needed to face the large lizard without giving it a chance to move behind him. Besides, damage like this was nothing. With Talent abilities, everything could be created. Especially when he had obtained the Core of the lizard in front.
As the front foot stepped forward, the ground shattered by the blow given, pushing Ailord towards the large lizard which also leaped with its right claw high into the air. Watching this, Ailord smiled broadly, eager to use the power of the Walker.
Before the claw could hit, Ailord had already knocked it away, sent it flying to the side by the shockwave generated by his right fist. The lizard roared, a sound that pierced the ears so much that it slightly disturbed Ailord, causing him to not land properly.
The lizard didn't miss its chance, immediately retaliating by twisting its body, delivering a new blow that unfortunately got deflected by the shockwave from the left hand. Its body was thrown, hitting several trees before falling, creating a strong vibration in the ground.
Dust and foliage filled the air, with only a black silhouette visible behind it.
Before the lizard could do anything, the figure was already in front of its eyes, delivering another blow right to its head. Once again, it was flung far away, not knowing what had happened, considering no other opponent had ever possessed a skill like this. And like any animal facing new danger, it wanted to flee immediately.
Of course, Ailord didn't allow it.
This time, he emerged from above, shattering the ground where the lizard had been previously. The lizard was thankful it had quick reflexes. Otherwise, it might have ended up like the lifeless wild boar. Even though its skin was much tougher, it didn't want to take any risks.
Aware that the creature didn't intend to let it escape, the lizard activated a skill that could shorten its life. But it chose to die fighting, rather than die without resistance.
Ailord, who had initially wanted to continue attacking, paused for a moment to observe the lizard's smoking body. Its eyes were so sharp that he could feel a heavy bloodlust and his hands trembled slightly. However, this was the first time he faced a life-or-death situation.
Suddenly, every crevice on the tough, scaly skin emitted a yellowish light. From the screen, it could also be seen that the air felt increasingly warm until the foliage around began to dry.
Now, the tables had turned.
Ailord felt the urge to flee, to escape from a battle he might not win. However, his pride would also be wounded, especially when the lizard had decided to fight until the end.
Did he want to lose to a mere beast?
Of course not.
Although it might seem foolish, and any sane person would immediately flee, we are talking about Ailord here. Someone who faced a monster on the very first day he appeared in another world. Besides, who could resist?
They both advanced simultaneously, delivering their best attacks until the once dense forest now began to have a wide-open field in the middle. Fire slowly emerged from the dry foliage, devouring the trees around and adding to the already threatening heat in the air, now prompting a warning.
Neither of them wanted to stop, continuously attacking each other. They didn't give each other a chance to unleash deadly strikes.
Blood began to appear on the lizard's body, while some parts of Walker's armor started to melt. Ailord never thought stainless steel could melt from one of the monsters. If that's the case, he would have to use a different material that was much stronger yet lighter, so he could move as agile as now without consuming too much energy.
Pain could be felt everywhere, making his breath stagger.
While enduring the pain, Ailord took a step back to devise a strategy to swiftly finish off the creature in front of him. If not, the Walker armor would melt away, leaving only the less durable interior. Especially when facing the claws and tail strikes of the lizard.
Thanks to one successful attack that injured its right eye, the lizard couldn't see well and it panicked. It no longer sought opportunities but attacked blindly. Ailord only needed a small opportunity to enter the right side of its body and deliver a powerful blow to the unprotected lower part, devoid of scales.
Ailord was confident that one shockwave blow could crush the lizard's internal organs.
And that opportunity arose.
With a swift kick, Ailord appeared right beside its right side. The startled lizard, unaware that it had neglected its defense due to the intense pain in its right eye, could do nothing but watch as the iron fist moved forward at a terrifying speed accompanied by a sound that had made its heart race since the beginning.
He didn't know what kind of sound it was or how it was formed. All he knew was that the sound would be the harbinger of its death.
A gathering of energy surged in his right hand with a buzzing sound. As his fist made contact with the lizard's skin, the energy was simultaneously unleashed, entering its body through the thin abdominal skin, coursing through every organ and pushing them aside. However, unable to contain such immense energy, every organ was shattered and exploded inside as the lizard was also thrown forward.
Blood spurted from its mouth, and with eyes wide open, it now lay lifeless not far from Ailord.
Unfortunately, the energy released also consumed about fifty percent of the Walker, leaving only a small amount of energy remaining. Whether he liked it or not, Ailord had to return to base after collecting two Cores and carrying the bodies of both creatures.
He looked over there, at the large lizard now lifeless, pondering whether he had just faced a Green or Blue Core monster. "Hopefully, it's a Green Coreone. If it turns out to be just a Green Core, it's hard to imagine how difficult it would be to face monsters at higher levels."
Ailord approached, surprised when the screen informed him that a Core could be seen inside the creature's body, through the large cavity created by the previous blow. Ailord reached inside, trying to grasp the Core that could be glimpsed through the mass of flesh and blood.
Once his hand successfully gripped a ball the size of a tennis ball, he pulled it out, successfully obtaining the first Core, which felt incredibly hard and dark red in color. Unable to contain his excitement, Ailord used his Talent, inserting it into the Blandar and waited for the system to calculate the points gained.
"10,000?!" He looked at it again, trying to verify if he had not miscounted the zeroes. "Doesn't that mean I successfully faced a Red Core monster?" Ailord would have smiled broadly, but he realized the condition of the Walker wasn't that good either. "Ah... However, the cost is quite high too."
He carried both the lizard and the large wild boar from earlier. After exiting the hot area caused by the lizard, Ailord commanded to open the helmet to get some fresh air because the cooling system inside the Walker was damaged from the battle, making it feel like an oven. Especially after receiving the hot air and scorching skin from the lizard.
Unbeknownst to him, something was watching from afar, and the Controller was surprised to find someone alive in the middle of the dangerous forest. Especially someone using powers different from theirs. Who would have thought, they could make such a discovery just because they were bored and wanted to explore the middle forest using their magic invention.
However, they didn't want to tell anyone about this, as the person in the forest might be much stronger and just having fun with terrifying creatures like the 'Black Vermillion Lizard.'
They decided to visit the nearest village outside the forest and maybe try to observe that figure further before taking any action, depending on their assessment of him.
The wind blew fiercely, revealing the figure of a white-haired woman sitting near a window, observing Ailord's face through a crystal ball with two crescent-shaped discs on either side with a red hue on her face.
A smile formed there.