At that moment, Old Bull whipped around, his massive body shielding Zhao Yin as his horn drove toward the incoming Rat King.

A thunderous boom split the air. Old Bull swayed-but the Rat King was sent tumbling backward.

This clash was merely a probe.

And the Rat King had just discovered something unexpected: this mere E-rank bull surpassed it in raw strength by an entire tier.

The White Rat King's body spun awkwardly through the air. It stumbled on landing, shook its head, and when it looked at the water buffalo again, wariness had crept into its gaze.

It had underestimated the two mutated beasts guarding Zhao Yin. It never expected both of them to possess dual abilities.

The next instant, the Rat King charged again-this time activating its ability. Its form blurred into near-invisibility, streaking forward like a bolt of white lightning.

"Retreat! Back to the tent!" Zhao Yin's telepathic command rang through the bond.

He shrank behind his two beasts and began backing away.

Old Bull had no time to retreat. He could only brace himself for another charge.

Boom!

Crack!

This time, Old Bull's horn met nothing but air. The Rat King twisted mid-approach, dodged aside with fluid grace, and lashed out. Its claws ripped through the scales on Old Bull's neck in a spray of blood.

Without Iron Armor, that D-rank monster would have taken his head clean off.

Little Monkey lunged to help-and missed. It charged forward in frustration, but the Rat King was already circling behind it. Claws flashed. A horrible tearing sound. A massive gash split open the Heavy Armor on Little Monkey's back, and blood poured freely.

Without even turning, Little Monkey swung its Spiked Club backward in a vicious arc.

The Rat King vanished.

It reappeared directly in front of Zhao Yin.

He caught the glint of mockery in its eyes as he raised his Mountain-Cleaving Machete.

The machete's innate speed bonus was the only thing that let him catch the incoming claws.

Clang!

Sparks exploded as claw met blade. Little Monkey and Old Bull both wheeled around and lunged-

The Rat King vanished from Zhao Yin's sight.

It didn't press the attack. Instead, it stood atop a nearby boulder, looking down at Zhao Yin and his two beasts like a cat toying with cornered mice.

Zhao Yin's hands were numb from the impact. He glanced at the torn Heavy Armor on Little Monkey, then at the fresh notch in his machete's edge.

His expression darkened.

Those claws had definitely surpassed D-rank equipment. C-rank at minimum-possibly higher.

A natural weapon of that caliber, combined with 74 points of raw strength.

Everything Zhao Yin had painstakingly built over the past half-month suddenly felt pathetically inadequate.

"Triangular formation. Move toward the tent. Monkey-both your abilities boost strength, so you cover the rear. Old Bull, stay on my right. Now!" The telepathic command crackled through the bond.

Both Contract Beasts understood instantly. They shifted into position without hesitation.

In a heartbeat, the triangular battle formation snapped into place.

The Rat King froze on its boulder, clearly caught off guard. For a moment, it seemed uncertain how to proceed.

No matter which angle it attacked from, it would have to face either a mutated beast or Zhao Yin head-on. Flanking attacks were no longer possible.

Then the hesitation in its eyes hardened into cold hostility. Its body blurred-and it reappeared at the front of the formation.

Little Monkey's Spiked Club came crashing down.

Clang!

Screech-!

Claw and club collided. The Rat King was knocked stumbling back, its left forelimb trembling visibly.

Zhao Yin seized the moment. "Move!"

The formation advanced, pushing toward the distant Invisibility Tent.

The Rat King recovered and blurred around to the formation's opposite flank, claws slashing toward Zhao Yin.

He raised his machete to meet the strike.

Boom!

The impact sent Zhao Yin flying backward.

Little Monkey caught him before he hit the ground.

Zhao Yin steadied himself, chest burning like it might explode.

"Fuck!"

He yanked out the bottle of Glutinous Rice Wine and tilted his head back, draining it in one long pull.

"Ten minutes. I've got ten minutes to reach that tent."

His face flushed crimson as the wine hit his system. "Monkey-I'm going to lose my mind soon. Tie me up when it happens. I won't beat you for it later."

Little Monkey nodded frantically.

Zhao Yin raised his machete again.

The pain in his chest vanished, replaced by a searing heat that spread through his limbs like wildfire. The Mountain-Cleaving Machete suddenly felt weightless in his grip.

The Rat King, emboldened by its earlier success, charged again. Its claws shot toward Zhao Yin's chest.

With a roar, Zhao Yin brought the machete down in a brutal overhead slash.

Crash!

The Rat King tumbled backward through the air.

For the first time, Zhao Yin had matched it in raw power.

But his eyes were sharp enough to see the truth: the creature wasn't seriously hurt.

"Move!" he bellowed.

The triangular formation surged forward. Old Bull and Zhao Yin took point on either side while Little Monkey covered the rear, moving backward with its club raised.

Blood trailed behind them from Old Bull and Little Monkey both, quickly washed away by the pounding rain.

The Rat King took its time rising from the mud. Its pristine white fur was now filthy, and its forelimb trembled worse than before.

But it remained calm. It studied Zhao Yin with something like confusion, as if unable to comprehend how this human's strength had suddenly spiked.

Then it made its decision.

It blurred after the formation again-this time targeting Old Bull.

Bovines couldn't match primates for agility. Locked into the formation, Old Bull's movements were even more restricted. When the Rat King's claws came slashing in, he responded the only way he knew how: lowering his horn to charge.

The Rat King dodged effortlessly.

Its claws tore through the scales on Old Bull's skull with a wet ripping sound.

A chunk of flesh came away in its grip.

Old Bull let out a low groan of pain. Blood ran down his face and into his single remaining eye.

The Rat King had found the formation's weak point.

Zhao Yin glanced back just in time to see the creature stuff the bloody chunk of meat-hide and all-into its mouth. Its cheeks worked rapidly. Then it swallowed with an audible gulp.

Zhao Yin didn't even have the energy to curse. Cold fury coiled in his chest, mixed with a sharp ache for his Contract Beast.

"Monkey! Help Old Bull defend-but don't break formation!"

His voice cracked like a whip. "Faster!"

All three of them understood. The longer this dragged on, the worse Old Bull's chances became.

If Old Bull went down, one side of their defense would collapse. The formation would shatter.

Through the torrential rain, the triangular formation ground forward. The Rat King struck again and again, always targeting Old Bull. Sometimes Little Monkey or Zhao Yin managed to intercept. Sometimes they didn't-and another chunk of flesh was torn away, devoured right before their eyes.

Soon, pale bone gleamed through the wounds on Old Bull's head and neck. His steps had slowed to a stagger. Any normal creature would have died a dozen times over by now.

Five minutes later, the Invisibility Tent was less than five hundred meters away.

"Almost there!" Zhao Yin's eyes were bloodshot. "Hold on!"

The Rat King charged again.

Zhao Yin swung his machete-and the blade whistled past fur, cutting only air.

Little Monkey raised its Spiked Club to intercept the attack on Old Bull.

But this time-

Crunch!

The Rat King didn't dodge. It took Little Monkey's blow directly on one forelimb while its other claw shot forward, piercing into Old Bull's remaining eye.

It hooked the eyeball out.

The Rat King wrenched free and retreated, stopping thirty meters from the formation.

Screech-!

It rose onto its hind legs like a man, letting out a cry that sounded almost like laughter.

Blood dripped from its right forelimb where Little Monkey's club had smashed it. But with its left claw, it lifted Old Bull's eyeball to its mouth.

Its cheeks moved slowly.

Savoring.