William raised his sword, ready for the incoming attack. He had already seen what Phoenix was capable of with that rapier. If only Bob and Alan were here, those two could easily handle her. He truly believed they had grown much stronger since the first time they met.

But right now, they were not here. So there was no point relying on something you did not have.

"You!" Blackburn suddenly shouted. "You're the one who made me lose my job! You'll pay for that!"

Phoenix looked confused. "Hmm... who are you? Have we met somewhere?" She tilted her head, puzzled.

"Ohhh, I know this old man," P-cock said nonchalantly. "He's the one who guarded the palace vault. I'm the one who knocked him out."

Blackburn's face turned red, as if he was about to explode.

"Because of you, I was stripped of my position and had to join a guild just to survive. Because of you... my wife left me." Blackburn's voice shook.

"Well, that's not my problem. Blame yourself for being too weak," P-cock replied casually.

William glanced at Blackburn, thinking, That's why he felt familiar... he was actually a former soldier.

Blackburn stepped forward, ready to strike. William quickly blocked him.

"Don't act rashly, Blackburn. They are strong," he warned.

Blackburn looked at William. "Are you scared? Huh! If you're scared, then stand aside."

Lee and Mark also stepped forward.

"So this is Phoenix, the leader of Black Eagle. I want to see just how strong she really is," Lee said, pointing his katana at her with a grin.

Phoenix looked at the three who dared to oppose her group.

"Fools. You're nothing but ants before our boss!" Crow shouted. He and Quail now stood beside P-cock, weapons drawn and ready.

"Only those two are worth my time. The rest... too weak," Phoenix said. She then turned around and walked back toward her group, clearly unmotivated to fight anyone she did not see as worthy.

"The other two… do you mean Bob and Alan?" Mark asked. He had heard her mention "those two" often, and now he wanted to be sure.

Phoenix raised her hand casually. "Yes, who else? Please send my regards to them, if you're still alive."

Her group then began moving forward, joining P-cock to face William's party.

Why always those two? Lee clenched his jaw. I get that Bob is S-rank… but why Alan, the lowest G-rank, is always talked about like he's Bob's equal?

I'll show them we're just as good by defeating these bandits!

William glanced at Beltimore, who was silently observing the scene. He noticed something, Beltimore had not activated his Frost Zone. That meant he had no intention of attracting monsters' attention anymore.

Did he really want us to fight these bandits right now? With monsters lurking everywhere, ready to ambush us at any moment? William thought. A wave of anger welled up inside him at his friend's intention.

"Beltimore!" William shouted.

Beltimore simply adjusted his glasses, watching the scene unfold with cold detachment.

Crow licked his lips. "It's been a while since I cut human flesh... not since I fought that fat guy."

Quail slapped his mace into his palm. "Let's settle this quick. I'm already hungry."

"Do not worry, dear. This won't take long," P-cock said with a grin.

"If you think we're the same as last time, then you're mistaken," Evelyn said, pulling her white bow, ready to fire at any moment.

Silence fell over the area. Everyone stood still, tension crackling in the air as both sides prepared to fight.

But before anything began, Beltimore suddenly activated his Frost Zone, stronger than before. The burst of freezing pressure was so intense it knocked everyone off their feet. Just as quickly, he deactivated it.

"What the hell was that?" Crow asked, now on one knee, visibly shaken by the force.

William looked toward Beltimore. Did he...

Before the thought could finish, a deafening roar echoed through the sky. Two figures descended, landing on either side of the nearby buildings.

It was those winged lions again lions with eagle wings. Both let out thunderous roars, furious after seeing one of their own slain.

"This thing again?!" Quail shouted as he looked at the beasts.

Phoenix, who had been seated atop the fallen winged lion, immediately stood up. 'One of them is manageable... but two at once could be troublesome ' she thought.

The beasts locked eyes on the crowd gathered in the road. Then, with a powerful flap of their wings, they lunged toward the group.

"Let's go!" P-cock shouted as he rallied his group.

"Everyone, get ready!" William commanded.

---

Clank! Clank!

Bob and I had been slashing non-stop at the skeleton monster for the past fifteen minutes. And every time, it kept regenerating the damaged parts.

"This... is really... tiring," Bob said, out of breath.

I glanced at Linus, who was still relentlessly pounding the monster in front of him. He showed no signs of fatigue.

"What should we do next?" I asked Bob.

"I don't know. We've tried everything, bombs, skills, even that didn't work," he replied.

Even Plump's flare kick did some damage, but the monster still regenerated. We were completely out of ideas.

But then… an idea popped into my mind.

"Bob, do you think this skeleton is a living thing?" I asked.

"Huh? They look alive to me. Why do you ask?" Bob looked confused.

"Hehehe... just wait and see," I grinned.

I opened my status screen and navigated to the card section. There, I looked at a class card I hadn't used yet, Alice's class.

Heaven Herald.

I had overheard her talking with Beltimore once, saying her skills only worked on living beings. Well, I wasn't exactly sure if this thing in front of us counted as living or not, but it was worth a shot.

I clicked on it. Instantly, just like with all Rare classes and above, my appearance changed.

A radiant yellow light enveloped me, illuminating the entire area with a blinding glow.

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