Rhys walked at the front.

Sophia and Aria flanked him.

Caria checked behind.

Puddle sat on Rhys's shoulder, tail wagging.

Lyra walked silently, eyes forward.

The forest rustled softly with wind.

Rhys stepped forward—

And a faint crack sound came from the bushes ahead.

Not natural.

Not accidental.

Everyone froze.

Sophia's hand moved to her sword.

Caria readied a knife.

Aria clenched her fists.

Lyra whispered:

"They're here."

Rhys looked straight ahead.

"Slasher," he called loudly, "come out."

There was a long silence.

Then—

Slasher stood up from behind a rock.

His grin stretched ear to ear.

"Well, well… Magic Swordsman."

Slasher stepped out from behind the rock with a wide grin.

Rhys narrowed his eyes.

"You found out?" he asked quietly — though he already knew the answer.

Slasher laughed.

"Found out what? That you're hiding something? That's obvious."

He pointed the scroll at Rhys.

"But what you're hiding doesn't matter. Strong class, rare sword — I don't care."

Behind him, his teammates appeared from the bushes and rocks — all armed, all sweating from nerves and greed.

Slasher smirked harder.

"You kept your profile hidden. No level, no class, nothing. Sneaky."

He clicked his tongue.

"But you forgot something. If someone hides that much, it means they have loot worth stealing."

Aria muttered, "He talks too much."

Slasher raised the summoning scroll high.

"And THIS is all we need to kill you!"

He tore the scroll in half.

A burst of blue mana shot into the sky.

The ground trembled.

Water burst upward like a geyser.

From the exploding swirl of mana, a gigantic serpentine body emerged — scales glittering blue, fins razor-sharp, fangs long enough to pierce armor.

Aqua Fang Serpent — Rank 3

A boss-tier summoned monster.

Aria stepped back slowly. "Okay… yeah, that's huge."

Caria whispered, "Definitely above normal difficulty…"

Sophia tightened her stance. "Stay sharp. Its speed will be high."

The serpent twisted its long body, water swirling around it like a spinning ring.

Slasher pointed dramatically.

"Kill them first! Then get the sword from the corpses!"

Rhys stepped forward.

His hand rested lightly on Severance Tide's hilt —

but no one except his teammates knew that a Mythic class flowed through his veins now.

To Slasher, Rhys was still just a "magic swordsman."

Rhys exhaled softly.

"Let's see," he said quietly, eyes locked on the serpent.

"Is your summon really strong enough?"

The serpent roared and lunged—

And the fight truly began.

The Aqua Fang Serpent lunged with a speed that didn't match its massive body.

WHOOSH!

A wall of water blasted forward as the serpent snapped its jaws at Rhys.

"MOVE!" Sophia shouted.

Aria grabbed Rhys's shoulder and yanked him back just as the serpent's fangs slammed into the ground where he had been standing. The impact shattered the stone.

Slasher laughed hysterically.

"HAHA! You see that?! One hit and you're paste!"

Rhys didn't even flinch.

He drew Severance Tide in one smooth motion—

and the air around him shifted.

Not dramatically.

Not explosively.

Just… sharper.

Like the ocean deciding to wake up.

Aria saw the change and grinned.

"Oh yeah. He's ready."

Sophia steadied her stance.

"Then support him."

Caria pulled out her daggers.

"Let's slow that thing down!"

Puddle transformed into her small battle form.

"I bite serpent!"

Lyra watched silently, eyes cold.

She wouldn't interfere unless absolutely needed.

The serpent twisted and rushed again—

its entire body moving like a fast tidal wave.

Rhys stepped forward.

Skill: Water Blade

A thin arc of sharp water mana sliced out—

SHHHNK!

The serpent recoiled, a long cut appearing across its scales.

Slasher's eyes widened.

"What—?! That thing's scales are supposed to resist magic!"

Rhys didn't answer.

He dashed in.

Skill: Swift Cut

He blurred, reappearing right under the serpent's chin, slashing upward.

CRACK!

Blue blood sprayed out as the serpent jerked back violently.

Aria roared, "MY TURN!"

She jumped high—higher than a normal human should—and punched the serpent's jaw.

BOOM!!

The beast's head snapped sideways.

Sophia landed on a rock formation and raised her blade.

"Binding Field!"

Silver light wrapped around the serpent's midsection, slowing its movements.

Caria appeared behind the serpent, daggers glowing green.

"Chemical Trap!"

She stabbed three points along its spine—each dagger releasing a burst of green smoke.

The serpent convulsed.

Its movements slowed even more.

Slasher panicked.

"WHAT ARE YOU IDIOTS DOING?! IT'S A BOSS! FIGHT PROPERLY!"

His teammates charged the girls—

But Puddle intercepted them.

"Shadow Tendrils!"

Dark tendrils grabbed their legs and arms, pulling them back.

Rhys didn't even look at them.

He lifted Severance Tide slowly.

The blade hummed—soft, steady.

The serpent reared back and roared, blasting a torrent of pressurized water.

Rhys stepped into the attack.

Skill: Mana Shield

The water slammed into him—

but the shield absorbed most of the force, leaving only a spray of droplets.

Slasher's jaw dropped.

"No way—! He tanked that?!"

Rhys lowered his stance.

Everyone felt it—

A change.

A shift.

Something deep inside him aligning with the sword in his hands.

Like tides responding to the moon.

"Severance Tide," Rhys whispered.

"Let's cut him down."

He moved.

Not fast—

FLUID.

Every step blended into the next.

The serpent lunged—

Rhys slid under it, blade trailing a line of glowing water.

Skill: Whirlwind Slash

A spiraling wave of cuts burst upward, carving through the serpent's stomach.

GRAAAAHHH!!

It thrashed violently, the ground shaking beneath them.

Aria shouted, "WAH—BIG SNAKE BREAKDANCE!"

Caria dodged falling debris.

"It's enraged!"

Sophia yelled, "Rhys! Finish it before it enters berserk mode!"

Puddle pointed. "Master! The shiny spot on its head!"

Rhys saw it.

A glowing blue spot—

Its core.

He dashed forward—

The serpent opened its mouth, water swirling into a massive sphere.

Aqua Cannon.

A deadly attack.

Slasher yelled in excitement,

"YES! FIRE!!!"

The cannon fired—

Rhys didn't dodge.

He stepped straight into it.

Severance Tide glowed—

And cut the attack in half.

A clean split.

Water exploded harmlessly around him like broken mist.

Slasher froze.

"What… what the hell is he?"

Rhys leapt—

Blade raised—

And brought it down on the serpent's head.

Skill: Vertical Slash

The glowing core shattered—

The serpent's roar died in its throat.

A surge of blue light burst outward—

And the monster collapsed in a massive splash of water and fading mana.

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