System's POV
chapter-137-1

"Bite me here, Tiona," Thirteen ordered as he pointed to his left shoulder.

The Black Snake shook her head, defying her Master's order for the first time.

"Don't worry, it's going to be fine," Thirteen replied. "Last night, I asked to collect your venom, right? I brewed a special potion that will help increase my resistance to poison. I won't die from a single bite… probably."

Tiona hissed angrily at the seven-year-old before flicking her forked tongue at her Master's nose as if telling him that there was no way she would do such a thing.

"Okay, how about this—just limit your poison to one drop only," Thirteen raised a single finger as if trying to compromise with the angry little Snake.

Tiona once again shook her head before slithering inside Thirteen's clothes no longer wanting to continue the conversation.

Thirteen sighed because his Beast Companion refused to cooperate.

He was serious when he said that he was trying to build his resistance against poison. With the most venomous Snake beside him, how could he not be tempted to court death when he was certain that he wouldn't die?

Although he might experience extreme pain when the Domini Mortis' poison spread inside his body, he was confident that the potion he had made, which included Tiona's venom as an ingredient, would help neutralize the effect of the poison.

Unfortunately for the seven-year-old, the Black Snake refused to cooperate. On the contrary, this made Jasmine and Ariel sigh in relief.

Unlike the other Tigerkins, the two of them didn't hold any grudge or animosity against the seven-year-old.

In fact, they were even thankful that the one who bought them was Cristopher.

If they had been bought by other people, especially those who had a unique taste for Beastkins, the two of them might have suffered fates worse than death.

Both of them knew how much Cristopher respected and admired the seven-year-old, so they knew that the chubby boy would be heartbroken if anything happened to him.

They had already seen how sad and depressed Cristopher was when the two Ogres that he bought had died at the paws of the Purple-Furred Honey Badger.

They didn't want to see him suffer again.

Suddenly, Giga Chad, who was currently serving as Thirteen's cushion, raised his head and gave a low screech.

"Cristopher, stop the wagon and summon Brutus and Bruno!" Thirteen ordered before moving to the rear of the wagon.

He then made several hand signals to the other wagons, telling them to prepare for battle and get into the formation they had agreed on beforehand.

Adira, who was reading a book inside her carriage, smiled faintly and nodded her head in approval.

She had already sensed that there were six Rank 3 Monsters approaching them from behind, but she didn't do anything to warn Zion's group about it.

The true reason why the Drow decided to join them in their hunt was to determine how capable the younger boy was as a leader of a Hunting Party.

'They're almost here,' Adira mused as she closed the book in her hands. 'Now, show me how good you are at commanding your people, Zion.'

The seven wagons belonging to Thirteen's hunting group positioned themselves in a V formation.

This was to help create a defensive wall at their front, while all their fighters exit from the back.

Thirteen and Giga Chad stood at the center of the formation, while O1 and O2 stood at the very front, holding their jagged steel swords, which Bruno had crafted as part of his training.

Although they didn't really look like a sword and more like big chunks of metal with a handle, they were still very dangerous weapons in the hands of two Rank 3 Ogres who specialized in brute strength.

The Trolls spread out, with six of them holding swords and shields, flanking the two Ogres on the sides.

The four remaining Trolls nocked their arrows on their bows, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

Percival's party also positioned themselves beside Thirteen, serving as his protectors in case their enemy managed to breach the defensive line of the two Ogres and the Trolls.

At the very rear of the formation was a pale-faced Cristopher, who was guarded by Brutus, Bruno, Jasmine, and Ariel, who were determined to defend their Master from those who wished him harm.

"Dire Wolves," Thirteen muttered as he looked at the two-meter-tall Gray Wolves, which specialized in hunting in packs. 'There might be others hiding nearby.'

Suddenly, Vassago, who was circling above their wagons, shouted.

"Three more coming from the right side!" Vassago shouted. "I repeat, three more coming from the right side!"

The Pocopoco had scouted ahead earlier to check if there were dangerous monsters in front of them.

Because of this, Vassago hadn't been present to warn his Master that they were being stalked from behind.

Fortunately, he had returned at the right moment to warn the younger boy that more Monsters were coming, allowing Thirteen to come up with a plan in mere seconds.

"Execute D Formation!" Thirteen shouted.

After hearing his orders, O1 and O2, as well as the Trolls, all stepped to the side, creating an opening at the center of their formation.

Perhaps knowing that their sneak attack had been compromised, the six Dire Wolves charged forward with the intention of overpowering their opponents with their speed and teamwork.

However, Thirteen had already anticipated that they would go for an all-out frontal attack.

As soon as the Ogres and Trolls created an opening, the Dire Wolves immediately found themselves coming face to face with a yellow spray that splashed on their faces.

Giga Chad's stink spray had two special effects.

The first one was the otherworldly smell that was enough to drive Monsters crazy due to how smelly it was.

The second effect, which the Chad Skunk could freely control, was a special irritant that was similar to pepper spray.

Once it hit its target, it would cause irritation and inflammation.

If the stink spray happened to hit the target's face, it was very possible to cause a boiling sensation, severe discomfort, and temporary blindness to the eyes.

Giga Chad had deliberately reduced the effect of his stink spray when he used it to neutralize Percival and the other Tigerkin, who dared to annoy his Master.

In short, both of them only got the nerfed version of the Chad Skunk's main arsenal.

Even Thirteen wasn't cruel enough to make the two Tigerkins suffer a traumatic experience that they would carry for the rest of their lives.

Unfortunately for the Dire Wolves, Giga Chad didn't hold back and gave them the full version of his stink spray, making them all writhe and yelp in pain.

"Charge!" Thirteen ordered.

Immediately, O1, O2, and the Six Trolls charged at the disoriented Dire Wolves, who had completely lost their sense of sight and smell.

Thirteen then nocked an arrow on his bow and fired to his right side, using Vassago to guide his arrows.

Since the wagons were blocking the three Dire Wolves' line of sight, they didn't know that they had already been targeted by the seven-year-old, who had already mastered the Martial Skill Cheap Shot Savant.

He didn't hesitate to use the arrows that were coated by Tiona's poison because he didn't dare underestimate the strength of Rank 3 Monsters.

These arrows were made from Orihalcon, making them stronger than the rest of the arrows in his arsenal.

The Three Dire Wolves only heard the rustling of wind before finding three arrows impaling their bodies.

Tiona's poison was extremely potent. However, their opponents were Rank 3 Monsters, so it would take a while before the poison took full effect.

"Brutus, Bruno, to the right!" Thirteen ordered. "Taiga, get ready to intercept! Focus on only one target! Cristopher, behind me!"

"T7, T8, assist Brutus!"

"T9, T10, Assist Bruno! Everyone, brace!"

As soon as Thirteen finished his orders, three Dire Wolves jumped over their wagons with their jaws opened wide.

What met them were three arrows flying straight toward their heads, which Thirteen had released the moment they appeared in his line of sight.