Several velociraptor corpses lay scattered across the ground. Luke was clearing the path, advancing through the streets.

Up ahead, Charlie charged straight toward a massive carnivorous plant. Thick tendrils burst from the soil, but she sliced through them with clean precision, cutting her way forward with her sword. One larger tentacle lunged to grab her—but Charlie activated her Fire Ring, and a small blaze ignited the air, driving the attack back.

Spectral Charge.

She surged forward at high speed and struck at the base of the plant. With a powerful spin, she delivered the final blow.

[Princess Charlie has slain a Carnivorous Dodder – Lvl 18]

Luke sprinted toward the fallen corpse of the monstrous plant, its twisted limbs sprawled in a heap near a patch of towering bamboo.

"All that effort… just for this," he muttered under his breath, eyes scanning the stalks.

Most were splintered. He crouched, hands moving quickly as he sorted through the ruined cluster until he found a handful still intact—tall, straight, uncracked. He tested each one with a firm grip, gauging their weight and balance.

Only the best would do.

Then it came—trees crashing down, splintering like toothpicks beneath its steps. A towering figure tore through the forest, its roar shaking the very earth beneath them.

"He's here!" Luke shouted.

The tyrannosaurus rex emerged, colossal and armored in plates of stone-like scales. Its wild, intelligent eyes swept the battlefield, and with another roar, it sent a violent shockwave rippling through the trees.

Charlie stabbed her sword into the soil, anchoring herself against the force. Luke veered to the side, his body flickering with shadow as he activated Dark Dash to cut through the wind's pressure. He leapt, kukri in hand, and brought the blade down hard across the tyrannosaur's face, silencing its howl mid-bellow. Charlie wasn't far behind. She launched from the ground and carved into the beast's flank with a sharp, arcing strike of her blade.

The dinosaur twisted violently. Its tail came around like a battering ram and slammed into Luke, sending him hurtling through the air. He crashed through a crumbling stone wall and skidded to a stop inside the ruins of an old house. His back lit up in pain, but he forced himself up, breath ragged.

The tyrannosaur locked eyes on Charlie and charged. She danced backward, narrowly dodging the snapping jaws, until a tail swipe caught her mid-stride and sent her rolling across the dirt.

Gritting his teeth, Luke bolted back into the fight.

"I'm here!" he shouted, hoping to draw its attention.

He hurled both kukris, but another roar blasted them off-course. Spinning on instinct, he caught them midair and dashed forward, low and fast.

Luke and Charlie moved in immediately. Together, they slashed at the fallen beast from every side, but the monster wasn't finished. Its eyes gleamed—smarter, fiercer. As it rose, something horrifying began to happen: its teeth grew longer, sharpening into jagged metal.

Luke's stomach dropped. "They're turning into blades…"

The jaws snapped open and shut, biting through fallen branches like straw. Charlie hurled a full tree trunk at it. The creature bit through effortlessly.

With a flash of motion, Charlie closed the gap, powered by Spectral Charge. She slammed an Iron Fist into the tyrannosaur's chin, forcing its head back. Luke seized the moment. Drawing on the strength of his Spider Leggings, he vaulted high into the air. Twisting mid-flight, he drove both kukris into the monster's neck in a vicious, raking slash.

The beast reared back in pain, jaw swinging toward him with lethal speed. Razor teeth gleamed, ready to close on flesh and bone.

"Charlie!" he called.

A spectral chain lashed through the air, looping around one of the beast's massive teeth and yanking hard. The head twisted violently to the side, and the bite missed Luke by inches. Charlie reeled herself in along the chain and drove her sword into the tyrannosaur's eye. The resulting roar tore through the forest.

And then the forest answered.

Dozens of velociraptors burst through the underbrush, drawn to their alpha's call. Luke spotted them closing in.

Behind the chaos, the tyrannosaur surged forward again, jaws snapping in wild, violent bursts. Luke dove to the side, triggering Basic Dark Dash to reposition along the flank.

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Charlie rushed in, driving her fist into the tyrannosaur's lower jaw, diverting the massive bite. Before the creature could snap back, she leapt with her sword raised high. Both hands gripped the hilt as she activated her skill.

[Heavy Strike]

The blade came crashing down across the tyrannosaur's snout, leaving a deep, jagged cut. The beast reared, its roar slicing through the forest.

It lunged, jaws open.

Charlie reacted instantly—her Spectral Chain fired from her hand, hooking onto a tree branch above. She pulled herself out of reach in a blink, soaring through the air as the monster's teeth closed on empty space.

Luke landed just as she cleared the danger. He hit the dinosaur's back running, moving like a shadow in motion—fast, fluid, relentless. His kukris flashed, carving through scales and muscle in a flurry of slashes. Blood streaked the air as he tore into the beast's flesh, cutting deep, controlled lines with every strike.

The tyrannosaur thrashed wildly, trying to shake him loose. But Luke held on, his body riding the chaos like he was the one in control. Branches cracked against his armor as the creature slammed through trees, yet he kept carving—untamed, precise, merciless.

When balance finally gave way, Luke didn't fall. He jumped, landing along the creature's spine, and slid down its back, his blades tearing a red path through hide and sinew all the way to the ground.

The moment he landed, raptors rushed from every direction.

Before they could strike, a stone wall exploded behind them. The tyrannosaur, blinded with rage and blood, barreled straight into a building. Stone and dust filled the air. The raptors paused.

And that was enough.

Charlie spun into their midst like a hurricane, sword flashing in wide arcs—Whirlwind Strike. Her blade tore through the raptors, forcing them back with each rapid, precise sweep.

The two didn't slow.

Together, Luke and Charlie charged the staggering tyrannosaur. Luke leapt, Dark Dash activated mid-air, and drove one kukri deep into the beast's neck. The blade vanished to the hilt.

Charlie followed with speed and force—Spectral Charge surged through her body, followed by the devastating weight of Iron Fist. She struck with both hands, her fists crashing into the dinosaur's side.

The impact lifted the beast off its feet and hurled it into the ruins. Part of the upper floor collapsed on top of its body in a violent cascade of rubble and dust.

Luke ran through the cloud, never hesitating. He spotted the massive form, motionless beneath the debris, chest heaving its final breaths.

He launched upward—twisting mid-air—flipping both kukris into a reverse grip. And struck.

The blades sank deep into the creature's face, cutting down with the precision of a predator's fangs.

For a breath, everything went still.

The tyrannosaur looked up, its single remaining eye locking with Luke's. In that final second, it understood.

One beast, seeing another.

And then it died.

[You have slain a Tyrannosaurus Commander – Lvl 24]

*Your class [Demonic Assassin] has reached Level 19! (Class Bonus Points Acquired)*

**[Princess Charlie has reached Level 9 – Skeleton (Rank F)] (+1 bonus point to all attributes, +1 free point)**

[An item has been added to your Inventory]

The velociraptors entered the building, alert and tense. But they stopped when they saw the scene. Luke stood over the corpse of the beast, his kukris drenched in blood, eyes locked on them. Beside him, the tall skeletal knight still held her sword pointed forward—ready. The raptors glanced at each other, then stepped back… and fled.

They knew the truth. If the strongest among them had fallen, they stood no chance.

***

Luke stood atop a ruined building, overlooking the sleeping city below. The crumbling remains of the Wild Zone stretched in every direction, cloaked in the pale mist of dawn. The wind sliced across the rooftops like a blade—sharp and bitter. Above it all, the moon hung full and radiant, enormous in the sky like an unblinking eye.

He opened his interface and glanced at the item he had just acquired:

[Tyrannosaurus Commander's Boots (Uncommon)

Description: Forged from the hide of a tyrannosaurus and fused with its teeth. The toe of the boot is as sharp as the fangs of the predator that once ruled the forest.]

He clicked. The boots on his feet vanished, replaced by dark leather with jagged details. Light. Firm. Dangerous.

Luke took a deep breath. The city was quiet.

And then—

"DONG..."

The bell rang. A second later, others began to echo across the ruins, the sound spreading through the Wild Zone like a slow, ominous wave.

Midnight.

He knew what that meant. The Midnight Wardens were emerging from their hiding places.

Luke stared down at the streets. Slowly, dozens of glowing points began to appear across the city. Each one marked the location of a Reward Event chest.

That was the real reason Bartholomew had grown so powerful. That was why Marshall fought for control. Potions. Healing. Mana. Stamina. Weekly rewards.

It was the true treasure of the Safe Zone—because over there, the Wardens did not roam. This was the fuel of the elite. And now, Luke wanted it for himself.

Many of those chests spawned in the Wild Zone, but no one dared claim them. Luke knew that sooner or later, he would have to face a Midnight Warden. He also knew he wouldn't survive. Not him. Not anyone who stood with him.

Unless... he was ready.

And there was only one way to find out. It was time to face one. Not to kill. To steal.

He looked once more at the city, lit by the faint glow of the chests scattered across its corpse-like sprawl. A smile curled at the corner of his lips.

"Tonight... I will feast like a king."

And he leapt from the rooftop—silent as a shadow, hunger in his eyes, kukris in hand. Luke was going to steal a Reward Event chest right from under the nose of a Midnight Warden.

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