The Dire Wolf turned into particles of light after Lavinia unleashed the finishing blow.
She and Alex had been hunting for three hours. Now, with the sun beginning its slow descent, it wouldn’t be long before they had to head back to the meeting point.
Just as she was about to ask Alex if they should head farther west, she noticed the young man staring off into the space in front of him with a frown.
"Alex?" Lavinia asked as she approached him. "Is there something wrong? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"We need to quickly regroup with the others, Lavinia," Alex replied as he continued to stare at his map. "A Boss Monster is near the vicinity."
Aside from his team members, who were marked by green blinking dots on the map, he could also see the locations of the four Rank 4 Boss Monsters in real time.
Alex had been keeping a close eye on the Boss Monsters, ensuring his team wouldn’t get caught off guard by a surprise attack.
Originally, the red blinking dot, which was the size of a pigeon’s egg, had been heading eastward.
But for some reason, it changed its course and headed west, near the center of the island.
The bad news was that it was moving very close to Bob, Grint, and Jorven.
It was one of the four Boss Monsters, and its name was the Two-Horned Blaze Wolf.
"Dim Dim, guide Lavinia and look for Charles, Renard, and Nessia," Alex ordered. "Tell them that a Boss Monster has appeared near us, and they should head to our meeting place to regroup.
"I’ll look for Bob, Grunt, and Jovern and regroup with the rest right after. We don’t have much time, so please hurry!"
"Dim!" Dim Dim nodded before gesturing for Lavinia to follow.
The young lady threw Alex a meaningful glance before following the Dim Sum God to pass the young man’s message to their comrades.
While Lavinia was running northeast, Alex sprinted east.
It was impossible for the four of them to defeat a Rank 4 Boss Monster. For a more solid shot at victory, all of the members of their team must be gathered in one place.
Although it would be difficult, it was not impossible.
For now, his priority was to bring Bob and the others back with him before the Boss Monster reached their location.
Somewhere near the center of the island...
"Did you guys hear something?" asked one of the trial takers, a frown creasing his brow as he turned to his comrade.
"Yes, I heard something," a young man replied. "It was faint, but I believe it’s a scream... a human scream."’
"Oi, please don’t joke around," said another young man seriously. "What’s the point of scaring each other?"
"No, they’re not lying," the only lady in the group commented. "I thought I was just hearing things earlier, but now you guys confirmed it. That was indeed a scream."
The group of four warily looked at their surroundings, weapons drawn and ready to fight.
"Could it be monsters?" the leader of the group asked. "Or have they been eliminated by other trial takers?"
"That scream is faint, but I believe it was a scream of fear, not pain," the young lady replied. "I have reason to believe it might be a monster... a strong monster."
At the mention of ’a strong monster’, everyone in the group thought of the same thing.
Just as they were about to discuss their next move, the young lady gasped and pointed at the trees in the distance.
"I can sense something very strong in that direction," the young lady said, looking very grim. "It’s no ordinary monster!"
"Sh*t!" the leader cursed. "Let’s run now!"
This was the best course of action they could think of, and they made the right call.
But there was just one little problem.
The Boss Monster was faster than them.
In just the span of a minute, the group of four saw a three-meter-tall red wolf with two horns protruding from its forehead.
Its feet were covered in flames, and it was approaching them very quickly!
"We can’t outrun it!" the leader shouted. "Prepare to fight!"
Knowing they really had no other choice but to fight, the group took a defensive formation and braced themselves for the incoming threat to their lives.
A few minutes later, raw, terrified screams echoed through the forest, sending chills down the spines of everyone who heard them.
"What’s that, Bob?" Grint asked. "Are those human screams?"
"Don’t think about that and just run!" Bob urged his friends. "Follow me. Now!"
Bob had experienced and done many shady things, like gambling, stealing, as well as other minor crimes.
There were times when his instinct would kick in, telling him whenever something dangerous was about to happen.
During those times, Bob would either keep a low profile, hide, or flee until the danger had passed.
And right now, his instincts warned him that if they didn’t leave the area soon, they’d be the next to scream their lungs out, just like those unfortunate souls they’d heard moments before.
Although Grint and Jorven didn’t have the same sixth sense as Bob, they could tell that there was something very dangerous near them.
So, they ran as fast as they could and followed their temporary leader to the best of their ability.
As the three ran like their lives depended on it, screams continued to spread inside the forest.
It seemed another group of trial takers had fallen victim to whatever was now prowling the island.
Suddenly, a vicious, powerful wolf howl reverberated in the surroundings, which confirmed their assumption.
"That’s not the howl of a Dire Wolf," Jorven noted fearfully.
"Stop talking and just run!" Bob ordered. "Let’s find the others and tell them about this threat!"
Ten minutes later, another round of screams reached their ears.
But this time, the screams seemed much louder than before. The three teenagers turned pale from fright as they realised the enemy was now closer to them.
It was at that moment that Grint saw a familiar person running towards them.
"It’s Alex!" Grint pointed. "He has come for us!"
Bob raised both of his hands in front of him, forming an X, telling Alex not to come close to them.
Fortunately, the young man understood what they were saying, so he stopped and made a gesture for the three to hurry up so they could escape together.
When everyone thought the worst was finally over, Alex saw something red break past the trees in the forest, heading in their direction.