Card maker? No, I'm a mechanic!

He crouched low, using the surrounding vegetation as cover, and quickly retreated into the distance.

I ran several hundred meters in one breath and confirmed that the squeaking sound had completely disappeared.

Jiang Zhe then stopped behind a giant rock covered in moss.

"This lousy place."

He put away his arm armor and leaned against a rock to calm himself down.

"The environment there isn't suitable for spell cards, but if we use physical attacks, we'll get swarmed by bats."

"This is really difficult."

However, while Jiang Zhe was still figuring out how to deal with this strange environment...

"roar!"

A roar suddenly came from afar.

Jiang Zhe was startled upon hearing this and instinctively turned his head to look.

The bats in the misty area, who should still be searching for him, suddenly rushed towards the source of the sound as if they had gone mad.

Although they were quite far apart, he could still feel an extremely strong energy reaction coming from that direction.

"That noise sounds like a big shipment."

Are people fighting over there?

Jiang Zhe licked his lips, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes.

In this dangerous ruin, unknown variables often also mean unknown opportunities.

Moreover, his score won't be high if he stays here.

"Let's go over and take a look first."

Having made up his mind, Jiang Zhe didn't linger any longer.

After rechecking his equipment, he quietly made his way in that direction.

After passing through several bushes, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

This is a relatively open clearing in the woods, and because there is no fog here, the situation is clear at a glance.

"boom!"

A fireball exploded in mid-air, forcing back several mist bats that were trying to swoop down.

In the center of the open space.

The three candidates stood in a triangle formation, their expressions tense as they faced the dual threats from the ground and the air.

Opposite them, a colossal beast the size of a truck cab was roaring.

That was a high-level Tier 1 Stone Armor Bear.

This kind of monster is not uncommon; it has been recorded in various books.

But the one in front of us is clearly different.

Its entire body of rock armor had an eerie dark red color.

On its back was a protrusion resembling some kind of stone tablet, which shimmered with its breath.

"roar!"

The stone-armored bear stood upright and slammed its massive paws down on the ground.

"Earthen wall!"

The tallest of the three reacted the fastest, and the tan card in his hand lit up.

A thick earthen wall quickly rose from the ground.

"Bang!"

Earth and rocks flew everywhere, and the earthen wall collapsed instantly.

Although he barely managed to block the attack, the enormous impact still forced the boy to stagger back several steps, his face turning pale.

"Damn, how can this bear be so strong?"

He cursed and turned to look at the two people behind him.

"Are you still standing there dumbfounded? Where's your output?"

"I'm rubbing it in and out."

Another boy frantically activated the card, and several wind blades flew out crookedly.

But it only left a few white marks on the thick hide of the stone bear.

The remaining girl, however, looked rather disheveled.

Her position was relatively far back, but this gave the bats an opportunity to harass her intensively.

In addition, she had to move around more frequently to avoid the stones thrown by the stone bear.

"Huff... huff..."

The continuous high-intensity card casting and running caused a flush to appear on her fair face.

Fine beads of sweat slid down her forehead and neck, quickly soaking her seemingly high-end but actually poorly breathable combat suit.

With her rapid breathing, the taut fabric rose and fell, perfectly outlining the precocious curves of her body.

"this……"

Jiang Zhe, who was hiding in the shadows, raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but take a second look.

"Was the designer of this combat suit out of their mind?"

"They actually used this completely non-breathable composite material?"

"If they keep playing like this, they'll probably get heatstroke and dehydration..."

Of course, despite his complaints, Jiang Zhe did not forget his business.

These three were clearly a makeshift team put together on the spot, and their teamwork was terrible.

One player only cares about his own defense and doesn't care about his teammates' lives, while the other just observes from the sidelines with terrible accuracy.

The girl wanted to deal damage, but she was betrayed several times by the other two incompetent players, and at this moment she could only run around desperately.

Just then, the stone bear seemed to get annoyed by the swarm of flies.

The stone tablet on his back suddenly shone brightly, and a violent energy wave instantly swept across the entire area.

"Watch out, it's about to go berserk!"

The girl screamed and tried to back away, but the bats overhead took the opportunity to press down.

"Squeak squeak squeak!"

"what!"

The girl panicked and flipped backward to avoid the attack, but her steps became completely disordered.

It was at this moment that...

"roar!"

With a roar, a flash of light appeared on the surface of the stone bear's rock armor.

His body size has visibly increased.

"Knock knock knock!"

It took long strides, each step leaving deep craters in the grass, and then rushed towards Sanri like an out-of-control heavy truck.

"We can't hold them off any longer, retreat!"

The boy on the fringes of the game's opening sequence suddenly changed his expression and turned to run away before he could even throw out the wind blade in his hand.

But the Stone Armored Bear's charge speed after going berserk is astonishing.

It suddenly swung its bear paw, creating a gust of wind that swept it away.

"Bang!"

The boy crashed heavily into a tree, clutching his chest and curling up in pain.

But it's not over yet.

After the attack, the stone-armored bear's gaze was fixed on the tall boy.

I recognized it; it was basically the one that blocked its attack just now.

The hatred level is at its maximum.

"No...don't come any closer!"

The boy raised a mud wall in a final attempt to salvage the situation.

But the stone-armored bear gave him no chance; its enormous paw, carrying immense force, slammed down.

"Snap!"

The earthen wall, which could barely withstand the attack, was instantly pulverized like paper this time.

"puff……"

The boy felt a tremendous force strike him, and he was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, spitting out a mouthful of blood in mid-air.

Although he managed to protect his vital organs at the last moment.

However, this blow also shattered his internal organs, rendering him completely unable to fight.

Seeing the stone-armored bear taking heavy steps, he was about to step forward and deliver the final blow.

"Damn it, what's the point of even taking the exam?!"

A hint of resentment flashed in the boy's eyes, but he still trembled as he pulled out the SOS card from his pocket and crushed it violently.

"Buzz!"

A beam of light shot into the sky.

The space distorted, and the boy's figure vanished instantly, leaving behind only a shocking pool of blood.

"They...they ran away?"

The boy who had been swept away managed to stand up, and his already dwindling courage completely collapsed upon seeing this scene.

"No, this is beyond human capability."

He glanced at the girl who was completely surrounded by bats, gritted his teeth, and turned to run again.

Even when fleeing, they would keep the distress card in their hand, ready to send it at any time to save their lives.

"It's already collapsed?"

Jiang Zhe frowned upon seeing this.

This person's mental fortitude is lacking.

but……

His gaze was fixed on the stone tablet behind the stone-armored bear.

The ferocity and energy fluctuations just now even carried a certain peculiar rhythm.

"That thing is definitely a relic, and of high quality."

Jiang Zhe licked his lips.

The key to passing this level is right in front of us; we can't afford to let it slip by.

Moreover, this is precisely the time when the stone-armored bear is about to end the battle with a single blow, and its emotions are running high while its vigilance is low.

"Chance."

Jiang Zhe took a deep breath and moved forward without hesitation.