A single-player post-apocalyptic game, but with an all-female teammate mod.

Despite being described as enormous, the label of being half a person's height seems rather ordinary now that the sand snake has been fully exposed.

The giant sand snake is almost ten meters long and so thick that it would take three or four adults to hug it.

Not only is it enormous, like a monster, but its entire body is also covered in keratinous scales.

Its robust body, as it broke through the sand, was like a giant steel whip being lashed out.

The sand waves it stirred up reached several meters high, instantly blocking out the blazing sun and casting a dim, yellowish shadow over an area of ​​ten meters in radius.

Compared to the enormous sand snake, Aono and his group seemed like tiny ants that could be crushed at any moment.

But the truth is the opposite.

With an average level of 35 and a combat power of four figures, any one of them could easily defeat this giant monster.

As the sand snake broke through the ground, Qingye took a step forward with his left foot, lowered his center of gravity, and held his level four alloy battle axe horizontally in front of him.

The raging sandstorm crashed against the axe, which was about the size of a door, producing a dull thud, but was deflected to both sides without harming the area behind it.

The next moment, without Aono giving the order, Shadow and Ika on the flank of the team rushed towards the snake's body, which was not yet fully unfolded.

As Shadow ran, he adjusted the angle of his naginata, and together with Ika's auto-tracking missile, they precisely attacked the pale scales on the underside of the Sand Serpent's belly, which had opened as it broke through the ground.

"hiss--!"

The sand snake, in pain, abruptly turned its massive head toward the source of the attack, its amber vertical pupils blazing with murderous intent.

But just as it tried to lower its head to bite, a flash of silver light appeared from behind the group.

Ice Beauty and Snow, who are ranged attackers, made their move.

The Ice Mage's strength has been significantly weakened in this environment, but dealing with ordinary monsters is still not an easy task.

Even without Tifa and Mai Shiranui taking action, the massive Sand Serpent was already struggling to cope.

Aono's eyes sharpened, and seizing the moment when the sand snake froze due to pain, he suddenly lunged forward.

His figure left afterimages on the sand, and he soared into the air. Using the momentum of his fall, the alloy battle axe, with unstoppable momentum, slashed fiercely into the weak spot under the sand snake's belly, which was being targeted by concentrated fire.

"Pfft!"

The dull thud of a sharp blade cutting into rotting flesh was enough to make your teeth ache.

The sand snake let out a deafening howl, its ten-meter-long body twisting wildly, ploughing deep trenches into the surrounding sand dunes.

Aono's offensive did not stop.

He used the snake's scales as leverage to leap up again, unleashing a second and third precise and ferocious axe blow.

In just a few breaths, the light in the sand snake's amber vertical pupils quickly dimmed.

When the sand snake stopped moving, Aono landed lightly back on the sand, shaking off the sticky blood from his slashing blade.

As the sandstorm subsided, the scorching sun shone its intense rays once more.

The sand snake, with its enormous body resembling a giant monster, lay limp on the sand dune, its bright red blood rapidly evaporating into pungent white smoke from the wound on its abdomen due to the high temperature.

Frowning slightly, Qingye moved away from the pungent smell and opened his backpack and panel to check his loot.

[Experience +1105]

Gold Coins +999

【Rough Sand Scales +20】

[Sand-corrupted Beast Bones +17]

"Not bad, more than expected."

Aono was very satisfied with the monster drops; the gold coins and materials had increased several times over.

Even if the number of monsters and other resources are not much like in the previous level, it is enough to support the consumption of increasing the population.

As for experience...

Anyone who's played the game knows that if you want to level up later on, don't expect to fight monsters; just spend your gold coins to buy experience books!

After traveling north for about half an hour, there was no sign of life in the desert, except for those huge, yellowish-brown screen walls that occasionally emerged from beneath the sand.

Sand Snake lv.31 (Normal)

Sand Snake lv.32 (Normal)

Sand Snake lv.33 (Normal)

The white level label shimmered under the blazing sun. If someone had just entered the game and saw this ten-meter-long behemoth with iron-like scales, their legs would probably go weak.

But now, in Aono's eyes, these monsters, which have no distinguishing features other than their large size, are simply like walking wallets delivered to his door.

"Two more have come. I'll go take care of the one on the left."

Shen Xue's clear, cold voice came through as she lightly tapped the CAD in her hand.

Although the high temperature around her made her magic flow somewhat sluggish, the ice shards she summoned still pierced the sand dunes with precision.

"The one on the right is mine."

Bingli was not to be outdone. Despite the fine beads of sweat on her forehead, she still skillfully controlled the frost.

Although Tifa and Mai Shiranui were not weakened, as fighters, their attack power was slightly insufficient when facing the giant sand snake.

They decided to do it the same way as before, with one person each acting as bodyguards, or rather, front-line guards, for Shenxue and Bingli.

In this world, apart from Aono, who has a significant advantage in combat power, the average level of everyone else has reached level 35.

Even against ordinary Sand Snakes that are only around level 30, such as Snow White and Ice Beauty whose Ice-type abilities are suppressed by the environment, they can still achieve a sure victory in one-on-one battles.

Not to mention Shadow and Ika.

Shadow's figure flickered among the sand dunes, his naginata drawing a cold arc of light, each appearance accompanied by the cracking of the scales beneath the belly of a sand serpent.

Ika hovered high in the sky, its automatically tracking missiles, aided by the Uranus system, seemed to have eyes, specifically targeting the Sand Serpent's relatively vulnerable seven-inch spot for bombardment.

Aono, on the other hand, seemed somewhat...bored.

He held the axe in both hands, his steps steady, lacking both the ghostly presence of a shadow and the graceful elegance of Ika. He simply charged forward and swung the axe.

"boom!"

With another muffled thud, a sand snake attempting to ambush the main force was cleaved in two by his axe, its scales flying everywhere.

Its massive body writhed in agony, carving a deep furrow in the sand.

"This thing, apart from being a bit tough, is really just a punching bag."

Aono flicked the sticky, steaming snake blood off the axe blade.

These sand snakes' defenses are practically nonexistent in front of the alloy battle axe; their only advantage is their ferocity.

If you don't count the 999 gold coins that drop, Aono even felt that cutting them down was a waste of effort.

He moved with lightning speed, leaping and bounding across the sand snake's thick body. Each swing of his alloy battle axe was accompanied by the sound of bones cracking and flesh tearing.

No need for lightning enchantments, just pure, violent aesthetics.

"Pfft!"

With the final axe blow driving the snake's head completely into the sand, the giant sand snake finally stopped moving, its blood quickly evaporated by the high temperature.

[Experience +1120]

Gold Coins +999

【Rough Sand Scales +22】

[Sand-corrupted Beast Bones +19]

Looking at the backpack full of his haul, Aono's lips curled into a slight smile.

"I didn't expect the number of monsters to not only not decrease, but actually increase. This makes farming money so much faster!"

He glanced back at the women who were collecting their spoils. They were all covered in dust, but their energy shields remained intact, preventing them from being eroded by the high temperatures.

"Master, a large-scale thermal reaction has been detected three kilometers ahead, suspected to be a gathering point of sand snakes."

Ika's voice came from mid-air, carrying a hint of calmness unique to battle.

"A swarm of snakes?"

Aono narrowed his eyes, looking at the end of the sand sea that was distorted by the heat waves.

"Perfect, saves us the trouble of searching for them one by one."

He gripped the alloy battle axe in his hand, his knuckles making a crisp cracking sound.

"Let's go and meet these big punching bags. Once we've collected enough gold coins, we'll level up Little Spring later."

"If it weren't for the high temperature, it would be much more comfortable to come out and explore."

The women chuckled and followed.

The group of seven had walked for about a kilometer when the sand under their feet suddenly became damp and sticky.

The faint smell of sulfur in the air suddenly intensified, mixed with a nauseating fishy odor.

"stop."

Aono raised his fist, signaling the team to stop.

The view from the shady side of the sand dunes ahead was quite different from what it had been before.

No longer a solitary sand snake, but a writhing, dark yellow tide.

【Sand Scorpion Lv.34 (Normal)】

【Sand Scorpion Lv.35 (Normal)】

【Sand Scorpion King lv.38 (Elite)】

“It’s not a swarm of snakes, it’s a swarm of scorpions.” Qingye clicked his tongue, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Unlike the ten-meter-long sand snakes, these sand scorpions are closer in size to humans, but their bodies are covered with a layer of shiny black keratinous scales.

Especially those two giant claws, which looked even harder than steel.

Their tail spines are held high, gleaming with a sinister blue light under the blazing sun. Their dense legs rub against the sand, producing a teeth-grinding "rustling" sound, as if countless files are simultaneously scraping glass.

"The level is a bit higher, and the skin is thicker too."

Aono glanced at the panel and his gaze fell on the [Sand Scorpion King], which was coiled in the center of the scorpion swarm and was three times the size of an ordinary sand scorpion.

The creature's six eyes gleamed crimson, clearly indicating that it had spotted the uninvited guests.

"You guys deal with the regular monsters, I'll go take care of the Sand Scorpion King."

Without Aono saying anything more, the women had already begun their attack in unison, following their usual routine.

Ika flew into the air, using the Artemis tracking missile and the not-fully-unlocked Apollon in turn to suppress enemy fire.

Shadow, wielding a naginata crackling with purple lightning, cut in from the side all by herself.

Tifa and Mai Shiranui guarded Ice Beauty and Miyuki, allowing them to use wide-range attacks to clear the area.

The battle erupted instantly.

However, to Aono's surprise, in the first encounter, Ika's tracking missile hit the carapace of an ordinary sand scorpion, but only caused a burst of fire.

They only managed to overturn the sand scorpion, but failed to kill it with a single blow.

When the shadow's naginata struck the scorpion's claws, it sparked a string of sparks and emitted a piercing metallic clang, leaving only a white mark.

"Such high defense?" Ying Qing exclaimed, her figure gracefully retreating to avoid the sand scorpion's sweeping tail sting.

"It's the same on my end; it's difficult to eradicate them on a large scale."

Shen Xue frowned. Her ice spear technique pierced the sand scorpion's joint, causing stiffness, but the damage was also reduced.

Although these sand scorpions are not particularly powerful, their scales make them look like mobile mini-fortresses.

However, it was just a bit more troublesome and took up some time.

Needless to say, Ika is completely untouchable by the sand scorpion swarm.

Shadow was similar; her agility completely overwhelmed the group of sand scorpions.

The only ones who had a hard time were Tifa and Mai Shiranui, because they had to act as the front line to withstand the Sand Scorpion's attacks in order to protect the mage.

Aono glanced around and, seeing that they were not in immediate danger, proceeded with the plan, heading straight for the only elite monster and charging towards the Sand Scorpion King.