SSS Ranked Beast Tamer: My EP increases with girls-Chapter 33: CH 0: Gunther… swallowed? (Mass Release 4)

In the midst of the chaos, as Dave’s sword sliced through the air once more, another beast collapsed at his feet, its head rolling away with a sickening thud.

His breath came in steady bursts, his muscles aching from the rapid movements, but strangely, he didn’t feel overwhelmed. He’d expected to be fighting for his life, struggling with every swing, given the way his abilities had been suppressed. Instead, something unexpected was happening. The battle, though fierce, felt almost too manageable. But it was also hard at the same time.

Just as he stood in front of the few beasts he had killed, looking at their body, a system had soon appeared above his eyes.

[You have thirty minutes left till the end of the first wave of the attack]

"Thirty minutes?"

[Below is the information about the beast that the user is currently facing]

[Boulderback Beast]

[Basic Tier Beast]

[No special attribute, except for their fast protruding necks, capable of swallowing their prey before it could attack]

Dave froze for a moment, staring at the words. His sword hung limply in his hand as confusion settled over him. "What?" he muttered under his breath, his eyes widening in disbelief.

He had just cleaved through one of these creatures’ necks with a single strike without breaking a sweat. The description from the system didn’t seem to match the reality he was experiencing at all.

According to the data, these beasts should have had some formidable advantage, something that made them a deadly threat. Their fast, protruding necks were supposed to be their main weapon, able to swallow prey whole before it even had a chance to strike back.

But Dave hadn’t seen any of that. In fact, the beasts seemed clumsy, sluggish even. Their large bodies moved at a slow pace, and despite their terrifying appearance, those massive jaws filled with sharp teeth, constantly bared at their foe.

Tthey didn’t seem capable of anything beyond a simple charge and the occasional snap of their jaws. The necks, which were supposed to be their primary weapon, appeared awkward and ineffective in battle. They didn’t lunge or snap with the precision Dave had imagined. No, it was more of a slow, deliberate movement, and by the time they were in range, Dave had already made his move.

"What the hell?" Dave thought, a wry chuckle escaping his lips as he swung his sword again, severing another beast’s leg at the knee. The creature stumbled, growling in pain, but it was already too late. It was down. "I guess these Boulderbacks aren’t as tough as they sound."

Despite the system’s warning, Dave found himself making light work of the beasts, one after another. Each of them fell easily under his blade, their sluggish movements making them easy targets.

His instincts kicked in, he knew exactly where to strike, aiming for the necks and joints, which are you the softer parts of their bodies. Every slash, every thrust of his sword, hit its mark with deadly accuracy.

He wasn’t sure whether it was the sword itself, the lightweight, razor-sharp weapon handed to him by Anthony, or if it was his own adaptability in the heat of battle, but Dave couldn’t help but feel an odd sense of confidence.

Even without his usual abilities and speed, he was moving fluidly, cutting through the beasts as though it was second nature. They were big, sure, but their slow, cumbersome movements played right into his hands.

As another Boulderback fell before him, Dave glanced around at the others. Gunther was in the thick of it, his large blade cleaving through beasts with each swing. Chris darted around them, taking them down with precision strikes.

Ella and the others were holding their own too, though Dave could see the exhaustion creeping in on them. They were scattered throughout the battlefield, fighting off the beasts that managed to get through the others.

Dave’s focus sharpened again as he quickly scanned the area. The first wave of Boulderbacks had been dispatched with relative ease, but now more were closing in, emerging from the treeline, and the group was slowly being surrounded.

The battlefield was growing more intense. Despite his initial surprise at how easily he had handled the creatures, he knew this wasn’t over yet.

"Focus," he told himself, wiping sweat from his brow as he steeled himself for the next wave of attacks. The beasts were still coming, and they were starting to press harder. But for now, at least, he could rest easy knowing that they weren’t the unstoppable force he had feared.

In the chaos of the battle, as weapons clashed against the thick hides of the Boulderback beasts, one creature in particular caught everyone’s attention. It was different from the others. As it stalked around Gunther, its neck began to twitch and elongate.

The once slow and lumbering beast now seemed to gather a new, unsettling energy. Its neck stretched outward, expanding in unnatural proportions, its sinewy muscles rippling beneath its green skin as it prepared to strike.

Then, with a bone-chilling screech that cut through the battlefield, the creature’s neck extended even further, growing impossibly long, its head lowering and narrowing with precision.

The high-pitched shriek echoed through the air, causing every fighter, including Gunther, to pause in their movements for a split second. The others, busy with their own battles, instinctively turned toward the sound. It was the first time any of the beasts had reacted this way, and it sent a ripple of unease through the group.

Gunther’s eyes widened as he saw the creature’s neck stretch toward him, its mouth yawning open, revealing rows of jagged, yellow teeth glistening with saliva. The beast moved faster than he expected, its head darting down with terrifying speed.

He barely had time to react, and in the blink of an eye, the Boulderback’s massive mouth snapped shut around him with a sickening crunch.

One moment, Gunther was there, leading the charge against the beasts, his sword swinging with lethal precision. The next, he was gone, completely swallowed whole by the beast in an instant. The force of the creature’s strike was so fast and powerful that it seemed as though Gunther had simply vanished from the battlefield, as if the world had swallowed him up whole.

For a split second, the battle seemed to pause. The clash of weapons and the roars of the beasts faded into a stunned silence. The rest of the group, momentarily distracted by what had just occurred, froze in shock. Eyes wide, they stared at the spot where their leader had stood, unable to process what had just happened.

"Gunther... th-the beast just swallowed him," one of the members whispered, his voice trembling. His words barely registered, but they hung in the air, heavy with disbelief.