A bright moon illuminated the night sky, casting a romantic glow over everything. Ryan sighed inwardly—wasn't such a beautiful night meant for romance instead of mortal peril?

  He could have lived a carefree life, enjoying casual flings and fun. Unfortunately, his innate sense of righteousness, bravery, and honor had ruined any chance of becoming a carefree playboy.

  Well, every action has its price. After raiding the entire settlement's beast crystal reserves, it seemed only fair he'd now have to pay back by becoming bait himself.

  Ryan paced along a 200-meter stretch of the cassava slopes, deliberately exposing himself to lure out the Gray Mist Blood Bat. Overseer Marcus, Captain Harris, and others lay in ambush nearly a mile away. They would only rush forward and fire the Grade-G Star-Piercing Ballista once Ryan gave the signal.

  The plan seemed perfect—but Ryan knew better. Too many variables could go horribly wrong. Most critically, if the bat drained his blood before he could react, he'd be dead before the others even arrived!

  "Kid, always stay in your Clock of Time state!" Old Shen had repeatedly stressed before Ryan left.

  Easy for you to say, Ryan grumbled silently. Why didn't Old Shen mention that constantly maintaining the Clock of Time rapidly drained one's spiritual energy? If not for his Skill-Stealing Card system replenishing his mental strength, Ryan figured he could sustain it for half an hour at most. Yet he'd now patrolled for over three hours!

  The night remained eerily quiet, occasionally broken by distant bestial howls that sent chills down his spine. Thankfully, those creatures remained far away—for now.

  Suddenly, a sharp sensation of danger seized Ryan's heart. Instantly, his heightened senses picked up a shadowy gray streak shooting toward him like an arrow.

  Fast—too fast!

  Without his Clock of Time technique, Ryan doubted he'd have noticed this lightning-fast attack in time.

  Wait, wasn't he supposed to be baiting the Gray Mist Blood Bat? What the hell was this thing?!

  Still, despite his confusion, Ryan's body reacted instinctively. His Tiger Roar blade flashed outward, seemingly slicing empty space—but just as the blade swung down, it perfectly intercepted the approaching gray shadow.

  Clang!

  With a metallic crash, the shadow split in two, falling harmlessly to either side. Ryan didn't even consciously recall which move he'd used. It had seemed purely instinctive, a natural response in that instant of danger.

  "What?! An Arrow Serpent?" Captain Harris, watching through binoculars from afar, gasped in shock.

  Arrow Serpents weren't the strongest, toughest, or most venomous snakes—but their speed was legendary. Known as bloodline warrior killers, ordinary warriors stood little chance against their lightning-like strikes.

  The plan had been to lure out the Gray Mist Blood Bat, not this deadly serpent. Although Ryan had killed it with apparent ease, Harris and the others broke into cold sweats.

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  "Should we call him back now?" Deputy Overseer Victor Shaw asked nervously, face pale. "That was too close."

  The appearance of an Arrow Serpent here was deeply troubling. Their usual habitat didn't include areas near the settlement. If more appeared, the consequences would be disastrous.

  "Bring Ryan back now," Overseer Marcus ordered decisively. But before anyone could move, Harris suddenly shouted:

  "The Gray Mist Blood Bat—it's attacking!"

  Immediately after Ryan had dispatched the Arrow Serpent, the bat seized its chance to ambush. Darting out at incredible speed, it spewed a poisonous gray mist at Ryan.

  Having just exerted himself to kill the serpent, Ryan should have been at his weakest—an easy target.

  Yet, just as everyone feared the worst, Ryan suddenly leaped straight upward, flipping gracefully over the bat's head to land safely behind it.

  Caught completely off-guard, the bat screeched furiously, instantly spinning around to pursue Ryan again.

  Blade flashing rapidly, Ryan unleashed a barrage of crimson blade energy infused with roaring tiger sounds, parrying the bat's relentless assault.

  Fighting it firsthand, Ryan finally grasped the full extent of the bat's threat—its astonishing speed, impenetrable hide, and deadly poison. Even with his current strength—he estimated close to ten thousand pounds of pure force—Ryan's blade trembled slightly each time it clashed with the bat's steel-like wings.

  In mere moments, they'd exchanged dozens of blows.

  Suddenly sensing danger, the bat flapped its wings fiercely, releasing another wave of toxic gray mist toward Ryan.

  Though his newly fused Toxic Flame Bloodline likely protected him from poison, Ryan wasn't about to test it recklessly.

  A faint bird cry sounded—the prearranged signal indicating Marcus and the others had arrived. Ryan knew his task now: immobilize the bat midair for the crucial ten seconds.

  Just ten seconds—but incredibly difficult.

  If the Star-Piercing Ballista missed, their entire effort would fail.

  Ryan gathered his limited Blood Essence, channeling it all into his blade. Crimson blade energy surged forth, forming vivid spectral images of five roaring tigers surrounding the bat tightly.

  "Five Tigers Seal the Heavens!"

  This technique wasn't originally considered extraordinary, but at Ryan's current mastery—Level Six—the five tiger phantoms appeared vividly lifelike. Their fierce roars momentarily stunned the Gray Mist Blood Bat, freezing it mid-flight.

  In that brief instant, a gleaming silver bolt streaked through the air, perfectly threading the gap among the spectral tigers, piercing deep into the bat's body.

  The bat opened its mouth wide—but instead of a cry, an invisible wave of agony struck Ryan's mind directly. He staggered, head spinning painfully. If the bat had used this mental attack earlier, he realized, he'd likely already be dead.

  But now, impaled by the heavy silver ballista bolt, the Gray Mist Blood Bat fell lifelessly to the ground.

  Ryan stared at its gruesome corpse with mixed emotions—relief, fear, but above all, excitement. A bloodline-level beast like this surely possessed at least a Level-2 Beast Crystal!

  Not wasting time, Ryan quickly cut open the bat's body. Sure enough, a gleaming gray Level-2 Beast Crystal appeared before him. Delighted, he reached out eagerly—

  But a sudden, intense sense of danger froze him mid-motion.

  His Clock of Time perception still active, Ryan instantly sensed another bat, even faster and larger than the first, diving toward him at incredible speed!

  He barely had time to react, instinctively using his Thousand-Mile Leap technique to fling himself over twenty meters away.

  Missing its target, the massive bat shrieked furiously, immediately pursuing Ryan again.

  Marcus and the others watched in stunned horror. They'd noticed Ryan cutting open the bat's carcass and knew exactly what the greedy brat was after. However, considering his critical role in the victory, they were prepared to overlook it—even secretly amused by his shamelessness.

  But none of them anticipated a second, even deadlier Gray Mist Blood Bat lurking nearby.

  "Impossible!" Victor gasped, voice trembling. "Two Gray Mist Blood Bats? Overseer, what should we do?"

  Without hesitation, Marcus shouted decisively, "We have no choice! Everyone, move! We must save Ryan immediately!"

  Fighting a Gray Mist Blood Bat head-on was extraordinarily dangerous—its speed and poison made group attacks nearly useless. Yet Marcus didn't hesitate.

  "Ryan, hold on! We're coming!" Harris roared encouragingly, leading the charge toward the fight.

  But even as he shouted, thick clouds of poisonous gray mist had already engulfed Ryan completely.