Monster Integration

A minute and a half passed since the challenge had to begin and the foe looked more and more powerful.

It doesn't have an overwhelming strength. Yes, it has fast healing, and its tentacles are powerful and soul attack, which makes one forget about themselves for a moment.

It is all-powerful, but it all could have been overcome. If the enemy had been of our level, unfortunately, it is not.

It is something that had been part of a powerful being, that is above prime. It has that understanding; not all, but a fraction, and that is enough for it.

The thing, that made it a terrifying enemy is that it could use every bit of its power to maximum efficiency, and when combined with its power to read the enemies.

It became a thing that everyone is dreading here.

Everybody who has reached this stage is smart enough to understand the kind of enemy they are facing, and it has made them cautious.

They are not daring to go against the eye like they had in the first few seconds and now, they are attacking from the distance, testing its every move.

It has the moves, but it hasn't revealed them yet and it will.

With all its smarts, it is an abomination. The famed raging anger and flickering impatience that Grimms got, been inherited from them. They are worse, than Grimms at it.

The things I had read about them said the same thing.

So, it had become a waiting game, and already, the hint of anger and impatience appeared in the tentacles, which it was using to attack us.

Seconds passed, and we dodged and attacked, trying to get as much information about it as possible.

It is not all safe; another Grimm died. Got chomped to death by the big mouth. A native too; the elf had tried to walk on the tentacle, but its luck was bad as mouths surrounded him and tore him apart.

It was a grisly scene, and everyone understood that it could happen to them soon, seeing how the eye was seeing everything and using its tentacles accordingly.

CLANNG!

My sword clashed against those huge nasty teeth as they came at me before I moved back, and tapped my foot on the tentacle behind me, right on the lips, before leaping forward.

Yes, stepping on the tentacles is risky, but sometimes there is no option.

Though I had done that intentionally. It is not the only one who is learning about the enemies attacking us; we are also learning and sharing the things we have learned.

These bronze armors are letting us connect with each other and, for a couple of seconds, we have started using it to share information.

At first, nobody was willing to do it. Everyone wanted to score big, but it didn't take us even a minute to realize that forest scoring big, we wouldn't be able to survive if we didn't have some teamwork and share information.

Even Grimms started to share.

Though that information needs to be verified. Even in this condition, we wouldn't trust the Grimms.

It is good we didn't; some Grimms had shared false information.

Slice!

I attacked the tentacle and this time; it had cut a quarter of it. Seeing that, a smile finally appeared on my face.

Yes, it is powerful, but these tentacles could be cut.

I was smiling, when suddenly, I got a sinking feeling, and even without looking; I knew the eye was looking at me.

Still, I looked, and as I had expected; it was looking at me and there was raging anger at it.

AREEE AREEE AREEE

Its mouths turned and screamed that it had ever been, and the eyes flashed.

Immediately, everything in front of me had disappeared and once again, I found myself in the dark-cold abyss.

Earlier, I had thought; I had imagined the sensation, and this time too; I am doing that. The correct way to say this is that my mind is interpreting the strange attack this way.

I didn't get into the technicality and focused every bit of the will; I had to get out of there.

I have a fraction of a second. If I didn't get out at that time, I would be eaten and I don't want to get eaten, at least when I haven't even collected the reward of the past challenge.

So, I used every fiber of my will and was able to bring myself out of the dark abyss.

The moment I did, I moved.

I saw the three tentacles moving toward me, and they were moving in a way that I wouldn't be able to dodge them.

They have read me and now they have flung the net to capture me.

"Hehe,"

It was a scary moment, but I grinned and moved and moved differently than I had expected. The same happened to my power; it acted differently and even another element in it, aside from fire and metal.

The wind.

In less than a second, I had dodged all three tentacles, and it glared at me, and it flashed, sending me into the dark abyss again.

Though, this time, I was able to bring myself out much sooner. It will have to increase the power of its attack if it wants to do that and unfortunately for it, I am not the only enemy it is facing.

While it concentrated on me; the others were attacking it and I also moved at it, once again moving differently than it had read.

It is not the only one with a bag of tricks; I have some of mine too.

Since the challenge began, I have never revealed my true power of combat style. The only thing real about me is the great-sword I am using.

I could have used the other weapon, but against this enemy, I wanted a reassuring weapon in my hand and there is no weapon more reassuring than the great sword to me.