There wasn't a trace of fear in Ethan's eyes.
He stepped forward, and the air trembled with the motion. Just as he was about to strike, the leader of the Lizard-Dragon Kin suddenly lunged in front of him.
"Master, fall back!" the creature snarled, its voice rough and guttural. Its scales shimmered with a scorched sheen under the light. "That's a Demonbee—its venomous stinger can melt through anything! Even a graze will rot you down to pus and blood!"
Ethan froze for a split second.
The creature hovering in the air looked deceptively harmless—tiny, almost cute, like a toy bee. But the way its energy pulsed, flickering like wildfire, sent a chill crawling down his spine.
Instinctively, he pulled up his system panel. Numbers flickered across the glowing interface.
Tier 20 (Mid-Stage).
His heart sank.
That level… it could wipe out the entire fighting force of Emerald Castle. Charging in would be suicide.
He drew a deep breath, about to give the order to retreat—
