After that…
Koby and Helmeppo, still reeling from a storm of mixed emotions, were clearly distracted. They could no longer fully focus on the ongoing hell training.
It was obvious.
Raifeng's displayed talent had dealt them a brutal psychological blow.
So much so that their mental states had begun to shift—each to varying degrees.
"See that Long-Tusk Giant Elephant over there?"
Raifeng asked quietly.
His eyes were locked straight ahead. His body was hidden within the grass, his presence completely restrained—like a perfect predator lying in wait.
"I-I see it," Koby replied hastily, nodding as he followed Raifeng's gaze.
The Long-Tusk Giant Elephant was one of the most common ferocious beasts in Devil Forest.
Eight meters tall. Nearly twelve meters long.
Weighing up to twenty tons.
An absolute monster.
"In a moment, you two draw its attention," Raifeng said calmly.
"I'll take care of the finishing blow."
His tone was light. Casual.
Koby froze.
"U-Understood… wait—no, hold on?!"
Koby's eyes went wide as he pointed at the colossal creature.
"Raifeng—sir… are you saying we're going to provoke that thing?"
He was stunned.
Normally, when they ran into something like this, they'd flee without a second thought.
And now—
They were supposed to approach it on purpose?
Had he lost his mind?!
"You're joking, right? Just us?"
Helmeppo's throat went dry.
This was madness.
His hands felt cold. Every hair on his body stood on end.
Fight a monster like that?
Wasn't this straight-up suicide?
One stomp from that thing and they'd be reduced to paste.
"Yes. Just us."
Raifeng's eyes gleamed.
He wanted to try something—
To push himself to the absolute brink… and see what lay beyond.
"T-This…"
Koby's words tangled together.
He couldn't see through Raifeng at all.
Seven years old—yet his thinking, courage, and resolve far surpassed both Koby and Helmeppo, who were nearly twice his age.
But even so—
This plan was insane.
"Shouldn't we… play it safer?" Helmeppo said weakly, fear creeping in.
In his eyes, the gap was simply too great.
They'd only trained for half a month. How could they deal with something like this?
It was a fantasy.
"Raifeng… do you really have confidence you can handle it?"
Koby couldn't help asking.
He genuinely couldn't imagine what method a seven-year-old could use to defeat such a behemoth.
"It's just an experiment," Raifeng replied.
"Success or failure… I'm about fifty percent confident."
"And that's why—"
"You two should watch your own safety."
He smiled and patted their shoulders.
"…!"
The two fell silent.
Two minutes later—
Under immense pressure, Koby and Helmeppo moved forward with trembling bodies, inching closer to the Long-Tusk Giant Elephant.
Fear filled their eyes.
"I'm crazy… I must be insane!"
"I'm actually trying to provoke a monster like this!"
"Can I still regret this?!"
Helmeppo muttered endlessly under his breath.
"Calm down… calm down!"
Koby forced himself to steady his mind.
But even so, his thoughts were a mess—his brain stiff, unresponsive.
From the shadows—
Garp's eyes widened.
"They've lost their minds!"
"Those three brats are actually trying to provoke a Long-Tusk Giant Elephant?!"
He was stunned.
He never would've imagined their courage to be this outrageous.
And especially not Koby and Helmeppo—they weren't usually this reckless.
"Raifeng… what the hell is that kid trying to do?!"
Garp immediately locked onto Raifeng.
Ahead—
Koby and Helmeppo reached a distance of less than twenty meters from the elephant.
Facing it head-on at that range—
Their legs nearly gave out.
Only now, standing before it, did they truly understand how terrifying the pressure of such a massive creature was.
MOOO—!
The elephant let out a thunderous roar, like rolling thunder ripping through the sky.
The sound nearly shattered their eardrums.
"W-Wait…"
"Why do I feel the ground shaking beneath us?"
Helmeppo's pupils shrank as he stared downward in terror.
Koby swallowed hard, stiffly turning his neck to look down.
"…It feels like…"
"We're standing on another beast."
"In other words—"
"We pissed off two monsters at the same time!"
The moment the words left his mouth—
Helmeppo's legs went limp.
"So that roar just now… wasn't because it saw us?"
"It was warning us because it noticed the beast we're standing on?!"
Koby couldn't move.
The ground beneath his feet was shaking harder and harder—
Like an earthquake.
No—worse.
At the same time, their field of vision began to rise.
As if something massive was lifting them up.
The entire world started to sway violently.
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