Yes, Marcus was definitely enjoying himself.

Ding!

[Stonehaven, unfortunately, your Taming has failed.]

A failure notification appeared in front of him, but Marcus barely reacted anymore. Almost out of habit, he switched immediately to Insight.

—

Venomous Horned Serpent: Level ???

Health ???

Skills ???

—

Insight failed as well. No information, no stats, nothing useful. Marcus shrugged inwardly.

’Fine. Back to Taming.’

For nearly three full minutes, the serpent had remained stubbornly curled within its thick poison mist while enduring their relentless assault. It protected its deadly weak point beneath its body and shielded its injured head with remarkable caution, refusing to move even a single inch. The creature had clearly learned from earlier damage and now focused entirely on survival.

Marcus naturally seized the opportunity.

He ran straight up to the Five-Element Demon Trap, standing dangerously close to the battle’s center while unleashing every skill available to him without restraint. Spells flashed, attacks rained down, cooldowns vanished the moment they refreshed, and despite the danger, Marcus found himself grinning. He was having an absurd amount of fun.

Unfortunately, enjoyment did not equal success. The level gap between them was simply too wide. His Intermediate Taming never once connected, and just as he prepared another attempt, the poison mist surrounding the serpent suddenly trembled.

It was moving.

"Stonehaven, get back! The serpent’s about to make a move!"

Liam’s warning came instantly. Even from far behind the front line, the veteran expert had already sensed the change in momentum.

"Mountain Giant King!"

At the critical moment, Liam finally revealed his trump card.

A massive summoning circle flared to life, and from it emerged a towering figure nearly five meters tall. The Mountain Giant King looked less like a living creature and more like a colossal construct forged from compressed stone and dark steel. Its body radiated overwhelming physical power, its frame thick with defensive strength, its sheer presence enough to make the battlefield feel smaller.

At Liam’s command, the giant strode forward with heavy, ground-shaking steps toward the serpent.

"Pull back!"

Marcus didn’t hesitate. He retreated immediately alongside Goldie, Lyanna, and Camillo, falling back behind Liam’s position. Only Pebble and the Sea Demon Soul continued maintaining pressure at the edge of the battlefield, harassing the trapped serpent.

During those three minutes of sustained attacks, Marcus and his pets had managed to deal roughly five thousand damage. Not spectacular against a Divine Beast, but respectable enough. Now, all he needed to do was wait for Liam to finish the fight and share in the experience rewards.

So the old man had a pet like this hidden away. Marcus couldn’t help feeling impressed. Liam kept revealing surprises one after another. Still, seeing that enormous, solid guardian standing between them and the serpent brought Marcus a strong sense of reassurance.

A low hiss echoed through the mist. Right on cue, the serpent began to move.

The instant Marcus and the others reached safety behind Liam, the venomous serpent released a chilling hiss. Its tail, which had been quietly gathering power all this time, suddenly expanded as dark energy surged across its scales, blazing with ominous light.

"Black Dragon Tail Swing!"

The darkness erupted.

Like the sweeping tail of a furious dragon, the attack tore through the poison mist and smashed violently against the Five-Element Demon Trap’s barrier. The impact shook the entire formation, energy rippling outward in violent waves.

Another Black Dragon Tail Swing.

Marcus immediately understood. The serpent had never been passive. It had been stalling, waiting patiently for the cooldown of its ultimate skill to finish before striking with everything it had.

’Would the trap hold?’

Marcus felt his stomach tighten. After everything they had invested into this fight, he desperately hoped the formation would not collapse now.

CRACK.

The barrier fractured like glass under unbearable pressure. Thin lines spread rapidly across its surface, followed by sharp creaking sounds as the damage multiplied. The Five-Element Demon Trap was reaching its limit.

The serpent’s desperate full-power strike, combined with the gradual erosion of the trap’s materials during the prolonged battle, proved too much. The once-solid formation had clearly weakened. Even Marcus had noticed earlier that the damage conversion rate was slowing, the elemental energy flowing less smoothly than before.

Inside the trap, the blind serpent sensed the change immediately. Its instincts screamed victory.

"Poison Thunder Explosive Stab!"

Without hesitation, the serpent uncoiled. Lowering its massive head, it unleashed its second ultimate ability, which had already finished charging during the standoff. Its blazing horn pierced forward, crackling with poisonous lightning as it drove straight toward the fractured barrier.

Everything hinged on this moment.

Marcus clenched his fists, sweat forming on his palms. There was nothing he could do now except watch and trust Liam.

Another Poison Thunder Explosive Stab followed.

Liam’s eyes lit up.

Yes, the serpent had learned caution and hidden its fatal weakness beneath its body, but using this attack forced it to expose its head. More importantly, it exposed its already-blinded eyes.

This was the opening he had been waiting for.

"Mountain Dragon!"

Liam roared, a calculating smile appearing on his face as he released his final two Mountain Shatter Demon Arrows. The arrows shot forward like ascending dragons, streaking across the battlefield with terrifying force as they locked onto the serpent’s ruined eye sockets.

BOOM.

At the same moment, the Five-Element Demon Trap finally completed its mission. Under the overwhelming force of the Poison Thunder Explosive Stab, the formation shattered completely, breaking apart like frozen glass exploding under pressure. Fragments scattered before dissolving into fading particles of light.

The trap was gone and the serpent was free.

HISSS!

Yet triumph never came.

Instead, a long, agonized scream tore from the serpent’s throat as Liam’s arrows struck perfectly, driving deep into its already destroyed eyes. Injury piled upon injury, the accumulated pain overwhelming even a Divine Beast.

-50,000.

-50,000.

Two enormous damage numbers burst above its head.

A creature that once possessed nearly one and a half million health was now battered, blinded, and reduced to barely over one hundred thousand remaining HP.

"Come on!"

Marcus pumped his fist, excitement surging through him. Every instinct urged him to rush forward and finish the beast himself.

The serpent twisted violently in midair, writhing in agony. Then, abandoning all pride, it turned and fled, flying desperately toward the distant mud pit that served as its lair.

’Seriously?’

Despite being blind, the creature somehow still sensed the marsh’s direction. Survival instinct alone guided it as it attempted to escape.

What the fleeing serpent did not realize was that Liam’s Mountain Giant King had already moved to intercept.

The massive construct watched silently as the serpent closed the distance. When it came within five meters, the giant released a thunderous roar resembling that of a colossal ape. It drew both arms back, its immense body coiling with explosive strength before suddenly launching forward at an angle. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Giant Charge!"

CRUNCH.

The blind serpent never saw the attack coming.

The Mountain Giant King slammed into it with devastating force, crushing scales and bone alike. Five thousand health vanished instantly, and the tremendous impact sent the enormous serpent hurtling backward through the air.