The Venomous Horned Serpent was hurled backward through the air, its massive body skidding nearly thirty full meters before crashing heavily onto the ground. Dust and shattered stone burst outward from the impact.

Giant Charge was one of the Mountain Giant King’s ultimate abilities, a reckless attack that consumed thirty percent of its own health to unleash overwhelming force. There was nothing light about a blow like that.

Still reeling from the collision, the serpent had not even regained its balance before another danger triggered beneath it.

BAM. BAM. BAM.

Stone pillars exploded upward from the earth, slamming into its body one after another. The Stone Pillar Trap activated perfectly, ripping away another four thousand health.

Liam had prepared the battlefield long before the fight began. Traps surrounded the Five-Element Demon Trap in tight layers, each one positioned with deliberate precision. If the serpent broke free, it would only land in another snare.

He had come here determined to kill this half-snake, half-dragon creature, and he had no intention of letting it escape.

"Divine Serpent Tail Swing!"

The serpent lashed out in fury. The Stone Pillar Trap was powerful enough to stagger it, but not strong enough to hold a Divine Beast. Its tail shattered the pillars in a single violent sweep, fragments scattering across the ground.

"Giant’s Spike!"

Before the serpent could recover, the Mountain Giant King was already waiting beside the trap. Its massive fist crashed down like a falling mountain, stripping away another three thousand health. Liam’s arrows arrived at the same instant, striking exposed scales and forcing the serpent backward.

Two stumbling steps later, it fell directly into another prepared snare.

An Ice Spike Trap erupted beneath it.

A sharp crack echoed as jagged ice spears pierced upward, freezing mist spilling across the battlefield. Three thousand five hundred health vanished instantly, and frost crawled along the serpent’s body, slowing its movements by ten percent.

Liam showed no mercy.

Trap after trap overlapped in dense formation. Unless the serpent could rise more than a meter off the ground, escape was nearly impossible. Every attempt to retreat simply forced it into another hazard.

The Mountain Giant King pressed forward relentlessly, refusing to give the serpent even a breath of recovery.

The serpent retaliated with a burst of poison thunder, blasting the Ice Spike Trap apart, but before it could gain altitude the giant struck again. Liam’s arrows followed without pause, driving the creature sideways into yet another trap.

Flames surged upward.

The Flame Trap devoured another three thousand health, though it proved no more durable than the others. With an enraged flick of its tail, the serpent smashed the burning mechanism apart and twisted free once more.

These secondary traps were never meant to restrain it for long. They existed to interrupt, to delay, to create openings. Liam and his summoned giant moved in flawless coordination, but one mistake would be enough for the serpent to escape.

After all, this was still a Divine Beast.

Even with only a sliver of health remaining, its destructive power remained terrifying. If it managed to unleash a true counterattack, the situation could spiral out of control instantly. Worse still, if it reached the nearby marsh, its home territory, the battle would become far more dangerous.

"Boss, why didn’t you set up more Five-Element Demon Traps?"

Marcus finally voiced the question that had been bothering him. If Liam had another trap like the first one, the fight would already be over and Marcus would be drowning in experience points.

Liam nearly choked.

He clearly had no intention of answering, but Marcus’s curious expression pushed him past his limit. Still firing arrows, he muttered irritably, "Kid, you think building a Five-Element Demon Trap is like digging a hole in the dirt? Something you throw together for fun?"

Marcus blinked. "Then what does it take?"

Liam snorted. "Flood Dragon Pearl. Boulder Essence. Millennium Dragon-Tung Wood. A bottle of Corefire. Metal that’s over ten thousand years old. Every single material is absurdly rare. It took me two years just to gather those alone, then another year collecting the auxiliary components. Three years of preparation for one trap capable of holding a Divine Beast."

He was clearly still annoyed.

"If I could make two of them," Liam continued, loosing arrows with increasing aggression, "I’d be hunting dragons right now instead of wasting my time chasing a snake."

Golden Mountain Wolf Fang arrows flashed one after another, each shot venting his frustration onto the serpent.

The truth was simple. If he did not need the Black Dragon Sinew from this creature, killing it would cost more in rare materials than the rewards were worth.

Under relentless pressure, the serpent’s health dropped rapidly until only a little over thirty thousand remained.

HISSS!

The serpent cried out mournfully as it fell into another Flame Trap, but this time it did not immediately destroy the snare. Its horn began to glow, thunder crackling violently around it.

"Poison Thunder Sky Strike!"

Lightning and venom fused into a devastating blast that whipped toward the charging Mountain Giant King.

BOOM. BOOM.

Even the massive giant staggered backward five or six heavy steps. Seizing the brief opening, the serpent smashed the trap with another Divine Serpent Tail Swing and shot upward into the air.

"Giant Charge!"

The distance was perfect.

The Mountain Giant King launched forward once more, sacrificing another thirty percent of its health to slam the serpent back toward the ground. The impact forced the beast into yet another trap.

But this time the serpent was prepared.

Its jaws opened wide, unleashing a dense cloud of poisonous flame. The Mountain Giant King took the attack head-on and collapsed almost instantly, its massive body dissolving into fragments of summoned energy.

That was the terrifying reality of a Divine Beast. One moment of carelessness was enough for it to bare its fangs. A few successful strikes were all it needed to eliminate even a powerful summon.

Without the Five-Element Demon Trap and Liam’s painstaking preparations, hunting a Divine Beast would have been nearly impossible. Those three years of effort were the only reason this battle had gone so smoothly.

ROAR!

Destroying the giant reignited the serpent’s confidence. It shattered the surrounding trap with another furious tail strike and surged skyward, finally free of restraint.

There were no traps or obstacles. It caught the scent of the marsh, its territory, and accelerated toward safety.

"No! It’s getting away!"

Marcus shouted, instinctively preparing to throw himself into its path, but Liam remained calm. He inhaled slowly, drew five arrows from his quiver in one fluid motion, and roared:

"Mountain Fivefold Shot!"

Five arrows fired in rapid succession.

The first dealt double damage.

The second tripled it.

The third quadrupled.

The fourth struck with fivefold force.

The fifth landed with six times normal damage, each arrow carrying a thirty percent chance to critically strike.

One of Liam’s ultimate techniques. Cooldown: one hour.

Ultimate skills existed for decisive moments, and this was exactly that moment.

Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.

The arrows streaked through the air, chasing the serpent as it twisted desperately in flight.

THUNK. THUNK. THUNK.

Each impact sounded like iron nails being driven into stone.

-4000.

-12000.

-8000.

-20000.

-12000.

Two critical hits triggered among the strikes, bringing the total damage to fifty-six thousand. The serpent had only 31,220 health remaining.

HISSSS...

Its final cry echoed weakly across the battlefield. Its health dropped to zero, and its enormous body fell from three meters in the air before slamming lifelessly onto the ground.

"YES!"

Marcus shouted without restraint.

The Venomous Horned Serpent had died unwilling and furious, never given the chance to unleash its true strength. Liam’s carefully layered traps had locked it down from beginning to end, strangling its power before it could fully emerge.

No wonder it died resentful.

If the Five-Element Demon Trap were easier to construct, Liam would probably have every Divine Beast in Dreamland listed on his hunting schedule.

As Marcus stared in awe, the system notification rang out with a clear, melodic chime.

Ding!

[Congratulations, player Stonehaven. Your level has increased to 35. Health +10, Mana +10, 5 attribute points available for distribution. Luck +1.]

Ding!

[Congratulations, player Stonehaven. Your level has increased to 36. Health +10, Mana +10, 5 attribute points available for distribution.]

Ding!

[Congratulations, player Stonehaven. Your level has increased to 37. Health +10, Mana +10, 5 attribute points available for distribution.]

His experience bar surged upward in a blur, climbing three levels in succession before stopping at eighty-seven percent of Level 37.

"Awesome!"

He had contributed less than five thousand total damage, yet gained three full levels. Even his pets had jumped four levels each.

That was the value of a Divine Beast kill. Nothing else compared.

Unfortunately, Liam’s party used contribution-based distribution. Marcus received only a small portion of the experience. Reputation rewards, gold coins, and most system benefits all went directly to Liam.

"Cheapskate," Marcus muttered under his breath.

Liam ignored him completely. He walked to the serpent’s corpse, drew a dagger, and began expertly dissecting it. His target was clear: the Black Dragon Sinew.

Because of the party settings, Marcus had no claim over the corpse or any materials harvested from it. Everything belonged to Liam. All Marcus could do was watch helplessly.

It was torture.

Liam’s Gathering skill was exceptional. Within just over two minutes, he successfully extracted a thick strand of black sinew, tough as steel and faintly glowing with hidden power.

Marcus nearly turned green with envy.

Then, unexpectedly, Liam turned around and pointed at the remaining corpse.

"Stonehaven. Use this chance to practice your Gathering."

Before Marcus could react, the system chimed again.

Ding!

[Stonehaven, your party has switched to Shared Loot Mode. You and your party members can now share items obtained by the party.]