100XMultiplier System: My Essence is Glitched as an Ultimate Cheat-Chapter 74: Ch : To the Holy City

"Ai, be careful. On your left—"

Ai blasted the monster coming for her with ease. She was so high level that this road and the monsters on it were no trouble to her. Because of her, even Cane had an easier time moving forward, and he was gaining a massive amount of EXP.

It was a little concerning how he had already hit level 54 by now, and they were not even halfway there yet. At this rate, wouldn’t it be too disadvantageous for him to continue like this...?

A sudden blast near his head brought him back to his senses, and Cane noticed that he had not been careful with his surroundings. Ai had blasted the monster away from his side as she quickly came over and looked around.

"Are you alright? Don’t get distracted now."

Cane nodded quickly and forced himself to focus again.

Ai’s warning came just in time. Another monster was hiding behind the sand, its body shaking like it could fall apart any second.

Before Cane could move, Ai raised her staff and blasted the monster apart right in front of his eyes.

Despite her overwhelming strength, the path ahead did not become any easier to deal with.

The ground shook under Cane’s feet. At first, it was a light rumble... then it grew stronger.

The sand moved as something large pushed through it. Ai lifted her staff and took a step forward.

"They must have been drawn here. Stay behind me."

More monsters came out of the sand — their slim, worm-like bodies trying to catch their prey off guard.

Ai swung her staff and sent a wave of light at it. The beast was cut in half. But two more rushed around her sides, forcing Cane to react fast.

Cane gripped his weapon. He might not be as high-level as Ai, but he had a lot of High-class skills. He moved to the side, slid under the monster’s claws, and cut its stomach.

The creature shrieked and fell. Cane finished it with a second hit. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Ai didn’t even turn when another monster jumped at her from behind. She slammed her staff into the ground, and a shockwave knocked it back into the sand.

The shaking came again — stronger than before.

The sand dune shook behind them and a giant monster stepped out, much bigger than the others.

Its bone mask was cracked, and black liquid dripped down its face. Sharp spikes grew along its back, glowing faintly.

A mini-boss.

Ai’s lips curved. "Good. Something stronger."

The beast roared and charged. Ai made a light shield around them. The monster crashed into it, sending sparks through the air. Cane staggered from the force.

"Ai—!"

"I know."

She dropped the shield and fired a beam of light from her staff. It hit the monster’s mask and pushed it back, but the beast dug its claws into the ground and held on.

Cane rushed to its side, looking for a weak spot. The monster swung at him, barely missing his head. Cane rolled and cut the creature near its arm joint. It screamed in pain.

Ai jumped high into the air. Her staff glowed bright gold. With a heavy swing, she slammed a huge light hammer down on the monster’s head. The ground shook. The mask broke apart, and the monster fell.

Silence spread through the forest.

Ai lowered her staff.

"Stay sharp. More could be close."

Cane reminded her as soon as he noticed that Ai was getting distracted and letting her guard down.

His words made Ai immediately pay attention and she nodded.

[Shura: Oh wow-! This is good coordination. I was not even able to say anything since I was in awe.]

[HaremKingXXX: Ai is strong. I approve of her as your partner. Now, make sure the others you find are just as strong as she is...perhaps even stronger.]

Cane ignored the messages pouring into the chat and focused on his EXP. He was just a few points away from hitting level 55 and that was dangerous. He had no idea what would happen to the quest if he actually managed to hit that level.

"Ai, we cannot fight anymore. It’s not because we are not powerful enough, but because we might fail the quest if we do."

Cane told Ai and she nodded, showing that she understood what he wanted to tell her. They quickly started to walk once more and soon reached the point where they could see the holy city with their bare eyes.

But as soon as they stepped into the radius, Cane felt his instincts warn him that someone was heading his way.

He tensed and in turn, Ai tensed as well as she looked at him.

"Cane, what is..."

She asked but Cane grabbed her arm to tug her behind him.

"We need to run, right now and as fast as we can. The monsters are coming for us and we need to make it to the safety barrier."

Cane told Ai and she nodded. She got ready to shoot the monster but Cane quickly pulled her so that she would not get a chance to do that.

The monster rushed toward them, almost getting them. But Cane pulled himself and Ai across the barrier seconds before the monster was able to get to them.

They panted as the monster collided with the barrier and fell down. Both Cane and Ai breathed heavily as they watched the monster fall.

"A-Are we safe now?"

Ai asked as she looked at the monster still circling the barrier. It tried to reach her but was not successful.

Cane let out a slow breath and stepped back from the edge of the barrier.

The monster hissed at them, but after a few seconds, it gave up and sank back into the sand. Ai lowered her staff, her shoulders relaxing just a little.

"We should move toward the city gate. Someone must have noticed the noise."

Cane said.

Ai nodded and followed him, though she kept looking over her shoulder. Even from inside the barrier, the pressure from the monsters felt heavy.

The closer they got to the holy city, the more tense Cane became. Something ahead did not feel normal.